“We don’t know when the evacuation began,” Niko said. “So if they wait too long, they might miss it.”
“Besides, we’ve hit on the right antibiotics and I’m already starting to feel better,” Mr. Appleton added.
Okay. Those were sound arguments, but why wouldn’t he meet my eyes?
“We’ll have dinner with you and then we’ll go,” he said.
Robbie was staring at Mr. Appleton with irritation and maybe anger on his face. When Robbie saw me looking at him, he gave me a weak smile.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE BIG SEND-OFF
Batiste and I really went to town for the farewell dinner.
After the men left, I was going to ask Niko if Batiste could just become my permanent helper. He really had a way with food and I think everyone was getting tired of the ridiculous meals my other helpers picked (for one lunch Ulysses had picked only foods with cherries in them—Cherry Pop-Tarts, cherry pie, black cherry ice cream, etc.)
Batiste and I oven-roasted the last of the fresh-frozen chicken. He made a corn souffle using Egg Beaters and frozen corn, with some other stuff. For dessert we made three cakes: yellow with chocolate frosting, devil’s food with marshmallow icing, and a pink cake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles, for novelty effect.
It was a really good meal. Everyone said so, except for Jake, who took a plate and slunk away to eat by himself, and Astrid, who was still MIA.
Mr. Appleton and Niko had joined forces, clearly. They sat together, discussing the trip. Alex sat with them, listening in, and happy, I imagine, at being allowed in on this important conversation.
After dinner Mr. Appleton gave a speech.
He stood up and dabbed his forehead with a napkin.
“I want to thank you all for taking us in and taking such good care of us,” he said. “You are some of the brightest and most determined children I have had the pleasure of knowing. I am proud that you are in my school district.”
He swabbed his head again. Why was he sweating so much? It wasn’t warm in the kitchen. It was chilly, like the rest of the store.
“Robbie and I will make it our mission to find your parents and tell them you are here.”
The kids cheered.
“Can you please ask my mom to tell Mr. Mittens that I miss him?” little Caroline asked Mr. Appleton.
“Sure,” he said. Then he closed his eyes. He put a hand out so he could lean on the tabletop.
Niko stood up. At his signal, Alex handed out plastic flutes filled with sparkling apple juice.
“And, Mr. Appleton and Robbie, we are very glad you came. It has been our honor to prepare you for the journey ahead and we thank you very much for taking our letters to our parents. To Mr. Appleton and Robbie!”
We toasted with our faux champagne.
“Okay,” Mr. Appleton said. “I think it’s time we headed out.”
The kids groaned.
“I don’t get it.” Chloe pouted. “At least wait until the morning. Nobody travels at night.”
“It doesn’t really matter,” Mr. Appleton said. “It’s night all the time out there.”
“And less people are out at night. So there’s less of a chance we’ll run into dangerous people,” Robbie added.
Chloe shivered.
Ulysses was sitting on Robbie’s lap. Robbie kissed him on the top of the head. Ulysses snuggled into him and wrapped his arms around Robbie’s neck.
This was going to suck for Ulysses, their leaving.
“Come on, Robbie,” Mr. Appleton said. “It’s time.”
Mr. Appleton stood up.
“Thank you again,” Niko said.
“It’s our duty and our pleasure,” Mr. Appleton said. His color was not good.
He seemed to squint at Niko, reaching out to shake his hand. But he couldn’t find it.
Mr. Appleton put a hand out to steady himself against the tabletop, but the hand missed.
Slowly, sideways, Mr. Appleton crumpled to the ground.
Niko, Robbie, Brayden, and I carried him back to their sleeping area.
“I knew he wasn’t feeling up to it,” Robbie said. “He has this sense of duty toward you kids. Wanted to get those letters to your parents.”
They set Mr. Appleton down. His head lolled back. He was out.
“Do you think he’s okay?” I asked.
“Someone go get smelling salts,” Niko ordered.
“I’ll go,” Brayden volunteered. He took off for the Pharmacy.
“We need to get him to the hospital,” Niko said. He turned to Mr. Appleton. “Do you think you could get him there, if we made some kind of sled for you? It’s not too far…”
“No, no, no,” Robbie protested. “The hospital’s closed. It was one of the first things to go. There were like hundreds of people trying to get in. It was mobbed.”
Niko thought about that. I saw him look to Robbie. He didn’t trust him.
“Believe me, I swear to God above, this is the best place for Craig. This is the only place he has a chance.”
“Great,” said Niko. His hands were in fists.
Brayden came back after a while with smelling salts. A little bottle from the Pharmacy. I’d never seen them before.
Niko expertly uncapped the bottle and held it a hand’s length away from Mr. Appleton’s nose. He wafted the fumes toward him.
Mr. Appleton recoiled. He was super-groggy.
“My gun,” he said, and he grabbed for Niko’s shirt, then he groaned, a long, bull-like sound, and he fell back to sleep.
“He must have overexerted himself,” Niko said on the way back to the Kitchen.
“He’s sick,” I said.
“Dude, his leg is rotting off,” Brayden said, always one with words.
“I don’t know,” I said. “He almost seemed stoned to me. Maybe he overdid it on pain pills.”
“That’s possible,” Niko said. “I gave him a lot of them to take along.”
Niko exhaled.
“Now we’re stuck with them,” he murmured darkly.
“Don’t worry, Niko,” I said. “Robbie’s not so bad.”
We assigned watches for taking care of Mr. Appleton. Niko would watch from bedtime until midnight. Robbie insisted on taking the second shift. And I volunteered for three to six a.m.
When Niko told the little kids that the grown-ups would be staying for a few more days, they were delighted.
Ulysses started break dancing, which was just funny enough to break the grimness of the moment.
Even Niko had to smile as Ulysses jigged and jagged and did ye olde robot. The chubby kid really had some moves.
