Author's Notes: Short, but sweet, in the hopes that the next 2 chapters will be forthcoming. They are all part of the same story arc, after all . . . I appreciate the feedback, especially from JAG389 who passed along a great idea. Stay tuned for the results!

Liability Disclaimer: Sadly, I still do not own any of the characters that appeared on the CBS show Jericho. No copy write infringement intended.

Medical Disclaimer: The herbal and complementary medicines mentioned in this story are ideas only, not meant to take the place of your medicines or doctor.

Chapter XIII: Long Live the Mayor

October 31, 2006

Bombs + 51 Days

The air decidedly chilly as Jake and Heather drove up the lane to the Bennett farm. Heather tucked the blankets more snugly around each twin in the front of the buggy. Chip bounced between Jake and her, keeping himself warm with his activity. Heather admired the red leaves of the sugar maple trees Hope had planted four years ago when they had moved to Jericho. They were good sized trees when they were planted, and had grown considerably, but it would still be many years before they could be tapped for syrup.

Jake helped Heather get situated inside with the girls and then took Chip back to the buggy with him back towards town. He had a few errands to run, and thought he would take his little side-kick with him. He thought he would be less likely to be dragged into some ridiculous scheme if he had Chip with him, and it would do Chip good to get out.

Once inside the farm house, Heather was situated at the far end of the dining room table with a sleeping twin in a car seat on the floor at either side. Eleanor and Laura had come over earlier to help Hope prepare, and were now seated next to her chatting. Gail, April, Lizzy and Joyce Adams were just getting settled as Hope showed Christy and Peter Young in and they all took seats, filling up the dining room of the Bennett home.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" Hope started, and then laughed. "Oops, sorry, wrong speech," she said with a roll of her eyes. The group laughed. "You are probably wondering why you have been asked here today. Well, each one of you has experience that will be valuable for the mission we hope to accomplish. As I understand it, the town stockpiled prescription medicine to last about a year. Now that we know that things are not likely to return to 'normal' anytime soon, I think we should consider what we can do with herbal and complementary medicine to make the supply we have last longer and be more effective. April, Eleanor and Christy, have medical backgrounds. Gail, Lizzy and Laura have nursing backgrounds. Peter has a pharmacy background, and I hope he doesn't mind hanging around with the ladies for a couple of hours."

"As long as I can be with Christy, I'm happy," Peter said with a grin. The two had finally married the previous week after a prolonged engagement due to medical and pharmacy school.

"Continuing," Hope said with a smile, "Joyce knows a great deal about essential oils and herbs, and always brings delicious baked goods!" The group nodded in appreciation as they enjoyed warm muffins with their coffee. "I know a little something about growing things, and Heather seems to know how to get things done around this town. I'm going to let her begin."

"Thank you all for coming," Heather began. "I have done a bit of research to get us started. I borrowed one of Christy's medical books and listed the chronic illnesses I could think of. Then I listed the rates of them in the country and then in Jericho, according to my medical consultants." She motioned to April, Eleanor and Laura. "I'll hand out pages with the results of my research. They found one of those old mimeograph machines in the Town Hall basement; that's why they smell funny and are such in interesting shade of purple. I left spaces for notes. I thought we could discuss each of the top illnesses briefly and brainstorm what we might be able to do. The first one, that also seems to be the most deadly, is insulin dependent diabetes. The national average in .1%, and we have 5 cases in Jericho. Two of them are children."

Peter nodded his head grimly. "Those patients each had a supply of insulin at home, on top of what the Medical Center has stored, but there is a limit to what can be stockpiled. Even with proper refrigeration, it is only good for about two years. Then it starts to loose potency."

"Can anything be done to lower the need for insulin?" Hope asked.

"Yes," April nodded. "Patients can follow their diets carefully. That will help."

"I had heard in school that insulin dependent diabetics could help to control their blood sugarwith oral diabetic medications," Christy said hesitantly. She had just finished medical school the previous June and had been in an internship program in Kansas City. She was somewhat intimidated at her invitation to the meeting, but also realized that she had the most recent information.

