Deserted Lands (Novel): Toils and Snares

by Robert L. Slater

  “Well?” Anna demanded, her jaw tightened.

  “I’m not a doctor,” Holly said. “Hell, I haven’t been a nurse in damn near thirty years.”

  “Holly,” Grandpa said, his voice gentle, but firm. “What’s your best guess?”

  Her jaw knotted and then she spoke. “You may have some broken ribs. That may or may not be serious. In the worst case a broken rib could lacerate a vital organ. I can’t tell if that has happened or not. There are no obvious signs of internal bleeding. The only thing we can do for him out here is keep him immobile to prevent any more damage than has already been done.”

  “I need to be up and around.” Samuel pushed himself up on his elbow. His face contorted. “Dammit!” He tried to lower himself back down, but the look of pain flashed across his face again.

  “Support his back,” Holly ordered. Grandpa and Anna hurried to Samuel and propped him up.

  Holly pressed against his torso, her arm under his side, and pulled his elbow out from under him.

  Maria watched the pain wash his face to white as they lowered him into the mattress.

  “Now. Relax.” Holly’s nurse voice brooked no arguing.

  He closed his eyes.

  “And stay still,” Holly said. “Everybody out.”

  Anna’s face flashed in anger. Maria was glad that for once she was not the target of Anna’s wrath.

  “He needs rest,” Holly continued, shifting the pillow under his head.

  “I will stay with him,” Anna said. “You get out.”

  Holly nodded, her jaw tight, then she turned and left the room.

  Maria crossed to her father. She placed her hand on Anna’s shoulder for a moment. Anna patted her hand without taking her eyes off her patient. “I love you, Daddy.”

  “I love you, too, Ria.”

  Maria hurried after Holly, hoping to have a word with her. Behind her, she heard Grandpa’s low voice making some forceful comment and Anna responding in kind. Well, that ought to help everything.

  The outside door shut behind Holly with a heavy thud.

  At the sound, Abi stopped building with dominoes, but Noah continued zooming a dune buggy around the rug.

  Maria ran to her room and grabbed her heavy coat and gloves to follow Holly outside.

  The sun had disappeared behind the trees, but its rays colored the snow on the tips of the hills a strange golden-hued light. The clarity of the sky, evening stars poking through, hinted that a frost might be upon them soon.

  She didn’t catch up to Holly until she stopped at the log bridge over the creek.

  Holly looked up at Maria, her eyebrows arching in the obvious question.

  “Yeah. Me, too. I hate it when she does that. She’s something else.”

  “That’s a kind way of putting it,” Holly’s warm smile said she was trying not to take it personally. “But she’s under a lot of stress.”

  “Yeah, but she’s being all mother bear on you while you’re trying to help.”

  “I don’t want to judge,” Holly said. “Walking out seemed like the safest choice. And I’m not pregnant with an injured husband.”

  “Well, I am pregnant, too, but you’re kinder than I usually am. And more polite than Grandpa.”

  “He’s pretty damn fond of you.”

  “That goes way back. Probably why Anna’s being so beastly. She’s his granddaughter, I’m not even his kin.”

  “Kin is what it is.”

  “I know. Still. Did Grandpa say anything about her?”

  “Nope.” Holly frowned pensively. “I can take it. Like I said. I was a nurse. Now, I’m a writer. I’ve been rejected by millions of people.”

  “Probably without quite as much drama.”

  “You might be surprised. I can make drama in real life almost as well as I can in books.” Holly’s smirk implied a lot of spunk. “Congratulations on your coming arrival.”

  “Thanks. Scares the hell out of me.”

  “Well, you’re young. Less likely to have complications.”

  “Than Anna?” Maria wasn’t sure how much to share, but Holly was the only medical person around. “She’s had a lot of issues around pregnancy. Lost babies. I’m glad you’re here.”

  Holly laughed ruefully. “When I was an Emergency Room nurse, I helped deliver a baby once. 3 a.m. At the end of a long, lonely shift. Doctor disappeared on a break.” Her eyes stared at Maria, but didn’t seem to see anything in the present moment.

  “Wow.”

  Holly’s eyes focused on Maria. “It was a long time ago, almost another life. I felt so powerful, like I could do anything. I know better now. Not sure my experience counts for much.”

