Chapter 5
HELPING OUT
The Preparation team announced they were done and the Container Sources team narrowed their search to three vendors, two in Texas and one in Kansas. It was time for an update and both teams requested a meeting of the full LLC.
When everyone gathered in the shelter classroom the day of the meeting, some joining via video chat, Shannon, the spokesperson for the group, stood to speak.
"Good news! We've done all the administrative and prep work for the Evacuee homes. And the Container team has three vendors they want to work with. We have costs, now it's time to decide how many containers we want to purchase and get contracts signed. Which also means we need to vote on the design and get the sites prepared. Design team, you are up first!"
Liz, Rick, Lara, Maisie, Emily, Jethro and Geo stood while Jared, who was offsite, joined them via Skype. Liz kicked off the presentation, "We've found several conversion plans we like. Our team decided which ones we thought were the most economical and practical for the Evacuees. In a minute, we'll show you the ones we've selected."
Before they presented their choices, Jared spoke. Smiling at his friends and family he said, "We recommend three plans, each one simple to execute. The first two plans use two containers per home. The first plan has three bedrooms and the second one has four bedrooms. Both plans 1 and 2 feature 2 bathrooms. The third plan uses one container and has one bedroom, 1 bath with an extra room that can be a small bedroom, an office or a craft room. We recommend using Plan 3 for a quarter of the homes.
"Now, as I said, all of the double container homes will feature two full baths, the singles will have one. All of the homes will have full kitchens, outdoor spaces and possibly hook-ups for a stackable washer and dryer. We'll come back to alternate plans for laundry after our presentation."
He watched as the team ran their slide presentation, showing each plan in detail so that it was easy to understand. The shareholders liked the plans and voted for all three as recommended. The next decision was how many homes to start with.
After some discussion, the decision was made to start with 20 homes, broken into 15 doubles and 5 singles. Their end goal was 100 homes but they wanted to do it in smaller groups so people could start moving in as soon as each group of homes was completed.
Twenty homes called for the purchase of 35 containers and the vote to purchase was unanimous. Each of the containers would be scrubbed before delivery straight to the site.
Before they went any further, Aunt Cissy raised her hand with a question. "I'm glad we'll consider hook-ups for a washer and dryer, but will people be able to afford the machines? And yes, I remember we already decided not to provide those. But how will they wash their clothes? From what we've been told, most of these folks have very little money, no jobs and no vehicles, only the clothes on their backs. I propose we build a laundry facility. We could have one for the whole development and make it centrally located so people can easily walk there." She smiled, "We could move one of the outbuildings over here or buy an extra container, have it properly vented, wired and plumbed and lease the machines, perhaps several washers and dryers to start with."
The Design team smiled as this was part of their alternate plan. They expanded Cissy's idea with a laundry facility for each group of homes. After some discussion and debate, the expanded plan was conceptually approved and the team thanked Cissy for raising the topic.
The Container team recommended buying smaller containers for the laundries. The vendor would level the sites and install them, a big plus. The LLC approved the modification and Cissy's plan was in place.
Jethro and Jerry offered to do the drywalling and any structural work for the laundry building while Tim, Freddy and Jose said they'd do the electrical and plumbing work. When HVAC/heating and air systems were installed in the homes, one would also be installed in the laundry buildings, already nicknamed Laundry Barns. The Furnishing team added chairs, benches and a table for folding clothes to their list while the Appliance team added researching leasing washers and dryers versus purchasing used machines to their list.
Their last order of business that day was the decision to call for bids from qualified contractors for the container conversions. Before the meeting was over, Jethro and Tim announced they would have to abstain from the contractor decision because of their friendship with the owner of Ortiz Construction. As Bill Colter would be working for Ortiz, he also abstained.
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While they waited for the containers to arrive and the bids to be submitted, the LLC shareholders decided to have a proper road made into the property from the county road. For now, gravel would do; it would be paved after they had all the containers in and were finished with the heavy equipment.
