Wyatt decided that he would give Kyle a couple more days before sending him on his way. They all agreed that it wasn’t as if his medical experience was actually proving useful.
They broke through the trees that provided a nice cover for the cabin and saw Jack working on one of the fence lines and hollered out in greeting. He came out to meet them and offered to carry Megan’s pack. She handed it over with very little argument. The strain of that steep climb up the hill had taken its toll on her and she was glad that they didn’t try to cart those windows with them.
As the group approached the house, Rosie burst through the almost hidden front door.
“Megan, Megan!” She shouted. Her cheeks were flush and Wyatt dropped his pack, pulling his weapon trying to figure out what was wrong. Megan watched him go into defense mode, as he quickly scanned the area. The group of four picked up the pace and started jogging towards Rosie.
“It’s poison. It isn’t a virus. It’s poison!” Rosie was out of breath as she grabbed Megan’s arm and started pulling her to the house.
19
“What?” Megan asked in confusion.
“Mom, slow down,” Wyatt said calmly, putting his gun back into the holster.
Megan stopped walking, which stopped Rosie.
Rosie turned to the group. “Caitlin is suffering from nightshade poisoning. At least I think that’s what it is. Her symptoms match. The berries are actually tasty, but they’re toxic. There are a couple of different kinds, but the only kind I can find in my research that would cause her symptoms and be found in this area are the deadly nightshade.”
Megan shook her head. “I can’t believe she’d pick and eat berries. She knows better.” Her voice shook.
Rosie gave Megan a quick hug. “Sweetie, the berries look like a cross between blueberries and blackberries. She probably thought they were something she knew. Adults make the mistake all the time. It isn’t unheard of for a child to do the same. In fact, Black Nightshade isn’t actually toxic, but there is something called Atropa Belladonna that looks similar that is extremely toxic.”
Wyatt took control of the situation. “Okay. So what do we do? How do we fix her?”
Rosie shook her head. “I don’t know—yet. I just realized what it was. I need to do some research.”
Megan started walking quickly towards the house. “I’ll help.”
Now that her enemy had been identified, Megan was ready to go toe-to-toe to save her daughter. She was sure they could find a cure and Caitlin would be healed. She only hoped it was in time.
For the past few hours, Megan, Willow and Rosie were upstairs, going through a pile of books, looking for a way to cure Caitlin when Wyatt brought them coffee.
“Any luck?” he asked.
None of the women said a word. There was some head shaking and groaning as they poured through the books in front of them. He figured he better leave them alone.
Checking on Caitlin, he heard Ryland talking. Poking his head in, he found him sitting in the chair next to the bed. Duke’s head popped up when he stepped through the door.
“Hey, little man, what are you up to?” Wyatt asked Ryland as he walked over to pet the dog.
“I’m teaching Caitlin math,” Ryland piped up, as he went back to reading aloud from his book.
“You know she’s asleep, right?”
Ryland shrugged his shoulders. “Sure. But she was moaning and moving around a bit so, since math makes me sleepy, I thought it’d help her too.”
Wyatt burst out laughing as he squeezed his nephew’s shoulder. “You know, I bet you helped her.”
It was then Wyatt noticed what must have been Megan’s wallet on the dresser. He had a bad feeling Kyle had been digging through the drawers when no one was looking and left it out on accident. Wyatt had been in this room often and never before had he seen anything to signify Megan’s presence except for that crayon drawing.
“Hey, Ry, did you touch anything on the dresser over here?” Ryland’s answer of n’uh uh was enough for him.
Wyatt picked up the wallet. Megan’s driver’s license fell out. Kyle had most definitely been snooping. What he hoped to learn about Megan from a license that meant nothing in today’s world he didn’t know. It wasn’t as if her address mattered now and it certainly didn’t matter what her name was or how much she weighed.
Wyatt was putting the license back in the wallet when his eyes were drawn to the birth date. He suspected she was probably in her late twenties, but curiosity had him looking to be sure. His eyes widened when he realized today was her birthday. He double-checked the date on his watch and, sure enough, today the woman who had sparked something deep within him turned thirty-two.
Caitlin was mumbling again and he heard Ryland grumble. “Uncle Wyatt, you’re disturbing her.”
Wyatt put the license in the wallet and put it in the top drawer. He checked to see if Caitlin was coming around, but it was the same incoherent mumbling she’d been doing for days.
“Sorry, little man. My fault. I’ll leave her in your capable hands.
Leaving, he turned to watch his nephew going over his math and holding up the book to the sleeping Caitlin. He hoped the ladies would find an antidote for the poisoning, and fast.
Wyatt ran back up the stairs and asked his mom to come down for a minute. He let her know he was headed out to the fence line to check on Kyle who was still out working with Albert. He also told his mom about Megan’s birthday. Together they quickly planned a surprise that would hopefully lift her spirits.
20
After hours of reading, Megan stood and stretched realizing that it was now dark. Where had the time gone?
Her eyes hurt from straining to see in the poor light. She couldn’t believe they didn’t have an answer. With the three of them working together, Megan thought for sure they would know how to cure Caitlin within a matter of minutes. It’d been hours.