  “More than we had before you got here.” Despite her warm coat, Maria shivered.

  “I’m not a doctor. We ought to go back inside. I’ll take a look at your sister.” Holly smiled. “Thanks for the background on Anna. I’m pretty good at not taking things personal.”

  “No problem.” Maria decided she liked Grandpa’s choice in partners. She wasn’t Grandma, but she was cool. Not that there were many other choices. He got lucky again.

  Grandpa met them in the driveway. “Coming back in already?”

  “Yeah. Getting cold.” Holly wrapped her arm around Maria’s shoulder. “Gotta keep the pregnant ones healthy.”

  Grandpa stared questioningly at Maria. Over his shoulder, James swung the machete at the downed tree.

  Maria grinned. “That’s right, great-great-grandpa.”

  “Wow.” A smile to match hers lit up his craggy face. “Didn’t think I’d make it to that. Congratulations.”

  “Where’s your sister?” Holly opened the front door as Grandpa headed over toward James.

  “Let’s go see.” Maria led Holly inside. Noah was still playing in the front room, But Abi was gone. . “Hey, Abigirl. Nurse Holly is going to check you out.” She headed down the hall to the kid’s room.

  As they entered, Abi scooted to the back of the bed against the wall, eyeing Holly suspiciously.

  “Hello, Abigail,” Holly said, her voice dropping into a lower register, “Do you want to hear your heartbeat?” She pulled out a stethoscope and breathed on it.

  Abi tilted her head to the side and smiled shyly. She reached out tentatively for the stethoscope.

  Holly put it in her hand, placed the earpieces in Abi’s ears. Then she placed the chestpiece on Abi’s chest nearest her heart.

  Abi’s eyes widened with her smile as Holly moved it around her chest.

  Holly moved the earpieces to her own ears and continued her exploration. “You have a strong heart, little one.”

  Abi straightened up. Maria tousled her hair and whispered, “I love you, Abigirl.”

  A few minutes later, Holly placed the earpieces back in Abi’s ears and handed her back the chestpiece. “If you leave them in your ears too long, they’ll hurt. But if you lay down, you can listen until you feel sleepy.”

  Abi lay down.

  Holly pointed a thermometer at Abi’s forehead until it beeped. The readout flashed 99.9 in red numbers.

  Maria kissed her sister’s still too hot head and then followed Holly back down the hall. “Well?”

  “She’s doing okay. Upper respiratory. I can’t tell if it’s a cold or something worse.” Holly slipped the thermometer back in her bag. “I’ll leave this here. Check her temp every few hours. If it gets over 101, let me know.”

  “Should we give her something for it?”

  “Only if she’s suffering. Let her body fight off the virus.”

  The Virus or the virus? “Okay. Anything else?”

  “Prayer, if you believe in it.”

  As they passed the front door, Grandpa came in and pulled his boots off with the boot jack. He motioned them into the kitchen. Opening what seemed to be a wall revealed a plain brown bottle and a stack of shot glasses. He sat three of the glasses in front of them.

  Grandpa twisted out the cork and tipped the bottle with a practiced hand; givi
ng each shot glass the same precise pour. He handed them each one.

  “I shouldn’t,” Maria said.

  “Nonsense.” Grandpa said. “I don’t make it strong. Apple Cider Brandy. This much ain’t gonna hurt you, is it Holly?”

  “Not unless you make a habit of it.” Holly lifted her glass. “To being lucky…” She sipped. “Hhmmm… Nice work on the brandy, Tom.”

  “Cheers.” Grandpa poured the contents down in one shot and peered at Holly. “Is what you said about Samuel in there everything?”

  Maria took a sip. It burned. Not like the real hard stuff. And it tasted like apples. She watched Holly trying to read her silence.

  Holly took another sip. “Everything that I can verify. It might be bad, it might just be a strained muscle. I don’t have the training or the technology.”

  “Thanks,” Maria said, “He saved my baby’s life. Probably mine, too.”

  “Not a brilliant man,” Grandpa said, sipping his second shot. “But he’s got heart to beat the band.”

  “Yeah,” Maria sighed. That was high praise coming from Grandpa. She gritted her teeth, biting a bit of her cheek to not start crying again.

