Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters that appeared on the CBS version of Jericho. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: This is bonus content that occurs between the episodes Four Horsemen and The Walls of Jericho. We will use this time to catch up on the personal lives of Jake and Heather, the rest of the Green family, and all of the other characters in my mind.
Chapter VII: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch . . .
September 24, 2006
Bombs + 3 Days
By the time Jake had arrived home from town Friday night, Heather was already at home and had the babies asleep in bed. They exchanged pleasantries and Jake went straight to sleep, exhausted. When he awakened Saturday morning, Heather was not in bed next to him. Chip had been moved into the sitting-area part of their room with the twins when the bombs fell and the out-of-town relatives arrived. It might be considered a tight squeeze by standard considerations, but Jake found that he enjoyed having his family close during this time of uncertainty.
He raised his head and could see that Heather was asleep in her glider with a twin asleep in her arms; probably Abby, he thought to himself with a smile. They weren't even two weeks old yet, but he already knew their personalities and patterns. Of course it helped that they weren't identical. He remembered when people had mistaken him and Eric for twins from time to time over the years because they were so close in size. The older they got, the less they liked it. He hoped the girls would be closer friends.
And Chip! What a character he was becoming. Jake loved having Chip tag along with him as he went to the barn to check on the horses or just walked from room to room in the house. Already full of questions, and he wouldn't turn two until Christmas. Jake wasn't sure if it was just Fatherly pride, or if Chip really was brighter than the other kids his age. Of course Jake had picked things up quickly, and Heather was no slouch in the brains department. It wouldn't be all that surprising for their kids to be bright. Jake made a mental note to watch for signs of boredom in school so Chip wouldn't follow the same route he had followed. Then he cut short his thought process. By the time Chip got to be school-aged, the country would look completely different than it had when Jake had gone through school. Would there even be schools by then? They had no idea if the federal government still existed. Jake felt a wave of gratefulness to his Grandfather that Jericho had taken the time to prepare so that they all stood a better chance of even being around that long.
Grandpa. He did pretty well with his memory when he was around people who understood and continually reminded him of the little things like who people were and the day of the week. The higher level of activity and the influx of people in the house actually seemed to perk him up as he helped to get everyone settled under these new and ambiguous circumstances.
The out-of-towners. Dennis Duncan had planned to take his kids and stay with Johnston and Gail but they all began to re-think that plan when they saw how happy the kids were at Green Ranch with the McCall kids and all the farm animals. Julie McCall (8), the little girl who had found Jake on the highway after the bombs, had become the new best friend of Melissa Duncan (7) and Natalie Duncan (5). Bernadette McCall, now 6, rounded out the group whenever she came to the ranch with her parents. Seth Duncan (10) was serious for his age and eager to learn all about the ways of the ranch. The older McCall grandsons and the ranch hands didn't mind him tagging along because he was just as willing to work as he was to ask questions. None of the Duncan children had really gotten over the loss of their Mother the previous year, so Dennis was pleased to see them take an interest in life again. When it had been suggested that he and the children stay at the ranch he quickly agreed, even if it meant him sharing a room with the kids for the foreseeable future.
Thus the four upstairs bedrooms at the ranch house were filled with Jake and his family, Dennis Duncan and his kids, Emmett and Eleanor Green, Mark and Laura Norton. Michelle Norton had gone into town to stay with Christy Peterson and her family, thinking it would be better to be close to the Medical Center if she was going to be working odd shifts. She got her own room; that was something she could not have hoped for at Green Ranch. Curtis Norton had taken up residence in a vacant room in the bunk house with the single ranch hands.
Chip was stirring in his crib and soon his dark head popped up and he looked at Jake. Jake made an exaggerated "Shhh" motion as he got up and pulled a sweatshirt on over his pajama pants. He walked in stocking feet over to the crib and picked Chip up, grabbing a fresh diaper and wipe as he turned to leave the room. He made a mental note to hang something over the windows so the morning sun wouldn't awaken Chip so early. Heather and the girls remained asleep.
Jake was determined to stay at home today and help Heather so she could get some sleep. He knew that his parents, Eric and April would be over for lunch and to have a family meeting. There were a lot of decisions needing to be made about Jericho and Jake appreciated the fact that his Father was seeking his input.
