Darkness United

by KC Luck

  “I'm afraid that she is unconscious right now,” the nurse answered. “Are you somehow related?”

  Meg paused as she considered what to say in response.

  What am I to Grace? she wondered. And what is she to me?

  That was a difficult question, but it was something she very much wanted to explore. “She's my partner,” Meg said. This seemed to satisfy the nurse, and leading the way, took her down the hall to one of the classrooms. On the narrow bed, by the light of a lantern, Meg could just make out the still form of Grace. Rushing to her side, Meg sat in the empty folding chair beside the bed and took Grace's hand. She settled in. No matter how long it took, she would stay and wait for Grace to wake up.

  CHAPTER 27

  he cool cloth on her forehead woke Lexi. Fluttering her Teyes open in the candlelit room, she looked into the most beautiful face she had ever seen. Anna. Her Anna.

  “Hey,” she whispered hoarsely.

  “Hey back,” Anna said with a smile. “How are you?”

  Lexi closed her eyes and took stock. If she was honest, she felt horrible from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Everything ached and she felt damp with sweat.

  Looking at Anna again, she gave her a weak smile. “I'm not sure,” Lexi answered. “But it feels good to see you.”

  At this, Anna leaned down and kissed Lexi's chapped lips.

  “I'm sorry it took me so long to get home,” she said with a hint of a sob. “I should've known something was wrong when you didn't come into town. Alice said that you were sick yesterday morning but swore her to secrecy.”

  Lexi nodded and winced at the throb of pain it shot through her head. “Don't blame her,” Lexi said. “I knew you had a lot on your hands and there were people here who took care of me.” Lexi paused mustering her strength. She needed to convince Anna she was okay. “But I think I'll be better now. What time is it?”

  Anna ran the cool cloth down Lexi's cheek. “It's early Sunday morning,” Anna replied. “But that is not something you need to worry about. What I would like is for you to have a little something to eat.” At this, Lexi's stomach turned over. The last thing she felt was hungry.

  “How about just some water?” Lexi asked.

  Anna frowned. “Not even some soup?” Anna replied. “I have some chicken broth and noodles Alice made special for

  you.”

  “I'll try,” Lexi said and started to push herself up on the bed but moving sent shivers of weakness through her. She slumped back down. “Actually, I think the best thing will be for me to get a little more sleep,” Lexi said trying to play off how badly she felt. “And I don't want you to stay here and worry about me. I know people need you in town.”

  Anna shook her head. “What I need is to be here with you and Joe,” Anna said.

  Lexi reached for Anna's hand and the woman clasped it.

  A sudden moment of worry made her pause.

  “Is Joe okay?” she asked feeling afraid that perhaps whatever virus she brought home with her had somehow gotten to him. And what about the others? she wondered.

  Anna squeezed her hand in response. “Everyone is fine,”

  she reassured her. “They just want you to get well.” Lexi closed her eyes and nodded. Sleep started to pull at her again and as much as she wanted to sit there and continue to talk to her love, she knew she would not stay awake much longer.

  “Everything will be okay, Anna,” she murmured. “I just need a little more sleep.”

  As she drifted off, she heard Anna's voice. “I love you, Lexi Scott,” she said. “I need you.”

  ANNA SAT IN THE KITCHEN and sipped her cup of tea, trying not to worry about Lexi. She knew the woman was very sick with the flu, but she was in the best hands possible. She was home now and would care for her as well to watch over Joe. And there is always Alice here, she thought with a small smile. Alice, the wonderful woman who was always so compassionate and willing to lend a hand. Anna almost looked to her like a mother after all this time together. As if

  conjuring the woman, Alice walked into the kitchen and Anna furrowed her brow. “I hope I didn't wake you,” she said. “I tried to be quiet.”

  Alice waved her hand. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I suddenly had a desire for a cup of tea as well.”

  Anna smiled. She knew in her heart Alice heard her in the kitchen and it was the reason why she came in. To give solace and support as always, she thought. “Well, I am glad for the company,” Anna said as Alice crossed the room and put tea in the infuser before popping it into her mug.

