by David Nees
Anne and her family stayed close to Billy at the funeral. In spite of their efforts, Billy remained devastated. He had fought loneliness ever since his daddy’s death. When he had found Lori Sue, he had discovered a happiness greater than he had ever experienced. Now he was alone again. His valley friends were a small comfort in the face of his personal desolation.
A week later, there was a dual wedding in a Baptist church. The entire population of the valley had now arrived in Hillsboro, and they all joined in the celebration, but they were dwarfed by the rest of the crowd. The heroes of Hillsboro’s liberation were marrying, and it seemed as if the whole town turned out for the reception, which was held at the site of the first trading day. With no restrictions this time, the crowd stretched away for blocks. Steve Warner had anticipated this and had persuaded Jason to have a full-blown banquet at the reception and have extra food distributed to all the food centers as well. Donna Bishop could be seen there with her son. They clung to each other with hardly a break for eating.
“You know you’ll probably get elected mayor, Mr. Richards,” said Anne to her husband with a smile as they ate. “You ready to give up farming?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure I like the idea of being a politician.” Jason smiled back at her. “You ready to leave our beautiful valley?”
A hint of a frown slipped across her face. “I could do that…if it was for a short time. I like our life back in the valley. I hope you do too.”
Jason put his arm around her and they kissed, ignoring the wave of hoots and hollers that rose from the rest of the banquet. “I do,” he told her. “A short term of office is the only thing I could accept. I want to go back to where I met you. You saved me, by letting me into your life…into your family.”
“And you saved us.”
They looked into each other’s eyes. The world closed in until it was just the two of them. They had come through so much. Anne’s husband had abandoned her after the EMP attack and she almost hadn’t survived. Jason’s arrival had brought a new chapter to her life and to the lives of her two girls. And now she and Jason had a son, a new life. They both understood how lucky they were, and how fragile the peace was that they had attained.
Across the table, Catherine leaned over to Kevin. “You ready to become the chief of police?”
“I guess so, if my wife says it’s okay to give up my commission.”
She chuckled. “I think you did that when you sent Roper off by himself.”
“Well, I can’t do it officially until Stillman gets in contact. But I can tell him that I’ve been continuing my original mission in a manner required by the changing circumstances. Then again, there’s the concept of posse comitatus…”
She punched him in the arm. “Are you trying to make me feel dumb? I never got to Latin lessons before the EMP attack.”
“No, my dear,” he said apologetically, rubbing his arm. “It means ‘the sheriff’s posse.’ He can call one up in times of trouble and we have to respond. I hope Colonel Stillman sees it that way.”
“He better not give you any trouble, or he’ll have trouble with me,” she replied with a fierce look in her eyes. “Anyway, you have my permission to be the police chief. If I’m going to be an ambassador, I want some security I can rely on.”
The two of them smiled at one other. They had prevailed yet they both felt the burden of working to secure the gains that had been so painfully won.
“You’re right,” Kevin replied. “I guess I better take this job. Otherwise I’m unemployed. Not a good way to start out a marriage.”
“Rodney,” Kevin called out. “You going to help me run the police and defense department here?”
Rodney Gibbs looked up from his plate. With the exception of the mandatory toast as best man for Kevin, he had been quiet through most of the reception. There was no sadness in his face, but there was a distant look in his eyes; as if his mind was being called to another place.
The now ex-sergeant shook his head. “No, it’s a good offer, but I finished what I said I wanted to do here. ‘Do some good,’ remember?”
Kevin nodded. The conversation around their table had stopped. Everyone was looking at Rodney.
“So,” he continued, “I think it’s time for me to head out to Missouri…to find my family, if I can.”
Kevin looked at his sergeant; tough; solid; an Afghan and Iraq veteran; someone who had experienced discrimination as a black man, but who still hadn’t begrudged Kevin his rank and inexperience. Rodney had taught him so much from his war experience; Rodney had patiently put up with his rookie mistakes and had helped him become a better officer. They had formed a strong bond. Kevin had thought, in the back of his mind, that they would always be working together. Now he would face this new job without Rodney working beside him. A sense of sadness swept over him.
“I guess I understand,” he said to Rodney. “I’m going to miss you. Miss your council and your humor. You kept me from doing foolish things so many times.”
“Yeah, I sure did.” Rodney smiled. “But you’ll do all right. You can handle yourself pretty well, and now you’ve been battle-tested.”