Once downstairs, he found Emmett and Eleanor making breakfast. He quickly changed Chip and handed him off to Eleanor while he washed his hands. By the time he returned, Chip was seated in his high chair happily eating scrambled eggs. E.J. had arisen was making his way to the table. They enjoyed a companionable breakfast in relative quiet until Jake heard Sadie voice her discontent with something upstairs. They all rolled their eyes and laughed as Jake hopped up to go and help Heather.
By the time Jake, Heather and the girls returned to the dining table, the Nortons and the Duncans had come down and were eating. Jake was pleased with how flexible everyone seemed to be – helping out as needed and taking turns with cooking and clean up. He added things up – 14 people suddenly living under one roof for the foreseeable future. He knew this wasn't really what Heather had expected when they had gotten married and made a mental note to make sure she was O.K. with the invasion of their home.
By the time Johnston, Gail, Eric, April and their kids arrived, the ranch house residents had managed to eat a leisurely breakfast, enjoy an abundance of good conversation, and start preparations for lunch. It had been good to catch up on each other's lives and do a little short-term planning for the future Not unlike the philosophy of the McCalls, this grid-down situation was being viewed like a prolonged sleepover or camping trip. Jake shouldn't have been surprised, he thought to himself, they all came and camped like this every year at Christmas. He just hadn't been around to enjoy it.
Johnston and Eric brought news from town and a business-like attitude. Soon the 12 adults were seated around the dining table once again to address the topics at hand.
"Grey has not yet returned from his scouting mission, darn fool," Johnston began the family meeting. "The others have returned; no particular news to report past the data flight recorder Jake knew about last night.
"With the Sheriff and three deputies dead, we need to decide whether to augment our Sheriff Department or disband it for the time being and turn the authority over to the Jericho Rangers. Ralph McVeigh is the officer in charge and Walter Jackson the training officer. They have already been making their presence known and appreciated by helping out at Town Hall. Walt Jackson was the Sheriff before he retired," Johnston reminded the out-of-towners, "so I think they will do well. Our two communications officers, Adam Montgomery and Arnold Frederickson, have been taking turns with Oliver Wilson and Mr. Hawkins manning the HAM radio. I'll tell you the details of that in a moment. Feelings about the Jericho Rangers taking over? Before you answer, I think it's only fair to say that I would ask you, Jake, to take leadership if the India squad which had been under Chuck Dawes' command."
"I'm fine with that; Heather?" Jake looked at her for approval.
Heather shrugged. "I don't guess it will be any more dangerous than what you've been doing the past three years."
"OK, thank you," Johnston continued. "Sam Adams is your second in charge and does a fine job when Chuck has been away on Sheriff business. He's also become our ordinance officer. He'll fill you in on everything you need to know.
"The HAM radio crew has been able to make contacts with our connections in both Ireland and France. They each say the same thing. As many as 23 American cities are reported to have been bombed. No one has taken responsibility. I find this odd, since that is usually the first thing that happens. The international community is horrified and searching for answers. They are scrambling to assemble aid packages since the infrastructure of the country has undoubtedly collapsed. We have pre-arranged times to speak with both Ireland and France again so we can continue to receive updates. Once we hear the news, we have been passing it along to our state-side connections in Cedar Brook, Galloway, Nebraska, Bowling Green, Kentucky, and several other towns with HAM radios. They pass the information along from there. While I don't agree with his methods, Grey Anderson was right in saying that information is what is going to keep us afloat during this time of crisis. Any questions?"
Since there were none, Johnston continued. "I had a visit from Dale Turner this morning. Apparently he went on a little scouting mission of his own last night and found the train full of Gracie's supplies about 5 miles out of town. It had hit a car that was on the tracks. He wanted me to help him with a truck to haul the groceries to Gracie's and surprise her, but I told him I thought it would be better just to bring the train into town. I radioed Jonah and asked him to take his crew out to investigate the condition of the train. He radioed me back a little while ago that they had removed the car from the tracks and were working on getting the train going again. The goal is to bring it to the old train station and unload all of the supplies there. Everything can be stored in the warehouse there and Gracie can send for what she needs. Jonah hadn't gone through all of the cars yet, but he did tell me that our order of concertina wire was on the train. We can have folks stringing that around the perimeter of the farms if they have time on their hands now that there're no internet or video games."
Emmett entered into the conversation: "I'm glad the supplies were located. I'm sure every little bit will help. I do have a question about Gracie's store. Jake mentioned the town was having a Bar-B-Q last night to use the meat that was thawing? I thought the town was on solar/wind power. Why was the meat thawing?"
