“Keep an eye on them?” Murdock flashed Declan as he got to his feet.
“Always! They’re no trouble,” Declan flashed.
It didn’t take Murdock long to reach his cabin. It was very cold outside and he could see the signs that the sun would be up soon. As he got to his front door, it opened.
“You need to be calm,” Doctor Harris started as he entered and the door was shut behind him, “I did what I could, given the primitive conditions. You said Mei Lee was pregnant earlier?”
“Yes, I did.”
Irene Harris took a deep breath and exhaled it in exasperation: “The damage she suffered from the knife was extensive, I did the best I could, but the baby didn’t survive.” the Doctor answered his unspoken question, with a comforting hand on his shoulder. “When Mei Lee fell, the tip nicked one of her ovaries. I sutured it as best as I could, along with all the bleeders, and scraped her uterus, since the baby was already gone.”
“Will Mei Lee live?” Murdock asked quietly.
“I think so, but I’d like to wait a while to see if there are any complications to be sure. Huo Jin had exsanguinated, before I got here, with a clean, deep slice to his jugular.”
“Does Mei Lee know all this?” he asked as the tears started down his face.
“No, she passed out some time ago from the pain of the surgery. We are monitoring her, but she hasn’t awakened, yet.”
“Don’t tell the kids the details, Doc?”
“I won’t. I will if you ask me to, at some later time. I’ll get Emily up here to help with the clean-up. You just stay with Mei.”
#
It was sometime after breakfast that Emily and Heather trekked to Murdock’s cabin.
“Does the sight of blood bother you?” Emily asked Heather.
“It does if it’s mine, other than that, not that I’ve noticed,” Heather responded, “why do you ask?”
“You do know what happened last night?” Emily asked incredulous of the other woman’s ignorance.
“I don’t know the details, but I know Murdock killed Phylicia and Kimberly. He did say something about his son being killed and maybe his wife.”
“Well, the inside of the cabin is going to be a mess, probably look like a slaughter house. There’ll be blood all over the place from arterial spray. We need to get three bodies out and get as much blood cleaned up as we can. If it were up to me, I’d have Mei Lee moved to the longhouse to recuperate. It would give us longer to get it cleaned up for her, Murdock, and the kids.”
When the two women got to the cabin door, Murdock opened it and glared at Heather.
“I’m going to need help, Kevin, and Heather is willing to help,” Emily said trying to turn away his anger. “I’ll take responsibility for her, if it will make you feel better.”
“I would feel better if I’d dispatched those two before this all happened,” Murdock said.
“Wouldn’t we all,” Emily responded sadly.
It took the two women days to get the bodies moved to Murdock’s cart and to try to get all the blood cleaned from the wooden floors and table. All of the bodies were wrapped in deer hides and tied until the weather changed so they could be buried.
When Emily and Heather had gotten as much blood as possible off of the floor and table, Murdock tried to remove more by removing the wood fibers that were stained using the same principle he used to cut stone. It had the effect of planing the wood. The table looked new, when it was finished, and so did the floors, even though they were missing a few millimeters in thickness.
Fourteen days after the attack, Mei Lee wasn’t getting better so Doctor Harris was called in.
“I think I need to go in and remove your ovary,” she told Mei Lee, in Murdock’s presence, after her examination. “I tried to sew it up, but it appears that the fix isn’t going to work.
“If you do, can I still get pregnant?” Mei Lee asked.
“You should be able to, as long as there are no other complications,” Harris said. “I just wish there was something I could give you to knock you out.”
“I’ll be fine,” Mei Lee tried to reassure her friend. “I just need to go into the sharing state.”
“I think we’ll do it in the pod,” Doctor Harris added. “It’s metal and a lot easier to clean and sterilize, easier than your cabin, anyway.”
#
After helping to clean Murdock’s cabin of the carnage, Heather remained and had been helping out with Murdock’s children. She felt she was doing it out of a sense of guilt for what Phylicia and Kimberly had done. After all, I knew what happened was possible and likely, she thought. I knew them better than the rest did and should have said something sooner. Maybe the children would still be alive if I had.
Murdock and Mei Lee had accepted Heather’s help only after long hours of denials, on their part for the need, and questioning of her motives. Her job had been to help with meals and to watch over the children. She also tended Mei Lee while she was recovering from her injuries.
Murdock had been angry after the attack, with Phylicia and Kimberly, certainly, but also with himself. I should’ve been faster, he thought. Maybe I should have learned to crush their skulls or how to pinch off an artery. Maybe that would have been better and preserved two of his children and saved Mei Lee such pain and suffering. His thoughts caused him to growl at most people, even though he hadn’t meant to. It had gotten bad enough that the remaining three children referred to him as “the Bear”. “Is the Bear up?” or “Isn’t it early in the year for the Bear to be wandering?” were some of the more common things that were said.
On the day of Mei Lee’s second procedure, Murdock had gotten her to the pod and lay her on a table, helped her to achieve the sharing state, and left to wait in the longhouse for word.
“Looks like the Bear is out and about,” Declan flashed to Emily’s mind.
“Behave yourself, husband,” Emily flashed back to Declan.
