The Long Roll Home

by Anderson, Diana E.

  Slowly, Tank glided through the trees. It was hard to believe a man as large as Tank could move so smoothly and quietly, but soon he was close enough to see the people. As one of the women turned, Tank recognized her as Tammy Baggart, the rancher’s daughter.

  “Tammy,” he called softly, “It’s me, Tank. What’s going on?” He gave a low whistle to get the other men to move up.

  Tammy looked terrified for a moment until she recognized him. “Oh, Tank, am I ever glad to see you. We escaped from the house last night. These men came to the ranch two days ago and tried to talk Dad into giving them our cattle. Dad offered to give them a cow or two since they said they were trying to feed the people in the city, but that wasn’t good enough. They argued with him for a few minutes, and then…” she whispered tearfully, “Then they killed him. The kids and I hid in the root cellar, and that’s where Sarah and her kids found us. We stayed there until late last night and figured out we’d try to come here and get help.”

  As Tank and Tammy were talking, Sven and Wayne approached. “Are the men still there?” asked Sven.

  “I don’t think so. There was an awful lot of noise last night. It sounded like things breaking and stuff being knocked over. We started smelling smoke and were afraid the root cellar would be in the middle of a fire, so we all snuck out. It wasn’t easy keeping the kids quiet and trying to get four-year-olds to walk through the woods in the dark, but we did it. We’re so glad to see you, but now we need a plan to go back and see what’s left.”

  Wayne asked, “What about your brother and the rest of the ranch staff?”

  “My brother and his guys were all out in the far pasture trying to round up the last of the herd. I don’t know if they are okay or not. I don’t know if they came back or if they were caught by those animals that killed my dad.” Tammy started to cry.

  Tank put his arm around her and gently guided her and the rest of the group back the way the men had come.

  Sven radioed ahead before they reached the ranch house. Lilly and some of the ladies were waiting on the porch and took charge of the kids and Sarah when they arrived. Sarah and her three rescuers headed to Steve’s office to let him know what was going on.

  -

  By mid-afternoon, Cassie was almost running as she pushed the cart. They were finally on the road that led to the ranch. Her excitement was contagious. Benjy, Lizzie and Petra were all riding on the cart and Andy was pushing Timmy in the wheelchair while matching Cassie’s speed. Suddenly, though, Cassie slowed down.

  “Andy,” she called, “Are those cows in the road?”

  He laughed. “You’re asking me, the City Boy, if those things are cows? I’m not sure I’d know a cow from a gorilla!” As the kids laughed, Cassie shook her head.

  “What in the world are cows doing out on the road? I wonder whose they are?” Petra hopped off the cart and walked over to the cows as Cassie slowly approached.

  “These are my neighbor’s cows. See the brand? These cows are from the Baggart ranch. We can bring them home with us and Steve can get the guys to take them back to the Baggarts. Petra, round them up, let’s take them home.”

  Andy looked at Cassie in confusion, but before he could ask, she told him Petra was trained to work with cattle and knew how to herd the cattle to wherever Cassie wanted them to go. Andy just shook his head, smiled, and said he had a lot to learn.

  The kids were having fun watching Petra herding all the cows down the road. Andy noticed, though, that Cassie looked very worried.

  “What’s wrong, honey?” he asked.

  Cassie chewed on her lip for a minute. “I’m worried. Mr. Baggart never lets his cows run loose. He doesn’t even let the cows anywhere near the front of the ranch. Between smelling smoke again and seeing the cows loose, I’m afraid something happened. We’ll be at the Baggart’s gate in a little while and I’m scared of what we may find.”

  “Is it safe to stay on this road?”

  “We don’t have much of a choice, unless we go cross country through the woods. I am afraid to do that, though, because I don’t know what kind of security Steve and Lilly may have put out. We’re better off staying on the road and getting to the ranch as quickly as we can. Benjy, hop down and push your brother so Andy is free to shoot if he needs to. If we tell you to hide, we want you to go into the woods on the left side of the road and hide. Wait there until one of us comes to get you.”

