Pulse

by David Lisenby

  Whisper looked into Will’s eyes. She could tell that he was hurting and knew that he needed some physical labor to take his mind off things.

  “You choose the place,” Whisper said softly. “As long as she’s in that field I’m good with it.” She smiled … somewhat. “Ya’ll go ahead. I’m going to stay here for a few more minutes.”

  Reluctantly, Will and River rose from the stumps they were sitting on and slowly walked out of the small patch of woods. This was the same place that Harold liked to sit and smoke a bowl; that’s why they had chosen this spot today. Sort of a farewell bowl for those they had lost during the invasion.

  Whisper sat on her stump. She sat there in a slump. Her shoulders were down as she looked around and felt a tingle in her rump.

  “Dangit,” she said. Then she thought to herself that she better get up before her butt completely fell asleep. Couldn’t let that happen. It might start snoring like Kay’s always does.

  She snickered at her little inside joke.

  Maybe she should let it out. Kay always did. Even in the middle of a funeral.

  Oh. Emm. Gee.

  Another small chuckle.

  Whisper walked out of the woods and wandered in the direction of the tater shed. They had been in there a while. She heard Allie saying, “O.K. Sierra, push again. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.”

  Arlene’s voice chimed in, “You’re doing good.” Although the voices sounded excited, they also sounded comforting.

  Whisper wondered what Abe was doing. She was so excited that her big brother was about to become a Daddy, but she wasn’t sure if he was ready to see what he was probably seeing at this moment. The thought made her shudder.

  As she stepped up on the landing near the door to the small living quarters, Whisper couldn’t help but think about her dad again and was saddened at the thought that he wouldn’t be here to meet his granddaughter. He had been so looking forward to that.

  “Again,” she heard Allie say. “Push again. One. Two. Three.”

  “I see her head,” Arlene said. “Push harder, girl.”

  Whisper leaned back against the wall. She could see the back of the store. Through a window, she could see Kay sitting in the back room. Alone. Her heart reached out to her. Things had been a little rough when she first met her … her daddy’s new girlfriend … so many years ago.

  Whisper admitted to herself that she was jealous of Kay at first, but over the years she had grown to love her step-mother. It turned out that she was a good person. The fact that her dad loved the woman also made it easier to like her.

  And now they both were lost without the man.

  A tear rolled down her cheek.

  “Waaaaaaa,” a sound emanated from the other side of the wall she leaned on. It sounded like a cat whining. “Waaaaaaa.”

  “Hello, baby,” Arlene said. “Welcome to the world.”

  “Awwwwwwww,” Allie said. “Look at her. Sweet little girl.”

  “Thank you,” Whisper whispered as she looked up toward heaven. “We needed something good to happen today.”

  More tears rolled down her cheeks. They were tears of joy.

  After a couple of minutes, Whisper stood up and started walking toward the store. She was anxious to see the baby, but she wanted to share the news with Kay. She needed a little positive news, too.

  When she walked by the window, on her way around the house, she could see that Kay was just sitting there. That was confirmed when she walked through the back door and then into the room she was in.

  “Hey,” Whisper said softly. “You O. K.?”

  “No,” Kay replied.

  Whisper leaned over and hugged the lonely lady. They didn’t have to say anything to comfort the other. Both of them knew the depth of the pain in the others heart.

  Still hugging her step-mom, Whisper whispered in her ear,” We’ve got a baby.”

  “Thank you, Jesus,” Kay sighed. “How is she?”

  “It sounds like they are both just fine,” Whisper answered. “They’re still in there, but I could hear her crying. That girl has a strong pair of lungs.”

  Kay smiled.

  “You want me to push you over to their place where you can see her?” Whisper asked.

  “Nah,” Kay answered. “I’m going to wait here for a little longer. Ya’ll go ahead and love on that little girl. There’s going to be plenty of time for me to spoil her later.”

  “You sure?” Whisper asked.

