Measure of Happiness

Carol tightened the last bolt on a new windmill that was going to provide more electricity to their grid. Daryl and Jesse began pouring the cement that would hold the windmill in place. She rested while they poured and then smoothed the mixture inside of the wooden forms that they had built.

This windmill joined the other two that they had set in place today. Tomorrow they would begin the more complex work of sending the power to their grid. Carl was taking the day off to finish that.

She drank some water and gazed out on their farm. Four houses on it now. The first plan had been for two houses to be built on adjoining farm, but then they decided to build the houses together. They combined the two farms and had all the land they could handle. Finally, Sophia and Carl had sold their farm and built a new home here. She was living on a commune, but a happy one.

Carol handed Daryl and Jesse glasses of water. She poured water in a bowl and put it in front of Sheila. She dusted herself off, "The bus will be here soon."

Jesse started gathering up tools, "You go get the kids and I'll clean up here. Dinner will be ready at six."

Daryl wiped his face spreading the concrete and dust around, "We better get moving. Sheila, you ready to go home?"

The dog began running in circles. Daryl climbed on the four-wheeler, "We haven't got all day."

Carol laughed, "Sure we do. We don't punch a time clock." She settled behind him and hung on. Daryl started down the slope to the houses while Jesse loaded everything in his old truck. Sheila followed them joyously.

"We better use the basement shower," Carol said as Daryl stopped on the driveway.

"We sounds good. How much time do we have?" He slapped her ass, "How about some sexy times?"

Carol grinned at him, "Let me check the time." He followed her in the basement. They both stared at the clock on the wall. It didn't look good. "Just a shower. You get started and I'll go get our clothes."

She ran upstairs and picked up the clothes that she had already picked out. She often picked the clothes that she wanted Daryl to wear. On his own Daryl would wear old torn pants and faded shirts. She used her wifely privilege to vary his clothing occasionally. Carol hurried back. Daryl would be down to the last layer of grime by the time she got there. She stripped quickly and stepped in to the shower with her husband. He was waiting with the shampoo and a smile on his face. "Come on, Carol. We can do this." What is life without a challenge?

They ran to the van and Carol opened the door for Sheila who jumped in. Picking the kids up at the bus stop was the highlight of her day and she would be crushed if they were late. Daryl drove a little faster than usual and they skidded to a stop as the big yellow bus came in sight. Carol and Daryl high-fived each other, "We made it." Carol checked her buttons and zippers to make sure she was secure and reminded Daryl that he had missed a button on his shirt.

Sheila demanded to be let out. She had been trained to wait at the vehicle until the bus moved on, but she wanted to be the first one to greet the kids.

The school bus stopped on the road and one by one the kids came off the bus. First was Judith, all blond hair and blue eyes. Then Jada who had her mother's smile but was tall and thin like Jesse. James was still growing and was skinny as a rail. Sheila was starting to whine with excitement.

Carol glanced at Daryl. The kids could walk home in a matter of minutes, but he loved this ritual. Welcoming them home. Letting them know that there was someone waiting for them that loved them.

Sam was the next one off. He was twelve now and had been eleven when he and his sisters had come to live with them as foster children. Last month the state of Georgia had given final consent to what they already knew. They were a family.

Mika was next. All blond hair and smiles. As sweet as Sophia had been. At ten she was the baby of the family. She waved to them.

Lizzie was last. The middle child at eleven. Bright and creative but always going to push the boundaries. It was Lizzie that had woken the other two when their father came home drunk and began hitting their mother. It was Lizzie who had led them down the back stairs toward the basement where they usually hid during Pete's rampages.

Pete was loud that night and they heard their father shout, "I'll kill you and our children before I'll let you go." There had been a single shot and Sam and Lizzie had dragged Mika toward the basement door. They had slipped out the door while they heard Pete coming down the basement stairs. The houses in their cul-de-sac were all dark and they had moved on to a house further away. That neighbor answered the door and let the children inside. Pete killed himself on the lawn. Carol suspected that he had been searching for his children to kill them.

