“Medicine has always adapted,” Nikki said, speaking clearly to Kathleen as if delivering a speech and desperately wanting her to believe her words. “Medicine is always changing. We know more, even if we may not be able to use it. We know the reasoning behind certain medical problems and why certain things occur. We know how to be as safe as possible. We just have to learn and adapt as we go. We might not be able to fix the future, but we won’t forget everything from the past. We can and will do better. We have to adapt, just like people did before the days of vaccines and epidurals and yes, sure, even Lamaze classes.” Nikki chuckled.
Kathleen swallowed hard, feeling comforted. “But what if we fail?” she asked.
“We will fail,” Nikki said. “It won’t be perfect.”
“But we will do our best,” Kathleen finished for her, and her eyes skirted back to look at David. “I just hope we can adapt fast enough to help David in the long run.”
“Me too,” Nikki said. “I know we can. He will be okay. Like I said, hope is never useless. It’s the most important thing we have.”
The door opened. Ruth walked in with a couple of bowls balanced on a tray. She smiled at the two other women, but then glanced at David. Her small smile faded, replaced by the same fear that Kathleen had been living with ever since David had had his second heart attack.
For a moment, Kathleen thought about taking Ruth aside and breaking the hard truth to her. She knew that Ruth needed small tasks to keep her focused without falling into melancholy while sitting and watching David. Kathleen knew how helpless and overwhelmed she felt, based on how many times she herself sat at David’s bedside. Yet Ruth deserved to know.
Would Kathleen want to know if it were her children in agony or pain? Would Kathleen want to know if Matthew was slowly fading away from her? Would Ruth’s hope be doused if Kathleen had that hard chat with her?
Kathleen glanced at Nikki, the conversation still fresh in the room, and watched as Nikki met her eyes. Kathleen shook her head slightly and Nikki nodded in agreement. They didn’t need to share what they talked about with Ruth. Ruth didn’t need that on her mind. Not now. Kathleen needed to remember that hope was a fragile flame and they needed to keep it stoked for as long as possible.
15
For the rest of the week Patton felt as if he spent more time at the gun club than at the hotel.
He’d wake up early, complete his chores, and then sneak over to the gun club where he’d meet up with Marshall and Zach before they headed out to the shooting range. Their crew of three had grown to four, adding an older teenager named Justin, who had the cool swagger that all eighteen-year-olds possessed. Justin had taken Patton under his wing and helped him hone his shooting accuracy while Marshall helped him become even more familiar with how to handle a weapon. Zach knew how to make them laugh. Patton kept improving day by day, feeling like when he picked up the gun it was slowly becoming a close friend or trusted tool, instead of a strange weapon.
Zach grabbed a new handful of paper targets and ran out toward the posts to hang them up. The stack of fresh targets was getting smaller by the week, while those piling up on the posts now fluttered in the wind. He turned and gave them a thumbs-up before running back toward them.
“We should actually try to go hunting,” Marshall said, nudging Justin, while Patton waited for Zach to get clear behind them before he took careful aim and fired.
“Nice shot,” Justin said to Patton. “You could take down anything. We should definitely see if we can get a deer. What do you say?”
Patton couldn’t hide his smile. “You know it. I’m down to take down something fresh.”
“Something fresh?” Zach laughed. “It’s all gonna be fresh!”
“I mean I want to get something that I don’t need to preserve or salt, you know? Something that we can eat right away and none of it will go to waste. Something lean,” Patton said.
“Like what?” Marshall said. “A sparrow? A chipmunk?”
“A rabbit,” Patton explained, thinking of his grandfather, who seemed to be asleep whenever Patton dropped by to check in on him.
“Why would you ever want to shoot a rabbit?” Justin said. “We only have so many bullets. Wouldn’t it be better if we tried to take down some big game, instead? We’d get way more out of a deer than a rabbit. A deer would feed more people than a rabbit.”
“You guys can target whatever you want,” Patton said, nonchalant, “but I’m going for a rabbit.”