“Can I get you anything?” Emily asked Murdock.
“No, I just don’t want to wait inside the pod,” he responded in a sharp tone. Emily sat next to him, with some difficulty, and was studying his face.
“I know you’re concerned,” she said after a few minutes, “but you need to talk to someone about what you’re feeling. You need to do it before it eats you up inside.”
“I know,” Murdock answered chagrinned. “You look content, though.”
“I look fat,” Emily stated with a chuckle, “but pregnancy tends to do that. I am quite content, though.”
“When are you due?” Murdock asked.
“We’d figured sometime in late spring or early summer.”
“Come up with a name, yet?”
“I want to name her Emily,” Declan said as he came over and joined the conversation, “but this one ain’t havin’ it.”
“That would be too confusing,” Emily argued. “I like Krystal, if it’s a girl. I like Deacon or Derek, if it’s a boy.”
“Dustin was my father’s name,” Declan piped in, “but people used to call him Dusty for short. Not sure I’d like my son called that. Dixon is nice.”
“That would be Dix, for short,” Emily said with a smirk.
“Hmmm…I guess that would also preclude Richard for the same reason.” Declan chuckled. “Gordon is a nice strong name for a boy.”
As much as Murdock hated to admit it, the banter that went on between Declan and Emily usually made him chuckle and would, most times, bring him out of his funk, but not this time. He was worried about Mei Lee and had just had his home invaded and two children killed. The loss of the children was the worst feeling he’d had since Rose died. He was certain Mei Lee felt the same way.
#
The weather wasn’t co-operating with them. At least, that’s what Reyes was thinking. The nights were bitterly cold and the days were usually snow and wind. Sometimes, the snow and wind happened at night, which made it even colder in the cave. She was hunkered down with quite a few of the othe
rs that had moved from the guard posts once the winds kicked up. As it turned out, the enclosed area under the guard posts wasn’t chinked correctly and the wind would whistle through the logs.
They had been using a few pots to melt snow and ice to drink. Most of the time, they made soup to make the venison stretch as far as it could. Yesterday, we found three of our company frozen to death, she thought. We had no place to put the bodies, except under one of the guard posts. A few of the men had tried to harvest a deer, but they couldn’t find any.
“Things are going to get worse before they get better,” Reyes said to Heartly. “That is what you’re saying?”
“Unless we get some protein, very few of us are going to survive until spring,” Bass answered. “Those that survive may not be strong enough to recover sufficiently, once we can fish.”
“So what are you suggesting?” Reyes asked. She already had an idea of what he was going to say and the thought of it turned her stomach.
“We have some protein under the guard post —” Heartly started.
“Absolutely not,” Reyes yelled before Heartly could finish.
“They aren’t going to need anything anymore and it could mean the rest of us survive,” Heartly pleaded. “We’ve already been eating soup to make the venison stretch, I doubt anyone would know.”
“I’d know,” Reyes countered.
“If it means we make it through the winter, don’t you think we should consider it?”
#
That was one of the best ideas we ever had, Keith Rogers thought as he stood looking at the ramp that was blocking the main entrance to the caves. It looked similar to a picture of a draw-bridge he had seen in a book and was keeping the majority of the howling wind out of the cave.
“Has Hornsby returned yet?” Rogers asked the guard stationed at the huge wooden door. “It’s been four days. He should’ve been back by now.”
“Hornsby isn’t back, yet, I see,” Cliff Reed said as he came over to Rogers.
“I’m not sure he will be back,” Rogers said aloud. “If he hasn’t found another group, he’s probably dead someplace. I doubt he could survive four days out in weather like this.” They heard something that sounded like rocks hitting the outside of the gate. “Lower the gate,” Rogers commanded.
As the gate was dropped, the wind howled through the opening unhindered. Everyone gathered a hide closer to them to protect them from the bitter cold and rushed to the opening. They could see a lump on the landing across from the gate. They rushed over to see what it was. As Rogers arrived, his deer-hide flapping in the wind, the guard turned over the lump. It was Hornsby. He was covered in ice and snow, but everyone there recognized him and he had a wolf carcass.
“Get Hornsby and his prize inside and get Roy White to see to him,” Rogers commanded.
#
It was several hours before Roy White, the paramedic, would allow anyone to see his patient.
“How are you doing, Hornsby?” Reed asked as he entered the small cave that White was using as a sick-room.
“I’m still cold,” Hornsby responded, his teeth chattering as he shivered.
“Has White let you soak in the hot water?” Reed asked as he glanced at Hornsby’s arm and the black patch that was covering part of his forearm and a few on his face.
“No, not hot, yet,” Hornsby responded, “just the cooler water. He’s trying to save what he can of the tissues under the skin, but they need to thaw first. I’m shivering so hard I feel like I’m wearing out my clothes from the inside.”
“Did you find the camp?” Reed asked.
“I did and they said they weren’t interested,” Hornsby responded through chattering teeth. “They also said that they weren’t interested in anyone coming for visits or any other purpose.”
“What is their problem?” Reed asked.
“Something about leaving them behind and failing to support Carter, whoever he is.”
