The McClane Apocalypse Book Three (19 page)

Hannah thinks on her question a moment
before answering, "I think she seems nice. Shy, but nice just the
same. Don't you?"

"Yes, she's a good girl, I'd say. But
something is wrong with her," Grams clarifies and runs water in the
wide porcelain sink.

"What do you mean, Grams?" Hannah inquires.
This statement is confusing. "Do you mean like she's disabled or
sick or something?"

"No, honey," Grams states. "I just mean that
something isn't quite right with her. She's very sad."

"Well, she did say that her family is gone,"
Hannah remembers from their conversation with her on the back porch
after Garrett's funeral.

"No, I know grief. I've felt grief, like
when we lost your brother. Sometimes I feel grief for your father,
but I'm also still trying to hold out hope that he's alive. But
that isn't what's wrong with Sam. She's sad from grief, but there's
something else, too," Grams insists as the water is turned off
again.

"What do you think it is?" Hannah asks her
sagely grandmother, who seems to have all the answers.

"I think it's fear," Grams says slowly and
calmly.

Her words send a panicky tremor down
Hannah's spine. They don't speak more on it, and for this Hannah is
glad. She doesn't want to dwell on whatever could be causing this
young, sweet-tempered girl to look so terrible that her Grams would
label it as fear.

A short while later Grams starts putting
breakfast platters on the dinner table, knowing full well that the
chores should be done in but a moment. And sure enough, the sounds
of shoes being dropped on the back porch soon follow as people file
into the house. Grams has set three place settings at the island
for the teens, and Huntley will eat in the dining room with
everyone else, including the smaller kids in the McClane pack.
Hannah believes that perhaps her grandparents are still not sure of
the two teens and where their loyalties might lay.

"This smells great, girls," Derek announces
kindly.

He's coming downstairs from his room where
he was finishing what short-lived amount of sleep he and the other
men can get.

Soon after, John also joins the melee in the
kitchen. Grandpa had gotten on his case last night and forced him
to get a full night's sleep. Whether or not John had actually
listened and not started his watch shift until four a.m. she'll
never know.

Sue is showing the new kids where they can
wash up in the guest bathroom nearest the kitchen. Reagan is the
last to enter the room. She comes right in complaining which makes
John chuckle. He sure woke up in a good mood if he found Reagan's
complaints, first thing upon waking, humorous.

"Reagan McClane, shoes, young lady!" Grams
yells at her.

Reagan throws her likely dirty shoes loudly
onto the back porch.

"I'm not hungry!" she says vehemently, of
course. "I don't have time to eat. I'm in the middle of something
out there! I have to…"

"You'll sit your scrawny butt down and eat
like the rest of us, young lady!"

And with that, the argument is over. Grams
is about the only person Reagan will listen to.

She just keeps on railing at Reagan, "You'll
be no good to that woman or her care if you're fuzzy-brained and
exhausted from lack of nutrition."

"Good morning, Grams," Kelly says.

Grams pecks his cheek, which Hannah can
hear. Her Grams also has a soft spot for Kelly.

"Good morning, Kelly. Hope you all are
hungry, boys," Grams says as if they are all little boys and not
giant men and growing teenage boys.

Kelly just chuckles and returns with,
"Smells fantastic. We're starving. Aren't we, guys?"

Kelly is asking Cory and Simon because they
both perk up and verbally agree.

Cory even adds, "Simon's good with the
animals. He catches on quick, too."

Her honey moves furtively closer to her and
eventually lands beside her near the stove where he snatches a
sausage link. The noise and chaos of the children escalate to
deafening levels.

"Hey," Hannah scolds in a hushed tone. "Did
you come over here to see me or for the meat?"

"Would it be wrong if I said both?" Kelly
teases her gently.

"I guess not," Hannah concedes with mock
irritation, and he tugs her braid once.

"Let me help you," he says and tries to take
her spatula.

"No!" Hannah halts him. "I do this every
day, Mr. Alexander. I don't need help. Quit worrying about me and
go wash up."

