Blood Wild

The mood was definitely as dark and overcast as the morning skies. The swirling gusts of humid air promised rain as much as the distant thunder that rumbled more and more frequently. And, if anything the, the skies were getting darker rather than brighter as the morning wore on.

Gerald and Annie got out of the car and joined everyone else on the sidewalk in front of the building. Lee and Tom remained in the car, perhaps for a last few moments of quiet privacy. They held hands and spoke softly to one another, only they knew what was said, but all could see Lee occasionally dab a tissue to her eyes to absorb another tear or two.

As if on cue, a tired old greyhound bus slowed to a grinding squealing stop on the road before turning into the parking lot and pulling to the side of the building for loading and unloading of passengers. Of course, the first order of business was to open the doors and unload passengers getting off at this station.

Tom and Lee emerged from Gerald's car and joined the rest on the sidewalk. Caroline and Annie hugged him and Lee both, as did Deeny, and Yvonne. Duke put an arm around Lee's shoulders before addressing Tom. Tom extended his hand as if to shake Duke's. Duke took his hand in his own then pulled the younger man into a fatherly embrace and slapped his back a few times before releasing him again. Neither man said anything, as if they were both embarrassed to show the emotion.

A soldier wearing the double chevrons of a corporal on his sleave and carrying a clipboard approached the group. He consulted the clipboard then asked.

"Thomas Lynn Branson?"

"That would be me." Tom sounded off, almost sounding apologetic.

"Right then, that's everyone." He said as he made a check mark on a form on the clipboard.

"It'll be a few more minutes... before we begin boarding." The corporal added with a nod and then turned and went back towards the bus.

Lee clung to Tom burying her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Tom hugged her and whispered softly into her ear. Annie and Caroline were both teary eyed, even Deeny's eyes seemed a little glossier than usual. Gerald and Duke both just looked resigned, if a little glum. And the thunder rolled, echoing off the buildings around the bus station.

There was a whistle from the army corporal that had approached them earlier and he was waving his arm in a beckoning motion. Tom kissed Lee one last time and then bent down and picked up his duffle to sling it over his shoulder. He looked at all the faces of his family before turning to trudge towards the bus doors.

Annie remembered the paper sack with sandwiches and stepped quickly up to Tom calling his name. He turned and she placed the sack in his free hand and clasped both of her hands around his one last time.

"Write when you can, please." Annie said before letting his hand go and watching Tom turn again.

As he mounted the step into the bus, Tom looked over his shoulder as he waited for the guy in front of him to advance further. Gerald had eased up to Annie and put his arm around her waist to comfort her. Lee was clutching her tissue with both hands at her chest, with Yvonne on one side of her and Deeny standing on the other as if to support her.

They were still standing where they were as the bus doors closed and the air brakes vented. The old diesel engine growled and the bus eased forward into a turn back towards the road. Tom looked out the window beside his seat and raised his hand forlornly as if to wave goodbye, his face a stoic mask, but his eyes were sad.

And the first drops of rain began falling. A flash of lightning followed by a crash of thunder, caused the gathering to jump. Lee was walked to old blue and Yvonne opened the door for her to get in. Duke and Caroline returned to their truck, and Annie was helped into Gerald's car. And the rain poured, falling in curtains as the thunder boomed and rolled ominously.

***___***___

Deeny started the old blue Chevy and turned to look over her shoulder to back out of the parking space. She saw Lee sitting in the back seat, leaning against the door, her head resting against the window glass. The look of sadness on her little sister's face caused Deeny's heart to ache as well. You would think the world had come to an end.

Yvonne was attuned to Deeny and she sensed the pain and anguish immediately as well. There was an awkward silence in the old car that even the drumming of the heavy rain on the windows and roof, nor the rumble of thunder could squelch. Deeny fell in behind Sheriff Potter's pale-yellow Chrysler, and followed he and Tom's mother, Annie, back to the Branson place.

Lee was going to collect her clothes and things before going home to live with mom and dad while Tom was away. Annie had told Tom and Lee, last night, that she was going to give her old car to them to use. She wouldn't need it, Gerald had said she could drive his car since he would be in his cruiser most days anyway. And, with Deeny moving in with Yvonne, Lee would need something to drive to and from work at the diner.

