The Homecoming: Countdown to Armageddon: Book 5 (7 page)

-9-

     Tom spent the night in the back seat of his old Ford Galaxy, parked in front of an abandoned Walmart Store. A San Antonio Police cruiser rolled through the lot a little after three a.m., and the officer wondered why a Kerr County Sheriff’s unit came all the way to San Antonio just to sit in an abandoned lot.

     Then he wondered if it was really a lawman’s car. It was older than he was, after all, and probably was more suited to a museum than street work.

     But then he put it out of his mind and moved on, knowing that even if it were stolen, the perps were probably long gone. And even if they weren’t, there was nothing left in the Walmart to steal anyway.

     As the cruiser rolled out of the parking lot, Tom Haskins snored softly in the back seat, totally unaware he’d been visited.

     The seat didn’t quite accommodate his 6’2” frame, of course. But even folded up a bit, he was comfortable. The seat itself was soft enough to allow him a good night’s sleep, but firm enough not to cause any problems for his bad back.

     He was a toss-and-turn sleeper, and he knew he’d be a bit stiff in the morning from having to sleep in the same position all night. But he figured he could walk it off at first light.

     It was really a small price to pay to get his mission done.

     Tom had brought a small thin blanket to cover himself up with. It was the blanket Linda used to cover her legs on cool nights when they sat together under the apple tree, watching the stars and talking into the morning hours. He hadn’t noticed it before, but it smelled of her perfume. An added bonus to help him sleep better.

     He’d been just a bit apprehensive about leaving the people behind at the compound. Sure, Kerr County and Junction in particular was a different place now. All the hoodlums and bad men had been arrested or had scattered into the wind. It had become a safer place, and was rapidly returning to the Junction of old.

     But there was just something about leaving behind all the people in the world he loved, even temporarily, that gave him an uneasy feeling.

     So before he left he’d made arrangements with his most trusted deputy, Paul Swain, to watch over the bunch.

     “Stay at my old place, just north of the compound,” he’d asked Paul. “I was over there last weekend, dusting it and cleaning it up a bit. The water tank is full, so there’s plenty of running water. The toilets work, and I filled the tank on the generator so there’s electricity.

     “I even put some things in there that you probably haven’t experienced in awhile. There’s a microwave and some packets of microwave popcorn. A small refrigerator with a smaller freezer. But the freezer is big enough to hold a couple of frozen pizzas. There’s also a TV and DVD player I borrowed from the compound. When’s the last time you watched a movie?”

     Paul swallowed as he thought about it.

     “I don’t know, Sheriff. Probably the better part of two years now.”

     “I don’t want you to do anything except be ready in case there’s some kind of trouble. In fact, I don’t even plan to tell the folks in the compound that you’re there. They might get the idea something’s in the wind to warrant the extra security. And there isn’t. I just want you close by for my own piece of mind.”

     “How come you’re going to San Antonio, sheriff?”

     “It’s personal, Paul. You’ll find out soon after I get back. It’s just something I promised somebody I’d do.”

     “And all I have to do is stay at your place until you get back, and if there’s any trouble at the compound I help them out?”

     “Yes. At the first sign of trouble they’ll try to call me on the police radio. They have a handheld at their security desk. They won’t be able to get me, because I’ll be out of range. But keep your radio on and with you. Answer for me, find out what the problem is, and help them deal with it. If you need reinforcements, call the base station and have Dawn dispatch anybody she’s got available. Everybody has their radios with them when they’re off duty, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting ahold of them.”

     “You can count on me, sheriff. I’ll make sure they’re as safe as babes in their mamas’ arms.”

     “I know, Paul. That’s why I chose you for the job.”

     “Just one more question, sheriff. My girl and I… well, we haven’t been on a date in a very long time. Movies and pizza and popcorn, well, it sounds like something I’d really like to share with her. Do you mind if she comes along?”

     Tom chuckled.

