Different Circumstances: Part 5D of ? by Marzee Doats
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sunday, October 21 five years before the bombs
When dinner was over everyone, including Heather, much to Gail's chagrin, had pitched in to clear the table, accomplishing the job in less than two minutes. Gail had reclaimed her kitchen then, ordering everyone but Eric and April into the living room. Eric hadn't really minded being recruited to help for a second time, at least not until April had shot his mother a significant look, mentioned "that other thing," and had disappeared out the door leading into the hallway. Stuck, he decided to accept his fate gracefully, and went to work putting a scoop of ice cream on top of slices of still-warm apple pie as his mother dished each one up.
In the living room, Jake had seated himself and Heather on the sofa, his father and grandfather choosing the club chairs on either side of the couch. Johnston surprised Jake by starting the conversation, asking Heather about the history project that Grandpa Green was assisting with. She launched into an enthusiastic and detailed description of the series of presentations Grandpa was making to her class. It was all quite interesting - Johnston had a love of history he'd learned at his father's knee - but what intrigued him even more was his son's expression and attitude. His father had told them on Friday night that Jake was smitten, and that was certainly evident. Jake was actually smiling, and he seemed to hang on Heather's every word. Johnston glanced at his father, exchanging bemused and knowing looks.
Eric and Gail came into the living room, each bearing a tray, while Heather was still in the middle of her explanation, Johnston asking a pertinent question every now and again, and both Grandpa and Jake throwing in their own observations on occasion. Eric distributed plates of pie a la mode, while Gail passed around cups of coffee.
"Where's April?" Jake asked as they started to eat. Her pie and coffee had been left on the coffee table and she was nowhere to be found.
"She'll be here in a moment," Gail assured, thanking Eric as he brought a chair in from the dining room for her to sit on.
Turning around, Eric spotted April in the entry, her arms full of photo albums. He started to laugh, drawing Jake's attention, while he continued on into the dining room to secure a chair for himself. April came into the living room, grinning widely.
"You are not," Jake protested when he saw her, a note of pure panic sounding in his tone. "April, you wouldn't."
"Oh yes I would," April contradicted, chuckling. She moved to the couch, seating herself next to Heather. "I love you, Jake," she told him, peering around Heather to offer him a wicked smile. "But now it's time for a little payback," she declared.
"Payback for what?" Jake demanded, his forehead wrinkling in confusion.
April allowed an annoyed huff. "Our honeymoon? Ring a bell?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"What about your honeymoon?" Jake asked. "I upgraded your plane tickets," he argued, affecting an expression of offended innocence. "I was trying to be nice."
"You had us arrested by your buddy at Customs," Eric interjected, taking a bite of pie.
"You were detained, not arrested," Jake claimed, sitting forward on the couch. He placed his coffee cup on the table. "And, that was only so he could get your tickets switched."
"He put Eric in handcuffs!" April cried, glaring at Jake. "He took us into a windowless room and started asking questions."
Heather looked back and forth between Jake and April. It was obvious from her expression that she didn't know what to think, or how to take their argument. "Are you serious?" she asked.
Jake shook his head. "Don totally improvised with the interrogation room," he assured them. He glanced at April. "And, I told him, if he went with handcuffs, Eric only." He paused, looking at Heather. "It's not nearly as bad as they're making it sound," he told her. "Just a little joke. I sent a nice gift basket, too."
"You coulda just vandalized my car like a normal person," Eric snorted, finishing off his coffee.
"Didn't know I'd be around," Jake replied, forcing a grin. "And, I had to do something."
April's eyes widened with understanding, and she slumped a little in her seat. "Well, now you're taking all the fun out this," she complained, frowning.
"Fine," Jake conceded a moment later, groaning softly. "Go ahead. You can have your payback." His gaze locked with Heather's, and he teased, "But since you're getting to look at my naked baby pictures, I definitely get to look at yours."
"Too bad mine are all in Buffalo," she countered, laughing and, to Jake's surprise, without blushing.
"Hey," he argued, shrugging, "I can go to Buffalo."
Gail glanced at her husband. She could tell he was hiding a smile behind his coffee cup. They were all smiling actually, watching Jake and Heather who, at that moment, only had eyes for each other.
"Well," April began then, "I found Jake and Eric: The First Three Hundred and Sixty Five Days, Jake and Eric: The Toddler Years, and because there's actually a couple of pictures of me in here, Jake and Eric: Jericho High." She handed one of the albums to Heather. "Those are my titles," she explained, placing the other two on the floor at her feet.
