Page 109 of Waves of Fury

All I do is inhale Kellen’s familiar scent, close my eyes, and pray to God my brother will make it through to the other side.

Kellen

Ishould have gone with them rather than letting Aaron take the lead.

Maybe if I’d gone, Wayne would still be alive and Jesse wouldn’t have gotten shot. Perhaps I could have talked down this Holt guy.

My regrets keep mounting higher and higher until there’s a very real sense that they’re all going to come toppling down around me right along with my sanity.

I knew I should have overridden Aaron’s decision, but I didn’t. And now I feel responsible for everything that’s happened. If Jesse dies, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look Tyler in the eyes again.

About an hour or two after we arrived, a woman in black scrubs makes her way over to us. She beams, revealing a small gap between her front two teeth. That smile has to be a good sign.

“I’m Dr. Bellafleur,” the woman says in a slight French accent. “You can call me Dr. B. I was able to get Jesse all patched up.”

Aaron makes a strangled sound of relief and Tyler fist pumps the air. The rest of our group share relieved smiles.

“You guys must be the brothers,” Dr. B says. “Why don’t you two come on back? The rest of you can walk a block east to the church. Ask for Mary. My sister runs the shelter there and will get you a place to stay.”

Aaron and Tyler follow after the doctor. The rest of us make our way outside. Whereas the sun had been shining earlier, a thick cloud cover has moved across the sky. I get a whiff of smoke and wonder what part of our great nation is on fire this time. What’s left of our broken little group hobbles up the road to the church.

Mary, a woman who looks exactly like Dr. B with the same gap in her teeth and matching eyes, greets us happily with the French accent her sister also has.

“I heard all about your group,” Mary says in greeting. “So sorry about the fella who didn’t make it. Holt will stand trial for his murder. Don’t you worry.”

We nod, too tired to say much else.

“Come on.” Mary gestures for us to follow her into the church. “Let me show you around.”

The church seems to be a happening place. Kids of various ages play in small groups in the foyer where games and toys have been set up. Beyond the foyer is a decently sized meeting room that looks to have once been used for potluck dinners. It’s been turned into a cafeteria for the shelter dwellers. Mary waves to a woman with wiry gray hair sweeping up leftover mess from the most recent meal. Past the cafeteria and through another hallway, we find the sanctuary. A few pews remain near the pulpit, but the rest have been removed and replaced with cots and some curtained areas.

“Families are allowed their own ‘room’ for privacy,” Mary says with a smile. “I assume you all want to be together? If not, there are plenty of cots out here in the open, but they’re usually reserved for lone stragglers we come across.

“We’ll stay together,” I agree with a nod. “Thank you.”

Mary shows us to one of the curtained places. “There’re showers available at the local motel, but you’ll need to get with Paula, the one sweeping when we came in, and she’ll put you on the schedule, as well as go over the rules.”

“Rules?” Hope asks with a grimace.

“Nothing too wild,” Mary says with a chuckle. “Simple stuff like clean up after yourself, don’t go crazy using the community shampoo and whatnot, and oh, don’t take more than your allotted time.”

“What happens if you go over?” Dan inquires, body tense. “What’s the punishment?”

Mary studies each of us for a beat and then her smile falters. “You all have been through a lot. I can see that. You won’t be punished. You’ll just be remembered. If you take a long time, Paula will make sure you get a later slot next time. And, if you are a repeat offender, she’ll put you last. Last one out for the night is in charge of scrubbing down the shower and refilling the community products.”

I relax knowing it’s nothing terrible. “How do we go about getting supplies?” I ask, yawning. “We’re out of everything.”

Mary’s smile is back in full force. “Goodland residents have volunteered their time to make packs for every visitor who stays here. They’ve been separated by size. I’ll have some backpacks brought to you all. Just fill out the form on your cot and turn it in to Paula or myself.” She gives my arm a squeeze. “Why don’t you all get settled and we’ll see about getting you all sorted out.”

Aaron and Tyler missed dinner, though Mary assures me her sister is making sure they’re fed at the hospital. The rest of us scarfed down the canned stew and freshly baked bread as though we hadn’t eaten in years. Several smaller kids giggled at our zeal for the mushy dinner. After, we all took our turns getting showers. Now that I’m clean and sitting on my cot, exhaustion takes over.

Hope sees me nodding off and smirks. “Go to sleep, old man.”

“Old man?” I ask, lifting a brow.

She shrugs. “Reminds me of my dad. He could nap sitting up. Used to drive my mom crazy.” Her eyes sheen with tears and she forces a smile. “I miss them.”

“Were they…”

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