  “How is she doing?” Alice asked as she poured the hot water from the stove over the tea and settled in across the island from Anna.

  Anna sighed. “She's a very sick woman,” she said. “And was not ready to eat any soup. We need to get fluids into her.”

  “Well then, that's what we'll do,” Alice said. “I will keep the soup warm, so whenever she is ready, it will be here.

  Are you going back to the hospital this morning?”

  Anna shook her head. Leaving Lexi was the last thing she planned to do although she knew it was not entirely fair to the other patients. Still, some capable nurses were working and could cover things. Tending to flu patients was not something that required an advanced medical degree and if there was something more serious, she knew they would send for her. Anna left explicit instructions with the charge nurse. “No,” Anna finally replied to Alice's original question.

  “I need to stay here. At least until Lexi is out of the woods.”

  Alice sipped her tea. “I think that is smart,” she said reaching out to pat Anna’s hand. “But if you have to go, we will take care of Lexi for you.”

  Anna felt her heart warm at the comforting words. They did help her relax, knowing Lexi had people around her to help.

  “So,” Anna said. “I need something to distract me while I wait for Lexi to wake up again. Tell me how you met

  Charlie.”

  Alice's face lit up at the mention of her longtime partner.

  “Oh, I don't know,” she said. “Do you really want to hear that story? There's not a lot to tell.”

  Anna reached and took Alice's hand. “I don't believe that,” she said. “Everyone has a story.”

  Alice sipped her tea again and then cleared her throat.

  Emotion shone in Alice’s eyes. “Well,” she said. “I was engaged to be married to a very nice young man, who had a good job and my parents approved of him. But I was not in love with him, of course.” Alice paused and ran her finger around the rim of her mug. “Times were different back then, though.” Anna understood but stayed quiet waiting for Alice to continue. After an almost dreamy sigh, Alice went on.

  “And then one day, while I was working at the grocery store as a checker, in walked Charlie. She was just passing through town and picking up a couple things to eat as she continued toward Seattle. I never saw a more handsome woman in my life.”

  Alice laughed at the memory and Anna could not help but laugh with her. “I can only imagine,” Anna said.

  Alice nodded. “We got to talking and I found Charlie so exciting and different than anyone I had ever met. You have to realize this was before events like Stonewall. And even though the feminist movement was gearing up, they were not interested in embracing lesbians in their cause. It was all about perception. But Charlie? She did not care. She wore trousers with suspenders and a clever fedora cap.”

  “She sounds incredible, but I am sure it was difficult,”

  Anna said. “Even though things were hard for Lexi and me in the 80s, I cannot imagine what it was like in the 60s.”

  Alice sipped her tea again and her eyes were thoughtful.

  “I had no idea when I agreed to go for a walk with Charlie that day, what a challenging road I had ahead of me,” she said. “I sometimes wonder if I knew some of the struggles we would have over the decades, if I would've let her kiss

  me under cover of the trees along the river.” She la
ughed again. “Probably though,” she said. “Charlie was always very persuasive.”

  Anna could understand, as Lexi was the same. It seemed the woman could talk her into almost anything. “So, you kissed her?” Anna asked. “And then what happened?”

  A smile grew on Alice's face. “I ran away with her,” she answered. “It was as simple as that. I guess you could call it love at first sight, but when she told me her plans of opening a restaurant in Seattle and starting a life, I could not resist. So, just like that, I got in her car with her and we drove away without another look back.

  Anna raised her eyebrows. “You just left?” she asked, somehow not entirely surprised after knowing what a spitfire Alice was in the face of a calamity.

  Alice nodded. “We did,” she said. “My parents didn't talk to me for a couple years and that was hard, but I had Charlie.” A warmth came to Alice’s eyes. “Looking back on it now,” she continued. “I would not change a thing.”

