Revenant, Page 3

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  “How was lunch with your mom?” Charlie asked when I came back later that afternoon.

  “Remind me not to do any favors for Hendricks anymore.” I told her deadpan, then grabbed a stack of dirty dishes and stomped off to the back where I vigorously washed them.

  Lying by omission was still lying, and I wasn't too impressed with the good Doctor or his favor this afternoon. He left out the part that the 'minor surgery' they would be doing together was a cesarean section, in addition to the fact that it was my mother’s first one solo. Not only did she freak out about the whole thing but as punishment for my part she made me scrub in and assist the other nurses. So, needless to say I am not too happy with Doctor Hendricks.

  On the plus side, and after my initial shock and reluctance to even be in the room, we delivered a healthy baby boy and have added another member to our growing community. On the down side, we added another member to our community. It makes the job all that more important and worth doing but also adds the tiniest bit more pressure and about seven and a half more pounds of stress.

  The dinner rush had come and gone by the time I was able to sit again and take a break. GG went home after the lunch rush so Grady took over in the kitchen while Charlie and I did the serving. Dinner isn't as busy as lunch, most people like to spend the evening and their dinner meal with their family, but we still feed a few and sometimes those families as well.

  Friday's are busy nights for the bar so we usually open up the patio and pull back the sliding walls where the pool tables and extra chairs and tables are. Most people come in to blow off steam from the work week and get all the latest gossip and news from any vanguards that just returned.

  The door clanged with the entrance bell as Don and John walked in, “Abby.” Each of the brothers greeted me with a head nod as they came in and went to the back corner to their favorite table.

  “Hi boys.” I greeted them in return, then went and grabbed a bucket and some beer. “Are you staying tonight?” I asked Grady through the order window who was in the back getting ready to stock the cooler.

  “Nah, not tonight. I've got some old computers Hendricks wants me to put together, see what I can come up with.”

  “Alright,” I smiled at him while I filled the bucket with ice and shoved several bottles of barley in to keep them cool.

  Grady was our go to guy for all the techy stuff, he was a genius. He worked magic on old computers and programs and helped keep the town organized for the Commander. I don't understand anything that he does, but I know he had a hand in getting us connected with the other colonies through radio waves or some other magic form of communication. He also made it possible for us to keep in contact with the town while we were out on a job. He's smarter than all the other knuckleheads that serve, so naturally he takes a lot of flak from them about being a nerd, or what they assume a 'nerd' is based on ancient gossip magazine and books.

  Grady is older than me, but he has such a baby face that he sometimes looks younger than I am. He's tall and wears his golden brown hair in such a way that I'm never sure if it was on purpose or if that's just how he woke up. He always wears the same thing everyday, a blue or gray t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Sometimes he wears glasses, they're either brown or black.

  “Thanks for helping today.” I told him before going over to deliver the beer to Don and John.

  “How are my two favorite ranchers this evening?” I said with a smile as I sat their bucket on the table. “I hear I'll be getting some fresh corn soon.”

  “Yes ma'am, crops lookin’ real nice. Shouldn't be more than a couple weeks er better and we'll get ya the best pickin' of the bunch.” John drawled after taking a long swig off his cold beer.

  “That's good to hear! We haven't had any since last season, it'll go quick here.” I beamed.

  “And how you doin’ Abby? Them boys been treating you right outside the gates?” Don asked with his serious eye. It was a pretty standard question from him to me, and he always gave me a certain look when he asked.

  “Oh, of course!” I waved a hand in front of me as if to knock the question out of the air. “Not one of those boys is dumb enough to mess with me Don. They know they'd have a world of hurt coming to them once they came back.” I told him. “Plus, I carry a gun.” I said with a wink.

  “Well, if you ever need anything...”

  “You'll be the first to know.” I promised. “Holler when you need a refill. There's plenty more where that came from.” I smiled at them again before turning and going back to the bar.

  Don and John are two of the farmers that work over in the town fields; their both really big boys with fists and hearts the size of my head. The two brothers work really hard and don't usually come in, so when they do I try to keep them happy. The farm itself is located furthest from the main part of town but is guarded just as heavily as the rest of it. Thompson Falls is surrounded by a security fence much like you would have found around a prison back in the day, in fact the steel fencing is from an old prison; it's just the brick walls that are new.

  The farm has livestock and produces a lot of food for the town. That and along with everything the vanguard bring in, what the hunters gather and the gardens we grow, we keep well feed.