April nodded again. "I think I read that in a journal. I'll have to try and locate it. As I recall, it wouldn't keep them in a normal range, but it will keep them out of the danger zone. Good thinking, Christy!" She smiled at the younger woman.

"Can't we try and make our own insulin?" Heather asked hopefully. "Doesn't it come from the pancreatic cells of pigs? We have the hog farm."

Peter shook his head reluctantly. "It is a very complicated process. Just the list of chemicals required was daunting. I will look into it further if you like, but I wouldn't want to try it without the quality control testing of a lab."

"I'll have to check my books at home, but dandelion, cinnamon are supposed to help, as are garlic and onion," Joyce commented. She was also a bit intimidated by the group, although she had lived in town all of her life and was older than most of them.

"Thank you, Joyce," Heather said with a smile. "Please let us know if you come up with more ideas."

Heather was busily taking notes as the group as they discussed non-insulin dependent diabetes, seizure disorders, asthma and emphysema, congestive heart failure, and other disorders which required prescription medicine. Everyone participated as their own sphere of influence came to the table.

"Next on my list are the folks with chronic pain," Heather announced. "It was hard to get an exact number of cases, but I'm guessing several dozen. We have a handful of people with MS, lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Quite a few people that have had accidents, farming or otherwise. Migraines. Back injuries. Arthritis. When the pain meds run out, these people are going to need an alternative. Hopefully we can get them transitioning sooner rather than later. Any ideas?"

Lizzy looked around, and then spoke up. "This might just be my area of expertise. When I worked as an ER nurse, I might not have had as much sympathy with my pain patients as I should have had. Once I was diagnosed with a chronic condition, I understood a bit better. I have never been able to take traditional pain meds, so I have already done the math here. Arnica tincture is great when it comes to topical pain – pain in a particular location. I have seeds. It is easy to grow, and easy to make into a tincture."

Joyce was nodding, "Yes, Arnica is one of the best. Magnesium is another idea; soaking in a tub with Epson salts, or eating green leafy vegetables, nuts and beans."

"Well, we all certainly get more beans in our diet since the bombs," Heather joked.

"Anything that acts as an anti-inflammatory," Lizzy continued after laughing at Heather's joke. "Turmeric and ginger tea. Dandelion tea. White willow tea. Green tea. Flax seed. Blueberries."

"And while we're at it, Valerian root is excellent for sleep. One is less likely to be in pain if one gets enough sleep," Joyce put in. Lizzy nodded.

Heather was madly listing the things Lizzy and Joyce mentioned.

"Hmm," Eleanor put in, thoughtfully, "I've heard that Valerian root decreases the likelihood of seizures in patients with seizure disorders. It also helps with anxiety if dosed properly."

"Yes," Joyce agreed. I have a couple of plants in my back yard I would be happy to share. The roots need to be two years old before they are effective, however, so we will have to get busy." She and Hope nodded in agreement.

"And this brings me to my last set of diagnoses," Heather broke in. The twins were starting to get restless and she knew Sadie would be sounding the alarm before long. "Anxiety, depression, bipolar disease, and other mental illnesses. Eleanor has been seeing folks at the clinic one day a week. Mostly post traumatic complaints from the bombs, but some chronic cases as well." She turned to Eleanor and nodded.

"I have met with a few of our mentally ill here in Jericho, and have looked over the files of many others. Without breeching confidentiality, I think I can safely say that everyone is well under control at the moment and we don't need to be concerned that anybody is going to go over the edge. That being said, I agree that we must look for alternatives to their medicines when they are no longer available. I don't suppose there is any way to visit a pharmacy and liberate pharmaceutical supplies?" Eleanor asked. Most of the people in the room knew about the Walmart distribution center visit made by the Kansas City contingency.

"That is something to think about," April said pensively. "There is a Walmart distribution center in Rogue River, for that matter, not far from the Fillmore County hospital. We could make a run to both places and see if we could trade something for meds. I've been thinking we could use more antibiotics, too. Maybe we could take salt to trade?"