He groans softly and pats her bottom with a
playful spank which makes her squelch a yelp. Apparently everyone
in the kitchen is more preoccupied with either washing up, carrying
dishes full of food to the table or already in the dining room or
else he would never have done something so bold. She can tell that
Kelly leaves her with great unwillingness. He is such a
worrywart.

Cory and Simon are chatting almost non-stop
about how cool the farm is and what features and animals they like
about it. To Hannah, it's just always been her home, and she'd
never really had the opportunity to ponder whether or not it was
'cool.' Sam is quiet, however, and the boys are not trying very
hard to help her fit in with them. Typical boys in their own
worlds.

Hannah is overcome with the urge to use the
restroom and sets the platter of sausages on the island. She prays
that the two teen boys don't eat all of them before she gets back
to take them to the dining room. Once she makes it to her own
bedroom she relieves herself in her bathroom and tears spring to
her eyes as she feels an urge to bear down even after her bladder
is emptied. When she's done, Hannah washes her hands and leaves her
bedroom where she runs into Kelly's chest. He kisses her forehead
which makes her smile.

"Hey, are you alright? The kids said you
split out of the kitchen really fast, and Cory was concerned," he
asks as he grasps her shoulders in his large hands.

"That's so kind of Cory. But, yes, I'm just
fine. It was nothing. You need to stop worrying about me!" she says
with a broad smile and is surprised when she feels Kelly's mouth
swoop down onto hers for a long, lingering and rather delicious
kiss. She is breathless as usual when Kelly finally pulls back, and
she is clinging to him feebly.

"We'd better get back. I hear Sue asking for
you," Kelly tells her.

Funny, she hadn't heard anything other than
her own panting. Kelly Alexander is a bad influence on her. And she
loves that about him!

He doesn't miss a beat and takes her hand in
his to lead her back to the kitchen where the boys are still
talking and Sam is still quiet.

"Sam, why don't you join us in the dining
room?" Hannah knows that this is going to get rejected by the girl
who doesn't like to intrude. "I think my sisters could use the help
with some of the younger kids if you can manage that."

"Oh, um, ok, Miss Hannah," Sam says.

Her voice contains relief. She is probably
glad to be getting away from the boys. Hannah can hardly blame the
poor girl.

They join the rest of the family, minus
Grandpa who is sleeping since he covered the med shed all night
while Reagan slept. Hannah knows that they have both been going on
caffeine in large quantities in order to provide medical care
around the clock.

"Can we find a seat for Sam, everyone? I
didn't figure she wanted to sit in the kitchen while the boys do
guy talk. She's going to get reflux. They're on to cars and motors,
ugh," Hannah explains as Kelly laughs beside her.

"Here, Sam, sit over here by me. Scoot down,
Justin," Em suggests.

Naturally Em would want Sam to sit next to
her because Sam's older and so much more hip than all the other
kids just like Em is so much more sophisticated than everyone else
in Ari's opinion.

"Ok, thanks," Sam returns softly.

When she scoots her seat out and then back
in, she doesn't allow it to scrape against the hardwood floor like
most everyone does.

The conversation at the breakfast table
starts up and mostly covers the crops, the greenhouse activity,
milk production, the usual. Nobody discusses the visitors because
of Huntley and Sam being present at the table since there is a slim
possibility that these children could take information back to
their guests that the family may not want them to know. They keep
the conversation light, casual and try to include Sam in it.

"What subjects did you like in school, Sam?"
Sue asks when the discussion of crop rotations is over.

"Oh, um," Sam starts and is barely audible.
"I guess I like English, writing mostly. I also like art, but that
wasn't a subject I studied at school."

"Oh really?" Sue says as if she's concocting
something. "And what about you, Huntley? What did you like in
school?"

The young boy takes a while longer to
answer. "Um, I guess I like lunch."

At this answer, everyone laughs and Kelly
and Derek heartily agree with him.

Sue starts again. "We are going to need to
get school going around here and very soon. As soon as the weather
turns and the crops are finished, that is."

"School? Really? Are you doing it here on
this farm?" Sam asks with confusion.