  “Is there a secret password we need to know?” asked Lizzie with an innocent look on her face. That made Cassie smile.

  “Yes, our secret password will be… ummm… ‘Rocky and Bullwinkle.’ If we don’t say Rocky and Bullwinkle, don’t leave your hiding place.” Even as worried as she was, Lizzie’s question made Cassie relax a little.

  Andy leaned over and whispered loudly to Cassie, “Now I know who watches too much Nick at Night!”

  “Hey, I like that show!” she answered, while the kids kept laughing.

  Soon, they were approaching the Baggart Ranch gate. Andy went ahead, but did not see or hear anything, so he waved the rest of them up. Cassie looked at the house in the distance as they passed the gate and saw that it looked like the house had burned. She hoped it was from an accident and not violence but felt in her gut that it was no accident. She whispered a prayer to herself for her neighbors’ safety, and then concentrated on pushing the cart.

  It seemed like forever, but they finally reached the turnoff for Cassie’s ranch. As they turned into the driveway, Cassie began to cry. “I can’t believe we finally made it here.” She said over and over. The kids and Andy all gathered around her, hugging her and each other. Finally, Cassie smiled and said, “Let’s finish this, guys!” The started down the driveway, led by Petra and her herd of cows. Ahead, she could see the big steel gate had been put back up and was closed. She heard a voice commanding them to stop and identify themselves. She let go of the cart and waded into the mess of cows. “Sven, is that you? It’s Cassie. I’m finally home and I’ve got company. Please let us in!”

  The big gate swung open and Steve and Sven came rushing out. Steve gathered Cassie in his arms and gave her a huge hug. “Your sister is going to be so happy to see you!” he exclaimed. Then, he looked at the cows, and at Andy and the kids. “You want to let us know how you left by yourself and returned with a menagerie?” he laughed.

  “I’ll tell you when we get to the house. The cows are the Baggarts and we found them on the road. As for the others, this is Andy, Benjy, Timmy, and Lizzie.”

  “OK, come on everyone, let’s go make Lilly really happy!”

  As Cassie and her group passed, Sven shut the big gate, and called out, “Welcome home, Cassie.”

  She flashed him a smile and a wave and continued to walk towards the house. As they made their way up the winding driveway, they were suddenly greeted by a woman running down the driveway. “Cassie, you’re home! I can’t believe you made it! Oh, thank God, you’re home!”

  Cassie looked at Andy and said, “That’s Lilly.” She let go of the cart and ran towards her sister. By the time Andy and the rest caught up, both sisters were crying and laughing at the same time. Suddenly, Lilly realized Cassie was not alone.

  Cassie took her sister by the arm and said, “Let me introduce you to the rest of my family. This is Andy, my best friend, soulmate and future partner for life. After Lilly shook hands with Andy, Cassie continued. “I also want you to meet our children. Benjy is the oldest, then Timmy, and then Lizzie.” Lillie looked at the kids and back to Cassie.

  “It’s only been a few weeks, how…..?”

  While everyone was laughing at Lilly’s confusion, Lizzie piped up. “We didn’t get to be her kids by growing in her tummy. We got to be her kids by growing in her heart.”

  Cassie reached over and hugged Lizzie. “That was the very nicest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say, and you are right, you three – well four if you count Andy, really did grow in my heart.”

  Amid much excitement as the group approached the hou
se, Cassie and Andy told the story of how they met and all of the adventures they experienced on their way home.

  All of a sudden, Cassie realized her mother was not there with everyone else. She took Lilly by the arm and whispered, “Where’s mom? Is she……”?

  Lilly shook her head. “She’s in her room. She is not doing well. I think she is just waiting for you to come home.

  Chapter 19

  Lilly led Cassie towards their mother’s bedroom. “I want you to be prepared, Cassie. She’s so weak, I don’t know how she is still breathing. She hasn’t had anything to eat in a couple of days, and it is hard to even get her to take a sip of water.”

  Cassie went through the door and ran to her mother’s bedside. Estelle opened her eyes and smiled at Cassie.

