Reduced

by Robin Tidwell

  Finally, though, Juliet began to tire. She slumped against Abby and sleepily asked, “Abby, will you come tuck me in?

  Abby stood up with some difficulty, having Juliet’s almost 40 pounds in her arms, and whistled for Bob who had trotted off to sniff something interesting. She looked around for Millie and spotted her talking to Ted. She grinned. She supposed Lorie was still waiting . . .

  Millie caught up to them as Abby and Juliet headed down the road to Site 2, Bob following in their wake.

  Abby tucked in Juliet and told her good night, then she and Millie sat outside on the steps. “I hear you’re taking off tomorrow, Abby. Will you be gone long?”

  “No, just for the day; I should be back by dinner, maybe sooner.” They sat in silence for a few minutes, gazing at the stars and listening to the whippoorwills.

  Then: “Juliet really loves you, Abby. I’m so glad she’s taken to you and that you help me out with her. She can be a handful.” Millie chuckled.

  “Well, um, thanks,” said Abby. “She’s a sweet kid.” Decidedly uncomfortable with the way this conversation was turning, Abby stood up and said good night to Millie. Bob scrambled to his feet. “Stay,” said Abby. Bob lay back down, next to Millie. They both watched Abby walk away into the darkness.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Cal waited until most had sat down with their breakfast before she began the group meeting. “We’ve had some new developments since the last time we all got together. First, there are 61 of us now, plus Bob.” She smiled, and Bob sat up, wagging his tail. He was parked, as usual, next to Abby; Juliet was on her lap.

  “The command group met last night and we’ve made a decision to stay here for the winter. It’s going to involve a lot of work, and probably some hardship. However, in light of some of our information, we believe it’s the best plan.

  “I want to give you all the opportunity to choose, of course, as to whether you wish to stay or to leave. If you stay, you’ll be assigned duties much like you have the past week; if you decide to leave, we’ll outfit you with as many supplies as we can spare and wish you the best.” Cal paused for a moment.

  “I’d like your decisions by dinnertime tonight.”

  There was a low buzz of conversation that quickly grew louder. Several hands were raised, a few questions shouted out.

  “Hey, Cal! What if we leave and want to come back later?” “What do you mean by “duties?” Do we have to work more or something?”

  Cal stood on a bench so she could see everyone and began to call on folks with questions; Abby could hear some of the murmuring, particularly since she was sitting near a couple who seemed to be somewhat at odds with the announcement. They seemed to have their heads together quite often, whispering.

  “James, we haven’t really discussed anything about leaving and coming back; we’d hope that you’d have a detailed plan before leaving, but of course we wouldn’t turn anyone away if they decided to return.” Cal kept her face carefully blank and answered the next question, “Yes, there would necessarily be more work involved if you choose to stay. Winter isn’t going to be easy here.”

  Most people seemed at ease and the questions had slowed when Abby got up to leave. She had her pack ready, and she slung the Mossberg over her shoulder after depositing Juliet on the bench next to Millie.

  “’Bye, Abby,” said Juliet. She reached up and hugged Abby and looked very sad.

  “It’s okay, little one. I’ll be back for dinner. Behave yourself.” She chucked Juliet under the chin and turned to find Emmy, but her friend was busy helping Cal field a few more questions. Abby waved and started off down the gravel road.

  She found the beginning of the old trail up Pioneer Hill fairly easily, but still had to use her knife to hack away quite a lot of undergrowth. She left as little evidence of her passing as possible, knowing she wasn’t breaking a trail but merely scouting the territory.

  Abby climbed for a good two hours, stopping once for a water break. Fortunately it was cool in the trees; birds were singing and occasional small wildlife would crash through the brush. She was confident that there were no humans nearby, but was alert for any changes.

  Finally reaching the top, Abby paused for a breather. She glanced around first, making sure she was alone, then sat down to stretch her calves and her shoulders. She took a long drink of water and snagged a handful of granola from her pack. Finally, she took out her two-way radio and called Meg to check in and give the all-clear.

