Every Last Mother's Child
Page 192
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“All Stations,” Georgia said into her implant, “Healer is about to depart. Departure stations now!”
Lisa walked with Joyce out to the landing pad where a small militia landing craft was waiting for her. She never knew how the Elsy crew was picked to take her to the hospital. At first she objected; but after the assassination attempt she let her detail do their job. Though it made her uncomfortable to think that other people would place their lives before hers, she was starting to deal with it better. Most of the men and women on the detail had become good friends, especially Georgia. But the landing craft crew always took care of her. The crew chiefs always made sure she was seated and secure before they even shut the ramp. They treated her as if she was fragile. Even when she complained that she was only pregnant. They smiled and made sure she was safe and secure. There was always a medic with an obstetric kit on board and the marines, they were always marines, were fully armed and treated her like royalty. She surmised some generals were not looked after as well as she was.
“Good morning Lady Wilson,” Commander Barth, the pilot called, as she came up the ramp of the LC-4 Courier. “I’ll be your pilot today.”
“Good morning commander,” Lisa replied none of her pilots were less than Lieutenant commanders. This was the second or third time Commander Barth had flown her.
“Good morning admiral,” the pilot said seeing Joyce Wilson, “would you care to ride the jump seat with us?”
“No commander,” Joyce replied, “I am just a passenger today?”
“Aye,” the militia pilot said and went up to the cockpit.
As they took their seats with the protective detail giving them some space, but in easy view of them Lisa said to her mother in law, “I saw the revisions you made to the estate plans.”
“Oh?” Joyce said as the landing craft’s crew chief made sure they were secure in their seats. She had immense fun designing her family’s home. Mike and Lisa had given her free reign to do what she thought right with only a few changes. Joyce not a cook had designed a small kitchen, but Lisa had asked for a bigger kitchen for the main house. Not knowing if she would be cooking or if someone would be helping her. Maggie and her had spent a couple of hours going over the kitchen plans and changed a lot of it. Lisa had been afraid of how Joyce would react; but she didn’t say a word.
“Michael said to tell you to go with them. We don’t want any further changes. We need to get it started or we’ll not have a place to live when we get to Home.” Lisa spoke to her mother-in-law.
“I know,” the retired admiral replied, “I wonder how it will set with some people to build our home before many of the first evacuees do.”
“I heard that many of the families were still living in their shipping containers. Someone was saying that the crown reps were having a hard time from keeping a lot of trees from coming down in a hurry on Home.” Lisa replied.
“I had heard that too,” Joyce commented, “I’ll tell my crew to get the Traveling Lady ready to go and we’ll head for Home the day after tomorrow. Is there anything you and Mike might want me to take with me?”
“No,” Lisa said, “Me, Lady Hawthorne, and Mylea spent a couple of days packing up our old place a few weeks ago. Everything is in the can ready to be up loaded when me and Mike leave. As much as I would like to have you take some things; it would cause Mike too many problems if that leaked.”
“I hear that,” Joyce said as she feeling the landing craft’s landing gear close up. “This crew’s good I didn’t even feel him shift from natural to ship board gravity. I think I’ll say something when we get down.”
“All these crews are good mom,” Lisa said, “Very good.”
“Getting anxious?” Joyce seeing her daughter in law squirm in her seat.
“Yes,” Lisa said. “I’m not used to being this big, and I feel clumsy at times. I’ll be happy when these guys are born.”
Joyce was quiet, she had never had children. Her one and only husband died before they had had an opportunity to have children, and later, there was no one else she cared to have children with. She was also of the opinion after nearly raising her step son’s daughter that child rearing was for the young, not a nearly seventy year old beaten up combat vet. They were quiet for the short flight to the evacuation hospital.