"Good question," Johnston answered. "Yes, the town is on solar/wind power. Gracie has a walk-in freezer in back that takes more power than an ordinary refrigerator or lights do. It kept itself cold for a while, then the alternate system kept it going for a while longer, but we noticed the walk-in freezer was draining the batteries faster than the system taking power in. She still has the refrigerators and freezers in the store, but we decided to take the walk-in freezer off line. She stored what she could in the front and we cooked up the rest. I think it was good for the townspeople to get together for a social event. We need to remember that as we go forward.
"So, continuing on with the topic of resources. Gasoline is one of the things we will not be able to produce. We are recommending that gasoline be used as sparingly as possible. To that end, Will McCall has already been in contact with Cedar Brook and ordered another buggy and another wagon from the Amish folks from whom he ordered his last set. He will be able to take people around town as needed. Those of us with horses, and all farm animals for that matter, are encouraged to breed as quickly and as many animals as reasonably possible. The horses will be needed for transportation, the cows, goats, hogs and chickens for eggs, dairy and meat, since trips to Costco won't be happening. It's going to take a while to get used to making everything from scratch rather than getting things ready-made, but I think we will manage. The same goes for gardens. Heather, will you speak to Hope about growing vegetables in her greenhouse? People are going to have to pay for their food by barter or working for it, so factor that into your thinking." In the absence of Marion Frederickson, Gail was taking notes of the things that needed to be done while Johnston was talking.
"What would you like to do about the Greyhound bus, the gasoline and all of the supplies we brought?" Mark Norton asked. "So far, we just pulled it around back so it wouldn't be seen as readily."
"Thank you for doing that, and for bringing the gasoline and all of the supplies," Johnston said, graciously nodding to each of the out-of-towners in turn. "I'm sure the items you brought will make life easier for all of us here in Jericho. I'd rather save the gas for now, and save the supplies for a rainy day rather than allowing Gracie to sell them in her market and losing control of where they end up. For now, how about we just park the bus in the back barn and close the door. There will be plenty of room once we get out the old wagon and buggy. That's what we'll all be using to get around now."
"Have we heard anything about Bob and Sharon and Olivia? Or Brenda and Stuart McCall and their kids in Denver?" Laura Norton asked hesitantly.
"No, there has been no word about either family," Johnston answered somberly. "I fear for the worst for Brenda and Stuart since we know what happened to Denver. We really don't know exactly which cities were hit and which were spared, so I don't know what to think about Bob and Sharon. Grant and Miranda Stevens were also in New York at the time, but not with the Bradys. I guess time will tell."
The group sat quietly for a few minutes, considering various missing friends and family members. Eventually they ate their lunch and talk turned again to practical subjects. Johnston wanted to have a town meeting to disperse the information they had discussed, but he needed time to check on a few things and set up a meeting time. He also mentioned planning a memorial service for Sheriff Dawes and the deputies. The group dispersed after lunch to take care of the tasks they had been given.
By noon, the Brady family, Grant and Miranda Stevens, and Charles Pendergast had gotten their gear packed and made it down the 20 flights of stairs to the ground floor. If Grant Stevens did not think they needed the numbers of the group for protection, he would surely have abandoned the group and gone on by himself. Miranda was being relatively cooperative, concerned about getting home to Jericho and Skylar. The others had no such motivation and were insufferable. Charles had jollied them along as best he could, and had finally been able to convince the Brady women that they did not need to bring their hair driers and other electric implements just before Grant had throttled them both. Getting each member of the group into sensible shoes was another battle. Grant had eventually taken control, chosen a pair of shoes from each closet and put them on the floor, instructing the women to put them on. Bob Brady had been no help and almost as difficult as the women, wanting to bring along useless electronic items. Grant was thankful for the support of Charles as they exchanges frequent eye rolls and shakes of the head. They had finally bid Geraldine a tearful good bye, leaving her with as much cat food and alcohol as they had found, and started down the stairs.
When they reached the lobby, the Bradys wanted to stop and rest.
"But we haven't gotten anywhere yet," Grant exclaimed in frustration. "And we'll never get anywhere if we continue at this pace. I was hoping to get out of Manhattan before we needed to camp for the evening."
"But my feet hurt," Sharon fussed.
"This back pack is too heavy for me to carry," Olivia complained, glaring at Grant.
Grant had reached his limit, and they hadn't even made it out of the building. He turned to Bob. "Do you want to take your family back up the stairs to starve to death, or do you want to persuade them to soldier on?"