  That accomplished, she sheathed her knife and began to explore. There used to be a couple of old shacks up here, somewhere, but Abby hadn’t been up here for at least a decade.

  She stumbled on an old fire pit first, some distance from where she’d stopped to rest. Literally stumbled. Chiding herself for not paying attention, Abby knelt down to get a closer look. Nope, this hadn’t been used in forever, probably.

  A short distance away, she located the remains of the old shelters. The roof of one was completely down, in several pieces, the weathered, gray wood barely visible under a canopy of greenery. Only two of its walls were standing, and neither appeared very sturdy; they, too, were covered in vines and brambles.

  The second shelter had fared a bit better. The roof had a gaping hole, but was attached, and all four walls were supporting it. The screen door was missing entirely, so Abby was easily able to shine her flashlight inside and take a closer look.

  The scent of cedar trees was heavy, but not enough to mask the distinct odor of skunk. Blech, thought Abby, I’m asking Cal for a raise when I get back down. She stepped back hastily and continued to look around.

  Some time later, well past the lunch hour, Abby sat down and gathered her thoughts, memorizing her report while she ate. The site could be used, certainly, but would take a lot of hard labor to clear the area; not to mention shelter repairs. Still, not bad she decided, considering the neglect and lack of use over the years.

  She stood up, prepared to descend, and chose to take the other trail back down the hill. It was as disused as the one she had come up, but would put her at the back of Site 2. Might come in handy to have a route both directions.

  The trail, as it turned out, was both rockier and more overgrown than the first one. Abby spent a good deal of time hacking her way down and, often, climbing over rocks instead of going around them via the trail itself.

  Completely forgetting the basic safety rule of stepping on an object, rather than over it, Abby lost her balance and fell heavily onto her wrist. Immediately, an excruciating pain shot up her arm, much worse than a sprained wrist alone would warrant. With a small cry of shock, she grabbed the knife that she had dropped and slashed the head of a copperhead snake. She flung the body into the woods and stopped short, panting.

  Great, she thought. What a moronic move that had been.

  First, she checked the wound; not deep, but it didn’t matter as far as the poison was concerned. Fortunately it was on her hand, so she could keep moving if she was careful. She splashed some water on the bite and wrapped it tightly with her bandana. She decided not to immobilize her arm itself, as she’d need it for balance to continue her descent.

  Abby got her breathing under control, checked the immediate area for any friends or relatives of the diseased, and stood up. Her pulse was beginning to accelerate, but not much. Her hand was already swelling.

  She fumbled with her left hand to activate her radio and called Meg. Feeling like a complete greenhorn, Abby succinctly told Meg what had happened and gave her location.

  “All right, Ab,” Meg told her, “We’re on our way; you better stay put, okay?”

  “Nope, can’t,” said Abby. “It’ll take you guys at least a couple hours to get up this trail, probably more. It’s in pretty rough shape. If I keep going down, we’re bound to meet up quicker.”

  “Fine,” said Meg. “Cal won’t like this but, well, do what you gotta do, Abby. We’ll be as quick as we can. I’ll grab Noah and see who else is available.

  “And
be careful!”

  Abby clicked off the radio and continued down the trail, keeping a better watch now and moving rather slowly. She took regular sips of water and kept monitoring her pulse but, within half an hour, was beginning to feel a little light-headed and somewhat nauseous.

  She stopped to rest after another half hour, dousing her hand, still wrapped, with cool water. That seemed to help. Her radio crackled to life.

  “Abby, how’re you doing? How bad is it?” Cal sounded worried, of course.

  “I’m doing okay,” Abby responded. “Pulse is high, but no major problems. I’m wrapped and taking it slow. How’re you guys coming along?” She was starting to feel rather uncomfortable and was really wishing she was back at the camp about now.

  “Based on the topo map and your previous location, we should be meeting up in an hour or less. It’s not so bad down on this end.”

  “Okay,” said Abby. “See you soon.” I hope, she added to herself after signing off.

  Another 30 minutes and Abby was about down for the count. She stopped again, worn out from the pain and maneuvering down the trail. This time she took a few Advil and doused her hand with water, but didn’t sit down; she wondered if she did that whether or not she’d be able to get back up and keep walking.

