The Hoffmann Plague

by Tony Littlejohns

  They went into M&S, where Jamie left the girls to look at baby clothes while he got some new things for himself, including some nice woollen jumpers, then it was onto Next and Boots for more of the same. Before entering each store Jamie stood outside listening for a while with the sawn-off on his shoulder, but there were no sounds of anyone else there. When they’d finished and were loading the bags into the truck they heard vehicles approaching.

  Two vans appeared, drove into the car park and pulled up by Tesco’s. Jamie took the sawn-off from his shoulder and held it down by his side, while Jane did the same with hers and cocked both barrels in readiness. Megan looked worried and moved close to Jane, putting her arm around her.

  Three tough-looking guys climbed out, followed by two women. Two of them had L85A2 rifles over their shoulders and Jamie realised they must be ex-army, so he waved and said hi. Two of the men approached them and as they got nearer he recognised one as having been the guard on the gate the day he’d taken Megan to the army camp, so he relaxed somewhat. He in turn recognised Jamie, remembering that he knew Miller and Cunningham, and his demeanour changed as he also relaxed. They re-introduced themselves and shook hands. The guy- Baker- whistled to the other three and waved for them to come over.

  Introductions were made, they all shook hands and stood chatting for a while. One of the women had been a nurse at the camp and she recognised Megan from her stay there, saying how well she looked. Jamie told them that the two Majors, Maria and Karen were just down the road from them and that they saw them all the time. The army guys said to pass on their regards and tell them where they were living, saying they should come and visit.

  There were eight of them altogether- four couples who had paired up during the year since the plague- and they had found places close together in Cooden, near the golf course, as they’d all agreed that they wanted to be near the sea. They gave Jamie the location and he said he’d pass it on. The other woman asked them if they knew anywhere where they could get seeds for vegetables and salads. Jane grinned, pointing behind them to B&Q, saying there were plenty in the garden section there. She also told them of the pet and garden supplies shop by Sainsbury’s and the garden centre at Bulverhythe, on the road to Hastings. The woman thanked them and said they would go there next. They said goodbye shortly afterwards and drove back to the farm.

  By the third week of February the temperature had risen further. The morning frosts had almost stopped and the ground became a bit more workable. Bill and Jamie gave a few of their seed potatoes and other vegetables to their army friends down the road to get them started with planting their own crops, for which they were grateful. They repaid the kindness with a couple of pheasant that Maria had shot.

  One thing that had irked Jamie about their new home since moving in was the lack of a bathroom. So far they had made do with heating water and washing in the sink, and he had installed a bathroom lock on the door for privacy when they were washing, which would have to continue as there was no room for a separate bathroom. He was thinking of Jane now, though, and thought it would be nice for her to be able to have a bath of sorts, so she could soak in hot water to ease her aches. He thought of several possibilities, like a horse trough or similar, but discounted them as being a bit too ugly to have in the kitchen! He knew the sort of thing he wanted, but not where to find one. He spoke to Bill, who told him of a reclamation yard outside of Bexhill, on the Ninfield Road, where he might find something. He told Megan of his intention and she thought it was a great idea, saying she would come with him to help him look.

  They set out one morning, telling Jane they were going to the bungalow to check the salt evaporation and leaving her resting on the sofa. Jamie took the Land Rover and drove into the village, then turned right onto the road to Ninfield.

  ‘Dad, do you think Mum’s going to be okay with the birth, now that there aren’t any hospitals? I’ve been worried about it recently as we get nearer.’

  He was worried, too, but he didn’t want to pass that on to Megan. ‘Of course she will, sweetheart. We’ve got Tom and Karen now, and both of them have experience of births from their time in the army. You mustn’t worry, honey- everything will be okay.’ Megan seemed a little happier by the fact that Jamie didn’t seem worried and was confident.

