Nathan Jones - Determination

And he had to admit that her offer to take over some or even all of her responsibilities was tempting in its own right. He’d be close to Sam and the rest of his family. He’d be away from the fighting, from the pain of loss and the constant fear of attack, tucked in a safe, quiet valley with a strong military force between them and the blockheads.

It was hard not to feel guilty at the thought of abandoning everyone down south. But if Lewis really did plan to bring more defenders down, his friend would probably do a better job than Matt himself could. And Matt really couldn’t leave Catherine and Scott to do all this by themselves after losing their son-in-law. Besides, he’d probably be working twice as hard up here as he was down there, if not harder.

Here was an excuse to have what he wanted, a chance to be with his family, and he didn’t have to feel selfish for accepting it. “All right,” he said quietly.

The Mayor smiled in immense relief. “Thank you.” She let go of his hands. “We’ll bury Carl tonight and finish packing up, then leave in the morning. Barring any delays Jane will take the defenders willing to go south in the morning, too, while Lewis will go after them in a week or so. In that time he should be able to fill you in on anything you need to know to take back your job.”

“Okay.” Matt glanced toward the camp. “I’d like to see my family, then I’ll start pitching in.”

Catherine’s smile turned more genuine. “Of course. Sam will be overjoyed to see you, and the rest of your family too.” She turned to rejoin her own family.

Matt followed, just long enough to hug Tam and Jen and express his condolences, and then he left them to their grief and sought out the shelter group’s camp.

Sam was overjoyed to see him, and Matt was overjoyed to see her. And especially overjoyed when his wife pressed his hand to her belly with both of hers, and he felt for the first time as his child kicked. The experience was so overwhelming that he shed a few tears in spite of himself, holding Sam close and kissing her tenderly while never taking his hand away from the life moving within her.

His mom, dad, April, Terry, and the boys were also overjoyed, and seemed almost as moved by his experience with his child as he was. They shared a wonderful reunion as the sun sank towards the horizon.

That reunion eventually expanded to the rest of the shelter group, and Matt was able to send word from Trev to the Smiths and Halssons and take Alvin aside for a moment to offer what comforting words he could about his father’s death.

Lewis was sleeping, although he’d been drifting in and out of consciousness ever since the attack earlier. Jane had stayed with her husband after Matt’s arrival, and anyway she wouldn’t have been very comfortable at a reunion anyway. Although she did seem happy to see him, and was kind enough to fetch him during one of those rare moments that her husband was lucid. Or at least partially so.

Matt shared a few words with his friend as Lewis drifted off again, mostly about what they could expect leading the volunteers to the south, then wished the couple the rest they needed and returned to Sam’s side.

Happy as he was to see everyone, he was less overjoyed at the news that the military had taken almost all the refuge’s food, including the shelter group’s, as well as every spare blanket, scrap of clothing, tarp, and tent. At the very least they’d left the animals alone, and unlike Ferris hadn’t gone after anyone’s weapons or other possessions.

They’d just been interested in whatever they could collect to keep the massive influx of refugees warm and fed and under shelter. They’d also promised that, moving forward, Aspen Hill’s townspeople would have their share in what was available same as everyone else.

It was hard to begrudge them that, but Matt somehow found a way. Maybe once they’d relocated to Lewis and Jane’s valley they’d be left alone, so any other food and necessities they managed to scrape together would stay in their hands. They’d managed to claw their way out of starvation through hunting and gathering once, they could do it again.

And if the military kept their promise of future aid that would just be a bonus, although he wasn’t crossing his fingers.

Carl’s funeral was well attended by most of the town, and even a few soldiers and officers from the military camp dropped by to pay their respects. Lieutenant Faraday, a blond man of medium height who apparently had a lot of respect for what Lewis and his volunteers had accomplished, was one of those.

Many in town had lost someone since the Gulf burned. But in spite of that Carl’s death still felt personal for the town, and for more reason than because he was the Mayor’s son-in-law. He was one of those people who was liked by everyone, had served the town quietly, and now that he was gone left a hole many felt.

After Carl was lowered into the ground Matt helped fill in the grave, then sought out Catherine and Scott to contribute to the town’s preparations to move. That didn’t take as long as he’d expected it would, since much of what had been worth taking with them had been “requisitioned” by the military. With their trucks the military had shown zero interest in the wagons and carts, however, so there were enough to haul away what was left.

It was only an hour or so after dark when Matt was finally done, and could return to the shelter group’s camp and slip into bed with his wife. She clung to him as if she’d been alone on a desert isle for years, and they spent the next few hours sharing all of their experiences while he’d been away. As well as all the fear and longing of being separated, and the loneliness of sleeping without their spouse.

He fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, breath tickling his neck, and enjoyed the best rest he’d had in weeks.

The next morning Matt was awakened early by Trev’s dad slapping the side of his tent.

“Hold your horses,” he said just loud enough to be heard, disentangling himself from a sleepy Sam to pull on his clothes. He leaned out the low tent door holding his shoes, squinting towards the beginnings of a sunrise to the east and then at George. “What’s going on?”

The older man clapped him on the shoulder. “Faraday’s taking out the canyon road. I was wondering if you wanted to see it.”

Matt glanced back at his wife, who’d buried her face in her pillow. “What do you think, honey?”

“I’m not waking up,” she said in a muffled voice. “Go ahead.”

“You sure?”

She slapped her arm back behind her at an awkward angle, trying to catch his foot. “Wanna sleep. Either go away or come back to bed.”

He leaned over to kiss her shoulder, then set his boots on the ground outside the tent and stepped into them, glancing over at George. “Anyone else coming?”

“Catherine thought she should be there. Lucas wanted to see it, but he’s in no position to move around on his broken leg. I asked Jane, but she’s busy getting the defenders ready to head south.” The older man chuckled. “Although Lewis asked me to carry him out on a stretcher to watch the show. Jane threatened to tie him up.”

Matt had bent to tie his laces, and he talked to buy a bit more time while he finished up. “I’m surprised you guys managed to keep it open this long. You must’ve really made an impression on the blockheads to keep them away.”

George’s smile faded. “Not enough of one.” He started for the edge of camp, and Matt hurriedly straightened and fell into step beside him.

The kids were waiting for them at the edge of the shelter group’s camp. Jim, Alvin, Linda, and Mary, along with a couple of their friends. George gave them a slightly exasperated look, but he didn’t protest as they followed him and Matt towards the military camp. Along the way they heard a call from within the refuge, and Catherine, Scott, and a few dozen other curious townspeople cut across the meadow to join them.