With the help of professional consultants, the first 20 housing and laundry barn plots were carefully mapped out and prepared, including grading the land, bringing in the utility and water lines and removing a few trees and shrubs. After much discussion, they settled on a contractor. In the end, Ortiz Construction was chosen. They were the most qualified with the best reviews, experience and crew and provided carefully detailed estimates.
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A week after the diner opening in Taos, the two Cyber Crime Unit techs who'd sheltered in Galveston arrived in Albuquerque with their families. For now, they would work and live at the ranch. The techs and their families were all smiles at the hearty welcome they received.
The following week, Leon stood after dinner in the shelter one night to make an announcement. "I'm pleased and relieved to tell you the Department of Defense has signed the lease on the new NCIS headquarters! The building will be ready for occupation by November 12th."
After the cheers of his employees and friends died down, he continued, "The federal employees already here will move in first while HR, Legal, and other administrative staff relocate from their sheltering locations. Most of them, including Pamela Cook and three of the Intel analysts, are expected the same week the building opens. Eight more of the CCU staff will also be relocating that week, four from Seattle and four from San Diego. And I'm proud to announce that our new arrivals from Galveston will be the first occupants of the residential suites in the NCIS building."
That got more cheers and the new families smiled happily. While they would occupy the residential suites, the others relocating would stay in the barn rooms or the shelter. Bill and Pete, two of the original residents were still sleeping in there. The group also had dinners in the shelter, as they were tonight, when everyone was there and outdoors was not feasible. However, the nursery and four dormitory rooms would quickly be converted to single or double rooms. Between those new rooms and the rooms vacated by those now living in town, the house or guesthouses, there would be plenty of room for relocating NCIS employees including Tim's techs. For those without furniture, the agency would rent beds and dressers.
When Ed and Ginny Slater offered one of their guest bedrooms, Pam Cook and her husband decided to stay with them while they figured out their new hometown. It would be easier for Pam to live in the city, as she would be very busy the first few months and her husband worked from anywhere with an internet connection. They'd left DC in time to drive rental trucks with their belongings and towing their vehicles west to Utah. Now they had two vehicles and their furniture was in storage, a luxury Pam realized most evacuees didn't have.
Two nights later, it was Lara Vance's turn for an announcement. "I'm now officially licensed in New Mexico for a day-care business, including infant care, preschool and an after-school center! I've signed a lease for the day-care space next to the office; we will be up and running within a week of the NCIS opening. Along with the traditional day-care and preschool, we'll have a before-and-after school center for kids up to 15 years old. I'm working on a contract with the school districts to pick up and drop off students."
That got happy cheers from the parents and kids. By the end of the evening, Lara hired Jazzy and Eileen to work at the day-care and after-school center once the schools reopened. Shannon and Barbara would volunteer when they had time but would also be involved with the container homes. Sarah was already involved with the housing project. Bec was also involved with Evacuee housing in between searching for a teaching position at local colleges and universities. She and Tim also managed the two garden areas, with food crops now growing safely in the basement as well as the shelter. When Bec was offered a full professorship at UNM, everyone was pleased.
Rob and Kelly were among the first to return to work, hired by the medical center at UNM and like Barry had their orientations and first duty shifts within a day or so of their hiring. Because the two were the 'newbies' on staff, they worked many night shifts. The siblings quickly decided they needed to live in town and as they weren't working the same shifts, decided to rent a place together.
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As life slowly evolved to normal or whatever the new normal would be, Rancho La Serenidad welcomed the first evacuee families. Several people relocated from the school shelter; two families took the vacant guesthouses and the others, some with children, moved into the barn. As promised, the larger beds were replaced with bunk beds or singles to accommodate the children.
That first group was greeted with a banner welcoming them home, which brought many smiles. Each individual, couple or family was given a gift basket with toiletries and food. Their rooms were complete with bedding and towels. The guesthouse and barn kitchens were outfitted with cookware, dishes, cutlery, basic staples and all the appliances the new folks would need. The refrigerators and freezers were full.
The clan planned a welcome barbecue that first night but when they saw how exhausted most of the evacuees were, they rescheduled for the next night. To ease the transition, Tim, Tony, Shannon and Barbara put together first night meals for all of them.
