Holding the baby to her chest Wendy sat up, not admitting she had forgotten her own name just yesterday when talking with some of the adults that’d come in with Joseph. Finally she’d just said, ‘the kids call me Momma. Call me whatever you want’. Wendy knew it was just that they had so much on their minds, worry about all the kids, not getting quality rest, and the list went on, but they were pushing forward. If they forgot their own names, so be it. She could think of worse things.
Looking at the bed, Wendy blinked her eyes rapidly at the mass of kids between her and Arthur. “When did they come in?”
Standing up and holding Nicole, Arthur turned around and for the first time, noticed six smaller bodies in the bed. Having no idea when the other kids showed up, “I’m putting a hammock in here to sleep in,” he moaned, working the kinks out of his body. Spotting Noah under Wendy’s legs, “He has his pull-ups on and no boots, he gets lots of love today,” Arthur grinned.
Lifting her legs, Wendy spun on her rump so she could get out of bed. “Noah only wears the boots if someone puts them on for him,” Wendy corrected. Sniffing the air and smelling coffee, she turned to the door and saw it was cracked open. Since they always left it open, Wendy knew someone was starting breakfast and didn’t want to disturb them.
“You need help with any of them? Because I’m letting them sleep until breakfast is ready or the others come and get them,” Arthur asked, putting Nicole in her sling and then draping it over his chest.
Glancing at the other cribs around the room and seeing they were empty Wendy gave a relieved sigh, glad the others had already come in to start tending the babies. “Can you get Lucas?” Wendy asked, picking up a baby that was awake in the bed just looking around. Setting the baby on her hip, she turned for Ryan.
Walking around and taking Lucas, Arthur pulled Lucas to his chest and saw Nicole immediately get a grumpy face. “Hey, don’t be like that, blue eyes,” Arthur cooed. “He’s your brother.”
Picking up Ryan, Wendy glanced over and saw Nicole’s brow furrowed up, clearly irritated. “Oh, you have so spoiled her,” Wendy mumbled, cradling Ryan to her chest. Out of all the infants, Ryan was by far the biggest but not the oldest. He was nearly the size of some of the toddlers.
Ignoring Wendy, Arthur glanced at his watch as he headed for the door to see it was almost six. Stepping into the kitchen he saw kids at work. “Here, Pops,” he heard and turned to see Andrea holding out his coffee mug.
Taking the mug, “You guys are getting good,” Arthur winked at her.
“Pops, I want to move one of the cribs to my room, so a baby can sleep with me at night,” Andrea told him. “I’ll get up.”
Savoring the first sip, Arthur gave a nod to see Vicki sitting in the living room and rocking a baby she was feeding. There was a pallet on the floor and he saw four other babies. Making a mental count of babies being tended to by others and coming up short one baby, Arthur moved around Andrea to see Shawn on the couch feeding the missing baby. “If you’re sure, I don’t mind.”
Glad she could pitch in a little more, Andrea stepped closer. “Pops, why didn’t you let Little Momma put some cribs in her room when she asked?”
Turning to look at Andrea, “Vicki takes care of these kids all day long. I want her to get a good night’s sleep. I told her I knew she could do it, but we depended on her too much for her not to get a good night’s sleep,” Arthur told her.
Thinking about that, Andrea had to admit that was great thinking. “I think she takes better care of kids than most parents,” Andrea said.
“Andrea, come change Pam,” Vicki called out, and Andrea took off before Arthur could even reply. Taking the baby from Vicki, Andrea moved over to the pallet as Vicki picked another baby up.
Seeing Arthur, Vicki gave him a smile. “Want me to feed Lucas?” she asked, nodding to Lucas in Arthur’s arms.
The fact Vicki could remember every name and could tell what baby it was just by looking at the back of the head amazed Arthur. “I’ll do it,” Arthur smiled. He had to look at the baby for a bit and still got the names wrong. Just a week ago, he’d put a boy outfit on a girl baby. He didn’t know, he’d never checked. Wendy had just handed him a baby and told him to dress it. Looking at the baby, Arthur really had thought it was a boy. Hell, they were taking care of nearly two dozen now. When Vicki saw the shirt, ‘I’m a bad boy’, on the baby, she’d taken the baby from Arthur while rolling her eyes.
