21

Kathy did not tell of her little passenger, staying quiet as everyone mourned the loss of the little one that had only lived for such a short time. She felt it would be crass to do so. Besides. She was still not sure how she felt about this, it was something she needed time with. When they had reversed the Vasectomy and the first miscarriage followed… she started to wonder if this was god's way of telling her she was not right for that job. She had been unbelievably confused with him agreeing to finally try a reversal in the first place. Now… six years later … was this even real? Felt … strange.

They buried to poor little mite with Sally, digging only part of the grave up to place the tot in and then left Dwight to his grieving as everyone went back to pretending to be busy. Kathy was as well, Ghost feeling strangely emotional so he followed her as a child might follow his mother while trying not to grizzle with his fingers in his mouth.

Kathy was sitting in the SWAT vehicle checking the gauges when the radio crackled, both of them freezing as it clicked and then a familiar voice came over the speakers "Is anyone out there?"

Ghost reached for the radio as Kathy gaped with mute shock. "Andy Pandy? That you?"

"Ghosty?"

Ghost grinned with glee as he settled, the mood lifting instantly as he found someone else out there still alive "Andy. How you doing bud?"

"Getting there. Found this working radio and been playing for a few days…ow, I will!" he yelped, a voice in the background faint and female asking something "Listen, my … friends want to know if you are alone or managed to remain in a bunch?"

Kathy placed her hand over the radio before Ghost could answer, looking in deep into his eyes as she whispered "Others could be listening too. Keep it vague."

Ghost nodded "We were a handful, became an armful, almost a handful again."

"I hear that" Andy huffed "I picked up some, lost some, picked up more and then we split into two groups to go separate ways. Listen, can't give a location because… well… others can be listening to us right now right?"

"He always was smart" Kathy said softly.

"Right" Ghost replied, nodding at her "We are near that case where the school bus was burnt out with a sheep carcass in the back seat the first on the scene were dumb enough to think it was a kid."

"Ewwwwwwww" Andy wailed "That smell lasted in my nostrils for days!"

Kathy and Ghost both laughed softly, then Andy said "I am more over at the case where the woman murdered her husband with the golf clubs."

Kathy and Ghost leaned back as she said to him "Shit. That's … over a day in the other direction. I wonder how they managed that .. they must have gone under the… right."

"What?"

She took the radio "Andy, it's Swanson. Did you go Weevily on us?"

Laugher came over the radio as only a reference he used sometimes was recognized and he managed to choke out with glee "Yeah, I have gone full Weevil. We move safer that way. Listen … the battery is dying so … be strong and … best of luck Ma'am."

"And you too Andy. Be careful, make sure you have back-up places and supplies" she smiled.

"Don't worry, I got a notebook that helps with that. That man thought of everything, must have bug-out locations all over Wales the gammy bastard" Andy said then sighed "Yes, I will ask love. Listen … have you guys heard anything from them?"

Kathy knew what he was asking and her heart fell as this meant they had not heard from Torchwood either. She sighed, then said softly "No. But like you said, he's a gammy bastard, so is that Great Coat wearing sexpot. I have no doubt they are still running as well."

"I hope so boss" Andy said, then his voice faded away. His battery clearly done.

"Lei's record this channel and check it every now and then when the battery is being checked" Ghost whispered, pulling over a pad form the dashboard "He might find another battery one day."

"Agreed" she sighed, settling back to watch the kids running around in front of the vehicle.

"What's wrong?" Ghost asked, looking at her closely "Something else is chewing at you."

She snorted and rolled her eyes then he caught up to his words and laughed, leaning back to let out the nervousness of the day with laughed than petered out to a dry sob, his hands going to his face as he scrubbed at his eyes and flopped back, his hands falling to his lap.

"We can't look back" Kathy finally broke the silence, "We can only strive to keep moving forward. It's the only way we can survive this. Push on, move forward and don't look back."

"Agreed, don't look back and maybe the Biters can't get us" Ghost snorted as he rose and went to leave "But you know … sometimes seeing it coming for you can make you move faster."

"Or stumble" she corrected and he nodded slipping out to chase the kids with a lighter heart.

Kathy just didn't know how to feel … about everything.