Oh, well, she had a party to get ready for that night. She didn’t have time to dwell in self-pity. She had a party to plan. Maybe her husband would show up that weekend. Maybe not.
At the counter of the McDonald’s, Cassie leaned over and asked for a chocolate shake. She reached over the stroller, grabbing for her purse which she’d rested on the drink holders. The fragrance card slipped to the counter beside the stroller, wedging a corner under the silverware holders for the in-mall diners.
How many hands would come in contact with the card before it was removed and as garbage?
Chapter 18
Cady
Cady’s cell phone rang on the counter. She had the walky-talky style radios that she and Scott would switch to once the phones stopped working. But until that time when they agreed to only use the radios only, they would continue using cells. She left the living room and followed the sound of her ringtone to the kitchen counter and picked up the phone.
“Cady, are you there?” Scott’s rough voice was comforting with the scratching buzz over the air. He didn’t wait for her to say hello.
“I am.” Cady pressed the phone against her ear and stared out at the sunny afternoon. The snow was melting, and with time passing faster than it should, she couldn’t believe spring was right around the corner.
“Meet me at the gate.” He demanded.
She hung up. If he was at the gate, she didn’t need to answer. Slipping on her boots, she left her jacket off. The sun was getting warmer and the days longer. Soon, she’d be able to plant seeds in her greenhouse out back. She was unwilling to trudge through the slush and mud in just regular tennis shoes, but it was starting to feel silly wearing snow boots outside.
Only a few minutes passed and she found herself ten feet from the gate, folding her arms over her waist.
Scott looked good with his face unshaven and stubble enhancing the angle of his jaw and the flannel of his shirt showcasing the breadth of his shoulders. He shifted in his own hiking boots, the tops covered by his well-stacked jeans. He smiled softly. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Cady’s own smile felt sad. She’d made him promise to keep his distance in case they spread germs between the two households even though both had promised to stay out of society. He didn’t have mail coming to his home, so she wasn’t sure how he would get the virus, but the fear was there.
He leaned on the gate, careful not to cross it. “How’s it going over here?”
Cady had tried so hard to keep everything together for Bailey and for herself, his concern broke the dam and she lifted her hand to cover her mouth as the sobs burst free.
Alarmed, Scott moved as if to come around the gate but Cady held up a hand and shook her head. “Don’t. You don’t want to take that chance. I don’t either.” She dropped her hand and pierced him with her gaze. “You understand what’s happening, right? Are you watching the news for any signs of a pandemic starting? He’s put it into action and there’s no stopping it now. Did you get your family to head up this way?” The fact that his family might be coming up made it harder to let herself care. Not that they were coming, but that they would be bringing the virus with them. They weren’t quarantined and once they got there, Scott would be more vulnerable.
They all would be.
“No.” Scott averted his gaze to stare at the ground by her feet. “No, they’re not. I called and they didn’t take me seriously.” He shook his head and ran his hand through his unkempt hair. “I need to go get them. I have to bring them back.” He lifted his gaze to hers, seeking understanding.
“Can you just try one more time? You really shouldn’t leave.” Cady didn’t want to lose Scott to whatever danger would befall him once he left. His family lived in the southern part of Idaho and the trip wasn’t a short one. Who knew when the virus would take over.
He shook his head, sadness curving his lips downward. “No. It’s not going to work. Just warning them… I need to retrieve them.” He was worried and Cady didn’t know how to make him feel better.
She wanted to reach out and hug him, certain the embrace would make them both feel better. “I understand.” She did. She didn’t want to, but she did. She wiped under her eyes.
“What’s wrong? You’re going to be fine.” Scott searched her face, his eyes tender as if he understood, too, that he might not make it back alive.
She needed to tell someone. Scott never judged her. She needed that. “I feel guilty, like I set this in motion. Could I have stopped him? I tried, but could I have tried sooner?” She hadn’t known sooner, but it was partially her fault.