Sitting on the recliner and scooting back, Vicki put the bottle in the baby’s mouth. “Put Nicole down before you do. Nicole doesn’t like for another baby to get fed when she’s being held,” Vicki stated.
Seeing Vicki’s ten-year-old frame wearing a sleep shirt, one of his t-shirts that came to her knees, barely filling the massive recliner and her bare feet hanging in the air, Arthur was in shock. “How do you know I wasn’t going to feed her first?” he asked.
Scoffing, “You feed her in your sleep,” Vicki answered. “But she’s kicking and that means she wants to look around. She cries when I try to hold her and feed another baby but you, I’m sure Nicole would scream if you did it.”
Just the fact Vicki knew the individuality of each infant made Arthur feel like shit because he couldn’t even remember all the kids’ names, even looking at their faces. This didn’t include Nicole by any means, but he didn’t even know Nicole’s individuality as well as Vicki did. “Um,” Arthur stuttered as he thought. In the end, he grabbed a bottle and cradled Lucas in his right arm and sure enough, when Lucas latched on the bottle, Nicole informed the world she didn’t like that.
“Hey, you ate,” Arthur told her in a very soft tone, but Nicole only paused to take a breath and renew her scream.
“Todd!” Vicki barked out curtly and Todd ran in from the kitchen. “Get Lucas and feed him,” Vicki told him. Never waiting on Arthur to hand him over or asking if Arthur wanted to hand the baby over, Todd took Lucas and tucked the baby in his arm like Vicki had taught him and headed for the couch.
Feeling somewhat emasculated, Arthur looked down as Nicole stopped screaming. “I can feed other babies if I want to,” Arthur told her, but the tone was very soft.
“Pops, leave her alone,” Vicki commanded, and Arthur jerked his head up but Vicki was watching Andrea finish changing Pam. “Just leave Pam on the pallet and go help on breakfast because Kirk sometimes gets pieces of eggshells in the eggs.”
Getting up, Andrea smiled at Vicki and headed to the kitchen. Feeling Arthur staring at her, Vicki turned to him, unintimidated. “You leave Nicole alone. If she wants to be held alone, then she gets held alone. If she wants her Pops all to herself sometimes, she gets Pops to herself,” Vicki informed him in a rather adult-sounding tone. “Because of her we’re alive, and this is the last time we speak of it.”
Arthur’s mouth fell open as he gasped; but he didn’t speak back. Little Momma held power and wasn’t afraid to wield it. With Ryan riding on her hip, Wendy walked past Arthur into the living room. “Arthur, close your mouth and leave Little Momma alone,” she told him, then bent over to kiss Vicki on the forehead.
Everyone loved Vicki. Besides Arthur and Wendy, she was the only one who could dish out punishment of extra chores, which she had only done once. It was when Todd had taken off running when one of the babies took a massive dump and he’d refused to change the diaper. After cleaning both the girls and boys bathrooms in the dorms, twice, Todd never ran away again. When he’d gone to Arthur to complain, Arthur had told Todd he either did what Vicki told him or he would be picking up cow shit from the field with his hands. He was to gather it up in a wheelbarrow with shovels like they did every week, but he was to put it back out when he was done with his hands. Then he was to pick it back up and when he was done, then clean both bathrooms twice, again.
It was very clear, Vicki was regarded as more of an adult than any of the others and that was fine with everyone. She took care of all the younger kids and did a very good job, but she expected help and if she didn’t g
et it, a lesson was in order.
Clearing his throat as Wendy sat in her recliner, “Vicki, sometimes Nicole needs to be taught that she has brothers and sisters, and she has to share,” Arthur said, and even those working could tell he was speaking very hesitantly.
“Pops!” Vicki barked and Arthur gave a startle. “Do you want me to get up?”
Looking at Vicki’s serious face, Arthur couldn’t help but smile. “Hey, I gave you the keys to my truck to prove I wouldn’t leave you. The only other person I’ve ever given the keys to my Blazer to is Wendy,” he chuckled, walking over and kissing Vicki then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight.