After loading up her stuff into the car, Lee sat with Annie in the glider on the back porch quietly holding hands. Both of them were saddened from having to say goodbye to Tom, far more than anyone else in the family. Deeny, Yvonne and Gerald all sat at the table in the kitchen having coffee, allowing the two women their private time. Gerald told the girls of his own time in the service, and basic training.

Outside the storm seemed unrelenting. Though the lightning was sparse and intermittent, the thunder seemed to roll on forever, echoing off the hills and trees and the very rain that was still falling heavily. It caused a mist to rise from the ground and dampen everything, even if covered from the rain that caused it. The very air was chilled as a result, causing goosebumps on exposed skin.

The old glider creaked and groaned quietly as Annie and Lee sat and held hands. Both, sniffled occasionally, or dabbed at an errant tear that managed to leak out of their eyes.

"It... it just doesn't seem real. It's like it's just a nightmare and I'll wake up, and everything will be alright." Lee lamented in a choked voice, her free hand protectively laid across her abdomen.

"I wish it was just a nightmare. I'd give anything for it not to be real." Annie agreed, giving Lee's hand another comforting squeeze.

"Could I... Could I come see you now and then, Annie?" Lee asked haltingly, turning to look at her mother-in-law.

"If you don't, I'll come looking for you. Of course, you can, you're always welcomed here Lee, don't be silly." Annie said with a sad smile and leaned over to hug Lee warmly.

"And I dare say, I'll be coming to your mom and dad's house often to see you... and them... as well." Annie added. "We're all family now, and I have to keep tabs on my grandchild, right?" She asked and smiled.

"Yeah... there's that too." Lee said, smiling, halfheartedly, for the first time that day.

"I want to thank you, again, for the car, too." You didn't have to do that." Lee said.

"Nonsense, it was something I wanted to do. Besides, even if Tom were still here, you would both need it. It wouldn't do for a pregnant mother to be driving an old run-down pickup truck back and forth to work." Annie proclaimed, still smiling.

"Well, thank you all the same. I promise I will take care of it." Lee said almost apologetically.

They sat in silence again for a while, listening to the rain and the thunder and their own thoughts. They were joined on the porch a little later by Deeny, Yvonne and Gerald. Deeny suggested that they should be heading home, since it didn't look like the rain was going to be letting up anytime soon.

Yvonne said that she'd drive Annie's, now Lee's car, since she didn't think Lee was in the best shape to be driving at present. Everyone agreed. Lee followed Yvonne to Annie's old car and the two got in. Deeny said her goodbyes to Annie and Gerald and followed Yvonne and Lee in Old Blue.

Gerald sat on the glider next to Annie and picked up her hand with one of his and wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. They sat there, quietly rocking, listening to the rain and thunder. Annie sobbed a couple of times, quietly, and then lay her head on Gerald's shoulder.

"I feel like I've seen my son for the last time, Gerald." Annie confessed with a quiet sob.

Gerald didn't know what to say in response to that admission, so he simply remained quiet. He did however, squeeze her a little closer, both her hand in his, and his arm around her shoulders. And the thunder rolled.

***___***___

Later that same evening, after a very quiet and somber dinner, Lee and her mother Caroline, too, were sitting on the back porch, listening to the rain. It hadn't stopped raining all day, at least the lightning and thunder had abated somewhat. There was only a distant rumble to be heard now and then.

Lee was curled halfway into a ball, almost in her mother's lap. Caroline held Lee's head and shoulders to her bosom and stroked her fingers through Lee's hair comfortingly. Lee had finally stopped crying, but her eyes were still reddened and swollen. The sad forlorn look on Lee's face was breaking Caroline's heart.

"It's going to be a boy..." Lee said softly out of nowhere.

"What was that?" Caroline asked, caught off guard as she was, she wasn't sure she heard her daughter correctly.

"The baby, it's going to be a boy... I just know it, somehow." Lee repeated a little more confidently, her hands resting gently on her abdomen.

"I'm sure you're right." Caroline spoke and smiled at Lee.

"You believe me?" Lee asked.