Bob prevaricated, caught between the strong personalities of his wife and daughter and the grim truth. "Come on, I guess we'd better keep moving," he finally said to them, walking slowly toward the front doors of their Carnegie Hill home.
Once they were outside, they walked south on 5th Avenue with other fancy homes to their left and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir on their right. After about nine blocks and a great deal of muttered complaints, they veered to the right and went west on 85th Street, crossing through Central Park. The Bradys had lived in a home overlooking the park for many years, but they had rarely visited it, and never like this. There were few cars driving on the roads today, but many people milling around, and signs of their handiwork everywhere. Garbage was overflowing and many ground floor windows had been smashed. Their own building had been lucky to remain intact this long, they now realized. It was only a matter of time. They could hear the sounds of people shouting and glass breaking in the distance; they were thankful the mayhem was not in their general vicinity. The Bradys became less vocal once they realized that going to Jericho might be their only option in order to remain alive.
Once across Central Park, the group turned left on Central Park West and walked until the park ended and the road turned into 8th Avenue. The complaints had decreased as the members of the group struggled to keep up with Charles, who was most familiar with the area and leading the way. Grant passed out granola bars for them to eat as they walked, but didn't offer to stop. Once they left the area of the park, there were more cars on the streets and even more people. None of them seemed inclined to help, but the group was thankful the rough-looking bands were willing to leave them along. Grand was acutely aware of the fact that they were unarmed, but couldn't think of a remedy.
"It's so strange, not seeing children playing and couples taking romantic carriage rides in the park," Charles mused as they walked.
"Wait, Stop!" Grant shouted from the rear of the group, immediately stopping the group, who turned to look at him. "Carriage rides. Do you have any idea where those horses are stabled? Where the carriages are kept?"
"Why, I believe some of them are kept in the Clinton Park Stables on 52nd," Charles replied, the light coming on in his head. "I like your thinking."
Charles turned on his heels and continued down 8th Avenue in the direction they had been going at a pace that had the others hurrying to catch up. Despite questions and complaints, he hurried along for two more blocks before turning right toward the Hudson River on 53rd and continuing the rapid pace. He stopped outside a long building whose doors were locked with a padlock. He took a small hatchet from his pack and broke open the lock; removing it and sliding open the doors. The animal smell hit him as the doors slid open and he was sure they would have another battle on their hands when he and Grant went to convince the group that a horse would be their new best friend. Surprising them all, Olivia was the first to register a response.
"Oh, it smells wonderful in here! Just like when I was little and would ride horses at Grandpa's ranch. I always wanted a horse of my own, like the ranch kids had, but we lived in the city so I didn't even ask." Olivia had walked ahead of the group, into the stable and along the stalls, petting the noses of horses along the way. Her companions watched her in astonishment.
"Why, Liv, I never knew you wanted a horse," Bob Brady interjected, upset that he had denied his otherwise doted-upon daughter one of her desires and missing the impact her love of horses would have on their immediate future.
"I don't know a lot about horses," Grant commented, "but I do know they will get us to Jericho in about half of the time it would take us to walk there. Let's figure out what we need."
After much discussion, the group located the largest carriage they could find in the stable. Most were designed to hold 4 people and one driver, so they were pleased when they found one that was wide enough to hold six and the driver's seat was a bench which could seat more than one. There was a storage box on the back that would hold some of their things, and a sturdy roof that folded up over the carriage in the case of inclement weather. This larger carriage was suited to be drawn by two horses at a time, rather than one, like the rest of the carriages. Given Olivia's new found interest in the adventure, they allowed her to choose four horses; two to pull the carriage and two to carry additional supplies. They could be swapped out to keep the horses fresh.
With input from Olivia, and some from Charles, they chose tack for the horses and got them ready to go. They found an abundance of warm blankets used for carriage rides during the winter so they appropriated some of them as well. Since none of them knew how much food a horse required in a day, they took as many bags of hay pellets as they could fit on the floor of the carriage, in the packs of the horses, and in the storage box on the back of the carriage. They found a workshop where the caretakers must have fixed the tack and collected bottles of water and various snacks from a vending machine. Perhaps not the healthiest choice, but they were happy to be able to take more food items in the carriage than they had been when they were on foot. They found a bin of apples just before they left the stable – not the quality they would have bought in the grocery store a week earlier, but now appearing quite tasty. They took a bag of apples with them as well. Freshly outfitted for their trip, the group climbed into the carriage. Charles was elected to drive first, also having ad some experience with horses. He turned the carriage south on Henry Hudson Parkway and the next phase of their adventure began. The group was significantly happier with the prospect of arriving in Jericho in three months rather than the six months estimated arrival time if they had been on foot. For the first time since the bombs, Grant Stevens felt like they might actually succeed in their mission to return to Jericho and to their daughter Skylar.
