Chapter 16

Saturday was a blur of activity at the ranch and The Grove. While the children had plenty of attention from the adults, there was a lot of quiet talk, worry and cleaning.

As he ate breakfast that morning, Mackie on his lap playing with a spoon, Tim read a text from Blake about The Grove slideshow that he, Kayla and Jimmy made last year.

Ty, Brynie, Victoria, Teddy and Lissie Fuller were in it pretending to be prospective occupants. Lia, Ricky and the Vance twins were in a piece of it, playing in a playground next to a Laundry Barn. Even Henry and Bess, their first retiree tenants, were included, telling a bit of their story. Along with the shots of the neighborhoods, there were slides of the interior and exterior of each type of model, slides showing the bus stop shelter (complete with the spray mister for the hot weather and the solar powered heater for the cold) and the nearby grocery store.

They'd also included a few slides of Albuquerque so people could see what the area was like. Blake reported that he, the Secretary and her Chief of Staff had viewed it and thought it was wonderful; they'd show it to the group when they arrived.

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The commercial cleaning crew had already cleaned the vacant homes. The ones to be occupied only needed dusting and the exteriors of the windows washed again. Sheets, blankets and covers were washed, dried and put back on the beds, towels washed, folded and hung in the bathrooms. Dishes, cups, glasses and cutlery were put through the dishwasher. Supplies of toilet paper, soap, dishwasher and dish soap were checked.

For the homes that would also have cat residents, a litter box and bag of kitty litter were provided. Dog and cat food were provided for the appropriate houses. The power was turned on, the thermostats set to a cool setting. They were testing them today but would turn the air- conditioning on again Tuesday morning, the retirees on the LLC committed to handling that.

Tim and the guys moved a few of the TVs out of storage where they'd been since the last occupants left, making a note of the serial numbers on the inventory list. They'd hook them up to the satellite service when the newcomers arrived, although they thought some of the Bacian evacuees might have their own TVs with them. The patios and walkways would be swept Tuesday morning; it was pointless to do before then. A list of groceries was made, mostly staples: milk, bread, eggs, cheese, butter, cereal and peanut butter, with a few frozen meals until people had a chance to go shopping themselves. Uncle Dave and Aunty Liz took the list to the bulk grocery store in town. Vegetables and fresh flowers would come from their own gardens and they'd buy fresh fruit and berries at the local stands on Sunday.

All day long, the group kept eyes and ears on the news. They weren't as tense, fearful and worried as they'd been before the Attack a year ago but they were concerned for their future new friends and tenants.

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By Saturday night, they knew they'd been right to worry; Bacia was now live on the news. The capital city, where the Embassy was located, had a lot of unrest that day and toward nightfall, it got worse. They saw the Marines in their combat gear, their stance defensive. No shots had yet been fired near the Embassy grounds; the local police appeared to be doing their best to keep the crowds away. But the city was growing wild, two citizens of other countries were beaten to death, three others badly injured before they were rescued by the police.

When the news stations reported that the militia had been called in to keep the rioters in check, Tim and Ellie wondered if the travelers would leave early.

The answer came in a text from Blake Moran at 0300 Sunday morning. "They're in the air, all good, animals too. Will keep them here until Tuesday unless otherwise notified."

Tim was reading that aloud to Ellie when her phone rang. It was Tony, "Maggie says they're out safe, everyone got out. The government called the army in to protect them. Their president was quoted as saying he'd given his word to the Americans; that we'd kept our word about removing our citizens and the delay was due to the weather forecast and air traffic, not any fault of the Americans."

The trio spoke for a few minutes before Tim's phone chimed with a call from his father. "You heard?"

"Yes, I had a text from Blake Moran that they got out safely. He said they'd hold them in Wash…Charlotte until Tuesday."

"Do we need to do that, to wait?"

"The houses are ready. The power's on, groceries are put away, we have food for the animals, the TVs we have are in place." He looked at Ellie, "We'll have to reschedule the veterinarian - can you think of any other reason to wait?"

"No, they'll have to be debriefed tomorrow, I mean later today. I can't think of any reason not to bring them out Monday. Maybe still bring the animals on Tuesday, be easier."

The four of them, Tony still on Ellie's phone, agreed and Tim sent Blake a text that they were ready, to bring them on Monday with questions about the animals. Blake's response was Tuesday for the animals. Tim wrote a text to the LLC membership, setting it for a delayed send. No use waking everyone!