Scott shook his head. “It doesn’t sound like it. Don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself. This isn’t your fault. I might be able to save my family because of you.” Scott smiled reassuringly. “The virus hasn’t been let out yet, that we know of. He would tell you when he did it for sure. How fast would it spread, anyway? It can’t be that fast, right?”
But they both knew it wasn’t possible for him to get back there in time with no exposure. His ignorance of viral communication would have been endearing any other time. As it was, Cady just hoped he never figured out just how fast a virus spread and how little contact was truly needed to be infected.
He didn’t need to know that information, just like he didn’t need to know about the vaccine.
Cady kept the vaccine’s existence to herself. She only had the one and she didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on their tremulous relationship. She licked her lips and lifted her chin. “Are you stocked?”
“Yep.” He grinned half-heartedly. “Remember? I’ve been copying you. I just blew my last ten grand on more food storage. I have enough money to get me down to Boise and back.”
Cady nodded, her lips tight with concern. “Good. Don’t leave your home. I know you’re worried, but I really think you’ll be better off just waiting it out. I could be wrong, you know? There might not be a virus. He might just be trying to scare me. Your parents… I could be wrong.”
But they both knew she wasn’t.
“Have you heard from your parents?” Scott shifted the focus from himself. He didn’t want to dwell on the consequences of leaving. Cady hadn’t mentioned Margie or David in a while and Scott was worried about them since she’d mentioned something about David having cancer.
Cady forced a smile. “I thought they were getting on the cruise a few days ago, but I found the itinerary she mailed me and they are supposed to be boarding the ship today.” She half-shrugged. “I hope they just turned their phone off for convenience. They’re big kids. They’ll be fine.”
She kept her tone light. Cady was going to lose her calm, if she focused on all of the man things she had no control over.
The end was coming and they were all running out of time.
Chapter 19
Scott
Cady wasn’t wrong and Scott couldn’t let his family wait any longer for the virus to reach them. Rescuing his parents and any of his siblings who would come became his main focus.
He didn’t bother telling Cady his plans were already in place to retrieve his parents. She would just try to stop him. But Scott couldn’t sit around and do nothing. What kind of a man would he be, if he left his parents and siblings and in-laws with their children to fend for themselves when they didn’t understand what was coming? What kind of a son?
Packing the rest of his items into the back of his Ford Bronco, Scott double-backed into the garage. Skirting around the bench seat he’d pulled from the back of the 1967 collector’s item he’d rebuilt for exactly what he was heading out for, he tried remembering what else he needed. Saving his family with a rig that was four-wheel-drive and had enough power to do what he needed was imperative. Plus-side was the engine didn’t burn through gas like fire through tissue paper.
Ranger rounded the corner, snuffling and yipping at Scott as he walked between the dog and the rig. Ranger’s tongue hung out the side of his mouth as he followed Scott around the driveway and yard.
<
br /> “Of course, you’re going, boy. I even got your spot set up in the back.” Scott half-bent to rub Ranger behind the ears. He raised his gaze and searched his place with a quick scan. “I know I’m forgetting something. I’m just not sure what it is.” A niggling feeling in his gut told him not to leave until he remembered, but time was short enough as it was. He didn’t have time to wait around trying to figure out what he’d forgotten.
Looking over the back tailgate of the Bronco and on the top of his rig, Scott sighed. If two 72-hour packs, ten full five-gallon gas containers, ten full water gallons, and everything he needed for Ranger to ride shotgun wasn’t enough, then he probably didn’t need it. He wouldn’t be able to bring everything. Even the Bronco with its extra luggage rack on the roll bars wasn’t designed to carry everything Scott could think of.
He verified he had his ammunition and guns situated in the cab of the truck. He always had a Ruger in the glove box and a sawed-off shotgun slid beneath the front seat. A man could never be too careful – well, with an illegal firearm, he could be.