Jake awakened from sleep in a cold sweat. The dreams, which had not troubled him for the past few days, were back with a vengeance. The little girl's face was all he could see in the darkness. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again anytime soon, so he slipped out of bed and padded toward the door. He glanced back at the clock: 3:00 a.m. At least he had gotten six hours of sleep. It was amazing that in less than a week without regular power, they were already reverting to the old farmer's schedule – early to bed and early to rise. Or maybe it was the babies that prompted the schedule, he mused, as he went downstairs and poured himself a bowl of cereal and milk.
"Had a bad dream, did you?" The voice in the darkness about scared Jake to death before he recognized it as Eleanor's British accent.
"Yes, how did you know?" Jake responded once he caught his breath. He took his cereal and went to the great room, sitting in the chair opposite where Eleanor was sipping tea.
"It seems that is why normal people get up in the middle of the night," she replied with a sympathetic smile.
"And you?" Jake asked, munching on his cereal.
"I'm afraid my circadian rhythm got confused during my residency. Or perhaps I was always a night person. This is the time I think best, anyway. I was just sitting here trying to make sense of things."
"Good luck with that," Jake said with a cynical laugh. "I wonder if we'll ever know why. Or if things will ever go back to normal."
"Was your dream about the bombs?" Eleanor asked gently, peering over the edge of her cup.
Jake gave her a quick look, surprised that she would ask, and then remembered that she was a psychologist by training. It was in her nature to ask that type of question. "No, something that happened in Iraq," Jake answered, debating whether to tell her the story. He was inclined to keep things on a need-to-know basis, and she had no need to know. On the other hand, perhaps he would feel better if he talked about it.
"There was a little girl," he started, still unsure how much he wanted to tell her. Eleanor was a civilian, after all. He finally decided to continue. "She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. My group was ambushed and the little girl got caught in the crossfire. I see her face everywhere; her eyes look at me, asking why. It's bad enough when I'm awake, but so much worse in my dreams. Sometimes it's Heather that dies in the crossfire. Sometimes it's one of the twins. And it's always my fault."
"Oh, Jake, I'm sorry." Eleanor said, sincerely dismayed by his story. She deliberated a moment before she went on. "Her death was an accident." It was a statement, not a question.
"Well, yes," Jake responded, "but she is still dead. I killed someone's daughter; someone's little girl."
"You were ambushed. You didn't set out to kill anyone, right?" She persisted.
"Well, yes," Jake repeated.
"What would you do differently, if you had it to do again?" She asked, leaning forward intently.
"I guess I wouldn't have been there at all." Jake answered glumly.
"But it was your job to be there, right? What did you accomplish by doing your job?" Eleanor persisted.
"We took down a weapons smuggling operation." Jake replied.
"Alright. You had an important job to do, and you did it. Now, who is the smartest soldier, the best soldier you have ever known?" Eleanor continued.
Jake thought a moment before he answered. "My Father, I suppose."
"Alright, what do you suppose your Father would have done differently, had he been in your shoes during that ambush?" Eleanor asked.
"Well, I don't think he could have done anything differently. It all happened too quickly, and then it was over. It was too late to help her, and I was hit, and we just had to get out of there before someone else died." Jake concluded, seeing where Eleanor was going.
"And there you have it," she said. "You have said you would do the same thing yourself, given the same set of circumstances. The smartest soldier you know would have done the same thing as well." She paused. "Are you a praying man, Jake?
"I pray from time to time," Jake replied. "More often lately," he said, as he indicated the current situation.
"I would advise you to ask God's forgiveness, and then to forgive yourself, Jake. You are not a murderer. You are a man who was sent to a war-torn country to do a job. In the course of your job, a bad thing happened. We can agree that it is very sad. It is also very sad that thousands of people probably died as a result of these bombs. Let's not allow any more people to die because we are thinking about other things. Your family needs you, Jake. The town needs you. I heard about the little girl on the bus. I'm sure there will be others that need you to save them before this is over. Make your peace, Jake."