     “I’ve seen your Julianna. She makes even an old man like me wish I was young enough to take her away from you.”

     “Yeah, she is pretty gorgeous, isn’t she?”

     “Yes, indeed she is. Gorgeous enough to make me wonder if you’d be able to keep your focus on the job.”

     “Shucks, sheriff, you know me better than that.”

     “I’m teasing you, Paul. By all means, bring her along. And you two enjoy yourselves. Just keep that radio turned on and close by.”

     “What if you finish your business in San Antonio early enough to make it back by sunset? Can Julianna and I still stay the night at your place?”

     “Yes. If I make it back before sunset I’ll go straight to the compound, and I’ll let you know I’m back over the radio. But you and Julianna are welcome to finish out your date.”    

     Tom hadn’t been able to make it back by nightfall, though, and Paul and Julianna were unaware of the outdoor security cameras at Tom’s place that were tied in to the compound’s security system.

     So while Tom was sawing logs in the back seat at a San Antonio Walmart, Jordan was pulling his duty at the security console, his eyes transfixed on monitor number eight.

     Monitor number eight showed Paul and Julianna, certain they were alone, making love on a blanket in Tom’s front yard.

     Jordan wasn’t sure why Paul and Julianna were overnighting at Tom’s place. Or why Paul kept his handheld radio close enough to grab while he was in the midst of making love to his girl.

     But he was enjoying the show.

-10-

     Scott found Becky at her nurse’s station. Her face brightened and she smiled warmly as she watched him walk up.

     “If I knew you were coming I’d have baked a cake.”

     He chuckled.

     “My mom used to say that, when I was a kid. Only she kinda sang it.”

     He demonstrated.

     “
If I knew you were coming, I’d have baked a cake…
”

     Becky made a great show of wincing, and at the same time placing her fingers in both ears.

     “Ouch.”

     “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”

     “Oh, yes it was.”

     “Well, okay. Maybe it was that bad. But hey, I have other talents.”

     “Name one.”

     “I know how to make smiles appear like magic.”

     “Oh, really? Like how?”

     He pulled a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back and handed them to her.

     And, just as he’d predicted, she smiled.

     “Oh, Scott, how sweet. But… these aren’t wildflowers. Where on earth did you get carnations and roses?”

     “Do you know Rhett Butler? He’s an SAPD officer now.”

     “Yes. I’ve met him a couple of times when he came in with John. I still can’t help but smile about his name. It’s rather cute.”

     “He has a wife named Scarlett, you know.”

     “John told me that, but I thought he was kidding.”

     “Nope. Of all the girls a man named Rhett Butler could have fallen in love with, he managed to find his Scarlett. Anyway, she has a pretty impressive flower garden, right between the tomatoes and potatoes she’s growing. I got some of her best stuff.”

     “Scott… you
stole
her flowers?”

     “No, not really. She gave them to me. I just came from the courtyard, where I left a few on Joyce’s grave. The rest go to the other girl in my life.”

     He instantly saw something in her face he couldn’t identify. But he had the distinct impression he said or did something wrong.

     “What?”

     “Nothing.”

     He took her by the hand.

      “Look at me.”

     She turned away.

     “Please?”

     She slowly turned to face him.

     “What did I do? What did I say?”

     “Nothing. I’m just being silly. I’m just being a
girl
.”

     “Well, I personally prefer it when you act like a girl. You’re kinda scary when you act like a guy.”

     She smiled.

     “Now, tell me what I said to hurt you.”

     “Nothing. I was getting ready to tell you how sweet you were for calling me your other girl. Then you had to spoil it by telling me you were giving me someone else’s flowers.”

     “No. You have it all wrong. Or backwards. Or I said it wrong. These weren’t meant for Joyce. These were meant for you. I came through here looking for you half an hour ago, ask around and they’ll tell you…”

     Becky looked at one of the other nurses who was eavesdropping a few feet away. The other nurse nodded her head to confirm that yes, Scott had already been there asking for her.