There was nothing else to do. No matter how long he stalled, he couldn’t remember. Well, enough. He had to go.
Holding open the driver’s door and leaving the seat back inclined forward, Scott gave a low whistle. “In Ranger.”
Ranger gracefully leapt into the empty space behind Scott’s seat, turning around and around on his spot before settling at attention and facing forward. Returning his seat to the upright position, Scott slid in and buckled his belt.
Starting up the 302C.I. motor, Scott glanced back at the house. He’d be back. That wasn’t the last time he would see his home. He had too much to do and he wasn’t going to miss out on the chance to love Cady the way he wanted to. Plus, he refused to fail at his mission.
Ranger woofed softly from his spot behind Scott on his blanket. It wasn’t the first trip they had taken together. Scott refused for it to be their last.
Pulling out his phone, he texted Bailey as he drove past their driveway with the gray metal cattle gate marked with a bright orange No Trespassing sign.
Bailey, let your mom know I’ll need the chickens watched while I’m gone. I’ll check in when I can.
Cady had told him to stay home. She wanted to be able to switch to the radio, in case cell phone use went down. As much as he wanted to be, he wasn’t going to be in range.
Bailey texted back in seconds.
I’ll do it. Don’t text Mom. She’s pacing and that’s never a good thing.
Pacing was a sign of Cady’s stress. Scott wasn’t sure what she could do about what was happening. Cady had once told him she only stressed about things she could change or about a choice she had to make. He wasn’t sure of any choices she could be making that would change the course of how the world was going to be destroyed. The virus was coming and they all had to figure out a way to deal with it.
Shifting gears, Scott didn’t waste time getting to the gas station. He was going to fill up before barreling down Highway 95.
His phone rang. Checking the screen, he pulled to the side of the road when he noticed it was his mother’s number. “Mom, is everything okay?” What if they were already on their way? They could’ve listened to him and started out. That would be the best-case scenario. He could head back home and get things ready for their arrival.
“No, everything is fine. I just realized you were upset when we were on the phone last time. I wasn’t trying to be insensitive, Scott. I… I don’t have any excuses. I’m sorry.” Genuine remorse lowered her tone. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your urgency, but we really do have things standing in the way of us coming up right now.”
Scott nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “I’m coming for you, Mom. Things are going to get bad. Can you guys be ready to go in the trailer by tonight?” He didn’t rein in his concern or the seriousness in his voice. He couldn’t protect them, if he withheld the truth. “We’re talking about life or death serious. This transcends a teenager’s job or a pregnant woman’s misgivings. They need to come up here and we’ll deal with everyone’s needs where we can still be protected.”
She half-gasped. “Are things that bad? Why? What’s going on?” Fear changed her tone and finally Scott could hear her belief. “Why don’t we just come to you?”
“Can you? Are you guys in a position to leave right now?” Scott leaned forward in the rig, looking around the roads. Mid-day wasn’t the best time to just stop on the highways. He didn’t want a cop to stop and check on him or a Good Samaritan, both were prevalent in north Idaho. Even as Scott was traveling away from his home and taking a huge risk, he didn’t want to over-expose himself to the virus either.
“Well, we would be able to, but I’m not sure the truck is running right now. We’ve been driving around in the van, but that’s not big enough to get all of us up there. The trailer could be ready by tonight, but we don’t have any way to pull it. Bryant and the other kids are out of town at his mother’s while Stephanie is getting ready for her MCAT tests. We don’t have everyone here.” Stress curled her Ss. “I can’t just leave them down here, Scott.”
Of course not. Scott leaned forward, rubbing his free hand down his face. Stephanie was his younger sister and she’d gotten herself through pre-med college courses while growing her family. She was currently having her and Bryant’s fifth child and she was also preparing for applications to medical schools.