"You're right, thank you, Eleanor." Jake replied, relieved to be seeing things from a different perspective. "I'll talk with Heather, too. I'm sure that will help." He rose to go back up to bed.
"I'm sure that it will," Eleanor replied. "Good night, Jake."
Heather had awakened at 4am when the twins had begun to fuss for their feeding. She had not been surprised to find Jake's side of the bed empty. She has been worried about him since he had returned home from Iraq. Something had been off, and he didn't seem to want to discuss it. Part of her was hurt, because she felt like they always discussed everything. At least she discussed everything with him, she thought wryly, since every thought she had showed right up on her face as though someone had written it on her forehead with a marker.
Heather fed the babies and pondered Jake and whatever the issue might be. The air was chilly. She made a mental note to ask someone to bring firewood up to their room so they could have a small fire in the fireplace each night. The twins shouldn't be in the cool air, and a fire would keep everyone in the house warmer. She finished and was returning to bed when she heard the bedroom door open softly and saw Jake come in.
"Can we talk?" He asked.
"Of course," she responded. As tired as she always was these days, it was far more important that she be there for her husband than get a little extra sleep.
They crawled under the warm covers and Jake told Heather everything. The events of Safa, the ensuing nightmares, and the conversation he had had earlier with Eleanor. Heather granted him absolution. They curled up in bed and went back to sleep as the sky started to become light. Jake remained soundly asleep when Heather got up to feed the babies at 6am; she hadn't seen him sleep this soundly since he'd been back. Both he and Chip were gone from the room when she was awakened for the 8am feeding.
Once Heather had fed and changed the babies, she carried them downstairs with her. She found Eleanor making breakfast with Chip supervising from his high chair. Eleanor was playing peek-a-boo with him from behind the lid of the frying pan.
"Thank you for helping. You're very good with him," Heather said gratefully. "No children of your own?" Heather felt like they had become friends, but felt that maybe she had asked too personal a question the moment she spoke.
"I always thought I would," Eleanor responded with a regretful laugh, "but my lady parts were giving me trouble and had to be removed just before I met Emmett. So I'll have to leave the baby-making to you and Hope, and ask to play with your children from time to time."
"Fair enough," Heather said with a sympathetic smile and a pat of Eleanor's arm as she entered the kitchen to help after stowing the babies in their downstairs bassinet.
"Where is everyone?" Heather asked.
"E.J. is still asleep," Eleanor said as she began the litany of all of the occupants of the house. "I believe the Duncan kids are still asleep as well as I haven't seen any of them yet. Dennis left early in the buggy with Jake, Emmett, Mark and Laura. Jake said he would only be a few hours; he needed to meet with Sam Adams about the Ranger squad. Laura planned to check in at the Medical Center to volunteer for clinic shifts as a nurse practitioner. I believe Emmett and Mark were going to find Johnston to see where they could be of service. Dennis just wanted to see some different scenery, so he asked if I would keep an eye on the kids while he tagged along on the trip. Any other questions?" She asked Heather with a smile as she caught her breath.
"No, I think that will do it," Heather responded with a laugh as they sat down together for breakfast. "I do want to thank you for speaking with Jake last night. He came upstairs and we had a long talk. I think he feels better now. I know I feel better knowing what was bothering him!"
"Think nothing of it," Eleanor replied. "I imaging there will be others in town with concerns since the bombs. I asked Laura to investigate. I will be happy to hold clinic hours a day or two a week if folks want to make appointments. Or be available if the emergency room needs a psych consult. I don't know if Jericho has anyone in that capacity?"
"Not that I know of," Heather said. "Thank you for volunteering."
The two enjoyed a companionable breakfast and were soon joined by E.J. and the Duncan kids. They were lingering over their coffee when the Bennett family arrived in a horse-drawn buggy. Gil dropped off Hope and their two children so they could visit with Heather while he made some farm calls.
Hope had been busy getting her summer garden harvested and cover crops planted so they had not seen much of each other recently. Now, Hope was laid up with a hairline fracture of her tibia courtesy of the bus accident, and had a bulky walking boot in place. It was all she could do to keep up with 3 year old Hunter and 16 month old Piper.
Heather passed along the message to Hope about growing vegetables for the town and enlisting help courtesy of the barter system. Hope agreed and told them of her recent work on propagating coffee beans. They were usually grown in the tropics, but could be grown in the greenhouse and made good houseplants. Each plant would produce 3-4 pounds of beans per year. Not enough for unlimited use, but certainly better than nothing. She had also been working on growing Camellia sinensis, the plant from which tea was made.