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When they woke again later that morning, the news outlets reported that all American citizens who'd been residents in Bacia had been safely evacuated, along with the Marines, their families and of course the Embassy staff.

They reached their Bishop family as they were sitting down to lunch together and Ellie and Tim chatted with them for several minutes, telling them about the baby. While they were in Ruidoso, Barbara and Shannon had decided that Ellie was pregnant; now she and Jerry were over the moon happy to have that confirmed. A smiling Jazzy shook her finger at Ellie, "I knew there was more going on than just the altitude!"

After ending the call, the couple decided to spend the day with their children. At first they thought of a bike ride but it was already too hot, they'd save that for an early morning outing. Instead, they went for a swim.

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As they prepared for the family gathering later that afternoon, Tim and Ellie told the children about the baby. As expected, they were very excited! Ty remembered that they'd also told everyone about Mackie at a dinner here and they had a giggle over that.

While the shelter was handy, the Gibbs clan didn't want to have to eat in there all the time and hadn't yet renovated the ranch house dining room to fit all of them. As Grandpa said, it was hard to plan a renovation when the family kept expanding!

Instead, they'd looked at ideas for a family gathering spot outdoors. While there were many solutions, the one that most appealed to them was the use of open-air canopies, the shelters used at farmers' markets and street fairs. Tim did some research online before he, Dad and Jimmy started going to the markets and fairs to study them. Eventually the trio figured out how they were made, the different options and what would be best for their family. With the large and growing clan, they'd need several of these things and they were not cheap.

After pricing the components and talking with the seamstresses in the family, they determined it would be less expensive to make them. Finding the material for the tops was tricky, as it was not generally sold to individuals in the amounts they needed.

In the end, enough of the fabric was found, purchased and the seamstresses went to work. It took a few weeks but now they had canopies with UV and water resistant tops and enough 'side walls' that could be moved from side to side or end to end as the sun moved. There were four large tops, connected at the ends with zip ties, with enough legs to support them. The Gibbses had improved upon the models they'd seen by slanting the legs outward so people would have more freedom of movement.

To further help combat the heat, they fastened a high-pressured water misting system providing a cooling mist. Done properly, the system reduced the heat by as much as 25 degrees. Tim and Jethro were proud that, just as with the canopies, they'd studied the makeup of the commercially sold systems and made their own.

The grills were at the edge of the cover, not quite in the sun but not affecting the cooling system. Coolers full of ice had plenty of pitchers, cans and bottles of water, lemonade, iced tea, iced coffee, fruit drinks and beer. Under the canopies were enough tables, benches and chairs to comfortably seat the entire clan. These would do fine for now, eventually they planned to build a permanent wooden pavilion with enough room for a hundred people.

When everyone, including the 'townies' Rob, Ali, Kelly and Matt, had gathered and had something cold to drink, Tim and Ellie stood up. The two of them, Tyler and Bryn were grinning madly while Lia squealed and Mackie echoed his big sister. "Ellie and I have news to share."

As Ellie stood, Shannon grinned, she and Barb had been right! Her son took her daughter-in-law's hand and Ellie smiled at him, turning to the group, "We have déjà vu all over again. Yes, we're pregnant! We're 12 weeks; we waited to tell you this time. And before anyone thinks of a polite way to ask, yes, this was planned."

Their kids joined them while the others cheered and then swarmed them with hugs, gentle ones for Ellie and thumps on the back for Tim whose grin just got bigger.

When the tumult finally died back, Tim looked at his younger sister and brother who were both beaming…as were Ali and Matt. "Something tells me there's more news to come?"

Having won the coin toss, Kelly and Matt stood. Matt opened his mouth but Kelly was too excited to wait. She held up her left hand, which featured a lovely ring, "We're getting married!" Matt grinned in happiness and a big dose of relief. He'd already survived the "chat" with her father - with the help and advice of his stepdad and the Gibbs' in-laws, mostly Bob, the only other male in-law. Now he laughed as he wrapped his arms around Kelly and held on while the two of them were swarmed.

When the noise died down again, Kelly grinned, "And there's more…"

Grabbing Ali's hand, Rob held it up. "We're engaged!" And then they laughed, as it was their turn for the swarm.

When relative quiet was restored, Grandpa looked around, "Anyone else?"

The two engaged couples smiled at each other, standing again. Kelly spoke, "We don't want big fancy weddings, we'd like to double up like Sarah, Bob, Geordie, and Bec did. And we want to be married on the ranch with everyone here. Matt's family, all the Bishops and all of us, the extended family too."