     Then the nurse suddenly decided to butt out and walked away to give the pair their privacy.

     “They said you were with a patient, so I went to the memorial in the courtyard to talk to Joyce. And while I was there I left a few flowers on her brick. I didn’t think you’d mind. I was sharing your flowers with her. Not the other way around.”

     Becky softened, but still wasn’t quite ready to let Scott off the hook.

     “And what did you and Joyce talk about?”

     “I told her that I would always love her. That she was an amazing woman. That she was the biggest part of my life for five and a half years. And that she saved me from death or madness in so many ways.

     “And I asked her permission to move on. I told her there was another woman who I’d come to know and love, and that I wanted to see if that other woman would be willing to fill the hole in my soul that Joyce left when she passed away.”

     He noticed that Becky’s eyes had become shiny and wet.

     “And what did she say?”

     “She told me she loved the time we had together. But that life was for the living. She said that I had too choices: either to get on with living or to get on with dying. And that I had too many good years left in me not to share them with someone special.”

     Becky turned away so Scott couldn’t see the single tear getting ready to fall down her cheek.

     With her back to him, she asked, “Does that mean you have her permission to fall in love again and move ahead with your life?”

     He put his hands on her arms and turned her back around.

     “I hope so. Because I already have. Fallen in love again, that is.”

     Several things happened at once. Scott took her in his arms and kissed her. Her knees went weak, her body went limp, and she dropped the handful of flowers onto the floor.

     And a group of four nurses, watching from a safe distance, broke out in spontaneous applause.

     It turned out that the eavesdropping nurse didn’t just run away to tend to her work. Sensing that a tender moment was in the wind, she gathered up a crowd to watch.

     And they weren’t disappointed.

-11-

     Scott took Becky by the hand and led her past the gaggle of nurses to the break room. As she walked past her friends, a couple of them reached out to touch her shoulder and arm. Just to let her know they were happy for her. It turned out that they knew of the feelings she had for Scott, even though she’d tried to keep it a secret from everyone. They were happy to see that the feelings were mutual.

     He sat her down at a table in the back of the break room. The room mysteriously emptied out, as the others in the room sensed there was something special going on.

     Several of the nurses hung around in the hallway, though, watching through the window in the break room door, as though they wanted to share in Becky’s moment.

     And, indeed, some of them genuinely would have liked to. Most of them were widowed now, either because their husbands struck out in search of supplies or to find a safer place and never returned. Or couldn’t take it anymore and committed suicide. Or succumbed to the plague. Most of them were now alone and wanted their own version of Scott.

     But they all loved Becky as a sister. And none of them would begrudge her finding hers.

     The odd thing was, everyone at the hospital seemed to know about Becky’s love for Scott, except for Scott himself. As was the case with many men, he was clueless in the ways of romance and love. He’d simply looked past the signs and missed the usual cues.

     “I have so many things I want to talk to you about,” he told her as he sat next to her at the table. “And when I get finished telling you these things, you’ll probably tell me that your heart still belongs to Johnny. That you don’t want a man in your life, and that I should just go away. But please, first let me plead my case.”

     Becky was tempted to tell him he was being foolish, but she decided no, she wanted to hear this.

     “Go on,” she said.

     “I’ve loved you for a very long time. When I woke up in the hospital, after I got shot, I saw how special you were. Yes, I know, men have a bad habit of falling for their nurses, but it wasn’t that. I could see that you were much more than just a nurse. You were an angel without wings. You truly cared.

     “I fought hard to keep from falling for you. At the time I belonged to Joyce, and my love for her was strong. I would not let myself disrespect her by falling for another woman. So I didn’t.

     “In the weeks following her death, I lost a lot of sleep. I knew that my love for you was growing, but I didn’t want to soil her memory by moving on too quickly. She was a wonderful woman, and she deserved a man who would mourn for her. So again, I fought the feelings I had for you. I tried not to love you. I looked for every little flaw of yours, even made some up, to pretend you weren’t worth my love. But it was a sham. I knew you were as perfect a woman as I’d ever known. I also knew I was losing the battle.