Sheila always threw herself at all of them. Her pack. She loved everyone on the farm but Sheila seemed to regard the farm children to be always in need of her protection and adoration. She nuzzled each other them as if she needed to make sure that all of them had made it back safely.

Carol and Daryl got out of the car to help all of their passengers in. The book bags took up more room that the kids. One of the teenagers always drove home. Everyone scattered to their own house after that.

Her kids went upstairs to change and Carol and Daryl went to the kitchen to prepare the after school snack. Today it was cheese quesadillas. Dinner wasn't until six and the snack was another ritual. They clattered back down and began assembling their quesadillas. Sam's would be the best tasting because he liked to cook, Mika's would have a happy face on it, and Lizzie's would either be bizarre or funny. Today's was funny.

The girls trooped off to the barn to tend to their horses and Sam went to work in the greenhouse. Carol began to make the frozen dessert for tonight's dinner. Daryl did the dishes and they decided to go check to check on the windmills. Some days they were together all day. She worked in the local bank two days a week reviewing the bank's transactions at the request of the board of directors. Daryl and Jesse had just finished building a house nearby, but the days that they were both at the farm? They were never far from each other.

The concrete had set up nicely and they sat together in the late afternoon sun watching the girls ride the horses while Sheila trotted along behind them. Carol leaned on Daryl, "Do we need anything for the hayride?"

"Got everything. The weather this Saturday is supposed to be warm and dry." Daryl played with her curls, "It'll be fun."

Carol nodded. Daryl, the fun guy was still somewhat of a shock to her. It wasn't about fun at all. Daryl was terrified that something would happen to the children. He was experiencing the terror of being a parent. He viewed the outside world as filled with dangers that he might not be able to protect them from. So he came up with fun things for them and their friends to do here on the farm. Last month had been a fishing derby, this month a hayride, and October would surely bring a Halloween party. "This is the easy part, they'll be teenagers soon."

Dinner that night was on the Graham patio. Michonne and Andrea had worked that day ensuring as Andrea said, "That the druggies of this county have the right to a counsel."

Michonne laughed, "We're the last best hope for the petty criminals and drug addicts. They don't seem too eager to change their ways."

Rick arrived late but loaded his plate with steak and salad. He lowered his voice, "Need to talk to you later. After the kids start scattering."

Eventually the crowd thinned to those old enough to vote. Carl asked, "Dad, what's going on?"

Rick looked around at each of them, "I don't know it is anything, but there is some activity on the websites that monitor new viruses. There is a new one out there. Seems to have just started in Indonesia and it is lethal. Attacks the respiratory system within twenty four hours of exposure and just overwhelms it. It's airborne and the first symptom is extended sneezing which will spread it even quicker. The patient then becomes feverish as the virus overwhelms the lungs. They die with forty eight hours of the fever beginning."

Daryl took her hand and Carol reminded Rick, "We've had other virus scares."

Rick nodded, "I know, but I have a friend at Homeland Security and he says they have alerted the Apocalypse Protocol."

Andrea moved closer to her husband, "That's the group that shuts down nuclear plants in case of national disasters."

"That's part of it. It also regulates all sorts of things. Shuts down drilling and refineries. Calls out the National Guards and shuts down the army bases. The Protocol isn't in effect and they are telling everyone that it is just another drill. We need to go over our own protocols for supplies and defense. Just as a precaution."

Jesse looked at Michonne, "Your mother needs to come here and Daryl and I need to make another fishing trip to Canada before it turns any colder."

Jesse and Daryl's "fishing trips" were drives to Canada where they bought medicinal drugs. They would bring back antibiotics and other medicines and their storage rooms resembled a pharmacy. America imported most of its drugs from China and other overseas companies and medicines were prohibitively expensive in this country and impossible to get without a prescription.