Ellie opened her mouth but Ali smiled at her, "We had dinner with Trish, Aunt Cissy and Uncle John last night. You?"

"Skyped with Mom, Dad and the gang when they were at the ranch for lunch today."

Smiling, the cousins hugged each other. They pulled apart as Grandpa, who'd left the group, returned holding a calendar. "All right, as long as we have so many of us here, let's talk dates."

The two couples agreed on a Saturday, easier for everyone, and they started going through dates. Luckily, all of the siblings and some of the older folks had their schedules on their phones. They found two weekends in September when everyone here was available so they'd hold those open while the Bishops and the Rowes, Matt's family, were consulted.

The announcements and scheduling done, Jethro and Uncle Jim put the burgers and hot dogs on the grills. Grammie, Tim, Tobias, Tony and Shannon retrieved the bowls of salads, potato and veggie with greens, and sliced tomatoes and onions from the coolers. Pickles were popped into bowls and put on the table with the rest of the fixings. With this crowd, it was always easier to eat buffet-style.

Everything but the meat, buns, ketchup, mustard and the salad dressings was produced on the ranch and those commercial items had been carefully selected from reputable grocers. Maisie, Shannon and Bec had a date to make their first batches of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise but the mustard seed pods were still maturing in a paper bag and they wanted to do all three the same weekend.

The potatoes were grown in the basement garden, the onions, tomatoes, salad greens, the cucumbers for the pickles and the veggies came from the shelter garden. The cucumbers had been pickled and jarred in the shelter kitchen, stored in the basement root cellar. Mac loved to tease his daughter about returning to the ways of his grandparents.

The simple dinner was delicious, noisy and fun. Before they ate dessert, they went for a walk. It was nearly 6:30 PM by this time and the worst of the heat was gone. With the littles in strollers or riding on various shoulders or backs, they walked down past the dry creek bed to the spot where they could see over the rise to the new homes. There they could see the skeletons of the next three houses under construction, the Chalmers', Cranes' and DiNozzos'. The Tim Gibbses, Palmers and Hubbards were already in; the Perrys would be last as they were the least crowded in a guesthouse.

Construction was on schedule; for those who hadn't looked in a while, the huge half circle cul-de-sac was impressive. In the middle of the half circle was a large fenced area with the already excavated areas for the community pool, play area and hydroponic greenhouse. After worrying about uncontaminated soil, Bec decided they should use hydroponics for the new garden. They'd purchased a small system and after learning how it worked, made their own larger system. From there it was an easy step to the greenhouse, surprising nobody. With the three gardens, shelter, basement and greenhouse, they now grew all their own vegetables, had a beautiful flower garden, had recently planted Bec's avocado and Tim's apple trees and could feed the whole ranch and likely the residents of The Grove.

Dave and Liz smiled as they viewed the progress on their future home. The exterior needed painting, most of the interior work was done; it wouldn't be long now. The three of them had been comfortable in the guesthouse during the school year. With Jeff living on campus, he was only home on weekends. He was taking advantage of the summer session, working part-time in town and staying with Freddie and Jose. Summer classes would be over in less than a month and then the guesthouse accommodations would be tight. However, by then they should be moving into their permanent home. They'd better be, as the Cranes' daughter would be visiting in September, over Labor Day weekend.

The Chalmers were still in the ranch house and although their little ones were now sleeping through the night, the elder Gibbses were the only ones of those who fled the crying newborns to return to the house.

Unless she was the only one in a guesthouse, Penny didn't want to move, she loved her little house. She wasn't too worried, knowing Maisie and Don were also quite happy where they were. Richard and Mac might move; Mac back to the house and Richard possibly in with his family. He'd have a whole suite to himself. Then again, he might go back to the house or stay where he was; he really enjoyed the company of his contemporaries. Lu wasn't going anywhere; she and Penny were becoming good friends as they swapped stories of Tim and Sarah as children. The Fornells, Tobias and Mel, were happy in their place and didn't want to move. When Emily visited, she usually stayed in the big house, as long as she could stay on the 3rd floor.

After they'd checked out the new neighborhood, the family reversed course and walked back to the canopies where they'd enjoy their fresh berry pie and ice cream. Following Elaine's recipe, Shannon made a diabetic-friendly berry dessert for Jimmy, making extra to freeze.

Elaine reported from Oregon that she and Jacob were still settling in to their new home. They missed all their friends although they were slowly making new ones. Due to their children's busy schedules, they hadn't seen as much of them as they'd hoped. They missed their diner and having something to do with their time and spoke of flying in for a week's vacation. While they still had the RV, neither wanted to repeat the drive between Oregon and New Mexico.

