There’d been the typical stages of grief. At first, they denied it, hoping it was nothing. Then they were all angry—furious at the world that they could be hit with another tragedy. Megan felt she’d moved straight past anger and jumped to the bargaining stage. She was willing to give up everything they had if they could find a way to fix little JJ.
She’d been putting her life on the line, as well as Chase and Wyatt's lives since it became evident JJ needed medical intervention. They’d been making the long trips into the city, despite the danger and the reluctance of the others. They were all desperate for answers and hoping they’d find some way to heal him.
Megan had vowed to protect that little baby in honor of Jack and she wasn't going to quit until they cured him. This was her chance to right the wrongs she’d made. She didn't care what it took; she’d get the baby the help he so desperately needed, no matter the cost.
4
“Well, we may as well get back to the garden. Brenda, you got this?” Bryan asked.
They were in the height of their gardening season and winter preparations were in full swing. It felt like they were always working, preparing for the next week or next month. It was a full-time job and then some, even with everyone working. With Megan taking Wyatt and Chase on scavenging hunts a couple times a week, they didn't have time to stand around and stare at an unconscious man.
Brenda nodded. “Yes. Go about your business. I'll clean my guns down here so I can keep an eye on him. If he tries any funny business, I'll shoot him.”
Megan flinched. Brenda wasn't one to speak so plainly of violence, but she was prone to call them like she saw them. Shooting a man that threatened their family was second nature for any of them nowadays.
“Okay, well, I'll be right here taking care of the rest of my dried herbs. Bryan, will you make sure to bring me the rest of those mint cuttings?” Rosie asked, walking back into the kitchen.
They’d been pleasantly surprised to discover last year's mint crop had re-seeded and they’d been blessed with an entire section of mint plants. Rosie was harvesting the leaves, drying them and storing them away to use for tea.
“I’ll go get started on those peas,” Megan said giving the box one last look. She was dying to know why it was so important.
“Here,” Rosie said reaching into the window box and pulling out a bowl. “These peas have soaked overnight in green tea. They’ll sprout quickly. Hopefully, we’ll get a second crop before the first freeze hits.”
Megan took the bowl and poured out the water.
“Why green tea?” she asked.
“Well, you could use any tea, but since no one seems to like it, I used it. The tea soak helps soften the hard shell and gives the peas a jump start on the sprouting business,” Rosie explained.
“Okay, I’ll get these in the ground. I need to make new trellises as well. That first crop got away from us and those stakes didn't do much,” Megan said, taking the bowl and heading to the garden.
She got to the side of the house and surveyed the garden. It was quite large, larger than any backyard garden, but when she thought about the number of mouths it had to feed all year round, it didn't appear nearly big enough. In reality, they needed to start prepping a new garden area. It’d take at least one full season of working the earth, adding compost and then working it again. If they were going to continue living here, they’d need to add it to their list of chores.
She turned her attention to the mass of pea vines that were lying every which way. The first pea crop had turned into a tangled mess. The vines had become heavy and fallen to the ground. Many of the peas were destroyed by pests or stomped into the ground. This time, she was going to try a completely different way of building a trellis.
“Caitlin! I need you to come help me!” she shouted. She needed her daughter to know how to grow her own food. It was a skill she’d have to depend on one day. The best way to teach was hands-on.
“What, mom?” her daughter said coming around the back of the house.
“Where's Ryland and Frankie?”
Amy was standing behind Caitlin. The little girl was shy and rarely spoke to any of the adults besides her mother.
“I need you guys to grab me a bunch of small branches. They need to be as tall as you are,” she instructed.
Caitlin looked at her for a second before grabbing Amy's hand and taking off into the trees. With that out of the way, Megan got busy plucking the peas from the existing vines.
“Hey, can I use that hoe when you guys are finished?” she called out to Evan who was at the opposite end of the garden.
“Yep, I think it’s best if we use our hands. We accidentally butchered some potatoes that were sprouting. Don't tell Rosie,” he said with a laugh.
Megan grimaced. “I'm not telling her.”
The men were planting more potatoes. They were staggering the process in the hopes of prolonging their harvest. They knew they were cutting it close by doing it so late in the season, but if they could keep them in the ground until October, then put them in the root cellar, the harvest would last well into April. Their goal was to stick with fresh food as much as possible. It was far healthier and it tasted so much better.
They were moving into a section of the garden that was used for potatoes the prior year. It was risky and there was a chance they could end up with potato beetles, but they were desperate for that bumper crop. Rosie explained they needed to be on the lookout for anything orange in the soil. Orange indicated beetle larvae, which could spell disaster for not only their potato crop, but their tomatoes as well.
Megan finished her task and took the plucked peas into the kitchen for Rosie to clean and preserve. She was a little disappointed in the yield and was hoping the next time they harvested, they’d get at least twice as much.
“I'm going to get back out there and get the ground ready for the next crop,” she said after depositing the bowl of peas in the kitchen.