Rick nodded, "Respirators and antivirals would be good. There won't be enough to go around in the event of a real pandemic. Pharmacies don't stock enough for more than a few days. The supermarkets won't have any food in them because they only store enough for a few days. Municipal water systems only stock up purification supplies for a few weeks. The panic will be more dangerous than the disease. The cities will empty out looking for food and water in the countryside. We can't just hunker down and think that our families will be safe."

No one said anything for a minutes then Sophia pointed out, "I'm a teacher. I can't stay home."

"I have to show up in court. I can't just call the judge and tell her that I'm afraid of catching a cold." Michonne muttered.

"Right now we just pay attention to the websites. This disease might burn itself out or mutate to something less lethal. I just wanted you to know." Rick shifted in his seat, "Have to keep this between us. Don't want to start a panic because that won't help."

That night Carol nestled close to Daryl in bed. The kids were in bed and hopefully asleep. He and Jesse were leaving in the morning for Canada. "I'm going to miss you."

"We have to be gone a week. We don't want to raise any flags by going in one day on a fishing trip and coming out the next. Part of what we get we'll ship back. Part will we hidden in the freezers with the fish. I'm going to miss the hayride."

Carol was indignant, "I'm going to miss you and you are going to miss the hayride."

Daryl laughed, "I'm going to have to show you that I love you more than a hayride."

"Right now that I want to talk. We've put off training the kids how to shoot guns. Do we need to start now?" She sat up in bed and turned the light on.

"Wait until I get back. Jesse and I will do the training. You need to do some target practice while I'm gone. Using the rifles and the pistols. I'll call every day. Make sure you lock up the house every night. Take a run to a warehouse store and pick up some more rice and beans. I want to pick their Christmas presents when I get back. No need to wait around for that. Jesse and I have a house renovation up that is going to bring in some money when we get back. Might take on some more work after that." Daryl got out of bed and stood at the window looking out. "I need to call Merle. He and Christie have that baby that they are adopting. I'd like to invite them here. Would you be alright with that?"

"Of course. You call him now. Just invite them here for a stay. We can't talk about on the phone. The code words for potential problem were "bad moon rising". I'll start stocking up on formula and baby things. "

"Jesse and I have talked about taking half of the barn and putting in an apartment for guests. We have the building already and we can finish it fairly soon if we get on it."

Daryl used their land line. Cell phones didn't work out here in the country. Carol listened to the conversation. Daryl mentioned that he had heard his favorite old rock song today, "Bad Moon Rising" and it reminded him to call Merle and see how things were going. "Maybe you and Christie can bring that boy to see us in a few weeks."

The conversation didn't last long. "He says that he and Christie are thinking about visiting late in October."

Carol hugged him close again. "Five days. You don't have to stay away a week. Five days."

Daryl agreed, "Five days it is. We're leaving really early in the morning."

Carol laughed, "Better make tonight count then." She kissed his neck. "Maybe you could show me how much you will miss me and I'll show you what you are missing."

He put his arms around her and his lips lingered over hers and finally began to work their way down to her breasts. Carol sighed, but put all thoughts of tomorrow away. She wanted to enjoy the ache between her legs and the rising desire that was beginning to flood her senses. They had been in a hurry this afternoon and it had been good. Now though she wanted to savor every bit of their intimacies. She wanted to anticipate his being inside her. She wanted to withhold the tsunami of pleasure for as long as possible. "I'm a slow learner, so you'll have to show me over and over."

Daryl snickered, "I hope Michonne is a fast learner so that Jesse can drive in the morning."

AN

Just consider it unwritten but true that Carol and Daryl went through family therapy with their new children. No, Lizzie isn't crazy. She just is a normal kid who has went through hell.

Here is a site that will give you an idea where the United States gets its medicines.

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Rick's long speech was my way to allow you the reader to understand that it isn't just the pandemic that is dangerous. Not being able to get food and water will cause more deaths if the transportation system breaks down.

I'll stop on that cheery note.

I went with killer viruses. Not Ebola because that's just a really disgusting way to die.

Review?

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