     “When you made me paint that brick and add it to the memorial garden, it helped me in a lot of ways. It helped me be more open with my grief. It helped me put things into a greater perspective. It made me see that although Joyce was gone, that my love for her would always be a part of me. That
she
would always be a part of me.

     “But with your help I was able to see that she was only a part. That there was much more to me than the time Joyce and I spent together. That I was still living, still breathing, and that I needed to finish my mourning and move on.

     “I know your heart still belongs to Johnny and probably always will. But if I didn’t at least tell you how I felt, I’d spend the rest of my life wishing I had. Wondering what might have been. Today I told Joyce that she’d always have a special place in my heart. But that I was strong enough to move on down the road now, to start living again.”

     “Did she answer you?”

     “Actually, she did. She told me she understood. And that I waited much too long. She said all she ever wanted was for me to be happy. And that a mourning man cannot find happiness as long as he’s grieving. She said that life is for the living. And she told me to run after you. That you were too wonderful a woman not to grab hold of. That if I didn’t grab you somebody else would. And that I’d spend the rest of my life wanting someone else’s wife. And that I owed it to myself not to let that happen.

     “So there it is. I’ve bared my soul to you. If you want to tell me you’ve got no feelings for me, that you could never have any feelings for me, then I’ll go away and give you your space. But if there’s even a small chance you could see some good in me, I’d like the chance to pursue it. I’d like the chance to take you out, and spend time with you, and see if I could make you love me. If only you’ll give me a chance to try.”

     He finally stopped talking and looked at her. In her deep blue eyes he saw promise, and something else, too. Longing, perhaps. Maybe not. He wasn’t sure what it was. So he decided to stop begging for her heart and listen.

     The ball was in her court now. He braced himself and awaited his fate.

     She struggled, but couldn’t find the right words.

     So she finally blurted out the best words she could muster.

     “You silly man. I’ve loved you from the very start. I just never let you see it, because you belonged to another.”

     He smiled and took both her hands. As she rose from the chair he held her once again and meekly asked, “So this means there can be an ‘us?’”

     “Yes. There is very much an ‘us.’”

     Neither of them moved for several minutes. They stood there, in the center of the break room, simply holding each other. The nurses in the front of the window had to turn away, and others clamored for their spots.

     And for one brief moment all the misery contained within those hospital walls, all the pain, all the suffering, was replaced by something else.

     Hope, promise. And love.

-12-

     “But wait. You said you had more to talk about. What else do we have to discuss?”

     Scott’s face suddenly lost much of its luster. He was brought back to his other task at hand.

     The one more difficult.

     “I need your help to do something that’s going to be very tough.”

     Becky sensed this was serious. She stood a step back from him and lifted his chin in her hand.

     “What is it? What can I do?”

     “Honey, you’re a nurse. And lately you’ve been more like a doctor without the degree. I know you’ve had to deliver some very bad news to your patients and to their loved ones.”

     “Yes. Go on…”

     “I’ve never been very good at sharing bad news. I freeze up. I stumble over my words. I say the wrong things. I haven’t done it often enough to be good at it.

     “Sure, there have been times lately when people have asked me to go into a loved one’s house to see if they’ve survived, and I’ve had to go back and tell them they’re lying inside, dead. So I have experience. I just don’t seem to be any good at it. Can you teach me how to be better at it?”

     “I sense that you have a personal stake in this.”

     “Jordan’s girlfriend, Sara. She’s the sweetest young thing in the world. Since she came to the compound to stay with us, we’ve all fallen in love with her. I’d do anything in the world not to cause her pain or distress. But I’ve found out her parents didn’t make it. Mutual suicide. I know it’s going to destroy her world, but she has to know. Is there a way to soften the pain for her?”