After the cooks delivered the meals, they reconvened in the ranch kitchen.
Shannon shook her head, "We thought of almost everything."
Jethro was puzzled, "What'd we miss?"
Barbara made a face, "Clothes. These folks were all picked up by the Evacuation buses and had one suitcase each. They've lived in those clothes and only those clothes for nearly five months. They had limited laundry facilities. If that happened to me, I'd be ready to toss everything I had." She huffed, "I have more than they do and I'm ready to burn it all!"
Tim frowned, "They have access to the washers and dryers in the shelters. I checked and there's plenty of detergent. Should we buy clothes for them or give them gift cards to local stores or what?"
Ellie looked thoughtful, "For one thing, the children may have grown out of what they brought. Might be easier if we take them into town to the thrift stores. They can use their first month's government vouchers for clothes; we stocked the kitchens with enough food for a couple of weeks, which should help. And if they don't find what they need at the thrift stores, we can take them to Walmart, Costco and other inexpensive stores."
Jerry nodded, "That's a good idea. We'll need several vehicles and drivers. It'd be great if we could do it before you NCIS'ers move into the new office, that way we can use your big van as well as the SUVs and sedans."
Rick Carter, in the kitchen making coffee, made a suggestion, "Why don't we have a meeting and a sign-up sheet? I'll volunteer to drive our car, now that we have four good tires. I can take four, five if they don't mind squeezing in the backseat." He grinned, "I'll even volunteer to make the sign-up sheet, how's that?"
"Great, Rick, thanks!" Sketching a salute, he disappeared to the library to get started.
After dinner, they convened a meeting and found plenty of volunteers to drive their evacuees into town. They had 23 evacuees, including five children. Tim and Ellie's van could hold 14 adults or children not needing a safety seat but that left only the rooftop container for their purchases. The Vances, Carters, Hubbards and Bishops volunteered their vehicles and a driver each. That was all they needed.
The next morning, the evacuees heard the plan and most sighed in relief. As one woman, Letty Shields told them, "Last night was the first night we've slept in real beds and in actual rooms with walls and a door since we left home. Speaking for my husband David and me this was the first full night's sleep we've had. We're grateful for the evacuation and shelter, thankful to be alive. But, oh boy, did it feel good to stretch out on a real bed, close the door and sleep! Now I can think again and yes, please, my family needs clothes!"
While the clan thought the Evacuees' first order of business would be laundry, they found it was more personal. Each one wanted to bathe before they did anything else.
David Shields laughed, "You'd think we'd traveled hundreds of miles to the ranch instead of 20 something from Albuquerque. This feels like heaven to us! No more cots or communal showers. And we'll have clean clothes."
The caravan finally headed into town after lunch. Ellie and Sarah stayed home with Barbara and Shannon while Jerry, Claire, Tim, Rick and Lara drove.
Most of the folks found sufficient clothing at the thrift stores in town although Jerry took one family to Walmart. Reconvening at the ranch, the evacuees used the sign-up sheet for the shelter laundry facilities and presented much happier faces at the barbecue that evening.
With city schools empty after their evacuees moved out, cleanup and repairs got underway. All of the Albuquerque schools were scheduled to reopen on November 12, the Tuesday after Veterans' Day. The ranch kids were all registered, the Bishops as temporary students, and the grades of all the students from the shelter school were entered into their permanent records. It was an extraordinary move by the Board of Education recognizing the talent, skills and diligence of Shannon, Eileen, Jazzy, Bec and Geordie and the hard work of the children.
Because only Bec and Geordie were qualified college and university education instructors, the college kids would have to prove the knowledge taught by the other instructors. They'd take exams in the topics covered in the shelter and if they passed, they'd be credited with the class. If not, they'd have to take the course again. That wasn't a surprise; they'd known that from the beginning.