“I left the bucket of crushed egg shells by the back door,” Tara said. She was carrying a basket of laundry. They’d all picked up the slack since JJ's birth. Willow had her hands full with the baby, barely having time to eat or get a good night's rest let alone do the laundry for fourteen people.
“Okay, I'll work them into the soil. I'll have the kids with me building the pyramid trellises. I’m hoping we can get more peas in a smaller area with this method,” Megan explained heading back outside. “Then we'll have more room for other plants.”
“Mom, look at all the sticks we got!” Caitlin said. Frankie was trailing behind her, carrying a heavy load of branches.
Megan had to laugh. They’d outdone themselves.
“Okay, everyone ready to make some cool teepees?” she asked.
The kids all shouted yes and fired off twenty questions about what to do first.
“We’re going to work in two teams,” she started, hoping it’d make it easier to manage the hyper group. “Amy and Frankie, you two are going to work together and Caitlin and Ryland you two will build one together. Everyone pick up a load of branches and carry them to the empty plot in the garden.”
The kids complied. The peas were going in next to the corn, which was growing nice and high and would provide shade for the cool-loving peas. It was risky trying to grow peas in the heat of the summer, but they had to try. They’d planted beans next to each of the corn stalks to conserve space in the garden. The beans were growing a little faster than the corn, but eventually, the stalks would be big enough to support the beans.
“Let's start with say, ten branches each. One of you will hold the top while the other one puts the branches in place. The end that touches the ground is going to be used to create a big circle. The other end is going to lean into the center. Frankie and Ryland, you two hold the tops while the girls fill in the circle with the branches,” Megan instructed.
Once the frames were complete, Megan tied twine around the tops to hold them together.
“Now, can you fill in some
of the bigger gaps in between the branches with more branches?” she asked.
Caitlin and Amy quickly obliged.
“Okay, I’m going to tie the new branches in at the top and we’ll be ready to plant the peas.”
“This looks really cool,” Ryland said.
“When the peas start growing, they’re going to grow up this trellis and completely cover the entire thing. It will look like a cone of peas!” Megan said with excitement.
The kids laughed at her enthusiasm. She gave them each a handful of peas and told them to plant the seeds all around the base of their pyramid.
“Push each seed down with your finger, about this much,” she held up her fingers to show them a gap of about an inch.
“How close together can they be?” Frankie asked.
She held up her fingers again. “About two inches or this far,” she showed them.
Between the four kids, they finished the task in no time.
“Are we done now?” Caitlin asked.
“Yep, go play. I’ll need you guys in a bit when it’s time to clean out the chicken area.”
There was a collective groan as the kids took off running. They hated cleaning the animal area, but it was necessary. They needed the animal poop to fertilize the garden. So far, it’d been working like a charm. Chicken poop was very high in nitrogen, which was exactly what the corn and tomatoes needed to thrive. Mixed with the goat poop, they had an excellent fertilizer.
Because the chicken poop was so high in nitrogen, they had to let it sit in the sun and air for a week before spreading it on the garden. If the poop touched the plants, it’d burn them. It was a lesson Megan had learned the hard way. Thankfully, the tomato plants had recovered, but they had to remove all the bottom leaves and stems that had turned yellow after the scorching from the nitrogen fertilizer.
She brushed the dark dirt from her knees and looked up the hill at the orchard, which was in full bloom. Right now, it needed every extra bit of nutrients to make sure the fruit could grow until ripened. They were already dealing with spider mites and aphids. It’d been an uphill battle this season compared to last year.
Megan had to spray the trees with garlic water. It was supposed to have been done yesterday, but she’d been busy with other chores. Along with the garlic water, they were going to try a peppermint oil trick.
She went back to the kitchen, in search of Rosie. “Hey,” she said, when she found her washing dishes. “Do you have that peppermint oil you mentioned?”
Rosie walked to the cupboard filled with various essential oils. Their supply was running low. The oils had been invaluable to their survival, which meant they were on the list to collect if they came across them. If they couldn't collect them, they were going to have to make them. It was a process that involved distilling, which Albert was confident they could do with the right equipment. Distilling plants to make essential oils was on the ever-growing list of things to do, but it wasn't a priority. Food, water and staying warm would always surpass everything else.
“Here,” she said, handing her the amber bottle. “Only put a couple drops on each piece of cloth. We’ll freshen the cloths at least once a week and more often if it rains.”
“Got it. I'll grab those strips of cloth we cut the other day,” she said heading to the small box of shredded t-shirts. “Thanks, Rosie,” she said, taking her supplies and heading out the door.
She went to the shed and grabbed a pail. Then she walked to the herb garden and harvested one of the garlic bulbs. She separated it into individual sections and tossed them in the bucket. She used a rock to smash the cloves before filling the bucket with water. She gave it a quick stir before pouring some of the solution into a spray bottle.
