The decision was made whether or not Jonathan agreed with it was another story but one that wouldn’t be told. Thomas was let go while Kristoff would spend the night and be released in the morning after being looked at one more time by Cindy.
Chapter 8
Short nights and long days were what this new life was all about. Having dropped my head on the softness of my pillow shortly before the sun rose, I hadn’t been able to fall into a deep sleep before it was time to crawl out of bed and get back to duty. My body had started to adjust to the lack of sleep and so, the heavy feeling that overpowered my eyes were quickly washed away with a splash of water to my face.
‘Good morning sweetie,’ I said to my wife who was busy rubbing oil on her oversized tummy.
‘Hey there,’ she replied. ‘I heard you guys had a pretty long night.’
‘How’d you hear that?’ Getting used to how fast news traveled wasn’t easy.
‘Cindy stopped by last night to check up on me and keyed me into what happened. I was worried about you Jimmy.’ A sadness developed in her eyes.
‘Cindy came all the way here?’ I asked, surprised. Cindy’s house was on the other side of the Cul De Sac, a lot closer to the area that Jonathan, Edward and I had been manning, than to my house.
‘Yeah. That’s really nice of her, isn’t it? Though I must say, I can’t believe after all that excitement with people jumping the fence that she came alone.’
To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. Sure, it was nice of Cindy to check up on Marge. However, her coming by herself was breaking a very important rule. During the night, we traveled in groups, period.
Rather than getting my wife riled up about how unsafe I thought it was that Cindy decided to wander so far from her home, I changed the subject. ‘So, what’s on your schedule for the day?’
‘Same old thing as usual. Cooking, cleaning, and helping your mom in the greenhouse.’
‘Sounds relaxing but you know, it’s about time you start taking things a little easy. You’re due in a couple of days and you don’t want anything going wrong.’
‘I know babe, but I can’t just sit around and do nothing. It’s already hard having everyone treat me like a baby I don’t need all the pity. I’m happy. I’m healthy and I promise you that I’m not overextending myself.’
I made my way over to Marge and placed a kiss on her cheek. ‘I know you’re taking good care of yourself and that little bundle of joy in you,’ I rubbed my hand over her bare tummy.
‘Did you feel that?’ she exclaimed.
‘I sure did,’ I smiled, positioning my hand over the spot where I felt the baby kick. ‘That feels like the kick of a real man.’
‘You think? Because I can’t shake the feeling that we’ll be having a girl.’
Marge and I had opted against knowing the sex of the baby. We decided that another element of surprise was worth the wait. Marge was convinced we’d be having a girl and I just knew deep down that a little Jimmy would be popping out of her soon. Many of the men in our group had placed bets on the sex of the baby and as things stood, the majority had their money- or in this case chocolate- on my wife having a girl.
‘It doesn’t matter what we have, I’m sure the baby will have his dad’s charm.’
Marge gave my shoulder a friendly punch. ‘You’re not that cute,’ she joked.
‘Oh, but I am.’ I flashed her my most attractive smile.
‘Okay, enough about you and your self-proclaimed hotness. I’ve got to get to your mom before she starts throwing a fit. We’ve been making up episodes of the soap operas since we can’t watch them anymore.’
It was nice to know that the ladies were finding things to occupy their time and take their minds off the happenings of the world. The men had tasks on their hands that were more stressful than any of us had bargained for. Rather than being able to sleep in for once, it was time for me to head out and meet a Humvee that carried the new members of our team. Though many in our group had protested against allowing them to enter our camp, Stewart gave the final yes. His reasoning behind agreeing to let these new members in was based on a need to increase our strength in the event of an all-out attack on our camp. He informed us that they’d bring along food and a great deal of other resources and thus, at least for the beginning, be able to pull their own weight. We had all heard the stories about groups of rogue military guys and the way they barged into neighborhood and stole from the poor. Though I knew that they weren’t coming into our turf to carry out their inhumane duties, the rumors were unnerving.