  “Yea,” said Kay. “Get on over there and kiss your niece for the first time. I’m sure you want to.”

  “Of course,” Whisper said. “I love you, Kay.”

  “I love you, too,” Kay answered. Her heart warmed, hearing those words from Whisper. She would never get used to that.

  The two shared one more hug before Whisper walked out of the room and made her way toward the warehouse. She wanted to tell Will. He was so excited about the baby. She hoped he didn’t mess up and get baby fever.

  A short few minutes later, Whisper, Will and River were standing at the door when Abe opened it, holding a precious package in his arms. “Ya’ll want to say hello to Josi?” he asked with a huge smile on his face.

  The trio on the landing huddled up to gaze down at the newborn baby being held by her father. “This is Josi Nathena,” Abe said.

  Inside, Arlene and Allie were finishing up with the process of childbirth and cleaning up the room. Sierra was completely worn out and lay in the bed with here eyes closed. Although she had just gone through the most daunting physical stress imaginable, she was glowing from the miracle she had witnessed.

  One thing was for sure; she was hungry.

  While there were numerous “Ooooo’s” and “Ahhhhh’s” at the small shack, several of the others at the Landing were gathered back at the barn.

  “So what are we going to do?” Ellen asked, the sound of concern in her voice. “We can’t just up and leave.”

  “There’s enough stuff here to divide up among us and we’d all be set to start over somewhere else,” Bobby said.

  “Like where?” Ellen asked. “Are we gonna go back to our own houses? Go back to how things used to be? That ain’t gonna work.”

  “We could go to our place,” said Ashlyn. “We can clean out the play room for ya’ll to move into.”

  “I didn’t trust ya’ll’s neighbors before all this happened,” Ellen said, “why would we start trustin’ ‘em now? Besides, what would we do for water?”

  “We can get it from the water wagon like everyone else,” Ashlyn said.

  “If we all leave, there won’t be a water wagon anymore,” Tommy interjected.

  Everyone paused for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.

  “And there won’t be a school,” Phil said softly. “Are we really gonna’ close the school down?”

  “Oh, Phil,” Ashlyn said as she walked over to her friend, “We’ll still have the school. Maybe not here, but somewhere.”

  “This is where the school is,” Phil said. “We built this school from nothing. My wife and son are buried here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Nobody said you had to leave,” Bobby said. “And nobody said I have to, either. None of us have to stay here if we don’t want to.”

  “And none of us should be forced to leave, either,” Ellen said. “As long as we pull our own weight and help others, we have a right to be here. We’ve all earned our place here.”

  “Well,” John said, “most of us have.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Bobby said defensively. “I’ve been healing up from a plane crash. Remember?”

  “At least you recognize who’s been doin’ the most sittin’ around,” John said, standing up to accentuate his point. “It won’t be much of a loss if you want to leave.”

  A reddish color rose from Bobby’s neck and colored his face. He was not a happy camper.

  “Guys,” David spoke up from behind the men. “Why are we even talkin’ about this? Shouldn’t we
all get together and discuss this like we always do? Give everyone at the Landing a chance to speak their mind?”

  All eyes turned toward the meek man.

  “Let’s get past this day and all this emotion before we go and make any plans that are going to affect everyone’s future,” David added. “I think it would be best of we all took a little time – even if it’s just one night, to calm down and wrap our heads around everything that happened.”

  An audible sigh filled the barn. They all knew he was right.

  “We’ll talk over breakfast then,” Ellen said. “When everyone is together and can speak for themselves. Agreed?”

  Bobby and John were still staring each other down. “Yep,” John said. He wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “We’re gonna’ go and see if supper’s ready. The kids are getting’ cranky.”

  He then reached down and picked up one of his girls while Ashlyn lifted the other. The small family then turned and walked out of the barn.

  Bobby watched them walk out and then looked around the barn. “Fine,” he said. “We’ll all talk over breakfast.” He then walked out of the barn, too.

