Darkness United

by KC Luck

  Anna nodded. “They are,” she said. “This is beyond them. This is ...”

  Jackie paused slowly lowering herself to the couch. “Is what?” she asked. Anna gripped her hands, and Jackie knew she was not going to like the answer.

  “People are getting sick,” the nurse practitioner explained. “It's the flu. I think it came in with one of the last groups to arrive.” Anna shook her head. “But it is already spreading. Dr. Ambrose has it.”

  Jackie blinked. The flu? Like out of some Stephen King novel? she thought and stood to pace the living room. She played through all sorts of the horrible images in her mind.

  Thankfully, Taylor walked through the front door, and after taking one look at the two women, paused her steps.

  “What?” she asked, looking from one of them to the other.

  Anna spoke first.

  “We may have a flu strain spreading in Astoria,” she said.

  Jackie watched as Taylor slowly shut the door behind her, taking in the new information.

  “Okay,” Taylor said. “What’s the risk assessment?” Jackie could not help but love the sound of the calm and control in the woman’s voice. Always the strong and steady one, she thought.

  “How closely are you monitoring the tent city forming by the waterfront?” Anna asked, and Taylor shook her head.

  “Nothing significant,” she answered. “A few more deputies walking around in the vicinity, but I don't want anyone to feel like they are being singled out for observation.” Taylor frowned. “We've had a lot of new people every day, coming in from neighboring towns looking for help.”

  Anna nodded. “Well, I think one of those groups brought in the virus,” she said. “If the flu settles in there, hundreds of people will be exposed to it.” Jackie suddenly saw a hint of tears in the woman's eyes. “It could spread to the entire town. Taylor, people could die.”

  Jackie closed her eyes and fought down the fear fluttering up in her. And we have no access to vaccines or even extra medicine, she thought feeling an arm go around her shoulders. Taylor was beside her.

  “We will work this out,” Taylor said, and Jackie looked at her, taking comfort from the confident face. “Anna, are you willing to go assess the situation developing at the tent city?

  Maybe we can nip this in the bud and move sick people out of there?”

  Anna stood. “I was going to insist actually. I need to assess the wellness levels and move any advanced cases to

  the hospital,” she said. “I'll go in the morning.”

  “And I'll go with you,” Jackie said. “I can help take down any information, and it will be good to show people we are all working together on this.”

  Taylor shook her head.

  “Jackie, I think you should go out to the farm,” she said.

  “Until we know what we are up against.”

  Jackie stepped from under Taylor's arm and tilted her head. She knew the woman was only protecting her, as she always would, but Jackie was not going to run away from her responsibility.

  She shook her head. “No. The city is going to need leadership,” Jackie insisted. “I will not let them down.”

  MEG CAME OUT OF HER quarters and saw Grace along the ship’s rail looking in the direction of Astoria. Seeing her reminded Meg how angry she was at being so easily dismissed. Although that is what I should want, so why do I care? she wondered feeling even more frustrated. The best thing that could happen would be for the major and her team to go to shore leaving Meg and her crew to sail away.

  They could be back on track sailing south in a matter of hours. She knew Jimmy would be thrilled at the news, and yet, hours passed and she had not told him. Because I don’t understand why she is sending me away. Meg was not willing to just go without some answers.

  Striding to the rail, she stopped beside Grace and looked out over the river. The storm dissipated significantly, and she was confident tomorrow going to shore in the dinghy would be routine. After what happened, she was sure Grace hoped for the smoothest crossing possible. She nearly drowned, and I saved her, she thought. And now she wants

  to be through with me. Shaking her head, Meg was about to drill the major for answers, when Grace glanced over at her.

  “Why aren’t you happier about this?” Grace asked, a look of confusion on her face. Clearly, she could tell Meg was upset at being told to sail away. “I would think it was exactly what you want?”