I reached into the closet and pulled out my boots. ‘I’m gonna head to the front to help out with the new guys who are coming in,’ I gave Marge information she already knew.
‘Just be careful.’ She flashed me a smile before leaving the room.
***
Out front, my regular partners in protection- Edward and Jonathan- were waiting. Now, the only person left to show up was Stewart, who would be responsible for talking to the guys and either sticking to his decision to let them in or going back on his word. I looked at the gigantic barbed wire fence that closed off the entrance to our Cul De Sac. Twenty-five feet wide and ten feet tall, there was more barbed wire than imaginable.
‘They’ll be here in a few,’ Stewart’s voice boomed from behind us.
I turned around to see that he was accompanied by two of the newest members of our group, Milton and Howie. These were the guys responsible for the people showing up. Apparently they had served in Iraq together and vouched for the resourcefulness of their comrades.
‘How’s it going, Stewy?’ I said as he got a little closer.
‘Eh. I’m just so ready for all of this to be over. I know that everybody’s been preparing for some kind of disaster ever since Prepper Central was formed but man, I would have rather wasted my money prepping for a thousand years than deal with this shit. I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to survive without a government. Everyone on the outside is going crazy and once all our supplies start to disappear, I don’t know what the hell we’re gonna do next.’
‘Well, we’ve got lots of plants and stuff, so we’ll be okay when it comes to supplying food.’
‘Yeah. That’s until everyone gets sick of eating apples and tomatoes. Plus, who knows how long it will be until a group of real rebels make their way in our direction and run over this place like a crash of rhinos.’
‘I say optimism is the best way out. You’re upping the military presence that we have here and I’m sure they know a thing or two about fighting in a battle. So, if that time does come, I think we’ll be able to handle it.’
‘I sure hope so because shit seriously needs to get better.’
Our conversation got interrupted by a loud roaring sound moving closer and closer to us. They were here. The deep army green Humvee rolled slowly in our direction. Out of the top pointed a machine gun, scarier in size and undoubtedly in power, than the vehicle itself. The presence of the Humvee was our cue to get to work, tearing the barrier down and letting them in. We dressed our hands in cut-resistant gloves before ripping the barbed wire down- a tedious task, but one that needed to be done. Luckily, another group would be taking over the front soon, and they’d be responsible for securing our gate. We moved to the side, creating enough space for the oversized vehicle to roll through with ease. Out of the top propped a head.
‘Hey y’all,’ the person said, looking around and waving his hand like the Queen of England. He had a sense of humor, clearly. That’s one of the things that our group was missing. Dad had been one of the few guys who managed to get people to smile. However, once all his jokes ran dry, even he didn’t have much to smile about.
The Humvee went up a few driveways before turning around and settling in front of the gate. It was a sight to be seen. If feet upon feet of barbed wire and armed men standing out front wasn’t scary enough, this monstrosity would surely do the trick. The machine gun on top, pointed in just the right dir
ection and in that moment, I felt as though having the vehicle there already made agreeing to the new members worth it. I’d never driven in one of these vehicles before and thus, my interest was naturally piqued. Asking Stewart for a tour wasn’t an option as he was yet to remove the look of misery from his face. However, Mr. Queen of England, who was dancing out the top of the vehicle, definitely wouldn’t mind to give me a tour. I decided that once they were settled in, and Stewart was nowhere to be seen, I’d try to get a tour. Three men stepped out of the Humvee, all suited up in military gear, though I’m sure their uniform had a whole new meaning to them now.
‘Timothy,’ one of the men extended his hand and went from one of us to the other, blessing our palms with a firm shake.
The guy who had exited the Humvee second waited for Timothy to do his rounds before he chimed in. ‘Alex,’ he said and shook hands in an equally as firm manner as Timothy.