  Grandpa’s eyes appraised her. Finally he glanced away outside toward the lake. “Why’d you come here?”

  “I don’t think we really had a plan other than getting out of Portland before things got worse.” She looked at Grandpa. “We weren’t sick. Not then. Now Abi…”

  “She has some of the symptoms, but I really don’t have any way to tell if has the Influenza virus that’s been killing everyone. Might not be,” Holly said. “Tis the season for colds.”

  “Thanks,” Maria said. “I hope you’re right.” She shook off her misgivings and took another sip. It was much more pleasant than any of the crap she drank with her friends.

  “Your siblings were in school, right?” Holly’s brows creased, and she ran her finger over the ring rim of the glass. “I thought Tom and I were lucky. But you folks are crazy lucky.”

  Maria nodded. “Yeah.”

  “So why is your whole family alive?” Holly asked.

  “Grandma’s dead,” Maria said.

  Grandpa’s jaw clenched. “She died years ago.”

  “I mean from the pandemic. What did you all have in common?”

  Grandpa shrugged as his eyes met Maria’s.

  “I don’t know,” Maria said. “Does it really matter?”

  Holly shook her head. “Probably not.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “But I’m a writer by trade, habit and temperament. I want to know answers. It’s those kinds of questions that keep me awake at night.”

  Grandpa reached up and massaged her neck.

  Maria glanced around the kitchen, remembering her childhood in this room. Hot summer days spent baking. “I don’t get it. Why’d you move?” she asked Grandpa.

  “Are you kidding?” Grandpa chuckled. “Why spend a bunch of time fixing up the old house I never finished? I have my choice of great houses here. I only found two other people alive in the area, and them, not much so. Checked on all of my friends. Most of them were already dead. I never felt a sniffle. Then I found Holly. We’d seen each other around, but never talked much. Now, we’ve buried most of the people we knew and a lot we didn’t. Funny how things work out.”

  “Yeah. James is the last of his family.” Maria could feel a flush on her face. “Still some people alive at the Warm Springs Reservation, he says. But not many.” The brandy in the glass was gone. Grandpa filled it half full again.

  The front door opened, feet stomped on the mat, followed by the thud of boots hitting the floor.

  Maria lifted the bottle from Grandpa and poured the glass full. His eyebrow raised.

  “For James,” she explained. She and the baby didn’t need it. James’ feet padded along the hallway and a door closed. Her heart twisted again. She shrugged and picked up the glass, kissing Grandpa on his bald spot.

  “Thanks for helping with Abi and my dad, Holly.” Then she hurried to their room.

  James hadn’t bothered to turn the light on. He sat on the bed, staring out the hazy window away from her.

  Maria set the shot glass on the nightstand and wrapped her arms around him. He was hot and sweaty, not stinky yet, but he would be soon. “I love you,” she whispered. His hand patted her arm, but he didn’t return her words. She held onto him. How could he be her stability when he spent so much time isolating himself inside his own head? Grandpa’s welcome seemed to have pushed him even further away.

  “James, Gramps didn’t know who you were. I hope you know you are welcome in the family.” She wanted to say that nobody blamed him for the accident, but...

  How long would he hold onto his guilt? And her dad? Helplessness overwhelmed her, the world spun and tears rose in her eyes. The tears broke free and ran down her face as she cried silently. Not just for the kids, Anna. After a moment. James’ hand reached up to brush at one on the side of his neck.

  He turned to her, tears in his eyes, too. “I’m sorry. How is he?”

  “No worse. Holly thinks he’s got broken ribs.”

  “I only wanted to help.”

  “I know. Shit happens.”

  “Yeah. Far too often.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THE FOLLOWING NIGHT MARIA SAT in her father’s sick room. Her brain tried to run through her thoughts and make sense of it all. James’ marriage proposal, Daddy’s accident. Abi’s cold. Grandpa was alive. And she and Anna were on speaking terms.

  Her phone buzzed. Had it really been a whole night? She’d fallen asleep; she hoped for not more than a few minutes. No one had called to her, and Dad was still resting peacefully. She sighed and pushed herself to her feet, kissing his brow on the way out.

