“Thanks for letting us go eat,” said James. “We needed a few minutes to unwind. That was some pretty massive surgery.” He then explained to me that the bullet went into his chest, just missing his lung, but fracturing his collar bone. The bullet then lodged in the top of his shoulder blade, but the shoulder joint itself was damaged by pieces of bone, which probably caused the arm to be partially dislocated. There was a lot of bleeding, but thankfully, they were able to stop that quickly. The joint damage was repaired, and they were able to remove most of the bone fragments and the biggest part of the bullet. Infection was always a worry, but if he did well, he could probably go home in a couple of days.
“That’s great. I’m so glad you were able to help him. I’m headed over to the house, but if you need anything, please call me.” I picked up Lois’ empty dinner plate and headed out the door.
I decided to make a quick stop at Kiara and Lionel’s apartment. Lionel met me at the door and told me Kiara was sleeping.
“How is she doing?” I asked.
“She’s in a lot of pain. James gave her some pain meds and she’s out of it right now. The damage to her leg was pretty extensive, but we were able to repair most of it.” Lionel looked exhausted as he talked. “I expect she’s be up walking soon enough, and hopefully it won’t leave too much of a scar.”
“Can I do anything? Do you want me to bring you some dinner?” Lionel just shook his head.
“No, thanks, I’m going to go to bed soon. Anaya and Freddy are staying with Stacy tonight so I can just sleep.”
“All right, then. Call me if you need anything.” I gave Lionel a hug and turned back towards the house.
CHAPTER EIGHT
After finishing in the clinic and checking on Kiara, I went back to the house to check on everyone there. Surprisingly, the house was quiet. Tom was sitting in the living room reading, but everyone else was gone.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“Gone home or gone to their rooms. Everyone was pretty devastated by what happened, and I think people are just tired. Physically, mentally, emotionally worn out. Janet left a plate for you on the counter in the kitchen. She said to tell you to eat it or else she is going to come feed it to you.” I grinned at the thought and retrieved the plate from the kitchen. Settling down next to Tom again, I ate the sandwich Janet left me.
“Did you see Lynn and Top at dinner? She was doing really well, all things considered, when I went to see her.”
“Yes, and I was surprised at how well she is doing. She had a lot of people laughing, talking about Red when he was a kid. She is 14 years older than Red, and so she had the joy of bringing her dates home to a pesky little brother who would ask all kinds of embarrassing questions. It was good to hear her reminiscing in a positive way.”
I finished my sandwich and asked Tom about funeral plans. “Well, you know we don’t have any place to store a body, and so we are planning the funeral for ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Tim, Marty, and Jose are building a simple casket. We’ll have a service at the church, and then go up to the hill for the burial. Your sons volunteered to dig the grave. That was nice, letting him be buried in your family plot.”
“Well, Red is family, so where else would we bury him? I just hope his is the last funeral for a long, long time. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will be the case – at least until we can get rid of some of the troublemakers out there.”
Tom and I sat on the couch for a while, his arm around my shoulders making me feel comforted and safe. Both of us dozed on and off for a couple of hours. At three in the morning, Bill came through the living room on his way to the camera station in the basement and accidentally woke us up. He quickly reassured us that nothing was going on, he was just relieving the person on duty. Tom and I said our good nights, and we each headed off to bed.
I slept well for a while but woke up early after another nightmare. I dreamed of the church in the Whispering Willows subdivision. The cemetery had a number of new graves, fresh dirt mounded over the top of each one. Near the new graves, though, were a lot of open holes in the ground just waiting for bodies to fill them. As I looked off in the distance, there were open graves as far as I could see. Every so often, shadowy figures would drop a body into a grave and fill it in, but every time that happened, several more holes would open. When I woke up, I decided that the dream was just the result of the bodies from the subdivision, combined with Red’s funeral today. I did not feel any kind of foreboding, and so I decided to put the dream out of my mind.
The morning dawned warm and sunny, with a clear sky that could only be called Carolina blue. Mark sent several of his soldiers to man the foxholes on the inner berm so that more of our people could attend the funeral. As we gathered at the church, the only people not present were Gabby, who was still on bed rest and Stacey who stayed with her. Mark even had two of his soldiers monitoring the camera station and the OP. Father Dan performed a lovely funeral service, with just the right balance of sorrow for Red’s death and joyfulness for his life. After the service, we all trooped up to the cemetery on the hill. The six boys who were present at his death were pallbearers. Tim used old bicycle parts and created a wheeled cart for the casket so the boys would not have to actually carry it. Father Dan led the procession, followed by the casket, then Lynn, accompanied by Top and Zoe. They were followed by Lionel pushing Kiara in a wheelchair so she did not overuse her wounded leg, and then the rest of us. As we walked, I thought how different this funeral was compared to funerals before the collapse. The people attending today were all sincerely grieving. Nobody was there because they had to make an appearance or because they were afraid not showing up would be a social faux pas. Everyone was there because each person genuinely cared. If nothing else came of the collapse, the close relationships forged by the people living at Langston Farm was enough to give us all hope for the future.