“But why?” Marshall asked, slipping his hands in his pockets and raising an eyebrow at Patton. “A deer is a way bigger target anyway. We probably wouldn’t have to waste as much time finding a herd as we would locating a rodent. It makes way more sense to focus on finding a deer.”
Patton handed Marshall the rifle and shrugged. “You’re right. A deer might be easier, and it might feed more people, and sure it might take less bullets, but we know that something like a rabbit is better for your heart. We need to have food diversity in our diet. If we don’t want to all be eating the same thing over and over and stay healthy.”
Marshall and Justin exchanged glances. Zach coughed into his hand and said, “Makes sense. Doesn’t that make sense, Justin?”
“Sure does,” Justin said softly. “We can make it a competition. Whoever takes down the rabbit first wins.”
“What are we going to win?” Zach asked.
“Glory,” Justin said with a nod and motioned them inside.
“Thanks, guys,” Patton said with a genuine smile crossing his face as they walked back to the gun club. “Let’s meet in the morning at dawn, yeah? We can meet behind the woods. And you should all be worried. Now that I’m an expert marksman, that glory will be all mine.”
“Okay, sure,” Zach said as they walked into the main room, and got himself a drink of water at the water cooler sitting on the front table near the entrance. “But will you be able to escape the family? I know you need permission to do everything.”
Patton rolled his eyes and picked up a deck of cards. “Yes, The family won’t be none the wiser. I’ll be there. Like I said, all the glory will be mine. I’ll take down the biggest rabbit of them all.” He took the cards out and began shuffling them as the rest of the boys sat down at the table. “Poker?”
“You’re just trying to hide from Wyatt,” Marshall said with a grin, but it was without malice. They all knew they had to cover their tracks so that Wyatt or no other adult tattled on them. Patton still didn’t have permission from his parents, and it took all of them to make sure Patton didn’t get in trouble and could still come back to the gun club. The sun was getting low, though, and Wyatt would be coming for him sooner rather than later. Playing poker seemed like a safe and plausible act for them all to do. Patton began to deal the cards, and the rest of the boys eyed the front door, waiting for Wyatt to walk through it.
Within moments, a series of poundings came from the other side of the front door. It wasn’t the secret pattern that everyone at the gun club knew that would gain them admittance to the club, but rather a frantic knocking. The man sitting guard at the door looked up from his paperback novel and glanced out the window. As if recognizing the person outside, he stood up and opened the door.
Another person burst through, who looked dirty with sweat and exertion. He grabbed the arm of the door guard, and Patton could see the newcomer’s hands shaking uncontrollably. “I need to see Wyatt,” the man said, his voice slightly high-pitched and scared. “Where is he? I need to see him.”
“Wyatt isn’t here, Darren,” the door guard said, his eyes wide as he tried to steady the newcomer.
“Who’s in charge, then?” Darren demanded, wiping the sweat off his forehead and slicking his dirty hair back behind his ear. “I need to make a trade. I need bullets, and I can trade scrap metal for it. You know I’m good for it, Barney. You know I can give you all the scrap metal I have, but I need some bullets.”
Patton glanced around the room at the other members of the gun
club. Barney looked concerned, as if the erratic behavior of this Darren was really scaring him. One of the women who was reading a book at the other end of the table also looked alarmed. Another man stood in the hallway, watching the events, as if ready to step in if things got heated. Patton was glad he wasn’t the only one unnerved by what was going on. Justin glanced over his shoulder at the guy and Patton could see how tense his shoulders were, as if Justin was ready to get into a fight too.
“Maybe you should go, Darren,” Barney said, trying to turn Darren around and gently push him out the door. “Lie down. Get some rest. Relax a little bit. We don’t need any scrap metal at the moment. Wyatt already has a trading partner for our excess bullets.”
“You’re doing business with strangers?” Darren demanded. “Who are you doing business with? That’s crappy. I’ve known you for a while and now you’re doing business with someone else? And you call yourself friends and part of Galena.”
