The Army Comes Calling

by Darrell Maloney

  But when she spoke, it was slowly and deliberately, with no hint of fear.

  “You look vaguely familiar, sir. But that day was… still is, a blur. It was almost like a dream. I’m still not sure it wasn’t. I fear sometimes that I will wake up, and that everything will be like it was.”

  He held her hand longer than necessary, something that didn’t escape Hannah’s attention.

  “I assure you, it’s not a dream. These good people have taken you in as one of their own. They will provide you all the love and support you need to get through this. And they are patient and kind and will let you work through things on your own time. And even though I don’t live here with Hannah and her friends, I’m at your service as well. If there is anything I can do to help, you need only ask.”

  Glenna paused again. Hannah noticed she still hadn’t released Marty’s hand, and wondered if Glenna was conscious of it.

  “Hannah and Sarah tell me that you are the one who saved my children and me.”

  “Well, that’s not entirely true. There were a lot of good men who were involved in freeing you. I merely recruited them when I learned that you and the others were in trouble.”

  “But if you hadn’t done that, we never would have been rescued. Isn’t that true?”

  “Well, technically…”

  “Mr…”

  “Haskins. But call me Marty, please.”

  “Marty, would you mind sitting with me for a bit?”

  Glenna wasn’t even sure herself why she asked. Perhaps she needed to satisfy in her own mind that not all men were savages. Or perhaps she saw a kinship of sorts in Marty’s eyes.

  Marty was willing. His hand was still tightly in her grip, but he made no effort to extract it.

  Hannah said, “I’m going back for seconds. Do you guys want anything?”

  She was totally ignored by Glenna and Marty. Little Steve looked at her plaintively and asked, “Please, ma’am, can I have some more apple pie?”

  “Well, certainly.”

  Hannah looked at Amy.

  “And would you like some too, little princess?”

  “Yes, ma’am, please.”

  “Okay, but I can’t carry back three pieces. Why don’t you guys come with me and we’ll see if there’s any left?”

  Both of the children got up and each took one of Hannah’s hands. Amy, though, looked at her mother plaintively and hesitated. It occurred to Hannah for the first time that the young child felt a need to help protect her mother from the evils of the world. That perhaps in previous months the three had learned to provide a protective shell around the others. Perhaps that in the absence of help from anyone else, they learned to protect each other.

  “She’ll be okay,” Hannah whispered in Amy’s ear. “Marty is really Superman in disguise.”

  Amy’s eyes grew as big as saucers and she exclaimed, “Wow! Really?”

  Hannah vigorously nodded her head and then held a finger to her lips. Amy nodded in agreement, and the two shared a secret that would never be disclosed to anyone.

  The three left the table and Marty sat down in the chair that Hannah vacated.

  When returning with their pie, Hannah saw that Marty and Glenna were deep in conversation.

  She suggested, “Why don’t we sit over here and eat, and you can tell me all about how you’re doing in school?”

  Amy smiled. Little Steve rolled his eyes and said, “Oh, gee whiz…”

  Hannah took that to mean that Amy was the more studious of the two.

  They sat at a table halfway across the dining room from Marty and Glenna. Far too far away for Hannah to catch even a snippet of the conversation.

  As Amy droned on and on about the things Miss Helen was teaching her about grammar and spelling and geography, Hannah couldn’t help but wonder what on earth Marty and Glenna were talking about.

  Chapter 40

  Hannah never found out what Marty and Glenna had been so engrossed in. After half an hour of what appeared to be a very intense conversation, during which time Marty’s hand never left Glenna’s, he finally got up to leave.

  Amy and Steve left Hannah to rejoin their mother, and Marty rejoined Mark and John to talk about fishing techniques.

  Hannah moved on to other things. It was time to take Little Markie home to get his bath and prepare him for bed. She knew that Mark would show Marty to the guest apartment and make sure that he had everything he needed to get him through the night.

  Hannah was excited for another reason that had nothing to do with Glenna’s first steps in coming out of her shell.

  In just a few hours, at ten hundred hours the next morning, Colonel Travis Montgomery would be returning to collect her and John for a second tour of Montgomery’s greenhouse and livestock facilities.

  The colonel had felt bad because John had taken ill and hadn’t been able to go on the first trip.

  And the colonel had also heard there were others in the compound who’d wanted to see the facility.

  Despite his gruff exterior, Colonel Montgomery was an accommodating sort by nature. And it didn’t hurt that he was passionate about his work and loved showing it off.

  At the conclusion of the first tour, he’d told Karen and Frank that he’d do as many tours as he had to until everyone had a chance to go.

  And of course, Hannah was ecstatic. She’d never been on a helicopter, and was looking forward to her first trip. And she, like everyone else, was tired of being cooped up in the compound, after being held prisoner in the salt mine for seven long years. There was a great big world out there, and she wanted to experience it again.

  Mark asked her, “Are you sure you’re not just gonna run off with this colonel? Maybe you’ve always had a secret desire to be an officer’s wife, and go to all those fancy dinner parties and mingle with the high society and such.”

