It wasn’t as if the baby was going to crawl out of it. They’d found a wooden highchair that could be used later, when Caleb got old enough to sit up and eat. Hogan had brought that down and had begun to clean it. It was old, but in good shape. The things they found were roughly 1960s vintage. They’d found board games, an old 1950s edition Monopoly game. They now had a nightly challenge of Monopoly, both cheating boldly and badly. Trish smiled at the thought.
They’d also found quite a few canning jars, which would come in handy. They left those there, for when or if they needed them. They found a stroller, but the seat had rotted out. There wasn’t any place to stroll but Hogan said it would be nice to put Caleb in while they worked out in the garden. He’d brought it down and cleaned it up as well. She took an old blanket and folded it. She’d then attached the blanket to the metal rungs and made a kind of hammock. The canopy was still in good shape and so they used that as shade for the baby.
Their world had shifted and now Caleb was at the center of it. She was tired these days with little sleep and working out in the garden. Hogan had taken over care of the animals and the dogs were fascinated by the baby, sniffing and snuffling the small creature. The dogs fretted when the baby cried, but were happy when he cooed. She and Hogan also took great pleasure in Caleb, having fallen in love with him. She could only hope his mother smiled down from heaven, knowing her son was loved and cared for. It was all they could do.
She separated the baby and put him to her other breast. He made a popping noise and groaned when he released the nipple with her help. He settled quickly on the fresh one and began his busy work. Her mind wandered as she rocked the baby. The beans were poking their heads up as were the potatoes. Things were growing well. They had surprisingly good rain showers at night. So far, all was good. They’d seen no one after Mr. Reed’s fatal visit. Both were afraid the man would have been followed. Hogan had stayed up during the next couple of nights, keeping watch.
There had also been baby clothing in the boxes as well, and she was surprised at the quality of them. She’d washed them up and had let them dry in the clear sunshine. They were now put into the dresser. There had also been bibs and receiving blankets. The clothes were a little rough, since they no longer had dryers to soften them, but Caleb didn’t seem to mind. She and Hogan had long since gotten used to the rough clothing.
After using the towels, the material usually softened up. She had to twist and roll the blankets to soften them up. They tended to be a little scratchy. She felt Caleb release from her breast with a soft pop. Hoisting him to her shoulder, she patted his back until she got a burp or two. Smiling, she reached over to a pile of diapers, and picked one up. The stack was sitting neatly and waiting. There was also a bucket of water with bleach. She’d wash those diapers in the morning. She had a large bucket with a mop squeegee that she could squeeze out the excess water.
After putting him back into his drawer, she made her way back to bed. Climbing in she smiled when she felt Hogan scoot closer. He gave an interrogative squeeze of her hip and she laughed low.
“Make it quick, I’m about to pass out.” She giggled.
Ӝ
Franktown, CO
Quinn and Laura sat on the front porch. Bart and Milly were upstairs, sleeping, as were the girls. It was a cool night and felt good after a long day of working in the garden. He and Milly had dragged the bodies of the intruders into the side yard and had loaded them in the bucket of the tractor. It had been a gruesome job, but Milly had been jovial. It seemed she didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. Bart had sat the rest of the evening on the couch, Allain and Alexa serving him coffee or tea and feeding him this or that. The man had reveled in the attention. Milly had just rolled her eyes.
He and Laura had moved the mattress from the attic and had pushed the two mattresses together. The girls had been in and out to help with reorganizing Laura’s room, now his and Laura’s room. Surprisingly, the girls seemed unphased by it.
“Are you married now?” Alexa had asked, matter-of-factly.
“I guess we are.” Laura had said in surprise.
“Okay.” And the now five-year-old had wandered off, yelling, “Yeah, they’re married now.” To her sister.
Both he and Laura had laughed silently until tears fell from their faces. Then they heard Milly yell from downstairs.
“Told ya.” Which caused them to laugh harder. Life had settled into working during the day, along with guarding the place and watches at night. Bart had skipped a night or two, until Laura had deemed him well enough.
“What do you think Hogan is doing?” She asked him, drawing him out of his thoughts. She sometimes asked him that, perhaps feeling guilty over being happy. He knew that Laura worried about Hogan and he didn’t begrudge her those feelings.
“Right now, sleeping, I’m sure. But I’m hoping he’s safe and perhaps happy. There’s just no telling.” It was his usual reply. He didn’t know what else to tell her. She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. He froze, seeing a shadow pass by, at a crouch. He knew she felt his body tense, because