"I imagine they will be useful for trade with other towns, as well," Hope added thoughtfully.
"I think you'd have a fight on your hands if you try to trade away coffee," Heather said with a giggle.
"I'll pay top dollar for the tea," Eleanor put in. "I was wondering what I was going to do when my stash ran out. I guess I've found my new best friend."
"No worries," Hope said, "I'll plant as many more as I'm able. Good thing I insisted upon a large greenhouse! We'll need some space for vegetables, too. "
Dennis Duncan had to admit to experiencing a bit of cabin fever, and was happy for an excuse to get out of the house. He had only visited Jericho a few times over the years and felt like something of an outsider. The others were trying to make him feel welcome, but it would take some time. As they made the trip to town, he listened to the others talking. Jake mentioned meeting up with Sam Adams at Bailey's.
At the mention of the name Bailey, Dennis was transported back in time. He and Karen had only been married a few years and he was teaching an intro to engineering class for freshmen. He'd had a particularly promising student who would stay after class and discuss her ideas with him. If she hadn't been his student, if he hadn't been married, things might have progressed between them in a romantic manner. The chemistry was definitely there. As it was, she had come to him tearfully the week before Christmas saying that her father had died unexpectedly and she was needed at home to take over the family business. He was saddened to see a bright young mind being denied an education and sad to know that her friendly face would no longer be sitting in his classes and staying afterward for lively discussions. He bid her good-bye and never heard about her again. Neither had he heard the name Bailey mentioned in the past 15 or so years it had been.
When the group arrived in town, they dropped Laura Norton at the Medical Center, arranging to collect her a few hours later. They proceeded down Main Street toward the center of town. Jake tied the horse behind Town Hall and made sure it had water to drink. They walked through Town Hall, leaving Emmett and Mark Norton in Johnston's office as Jake and Dennis went out the front door and across the street toward Bailey's. Dennis had managed to put the idea of his former student out of his thoughts, deciding the chance of them being related was next to zero.
Jake proceeded to a back booth at Bailey's where Sam Adams was already seated. Dennis went along for the lack of a better place to be. Dennis had no military or weapons experience, so was reluctant to volunteer for the Jericho Rangers, especially since they had spent years training together and even competing against each other in various events. He had no idea what he could do to contribute; the need for engineering instruction did not seem high on the list of survival skills. Dennis' thoughts wandered as Jake and Sam discussed logistics and personnel, strengths and weaknesses. Soon, the bar-maid came around taking orders. Dennis sat speechless as he looked into the eyes of Mary Bailey, his former student.
"Dr. Duncan," Mary murmured in astonishment, "What are you doing here in Jericho?" She had never forgotten the patient engineering professor who had been willing to listen to her wild ideas, and who had extended his sympathy when her father Patrick had died of a massive heart attack at the age of 45. Mary's mother Bernadette was distraught and had insisted she come home from school immediately to help run the family tavern. Mary was an only child and close to her parents, so she came home without thinking twice. Her mother had died of cancer just nine years later and left Mary sole proprietor of Bailey's Tavern, which she had been operating ever since. Leaving Dr. Duncan was her only regret, having had a school-girl's crush on the handsome young professor. And now he was seated in front of her.
"My sister lives here," Dennis managed to stammer. "I brought my family here after the bombs."
He has a family, Mary thought, kicking herself mentally for the brief wave of romantic nostalgia she'd had when she saw him. She had heard he was married when he was her teacher, but they had never discussed private matters. Of course he has a family, she thought, he hasn't been sitting around for over 15 years waiting for you to come back to school.
"It's so nice to see you again," Mary finally managed to say, once she had collected her thoughts a bit. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Coffee, please," Dennis said, looking at the others, who nodded in agreement. Mary nodded and turned away to get their order, leaving Dennis shaking his head in amazement. His few visits to Jericho had consisted solely of time spent with Gail and her family. He wasn't even sure if he had ever driven through the town of Jericho proper. No wonder he had never made the connection. He imagined Mary was married by now with children of her own. When he returned with three cups and a pot of coffee, they both managed to be polite and formal in their interaction.