“Listen, I don’t know where this is coming from, but you’re acting crazy. Go home. Come back when you’re in a better state of mind,” Barney said.
“I can’t go home,” Darren said, grabbing the door guard’s shirt and pushing him further into the gun club. His voice rose in panic. “I need bullets. Don’t you get it? I need them. You have to give them to me. You have to.”
“I don’t have to give you anything,” Barney said, his own anger starting to come through as he pushed back against Darren. “Get your hands off me. You need to get out of here. You’re not welcome here anymore. You can’t come in here and demand things from us.”
“I need them,” Darren screeched, making the hair on the nape of Patton’s neck rise in worry as he watched the man in the hallway walk closer. “You will give them to me. You will. You will!”
The man in the hallway strode forward and took the rifle that was sitting next to Patton’s elbow. The man took it, clicked off the safety with a sharp sound and aimed the gun at Darren. “I think it’s better if you leave,” the man said. “Leave this place and get out of here. Don’t come back.”
Sweat shone on Darren’s cheeks. Patton swore he could see the whites of his eyes. He looked as if he’d been whipped into a frenzy, and Patton would’ve bet money that if a gun wasn’t involved, Darren would have been throwing punches. He backed out, wiping his hands down his thighs. He left the gun club without another word, bolting down the pathway at a dead run as if dogs were after him.
“Geez,” Patton said, looking at Zach. “What was that all about?”
“I don’t know,” Zach said with a shrug as the gun club member flipped the safety on and set the gun back down next to Patton. “That was really weird.”
Within half an hour, Wyatt returned. As Barney let him inside, Patton looked up from his cards. Barney pulled Wyatt aside and said, “Darren was here.”
Wyatt looked confused. “Did something happen?”
“He’s gone off the rails!” Barney said, as if finally being able to get the situation off of his chest. “He came in here acting wild. Wanting bullets in exchange for spare metal. He was acting…well, you know what he can be like.”
Wyatt frowned for a moment and looked concerned, digesting what he’d heard. Patton watched him, trying to figure out what Wyatt was going to do next. “If Darren shows up again,” he said, “hold him here until I get back, okay? He shouldn’t be acting like that. Especially with kids around.”
Patton glanced at his friends and watched them share the same thoughts. Even though they were younger, they were able to hear a lot of things adults tried to hide from them. Patton would be investigating who this Darren person was, and if he came back to harm anyone at the gun club, well, that wouldn’t stand. Not in his book.
“Hey, Patton,” Wyatt called out to him. “Ready to head back to the hotel?”
Patton threw his cards down. He had been planning on bluffing that round. He didn’t have anything good in his hand anyway. Better to give up now and wait for his luck to change. “Later, guys,” he said and his friends mumbled similar goodbyes, subdued by the earlier events. Patton stood, and Wyatt beckoned him over so they could walk back to the River Rock Hotel.
16
The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the stars had begun to disappear as the sky transitioned from a dark, rich navy to a lighter blue. The crescent moon provided enough light for Patton to sneak out of his bedroom, pad down the hallways, and ease out of the front door. Even though in the pit of his stomach he knew he was doing something that would get him in trouble, he was doing it all for the greater good. He could handle having his mom yell at him, or the stern look from his father, or even the annoyed sigh from his sister. He couldn’t handle seeing his grandfather eat another bite of salted venison. This was the best chance Patton had to provide for his grandpa. No one else could do it but him.
Dad was obsessed with getting the well working for Grandpa. Allison was helping create a garden for Grandpa. This contribution was going to be Patton’s.
As he snuck off the property and walked into the woods to where he would meet the other boys from the gun club, his mind didn’t wander. His imagination didn’t take over to tell him a story to help pass the time, or craft him into a place that was bigger and better than where he was. He knew he had to be in the moment. He had to be a hundred percent present to help save his grandfather.