  “How many you reckon’ are gonna leave?” Ellen asked as she looked toward Tommy. She had gotten used to the lifestyle they had created and hated to see it end.

  “I have no idea,” Tommy answered. “Things have certainly changed around here. It doesn’t surprise me that some folks don’t feel comfortable here anymore. I never expected to have to defend this place from such a terrible attack.”

  “Neither did I,” Ellen said, “but we beat those jerks and sent a message out to anyone else that thinks they can attack us. Now everyone knows we’ll fight back and kick butt.”

  “Hopefully,” Tommy said. “I’d much rather be shootin’ deer or pigs than invaders, though.”

  “They’re all animals,” David said. “They have no soul.”

  Tommy and Ellen both turned and looked at the waif of a man. He stood up and looked back at the couple.

  “The supper bell’s about to ring,” he said and walked out the barn door.

  “What a weird man,” Ellen said as the thin man walked out of sight. As he faded away, Roxie rang the dinner bell from the backyard.

  As he passed by the tater shed, Bobby continued to mumble under his breath. He was obviously not pleased and couldn’t let something go. Whisper more heard him coming that saw him. She stepped away from the door and stood in the pathway, directly in front of the grumbling man. As soon as he was close enough, she spoke.

  “Not tonight, old man,” she said softly. Bobby stopped in his tracks and stared at the attractive young lady before him.

  “What did you say?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Not tonight,” Whisper repeated. “Whatever it is that you have on your mind, you will not cause any waves tonight. We’re going to have a good dinner and you will not spoil it for anyone. Got it?”

  Bobby felt deflated. The tone of the girl’s voice was pleasant yet threatening. “I wasn’t plannin’ to cause any problems,” he said. He knew that she was right.

  “Good,” she said. “I’d hate to have to break your ribs again.” She smiled at the older man.

  He smiled back. “I’d hate that, too,” he said. “Guess I better not piss you off then.”

  “Guess not,” Whisper replied.

  Bobby smiled at her and walked away, feeling a whole lot better than he did just a minute before.

  Chapter 13

  Ghost

  Kay was still sitting in the empty room as the others began to gather for dinner. She was obviously still lost in thought.

  Abe came walking up toward the back yard holding his fresh baby in his arms. He was walking on air. In the window he saw Kay sitting there. He decided that everyone else could meet his little bundle of joy later; after her Maw Maw had a chance to say hello. He bypassed the group and went into the back door of the store.

  Kay looked up when he walked into the room. She smiled when she recognized who it was. “Hello, Daddy,” she said.

  “Hey, Maw Maw,” he replied. “You want to hold your granddaughter?”

  “Duh,” Kay answered. She had been waiting for this moment for a while.

  Abe gently laid the baby girl in her grandmother’s lap. “You want me to go grab you a glass of tea?” he asked. “Give you a minute alone with the girl?”

  “Sure,” Kay said, staring lovingly at the baby in her lap. Abe walked slowly to the door. He didn’t really want to leave. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Kay, he just wanted to be with his daughter. Who could blame him.

  Kay sat in silence, admiring the miracle before her. The baby was perfect. She looked so much like her mama.

  “She’s beautiful,” a familiar voice said from near the window. Kay looked toward the voice and saw Harold standing there. He was bathed in a soft light and radiated warmth. She held her breath for a moment.

  “You’re not real,” she finally said.

  “Of course not,” said Harold. “I’m just a figment of your imagination, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is beautiful, does it?”

  “No,” Kay admitted, “it doesn’t.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Harold walked closer, never losing his glow. “You ever wonder what happens when the past collides with the future?” he asked.

  “What,” she whispered, so happy to see her husband one last time.

  “This,” he said with a broad smile. Kay looked down into her lap and saw that Josi had her eyes open and was staring directly at Harold. And she had a smile on her lips.

  She knew that this was impossible and that she was obviously hallucinating, but she didn’t want the hallucination to end. Her heart was full of love.

  “I don’t want you to leave me again,” she said, still looking at the baby.