  “I knew you’d make it back home, honey. I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered.

  Cassie gently put her arms around her mother, and Estelle put a weak hand on Cassie’s shoulder.

  “Did you have much trouble getting home?”

  “It was a rough trip back, Mom, but we made it. I brought people with me, too. We found three kids who were orphaned, and then, of course, there is Andy.”

  “Andy?” her mother asked.

  “Yes, Mom, I met him in the airport and he helped me to get home. He is the one, Mom. I really, really love him.”

  Estelle smiled. “I’m so happy, dear. You need someone to help keep you out of trouble!” She took a deep shuddering breath, then whispered, “I need to rest now, dear. Come see me in a little while and bring your new family.”

  Cassie nodded, her eyes filling with tears. She leaned over and kissed her mother on the forehead. “I’ll be back in a while and I’ll bring Andy so you can meet him.”

  “That will be lovely,” Estelle said as her eyes fluttered closed.

  “I love you, Mom,” Cassie whispered.

  Opening her eyes a bit, Estelle answered, “I love you, too, Cassie, more than you know.”

  Cassie stood and looked at her mother, then turned and limped out of the room. With tears streaming down her face, she went right past Lilly and Andy and out the kitchen door. She didn’t stop until she reached her favorite sitting place under a big old oak tree in the back yard. She sat on the bench and sobbed.

  Andy, seeing how upset she was, followed her out and sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. Cassie looked up at him and tried to smile through her tears.

  “I can’t stand seeing her so weak and frail. All my life my mother has been a tower of strength to me. When I first came home, she was right there at Walter Reed with me, holding my hand through the long days and nights on the ventilator. After every surgery, she was right there for me. She finally went home when I went to rehab, but she called me every couple of days. Andy, I don’t know what I am going to do. I’m not ready for my mother to die.”

  Andy put his other arm around her and held her close. “We are never ready. I wasn’t, that’s for sure. And you know the kids weren’t. But you have to believe she would not want to live the way she is now. And, didn’t you tell me your father is waiting for her in heaven? Maybe she is ready to be with him again.”

  “If Mom dies, though, that will make me the oldest in the family, and I’m not sure I’m ready to take on that responsibility.”

  Andy chuckled. “Honey, you are already the oldest. You have your mother’s strength, and you have already accepted a lot of responsibility. Remember what we told the kids after their mother died? That their mother was still with them in their hearts as long as they remembered her?”

  Cassie nodded. “I didn’t realize I would be in the same boat as them. I need to pull myself together, because the coming days are going to be very rough, I suspect.”

  Andy tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “That’s my girl.”

  Cassie smiled. She enjoyed the embrace for a minute, then pulled away, squaring her shoulders. “Well, I can’t sit around here all day. Let’s gather up the kids so I can introduce all of you to my Mom. Then, we need to figure out where everyone is staying, who is here, and what we need to do to help.”

  Half an hour later, three newly-scrubbed children and a somewhat nervous Andy stood with Cassie outside her mother’s bedroom door. Cassie tapped gently and opened the door.

  “Mom? Is it okay if we come in?”

  “Yes, child, bring your troupe with you.” Cassie, Andy, and kids quietly entered Estelle’s room.

  “Mom, I want you to meet Andy Rittenhouse. He rescued me in the airport and helped me get home.”

  Estelle took Andy’s hand and looked closely at his face. “Andy, you look like a good man. Will you promise me that you’ll take good care of my Cassie?”

  Andy smiled at Estelle. “Ma’am, I plan to spend the rest of my life taking care of her. I love your daughter very much.”

  “Then you have my blessings, son. Now, let me meet these children.”

  Cassie smiled at the kids. “First is Benjy. He is the oldest and is already a hunter and a scholar. Timmy is his younger brother, and he is the athletic one of the group. Finally, this is Lizzie. She is our brave princess warrior.”