"The U of K agricultural extension office is on that side of town as well," Hope put in. "We could look for herb seeds and plants that we might not have enough of already."

"When do we leave?" Peter asked, anxious to see what the world looked like beyond the confines of Jericho. For that matter, he would also be much more comfortable dispensing traditional prescription medication. He had been raised professionally with western medicine, after, all. The herbal alternatives were all well and good if there were no other options, but he would really rather not have to rely upon them until there was absolutely no other choice.

"Whoa. Wait just a minute here," Gail strenuously objected. "We don't know what is going on out there; you can't just make a decision to make a three hour round trip for a shopping expedition. We don't even know if they will trade with us."

During Gail's protest, Jake had walked in carrying Chip. He handed Chip to Gail and held up one finger in a 'hold that thought' gesture while he went to the kitchen to retrieve a bar stool.

"What's this talk of shopping trips?" Jake asked, once he was settled. He smiled at Chip, who was now cuddling with Gail, and at Heather, who was nursing Abby. Sadie, having already been nursed, was being bubbled by Eleanor.

"We're talking about making a run to the pharmacy at Rogue River," April volunteered. "We have medicine stored at the clinic for about a year, but some things will be impossible to replace. Insulin, especially. If we could get more, it would give us more options, longer to figure out other possibilities."

"Hmm," Jake responded thoughtfully. "It just so happens that Grey Anderson returned while I was in town today. He hitched a ride from Topeka with a supply truck that was taking water to a FEMA camp near Rogue River. The water was contaminated in Rogue River; most of the people died, and the rest were being evacuated to a camp north of town last week. So I would say that the people of Rogue River have no need of those supplies, they are being taken care of by FEMA. It would have to be in and out. Surgical and quick, taking the back roads. I could see this working. Who is going?"

"Oh, Jake," Gail said. "I don't think it is safe."

"Oh, Mom," Jake said, gently using the same tone she had used with him. "If you only knew the places I've been. This is important for our family, for our town. What if it were one of our family members who needed the medicine? It is far better to make the trip now than down the road when everyone out there gets desperate. We live in a different world now. Furthermore, it's just an extension of what Grandpa started. Preparing for the future. We can still do that now, even after the bombs gone off. "

Gail and Jake had been looking at each other during this exchange. She thought of Johnston, at home recovering from the flu. It had been a virus, and April had put him on strict bedrest until he recovered. If the town hadn't been as organized, he would have undoubtedly been stubborn and kept working. As it was, he was almost fully recovered. Finally, Gail nodded in agreement. She knew the trip should be made, but she didn't have to like the fact that her son was always leading the parade into dangerous circumstances.

"I'll go," Peter volunteered, once the tension was broken. "As a pharmacist, I'll be able to help choose which medicines are the most important to bring." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I should go," April said. "I was the one that ordered and organized all of the medicines and medical supplies. Tracy has stopped nursing, so I can be gone for that long without worrying."

Gail shook her head in displeasure, but did not comment.

"I need to go," Hope said. Jake gave her a questioning look, having missed the discussion about stopping by the extension office to look for seeds that might help the town shed their dependence on pharmaceuticals altogether. She quickly filled him in.

"Well, OK," Jake said with a grin. "You can go. But you will have a limited time to shop. I know how you get around seeds. You will want to bring them all back with you."

That brought a laugh from the group, and Hope held up her hands in remorse. "Guilty as charged," she muttered as she laughed along.

"So that makes four of us. Probably as big a group as we should take," Jake considered. "What vehicle should we take?"

"You could take Charlotte," Heather volunteered E.J.'s old farm truck. "I've kept her in good shape, and she still works like a charm after the EMP."

"We could," Jake nodded agreeably, "but I'd like to get there and back in one day. As I recall, Charlotte is a little on the slow side?"

"Well, yes," Heather nodded. She wanted the safest possible means of transportation for her friends and family if they were going to make this trip.