Cousin Ali Bishop found work as a paralegal at an Albuquerque law firm while she continued to seek an attorney's position. When Kelly and Rob found a 3-bedroom apartment, she moved in with them, helping to furnish the place and the three had a good time putting everything together. Their shelter beds and dressers came with them and Ali brought her portion of the furniture she and her sister had shared in their Oklahoma City apartment. Once all that was in place, they found other items in thrift stores and a couple of items on craigslist.
While Ali had a car, Rob didn't and Kelly's didn't have long to live. The long trek from Virginia had nearly done it in. Kelly shook her head as she and Rob looked at it one day, "Not even Dad can keep it going much longer. I think it needs to be retired."
"Are you going to buy another car?"
"Not right away. We'll drive this one until it gives up the ghost and then I guess we can walk or take the bus to and from the hospital."
Rob nodded, that was fine with him. Their apartment was less than a mile from the hospital; it wouldn't be far to walk or take the bus. However, their father did not want either of them strolling around town during the wee hours. Albuquerque was a great place to live but it was not crime free. Dad took each of them used car shopping, telling them it was an early Christmas present.
When Ginny and Ed Slater decided to sell the Buick and buy a newer one, no one was surprised. Their family and friends figured that buying it from Pete was a way to put more money in his pocket. What was a surprise was the purchase of the car by the senior Gibbses who then presented the car to Mateo. He accepted it on condition he be allowed to pay them back.
They came to an agreement that satisfied Mateo's pride and sense of fair play. These people had been supporting him for several months now, feeding, clothing and sheltering him and he wanted to pull his own weight again, wanted his independence.
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While all this was going on, October 31st sneaked up on them and the Gibbs clan threw a Halloween party, inviting the Ortizes and others they'd met in Albuquerque.
After their first experience at church, Jethro and Tim met with the Reverend Miller and told him the undercover version of their previous lives in Albuquerque. He gracefully accepted their explanation and the next time the Gibbses were in church, he reintroduced them at the end of the service, leading to some interesting conversations afterward. Many people remembered the two violent killers who'd been arrested shortly before the Hulls moved away three years ago and arrived at their own conclusions.
When the invitations for the Halloween party went out, several members of the church, including the Reverend and his family, were invited as well as all of the evacuees at the ranch.
The party was held both indoors and outdoors as the evenings were too chilly for the youngsters to stay out long. With the enthusiastic cooperation of the barn residents, tables and chairs were moved out of the common area and a haunted house was constructed using prefabricated walls from the shelter. Other areas had carnival style games and a Face Painting booth. The evacuee kids would have their faces painted before the party started, so that their faces would go with their costumes. Several of the unoccupied bunkrooms were set up for trick or treating, each door decorated with a Halloween theme and each greeter was in costume. The guesthouses were also decorated with Halloween themes and all of the ranch kids, temporary or permanent, had fun trick or treating.
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The first delivery of shipping containers arrived from Texas the next day. Nearly the entire population of the ranch and a few of the Ortizes made their way to the Adams' parcel, as they still called it, to watch as the trucks rolled in with them.
The sites were ready! Because the soil was naturally hard, the foundations installed for the homes were concrete piers. Six per container and they were already in place along with all the necessary connecting lines: utilities, water and septic.
The trucks stopped at the entrance and then one by one were directed to the housing plots. A crane lifted each container off and into place. It took a few hours but finally they were all in place and the conversion could begin. As the last container was set down, there were cheers and sparkling beverages were served in celebration. When everyone, including the crane operator, construction crews and truck drivers, had a glass of something bubbly, toasts were called out and Kayla Vance proudly announced the opening of "The Grove", the name the LLC selected to call the housing development.
While they worked to prepare their first evacuee homes and the arrival of the first Returnees, the rest of the country was working in various ways to do the same thing. Jared and Matt's survey, now titled the Vance-Crane survey, was assigned a form number by the federal government, a sure sign of acceptance. It was distributed nationwide and all types of municipalities responded immediately.
City and county governments held emergency rezoning meetings and owners of office buildings, empty buildings, vacant apartments and people with empty guestrooms, RVs and travel trailers pledged their help. Buildings that had been boarded up were quickly brought up to legal building codes and rehabilitated, empty offices converted to residential space, empty storefronts modified to house Evacuees, those who'd sheltered in the U.S., and Returnees, those who had been evacuated to locations outside of the country.