  CHAPTER 28

  s the morning crept along into afternoon, Jackie was Acuddled against Taylor’s back. She sent the woman straight to bed once she arrived home. Not sleeping for over twenty-four hours, tacked on to carrying Grace for miles, wore her out. “I know we need to meet with Greg and sort out some things...” Jackie agreed, “...but you are about dead on your feet and will be no use to anyone if you get sick.”

  Taylor went along with her argument and let Jackie lead her to the bed. She was not surprised when her lover went to sleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow. Probably for the best since I have a notion to give her a piece of my mind over all of this, Jackie thought. She was tired of Taylor always needing to play the superhero. There were other men and women on her staff who could help out. One of these times, it would be Taylor who got into serious trouble.

  Like shot instead of Grace. Jackie’s heart clenched with fear at the thought.

  As if sensing Jackie’s unhappiness, Taylor groaned awake and rolled over. When she saw Jackie in the bed beside her, she smiled sleepily and opened her arms to welcome Jackie in. Jackie hesitated. She was mad at the woman, but the idea of being held right then was too good to resist. She snuggled into Taylor. “Don’t think I’m not still mad at you,”

  Jackie whispered into Taylor’s chest. “You could have been killed.” The last sentence came out as an uncontrollable sob. Taylor pulled Jackie in tighter and kissed the top of her head.

  “But I wasn’t,” she said. “I’m sore and aching maybe, but very much alive.” Taylor’s voice turned husky. “I promise.”

  Jackie felt her body respond to the tone and warmth ran through her body. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to make love to Taylor, as if to prove to herself the woman she loved was okay and truly back with her. Jackie lifted her face and looked into Taylor’s eyes. They were filled with the familiar hunger and it was all Jackie needed to see to know Taylor was hers and hers alone. Lifting her face, she invited Taylor’s kiss and when Taylor leaned in, Jackie took the woman’s mouth. There was nothing tender in it. All she wanted was to coax the woman into taking her right that moment. Jackie was immediately rewarded with Taylor ravishing her lips. Plunging her tongue into Jackie’s mouth, Jackie felt Taylor’s hands slip up under the loose shirt she wore. Jackie turned to give her access to her breasts and in a moment, she felt Taylor’s strong hands on her. Still locked in the kiss, Taylor ran her thumbs over the taut nipples making Jackie moan and arch her back to press against Taylor’s eager hands.

  Breaking the kiss, Jackie gasped and lowered her hands to the waistband of Taylor’s shorts. “I want to feel you,” she said with a sensual growl of desire.

  Taylor moaned her response and then their hands were everywhere, pulling clothing off until they were naked.

  Jackie spread her legs to invite Taylor’s touch and the woman did not hesitate to plunge two fingers into Jackie’s wetness. There was a time when Jackie feared letting herself want Taylor, but lately she could not get enough of her.

  Lifting her hips to match Taylor’s stroke, Jackie knew she was close. “Get on top of me,” she begged and was rewarded with the weight of Taylor straddling her thigh.

  Feeling her lover’s excitement, Jackie picked up the rhythm again.

  She heard Taylor’s breath grow ragged feeling a surge of power in knowing the woman could not resist her. Matching Taylor’s stroke with her own body, she pressed into Taylor’s wetness and felt the hardness of the woman’s clit. Any

  second now and she will come to me, Jackie thought for a fleeting second, and then she was consumed in an orgasm of her own. It tore through her body and she cried Taylor’s name as she felt her lover climax on top of her.

  Sam and Laura’s trip to explore didn’t go as Sam expected. She hoped there would be an opportunity to meet new people and perhaps set up trade, but that wish didn’t come to fruition. As they traveled through neighborhoods, very few people remained, either having abandoned their homes to find food elsewhere, or something worse had happened to them. When they came to business districts, stores were looted, window fronts were smashed, and doors were kicked in. The few times Sam went in to look around leaving Laura with the horses at the curb, she found nothing but rotten food and empty shelves.

  All she wanted to do was to get to the bridge over the Willamette River ahead of them. Afterward, it would be a straight shot to Oregon City. She could tell that the horses, as well as Laura, were growing weary from the hard riding. If they could get across the bridge before nightfall, she hoped they could find an abandoned house to spend the night and maybe even part of the next day to recoup. Slowing her horse, she waited for Laura to catch up. “How are you doing?” she asked when she stopped beside her.