She was so grateful Willow and Rosie were helping. Megan could’ve never gotten through all the reading on her own in this amount of time. It would have taken her days. Willow offered to help Rosie make dinner while Megan continued to search the books for any helpful information.
When Rosie came back upstairs, Megan had several candles lit so she could see what she’d written down. She thought she had an idea, but wanted Rosie’s expertise. All of the women had been jotting down notes as they came across potentially useful information. They regularly compared their notes and had been able to eliminate some ideas, narrowing down the potential cure.
Because it’d been days, the use of activated charcoal would likely be ineffective. Her organs had already absorbed the poison. Rosie was convinced the best option was milk thistle. She explained how beneficial it was to removing toxins from the organs and the blood. It was really their best option.
The problem was, the plant wasn’t quite as common as its cousin, the common thistle was. Rosie told Megan it would likely be found growing alongside the highway and the key factor to look for were white streaks on the leaves that indicated it was milk thistle, rather than common thistle. Unfortunately, that was a good five miles away. Megan wasn’t deterred, she would find it. It was too late to go tonight, but she would be up at sunrise and on her way to find that plant.
“Let’s go have dinner,” Rosie said, clapping her hands together.
It was then Megan realized how lovely the house smelled. Rosie must have put together something spectacular. She walked down the stairs and the aroma of fresh baked bread filled the air. It smelled delicious. On the center island, Megan saw three loaves of French bread. She began to salivate. The smell of garlic and basil greeted her next. Willow was at the stove stirring a pot.
“Oh my goodness, ladies! You’ve outdone yourselves! I don’t think I remember anything smelling and looking so good! I feel like I stepped into an expensive Italian restaurant!” Megan exclaimed. “What can I do to help?” she offered, going to the kitchen sink to grab the water jug to wash her hands.
Rosie smiled at her. “Not a thing, dear. You go check on your daughter, and then kick back and relax. It being your birthday and all,” she winked.
Megan froze. “What?”
“Happy Birthday!” Willow yelled.
Megan was suspicious. “How did you guys know?”
“Wyatt told me. It was his idea to make your favorite meal for dinner.”
Megan remembered them talking about what they missed most and what their favorite foods were. She didn’t remember telling him her birthdate, though. It’d been a few years since anyone acknowledged her birthday and it wasn’t something she normally talked about. Her daughter was too young to know and with no family or real friends, it didn’t matter.
After checking on Caitlin, she insisted she help set the table. Dinner was fun and the conversation was lively with no talk of what the world was like beyond the four walls of the lodge.
“I’m serious, how can you possibly put Johnson on your fantasy football team with Dakota. Those two would be at each other’s throats. They’d never make it through a single play.” Chase declared.
“That’s the whole point of fantasy football. I can have whomever I want on the team,” Jack declared. “And I’m saying, I want both of them. You’re annoyed that you didn’t grab them first.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “You know that’s one good thing about us being up here. No Sunday night football.” At the groans of outrage from all the guys, Willow held up her hand. “I’m serious. During the season, I felt like a football widow and then, when Jack got into online fantasy football, I was sure I was going to have to change the router password.”
Jack laughingly placed the end of a piece of spaghetti in his mouth and put the other in Willow’s before she could say anything else and they both slurped their half into their mouths ending with a kiss and a voice of complaint from Ryland.
That prompted Albert and Ryland to get into a spaghetti-eating contest slurping spaghetti strands one at a time as quickly as possible while Chase and Jack kept count. Albert had let Ryland get ahead and was soon catching up until he choked on a piece of spaghetti and ended up having it come out his nose. He claimed that should count as two but Jack over rode him declaring Ryland the winner, which effectively put an end to the impromptu game, as Chase thumped Albert on the back.
Everyone had been laughing and having a good time. It felt so normal to sit around and eat a delicious, homemade meal. When dinner was over, Rosie opened the oven and brought a chocolate cake to the table.
Megan had to hold back tears. She knew they had decent food storage, but such luxury was definitely a real treat. She felt a little guilty for being the reason behind their splurging.
Once she saw how quickly the cake was consumed, she didn’t feel as guilty. These guys were all desperate for some of the things that were taken for granted only a few months ago. Cake was a big deal. In the old days, it was something you almost dreaded, but in their new world, it was a real treat.
After dinner and cleanup, Megan asked to speak with Wyatt. They made a great team and she was hoping he would go with her to find the milk thistle in the morning.
Wyatt was thrilled to be invited on her excursion. He was going to go anyway, but to hear her ask for his help made him feel wanted and needed. She was beginning to trust and depend on him and he hoped that meant she was going to stick around for a long time.
He decided he’d better tell her how he knew it was her birthday. When he explained that he’d found her wallet out and the license loose, she raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I think we both know who was looking through it,” she told him.
He nodded. “Yeah, the sooner we get him out of here, the better. He’s definitely making everyone uncomfortable.”