He saw Zach, Justin, and Marshall waiting for him at the edge of a small meadow with their guns braced against their shoulders. Crap. He didn’t want to be the last one here, but he had to make sure none of the family was awake or they might have noticed him. Ugh. The family.
“I see you got away without alerting the authorities.” Zach flashed a grin and handed him the second rifle he held.
Patton knew Zach was teasing him, so he didn’t rise to the bait and just rolled his eyes instead. “I’m not pairing off with him,” Patton said to the other boys, “if he’s gonna keep yakking the whole time. We won’t be able to take down anything.”
Marshall and Justin snickered. Zach punched Patton’s shoulder. Patton smiled as he rubbed where Zach had hit.
Justin waved Patton over. “You’re with me, newbie,” he said. “We’re going to cross the meadow, and these two jokers are going to go the other way. If any of us gets something, we’ll hear the gunshots and meet up with the other group. Otherwise, we have to be as quiet as possible.”
“Sounds good,” Patton said as Justin motioned for him to follow him across the meadow. As they left Marshall and Zach heading off in the other direction, Patton tried to follow the instructions and be as quiet as possible, but the night unnerved him. The moonlight shone down over the meadow in beams of silver, illuminating the early morning dew. The sky had lightened even more. Crickets called out here and there. Birds sang and cooed. Sure, when he thought about it, it might sound soothing, but in reality, it felt as though everything out there knew he was coming. Every time he heard something, or imagined he heard something, it put him on edge. He wasn’t sure if he should be aiming at the sounds or if he should be stopping to listen more closely, but Justin hadn’t shifted focus. If Patton was going to get one thing right, it was that he planned to follow Justin’s actions to a tee.
Even though the sounds of the forest seemed loud, Patton felt as if he was the loudest thing of all. His steps sounded like a stomping Godzilla-monster. The swish of his pants and his jacket sounded synthetic and out of place among the natural sounds of the forest. He was definitely a lumbering creature, uncoordinated compared to the game he was hunting.
Once they cleared the meadow and headed deeper into the woods, he and Justin walked for a good twenty minutes through the trees. Patton felt as if he’d transformed into a bumbling toddler. If anything, he sounded louder than ever. Sticks and underbrush crunched beneath his feet. Branches snagged his coat jacket. God, did his breathing really sound that heavy?
Soon enough, Justin motioned him behind a fallen log covered in moss and lichen. Together, they settled in to wait. A
fter a moment, Patton desperately wanted to fill the silence with conversation, but he knew by Justin’s face that small talk was strictly out. The silence stretched. Nothing moved. Nothing changed. He was beginning to think that this was all a waste of time until one of the bushes down the way shook and rattled gently. A big brown rabbit hopped out and sat for a moment, wiggling its pink nose. The small tufted tail twitched.
Patton’s breath caught as he studied the bunny. No, it was too big to be just a bunny. It hopped closer to them and Patton moved his gun gently up to his eye and settled it in place, ready to take the animal down. He heard a quiet swish of movement beside him and saw that Justin was doing the same thing, only faster and better.
No. This couldn’t be a gun club kill. Patton had to do this. This was his game and he would be the one to take it down. He took aim, jostling Justin’s shoulder enough that Justin squawked in shocked frustration. Patton sighted down, refusing to give himself time to second-guess himself. The rabbit wiggled in his line of sight for a bare moment before Patton pulled the trigger.
The gunshot broke the silence like a thunderclap. Justin yelped and jumped. Patton felt as if he’d leapt out of his skin as the rifle’s recoil jolted his shoulder. Out of nowhere, Patton felt shame overwhelm him. He was certain he had just wildly shot into the woods without properly doing everything he had been taught. He’d probably disappointed Justin. Worse, he had probably missed.
But when the rabbit collapsed to the ground in front of him, joy and success chased the shame away.
“Holy crap,” Justin said, his eyes as wide as quarters. “Nice shot.”
“I did it,” Patton whispered under his breath, more to himself than to Justin. “I got it.”
EMP Catastrophe | Book 3 | Erupting Chaos Page 11