Gradually, shelters in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and farther south were released. As those folks returned home, many soon became part of the grass roots efforts to bring their neighbors home. As evacuees were released from shelters in the far north and south of the East Coast, those who no longer had homes were offered homes farther west. Not every person wanted to leave and she or he was accommodated whenever possible.
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The Friday before the NCIS office officially opened, Leon and his employees had a personal tour of their new quarters. Pam Cook arrived in town on Thursday and when she saw everyone on Friday, she hugged them all. Ellie received a very gentle hug while Maggie's came with a surprised look as Pam noticed her baby bump. The littles were with them and Pam greeted Lia and Ricky and was introduced to Arin DiNozzo, Zoey and Zach Vance.
The two Galveston Cyber Techs and their families were moving into the residential suites on Saturday and gave everyone a tour. Leon recorded it so Kayla could see and - he hoped - approve. Three more suites had been completed with the last five still under construction. The architect reconfigured the office space on that floor, leaving enough square footage available for 10 residential suites and a laundry room.
After the tour of the suites, they split into groups, most of the parents with kids sticking together to explore the building. The lab looked good; Tony and Tim looked at each other, thinking how much Abby would love a brand new lab. They peeked into autopsy at a very large screen, the one Jimmy would use as he performed remote autopsies. There were also two autopsy tables in the room with booms overhead that Tony said looked like camera booms and Tim agreed. If Jimmy was not available to perform a local autopsy, someone else would dial in to handle it.
The holding cells looked like holding cells everywhere but the security check-in was set up more efficiently. Dorneget had already blessed the evidence lockup and garage so after looking at the fitness center and the pool they went to the fourth floor, new home of the field agents.
They smiled as they spotted the one orange wall, something they'd specifically asked to be included. The DoD representative thought they were crazy but it meant home to them and right now, they'd take every hint of their old home they could get.
The construction crew was hanging the "Most Wanted" photos and one of them was holding up Bin Laden's picture. "We got this guy years ago, why is he still up here?"
Tony answered for all of them. "Because he murdered our friends and neighbors and we got him. We don't ever forget."
"And you are?"
With a great deal of satisfaction, Tony flipped out his badge and ID. "An American. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."
The worker nodded and turned around to hang the photo with the big red X marked across it on the wall.
Tim cleared his throat, "Excuse me, where are The Fallen and the Wall of Fame?"
Another one of the workers gestured and they followed his direction. When they reached the wall with 'The Fallen', Tim and Tony pressed their fingertips to the photos of Kate, Paula, Jim Nelson, Rick Hall, Chris Pacci, Jenny Shepard, Brent Langer and Mike Franks, who although he'd been retired for many years, was considered to have died in the line of duty. They also paid tribute to several others: Agent Macy, Agent Patterson and sadly, the agents from the Marseille office.
Tim stared at Kate's photo. "It's been so long, Tony, more than 14 years since Ari killed her. So much has happened, changed. We're married with kids, having more kids. Wonder what she'd think?"
"I hope she'd be proud of the three of us, Tim. You, me, Boss, we've hung together through some tough times. Few times we didn't think we'd make it but here we are."
Tim nodded and lapsed into silence; Tony thought he might be thinking of his brother Patrick. Putting his free hand on his little brother's shoulder, he squeezed, "Hey, think of Kate as our angel in heaven, Probie, with Patrick, your friend Jim Nelson, Paula, Mike Franks, and Jenny."
To his own amazement, Tim started to laugh and Tony and Maggie stared at him. Finally, he caught his breath enough to explain, "Mike Franks in white robes, with wings, a halo and a cigar, drifting on a cloud!"
That got Tony going too while Maggie stared at them. Then she glanced back at the photo of Franks and chuckled, she'd never met him but she'd heard enough that she could see the humor.
"And Kate is in charge, most definitely. Telling the other angels what morons they are."
"Oh yeah. Come on, I want to see my department."