  Meg paused. The question was the same one she kept asking herself. Unfortunately, the answer was obvious, she just did not want to accept it. She did not want to leave Major Grace Hamilton. “It’s complicated,” Meg muttered suddenly having an idea. Reaching out, she took Grace’s hand. The woman looked surprised but did not pull away.

  Her hand was warm, and Meg felt a wave of heat from the touch. Taking it as a sign what she was feeling was real, she forged ahead. “Grace, come with me,” she said. The major’s eyes widened, but she did not immediately answer.

  Stepping closer so they could not be overheard, Meg rushed on. “I know you are disenchanted with the Army. We could sail away from here. Together,” she said looking into Grace’s eyes, hoping to read them. They were filled with a myriad of emotions. Hope. Excitement. Desire? Meg thought only to watch the woman's eyes slowly harden.

  Grace pulled back her hand. “Your request is out of line, Captain,” she said. “I have no interest in disobeying my orders to traipse around the Pacific with you of all people.”

  Meg felt her temper rise. She knew the woman was lying.

  The spark was there every time they touched. She remembered the fire from the first kiss and was sure there was something between them.

  “I know you feel something for me,” Meg said continuing to stare Grace in the eyes. “Just like I do for you.” She waved her finger back and forth between them. “Something strong is here I believe undeniable, and I will not give up on us. I will not leave this river until you are coming with me.”

  They stood in silence looking at each other for a minute.

  This time only one emotion showed in the major's eyes.

  Sadness. It was the one thing Meg did not know what to do with and she reached out to touch Grace's cheek. Before she could, the woman turned away.

  “You're making a mistake, Meg O'Grady,” she said and walked away.

  WATCHING LAURA PUTTERING around the cute little kitchen, it was easy for Sam to imagine what Mary March must have been like. The walls were bright yellow, the hand towels decorated with hand stitched daisies, and all her Fiestaware dishes matched the theme.

  As Laura found a can opener in the first drawer she looked in, she looked up at Sam and smiled. “It seems Mary and I share the same way of thinking when it comes to how to layout a workspace,” Laura laughed.

  Sam smiled back, but felt a pang of regret, wishing they arrived soon enough to meet the home’s owner. We could have rescued her, she thought and puffed out a frustrated breath. Unlike her own family. Sam was dead set on finding the man the letter was addressed to and she looked forward to giving him a piece of her mind. How could they abandon her? Shaking her head to clear it from negative thoughts, Sam refocused on the task at hand, which was cutting up a large zucchini. It was one of the last remaining vegetables in Mary's garden. Laura would fry it to go with one of the cans of chili Sam packed as the warm food would make a good meal. She watched Laura scrape the chili into a saucepan and set it on the woodstove to heat noting the dwindling wood supply. After dinner, she would find some dry enough to bring in for the night. They planned to stay over again hitting the trail in the morning.

  Sam had mixed feelings over leaving so soon. The plan was always to explore and meet new people to learn what

  was happening outside of Astoria. Still, the short time she and Laura had shared in the bungalow was priceless. A part of Sam could imagine them living there together forever.

  And to think, none of this would be happening if the world as we knew it had not ended, she thought. With
a sigh, Sam finished her task.

  Hearing her, Laura turned from giving the chili a quick stir. “Everything okay?” she asked.

  Sam nodded. “Very. And that smells good,” she answered.

  Laura laughed. “Well, it’s canned chili, my dear. So, don’t get too excited.”

  Sam stood up from the table, feeling suddenly overwhelmed with how much she loved the woman in the kitchen with her. She grabbed Laura around the waist. It was frisky and unexpected, and Laura gave a surprised squeak.

  Sam was the one laughing.

  “Come here you,” Sam growled happily into Laura’s neck.

  “And don’t you tell me when or how not to get excited. I can’t stop thinking about last night. And this morning.”

  At this, Laura blushed. The two of them had been all over each other from the moment Laura pulled off Sam’s boots the evening before. Nothing could have been more perfect, but Laura pushed Sam away with a playful swat at her shoulder.

