39. Secrecy
x
It was already May and the temperature was rising. Luckily they had gotten a word from Captain Chandler that they weren't strict with the clothing anymore. He smiled to himself when he had seen the Captain come out in full uniform and after a few moments he was sweating like a pig. Shortly after this incident he heard about his decision to allow them to wear the clothes they chose. Which is why he was standing on guard duty on the deck of the Russian ship in a T-shirt and shorts. If he was going to be here all day, might as well be comfortable.
It had been over two months since they had come back from New Orleans. And they still hadn't got any word from Commander Slattery. He saw that people were getting restless. How long would they have to wait? To know if he had succeeded in whatever he was trying to succeed in. But it had been two pretty interesting months on the island as well. Chandler had finally started to appear in the meetings, even though the guilt he was carrying on his shoulders was apparent. But what was most interesting, was the fact that he had most likely brought with him the President of the United States when he returned from New Orleans with the group of survivors. And now there had been going this active campaign where the President has been talking with the survivors about the plans to help America back to its feet. The President and Chandler have been working very closely on the plan for the future. Which was all great, but how did they know there was a future to plan for?
As he leaned against the railing and let out a sigh, this would be a long day. He looked around the horizon, nothing out of the ordinary, but as he took a second look he saw something. Reaching for the binoculars he had on him, he took a closer look. A fishing boat coming towards them.
"Commander Green, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" He opened his comm. It had to be showing on the radar by now.
"Lieutenant Green, that's affirmative. We have a target on the radar." He heard her voice confirm him that she was up to speed on the imminent threat. Or was it a threat?
He saw the boat slow down in speed and tried to see what was going on, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Lieutenant Green, they're friendly." He heard her voice and relaxed a little.
He saw Chandler, Rachel and Kara come towards him on the deck and the boat was soon by their ship. He wondered who the people were since they were getting this big of an audience.
"You going to tell me who it is?" He glanced at Kara who had an maxi dress on her. It was less than two months til their baby would be born.
"It's Miller." She smiled and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Miller? Eric Miller who was in Iowa when the virus came. But how did he knew to come here? It had to be Slattery. So that meant that he was alive still.
"And apparently he's accompanied by Kathleen Nolan. The real one this time around." He felt her bump his shoulder. Yeah, they were joking about that, how he had come back with the wrong daughter. He felt like smiling though. Tex was one lucky guy. Now apparently his other daughter was here too.
There they were, Miller and Kathleen, standing on the deck and them four staring at them. Miller had glanced at Kara's very pregnant belly and did try to avoid staring at it more. Danny tried to hold back his smile as he thought about how Miller would be even more surprised later.
Miller had come to the island indeed because of Slattery's bidding. He had left the safe zone in Iowa to travel down to New Orleans and to find Samantha, the girl he had been in contact before the Nathan James had sailed to the Arctic. He hadn't found her, but he had found Slattery and started to follow him around as it was strange that he seemed to be working with the Immunes. And one day he was caught, by a bigger and stronger looking man which turned out to be Wolf. When he was then brought to Slattery, it had been quite the reunion.
"So what is his plan?" Tom required and stared at Miller.
"I don't know. I just followed orders." Miller explained, feeling a little stressed at the interrogation.
"He didn't tell me the specifics." Miller added.
"He probably doesn't want to risk blowing up whatever he is planning." Danny added as he listened to the conversation. It was too risky if too many knew about it.
"All I know that the Immune army is growing and fast." Miller stated.
"Did he send a message for us then?" Tom asked.
"Just that we are to wait here." Miller said.
"How did you found Kathleen?" He asked and glanced at the girl beside Miller.
"It was Slattery, he told me about Tex, and the promise that was given to him. We went to look for her and there she was. On the farm." Miller explained.
"I gather you've been vaccinated already?" Rachel came into the discussion and both Miller and Kathleen nodded. Slattery had taken some doses of the vaccine with him.
"Come on, I'll take you to the island." He patted Miller to the shoulder and guided them towards the aft of the ship.
He radioed to the island that Tex and Samantha should come to the pier. He didn't want to tell why, just yet.
As they arrived to the pier, Kathleen almost jumped out of the RHIB and ran to her father's arms.
"Dad!" He heard her joyous voice.
"Oh Kat. You're really here." Tex said as he hold his daughter in his arms. He saw he was breaking in tears as he was holding her after a long time.
He tried to look around but Samantha wasn't there. Perhaps it was something with the baby, he thought.
"Here's the man that rescued her." He gestured towards Miller as they all stood on the pier and then Samantha appeared, it being obvious that she had been breastfeeding since she was trying to fix her shirt and hold the baby at the same time.
"Sam..?" Miller's face went white and he looked at the sight in front of him.
"Eric." Sam said with a smile, but as he followed the situation Miller wasn't as happy anymore as he saw the baby she was holding. Before she could tell him that Miller was the father, he saw him walk past her.
He sighed. "Miller! Wait!" He shouted with authority in his voice and the young man stopped and turned around "What?" Seeing the obvious hurt in his face even though anyone could see the reddish hair of the baby showing from under the baby's light hat.
He understood him, he thought the one girl he thought he could trust, had betrayed him in a way that was most awful.
"I gather you have met this lovely woman before? Samantha is her name." He said and Miller stared at his feet. Not meeting Sam's gaze.
He felt that it was wrong that he was actually enjoying this a little, keeping the secret from Miller, but then again he was acting like a brat. He was going to walk away and not even hear her side of the story.
"And this is your son, Brian Eric." He heard Sam step closer to Miller and show him the baby. Miller's eyes were big and round and his mouth dropped open as he was processing the information he had just heard.
"And this is Sam's father, your future father-in-law." He thought to say so that he was even more shocked about all of it.
"Nice to meet you kid. Tex is the name." Tex said with an amused tone.