  At Ninfield they cut across back onto the Bexhill road and found the place after a mile or so, pulling into the yard and parking the truck. They got out, Jamie with the sawn-off over his shoulder, and stood listening for a while, but it was as quiet as a graveyard.

  They walked around the yard looking at all the pieces of architectural salvage there: flagstones, cast-iron roll-top baths, doors, old log-burning stoves and many other interesting pieces. They couldn’t see anything suitable outside so went into a large building where there was more stock. Jamie was just thinking it was a wasted trip when Megan called to him from the other side of the building. ‘Dad, look at this!’

  He went over to her. She had lifted a tarp and underneath was an old copper bathtub. It was dirty and full of cobwebs, but was just the sort of thing he had been hoping to find. He smiled at Megan. ‘Perfect! I wasn’t expecting a lovely copper one, though.’ She grinned back at him. He found a broom and brushed out most of the cobwebs and other debris. It was about two-thirds the size of a normal bath and much thinner and lighter, with high sides. You certainly couldn’t stretch out in it, but once filled you could have a good soak with your knees up. It was heavy but he was able to pick it up on his own so he carried it outside and put it in the truck.

  He drove to the hardware store in Bexhill next and got some tins of Brasso metal polish, before heading back to the farm. Megan looked through the window and could see Jane sleeping on the sofa, so she gave a thumbs-up to Jamie and he carried the bathtub from the truck into the barn. He spent a couple of hours cleaning and polishing it to a high shine before going back to the house.

  Later in the afternoon, as it was getting dark, Jane said she was going over to the farmhouse for a natter with Emma, which she often did at around that time. They knew she would be at least half an hour, and as soon as she had gone Jamie brought the now-gleaming tub from the barn and put it in the kitchen. They put more fuel in the range and stove to stoke them up and heated kettles and pans of water. As it neared the time when Jane would return they filled the tub and Megan added some bubble-bath then lit candles around the kitchen. They sat down on the sofa to wait and Jane came back shortly. She walked in and looked at them sitting there, knowing instantly that something was up.

  ‘Okay you two scoundrels, what have you been up to?’ she asked with a smile on her face.

  ‘Well… You know how you’ve been wanting a bath for ages?’ said Jamie. ‘Have a look in the kitchen.’

  Jane opened the door and gasped. ‘Oh my God! Where did you get that?’

  ‘Oh, we just found it somewhere,’ said Megan, grinning.

  Jane got all weepy, then hugged and kissed them both, saying how beautiful it looked. Jamie went upstairs and got her bath robe for her. She closed the door, got undressed and sank into the tub, laying her head back and revelling in the luxurious feeling of hot water covering her body for the first time in over a year.

  Jamie wondered if it was time for Megan to learn how to shoot so he broached the subject with Jane one night.

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ she said, ‘but why not ask her what she thinks? She’ll soon tell you if she’s not ready or doesn’t want to.’

  He spoke to Megan over breakfast the following day, making it clear that it was her choice, but she thought it was a good idea and was optimistic.

  ‘I mean, I’ve got to learn sometime and I already know how to strip the guns down, anyway.’

  The next day, Jamie took her out with one of the lighter 20-bore shotguns. They walked two hundred yards from the farm and set up some pieces of plywood as targets. He gave her a good talk on gun safety and showed her how to tuck the stock tightly into her shoulder to prevent any bruising, and the firs
t time she fired she gave a little squeal and grinned at him. He showed how the shot pattern spread with distance and the size of shot being used, and she could see the effects on the sheets of plywood, teaching her the effectiveness of the gun at different distances.

  At one point she looked thoughtful and turned to him. ‘I understand now how I survived the shooting, Dad. If they’d been closer, or if I hadn’t been moving, I would have died, wouldn’t I?’

  ‘Probably, honey- or we both might have. It was a very brave thing you did and you almost certainly saved my life.’ She hugged him and he kissed the top of her head.

  ‘What happened to them, Dad? Did you kill them?’

