‘By the fact that you’re on foot, I’m guessing that you live nearby; is that correct?’ asked Cunningham.
‘Yes, just five minutes away,’ replied Jamie.
Cunningham looked at his watch. ‘Well, we have to get back to the camp, but as we’re so close… Would you like us to come back with you so I could have a look at the girl – Megan – and give her a quick examination?’ Jamie said that would be great, so Miller instructed him to climb aboard. It was a bit of a squeeze with four in the cab, but it wasn’t for long. The driver turned the truck around and Jamie directed them to the bungalow. When they pulled up outside, the door opened and Jane stood there in amazement as Jamie climbed from the cab followed by the two officers. He walked up to her, smiling, and kissed her.
‘Look who I found on my travels! Major Miller and Major Cunningham, this is my partner, Jane Roberts.’ The two officers saluted and shook hands with her and she greeted them warmly.
‘Well, I’m sure Mr. Parker will fill you in later, Miss Roberts, and we can’t stay long,’ said Cunningham, ‘but I’m a doctor with the Royal Army Medical Corps. I offered to come back and give Megan a quick examination while we were in the area. I believe she’s been on her own for a long time and I’d like to check her out, if that’s okay?’
Jane welcomed them inside: the officers removed their caps and they went through to the kitchen, where Megan had been told to wait. She introduced them to Megan and they all said hello.
‘Honey, these men are from the army. This is Major Cunningham; he’s a doctor and he’d like to examine you to check that you’re healthy. Would that be okay?’
‘Are you just like a normal doctor?’ Megan asked.
Cunningham smiled. ‘Yes, Megan, I’m just a normal doctor, but I’m in the army so I have to wear a uniform like a soldier.’
‘Okay then, I guess,’ she said. Jamie directed him to Megan’s bedroom and he picked up his medical kit and followed her inside. He asked Miller if he would like some coffee, or something stronger.
Miller saw a bottle of Scotch on a shelf and nodded to it. ‘A small one would be great, thanks.’
Jamie poured them both a good measure and they raised their glasses and drank. Jane was busy preparing the evening meal and while they waited Jamie showed him the gardens and the vegetables they were growing, along with the improvements they’d made. Miller was impressed and said they were doing a grand job. Jamie told him that Jane was pregnant, but still had nearly eight months to go and that they were both worried.
‘Well, bear in mind,’ Miller said, ‘that the camp isn’t too far away from you, and we have doctors and nurses there if you need help or advice.’ Jamie thanked him and they went back inside.
Cunningham came back with Megan and smiled. ‘She’s doing okay under the circumstances. Some borderline malnutrition, but nothing too serious, and a fair bit of weight loss, but she’ll soon put that back on if you feed her well. I’ve given her some multi-vitamins to take; one a day for a month, and I’m sure she’ll be fine.’ They both thanked him.
‘There’s one other thing;’ Cunningham said, ‘would you object to me taking a blood sample from you? You’ve both survived the plague, which is extremely rare: it’s possible that it might help our scientists to learn more about the bacterium, and why you survived when most others didn’t.’ They had no objections so he took samples from them both.
The two officers said they had to leave, so Jane and Megan said goodbye and Jamie went outside with them to their truck. They stood on the pavement and shook hands; Jamie thanked them both and they wished him good luck, saluted and got into the truck. The driver turned around in the road then they waved from the window and drove off. Jamie went back inside and the kitchen was filled with the smell of baking bread and rabbit casserole.
He kissed Jane and ruffled Megan’s hair. ‘Well, missy, it looks like you’re doing okay.’ Megan gave him a big grin.
Twenty-two
Jamie told them about his meeting with the officers and he repeated Cunningham’s warning to be wary of contact with strangers without questioning them first. He explained that the army were concerned about survivors from London, who might be carrying new diseases, slipping past their road-blocks because they were so thinly-stretched. He also explained to Megan that things weren’t going to change in the country just because there were now some army people to help out where they could.
‘I understand that now,’ she replied. ‘I mean, we learned some basic stuff about supply and farming at school, and it’s not like the army people can become farmers and grow wheat and potatoes, is it? And they can’t, like, open Tesco’s again and fill the shelves with food, can they?’
‘No, honey, you’re absolutely right,’ Jane answered.
Later on, after Megan had gone to bed, he and Jane sat up talking further about his conversation with the officers and what he’d been told.
‘Well, it’s great that the refugee camp has been set up at Tunbridge Wells,’ said Jane, ‘and reassuring to know there are doctors and nurses there.’
‘I agree, but… Well, I don’t want to be pessimistic, but you’re not due for another eight months or so yet and that’s a long time. Anything could happen between now and then. Will the camp even still be there in eight months?’ He shrugged. ‘Oh, well, there’s nothing we can do on that score and no point thinking about it.’
‘It’s very worrying, though, what he told you about the prospects for the country, but I’m glad he was honest with you about it. I suppose it’s no different to what we’d thought anyway, is it?’
‘No, it’s not. All he’s done is to confirm our suspicions that, basically, we’re on our own from now on. As he said, even though there are a few thousand armed forces personnel left, there’s actually not much they can do. They can’t man pumping stations and sewerage plants to get water flowing again, or power stations, and they can’t farm the land to produce food for people.’
‘What on earth is going to happen in a year’s time, Jamie? Or less, even! When the fuel either runs out or becomes unusable they won’t have any transport; generators and batteries will fail, along with their communications. What will they do then?’
He thought for a few seconds. ‘Well, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that will be the end of the army. Without transport or communications they won’t be a structured force any more. And when medical supplies and food run out what will be left for them to do?’
‘Who knows? Maybe they’ll just disband and settle wherever they happen to be; I don’t suppose many will have homes to go back to any more. Maybe they’ll become local peace-keeping forces, to replace the police, or form small communities. Anyway, this is all academic, really, and just supposition. I can’t see how it will affect us, though, or change what we’re doing; until today we didn’t even know they still existed.’
‘Yes, I suppose you’re right,’ he admitted. ‘Come on, let’s go to bed.’
In the morning Megan was up before them. They’d sat up late talking the night before and as a result were later than normal to rise. When they came into the kitchen they found that she had got a fire going in the range, made some breakfast rolls that were ready to go in the oven when it was hot enough, and had also made them coffee!
She put her hands on her hips, looked at them with a mock-stern expression and, in imitation of her mum, said ‘And just what sort of time do you call this? Must I do everything in this house?’