As the service came to a close, Father Dan asked if anyone had any words they wanted to say. Zoe stepped forward and turned to face the crowd. “I just wanted to say that Red was a very kind man. He went through a lot in his life, losing his wife and baby, then getting shot. He was always smiling, though, and always had a friendly word for everyone. He was good friends with everyone, even the boys, and I am going to miss him.” Tears were streaming down her face, but she maintained her dignity. Lynn stood next to her and gave the young woman a hug. She then surprised everyone by turning to address the crowd.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every one of you on behalf of my brother. When we arrived here, Red was badly injured both physically and mentally. He was dying of a gunshot wound, and his heart was broken after the murder of his wife and infant daughter. You took him in, nursed him back to health, and showed him that in spite of horrible circumstances, life was worth living. He did not want to live at first, but you loved him, and he loved all of you. That love saved him and motivated him to want to help people. He felt very passionate about the restoration of Whispering Willows. He told me more than once that he was so proud to be part of the group that would rebuild America rather than the group trying to destroy her. He did not live to see the project finished, but I know he will be with us in spirit. I have some news to share with all of you. Top and I will be moving to Whispering Willows in a few days.” She paused and took a breath, waiting for the sudden murmuring from the crowd to die down.
“Top has been asked to oversee the formation of a militia unit there, and I am going to help finish my brother’s mission. I love all of you and it will be hard to leave here, but this is something I have to do. I won’t let my brother’s death be in vain. I won’t let evil win. I hope as we make the area safer, we will be able to come back here and visit.” At that point, Lynn’s voice broke, and she stopped talking. Top put his arm around her and then addressed the crowd.
“Thank you all for everything you did for Red and for us. I believe Major Schmidt wanted to make an announcement.
Mark stepped to the fr
ont of the crowd. “I’ve talked to the families from Whispering Willows, and they all agreed to rename the main street – that’s the one the school is on – to Marvin Reddick Boulevard in Red’s honor. The cross street there at the school will be renamed Nicky Cooper Avenue. One of the ladies at the school is repainting the street signs.” Everyone applauded, and Lynn gave Mark a big hug.
When the crowd settled down again, Father Dan finished the burial service, saying, “We commit our brother Marvin to his final resting place, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Eternal God, you allowed us to share in the life of Marvin Reddick. Before he was ours, he belonged to you. For all that Marvin has contributed to make us what we are, for the spirit of him which lives and grows in each of us, and for his life that in your love will never end, we give you thanks. As we now offer Marvin back to you, comfort us in our loneliness, strengthen us in our weakness, and give us courage to face the future unafraid. Draw those of us who remain in this life closer to one another, make us faithful servants to each another, and help us know the peace and joy which is eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Father Dan then picked up the shovel, scooped up dirt from the pile next to the grave, and dropped it into the open grave. He handed the shovel to Lynn, and she did the same. Everyone took a turn dropping a shovelful of dirt into the grave, most people whispering a goodbye message to Red. When the last person had his turn, Father Dan then blessed the crowd and the funeral was over. As the crowd dispersed, I went over to Lynn and Top.
“I am so sorry you are going to leave us, but I completely understand. Please let me know what we can send with you to make things easier for you.”
Top looked thoughtful for a few minutes, then looked at me. “You know I will be putting together a militia. Would you be willing to share a couple of the motorcycles from the gang? That would be really helpful for scouts to be able to cover more territory. We’ll have to adapt them to make them a lot quieter, but we think it would help.”
“Most certainly you can have some. Let me know when you are ready, and you can pick out the ones that will work best for you. Is there anything else?”
Lynn spoke up. “I think we have pretty much what we need. We will be staying at the school for now until we can get a couple more blocks of houses done. Eventually, we’ll have a house there. I may think of things, but I’ll see you when you come out to the subdivision, right?”
“Of course!” I gave her another hug, promised I would see her soon, and headed back to the house. Once at the house, I went to check on Gabby and Stacey. Gabby was sleeping, so Stacey and I stepped into the hall to speak. Stacey shared that she was worried about Gabby, that with all of the stress of the funeral and Kiara’s injury, her blood pressure was pretty high, and she had a headache again. She said that James had been by earlier and gave her some medication to help her rest. I thanked Stacey for being such a good sister-in-law and asked her where Jon and Chris were. Stacey explained they were in the OP to relieve Mark’s troops who had things to do.
“Can you take lunch up to them, Mom? I was supposed to, but we had a rough morning, and I wanted to lay down for a bit while Gabby and John Henry were both sleeping.”
“Of course I can. I wanted to spend a little time with them anyway. I feel like I don’t get to see much of any of you these days as busy as we are.”
Fifteen minutes later, I was climbing up into the OP with lunch for Jon and Chris. They seemed glad to see me but were especially glad to see the bag of sandwiches I brought. I brought enough for all of us since I decided to stay for a while and visit with them.
“Mom, thanks for bringing us lunch. I was starving, and Chris wouldn’t let me leave to get us anything to eat!”
“Jon, you are such a whiner! I told you Stacey said she would bring us something! Hey, is Stacey okay? Why didn’t she bring lunch?”