"What about your Roadrunner?" Gail asked. Jonah and his crew had found it abandoned by the side of the road and hauled it back to the compound. He had returned it to Jake, fully restored, as a gift.

"I think so," Jake answered carefully. "I'd rather take a truck, so we could carry more supplies, but I think taking a fast car is more important, especially on our first supply run." Both Gail and Heather looked relieved.

"So when do we go" Jake asked next. "How about tomorrow," he asked, when no one readily answered his question. "It's as good a time as any."

"I could do tomorrow," Hope answered, looking forward to the prospect of seed shopping as well as seeing what the world was like out there now.

"I have a morning clinic," April said with a frown.

"I'm off, I'll be happy to cover your shift," Christy responded, happy to be of help. She was also happy to be occupied while Peter was gone.

"I'm in," said Peter. "Meet at the hospital around 8:00am?"

"Sounds good," Jake said.

"So what else did Grey have to say?" Gail asked, anxious for news now that the supply trip had been arranged.

"He said Topeka is a mess," Jake said, helping himself to coffee and a muffin. "No one knows where the governor is. He heard that D.C. was gone, but that New York had made it. NYPD caught the guys before they flipped the switch."

Everyone breathed a sigh, wondering about their friends and family members who had been in New York. Would they ever find out what had happened to them?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The New York contingency now numbered 13. They had eight horses and a pony between them. It had taken them two weeks to go the 300 miles from Columbus, Ohio to just to the north of Bowling Green, Kentucky. It had not been a pretty trip. The daily routine set up by the group between New York and Columbus had been destroyed by the newcomers. As much as they said they wanted to fit in, they fussed and complained at every opportunity. Had it not been for Thomas, with his ready smile and friendly personality, they would surely have voted to leave Ray and Barbara behind.

The trip to Bowling Green was taking them considerably out of their way, but Grant felt they needed to make contact with family as well as replenish their supplies, of which they were running woefully short. Sharon Brady was not exactly sure where the Green horse farm was in Bowling Green, and had never met this branch of the family, but Grant felt it was their only hope at this point. Conditions were getting rapidly worse on the roads as more people came to the realization that this was their new life.

They had had a particularly harrowing experience outside of Cincinnati. Even though they had taken care to skirt around the city, they had encountered a great deal of heckling from street gangs. Their response, for the most part, had been to keep the horses moving and get out of the area as quickly as possible. At one point, Charles had been driving the larger buggy with Grant and Miranda facing forward in the passenger seat, the Bradys facing backward. Thomas and the younger Schmidt boys were behind them in the horse cart followed by Ray and Barbara in the wagon and Toby and Kate bring up the rear in the small buggy. A barricade had been set up in the road, forcing the processional to stop. An armed man stepped out, pointing his weapon at Charles and demanding he step down and relinquish the buggy. Without even thinking twice, Grant took the opportunity to draw his weapon and shoot the man in the chest while his attention was focused on Charles. Once the man went down, he yelled at Charles to drive around the barricade and they all spurred the horses on for a mile or so until they were sure they were not being followed. While Grant regretted shooting the man and possibly taking his life, he did not regret defending his family. He had seen the eyes of the armed man, and they were hard and mean. None of the group members faulted him for his actions, and he thought it possible that the Ohio Schmidts had been a bit less unbearable since the incident.

The other crisis looming in his mind was the food supply. They had used up the food collected at the Schmidt farm in Ohio within the first week. Since that time, they had been eating a hearty breakfast of oatmeal with apples each morning, courtesy of the supplies gathered for the horses. They snacked on raw carrots during the day, and had carrots of some variety for dinner thanks to Kate's creative cooking skills. They'd had high hopes for one of the farms where they had stopped to camp. It had been cleaned out, however, either by the fleeing owners or subsequent visitors. The group rolled their eyes when Kate found a patch of onions which had been overlooked in the garden. She industriously dug them up and surprised them with fried apples and onions for dinner. Grant couldn't remember when something had tasted so good. Still, they hadn't had any protein for over a week. Grant fervently hoped the Green farm would be both forthcoming and helpful in that department.