  “Haven’t you had enough of me yet?” she asked moving to stir the chili again.

  Sam grinned. “Never,” she answered. Her heart was warm and happy.

  Laura shook her head. “You just take down some bowls for us,” she said. “We should eat this before you get any wilder ideas.” Sam chuckled turning to the cupboards to search.

  CHAPTER 19

  ow dare that woman refuse my generosity? Grace Hfumed as she stormed into her cabin and slammed the door. After all, she was risking her career by offering to let Meg and the Wind Dancer go. She was certain command would have plenty to say to her if they ever found out it was voluntary. Grace puffed out a frustrated breath as she sank onto the edge of her bunk. Staring at the wall, she could not believe how completely messed up her life was at the moment. What seemed such an easy objective had become extremely complicated. Astoria was a problem. The city was supposed to be a wreck and need government aid. Instead, it was a thriving community run with the help of a woman she highly respected. “And I’m supposed to look her in the eye and order her to evacuate her city to Camp Aberdeen?”

  she mumbled, running her hands through her hair. It was so ludicrous, she snorted a laugh.

  Even the lines of tents and makeshift shelters she spotted along the waterfront looked more welcoming than any warehouse in Aberdeen. So, what do I do? she wondered. Do I go back and try to make them understand things are fine here? And if I can’t, will they send other units here to occupy Astoria? The likelihood of that reality made her chest tighten with anxiety. Taylor, Jackie, even the pompous mayor, would all lose control of how the city was run. For all she knew, it would become another hub to gather refugees.

  Suddenly, the strongest urge to take Meg up on her offer settled over Grace. Why not just sail away from here? she wondered. Go explore places south and find warm beaches

  to walk on? The idea was incredibly tempting in the face of all the other things she knew she had to do. And I could be with Meg. The last thought made a flutter of excitement form in her stomach. She remembered the feel of their kiss in Meg’s cabin. Meg’s mouth, so warm and wanting, taking her own in a way Grace knew she was never kissed before.

  She felt the sensation of being desired run all through her.

  Grace had no doubt Meg would have taken her to bed and made love to her if she let her. But I did not. Pushing away, as hard as it was, remained the right answer. The last thing she needed was to get involved with someone who was in a sense her captive, which is why she resisted and walked away. It was one of the hardest things she ever did.

  With a groan, Grace untied her shoelaces. It had been a harrowing twenty-four hours. She hoped going to bed early and getting some sleep would help clear her mind. There were critical decisions to be made, and she wanted a clear head to make them. And I could use some advice, she thought, her mind wandering back to Taylor, the strong, confident, ex-Army sergeant. Taylor took her under her wing when Grace was only starting out in the military and she had the highest respect for the woman. Maybe she could give me a fresh perspective at least. Feeling better than she had in days, Grace smiled at the idea of laying out everything weighing on her for Taylor to assess. She would go to shore and meet with her tomorrow. If anyone could come up with a solution, she knew her old friend would be the one.

  LEXI SNUGGLED AGAINST Anna in the bed they shared and waited for the sound of her lover's steady breathing. She always tried to stay awake until Anna fell asleep. It somehow made her feel as if all was right in the world

  knowing the woman who had her heart was safe and content. Tonight though, Anna's body was tense. After waiting for a little while longer to see if she would relax, Lexi finally ran a hand up her arm. “Hey,” she said softly, and after a moment, Anna sighed.

  “Hey back,” she whispered. They were both conscious of Joe sleeping in his crib nearby.

  “You’re not sleeping,” Lexi said. “What is going on?” She felt Anna hesitate. Lexi suddenly knew her wife was not telling her something. Something important. “Anna, please talk to me.”

  Anna grabbed Lexi’s hand and held it tight. “I just don’t want to make you worry,” she replied. “But people are showing up at the hospital with the flu.”

  Lexi did not quite grasp why this was something Anna was so concerned about. The seasonal flu was normal. Then she realized with no vaccine available, the ramifications could be severe. Anna would, of course, be especially crushed by this development. As concerned as it made Lexi, no one had more compassion in her heart than Anna.