  Finally she just stopped, slumped next to a tree, and picked up the radio again. “Cal? Are you there?” Then it got dark for Abby, very quickly. She heard a crashing noise not too far in the distance and weakly reached for the Mossberg.

  Abby floated in and out of consciousness for what seemed like hours, but by the time Cal and Meg and Noah had gotten her down the trail to Site 2 she was coherent again.

  She looked around at her rescuers. “Man, do I feel stupid or what? Can I walk now?”

  “Nope,” said Meg. “Why start now? I mean, we carried your sorry butt all the way down that hill; I won’t be able to move for days after this. Besides, you scared the bejesus out of us up there, ranting and raving about some pretty weird things. The least I could do is haul you the rest of the way…your highness.”

  Abby smiled and relaxed a little, still wincing in pain. The trio carried her to Millie’s tent, which was the closest one, and Millie was waiting for her.

  “Oh, you poor dear, let me get you all set up here,” Millie said, fussing around the tent, tucking Abby into her own bed. Noah unwrapped Abby’s hand for a closer look than the cursory exam he’d done on the trail.

  “What time did this happen, Abby?”

  “Around 3:30. Too late for antivenin, right?”

  “Yes,” Noah said. “But you kept it wrapped and wet, so that’ll help the swelling. Did you take anything?”

  “Yeah, about four Advil, around 4:00 or 4:30. Damn, this hurts. First time one of the little suckers ever nailed me.”

  “I’ll give you something stronger, but here, Millie has some dinner for you. You’d better eat first, then take these.” Noah handed her two pills. “They’ll probably knock you right out.”

  “Someone call for an ice bucket?” asked Emmy from the doorway.

  “So, Em, how was your day?” asked Abby, still with a sense of humor although it was dwindling fast. Emmy put Abby’s hand in the bucket and began talking about the outcome of the morning’s meeting, who was staying, who was leaving.

  Abby couldn’t focus and, before Emmy even got close to finishing her monologue, was sound asleep.

  Early the next morning, Abby groaned and sat up. She blinked and looked at her hand, trying to piece together the fuzzy memories. Ah, yes. Hand. Snake. She lay back down quickly.

  A second try found her examining her hand; still swollen, and bruised. She tried to flex it. Wonderful. That was her best shooting hand. She hoped she wouldn’t be out of commission very long. She tried sitting up again. There, that was better.

  Millie stuck her head through the tent flap. “And how’s our patient this morning?”

  “Starving,” replied Abby. “And sore.”

  “Well no wonder, after what you went through yesterday. And falling asleep before you could even eat your dinner!” Millie set a plate down on Abby’s lap. “There you go, dear. Dr. Noah said he’d be by in a few minutes, so eat up!”

  A small, curl-framed face poked itself inside the tent, eyes wide. Juliet flew to Abby’s cot but stopped short. “Abby, are you okay?” She looked scared.

  “Yeah, Jules, I’m fine. It’s okay, come here.” Abby patted the cot. “You can sit down right here.”

  Juliet slowly climbed up next to Abby, then threw her arms around her. Abby used her good arm to hug the little girl, then gently moved her aside a bit so she could finish her bacon and eggs. She was dying for coffee and a smoke, but that would have to wait until Noah showed up.

  Next through the flap was Emmy. “Hey, lazybones, up and at ‘em!”

  “What is this,” Abby grumbled good-naturedly, “Some kind of ‘welcome back’ party?”

  “Nope,” said Emmy, “We had that last night, only you slept through it.”

  “True,” said Millie cheerfully. “That nice Dr. Noah was here most of the night, checking your vitals and all, and Juliet got to have a sleepover with Miss Lorie. Emmy and me, we took turns icing your hand and giving you sips of water.”

  “Yep.” Emmy gently hugged her friend. “I just came by to tell you I’m off to town with the rest of the gang. I’ll check in when we get back, might not be until dinner. Behave yourself!” And Emmy was off.