  Jamie looked down and closed his eyes tight, nodding. ‘I thought you were dead, honey. I thought I’d lost you. I’ve never felt such rage and it all happened in a blur…’

  Megan held him tighter. ‘It’s okay, Dad, I understand. I love you.’

  ‘I love you, too, sweetheart.’

  She got her first pheasant two days later when they went out with Max. She came back pleased as punch and showed Jane, who smiled and congratulated her.

  By early March the first signs of spring were beginning to appear. Buds were swelling on the trees and the first shoots from some of their perennial herbs were emerging from the soil in the garden. Jane was pleased to see them as she walked around looking at everything. As their thoughts turned to warmer weather ahead and the prospect of al fresco dining, Jamie realised he’d left the chimenea at his flat and hadn’t got around to collecting it and taking it to the bungalow. It would be a nice addition to their patio table and chairs for barbeques and also as a heat source on chillier evenings when they wanted to sit out. One morning at the end of the first week, when Jane and Megan were busy preparing rabbits in the kitchen, he found the keys to his flat and told them he was going to pick it up.

  He drove the Toyota into town, parked outside the house and walked down the steps to his flat. It felt weird stepping into the place; he hadn’t been back there since leaving for the bungalow in April and it seemed like an age ago, rather than just eleven months. The flat was cold and musty and he walked into each room in turn, remembering things from over the years.

  He went into the lounge and sat on the sofa, looking at the CDs in the racks covered in dust. He remembered his brother coming over one night a couple of years before, and them getting drunk while listening to old music until the early hours. He smiled at first and then the pain of the memory hit him. He started crying as he thought of his family, looking at some of their photos on the walls and shelves.

  The flat represented to him not just his old life, but the old world before the plague had come: society, films, TV, music, mortgages, bills, work, and many other things. So much had happened since that he felt like a different person. He had a partner and an adopted daughter now, both of whom he loved deeply, and very soon would have his own daughter; born into the ruins of a decimated country. He, Jane and Megan had had to fight for survival over the last year- literally, on several occasions- and it had changed him. He was tougher and more resilient now, but also far more grateful and appreciative of everything around him and of everything he had. Between them, and with Bill and Emma, Sarah and Georgie and the rest of their friends, they had laid the foundations for their survival in the bleak times that lay ahead.

  Back at the farm, Jane was at the kitchen sink when she felt a spasm in her abdomen. She clutched the sink and bent over it, wincing. ‘Ooh, blimey! Are you trying to tell me something, Annie?’ She walked into the lounge clutching her belly and sat down on the sofa.

  Megan looked at her. ‘Are you okay, Mum?’

  ‘Yes, honey, but I think it’s started! I think she’s decided to come earlier than I thought.’

  ‘Oh my God! And Dad’s not here!’

  Jane smiled at her. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ve probably got at least seven or eight hours more of this before anything happens!’

  Megan didn’t look particularly relieved by that and sat there fretting. She went and sat beside Jane, putting her arm around her and asking if there was anything she wanted.

  ‘Well, I’d love a large whisky, but I’d better not have one! A cup of tea would be nice, though, please.’ Megan went into the kitchen to put the kettle on and made them tea when the water had boiled.

  Half an hour later Jane had another contraction. ‘Ooh! I’ll tell you what, honey; would you go over to the farmhouse, please, just to let them know that it’s begun?’

  Megan nodded and ran off as fast as she could, which made Jane smile, then she lay back on the sofa. Presently, Emma arrived with Megan.

  Emma looked at her and smiled. ‘And so it begins…’ she said, sitting down next to Jane and holding her hand. ‘Don’t worry, my love, it’ll be okay. I’ve sent Phil and Sophie to tell Tom and Karen that you’ve gone into labour.’