  By the time I went back to the front a small group of people had come in, and since Harper wasn't here yet and Charlie quit helping after dinner was served, I hurriedly went to the bar to take their order.

  We had a decent amount of liquor to choose from and we never ran out of beer. We didn't always get the 'brand name' stuff that was left on the shelves from the old super markets and liquor stores, but we had a few people around town that had taken up brewing their own, so we keep the bottles and serve their private stock when it was ready.

  I can't mix a drink to save my life, so unless the customer knew what was in it, they were shit out of luck. Blaise was the bartender, or mixologist as he liked to call himself, he was sort of a chemical engineer with all forms of liquid. During the day he makes Ethanol and Bio-Diesel for the town and cars to run on so we don’t deplete our stock when our PEI equipment is down and on the weekends he mixes drinks for me here at the bar.

  It was also nice to have him around when someone let the booze get the best of them and they started to get rowdy. Blaise was about six-five and two hundred and eighty pounds of muscle, he was a brick shithouse and nobody messed with him. Legend has it that someone picked a fight with him once and ended up in a coma for a month after one punch to the head. Blaise is a great guy and even though the boys like to talk shit, none of them are stupid enough to try and debunk that rumor.

  By the time Harper had shown up Blaise had been here for a full hour and the bar was packed. She went straight to work after apologizing to me and giving Charlie the stink eye; those two had a thing for getting on each others nerves (I told them it was because they were a lot alike, but neither agreed).

  I was stocking the cooler in the back when the Commander opened the door and stood there waiting for me. I was still pretty pissed at him for what he pulled on me earlier, but I knew it was nothing compared to what was waiting for him with my mother, still I gave him the silent treatment while I finished what I was doing.

  After I was done with the cooler I went and started boxing up some of the empty bottles that had been cleaned and sterilized to send over to Summer's garage where she could fill them up again. Hendricks was a patient man, so instead of pushing me to speak to him he just started helping me with my work and waited for me. I lasted about eight minutes before I broke.

  “She made me scrub in.” I told him. I tried to sound angry, and I was, but the truth was it was an amazing experience and I was glad to have been a part of it. I wish it would have been my choice however, and that I hadn't been tricked into doing it, but after I got over my initial reaction I was able to step back and allow myself to enjoy the experience. There aren't too many people who can say that as a waitress they went on break and instead of lunch they delivered a baby.<
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  “She was really mad then?”

  I looked over at him like he was crazy, raising my eyebrows at the ridiculous question, “Yeah.” I told him nodding my head.

  “I should probably get home.”

  “You should probably going into hiding and change your name.” He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me, “She'd find me.”

  “I have no doubt.” I said, turning again to face him as he had done to me, then gave him a smile to let him know all was forgiven.

  “I wasn't completely honest with you today Abby and I apologize, I should have warned you about what you were walking in on. To be fair, I knew she would be fine and that your mother just needed to be pushed, but it was wrong of me to push you and use you as my poker, so, I am sorry.” He told me sincerely.

  I shrugged it off knowing he didn't really mean any harm, “You're forgiven, but just so we're clear, I won't be doing any more favors for you…at least for a while.” I told him seriously.

  Commander Hendricks could be trusted—completely—that really wasn't in question; it was his truthfulness or lack thereof that got the best of him sometimes. When he thought he was doing something covert that would be beneficial, but didn't want to tell anyone all the details in case it fell through, he would dance around the truth. The fact that it usually was beneficial wasn't the point either; he needed to learn that people could be trusted and that he could share his burdens.

  “So should I get her chocolates or flowers?” He asked making light of the situation.

  “Well since we don't have either, I'd go with something more useful, say like a nice bottle of red from the back and a foot massage.”

  “Right.” He responded solemnly, as if I just told him he would need a root canal.

  “And unless you're looking to be scolded in front of a bar full of people, I would find her before she finds you.” I added as I started for the door.

  “Abby?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.”

  Giving him a nod I made my way back to the front and behind the bar.

  “Everything OK?” Blaise asked as I washed glasses and looked around for empties and those who needed refills.

  “Yep, everything's great. How's it going out here?”

  “Pretty usual stuff, Charlie's in the back shooing away bar flies and hanging with her friends, the winos are getting ready to leave with a couple decanters of Pinot, the boozers broke two beer bottles and a glass knocking over a table on the patio, and Jeff just showed up and informed me Holden and the rest of the guys were on their way.”