Jake was pleased with his meeting. Sam Adams, a descendant of the founding father by the same name, belonged to another of Jericho's early families. Sam had served as an ordinance sergeant during the Korean War and was a firm believer in his Second Amendment rights. He had a significant personal firearms collection and a vast working knowledge of those and many more. He was in great shape for his 70+ years and Jake was gratified to learn that his newly acquired squadron had taken first place in many of the past competitions between Jericho Ranger squadrons. It didn't hurt that his wife Joyce owned the local bakery and supplied the squadron with goodies whenever they were on call.
Jake had hoped to visit Rob Hawkins during his trip to town, but a look at the clock made him realize they needed to pick up his Aunt Laura and head for home.
The next adventure of the group in New York began just blocks after they had gotten settled in their carriage. A young man with a bandana across his face stepped out from a storefront holding a shotgun and demanded they stop and step out of the carriage. Charles knew they had no weapons with which to defend themselves, so he turned to diplomacy.
"Let's talk about this for a minute, son," Charles opened the conversation.
"There's nothing to talk about," The man replied. "You have a carriage; I need to get my family out of the city. Please get out of the carriage now."
Charles got out of the carriage, but motioned the others to stay put. "My name is Charles, what is your name?" he asked, trying to establish a rapport.
"This isn't going to work," the man insisted. "My boys have you covered. Just give us the carriage and no one will get hurt."
"Maybe we can help each other," Charles continued in a conversational tone. "I can help you get a carriage and horses of your own. How would that be?"
"What would you want in return?" The man asked skeptically.
"How about you put the shotgun down, for starters?" Charles answered; feeling like his diplomatic approach was working.
The young man considered for a moment, then shook his head and took fresh aim with his shotgun. "How about you just get out of the carriage," he reiterated. "Like I said, my boys have you covered."
At that moment a child of about six ran out of the storefront and wrapped his arms around the man shouting "Daddy!"
The man raised the barrel of the shotgun over his shoulder and shook his head as an older boy ran out of the storefront shouting "Caleb, come back here!"
"Are those your 'boys'?" Charles asked the man gently. The man nodded, his attitude one of defeat. "Let us help you," Charles insisted. "What's your name, son?"
"My name is Toby. Why would you want to help me? I just held you at gunpoint."
By this point, Grant Stevens had jumped down from the carriage. "Toby, I see you work at a pawn shop?"
"Yes, it's our family business. My Father owns it. He's inside," Toby replied.
"Why don't the two of you walk back and get another carriage," Grant said to Charles as he headed into the shop.
The shop was dim with no electricity. Grant found a group huddled toward the back trying to keep sis year old Caleb in check.
"I'm Grant Stevens," he began. "I understand from Toby that you're trying to get out of the city? Where are you headed?"
"I'm Conrad Schmidt," a middle-aged man stepped forward and extended his hand. "These are my daughter-in-law Kate and my grandsons Josh and Caleb," he said, indicating the other members of his group. "We hope to go to Ohio where my cousin has a farm. I think it will be safer than being here in the city."
"I think you're right," Grant nodded agreeably. "We're from Kansas and headed back there. My wife and I live there, and our friends have relatives there. Perhaps we could travel as far as Ohio together? I believe there is safety in numbers, especially with the shotgun your son was waving around out there."
Conrad Schmidt shook his head in disapproval. "That shotgun idea was his, not mine. We don't even have ammo for it."
"You mean he was holding us with an unloaded gun?" Grant asked, incredulous.
"Well, yes. I'm sorry," Conrad said remorsefully, hoping this fact did not negate their chance of riding to Ohio in a carriage.
"No harm done," Grand said with a laugh. "It's brilliant, actually. I thought owning firearms was illegal in New York?"
"Well, of course it is, but that doesn't stop the criminal type from having them, now does it?" Conrad answered sarcastically. "Would you like to see the rest of the collection we've taken in over the years?"
"Yes, please," Grant said as Conrad led him into a back room and opened a gun safe which contained a variety of firearms; no ammo for any of them. They chose several pieces to bring with them on the trip for protection.
Soon Charles and Toby returned with not one, but two carriages and a total of four more horses. One carriage was loaded with hay pellets, apples and carriage robes. Once the firearms had been chosen, Grant had encouraged Conrad and his family to gather their belongings. It didn't take long for the Schmidt family and their belongings to get settled in one of the new carriages and the expanded group set out once again with Grant wondering how many more join their caravan before they reached Jericho.
Author's Post Script: Well,this chapter grew into much more of a monster than I had anticipated! More and more plot kept coming up and they all needed introduced before the events of the next episode. Thanks for reading!