The last guy- the Queen of England pretender- introduced himself as Lewis and followed the actions of the previous two. Stewart was the one to carry out the introduction of Jonathan, Edward, and me. Milton and Lewis waited for the right moment to throw their arms around their long lost friends. The happy reunion went on for a good ten minutes before Stewart instructed them to follow him to his house for a breakdown of how we did things around here. When Stewart was far enough away, I turned to Edward who I was sure would be eager to join in on my excitement.
‘Pretty cool,’ huh, I said, raising my eyebrows to show my gleefulness.
‘Pretty darn cool if you ask me,’ Edward agreed.
Jonathan didn’t seem to share our eagerness to check out the Humvee, merely offering an, ‘it’s alright.’
‘Have you driven in one of these before?’ I asked, truly interested.
‘Absolutely,’ he answered, finally losing the Grinch tone he’d been sporting since last night. He went on to tell a story about being on tour in Iraq and how he and some of his buddies used to race Humvees around a makeshift track whenever they had the time to. It definitely made me happy to see Jonathan come out of his element and actually share a story he was passionate about. The only thing that had gotten Jonathan to open up to us, until now, was cards. Most nights, I’d bring along a pack of cards while we stayed outside and watched the nothingness that the night had to offer. Jonathan had told us that doing this brought him back to when he was on tour and that a pack of cards was something that they never left base without. This was believable. From Poker to Bullshit and Crazy Eights to Chinese ten, mustering up a win against Jonathan was difficult. However, when it came to Canasta, I had the edge, thanks to my mother for instilling the skills in me, one loss at a time.
We sat and waited for the other guys to arrive. Their tardiness forced us into securing the entry point. I was surprised to see that unlike other days, there were few people to be seen. Our camp was an intimidating one and thus, there was hardly anyone brave enough to stare us in the face while trying to break in. Because of this, late nights were when we really needed to stand guard.
‘Finally,’ Edward grunted.
I turned around to see four guys walking in our direction. ‘About time,’ I agreed with Edward. Tardiness was something that none of us appreciated. Having to wake up early day after day meant that patience was something we didn’t have much of.
‘What took you so long,’ Edward said roughly as the guys got closer.
One of the men-Harry- motioned to Edward to come over to him but rather than getting up, Edward returned the motion.
‘Someone claimed they heard some kind of screaming going on so we had to search around to see if we could figure out what it was.’
‘Screaming,’ I exclaimed.
‘Yeah. Could have been some people on the other side though. You never know what they’re getting up to over there,’ Harry nodded.
‘But you really think you could hear their screams from all the way over here?’ I asked.
‘Absolutely,’ Jonathan chimed in. ‘I can barely sleep with some of the noises that I hear coming from over there.’
Jonathan’s reassurance allowed the worry in me to subside. Still, I couldn’t help but to think about Thomas and the fact that it could have been him. He’d promised to show up with news whenever there was any worth telling and if ‘his people’ had found out, there’s no telling what they would do to him.
‘Didn’t sound like a little boy, did it?’ I asked, hoping to have my fears washed away.
‘Nah. They said it sounded like a woman,’ Derrick-one of the other guys- replied.
‘But everyone’s fine?’
‘Yup,’ Derrick answered.
Unfortunately, I would soon realize that things weren’t as fine as everyone thought they were. Okay, maybe it wasn’t something to panic about, but the minute I saw mom sprinting toward me, I knew just the words that would leave her mouth.
‘Her water broke,’ she said before catching a huge breath. ‘Your wife. Marge, her water broke.’
Mom’s clarification was unnecessary, considering there was only one pregnant woman amongst us. The look on her face was one of excitement and fear. I observed her for a minute, thinking about everything and nothing all at the same time. And then it hit me. It really hit me that soon, I would be able to hold my little boy or girl in my arms. The pregnancy would soon be over, replaced by a new life; a life that I needed to protect. Now, my breathing mimicked mom’s and it felt as though I’d been the one running. ‘Easy,’ mom said, placing her hand on my back. There was no doubting that she could see my heart lifting and falling in my chest. I was going to be a dad. My responsibilities would surge. Sleepless nights would have a whole new meaning. At that moment, I wasn’t sure I could handle it; I wasn’t sure that I was ready. What if I didn’t know how to hold our baby? What if he or she took one look at me and bawled non-stop? I wasn’t cut out to be a dad. Was I?