After dessert, the tables were cleared, the dishes taken to the shelter dishwasher, the canopies were dismantled and stored, the tables returned to their rightful owners. Pushing strollers, Jimmy carrying a tired Teddy, the three cul-de-sac families walking over and down the rise to their homes. It really wasn't far but after a long eventful weekend, they were all tired. And tomorrow would be even busier.

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With day camp over until next summer, all the children would stay on the ranch Monday while their parents worked. The plane with the expats was due to arrive at 1500 and Tim hoped he could get away. He drove Ellie's truck to work, leaving the van for his parents, while Ellie drove Shannon's car.

Planning to leave early, Tim worked through lunch and was making his way through more case files when Leon called. "Pack it up and go home, now. I'm going; I've taken Maggie and Tony's teams off rotation so they can go and I've spoken with Ellie's supervisor. Evan and Jim will be here and the others. We're only a few minutes away if we're needed. By order of Secretary Porter."

"Huh?"

Leon chuckled; he'd certainly surprised Tim. His regional director was usually more eloquent than that!

"Go! The plane is about 30 minutes out, if you get your butt in gear you can be there when it lands; I'm told it's important for all of us to be there."

"All right, thanks, Leon, see you there!"

Tim grabbed his gear, hustling out of the office, telling his second in command he'd be working from home later and reachable by phone. As Maggie was on a conference call that would run several minutes more, Tony drove Shannon's car home while Ellie rode with Tim.

They found everyone excited, on 'pins and needles' at the ranch. The kids were nearly dancing with excitement while Shannon gave her word none of them had had any extra sugar.

While they'd expected to see several pickup trucks lined up to bring the newcomers' belongings over to The Grove, they were happily surprised to see Pete's truck parked at the edge of the back road to the Ortizes. Home a few days earlier than expected, he'd eaten and had a nap. When he heard what was happening, he volunteered to transport people's belongings from the jet to The Grove. He'd need help loading and unloading but it would be a lot easier than using multiple trucks.

After a meet and greet in the shelter, the new folks would ride to their new homes in the Gibbs' big van and all the other vehicles they could round up. Tomas Ortiz had an old station wagon used to ferry their guests around the ranch and they'd borrowed it for the day. The gates between La Serenidad and The Grove were open, the houses ready.

They'd take the kids over in Jethro's truck, their seats had been removed from the van so that 14 adults plus the driver would fit. Jethro even had the Challenger ready in case it was needed. He'd thought of putting Abby's old hotrod back together but he didn't think that would be a very comfortable ride over the dirt roads.

While they sat in their vehicles behind Pete's truck, they first saw and then heard the jet descending and then landing. The parade waited on the La Serenidad side of the dirt road until the jet was on the runway and taxied to a stop. None of them remembered it being so noisy but everyone was holding their ears. Luckily, none of the kids was scared even though the roar reminded several of the adults of the roars they'd endured when the missiles hit.

Once Pete received a signal to proceed, he drove down the dirt road and then off to his left, the side with the cargo hold.

The other vehicles followed but split off to the right, leaving plenty of room for the gangplank and people to stand once they were off the stairs.

On their best behavior, the children, Gibbses, senior and junior, Kelly, Sarah and Bob, the Palmers, Tony and Arin DiNozzo, fidgeted quietly by the cars while the Greats tried not to fidget right along with them. Shannon handed out their nametags, something Brynie suggested, and everyone clipped them to their clothing.

Tim, Ellie, Tony, Maggie, Sarah, Bob and Kelly represented the Gibbs' offspring and in-laws today, as Rob, Geo, Bec, Ali and Matt were working. The twins plus Juliet and Alex were in the nursery at the house under the watchful eyes of Granddad Barnes, Aunty Mel, Uncle Tobias and Aunty Lu. The babies slept while the four adults quietly played cards.

Finally, the hatch opened and the gangplank was lowered. Blake Moran was the first one off; he smiled at the crowd, nodding to Tim before positioning himself at the bottom of the gangway. As people walked down the steps, he handed them a nametag. Ty pointed that out, "Look, now we'll know everyone's names and they'll know ours!"

A family of 5 followed Blake down the gangplank. They smiled in relief and happiness when they saw the welcoming committee. An elderly couple was next, helped down by a crewmember. Shannon looked at Jethro, glad they'd prepared the empty single close to Henry and Bess. The newcomers smiled a little tentatively and then with more enthusiasm as they were welcomed.