  “I know,” Harold said. “But you can’t always get what you want.”

  Geez. If she heard that statement coming out of his mouth once she had heard it a million times. It was his go-to comment when one of the kids wanted something that they couldn’t have. That brought another smile to her face.

  “But I wanted you to love me forever,” Kay said as she looked up at her husband.

  “You already have that, Sweetie,” Harold replied. “I love you to infinity and beyond. Always will. Nothing will ever change that.”

  Kay was comforted. “What am I supposed to do now?” she asked.

  “You’re supposed to love this little girl,” Harold said. “Listen to your heart and don’t let anyone push you around. Well ... don’t let anyone push you in a direction that you don’t want to go in.”

  Kay cocked her head sideways. “Really,” she asked, “you’re still making wheelchair jokes?”

  “Never, ever, lose your sense of humor,” Harold said with a smile.

  Both of them looked down at the innocent child, who was still staring at the apparition before her.

  “I love you, Sweetie,” Harold softly said.

  “More,” Kay answered as she looked up lovingly. But Harold was not there. No blinding light. No cinematic glowing floaters pulling him into that light. Nothing. This wasn’t some movie; it was real. Harold was just gone.

  She wept.

  Josie cooed.

  “I’m sorry,” Abe said as he stood in the doorway. “I’ll go get another glass.”

  “What?” Kay asked as she shook her head and turned to look at her step-son. “What did you say?”

  “I said I have your sweet tea,” Abe said, “and then you said more. I can go get more tea. No problem.” He walked toward the crying woman, holding the glass of iced tea toward her.

  “Oh, no,” Kay said with a grin. “This is enough. Thank you.” She grabbed the glass of tea and held it by the side of her chair as Abe reached down and lifted his daughter from her lap.

  Abe looked at the face of his child and was amazed that she had her eyes wide open. She looked like she was smiling. “It must be gas,” he tho
ught.

  Kay wiped the wetness from her cheeks with her sleeve and then took a long drink of the tea.

  “She sure likes you,” Abe said. Josi was staring at Kay. Everyone knows that a newborn can’t really see much of anything other than light and color, but that baby sure appeared to be staring lovingly at her Maw Maw.

  “And I sure like her,” Kay said, lowering the glass from her lips. She winked at the baby girl.

  Wait. Did she wink back?

  No way.

  Stranger things have happened.

  Chapter 14

  Dinnertime at the Landing

  The sun was hanging low in the sky as the people of the Landing started gathering near the Grub Hut for the final meal of the day. The normally festive time of day was eerily quiet. Even the children were somber.

  Roxie appeared to be an exception. She was doing her thing just as she always did; fluttering around between the fire pit to stir the stew, flip the cornbread in the oil and answer any questions about where this or that was. She was a true culinary magician.

  Arlene and her two girls fixed their plates and retreated to the swing, where Hunter was waiting. This was really the first opportunity they all had to sit down together to relax since the invasion the day before. This was all still new for Lyss and Hunter, so this was a good chance to learn some things.

  Beetle made a bowl of stew for her mom and carried it to the control room. She had grabbed an extra piece of hot water cornbread but didn’t make her any of the stew. She wasn’t hungry but knew the cornbread would provide a few empty calories to keep her going. She really just wanted to be with her mom.

  Jake fixed plates for himself and his kids. They went inside to eat in their bedroom while Allie made a plate for Sierra and one for herself. She had assumed the role of mother hen, making sure the young mother kept nourished since she was breast-feeding her baby.

  Abe made his way around the group, letting them get their first look at Josi, and then carried the baby back to her mother. She was getting a little cranky, so he figured she was ready to eat and get some sleep.

  Shiela Mae and Rickey joined Tommy and Ellen over by Ashlyn and John’s place. Phil was also there; the children were sitting at a small table eating their stew and drinking a glass of Kool-Aid. Kenneth and David were both leaned up against the Grub Hut, sipping on a cup of coffee and chatting. Bruce sat alone.