“Where’s Jason?” Scott’s nephew was staying with Scott’s parents while his own parents were on a trip in Mexico. They all lived in the same suburb, but Brandon and Caitlyn hadn’t wanted to leave him in the house all by himself. At fifteen, it was a risky proposition to leave him behind. Jason was their only child, but they also needed a vacation together.
Mary and Michael, Scott’s parents, were very involved grandparents.
“Jason is still here. He has a shift at Dairy Queen this morning and then he has the next couple days off.” Mary’s concern had Scott shaking his head. Wasn’t it a little late for that now?
His family was scattered all over the place. He could still get his parents, Jason, and Stephanie. The rest of them were going to have to find their own way to his place. He hated saying it, but Bryant and the kids… He ignored his next thoughts. Bryant was capable. He’d get them where they needed to be, unless they hunkered down at his parents’ place. “Alright. I’ll come to get you. I’m stopping for gas and then I’ll be on the road.”
“No, Scott, I don’t feel right about you coming all this way to get us. I don’t want you to be in danger.” She had conviction that came from her maternal instincts, but it was displaced at the moment.
Scott slapped his palm on the steering wheel, making Ranger jump in the back. “Mom, forgive my rudeness, but you had the chance to get up here. It’s too late and you don’t seem to understand the urgency, here. I’m not sure you’re going to make it in time. I’ll come and get you. Stay in your house. No mail. No shopping. Nothing. Tell everyone else to take a couple days off work and stay put. Maybe they can follow us back.” He didn’t doubt that his father could drive them up, but the problem was, his parents procrastinated until there was no timeline left to mess with.
Mary sighed, regret deep in her voice. “Okay, I’m really sorry. I didn’t think any of this was real.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I’ll come and get you. I’m not sure when I’ll get there. There’s road construction in Riggins. Please, be packed and ready to go.” Scott hung up the phone. He hated being rude to his parents, didn’t hold well to the tone he’d used, but once he got them back to his place safely, he’d take the time to apologize. His parents couldn’t die from the virus. His dad was a war veteran. He deserved more than a death like that.
Scott needed them safe. He had to have someone left standing beside him at the end.
Chapter 20
Cassie
Bobby’s rash wasn’t going away and Cassie didn’t have the energy to deal with it anymore. She pick
ed up the phone and dialed her husband. Before he even said hello, she started berating him. “Where are you? I know you’re off for the weekend. Why aren’t you home? Bobby is sick and I need you to take him to the doctor’s.” She stood in the middle of her modest kitchen with a hand on her hip.
The afternoon light was meager as it struggled through the grime on her window. Pictures of her real kitchen would never make it onto her blog which was just starting to make her some money. She gave off the feel of maternal love, trendy ways to stay you while raising happy, peaceful children, and great food. Her brand was clear and distinct on the computer. She was a perfect mother, in a perfect home, with a perfect husband and son.
All of it couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Cassie, I’m not coming home.” Robert didn’t even attempt to sound sad about it. The sound of casino slots going off in the background gave away his location.
“Are you on the reservation again? Are you with her?” Cassie hadn’t done anything to get to where she was in her life except fall in love with a man who didn’t know what love was.
His laughter filled the line and Cassie pulled the phone from her ear until the cacophony faded and he spoke incredulously. “Oh, that is rich. You know, I came home two nights ago to find you half-naked, lying on the ground with Rich and a bunch of other people. Passed out. I would’ve taken Bobby, but he was sleeping and Magnolia isn’t fond of kids.”
Cassie jerked backward like he was in the room with her and his hand had slapped across her cheek. She narrowed her eyes and hissed, “I wouldn’t have to entertain myself, if you weren’t always gone.”
“If Bobby is sick, Cassie, take him to the doctor yourself. I’ll pay the bills for the necessities, but you’re on your own for anything extra. Turn some tricks. I’m sure you’ll be able to rack in the dough with that body of yours.” His biting words stung and he hung up.
180 Days and Counting... Series Box Set books 1 - 3 Page 19