  At his flat, oblivious to things happening back home, Jamie sighed and got up from the sofa, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He went out to the courtyard and carried the chimenea through to the truck, securing it with pieces of wood and old blankets. He went back inside and took down the remaining family photos and also picked up an old family photo album that had got left behind, so he could show Jane and Megan. He took a last look around and then climbed into the truck and drove home. When he got back and parked in the yard, Megan came running out to greet him and tell him the news. He went inside and rushed over to Jane, kissing her and asking if she was okay.

  ‘Yes, honey, everything’s okay! Don’t worry; we’ve got a long time yet.’

  Shortly afterwards, Tom and Karen turned up and Karen took her upstairs for an examination, to see how far dilated she was. They came back down and said everything was going okay. To save her having to climb the stairs again they decided to use Megan’s room behind the lounge and put a waterproof sheet on the bed. Jamie kicked himself for not having thought of that sooner.

  Tom said ‘Well, we might as well stay for the duration now we’re here,’ so they started preparing some food for everyone.

  Bill went outside with Jamie and passed him a hip flask filled with brandy. ‘Thought you might need this, mate!’

  Jamie smiled and took a couple of mouthfuls, thanking him. ‘Bloody Hell, Bill, it’s actually happening!’

  ‘Don’t worry, mate, everything will be okay.’

  Harry and Maria arrived shortly to wish them luck. ‘We won’t stay,’ said Maria, smiling. ‘I’m sure you don’t want a big audience! We’ll come back later, after the birth. Buena suerte!’ She kissed and hugged Jane, Megan and Jamie, and Harry kissed them and shook Jamie’s hand warmly, then they departed. Over the next few hours Jane’s contractions became stronger and more regular and she walked around as much as possible, puffing and breathing deeply as the pain increased. Phil, Sophie, Peter and Sally came over to give her their love and wish her luck, then departed so as not to crowd her.

  Jamie supported her as she walked around the garden over several hours and he massaged her back and neck when they went back inside. They stoked up the stove in the lounge and left the door to Megan’s room open to let the heat in and warm the room more. At one of their scheduled radio communication slots Emma went on air back at the farmhouse to tell their friends the news. Matt and Zoe must have been out as there was no response from them, but she spoke to Sarah and Georgie, who said they’d come over. They turned up half an hour later in the Land Rover and both women hugged Jane and kissed her. They sat with her talking while she gasped and clutched her belly at regular intervals, breathing deeply and sometimes getting up to walk around.

  Eventually, at around seven in the evening, things began happening in earnest. Jane’s waters broke and her contractions became much more frequent and stronger, so they went into the bedroom. The others left to go back to the farmhouse, leaving just Jamie, Megan and Emma. Megan’s room was only small, but there was space beside the bed where Jamie could sit and hold Jane’s hand, while Emma sat on the sofa hol
ding Megan’s hand in the lounge. Tom gave Jane a pethidine injection to help with the pain, which she was grateful for.

  Jamie hated seeing her in pain and felt helpless, but he held her hand throughout, wiping her forehead with a damp cloth regularly and encouraging her to breathe and push as Tom advised. Finally, after another hour, with one final push and a scream from Jane the baby emerged. Tom and Karen checked it over and declared her healthy and everything normal. The baby gave its first howl and Jamie and Jane burst into tears: on the sofa in the lounge Emma and Megan heard the sound and they started crying, too. Karen wrapped her up and passed her to Jane, who looked down at this miraculous creation in her arms, tears streaming down her face. Jamie mopped her sweat-covered forehead and she looked up at him with a pain-tinged but incredibly happy smile.

  ‘Look, Jamie; look what we’ve made! We’ve got a beautiful daughter. I love you so much, honey.’

  Jamie was almost speechless, but he mumbled ‘I love you, too, Jane. I’m so proud of you,’ then bent down and kissed her. Jane passed the baby to him and he cradled her in his arms, gazing in wonder at his daughter and bending down to kiss her forehead.

  ‘Hello, my darling Annie,’ he said. ‘Welcome to the New World.’

  The End