“He led us away from the transport pod, initially, but decided to go out exploring and left us all to fend for ourselves. They’ve got to be out of their minds, if they think that way.” Reed was fidgeting a bit.
“I don’t know nothin’ I don’t haf-ta,” Hornsby said with a slight chuckle. “I steer clear of the politics.”
“Where did you get the wolf?” Reed asked.
“Not far from here, I actually ran across him and caught him off-guard. Figured we could make soup out of him or some such. I want the hide, though.”
“The hide will be distributed as needed,” Reed said quietly, “as you well know. We share everything, and I do mean everything.”
#
“Buck up, old son!” Declan said loudly and clapped Murdock on his shoulder. “You won your fight and did what you had to do. I doubt anyone would hold it against you that the attackers were women.”
Murdock looked shocked: “That statement is wrong on so many levels!”
“In what way?” Declan asked, confused.
“Do you really think you can win a fight?” Murdock asked. He was waiting in the longhouse for Doctor Harris to finish her post-operative examination of Mei Lee.
“Sure,” Declan said with a shrug. “Someone does something to you and you beat his ass. You win.”
“Is that what you really believe?” Murdock asked. “If someone, say Bass Heartly, calls you out and you subdue him, you think you won. Bass goes about his business, but the loss wears on him because he can’t let it go. You run across him again, this time you’re alone and he has a couple of his cohorts and challenges you again. Did you win anything the first time? No one wins an altercation. You can only hope to survive it, and its repercussions.”
Declan looked at his brother-in-law, shocked. “What else was wrong with my statement?”
“You implied that women aren’t as dangerous as men,” Murdock stated, “and that simply isn’t true. Women can be, and often are, more dangerous than men. They hide their animosity better and are far more patient. You are what, six-foot two and come in at over two hundred pounds?”
“Something like that,” Declan answered.
“The next time we spar, I’ll put you against Mei Lee. She’s five foot nothing and just over a hundred pounds and I’d bet she’d take you apart.”
“Well, yeah,” Declan started, “she’s had a lot more training.”
“That is a factor, but she’d win because you see the size difference and the fact she is a woman and so you’ll take it easy with her. That is a big mistake! She’s going against a much larger opponent and so will have nothing to lose by going all out and won’t go easy on you.”
“Hmmm . . . I’m beginning to see what you mean,” Declan responded. “So, how traumatized are Andy and Rosa Lea?”
“They aren’t traumatized,” Murdock responded. “They are aware of what happened and are thankful things didn’t get any worse. They are more aware, now, though. Like me, they had become complacent, thinking that their isolation, or living with me and Mei Lee, kept them safe. They understand that they are as safe as they can be, but that doesn’t guarantee anything.”
“I’m sure they already knew that, knowing you,” Declan said.
“They did, as it concerns wild animals. They hadn’t thought people were a threat. Now, they know to be more alert and to take some responsibility for their own safety.”
“How can you say that?” Declan asked, shocked. “Andy is only four! What can he do to protect himself?”
“More than you think,” Murdock said, “and he’s almost five, or is five, it’s hard to say when exactly his birthday is. Anyway, he admits to feeling less on his guard, around people. He and Chun both carry six-inchers and keep them razor sharp. They can do plenty of damage with them. They were just complacent, this time, with strangers.”
“I need to see you in the pod,” flashed to Murdock and he got up to leave.
“I’ll be back in a few,” he said to Declan.
#
“Mei Lee should be fine,
in time,” Doctor Harris was explaining to Murdock and his wife with her best professional expression. “I did end up removing one of her ovaries, but she should be able to conceive. It may be a little more difficult, but it should be possible.”
“Any other restrictions we should know about?” Murdock asked.
“No lifting and nothing too strenuous for a few more weeks,” Doctor Harris said. “You did just have your stitches out, so be careful. I don’t want anything to open up. Do you have any questions?” Both shook their heads to indicate the negative. “If you notice anything unusual, anything at all, let me know immediately.”
#
“I’m sorry, Mei,” Murdock said as they lay in their bed.
“What do you have to be sorry about?” Mei Lee asked as she snuggled closer to her husband.
“I should have been faster, or done something different. Something to make sure you didn’t get hurt and to keep Huo Jin alive.”
“There was nothing you could have done,” Mei Lee said, voice wavering. “I know you did your best, as always. I don’t blame you. I should have been more aware before opening the door.” Mei Lee sobbed. “I thought it was you or one of the others. I set my knife down to open the door.” Her tears flowed freely.
“It wasn’t your fault, Mei,” Murdock said as he pulled her closer, his own voice cracking.
#
It had been a long winter, so far, for Ted Wagner. He spent most of his time hunting for something edible for the rest of the residents of the cave. He had tried for a deer just before the first snowfall and managed it, but since, there had been nothing. He managed to drop a couple of wolves, though, but most of the people had not liked it. Most, including Ted, felt they were eating someone’s dog
“Eat it or not, it’s all there is,” Raymond Tutt said to the complainers. “Better yet, you can go out and find something else. Ted is doing his best.”
Civilization Page 39