  She stood in the hallway, a moment of quiet peace with no one needing her. She breathed a few deep breaths and then knocked on Abi and Noah’s door. Abi was being a little adult demanding her shift to watch Daddy.

  There was no answer to her knock.

  Maria opened the door to a noxious wave of scents. Vomit. Noah’s bed was empty. She rushed to Abi’s. Her red-faced little sister had tossed off all her covers, and a pool of puke seeped into the bed beside her. She shook Abi. Even through the pajamas, she felt hot. She touched Abi’s forehead. “Oh, God!”

  Abi’s eyes opened slightly. “Sorry,” she whispered, “I threw up.”

  “Abi. Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t feel good?”

  Abi’s lip trembled. “Daddy’s hurt.”

  “It’s okay, Abigirl,” Maria soothed. “You still have to take care of yourself or you can’t help him.”

  Abi nodded. “I’m thirsty.”

  “I’ll bet, you’re burning up.” Maria scooped Abi up and carried her to the bath tub. “We’re going to take a bath and get this puke off you.” In the hall, she paused outside the room she shared with James. “James.” She kicked the door. “I need you. Now.” She heard an incoherent sound of ascent.

  “I need you to go get Holly.” If she got Abi in a warm bath, they could cool it down. Cooling too fast was bad. She was pretty sure about that. Grandma had done that for her one summer when she wasn’t much bigger than Abigail. Maria started the tub. Spinning the hot faucet, the water was chillingly cold. It would take a while for the heat to come through the pipes. “Sit on the floor here. When the water gets warm, turn on the cold.”

  She returned to the hall.

  James waited at the door, bleary eyed, tennis shoes in his hands. “What’s up?”

  “Abi’s fever. It’s bad. I need Holly. Now.”

  “Be back as soon as I can.” He moved into high gear, struggling into his shoes.

  “Thanks.” Maria blew him a kiss and hurried to her father’s room. “Anna?” she hissed through the door, then pushed it open. Anna stared at her groggily. “It’s Abi. She’s worse.”

  She hurried back to the bathroom with Anna right behind her.

  Abi lay curled up in fetal positio
n while the water ran. Anna pulled Abi into her arms.

  Abi’s eyes tracked Maria as she plugged the tub and reached for the cup by the sink and filled it with water. She held the cup to Abi’s lips while she took little sips.

  “James is getting Holly and Grandpa.”

  Anna nodded, taking the cup from Maria. “Get the thermometer.”

  Maria retrieved Holly’s medical kit from the hall and flashed Abi’s head. 104.1.

  Anna jerked the thermometer from her hand, read it and shoved it back.

  “I’m going to put you in the bath.”

  Maria tried to get Abi’s pajamas off, but she started shaking. Her whole body shook and her head flipped backward into her mother’s chest.

  Anna held her. “Abi, Abi.”

  Her eyes rolled up in her head as her legs and arms continued to twitch violently.

  “Oh, God.” Anna held onto her, wrapping her arm around her sister’s head. “Help me.”

  Maria shoved herself between them and the tub. She wrapped her arms around both of them. She pushed her own shoulder under Abi’s head.

  “She’s not breathing.”

  “Make sure her mouth is clear.”

  Anna’s fingers worked Abi’s jaw. Abi made choking sounds. Then a spew of watery bile flew from her mouth.

  She breathed. Short. Quick panting breaths.

  Her body stilled, echoes of the shakes shorted through her limbs, but more softly. Her eyes closed and she relaxed into their arms.

  “You’re okay, baby girl,” Anna whispered into her ears. “It’s over now. You’re gonna be all right.” She sat up, Abi wrapped in her arms.

  “What was that?” Maria turned off the water in the nearly full tub.

  “Fever seizure. She had one before.”

  Abi’s eyes opened. “Water. Please.”

  “Okay, baby. Here’s some water.”

  By the time Holly arrived, Maria and Anna had Abi in the tub of lukewarm water, her clothes still on. She was lethargic, but awake and had finished almost the whole glass of water. Anna leaned awkwardly over the tub cradling Abi’s head in case she had another fit.

  Holly slid to her knees next to her. “Hey, Abigail. Good to see you. Can I listen to you breathe again?”