Though frosted over, I recognized the tinted blue plastic bag. “The rations I made.”
“And left in the van.” Tony said. “He must have found the van.”
“He had food to survive and matches. He was making a trip, that’s for sure. A blanket in here as well. No weapons. Frozen food. Not the type you’d find in a grocery store.”
“Well it wouldn’t take long for his stuff to freeze. Obviously, he was somewhere.”
“What’s he doing here, Anna?” Tony asked.
“Why do you sound angry about it?”
“I’m not. I’m sorry.” Tony waved out his hand. “He had a chance for a great shelter. How did he miss it?”
“I don’t know. Gil, of all people, is never unprepared.”
“Point being this bag.” Tony said. “He knew what to bring. Except the SPAM. I don’t get that. It’s a can. Cans weigh you down when you travel on foot.” He exhaled with some frustration. “Why aren’t you with him?”
“He’s sleeping.”
“He’s your friend.”
“I know.” I said.
“I would think you’d want to be there when he woke up. I know you have questions.”
“I do,” I said. “But I don’t what to be there when he wakes up.”
“Can I ask why?”
“I’m afraid. Because when he opens his eyes and comes to his senses, he is going to ask for Jackson.” My head lowered. “I haven’t a clue how to even begin to deliver the news of his greatest tragedy.”
Just then Tom appeared in the doorway of Tony’s office. “Hey, Anna. Craig’s looking for you. Gil’s awake.”
Tom disappeared before I cold say anything and I looked at Tony.
“Anna, there is no easy way,” Tony said. “You just have to tell him.”
I knew that, I really did. I stepped to Tony, laid my hand on his cheek and kissed him. “Thank you.”
“If you need me, you know where I am,” Tony said. “But this is something you need to do alone with him.”
Again, he was telling me something I already knew. But it didn’t make it any easier to face.
I heard Gil’s voice before I even arrived at the medical room. Immediately I started to tremble. I was scared, scared to death to tell him about Jackson. I didn’t want to be the one who delivered the news. Knowing Craig, he didn’t tell him. He wouldn’t. We were a very close knit group, but something like that, something that tragic, had to come from me.
“Honestly, I’m fine. Really. The nap helped.” Gil said.
I lingered in the hall listening.
“I just want to get dressed and take a hot shower. I know you guys have the ability.”
“You’re still a little weak, Senator,” Craig said. “Can you give me an hour, just an hour? Then after I see you walk without problems, I’ll let you go. Let’s see if we can get your temperature up a little more. We don’t need you collapsing in the shower stall.”
“I’ll agree to that.”
“Can you drink that tea?”Craig asked. “Then we’ll get you food.”
“I’m fine. I’m not hungry, I’ve been good with that.” Gil stated. “Maybe after I shower. But could you please get Anna and Jackson? I am dying to talk to them.”
Jackson.
My eyes shut instinctively in pain. Finally, I had stopped crying every hour and every time I thought of him. Finally, I stopped crying myself to sleep. I was in the emotional position where I teared up talking and thinking about him. I sobbed much less and suddenly I could feel myself on the verge of revisiting that, going back to those painful days and weeks.
I couldn’t hang back much more. Craig was in a bad spot, an awkward position and I needed to intervene.
I knocked once on the archway.
“And here she is,” Craig motioned out a swing of his hand. “I’ll leave you two be.” He walked by me, pausing to place a hand on my shoulder and to pass a look to me that wished me luck.
“Anna.” Gil sat up straight in bed and reached out his hand. “I’d get up and give you a huge hug, but they have me hooked up.”
“Craig has a thing about that.” I reached out and grabbed his hand. Gill pulled me foward and kissed me on the cheek. “It so good to see you. You look great. You really look great. I’m so glad this worked out. I was so worried.”
“I know.”
“Where’s Jackson? I bet he’s running around this place. Finding all the cool Easter eggs we’ve hidden here.”
“Gil…”
“I know he carried me in with you.”
“That wasn’t Jackson. That was Tony.”
Gil huffed out a laugh. “Okay, sure. I know he was wearing that big old coat and his face was almost hidden. But…that wasn’t Tony. I know that.”
“Yeah, it was.”
Gil tilted his head. “Anna, that wasn’t Tony.”
Believing Gil was confused, and refusing to hear that it wasn’t his son who aided him inside, I tried to explain. “Gil, listen to me. Enough about Tony. Things… things happened. They didn’t go as planned.”
“What are you talking about, Anna?”
I lowered my head and sat on the bed next to him. “We ran into problems, and the trip kept getting delayed. Road blocks, curfews…”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“We were out there when the comet hit.”
“I know. I saw the van with Texas plates. I figured you broke down. I didn’t….”
“There was an earthquake.”
“I know this too.” Gil pulled his hand slowly away from me. “What’s going on?”
“Jackson… Jackson…” I couldn’t even say the words, they stuck in my throat and cracked with emotions as they seeped out. “He was injured in the quake and…”
“Oh my God.”
I grabbed his hand again. “He was hurt pretty bad.”
Gil closed his eyes and kept them closed.
“I’m sorry. I am so sorry I couldn’t protect him. I am so sorry. Jackson didn’t make it.”
Gil didn’t look at me. Slowly, I slipped my hand from his and stood.
“Wait.” He grabbed for my hand. Still not opening his eyes, he whispered. “Just stay. Please.”
I sat again.
“My son is gone?”
“Yes.”
I watched him. His expression stayed stone, but a single tear rolled down his cheek.
“My son is gone.” His head lowered and a soft groan of a sob flowed from him. That was the start. Gil brought his knees up to his chest, pinched the corners of his eyes, clenched my hand tighter and shoulders shaking, silently wept for the loss of his child.
44 – REVEALING
I stayed with Gil, by his side, while he drained a lot of his emotions. I knew it would hit him hard. Gil loved Jackson. He was a good father.
He wanted to know about it all. Did Jackson suffer? What were his last words?
I had to relive it all and in doing so, I relived that pain, and ended up crying with Gil.
He took comfort in knowing I had Jackson’s things, his tablet, his music. I told him all about the pictures Jackson had and the wallpaper that was of us three.
Gil was a strong man, and when he said he felt fine, I believed him. Craig came in, check on him and gave him the ‘Okay’ to move about, just to take it easy.
I wanted to know how he ended up at our bunker. Why Damnation Alley presumed he was dead. I had a lot of questions and I was sure he did too.
But the first thing he wanted to do when he go out of that bed was go see his son’s grave.
Craig was adamantly against it, but there was no stopping Gil. I at least got him to wear the protective cold weather gear. When walked to Jackson’s grave, I told him how Duke had made a grave marker and that once the ground wasn’t solid, we’d mark the grave.
We stayed outside for just a short while, then came back in.