“I'm going up to the orchard,” she called out to Bryan and Evan.
“Got it,” Bryan answered back.
That was another new habit they’d gotten into. They had to know where each other were at all times. If something were to happen, like an enemy attack or say, a dam break, they couldn't afford to waste time looking for anyone.
She got busy spraying all the leaves and fruit on the trees.
“Dang it,” she muttered when she saw one of the branches of an apple tree. The underside of the leaves was covered with nasty aphids. They were hard to see unless you looked close. With the tree full of leaves, it was almost impossible to inspect every single leaf.
The tiny white bugs could cover an entire branch practically overnight. Rosie had taught Megan to look at the trunk of the tree for ants. If there were ants, it was very likely there were aphids. All she had to do was follow the ant trail and they would lead her right to the aphids.
They couldn't risk the aphids spreading and the branch was already infested. She snapped it off and tossed it over the edge of the hill. The goats and chickens would love the little treat.
She grabbed the small stool Wyatt had built and climbed on top of it to reach the leaves higher up the tree. While she was up there, she tied a strip of cloth that had a few drops of peppermint oil on it to two of the branches. Then she climbed down to add more strips around the lower branches. The peppermint was a natural pest deterrent. They were hoping to keep the pests away from the trees altogether. Rosie had also told them marigolds were a nice addition to the garden to deter pests, but considering they couldn't run to a home improvement store, they were out of luck there. They had planted a few garlic bulbs around the base of each tree, which was yet another natural pest deterrent.
“I hope this works,” she said aloud. “I really want some fresh apples. You hang in there, guys.”
“I'm sure they appreciate your kind words,” Wyatt said from behind her.
Jumping, she spun around. “You scared me,” she scolded him.
“You’re supposed to be paying attention to your surroundings,” he replied.
She sighed. “Yes, yes, I know. I was caught up with the trees. I had to snap off a whole branch covered in aphids. If we don't get ahead of this, we aren't going to have anything to harvest this fall.”
“We need to keep up with the spraying and the peppermint and not give the aphids a chance,” he told her, not seeming overly concerned.
She knew he was referring to their many trips into the city. They were taking time away from their little homestead. It’d be different if they had found anything of use, but so far, the trips hadn’t been successful.
“I know. We will. I will,” she told him, committing to devoting more time to the chores around the lodge.
“Anyway, I came up here to tell you our new friend is coming around.”
“What? You could have started with that!”
“I don't think chatting for a minute is going to change anything. He was stirring when I came up here. Brenda is trying to get him to wake up. Figured you’d want to know,” he explained.
“Duh, of course I want to know. I want to know why there was a military convoy in this area and who attacked them.”
“We all want to know,” Wyatt told her. “The presence of an enemy force in the country is going to change things in a big way. We have to find out what we’re dealing with so we can prepare.”
Megan groaned. “Can't we have some peace for a change? This whole apocalypse thing is really getting old.”
5
Brenda was leaning over her patient, stethoscope in hand, listening to his chest and then moving to take his blood pressure.
“How is he?” Megan asked.
The man looked pale, but not nearly as bad as he had a few short hours ago. If only Brenda's skills could be used to help JJ.
“He’s coming around. We need to keep him relatively calm because without an MRI, I won't know how bad that head injury is. We need to err on the side of caution,” she said, turning to look at them. “He may not remember what happened. Don't be too hard on him. Asking him a lot of questions isn’t going to do any good and will only frustrate him. One at a time and no stressing him out. Got it?”
Megan, Chase
and Wyatt all nodded in agreement. Rosie came over, holding a cup of one of her magic teas.
“This will help with the headache he’s sure to have. I added some garlic and raw honey, to help fight any infection that may be trying to get started,” she explained.
The man moaned and moved his hand.
Brenda leaned over him. “Relax, soldier. You were shot and suffered a head injury. You’re safe now,” she said in a loud, clear voice.
The man seemed to be waking up more and was frantically feeling the table on both sides. He blinked several times. When he winced, Megan felt bad for him. He had to have a killer headache.
“Where is it?” he mumbled. His right hand drifted to the bandage on his stomach.
“That's where you were shot. It was a through and through and doesn't appear to have caused any real damage,” Brenda explained in a softer voice.
“Where is it?” he asked again, a little louder this time.
“That box?” Wyatt asked. “Are you looking for your box?”
“Yes,” the man said, trying to prop himself up on his elbows. “Where is it?”
When he didn't immediately find it, he became frantic. He started to thrash about on the table.
“Grab him!” Brenda ordered. “He'll rip his stitches or injure himself further.”
Bryan happened to be walking through the door and rushed over to help Wyatt. They each held his arms down to keep him from falling off the table.
“Let me go! I need to find that box,” he shouted, which brought a grimace to his face.
“You need to calm down,” Wyatt said. “You’re going to fall off this table and finish smashing your head in. Relax and we'll talk about the box.”
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 81