“Yes, she’s fine. She’s going to lay down for a bit, and I wanted a chance to spend some time with the two of you.”
“Oh, good,” Chris said. “I’m glad you’re here. We don’t get to see much of you either, even though we all live in the same house. At least Jon and I get to spend time up here together.”
Jon answered, “Yeah, I’m not sure what I ever did to Frank and Bill that they keep assigning me to the OP with him. I have to listen to him complain about everything for hours on end.” Chris reached over and swatted his brother, making the two of them laugh. I just grinned. They may be adults, but they will always be my boys.
“Thanks for bringing our lunch, Mom.” Jon said. “These peanut butter sandwiches really hit the spot, too. But you know what I really would like?”
Chris and I started laughing, because we knew exactly what the answer would be.
“Pork chop biscuits from Bojangles, with a big glass of Cheerwine, perhaps?” I asked. Jon laughed and nodded. “Sometimes I dream at night about those biscuits. Remember when we were kids and we went up to King to visit with your friend? And remember we stayed in the hotel across the street from Bojangles? I think I must have eaten about twenty of those biscuits that trip, they were so good.”
Chris joined in the reminiscing. “Yeah, that was the trip we took at Christmas. Remember the Moravian sugar cookies? They were so thin you could about see through them. And we had them with that thick hot cocoa your friend’s mother made.”
“Oh, I remember that cocoa, it was really good. What food do you miss, Mom?”
I thought for a few minutes, and answered, “I miss eating the barbecue at that place in Lexington. Remember those great hush puppies? At least we still have sweet tea. And do you remember when we were in San Antonio, we ate at that Mexican restaurant that made the garlic shrimp fajitas? Oh, they were good, too. How about the time right after I came home from Afghanistan the first time and we went up to Arlington with your dad to see the Rangers game and ate the seven-course beef dinner at that Vietnamese restaurant?”
Jon and Chris were both smiling at the memories. “Yep, good times, Mom!”
I looked down at my peanut butter sandwich and canteen of water and knew this moment with my sons would be another good memory. After all of the grief and sadness of the past two days, I was incredibly grateful to have my two sons with me, healthy and reasonably happy. We spent a few more minutes chatting until it was time for me to go. I gave each of them hugs and told them both how much I loved them. Then, I climbed down and started my list of chores for the afternoon.
CHAPTER NINE
General McPherson was sitting at the table in his office, when Sammy came rushing in. The general looked up, alarmed at first, but relaxing when he saw the smile on Sammy’s face. “Major Angelo just checked in. He went to the caves and was a bit surprised we were not there. The guards at the caves gave him directions, and he should be here soon. Apparently, he has a group of people with him.”
“Did he say who the people were or how many of them?”
“No, but he indicated he had a few vehicles with him. He said his convoy ought to be here in about an hour or so.”
“Excellent. I’m also expecting a group of Air Force technicians to arrive today to work on the radar capabilities. By the way, has 1LT Diamond from the farm been over to look at the wiring and the generators?”
Sammy shook his head no. “I guess you didn’t hear she was shot working in the civilian community.” The general turned sharply and looked at Sammy.
“How bad?”
“She’ll be okay. She was shot in the leg, but it was a through and through. It did quite a bit of damage at the exit point though, so it will take her a while to recover. Luckily, the people at the farm have a decent clinic set up with two doctors and a bazillion nurses, so they were able to take care of her right away.”
“Why did I not hear about this?”
“Probably because you are in the process of setting up one of the largest new bases in the southeast, working to coordinate military actions among all branches of service, and you’ve been living on
too much coffee and not enough sleep.” Sammy continued, “They also lost one of the young men from the farm and one of Major Schmidt’s troops. One of the residents of the sub-division was also shot, but he was taken to the farm for surgery to repair the damage.”
General McPherson shook his head. “I hope somebody captured the shooters.”
“Major Schmidt’s team killed all but two of them. One got away, but they captured the other one. Mark is still interrogating the prisoner. If he survives Mark’s interrogation, he will bring him to us for additional questioning. He hasn’t gotten a lot of information yet, but he does know the guy he captured was the leader of the sleeper group here in town. He’s been wearing the guy down, though, so he may have more information by now.”
The general nodded. “I want to know what he finds out as soon as it is reported. We need to get rid of any sleeper cells around here if we plan to make this area safe.”
Sammy nodded. “I’ve got several teams out looking for them right now.”
The conversation was cut short by the deep rumble of several helicopters. Sammy looked at the general and calmly remarked, “I sure hope those are our helicopters coming in.”
The general stood and walked towards the door. He turned back to Sammy and explained, “They should be delivering the Air Force technicians. I think, though, that it might be a good idea to check, what do you think?”
Sammy started laughing, and said, “I think you need more coffee.” The two men walked out of the building and saw four Chinook helicopters on the runway. About 80 some odd passengers had disembarked, and they were now offloading a number of crates, boxes and supplies. One of the passengers headed over to the two men. As he got closer, the general recognized Colonel Halvorson, the commander of the Air Force troops that just landed.
Premonitions: Book 2: War Page 10