  Estelle shook each child’s hand and smiled at the three kids. “You’ve had a hard time, but now you are a wonderful family, and I can see you will have a happy life together. I’m so glad to meet my three newest grandchildren.” Estelle’s eyelids began to flutter, and so Andy and the children stepped out of the room. Cassie stayed behind for a minute to kiss her mother’s forehead. Estelle reached up and grabbed her arm.

  “Cassie, dear, promise me you and Andy will take good care of those three children, and that you and Andy will do everything you can to love and support each other through the hard years to come.”

  “Mom, I promise. Andy is, well, he is my everything. And, I could not love those kids more if I birthed them myself. You need to rest and get better so you can get to know them. You will love them too.”

  Estelle smiled gently at Cassie. “Honey, you know I won’t be getting better. I am going to die, and probably soon thanks to this weak heart of mine.”

  “Mom, please don’t say that.”

  “But it’s true. I’m not afraid to die. I’m so tired, and my chest is hurting so bad most of the time. I know where I am going, and your dad is waiting for me. I’ll be happy to be with him again. When I’m gone, you and your sister need to take care of each other. Always remember how much I love you both.”

  With tears streaming down her face, Cassie held her mother’s hand.

  “Mom, I’m so sorry you hurt. I’m being selfish, because I don’t want to lose you. I love you so much. You have been the best mother a girl could ever ask for, always there for me and Lilly.” Estelle lightly squeezed Cassie’s hand, smiled, and then sighed. Her hand relaxed and her eyes closed. Cassie sat for a few minutes with her eyes closed, holding her mother’s hand. When her mother’s hand relaxed, Cassie opened her eyes, looked closely and saw her mother was no longer breathing. She turned to look at the open door to the bedroom and saw Andy standing there waiting for her.

  “Andy, go get Lilly, now. Tell her to hurry.” As Andy turned to run and find Lilly, Cassie turned back to her mother. She straightened the sheets and folded her mother’s hands together. Then, she just sat there, holding her mother’s hands until Lilly came running into the room.

  “Cassie, what’s wrong?” she called as she entered the room, Andy and Steve following closely behind her. As she saw her mother and Cassie’s tear-streaked face, she stopped. Cassie stood up and put her arms around her sister, and the two girls cried onto each other’s shoulders. After a minute or two, Cassie pulled back and took Lilly’s hand.

  “She was here one minute, and soft as a whisper, she just slipped away. She was so peaceful. Just before she died, she told me how much she loved us both, and said we needed to take care of each other.”

  Lilly smiled through her tears. “I knew this day was coming, and I p
rayed she would go easy. Thank you for being here with her so she wasn’t by herself.”

  Cassie nodded. “I guess we need to plan a funeral. Where should we bury her?”

  “That’s easy. She’s told me many times she wants to be under the golden oak tree so she can watch over the ranch.”

  Steve laughed through his tears. “That sounds exactly like her. She told me once that if we planted her anywhere else, she would come back and haunt us. I think we’d better do what she wanted.”

  Cassie smiled affectionately at her brother-in-law, and said, “I think we need to gather everyone together and let them know. And even though it is cold, we need to have the funeral quickly. We’ll need to get a hole dug. What will we do for a casket?”

  Lilly answered, “I think we should wrap her in her quilt. She and Dad slept under that quilt even before we were born, and I think she’ll be happy to know she is still sleeping under it.”

  Chapter 20

  The funeral was held the next morning. As promised, Estelle was laid to rest under the spreading oak tree she loved so much. Father Gus presided over the funeral, and everyone except the men on security duty was present. In the last days of her life, Father Gus spent a lot of time with Estelle. He addressed the gathering, telling everyone, “She planned her own funeral. She was afraid it would be a sad and somber day, and she made me promise it would be a happy day. She is making her triumphant entry to heaven and is now reunited with her husband. She has missed him terribly and couldn’t wait to see him again. She begged me to remind all of you how much she loved you. Cassie and Lilly, she was so proud of both of you. You are strong women, just like her. She also told me to remind everyone that while this situation in which we find ourselves is bad, we should not lose our faith that the good Lord is watching over all of us and he has reasons for who he takes and when. Each loss we experience will make us stronger, wiser, and better people.”