  “Don’t worry, honey. I saw the colonel on the monitors, and he’s not my type. He’s tall, dark, handsome, and sophisticated. Everything I never wanted in a man.”

  “Good. That’s nice to know.”

  Then her words sunk in.

  “Hey, wait a minute…”

  Hannah laughed.

  “Don’t worry, baby. You’re one of the only two men I will ever love. And Colonel Montgomery isn’t the other one. He’s way too grouchy for me.”

  “Well, just who is the other man you’ll ever love besides me?”

  “Our handsome son, silly. He’s got the other half of my heart, remember.”

  “Oh. Okay. Good answer. Have you talked to Karen today?”

  “No, why?”

  “She told me not to let you get on that helicopter before you saw her first. She said she has some yellow squash and poblano pepper seeds that Colonel Montgomery’s people didn’t have, and she wants you to give them to him. Also, she has a list of questions she wants you to ask his agronomists.”

  “Oh, goody. A work assignment. That takes all the fun out of the field trip. What kind of questions?”

  “I don’t know. Questions about growing plants and stuff. Stuff she said she forgot to ask them when she was there before.”

  “Did you tell her I charge a dollar a question?”

  “Nope. You tell her. I want to stay on her good side.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s the one who grows strawberries and grapes. And I love strawberries and grapes more than life itself.”

  “More than me?”

  “I love nothing more than you.”

  “Ooh, good answer. Are you going to miss me while I’m gone?”

  “I’ll count the minutes until you return.”

  “Good. I only have one more question. Before Marty left, did he happen to tell you what he and Glenna talked about?”

  “No. He just said that they had a great conversation, and that he wanted to come back next week and visit with her again.”

  Hannah smiled and pumped her fist.

  “Yes,” she exclaimed. “It’s about time!”

/>   Chapter 41

  “Mommy?”

  Hannah tried her best not to respond, hoping maybe it was a dream.

  “Mommy?”

  She opened one eye.

  Before her stood Little Markie, wearing a huge set of Sony headphones and a straw cowboy hat. The headphones were so big on his tiny head they bypassed his ears completely and rested on his cheeks.

  He was a sight, to be sure.

  “Good morning, little sir.”

  “Good morning Mommy.”

  She looked at him in anticipation, expecting him to say more. Instead he stood in place, studying her.

  “Did you want to tell Mommy something, sweetheart?”

  Then, as if it suddenly dawned on him he had more to say, he said, “Mommy?”

  She smiled.

  “Yes, honey?”

  “Is this the day you’re going to ride in a helo… a helo… a heliochopper?”

  “A helicopter,” she said gently. “Yes, sir. Why do you ask?”

  “Because Daddy said it would be your first time in a heliochopper. And I thought that since it was your first time, then maybe you’d let me be your pilot and fly it for you.”

  She smiled again, but not because she saw humor in her son’s request. She smiled because it warmed her heart.

  “Well, thank you little sailor, but do you know how to fly a… heliochopper?

  “Oh, yes. I was watching a movie on the TV yesterday. And it was called SMASH, and it was about these Army guys, and they had heliochoppers, and one of the pilots, he wore a cowboy hat, and he pulled on this stick thing and the heliochopper went up, and then he pushed on the stick thing and it went back down again. I can do that, I know I can.”

  “Well, honey, on M*A*S*H* a lot of stuff was make believe. And I think there is a lot more to flying a heliochopper than just moving a stick back and forth.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, I think they have these things called rudders that you have to push with your feet while you’re moving the stick thing back and forth. And you have to be at least as tall as Mommy or your feet won’t be able to reach the rudders.”

  He was crestfallen, and his face showed it.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, honey. You know I’d let you fly Mommy’s heliochopper if only you were a little bit taller. Maybe if I go again in a couple of years you’ll be tall enough by then. Would you settle for flying Mommy’s helipchopper then?”

  “In a couple of years I’ll be ten. Do you think I’ll be as tall as you then?”

  “I don’t know, honey. You might be. You’re growing pretty fast.”

  “How long do you think it’ll be before I’m taller than Daddy?”

  “I don’t know, sweetheart. Maybe never. Your Daddy is pretty tall, you know.”

  “I know. But I want to be taller so he’ll stop calling me short stuff.”

  “Does it bother you when he calls you short stuff?”

  “Yes. It makes me feel little. And I’m big. I’m taller than Becky and Bailey and David Junior. I’m bigger than all of them.”

  “Well, honey, you might never be taller than your Daddy. But if you want, Mommy can ask him not to call you short stuff any more.”

  “Would you, Mom? Thanks!”

  “Sure. And if you want, I can even bite his nose if he forgets and calls you short stuff again.”

  “No, Mommy! That would hurt him. I don’t want you to hurt my Daddy. I just want him to stop calling me short stuff is all.”

  Hannah stole a look at Mark, who lay beside her with his eyes closed. He pretended to be sleeping, but the smile on his face gave him away.

  “Well, honey, how about if I spank him whenever he calls you short stuff? That’ll just hurt his bottom, and you know he usually deserves a spanking anyway.”

  Markie pondered the suggestion, and then announced, “Well, okay. I guess that would be all right.”