"When I was pregnant with Deeny, I swore up and down that I was going to have a boy... well... I got your sister. But you... I just knew in my heart that you were going to be a girl. And that is what I got, you." Caroline confided with a soft smile as she continued to stroke Lee's hair.

"I hope... I hope he grows up to be just like his daddy." Lee said a little more quietly, as if whispering a wish or a prayer.

In the distance, another flash of lighting lit up the night sky for a moment... and then the thunder rolled, and rolled, as the rain continued to patter on the tin roof over the back porch.

***___***___

Monday morning rolled around, thankfully dry, after having rained most of Saturday and off and on all day Sunday. Lee pulled into the parking lot at the diner and parked next to the old blue Chevy that Deeny still drove, even though Lee was no longer her passenger. Now the passenger would be Yvonne. Lee was driving the car that Tom's mother Annie had given her and Tom. It was far newer than old blue, and it had an automatic transmission, which was easier on her considering that she was pregnant, even if barely showing yet.

Deeny and Yvonne, both looked up and smiled at Lee as she came through the door. They came around the end of the counter and hugged her before leading her to the back room to get her situated. Hank called to them as they walked past the door to the kitchen, yelling that someone needed to stay up front to wait on customers. Yvonne all but flipped him off, then rolled her eyes and smiled and gave Lee another hug before going back out front. Deeny giggled and lead Lee to the back room.

She was shown her locker, or at least a cupboard that she could put her stuff in, it wasn't really a locker like she had at school. She was given her first official waitress uniform, a plain cotton short sleeve button down blouse and matching pleated skirt that bordered a little on the short side ending just above her knees. And, of course, her apron with the pockets in the front for her order pad and pens... as well as things like straws and packets of creamer.

Once dressed properly, Deeny brought Lee out front, to show her where everything was behind the counter, her work station. Throughout the day, Lee shadowed both Deeny and/or Yvonne when waiting on customers to see how she was to do the same when she was turned loose on her own. Of course, Lee took to it like a duck to water. By the end of the week, she could have been mistaken for a veteran waitress.

With each passing week, Lee grew more and more confident in her job. She also grew more and more heavy with child. The baby and Lee's tummy were getting bigger almost day by day. She had spoken with Tom twice in 8 weeks. It seemed as though the Army was keeping him busy from the time he woke up, till the time he went to sleep on most days. Their phone calls were almost too short to even call brief, but they meant the world to Lee.

Annie and Gerald drove to Kansas City, accompanied by Duke and Caroline, to be wed in a civil ceremony in front of a circuit court judge. They celebrated by having dinner at a nice restaurant, then driving back home. No one heard from the Sheriff or Annie for three days afterwards. When Gerald did return to work, he had a goofy grin that nothing could remove from his face.

Deeny and Yvonne settled into marital bliss, even if it was not widely known by anyone that they were married. Deeny pushed Yvonne to try to stop smoking and they both ate a lot better as they would cook their dinner most nights after getting home from working at the diner all day. Deeny introduced Yvonne to country style cooking and lots of vegetables that she had heretofore never paid much attention to, let alone ever eaten.

Caroline and Duke adjusted to the new norm. Lee working at the Diner all day and pining for her Tom when she was home. Annie was a frequent visitor through the week, and she and Caroline grew closer than many sisters ever did. Shared dreams and hopes for their expected grandchild were a favorite topic of discussion most any time the two were together. Often, they included Lee as well, whenever she was home from the Diner. Most weekends, especially Sunday evenings when even Gerald might be there, everyone had dinner at the Simmons' home.

It was one such Sunday evening, nearly 9 weeks after Tom had been driven away on that bus taking him to induction to basic training... when they got a visit from two officers from the Army. Dinner had just come to a comfortable end and everyone was sitting around talking and enjoying a cup of coffee when a dull green sedan with a big white star on either door pulled off the road and turned into the long driveway up to the house.

Everyone was curious, but Gerald and even Duke were suddenly apprehensive. The women, or at least Annie and Caroline picked up on the wariness from their men and they too became apprehensive. Everyone went out onto the porch to meet the two officers after then parked their car and got out. When neither man put their hats on and approached the porch with somber faces and still holding their hats, Even Lee felt something move in her stomach.