  Watching people suffer, maybe die, would hurt her deeply.

  “I see,” she finally said and pulled the woman closer. “I’m so sorry, Anna.” She felt Anna relax into her arms but also the wetness of tears on her shoulder.

  “This could be horrible, Lexi,” Anna admitted. “The tent city by the waterfront. They share things, and the flu will spread so easily there. We have to do something.” Lexi took a deep breath. She understood the problem.

  “Did you talk to Taylor and Jackie?” she asked. Lexi felt Anna nod.

  “They are aware,” she answered but then hesitated again. Lexi felt a hint of unease.

  “And?” she asked knowing there was more she did not know.

  Anna sighed. “Taylor asked me to go assess the tent city’s residents tomorrow,” she answered. “To see if the flu

  has spread.”

  Lexi tried to stay relaxed, but Anna going into that environment, if the flu had overtaken parts of it, was dangerous to her health. Still, she knew there was nothing she could say to stop the medical provider in Anna from doing her job.

  “I will go with you,” she said and felt Anna relax even more. She said the right thing.

  “Thank you, Lexi. Having you there will be a great help.

  We have some surgical masks left and passing them out to people who already show symptoms will be important,”

  Anna said. “Although anything to cover the mouth will help prevent the transferring of the germs.”

  Lexi nodded. “Then we will start spreading the message in the morning,” she said. “It will be okay, Anna. We will slow this down.” At least I hope we will, Lexi thought, knowing if they did not, it would be a bad winter indeed.

  EVEN THOUGH SHE KNEW Jackie was still a little irritated over Grace’s arrival, Taylor was reassured when the woman snuggled into bed beside her. Of course, Jackie had nothing to worry about, and Taylor believed Jackie had no doubts about Taylor’s forever devotion to her. It was just a big surprise. With Jackie’s sleeping head resting on her shoulder, Taylor let her mind wander over the events of the last week. So much happened in such a short amount of time.

  Walking through the tent city on Sunday had been more reassuring than she hoped. Even though people were homeless, they were not hopeless. A cooperative spirit ran among the residents. But now, if the flu is really settling in there, the community might be a detriment to Astoria, she thought while going through a mental checklist of things she

  would
need to put in place to support the families living there if she had to put the site on quarantine. Sanitation, access to fresh water, extra food options. It was not impossible, but it would be an incredible challenge and she wondered if there was a better place to relocate everyone.

  At least the arrival of the military was good timing. Even though she knew Grace hid some facts from her, it sounded like the Army had resources. Those would be crucial if the virus spread and she wondered at the medical teams Grace might have at her disposal. Taking comfort in knowing she had resources to call on, Taylor started to snuggle down to go to sleep when there was a faint knock on the front door.

  She blinked, not entirely sure she had heard the sound until it came again. This can’t be good, she thought and carefully slipped out from under Jackie. The woman murmured something but did not wake up as Taylor picked up her handgun from the nightstand and slipped from the room.

  Hoping the person would be patient another minute before knocking louder, Taylor made her way to the front window.

  Slowly, she pushed the curtain aside and checked her porch recognizing one of her deputies. He was about to knock again and Taylor moved quickly to get the door. The man looked surprised when she yanked it open.

  “Jackie’s still asleep,” she whispered.

  The deputy nodded. “Right,” he said. “Sorry. But I knew you’d want to know about this first thing.” Taylor grit her teeth. The news had to be bad. She waved for the man to come in and shut the door behind him.

  “Tell me,” she said. The deputy ran a hand over his face.

  He was a good man, and Taylor liked him, but he was one of the least experienced on her team. A mall cop in his previous life, he was flustered easily. “Take a deep breath, Deputy,” Taylor added.

  “There’s been a stabbing,” he said. “A home invasion gone wrong, I think. Jack Strader is dead and his wife is not doing so well.”