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Emma carried the metal pail filled with hot water. They were using one of the fifty-gallon containers as a bath tub. It was set by the lake, where they could add colder water. Amanda had taken the first bath and now Hailey was taking hers. They dumped the used water into the sand on the beach. Amanda was playing with Cooper and the two dogs. Emma had examined both girls, both were malnourished and thin. They were also slightly dehydrated. They could fix that. Hailey had bruising, but as far as Emma could tell, the girl only had the bruising, nothing more. She’d been thankful for it. It would seem that Amanda had rescued the child before irreversible harm was done. She didn’t know what the men had done, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse.
Cooper had graciously given a couple of his toys to Hailey for bath time. Emma washed the child’s hair and Paadi rinsed it. The mouth-watering scent of chocolate cake wafted over.
“I smell cake.” Hailey announced as she wiped water from her eyes.
“Yep, the cake should be done in about ten minutes. We’ll let it cool and then I’ll put icing on it.” Emma agreed.
“UMMM! I like chocolate cake!” Hailey cried happily. Emma looked over at Paadi and smiled.
“I think she’ll be okay, thank god.” Paadi said softly.
“I hope so. Okay young lady, let’s get you rinsed off and then we’ll get you dressed and you can go play with Amanda and Cooper. Emma mixed hot water in with cold water and then poured the warm water over the child. She squealed and danced around in the container. Paadi stepped forward with a large towel and engulfed the child. Hailey clung to Paadi and twisted her arms around Paadi’s neck. Paadi carried the child back to the house and Emma dumped the water into the sand. It was a pretty good tub and she looked forward to the bathtub Brian was picking up. It would be nice to sit and soak from time to time.
She walked over to the sun oven. She had mittens to pull the glass pan out. Brian had made a table, and had set up the sun oven. It was big enough to also prepare meals. He was such a handy man. She and Paadi had strung up the clothes lines and hung the freshly washed clothes. The girls didn’t have much and Emma had wanted to try the yellow buckets. They worked perfectly. She looked at the girl’s clothing, blowing in the breeze and she smiled.
She took the cake pan off the sun oven, using her fingertip to check the bounce of the top of the cake. It seemed cooked. She took a knife and slid it into the middle of the cake, then pulled it out. Clean. The cake was good to go. She’d ice the cake later. She shut down the sun oven carefully, the heat coming off of it was impressive. It amazed her, no power, but they could bake or cook on sunny days. She grunted, pretty cool, she thought.
Hailey ran past, and joined the other children. They ran up and down the beach, the dogs chasing them and barking.
“You think I maybe shouldn’t have shot those assholes?” Paadi asked, coming up beside her to watch the children.
“I think you did just right. I think Hailey escaped rape by the grace of God. Amanda saved her, there is no doubt, but those men did something to her. Had they held onto her, they would have raped her, no doubt. No, they were animals and shouldn’t live. You did the world a favor Paadi.” Emma said darkly.
“I’m only sorry you couldn’t make them die slower. I think Hailey will heal, but she’ll never be who she was meant to be. None of the children will. Their small lives have been changed. All we can do is help them through this new world.” Emma said and she held a hand up over her eyes, watching the kids. She looked up and saw the gathering clouds.
“It’s gonna rain. Should we leave the clothes on the line?” Paadi looked up as well.
“Might as well. At least we don’t have to water the garden. And we got the cake baked. I’ll take it in and later, we can make a nice dinner and then awesome dessert. Christ, it’s been a long time since I’ve had cake. It might not be homemade, but it is a cake all the same.” Emma grinned.
“Me too. It’s also been a long time since I’ve been around family. I think our family is pretty nice.” Paadi said softly, her large brown eyes bright with tears. Emma hugged her friend. Paadi might sound rough or gruff at times, but she had the biggest heart.
She felt the first drop hit her face and looked down at the cake.
“Okay kids, time to go in. Let’s go.” Emma shouted.
“You sound like a mom.” Paadi laughed and put her arm around Emma. Both women walked back to the house as the kids ran to meet them. The dogs followed close behind. Emma sighed contently, looking behind her, at her children, for she thought of them as her own.
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Flynn and Xandra made their bed by the large sliding glass door to the outside. The screen had been pulled shut to keep the bugs out. It was early evening and she was tired. Both she and Flynn had bathed in the pool. It had felt wonderful to be clean. Xandra was feeling human again. She was pretty sure if Flynn hadn’t come, she’d have been dead in two days. She’d been on the verge and she knew
