“Way ahead of you,” Scotty said with a smile.
“You know, man,” Grant said, “the girls can’t be over tonight when the guests are there.”
“Oh, I know,” Scotty whispered. “And it sucks. But I’ll do it for my country,” he said with another smile. “Besides, I’m tired. Two days of this training. We’ll be up late tonight with the visitors. I need some sleep tonight.”
“Ha!” Grant said. “Feel my pain. The pain of an old guy. You never thought you’d turn down lovin’ just to sleep, did you?”
“Never,” Scotty said. “Now I know how much it sucks to be one of you old dudes.” In two weeks, Scotty would turn twenty-three.
Grant started to eat dinner with the Team and the Crew. Scotty was telling them that they needed some sleep tonight and that the girls needed to take a night off. Everyone agreed, except Wes.
“C’mon, guys,” Wes protested, “just because you’re tired pieces of shit doesn’t mean I have to suffer.”
Then Scotty mouthed “Ted” to Wes.
“Oh, never mind,” Wes said. “I could use a night off.”
Scotty saw one of the girls serving food in the kitchen. “I’ll break the news to them,” he said as he got up to talk to her.
While Scotty was having his conversation, Grant saw Lisa getting dinner. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” Grant said. “I’m going to eat dinner with my girlfriend.” Grant joined her, as she was sitting down with the other medical people.
“May I join you?” Grant asked Lisa.
“I guess so,” she said with a slight smile. He could tell she was tired.
He asked her about her day, which consisted of a lot of work for the medical team. They were hampered by a lack of medical supplies and the lack of transportation. They couldn’t go out to see people, except in emergencies when it was worth the gas. People had to get patients to them in the clinic, which was hard to do. They had to find a ride or walk. Everyone was realizing how much they had taken transportation for granted before the Collapse.
The Grange meeting was very short, and Rich came into the Grange at the last minute and announced that he had no updates. He asked if anyone had anything that needed discussing. No one raised their hands. “Good night,” he said. People started leaving.
Grant talked to some people for a while, while Mark waited around to take everyone back to Over Road. Drew and Lisa got into the extended cab of Mark’s truck and the Team, including Grant and Chip, got into the bed for the familiar ride home. There wasn’t much chatter on the ride back, as people were tired.
They pulled onto Over Road and there was Gideon on guard with his borrowed AK-74. He waved them through, but was looking at each person in the truck to make sure everything was OK. He was an outstanding guard. They were so lucky to have him out there.
Everyone slowly piled into their cabins. The Team was dragging their gear a little bit. Grant really looked forward to seeing Cole and Manda. He missed them. He didn’t know if he would ever adjust to this new schedule that didn’t allow him as much time with his kids as he’d had before the Collapse. He had worked his tail off before the Collapse, but it seemed like he was working even more now, even though he didn’t have a traditional “job.” Now, surviving was his “job.”
When Grant and Lisa opened the door, the kids came running up to them, like they did when they were little. It was heartwarming. Grant and Lisa asked them about what they did that day. They told stories. Ellen described how well Cole was talking recently. They spent the next two hours…being a family. Grant was even home early enough to tuck Cole in.
“Thank you for tucking me, Dad,” Cole said with a great big smile. Grant melted.
“You know, Cole, that I want to tuck you every night,” Grant said. “But sometimes I have to work during tucking time.”
“I know, Dad. You’re keeping us safe,” Cole said.
Grant melted again. He started to tear up. Cole might not be able to talk well, but he knew what was going on.
For those two hours of family time, Grant wasn’t thinking about war, supplies, politics, or medical care. It totally vanished from his mind. It was like he was a different person. Grant was about to say he was like his old self, but he realized that wouldn’t be exactly accurate. He was like his old self in the sense that during family time he wasn’t a judge and organizing a guerilla band, but his old self didn’t appreciate his family as much as his new self. His old self cared more about his career; his new self-appreciated his family. Those two hours with the family were the best of both worlds: his old self having the time to hang out with the family, and his new self-appreciating it.
After tucking in Cole, Grant went downstairs. It was dusk and would be dark in about a half hour. He wanted to see if Lisa was available for…the perfect end to the day. He was too late. She was asleep. Dang. Oh well. She needed the sleep.
Grant sat down on the couch in the living room and, for the first time all day, enjoyed silence. He had been talking to people or listening to them since the early morning. He just soaked in the silence until someone knocked at the door. He unholstered his pistol out of habit, but didn’t point it at the door or put his finger on the trigger; he was fairly sure whoever was at the door was OK because they would have to get past Gideon first. And assassins didn’t usually knock.
Grant got up and, as he was walking toward the door, asked, “Who is it?”
“Chip, man,” Chip said. “You’re needed. No crisis or anything. Just a meeting.”
Oh crap. Back to work. Grant really wanted to go to sleep with his family. For the first time out there at Pierce Point, Grant really wanted everyone to go away. He was feeling tired of the nonstop everything.
As Grant was walking toward the door to leave the cabin, he realized he needed to quit whining about having to go to work. He was about to meet with Ted and Sap and try to convince Rich and Dan to approve the use of Pierce Point as a guerilla training area. This was important stuff.
Grant suddenly felt guilty. He had been playing with his family like a devoted family man while he was hiding from them that he was going to meet with a rebel Special Forces official to plot the overthrow of what was left of the government. He was voluntarily joining a war that he could theoretically sit out. He was risking his life and putting the lives of everyone at Pierce Point in danger, and doing it behind their backs. What kind of father and husband does that? And then acts like nothing is happening?
I do, Grant thought. I’m the kind of father and husband who has been dealt a historic hand of responsibility, and who will play the hand to the best of his ability. As Grant approached the door, he realized that he was repeating in his head the previous struggle to decide whether to join Special Forces Ted’s unit. He had already decided. He didn’t need this loop running in his head. It wasn’t helping him do what he needed to do.
When Grant opened the door, there was no one there. He looked outside and saw Chip walking over to the yellow cabin.
“C’mon, man,” Chip said impatiently. He was nervous about the meeting and wanted it to go well. Chip knew what was at stake.
“It’s not dark yet,” Grant said in a loud whisper so he wouldn’t wake Cole, who was upstairs in the loft. It was dusk, but not dark.
“Rich and Dan are here for a pre-meeting with us,” Chip said.
OK, that was worth getting him for, Grant thought. He walked over to the yellow cabin. On the way over, Gideon nodded at him as he continued to scan for threats. Grant walked into the cabin to see the Team, Rich, and Dan.
“Thanks for coming, gentlemen,” Grant said.
“No problem,” Rich said. “This is kinda important.” Dan nodded. Rich and Dan seemed more relaxed and open to this proposal than they had been when Grant first sprung it on them earlier that morning.