  Laura smiled. “I can make it,” she answered, and Sam appreciated her willingness to keep going even though there was tiredness around her eyes.

  “There is a bridge ahead,” Sam explained. “Once we are across, I promise I will find us the cutest little house where we can spend the night and maybe part of the next day.

  “Well, let's go then,” Laura said with a weary smile. Sam smiled back and then coaxed Lester into a trot. As they wound their way along the trail Sam guessed was more likely once used for joggers and bicyclists, she appreciated that they were at least among trees. It did not seem to be making the horses less skittish, however. Even Lester

  seemed nervous, and Sam began to worry they felt something she could not see or hear. They just need a rest too, she thought. The world was in an uneasy state and she could appreciate their sensitivity to their surroundings.

  Animals are special that way.

  As they came around a wide turn in the path, Laura’s horse Honey suddenly reared. Sam turned around just in time to see a snake slithering across the horse’s path.

  Seeing it, Honey panicked and Sam watched as Laura struggled to keep the horse from rearing up again. Because Laura was not as experienced a rider, it seemed to be a losing battle. Before Sam could reach her, Laura lost her seat and slipped off of the horse to the ground. Free of her rider, Honey bolted past Sam and down the trail.

  ONE MOMENT, LAURA WAS riding behind Sam as they ventured down the path and then the next, Honey bucked and reared back on her hind legs. It was all Laura could do to hang onto the saddle horn as the poor horse whinnied and spun. She had no idea what was happening or why, but it was not long until she was sliding over the rump of the horse, just seconds before Honey bolted away.

  Smacking her butt on the ground, Laura’s teeth clacked together and she worried for a moment she might have bitten her tongue. Stars popped in her head, but then Sam was beside her.

  “Laura?” she heard Sam asking with panic in her voice.

  “Laura, are you okay?”

  Laura shook her head trying to clear it. “I'm okay,” she answered. “I just need a second. Go after Honey.” Laura worried her beloved horse was galloping away, and they would never see her again. Sam touched her shoulder. “Are you sure?” Sam asked clearl
y conflicted.

  Laura grabbed Sam's hand where it rested on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, nodding. “Yes, I'm fine.

  Please, go get her,” she said. With one final glance into Laura's eyes, Sam stood and raced back to Lester who waited patiently. Sam jumped on his back and with a kick of her heels, sped down the path in the direction Honey went.

  Laura rubbed her face and tried not to let worry overwhelm her as she saw the woman she loved disappear around the bend. Everything will be all right, she thought. Something just startled Honey. But otherwise, it's a beautiful day.

  Shaking every part of her body to make sure nothing was broken, Laura was pleased when it seemed only her backside was hurting. A good place to land I suppose, she thought. Standing up, she walked in a small circle and again tested all her body parts. Everything was in working order.

  In fact, it felt good to stretch her legs. They rode hard for over a day as Sam became more and more disenchanted with their overall journey of exploration. She felt terrible for Sam, because Laura knew the woman was hugely disappointed with how things were turning out. Laura knew Sam had a vision of other communities working together as Astoria had. Because that's the kind of woman she is. Good, kind, and always thinking the best of everyone. The world, however, was turning out to be far different.

  Whenever they came across people other than the ones in the first community, they seemed defensive or were in hiding. There were many times Laura felt they were being watched, but when she turned to look, faces that might have been in a window ducked back. It was all very disheartening. When they turned north to start heading towards Portland and the last bridge between them and Oregon City, there were columns of smoke in the distance.

  Occasionally, the sound of what could only be gunfire echoed. She was not sure what was happening in the larger parts of the city, but it did not take much of a leap to figure out things were horrible for those who remained. She was

  once again thankful Lexi, Anna, and the others arrived back in Astoria safely and did so much to help the town. It indeed was an oasis in a sea of devastation.