Everyone was silent around them. Kevin got up off the bench, walked over to his sergeant, and embraced him.
“Even if I can handle the job, I’m going to miss working with you.”
“We’ll always be connected…by this.” Rodney swept his arm around, indicating the tables of people, the crowd beyond, the whole city around them. “This is more good than we could ever expect to do in a lifetime.”
“And now you’ve got a personal mission,” Catherine said.
Rodney nodded gravely. “Who knows? Our paths may cross again.”
“I hope so, but somehow I don’t think so,” Kevin replied.
“Don’t stop hoping, you’re too young to be cynical.”
“And you’re not? Keep being the realist, but don’t you become a cynic.”
They embraced again. Kevin looked at Catherine. She had risen too. He took the unspoken suggestion. He went to her, put his arm around her, and they walked away from the table.
“How do you feel about leaving the valley? Making our life here in town?” he asked her.
“I said I would go with you, wherever the army sent you,” Catherine answered. “Events sent you here. You stayed for me, I know, but you also stayed for Hillsboro. So, yes, I can leave the valley to make our future here. I’m glad the valley’s still close. But I feel that we should work with the town, to help rebuild it, as this country becomes whatever it will become. Ensuring Hillsboro’s future will help ensure the valley’s and Clayton’s clans’ futures as well.”
She paused. “Donna asked me if this would be the end of the bad guys. I told her I didn’t know…but I do know. I realize they don’t go away. We need to build structures that don’t allow them to take over our lives. I guess that’s the part of the fight that will continue.”
She turned to her husband. “I’m in…with you…for whatever the future brings.”
They kissed long and hard, though Kevin was careful not to squeeze her too tightly.
When the crowd was starting to disperse and some of the guests were leaving, Billy went up to Rodney.
Billy had been sitting at the end of the long table. He was still recovering from his head wound. It had left a long scar down his right temple, and probably no hair would ever grow there again. He still mourned for Lori Sue. Since her burial he had just drifted between the apartment they had shared and City Hall. If someone asked him to help with something, he had helped, but he hadn’t jumped into any of the re-organization efforts. He hadn’t even gone out hunting. Both Catherine and Sarah had tried to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to work.
Rodney turned as Billy approached. “What is it, Billy?”
“I’d like to go with you…to Missouri. If you’ll have me.”
“Why would you want to do that?” Rodney replied. “You got your farm in the valley. You got kin here. Ar
en’t the clans relatives of yours?”
“They ain’t close kin and it’s too sad here. I don’t have anything here without Lori Sue. Everything reminds me of her.”
“Well—”
“I can help. You know I can shoot. Hunt.”
“Yeah, I know you’re good with a rifle.”
“And maybe, like you said to Lieutenant Cameron, maybe I can do some good…you know, help you.”
Rodney smiled at Billy. He put his arm around Billy’s shoulders. Billy stood about as tall as Rodney, but he wasn’t nearly as solid as the powerfully built sergeant. Rodney gave him a squeeze.
“I’d be proud to have you go with me. It’ll be quite an adventure, and I could use a partner.”
For the first time since Lori Sue’s death, Billy smiled.
The End
Afterword
“Uprising” is the rewrite of the two Catherine’s Tales books and becomes Book 2 in the After the Fall series. I plan to continue this series. There are a rich cast of characters to write about and the evolving situation in the US after the EMP attack provides an interesting setting for subsequent stories. The third book is in process, tentatively titled “Rescue”. It is about how Rodney and Billy set out for Missouri and get captured along the way. Jason and Clayton go to rescue them and challenge the power structure of a large town in Tennessee. I hope you will read it when it comes out.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider writing a review on Amazon. Reviews do not have to be lengthy and are extremely helpful for two reasons: first, they provide “social proof” of a book’s value to the reader unfamiliar with the author, and second, they help readers filter through thousands of books in the same category to find ones that are worthy of their time investment. You provide an essential service to other Amazon readers with a solid review. I very much value your support.
Other novels published by David Nees:
Jason’s Tale, the first book in After the Fall series
Uprising, the second book in After the Fall series (coming soon; replaces Catherine’s Tale Parts 1 & 2)
The Captive Girl, the third book in the Dan Stone Assassin series
The Shaman, the second book in the Dan Stone assassin series
Payback, the first book in the Dan Stone assassin series
For information about upcoming novels, please visit my website at https://www.davidnees.com or go to my Facebook page; fb.me/neesauthor.
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