Megan got very serious. “I don’t want him with my daughter anymore. He didn’t have a clue how to treat her so I don’t see why he should be watching over her at all. It’s weird,” she added as an afterthought.
Wyatt agreed and promised that he’d make sure Jack kept Kyle with him all day tomorrow. Once they got Caitlin healed, they would figure out how to remove him from the group. He wasn’t really helping and seemed out of place.
Megan looked relieved. Wyatt felt better. They had a plan and a goal to work towards. It was strange getting up each morning without a real purpose. In the past, you got up, you went to work and you came home.
He was looking forward to the days when life would feel a little more normal. He knew it would be a new normal, but establishing a routine would be good for all of them, especially Ryland and Caitlin. He was actually excited for the future.
Kyle could tell the group was skeptical. He needed to do something quick to prove he deserved to stick around. Wyatt and Albert had been watching him closely all through dinner. He’d been busted in one of his scams in the past and knew what it looked like. His targets would start to pull back and ask questions.
Usually, he could remove himself from the situation before he had to answer for any misdeeds. He was a conman. He wasn’t offended by the term. People were gullible. They wanted to hear certain things and Kyle had a real knack for finding out what the inner desires of a target were.
Once he knew, he transformed himself like a chameleon and then came up with a plan to take what they had. It was easy. He’d been a very wealthy and powerful man before the collapse. A little blackmail, charm, and the right friends had given him the lifestyle he felt he deserved.
Now that the group knew Caitlin had been poisoned, things were a little dicey. If they actually managed to cure her, which he would be very surprised if they did, everything he’d been building the past couple months would be destroyed. The berries were supposed to be extremely toxic. She should’ve been dead already. Rosie’s stupid tea had clearly weakened the poison.
He should’ve been able to solve his little problem, but no. Someone was constantly interrupting him. The old woman continuously walked into the room, and then the old man interrupted him at the worst possible time. Suddenly the boy was in there all the time claiming he was teaching her math. To make matters worse, there was the stupid dog guarding the little girl. Getting bit by the dog would definitely alarm the group. He couldn’t risk them thinking he was a danger. This whole mess never would have started had one little girl not been so damn nosey!
This new world gave him the chance to be the king he was destined to be. No little girl and her over-protective mommy were going to take that away from him. He’d paid his dues. He’d suffered for the first part of his life. The universe owed him. The EMP was kismet. He was reborn.
21
The next morning, Megan woke up early. The excitement of finding the plant that would heal her daughter made her feel wired. She kissed Caitlin on the cheek, gave Duke a little kiss and promised to return shortly with the antidote.
She walked into the kitchen, already knowing Wyatt would be there waiting with coffee. It’d only been a few days, but they’d already fallen into a routine. He was clearly an early riser.
“Hi,” she said with a smile she couldn’t hold back.
The sight of him standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, socked feet crossed in front of him, sipping his coffee was comforting. It made her feel normal. It made her feel safe and secure.
“Good morning,” he said gifting her with one of those beautiful, heart-melting smiles she’d become accustomed to. “You look like you’re ready to conquer the world.”
Another big grin. “I am. I can’t wait.”
He turned to grab the cup of coffee he’d already poured for her. “Drink up and we’ll get out of here. I already have our bags ready.”
Megan had complete confidence he would have made sure they had everything they needed for their excursion, which up until a few days ago was a completely foreign concept to her. The thought of relying on others for anything would have filled her with dread but now, the idea filled her with hope. Megan crossed her fingers that the plant was close and not t
oo far down the highway. Rosie had said it tended to grow in areas with lots of sun. The highway was shrouded in trees for the most part, but there was a good section near town that got plenty of sun. That was where they were headed.
They stood in comfortable silence, sipping their coffee. When Kyle came downstairs, Megan instantly went on alert. The guy seemed nice enough and hadn’t actually done anything to her, but that inner instinct told her to be leery of him.
“Good morning,” he said with a million dollar smile. “Wyatt, do you happen to have a fishing pole? Maybe a net? I’m a pretty good fisherman and would love to catch dinner for tonight.”
Wyatt hesitated a moment. “Actually, we do. I think there are a few around here somewhere. I can have Jack get you set up. Maybe he can go with you and learn something. The guy has never quite got the hang of fishing. To be honest, I don’t think I have either. Never really been my thing,” he causally responded.
Megan looked at Wyatt over her cup. She knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted Jack to stick by Kyle to keep an eye on him. It was a good idea.
“Oh, a fish fry sounds wonderful,” Rosie said making her way down the stairs. “Now you got me craving some fresh fish, you better follow through,” she teased Kyle.
Megan knew Rosie was a genuinely nice person. She clearly wanted to give Kyle the benefit of the doubt. Her mothering instinct was to take care of everyone, even if they were a little sketchy.
She knew she shouldn’t be so judgmental. She didn’t know the guy’s past or what he’d been through. His concern for her daughter did appear genuine but she had to wonder why he thought it was necessary to go through her wallet. It wasn’t as if there was anything of value in it. Wyatt had cautioned her on not saying anything because they didn’t want to alert Kyle that anything was wrong.
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 15