When he released her, Arthur saw Vicki had tears in her eyes. “Vicki, don’t cry,” Arthur panted. “I won’t feed another baby if it makes Nicole mad.”
Blinking her tears away and looking up at Arthur, “I know what that man who was chasing me wanted and it wasn’t a cat,” she told him in a tiny voice. “If you hadn’t got us, he…”
The caring face fell away and instantly, Arthur went to pissed-off motherfucker wanting to shank some assholes, and he jumped to his feet. “Who told you, damn it?!” he bellowed. Vicki was the most innocent child he had ever known and that the innocence was taken away made Arthur feel violated.
“Arthur,” Wendy called out, and he turned with a glare. “I did, and she needed to know because Vicki protects the kids. I know you loved her innocence, but Arthur, she had to understand the evil that’s outside of this house.”
Knowing Wendy was right, but accepting it was totally different, anger flushed his system demanding violence as Arthur thought about taking the day off just to go and kill something because inside he knew he should’ve told Vicki, but he’d wanted to cherish that innocence she displayed to the world. Dropping his gaze to Vicki, “You remember I capped that punk ass bitch and if he had friends, I’m skinning them alive. I don’t care if they sat beside him on the playground. Anyone that wants or even thinks of hurting anyone here, I’ll kill them with a smile and have serious wood when I do it,” Arthur told her.
Putting the end of the bottle in the crook of her neck, Vicki wiped her eyes. “I know,” she told him in a soft voice. “That’s why Nicole gets what she wants most of the time. I don’t like thinking about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t got her.”
Dropping back down and hugging Vicki tight, “Don’t think about it because you’re with us now,” Arthur told her as he let her go and then grabbed Vicki’s ankles. When he brought her bare feet to his face, slowly opening his mouth, Vicki let out a giggling scream.
“No!” she cried out as Arthur latched onto her left foot. With a baby in her arms she couldn’t fight back as she laughed out. “Pops, quit!” she begged. Taking her foot from his mouth, Arthur let her ankles go and then leaned over to kiss her cheek, then the baby she was feeding. It was in that instant Arthur realized, he never forgot Vicki’s name, even when he forgot his own. The only other person’s name he could say for certain he hadn’t forgotten was Wendy’s, but they had been together for nearly three decades so her name was chiseled in his brain and that didn’t count.
Stepping over the babies on the pallet, Arthur headed to Wendy. “I can fight with a baby in my arms, so don’t even think about chewing on my feet,” Wendy warned. Arthur just leaned down and kissed her.
“You were right, I should’ve told her,” he admitted.
Looking up at Arthur with a grief-stricken face, “Arthur, I didn’t want to, I swear. I loved her innocence as much as you did. But Vicki had to know why she can’t trust anyone except those here. Vicki knew to stay away from him because he was a stranger but not why. I think if she would’ve known why, she would’ve made more of an effort and lost that man,” Wendy told him in a breaking voice. All she kept thinking and praying in her mind was that Arthur didn’t ask who had told her the story, but if he would’ve turned to look at Shawn, who was trying to hide behind a baby, Arthur would’ve figured it out who’d informed Wendy that Vicki needed to know what the man was chasing her for. In Shawn’s defense, he was right, Vicki needed to know.
“Then she might not have come with me,” Arthur said, patting Nicole as she let out a coo reaching for Wendy.
Shaking her head, “Arthur, every kid here has told me they didn’t feel threatened by you. Even without Nicole strapped across your chest, they would’ve gone with you,” Wendy told him.
Holding Nicole out so Wendy could kiss her, Arthur strolled over to the couch and patted Todd’s shoulder, then kissed the baby he was feeding. Walking back in the kitchen and picking his coffee mug up from the counter, “Need help?” he offered the organized chaos of bodies.
“You’re too big to help,” Kirk told him as he flipped bacon.
Thinking that sounded weird, Arthur headed to the garage converted to the new dining room. He found Skannish and Sutton at one of the long tables. Last night, they’d seen his plans on large sheets of poster board and had asked to look at them. Before he’d gone to bed, Arthur had given them his notebooks, tablets, and poster boards.
“Guys, have you been up all night?” Arthur chuckled, moving over and sitting down.