  Within minutes, Noah appeared. After he checked Abby’s hand, he took her blood pressure and asked a few questions. “Well, looks like you got pretty lucky. The swelling isn’t too bad, nor is the bruising, and you don’t have a fever. However, you’ve got to take it easy for a few days at least; move around if you feel like it, do what you feel up to but stop if anything changes.

  “And,” he added, “No more scouting trips for at least a week. You need to stay close by. I mean it, Abby.”

  Abby rolled her eyes. “Fine. Whatever. Now can I get up and go find some coffee?” She was already halfway off the cot.

  Noah sighed. “Sure, but don’t forget what I said. I’m watching you.” He winked. “Hey Millie, find this girl her boots, she’s heading out!”

  Abby walked down the road at a brisk pace, heading for Ted’s coffee. She really wanted a shower, too, but that would have to wait a few minutes. She was glad that Millie had insisted Juliet stay behind, she needed some time to recuperate.

  Sipping coffee and lighting a smoke, Abby parked herself on a bench. Several people stopped to ask how she was feeling, but they seemed to sense her reticence and quickly moved on. She could see some people carrying belongings to the nearby trucks, lined up and waiting to help those leaving.

  Cal sat down beside her. “So, we have a bit of an exodus.

  Not too bad, really.”

  “How many are going?” asked Abby.

  “About half,” Cal replied. “Millie and Juliet are staying, of course, and 17 of the others. Surprisingly, James decided not to go; Candy’s hanging out with him now, by the way.” The two watched the last bags being loaded. Abby wasn’t particularly sorry. She didn’t know any of them well, most were friends of friends, people she’d never met except recently and she hadn’t had time to get very friendly.

  “We need to keep an eye on that one,” said Abby, referencing James. “Who is he, anyway?”

  “I agree,” said Cal. “And he’s someone who used to work with Meg. She’s concerned too. How’s the hand?”

  “It’s okay,” said Abby. “I think I’m going to head to the showers and get cleaned up.”

  “Good idea.” Cal stood up and walked away to see off the group that was leaving.

  Abby climbed the hill to her tent and sat down, just for a minute, on the edge of her cot. She thought she just might lie down for a bit, then get her shower bucket and go back down. Next thing she knew, she was awakened by a loud thump.

  She jumped up and reached for her gun, which of course wasn’t unde
r her pillow as usual. In a flash, her hand went to her knife instead.

  Noah turned red and looked guilty and scared, all at the same time. “Oops, sorry. Didn’t realize you were up here.”

  Abby started to breathe again. “Sheesh, Noah, you about got yourself shot; well, if I knew where I put my gun.”

  “Oh, yeah, about that—Meg took it off you when we picked you up yesterday on the hill. She said she’d get it back to you when she sees you. Guess she’s been busy with the folks leaving.”

  “So what’s all this?” Abby gestured to the pack Noah had dropped.

  “Oh, um, we’re having to double-up I guess. Cal had everyone down at Number 2 move up here. It’s easier, really.” Noah paused. “If you don’t mind, that is?”

  “Of course not, silly. It’ll be like old times.” “Yeah,” said Noah. “A long, long time ago.”

  Abby tried to help Noah get settled in an extra bunk, but he made her sit back down and told her she needed to rest. She insisted on at least taking a shower and, since it was near noon, having lunch. She gathered her things and hiked down the hill, wondering if having a doctor living with her and watching her every move was going to be worth it or not.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Juliet spotted Abby the minute she’d sat down with her sandwich and came trotting over, Bob hot on her heels. She sat down beside her and started asking Abby questions about the hike, the trail, what she found, what she saw, and the snake. Juliet tried not to look at the bandage on Abby’s hand, however. She was a little afraid.

  Millie came puffing up to the table. “There you are, you little scamp! You need to slow down when Grammy’s with you.” Millie sat down heavily. “Abby, do you think you could watch Juliet this afternoon? I don’t think she’s gonna take a nap today. Unless you need to rest?” Millie looked a little hopeful.

  “Sure,” answered Abby. “I crashed right after breakfast, so I should be fine.” She turned to Juliet. “What would you like to do today, little one?”