‘Mom,’ I finally turned to look at her. She stood up, removed her hand from my crouched over back and looked me in the eyes.
‘Son,’ she replied.
‘I think I’m scared, mom. I don’t know if I’m ready for this. I mean, through her entire pregnancy, I was pretty sure this was a great thing. You know, I would dream about holding our baby in my arms and sometimes it felt as though I could smell his or her new skin but that was all a dream. Now, it’s actually happening. Marge is about to pop our baby out and I don’t know if I’m ready for that to happen.’
I looked around to see that the other men, who I’d forgotten about, had their eyes in mom and my direction. Not wanting them to see the dread in my eyes, I quickly turned away.
‘Jimmy, no one’s ever ready. That’s something I can guarantee you. Marge has gotten used to feeling the baby inside of her and I’m sure she’s panicked, not only about how much it will hurt when he’s coming out, but also about learning how to be a mom. You need each other and you have each other. Everything else will fall into place. Don’t worry about the baby crying when you have him or her in your arms, all babies do that. You for example, only stopped crying when your lips were latched onto my…’
‘I get it mom,’ I said quickly, not wanting enough information to create an imagi in my head. ‘How did she look?’
‘What do you mean, how did she look?’
‘Marge. Was she frightened? Was she happy? Did she look worried?’
‘All of them, I guess but mostly excited.’
‘Okay. Okay.’ I took a couple deep breaths like the one’s Cindy had instructed Marge to do when the contractions started. In fact, I felt like there was a part of me contracting. My heart was surely being twisted around, although the breathing seemed to help.
‘Jimmy, your wife’s waiting on you. Get back to her and then you can practice your breathing exercises.’
‘Mom,’ I met her eyes, ‘I think I’m having a panic attack or maybe it’s a heart attack. I dunno but it’s serious.’
‘Boy, you’re acting just like your father. Now, pull yourself toget
her before I have to whip you in shape the way my mom did to him.’
‘Okay. Okay,’ I replied, steadying my breath, ‘just give me a minute.’
Mom and I walked up the long road to my house. The minutes that it took felt like hours and my panic ensured that I stopped and observed just about every ant, fly and mosquito that wandered close by. For the first time I understood the necessity of a nine month pregnancy. Opossums have a twelve to thirteen day gestation period and it was incredibly hard for me to fathom how both the mother and the father managed to prepare for such a life changing experience in so little time. Nine months did indeed seem long. However, now, it didn’t seem long enough. Marge’s stomach looked as though someone had inflated two full sized balloons in her and so, yes, another month or two would mean that her stomach would reach the floor. So I get that it was time for her to get rid of the load but how could she ever be ready? I stopped and watched as mom placed a lone hand on the handle of our hardwood door and my heart tightened as she pulled down and allowed the inside of the house to meet my eyes. The first person I saw was dad. His eyes were wide with panic, assuming a considerably uncomfortable position on the couch beside Marge.
‘Honey,’ I made my way over to her, squeezing past dad whose legs were blocking the path to her.
‘Jimmy,’ she smiled, ‘it hurts so badly.’
‘I know honey. I know. It’s going to be alright.’
‘I don’t know Jimmy. This is the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my…contraction. Contraction. Contraction,’ she wailed.
I placed my hand on her stomach, hoping it would help to ease the pain. ‘Breathe,’ I reminded her. My cue encouraged her to let out a long hard breath and it was then that I noticed she really had forgotten about her breathing exercises. ‘Should we call Cindy?’
‘No. It’s not time yet. She said I should wait until the contractions are about 6 minutes apart. So we’ve got some time to go.’
Prepper Central: A Prepper Fiction Novel (Prepping - Together we will Survive Book 1) Page 7