The others were similarly welcomed, ushered to chairs and benches under a large canopy, which Tamara Ortiz had thankfully thought to set up. As the passengers continued disembarking, Maggie arrived, joining Tony and Arin.

A young couple descended the gangway, carrying a baby. As they reached Blake, he frowned, asking them a question. The woman shrugged and made a gesture toward the plane. Tim was watching; although he didn't know Blake well, he thought the man was angry. The couple took their nametags, moved into the shade, nodding at the welcoming committee and sitting apart from the others.

Just as the couple sat down, the welcoming committee was distracted by a vehicle approaching behind the jet. When the driver got out, several eyebrows raised as they recognized the woman. She was from the Albuquerque Child Protection Services office and had been the caseworker for the Cranes, DiNozzos, Vances and Hubbards when they adopted their foster children. She'd visited the ranch several times and now Ellie and Tim looked at each other, wondering what was going on. The woman, Ms. Clark, nodded to her former clients and the rest of the crowd, having met most of them and walked over to Blake, handing him a card. He said something to her, gesturing to the jet and she frowned.

Watching closely, Tim moved forward. "Ms. Clark, is there a foster child aboard? I notice you have a walking cast, I know from experience those are almost impossible for steps. May I help?" Ellie had joined them, listening.

She smiled at the couple, "Hello! You're the Gibbses, right? Is your certification updated?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then, yes, thank you. There is a toddler on the plane, he's had a difficult time on both flights and from what Mr. Moran says, didn't get much sleep last night. He's asleep now and I hate to wake him but I need to get him placed for tonight."

Ellie nodded and smiled at Tim; he grinned, kissing her before he walked up the gangplank. There was no way either of them would ever let a child go elsewhere if they had the capacity to care for him or her.

Once inside the jet, he started looking in the mostly empty seats at the front and quickly spotted a tiny boy about Lia's age. A baby, barely a toddler and he'd been left alone. This might be why Blake was angry with that couple. He gently lifted the little boy in his arms and turned to take him out of the plane, waiting while the line of people parted to let him through. He thanked those waiting and when the baby made a distressed noise, Tim held him against his shoulder, murmuring to him that he was all right, he was safe and he would be loved. The child instinctively snuggled into his shoulder and Tim smiled. Wherever he'd been, whatever had happened to him, he was home now.

Walking down the gangplank and joining his smiling wife, Tim gestured to Ms. Clark to join them in the shade. Chuckling, she held out her phone for signatures on the form, placing the boy with them. She handed them a file with his records, gently touching the baby's face and whispering, "His name is Henry Lorenz and he's an American citizen, born in the U.S. to American parents who abandoned him in Bacia when he was 3 months old. How about you bring him in later in the week?" With a nod and smile to the rest of the clan, she limped back to her car.

Tim and Ellie sat in the back of the canopy shelter, looking at their new foster son. He had long brown eyelashes, a mop of curly brown hair and sweet lips they could imagine curving into a smile. Tim looked at his facial features and then looked over at his father who was still greeting the newcomers while keeping an eye on his son. Dad and Mom were there in a flash. Ellie smiled, "His name is Henry."

Jethro and Shannon quietly kissed him on the head and when Mac, Kelly and Tony came over, they did the same.

Kelly grabbed Tim's arm. "He's beautiful!" she whispered to her brother. He nodded, "I know, look at that sweet face."

Jethro looked at the baby with a smile, "He'll be happy here."

Ellie touched the little boy's hand and still asleep, he curled his fingers around hers. She smiled, "Yes he will." She looked at her husband, mouthing 'Number 6!' to him. He grinned back at her.

The two of them smiled at their kids who quickly joined them, pushing Lia and Mackie in the stroller. "Ty, Brynie, Lia, Mackie, this is Henry. He's our new foster child, your new foster brother."

Ty frowned, "Does he get to stay with us? Forever?"

Tim tugged him closer, "We don't know yet but we hope so, Snuggly boy; we hope so."

Breena walked over with Ricky. "I've got extra diapers with me. And an extra bag at home." Ty helped her take the diaper bag off her shoulder and she handed four diapers to Ellie who shook her head with a smile. "Forever in diapers!"

Tim and the two women laughed while the newcomers watched them quietly. When Mackie started making the noise that was the beginning of his 'feed me' cry, they decided to take their family home; they'd all had enough excitement for the day.