  The smile left his father’s face.

  Hannah looked at the clock. It was almost five a.m.

  “Honey, we have to get up for school in a couple of hours. Would you like to crawl into bed with Mommy and Daddy and get some more sleep?”

  “Sure.”

  Hannah scooted back, making a point to push Mark unceremoniously to the edge of the bed. She considered going further, but thought it might be just a bit mean.

  Markie snuggled with her, his little head in her bosom and his arm around her, and said, “I love you, Mommy.”

  “I love you too, little man. Sweet dreams.”

  “You too, Mommy.”

  Markie was asleep within minutes, and she listened to the soft rhythm of his labored breathing. She thought of the adventure her helicopter ride would be in just a few hours, until she almost drifted off to sleep again.

  Almost.

  Until five forty five, when Sami began pounding frantically on her apartment door.

  “Hannah! Hannah! Oh, my God! Are you awake?”

  Chapter 42

  Hannah tried her best to get to the door before Sami woke up her two favorite men in the world. It wasn’t easy to do, since she was stuck between them and had to climb over Little Markie to get out of bed.

  The frantic look on Sami’s face alarmed her as she stepped into the hall and softly pulled the door behind her.

  Sami was almost in tears and fell into her friend’s arms.

  Hannah held her close and asked, “Sami, what on earth is the matter?”

  “Oh, Hannah, it was terrible. I had this horrific nightmare. I dreamed we were gathered at the back of the compound, where the small cemetery is. I dreamed we were all dressed in black, and we were all bawling our eyes out. Hannah, we were burying someone. Someone we love dearly.”

  As much as she loved and wanted to support her friend, it was much too early in the morning for Hannah to reason logically with the situation.

  She tried to lighten the moment a bit.

  “Were you there, Sami?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was I there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank goodness. At least they weren’t burying one of us.”

  “Oh, my God! You’re not helping, Hannah!”

  Hannah thought for a moment and decided her effort to make light of Sami’s dream fell way short.

  “You’re right, dear. That was very insensitive of me. Why don’t we go to the dining room and pour some coffee and you can tell me about your dream.”

  “But… you’re still in your nightgown.”

  “So are you, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  Sami looked down and realized for the first time that she had burst out of her apartment in her nightclothes.

  “Don’t worry,” Hannah said. “All the lazy men are still in bed snoring and farting and dreaming about Hooters girls. Besides, if we run into any of them, they can’t see much of anything anyway.”

  Sami was too distraught to argue.

  Hannah led her to the dining room and sat her at an isolated table in the corner of the room.

  “You still like your coffee with cream and two sugars?”

  Sami nodded her head.

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  After placing two cups of coffee on the table, Hannah took a seat beside her friend.

  “Now, Sami, you’ve had nightmares before. What makes you so convinced that this one will come true?”

  “This was more than a nightmare, Hannah. This was more like a premonition. You know I’ve had them before. Last year, before I got shot, remember? I told you several days before that I had this foreboding… that something dreadful was going to happen. And we came under attack. And there were others before that, that you never knew about. Where I had a sense of dread just before something bad happened.”

  “Tell me about the dream.”

  “Like I said, it wasn’t very specific. I couldn’t see most of the faces. Just a bunch of people gathered around, all dressed in black. There was a casket sitting over an open grave. But I
don’t know who was in it. Most of the faces were blurred out. The only reason I know you and I were there was because you were holding my hand. And we were crying together.”

  “So, you don’t know if this is going to happen tomorrow, or next year, or even twenty years from now?”

  “Hannah, I know you think I’m crazy…”

  Hannah took her hand.

  “Oh, I do not. I know you have premonitions. And I know that sometimes they hit very close to the mark. I’m just trying to get a handle on this and maybe to set your mind at ease.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, to be blunt, there have also been times in the past when you swore something bad was going to happen and it never did. Right?”

  Sami shook her head, feeling just a little bit foolish.

  “And even if you’re right, you have no specifics about who died and how, right?”

  “Right. I guess.”

  “So, say someone is in danger. We don’t know who, and we don’t know how. So there’s no possible way we can prevent anything from happening, right?”

  “I guess not.”

  “So let’s do this. Let’s just watch everyone especially close for the next few weeks and tell everyone to be extra cautious. Everyone is in reasonably good health. Debbie is making sure of that. And Helen is making sure everyone eats right. So I don’t think anyone is going to drop dead from natural causes anytime soon. If we spread the word for everyone to be extra cautious, and if we go out of our way to look for potential accidents, maybe we can prevent something bad from happening.”

  She looked at Sami and noticed her tears had stopped flowing.

  “Do you think that would help?”

  “Yeah, probably. I guess.”

  “Listen, it can’t hurt. And in the absence of any further details, it’s really all we can do.”

  Sami had something else to say, but hesitated.

  “Hannah…”

  “Yes, dear?”

  “…do you and Dad really have to go on that helicopter trip today?”

  Hannah smiled.

  “Is that what this is really all about? You want me to get worried and cancel my helicopter tour, so you can step in and take my place?”

  This time Hannah’s humor hit the mark, and Sami grinned.