  “So same shit, different day huh?”

  “You got it.”

  “Hey Abby, are there any more peanuts or popcorn in the back?” Harper asked as she came up to the bar with another tray of dirties for me. She was kinda short so I had to help her get it on the counter and then slid it away from her the rest of the way. “The farmer boys are looking for a snack.” She finished saying once her fingers were free from the tray.

  “Hmm, I think we have some popcorn, but not peanuts. Do you want to check or should I?”

  “I got it.”

  “Hey, are they hungry or just snacky?” I asked her as she made her way around the bar toward the double swinging doors to the back.

  “Snacky?”snack She said and looked at me with an odd expression. “Really Abby?”

  “What. That's a word.”

  “No, it's not.” She rolled her eyes at me and flipped her blonde pony tail as she headed for the back. “And I didn't ask, I'll just get the popcorn and let you ask if they want anything more. I'm not opening that can of worms.”

  “Sure.” I told her and then finished up the dishes before going over and asking the two brothers if they were hungry. “Hey guys, did you want something more to eat than just popcorn? I can whip you up a couple of sandwiches real quick?”

  “Thanks Abby, but we ain't wantin' to cause no fuss. This here popcorn will do us just fine.” Don answered me and then took another pull off his beer.

  “Nonsense. I'll be right back with two turkey sandwiches and some chips.” And with that I turned and walked away before they could argue any further. They provided our community with food; the least I could do was make it for them when they were hungry.

  “I'll take a sandwich too since you're going back there.” Holden quipped rudely as I walked by. He and the rest of his crew had just shown up and sat down while I was talking to the ranchers about getting them something to eat.

  “Kitchen's closed Holden, but we start serving breakfast at nine.” I said as I kept walking past him without batting an eye. “It's going to be one of those nights Blaise, I hope you're ready.” I told my bartender as I pushed through the double swinging doors and went into the kitchen to make a couple of sandwiches for two of the handful of men that I actually liked who were in the bar.

  A few minutes later I was walking back over to the table with two turkey on white –extra meat, and homemade chips from this afternoon’s lunch. “Here you go and if you need anything else don't be afraid to ask.” I said to the two of them.

  “I'll take a refill.” Holden said pushing his empty bottle in my stomach as I was walking by.

  Looking down I yanked the bottle from him and slapped his hand away. “It's a little early for you to be acting like an asshole Holden. Maybe you should call it a night.”

  “I just got here Abby.”

  “And you're already finished with your second beer.”

  “Well I wanted a sandwich, but you wouldn't give me one of those, so I guess I'll just drink my dinner.”

  “Holden.” I clenched my teeth and took a deep breath before continuing to speak. “You and I both know damn well that you don't want a sandwich. Why do you do this?” I paused for a moment until he formed his cocky grin, “You know what, I don't care. Do you boys want another round too?” I said turning away from him to face the rest of the table. Without actually bothering to get an answer from them I left Holden to make his smart ass comments behind my back and went to the bar.

  “I don't understand why you keep letting him come back Abby.” Blaise commented as he filled up two buckets with ice while I grabbed the beer.

  I didn't reply, I just shook my head at myself and in answer to his question. Sometimes I wondered the same thing.

  “Hey, why don't I take his table for the night, you know, to make up for me being late today?” Harper suggested as she cleared off her tray. “He likes me.”

  “Deal.” I said to her sticking my hand out to shake on it. “No take backs.”

  The next several hours went by pretty smooth and by the time ten o'clock came around most of the patrons had gone home, leaving only the drinkers for the rest of the night.

  Harper was good at containing Holden, she even convinced him to leave before one, which meant that we were able to close up early. Cleanup was quick and an hour later I found myself shutting down all the lights, locking up the doors and heading to my room for a much needed shower.

  I was snuggled deep under my blankets and almost asleep when the night bell in my room started to chime. I thought I might be dreaming so I ignored it the first time, but when it rang again I knew that sleep was going to evade me this night. With a groan I threw back the heavy comforter and climbed out of my warm bed. Sliding on my fuzzy boots I drug my feet over the carpet and toward the front door as I tied my beat up robe around my waist.

  The sound of sliding metal as it released from the latch was a loud echo in the empty motel, I would have treasured the sound if I had known then it would be the last quiet reverberation for a long time to come.