Ninety Degrees Out

“I’m pregnant. It’s obvious,” Deborah said as she patted her baby bump. “Earl is worried about the birth. It wasn’t supposed to happen. We’ve been together for almost fifteen years. Pretty much surviving off the land and what we can grow in the field we cleared behind our cabin. This fall we’re going to be in trouble. As far as I can calculate, the baby is due somewhere close to the end of September. I don’t have any supplies like diapers or bottles. Or a doctor for the birth. It wasn’t possible, or so I was told after I was injured in Iran.”

The words poured out like she rehearsed them a few times. Hakan nodded as she spoke and pulled out his notebook again. This would require a bit of organization to take care of.

“We have a Doctor on the ranch, so no worries there. How we’re going to get communications going between you and us is another story. Do you have any solar power at all?” Hakan asked.

“A windmill. Very basic stuff connected. A freezer for meat, but we smoke most of it usually,” Deborah said. “We could add a circuit. But we need more storage batteries. Ours are getting pretty damn old.”

“So, if we rig an antenna and give you a handheld unit, that would take care of communication.” Hakan was thinking out loud.

“That would be amazing,” Deborah said.

“Brent, I want you and one of the other guys to take Deborah back to Stargazer Ranch. Have Dr. Mike examine her and confirm everything is good with her pregnancy. See if we can scrounge up another horse from anyone here? Someone should be able to take wagon duty for a few days until we get to the homestead.” Hakan stopped speaking when Deborah shook her head.

“But we have to let Earl know what’s happening, he only let me ride down here because we’ve got a sow farrowing up there.”

“Ma’am, I’ll be taking wire, a radio and another ranch hand who understands antenna hook ups with us when we go back. I take it you can ride if we grab an easy going horse for you?” Brent reassured her.

“It’s been an eon since I’ve been up, but yes, I’ll pick it up again.”

“Make it happen, Brent. Take Spence with you, and grab Alan’s horse. He’s riding on a sprained ankle, so hitting the wagon won’t be a hardship for him.” Hakan said. “I’m going to send Deborah down to Alicia’s wagon. We’ll wait till you’re ready to go before we get the group moving again.”

“Sure Boss,” Brent swung up on his horse.

“Thanks for letting him stay with you overnight,” Hakan said as he started walking toward the wagon. He scanned the rest of the camp and noted the activity levels were normal for the routine.

“A gift from God, is what he was,” Deborah admitted.

“I’ll introduce you to Eliza and Alicia. They’re the only two women with us this trip. And then there’s Arimina the only child with us. It shouldn’t take long for Brent to get everything together.”

“I haven’t seen another woman in almost five years. Not since the last time we walked into Anchorage for seeds and an a few pieces and parts we needed for the cabin. Getting the damn freezer up there was a whole other story. We ended up contacting the Coast Guard.”

“I’m glad to know you have friends there. At least now you’ll have a way to contact them and others on one of the emergency frequencies if you need help,” Hakan told her. He wrote a series of numbers on the back page of his notebook and tore it out. “These are the frequencies for the emergency contact. The handhelds are unlocked, thanks to my brother and his genius ability with electronics and computers.”

“Well, that was mumbo jumbo as far as I go. But I’m sure Brent and Spence will help us figure out what you were talking about,” Deborah said with a rueful smile.

“It’s pretty simple. Normally you would have to do a course and pass an exam before being able to use this stuff, but I think we’re past that at the moment.” Hakan stopped at the blue tarp, noting the door flap was still laced shut. He rapped his knuckles on the side of the wagon and waited for a response.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Erik and Jett sat in the ham shack. The radios were quiet for the moment.

“We have survivors coming out of the woods along the road to Homestead. When you check in with Mike and Anya the next time, please let them know about Deborah. Brent and Spence will be coming back with her from what Hakan has reported.” Erik stood to stretch and continued. “About our Grand impersonator, I agree with you. He’s going to turn up for dinner service. He doesn’t seem to be a bad sort, just unsure of what we’re about and if he wants to be part of it. I suspect he has family or someone he’s very worried about living somewhere close to us.”

“You’re right there, I think. We’ll keep an eye open for him. Jerry and Chuck are on it too. It’s the four of us in charge here for now,” Jett said.

“Speaking of which, how do you feel about taking on a job as my assistant? I can’t be everywhere and you’re doing a great job of keeping up on what’s going on.” Erik knew his offer was out of left field, but Alicia’s brother was a treasure. His skills as a photographer and an artist were both necessary for him to do his job as head of security.

Jett’s eyes narrowed and Erik sat down to wait for the dark man’s answer. His close cropped hair revealed a strong face. Jett’s eyes slanted slightly, and his nose had next to no bridge, practically flat between his eyes. His chin had a light cover of beard growth and his lips were broad and determined. He looked like his father, where his sister favored his mother.

Jett pursed his lips and Erik continued to wait for his answer. The man never jumped into anything without considering things carefully. It was another quality he required in someone who would be responsible for the safety and security of their community.

“I never considered a career in law enforcement. That said, circumstances change, and I find my skills are an asset to the field. I might not be a traditional cop, but I’m fit. I’ve worked at becoming decently skilled with firearms, and I sure as hell give a damn about the people in this community.

“So, I’m going to accept your offer. We’ll let Hakan know what we’ve decided when we talk to him again. Thank you for making the suggestion.”

Erik stood to shake Jett’s hand as he got to his feet. “Welcome to the watch, as Sarge would say. I wasn’t interested either, but I couldn’t say no either.”

“For a couple of disinterested guys, we’re up to our eyeballs in it now. I’m going to let Dr. Mike know what’s coming his way. Then I’m heading home to Chay’s place and seeing how Catherine did for her first day alone up there.” Jett left through the open door.

Erik nodded and then stepped through the door and called after Jett. He stopped to wait for him.

“Let me know how Sara and Aaron are doing will you?”

“Of course. I was going to ask if we can take a work party up there. Maybe lock up everything, leave a couple of guys on watch and make a day of to put up the wall where those plate glass windows used to be. Aaron has been thinning the woods around there, taking out the saplings and shaping logs so they can be stacked. He’s damn handy with an axe and adze. Knows a lot about mortise and tenon beam construction.”

“I’ll work it out,” Erik said. “Give me a couple of days.”

“Sure thing.” Jett turned on his heel and continued over to the medical tent.

Erik returned to the radio room. Not his favorite place to be in the heat of the afternoon, but for the moment it served his purpose. The filing cabinet in the corner kept the paperwork in order, and he took the list of community members out to study one more time.

He reached up to crank the window over the radios open letting a cooling breeze through. They needed to work on the roof one more time, to make sure the rain didn’t get inside. This was the nerve center of communications now. It wouldn’t do to allow it to get damaged.

Turning to the open area on the desk his began preliminary planning on the work party at the Markham place when a knock caught his attention.

“Sir, could I please talk to you?”