Daddy?..." A sweet voice broke my train of thought. I looked up to see a completely different girl.
"Jannie June?" I answered.
"DADDY!" She ran up to me and hugged me.
"IMISSEDYOUOHMYGODITHOUGHTYOUWEREDEAD" she blurted while hugging me.
I was in tears. "My beautiful baby...my god you've grown." I held her tighter than I had held anything before for fear that she might slip away from me again, like sand on the beach.
"Dad?" I heard a foreign manly voice but I knew who it was.
"Shepherd! Dads back!" Squealed Janice hugging her brother.
"DAD!" Shepherd said rushing over. I hugged him. "MY BOY...MY BOY..." I was bawling. I held onto my children never wanting to let go. I opened my eyes to see Johnny standing there smiling wiping a tears from his eyes. I smiled and whispered; "thank you..." He smiled and nodded. After awhile we pulled away and I smiled.
"Where's your mom?" I smiled wider but to my surprise Janice's face dropped.
"What's wrong...where's your mother?" I said More concerned.
Janice backed up and looked at Johnny, "you didn't tell him?"
Johnny looked down.
"Tell me what?" I looked at Johnny, "Johnny, where the hell is Anne."
Johnny looked up with tears in his eyes, "I tried Rob...I'm sorry...I tried..." He said guiltily.
"Dad..." Shepherd said with a firm expression.
"They have her...they have mom."
Nothing could've prepared me for this. My heart dropped out of my chest.
"Anne..."
"Kids maybe it's best if you give your father some room ok." Said Johnny shuffling the kids out of the room.
"I'm sorry Rob..." He said putting his hand on my back trying to reassure me.
"No..." I said swatting him away, "NO! YOU BASTARD" I lunged at him and he struggled to hold me down.
"I NEED ASSISTANCE!" He yelled out the door.
We were huddled next to each other. "Rob, what's going on?"
The ground shook and we huddled closer in fear.
"We're being invaded." The ground shook again harder this time.
"Terrorist?" Anne said worriedly.
"Most likely..." I replied.
Janice was quivering. "Are we going to die daddy?"
"No sweetie..." I said rubbing her head. "We'll be just fine, trust me."
The ground shook again and Janice quivered into my chest.
"Guess I'm not going to school today huh..." Said Shepard.
"Not for a while." I laughed. The door rumbled and dust fell from the ceiling of the shelter.
"What do we do now" said shepherd.
"We could come up with names for the baby?" Said Anne with a smile. I admired how she could still find something happy in the mist of a bad situation.
"If it's a girl..." She questioned.
"Fern!" Giggled Janice, god how I loved her laugh.
"Willow." Said Shepard.
"That's a pretty name. And if it's a boy..."
"Hmmmm" thought Janice.
"Neo. " smiled Shepard.
"Neo? Oh I really like that!" Smiled Anne.
"Yeah he's in my comic book, He's a super soldier!" Said Shepard excited.
"Neo. So it's Fern if it's a girl and Neo if it's a boy" she smiled.
The ground shook interrupting our special moment...