"Evening folks. I hope we are not interrupting your dinner." The older of the two men in uniform said in way of greeting.

"Not at all, gentlemen." Caroline spoke with a nervous smile and timber to her voice.

"What can we do for you?" Duke asked a little more subdued and sounding a lot more suspicious.

"Well sir, first I'd like to know that we are in the right place. The name on the mail box said Simmons, but we are actually looking for a miss Lee Branson. We were informed that she resided here. Are we in the right place?" The younger of the two officers informed everyone, ending with his question.

Lee clutched her blouse just under her neck with one hand and the other hand covered her growing baby bump protectively. The look of growing alarm could not be disguised. Caroline and Annie, both flanked her, their hands around her waist or shoulders to lend their support.

"This is my daughter, Lee. Why would you be looking for her, if I may ask?" Duke proclaimed, taking a half a step closer to the steps, looking down at the two Army officers who respectfully remained standing at the base of the steps and looked as uncomfortable as any of the rest of them were feeling.

"Sir..." the older officer began, then swallowed and turned to face Lee. "Ma'am. I'm afraid I have some bad news. We were sent to inform you in person, that one Recruit Thomas Lynn Branson... perished... in a training accident two days ago...." The older man droned on...

Whatever else he said after that went unheard by most listening, because of the wail of anguish that came forth from Lee. She nearly collapsed to the floor of the porch had it not been for her mother Caroline and Annie supporting her and wrapping her in their arms.

Duke was torn between going to comfort his daughter and hearing more about his son's passing. Gerald seemed to realize this and he took Duke by the elbow and lead him to the base of the stairs to stand face to face with the two Army officers. Gerald identified himself as the local Sheriff and asked for them to tell of any details that they could offer.

The two officers relayed what they knew besides the official notification. Tom had been part of a training exercise with his class of recruits. A truck transporting met to the training grounds for the exercise had a tire blow out and the driver lost control resulting in the truck flipping over. Several men were pinned under the truck as it leaked fuel out of the tank.

Tom had been in the truck following that ill fated truck and while others stood around wondering what to do, he had jumped into action. He had rallied several other recruits to help trying to lift the truck enough to pull the tapped men out and to safety. It was down to just one last man pinned under the truck and Tom slid under the truck to try to pull him clear when the truck caught fire. Everyone lifting the truck let go and escaped the flames. Tom had not, both he and the last man under the truck perished.

Gerald caught Duke as he began to sag after hearing what the older officer had relayed to, he and Duke. Duke shuddered and took a long deep breath before straightening back up. Gerald and Duke thanked the officers and accepted the envelope with the official notification and other information for the widow. They shook hands and watched the two officers get back in the olive drab sedan and turn around and drive back down the driveway to the road.

All the while Caroline and Annie had managed to get Lee to the glider and sat with her as she cried unconsolably. Her world had just been shattered. Annie was not much better off, but somehow, she remained stoic at best, trying to comfort the young widow and the mother of her grandchild. She would mourn privately, when she got home.

Caroline was torn. She knew that her daughter needed her, now more than at any time in her life before. But she also knew that her husband, Duke, Tom's father had just suffered a tragic loss comparable to Lee's loss. Caroline prayed that Duke would not reach for something to drink in his time of need. It was good that Gerald was here, she thought. He could be a stabilizing influence, a bit of support.

Duke and Gerald sat on the top step on the porch for some time. Duke held the manilla envelope that was given to him by the Army officer before they left. He held it almost like it was a snake, but also like it was precious beyond measure. I simply looked down at it in his hands, unseeing even though his eyes were wide open and staring right at it.

The only sound that could be heard for well over an hour was the sound of Lee's sobbing and sniffles of everyone else... the crickets began to pick up as the sky darkened with the setting of the sun. Somewhere off in the distance there was a flash of lightning... and the low almost muted sound of thunder could be heard as it rolled off into silence.

It was Gerald who stood up and went inside a while later. He turned the stove on under the kettle to get some water boiling for more coffee. And, he made a couple of phone calls. First to the Sheriff's station to let them know that he would not be in first thing in the morning. Then the second to Yvonne's rental home, to inform her and Deeny that they were needed at the Simmons home as soon as they could get here.