     “No. I mean, you can use pretty words and tell her they died quickly and felt no pain and all that. But no matter what words you use, the pain will be the same. And I know from my own experience with Johnny and the kids that there is no greater pain in the world. Would you like for me to tell her? I’m more detached since I don’t know her, and I’ve been sharing bad news for years.”

     “Thanks for the offer, but I can’t shirk the responsibility. I wouldn’t be much of a man, or a father, if I abdicated the hard jobs to others. I just want to know how to tell her without hurting her any more than I have to.”

     “My best advice is to be direct. Be gentle, but don’t sugarcoat it. If she’s Jordan’s girlfriend, then she’s old enough to know that the odds of her parents both surviving were pretty slim. I mean, let’s face it. Only ten percent of the city has survived, and no family I’ve heard about has come through unscathed. I’d be willing to bet that she expects the bad news already. She just needs for you to confirm her suspicions.”

     “Should I wait until after the all-clear, so I can tell her in person?”

     “Are Linda and Jordan there with her?”

     “Yes, and Hannah Castro and a whole bunch of other people who love her.”

     “I know Hannah. She’s a midwife. She’s had to deliver bad news herself on occasion. It’s good that she’ll be there.

     “I’d advise against waiting. It’ll serve no purpose, other than dragging out her suspense. It’s best that you apologize up front, tell her you love her, and then share the news. It’ll suck big time, and you’ll feel like dirt. But on the other end, there are others who can hold her and comfort her and do the things you’ll want to do yourself.

     “So I’d advise you not to wait. Do it now, get it over with, and then when you go back to the compound, do whatever you can to let her know you love her and that you’re there for her.”

     “Will you be there for me to lean on?”

     “Sure. When are you going to call her?”

     “Tonight. But that’s not what I was talking about.”

     Becky looked at him, puzzled.

     “When I get back to the compound. Are you going to be by my side to help me comfort her?”

     “Well, we’ve expressed our love for each other. And I’m not willing to let you get away from me. So that leaves two options. Either you stay here with me or I go there with you. And there are a lot more reasons to be there than here. Will your family accept me?”

     “My family will love you. How could they possibly not?”

-13-

        Scott cracked open the door of John Castro’s house and stuck his head inside. He’d moved in with John right after his release from the hospital. John also shared space with Robbie and Randy, two other San Antonio police officers.

     “Hey, you guys make sure you’re decent! I’m bringing a woman in.”

     From her position on the front porch, next to Scott, Becky would hear scrambling inside.

     “Not to be nosy or anything, but are those guys in the habit of running around the house naked?”

     “Naked? No. But sometimes to get comfortable, they’ll walk around in their underwear or without a shirt on. It can be a pretty ugly sight. Especially Randy in his tighty whities or John in his SpongeBob or Scooby Doo underwear.”

     “SpongeBob and Scooby Doo underwear? Really?”

     “Seriously. Hannah bought them for him just before the blackout as a gag. He said he was wearing the Scooby Doos the last time he and Hannah made love. He said they bring back pleasant memories and calls them his lucky underwear. We told him we don’t mind him wearing them as long as he doesn’t try to get lucky with us.”

     She winced and said, “Ugh. I could have done without
that
visual, thank you very much.”

     From inside the house came a voice, “Come in.”

     In the small entryway were all three of Scott’s roommates, curious to see the woman Scott had brought home with him.

     John groaned.

     “Oh, man. I thought you were bringing home a hot chick we could all flirt with. And all you brought was
Becky
?”

     Becky responded with, “You better watch it, Gooberhead, or I’ll tell all the other nurses about your SpongeBob underwear.”

     John looked at Scott, who just shrugged.

     “Thanks a lot, blabbermouth.”

     “Don’t worry, John. I won’t be here long. I’m just here with my darlin’ to use your ham radio for a bit. Then I’ll be out of here and you can get back to being your old disgusting self again.”