"Sure. Grandpa and I were talking about
schooling just the other day. He would like some of the children to
learn medicine and some veterinary care, but then there will be the
basic subjects that everyone still needs to learn. We'll also
supplement the kids' educations with learning how to can, tend
crops and animals, that kind of thing," Sue explains, and Grams
concurs.

"Hannah and Reagan can also teach whoever
wants to learn music, too. It will be a good way to keep the kids
busy in the winter," Grams adds.

Reagan snorts rudely, and John warns her to
be nice. She snorts again.

"Oh, well that will be nice for the kids who
live here," Sam laments.

There is obvious sadness in her voice
because she thinks she won't be able to stay on.

"Well, I actually hate English and anything
to do with it. I always loved math the most," Sue tells her. "And
just like you, I love art. We'll have to sketch together some
time."

"Yeah?" Sam asks just to be kind.

There is a heaviness in her voice. Grams was
right, nothing new there. Something is very wrong with this
girl.

"And Herb could always use more help in the
med shed, obviously. You've been a very valuable asset around here,
Sam," Grams illustrates.

"Thank you, ma'am," Sam says. "I'm happy to
help."

"What about English? I just want to know if
you'll be teaching that or if I'm going to get stuck with it?" Sue
asks impatiently.

"Sure, Miss Sue, I can help. While we're
here I'll teach the kids for you," Sam offers generously.

"Why are you able to work around the
sickness out there with Reagan?" Derek asks unexpectedly. "I would
hate to see you get sick. How come you haven't caught this?"

His question is so out of the blue that the
girl blurts out her answer without her usual guardedness.

"Um, my mom took me and my brothers and
sister to get vaccinated over in Nashville. My uncle was a
pediatrician at a big hospital there, and he told her to bring us
when the wars started overseas to get everything he could give us.
He was really smart like…," Sam stops abruptly.

She must realize she is revealing way too
much.

"So you aren't from the Southwest like the
rest of your group?" Derek asks bluntly.

He's quite good at getting people to say
things they don't want to say, and Hannah isn't sure she wants know
the origins of this ability. Sam is quiet again, but then she
finally answers.

"No, sir," she says honestly but will
provide no more.

Hannah feels that same urge to urinate
again. She excuses herself and rushes to the guest bathroom nearest
the dining room because she is afraid she won't make it to her own.
It is more painful this time, and the urge to bear down is awful,
bringing tears to her eyes. When she comes out, Kelly is waiting
for her again.

"What's going on, Hannah?" he asks quietly
so as not to be overheard by the rest of the family.

"I'm not sure. Just not feeling great,
Kelly. Don't worry," she says, trying to allay his concerns.

"I do worry. That's my job," he says trying
to lighten the mood.

He gently lays a hand against her cheek.
Hannah can hear the meal winding down in the dining room and soon
they will be accosted by a hoard of people moving through the
hallway.

"Did Grams ask Sam and Huntley if they want
to stay on here when their group leaves? I was kind of wondering if
that was the direction they were going with that conversation," she
asks her lover as his hand continues to caress her cheek.

"No, not yet. But, yeah, I think that's what
the plan is. We'll probably find out at the next family meeting
tomorrow," Kelly says.

She nods against his hand. He steps quickly
back from her because his brother has come into the hall with
them.

"Hey, Kelly. Can I take Simon out and show
him the horses and maybe ride for like an hour? We won't be too
long. I know you need the hay brought in from that pasture. Me and
Simon could do it if we can take the wagon and tractor out there by
ourselves. Right, Simon?" Cory asks.

Hannah believes that he has more excitement
than a boy of his age should have over picking up hay bales and
riding horses.

"Yes, sir. I'll help get the hay. That's no
problem," Simon jumps in.

"Yeah, sure, Cory. I just gotta help Derek
and John with that wheel on the wagon first. Got a part messed up.
Might need welded. We'll see. But you guys go out and mess with the
horses, and we'll call you when we're ready," Kelly says.

Hannah wants to scream. Her stomach is
hurting down low, and she is feeling like she is going to pee her
pants, or dress in her case. Something is wrong. Hannah excuses
herself to find Reagan while the guys go on about stupid
tractors.