“Please, I can stay awake for three days,” Skannish huffed, then cast a wary eye around. “Unless Sarah is around,” he amended. “She makes me sleep even if I’m not tired.”
Giving a chuckle, “In a lab maybe, but you’ll be running equipment today,” Arthur said, and they both looked up at him. “Oh, Joseph will show you how or one of the kids, but after that it’s on you and if you hurt one here because you’re tired, a word of advice: Pull your pistol and eat a bullet before I get to you.”
“I’ve always wanted to run those big machines,” Skannish chuckled.
Clearing his throat to get Arthur’s attention, “Arthur, you only have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, correct?” Sutton asked.
“I have an associate’s in mechanical engineering,” Arthur told him.
Pushing a calculator away and pulling one of the poster boards closer, “We went over your numbers and the levee you’ve designed is ten times the size it should be. The twenty-five-acre lake will only hold a billion gallons. Since your dam is designed to hold back ten times that, why not make the lake bigger?”
Taking a sip of coffee, “You have no idea the amount of material we’ll have to move just to make that twenty-five-acre lake. As for the size, I want bigger, much bigger than I need. I don’t want the levee to break and wash down the valley. It wouldn’t even come close to hitting the house since we’re on the bluff, but all our livestock and power stations would be gone.”
Nodding as Arthur set his mug down, “We know and went over your projections. You, well, we,” Sutton corrected, “need power. How certain are your flow calculations?”
Shrugging, “Fairly,” Arthur answered. “Those two creeks have never had the steady kind of flow they do now. I’m certain it’ll get stronger as time goes on.”
“Fourteen thousand gallons a minute isn’t a tiny flow,” Sutton told him.
“Hey, before this, where both creeks come together at the head of our valley, I did measure them in July three years ago. That’s when they have the weakest flow and then, it was barely five thousand gallons a minute. You could wade across it. You try that now and you’ll have to fight to keep your feet under you.”
“So why not make it bigger?” Sutton asked. “That reservoir will be what powers us. And by your calculations, we will get a minimum of ninety kilowatts.”
“Man, can Nicole cry,” Joseph yawned, walking in the dining room with a cup of coffee.
When Joseph sat down beside him, Arthur grinned and then turned back to Sutton. “Again, you haven’t moved material, dirt, and rocks. Would I like it bigger? Hell yes, but we need power now. After we get this fence up, we’ll put more on the project.”
Before Sutton answered, Skannish gave a scoff. “Pfft,” he huffed. “You saw ants as a problem!” he cried out, digging through the stacks of pape
r and lifting up a notebook. “I never even thought about that and we’ve seen huge masses coming here!”
Andrea peeked in on hearing the conversation and quickly ducked back, telling those in the kitchen that Arthur was talking about his plans. They all had asked but when Arthur explained to them they felt stupid, so now they could listen in while someone else felt stupid.
Looking at Skannish, Arthur thought he looked like a dear old grandfather but had already learned, the old fart could irritate a monk. “If you don’t think about problems beforehand, that means you deal with them when they arrive. I’ve found out by experience that takes enormous resources and time. Don’t think because I don’t have degrees that I can’t think.”
“Please!” Skannish cried out as food was carried in and everyone moved to the two long tables but no one spoke, just wanting to listen. “The best researchers I’ve ever known were self-taught. A degree is only a piece of paper. Ernie had a PhD. in virology, and that man didn’t have the brain power to turn on a light.”
With a baby on her hip, Vicki handed Arthur a bouncy seat for Nicole. Pulling Nicole out and setting her in the seat, Arthur smiled as Wendy kissed his neck before she walked past to sit down beside Joseph. “Here,” Vicki said, holding out a baby to Sutton.
Like the baby was a snake, Sutton scooted back. “Maybe someone else should hold the infant,” he offered.
All Vicki saw was a big person with empty arms. “Hold her while I get the other babies,” Vicki snapped, and Joseph went to get up to take the baby but Wendy grabbed his arm, making him stay seated.
Looking at the smiling baby on Vicki’s hip, “I might drop her,” Sutton said.
“You do and I’ll beat your toes with a hammer,” Vicki warned, making both Sutton and Skannish startle in their chairs. “Now hold her before the other babies start crying.”
Miracles Page 18