Gail laughed, nodding her agreement. "Yes, I was doing well just to get the pictures into the right year's album."
"You really should narrate, Gail," April suggested, moving over as far into the corner of the couch as possible. "C'mon," she invited, pulling gently on Heather's arm, getting her to scoot over as well. "There's room," April insisted, pointing to the eight or nine inches of couch space that now separated Jake and Heather. Gail managed to squeeze in just before her son thought to move over himself. Smiling at Heather, she reached over and opened the album.
The first picture was of a younger, radiant, and very pregnant Gail Green standing in front of the house. "I was at eight months," she explained to Heather, "And everywhere I went, people would say, 'Haven't you had that baby yet?' I was ready to punch the next person who said it," she admitted, chuckling. "Of course, what none of us realized was that I was carrying twins."
Heather looked over Gail at Jake, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't told her that he and his brother were twins. Jake offered her a tight-lipped smile, hoping she could read the apology in his eyes. She studied him for another moment, and then taking a deep breath, nodded almost imperceptibly, before glancing next at his mother, grinning. "That must have been a surprise," she declared.
"Well, you could've knocked me over with a feather, that's for sure," Johnston chuckled, leaning forward to set his empty plate and cup down on the coffee table. "I got the news from Jenny Farrow, Gail's roommate from nursing school. It took her a good five minutes to convince me she wasn't joking. Finally had to drag me down to the nursery to see for myself."
"I remember gettin' that phone call," Grandpa interjected. "You told me that you'd gotten a two-for-one deal. Took a minute to figure out whatcha meant."
They all laughed at that, and Gail turned the page to a set of family pictures in the hospital, showing a tired, but happy Gail, a younger, beardless, beaming Johnston, and their two swaddled infant sons. "Which is which?" Heather asked, examining the picture closely.
"Johnston's holding Jake," Gail smiled, running her finger over the picture. "And, I've got Eric." She looked at Heather. "They didn't look alike really, even as babies, but for the first six months, I tied a red ribbon on Jake's leg, and a yellow one on Eric's, just in case."
"Wait a minute," Eric protested. "You weren't sure you could tell your kids apart?"
"It was a little harder when you were both little, bald Buddhas," his mother replied. "Once they got hair, it was no problem," she explained, glancing between Heather and April. "Jake's came in dark from the start, and Eric's was light. Besides, the ribbons were always more for everybody else. When someone would ask who they were holding, I'd tell 'em to check his leg." Gail flipped through the next few pages quickly; there was a series of additional hospital pictures: the boys in the nursery, the boys with both sets of grandparents, Johnston being taught to burp one baby while Gail fed a bottle to the other.
"Here we are," she proclaimed, turning past another few pages. "The pictures that Jake doesn't want you to see, Heather," Gail chuckled. Next to her, Jake groaned, prompting Gail to pat his knee absently. "Though I don't know what's embarrassing about this at all," she added. "I've never seen a baby bottom picture that wasn't adorable."
"And, I do believe that's a dimple on little baby Jake's behind," April crowed, leaning over Heather to peer closely at the photo. She looked up, grinning at Jake. "Just my professional, medical opinion."
Grandpa, Johnston, and Eric all broke out in loud guffaws of laughter. "April, I love you," Eric exclaimed, wiping his eyes as he continued to laugh.
"Love you, too," she told him. "And, I have to say, your baby tushie is pretty darn cute, too."
"I'm with you, Mrs. Green," Heather said, grinning at Gail. "All baby bottoms are adorable."
"How about we look at the next page?" Jake suggested, reaching over his mother.
Heather, however, pulled the album out of his range, holding it against her chest. "Not so fast," she teased.
Still chuckling, Johnston pulled himself up out of his chair, and began gathering abandoned dessert dishes onto the trays Gail and Eric had brought out. Shaking his head, Jake also climbed to his feet, moving to assist his father. "I don't think I need to be here for this," he muttered, glancing at his mother, before following his father back into the kitchen.
Gail looked at Heather, whose expression had turned uncertain. She patted the young woman on the leg. "It's okay," she assured her quietly. She watched her son push his way through the kitchen door. "That, I think, was mostly for show."
"Okay," Heather nodded slowly. She expelled the breath she'd been holding, and smiled at Gail. "They were adorable," she declared softly, turning the page.
April, glanced at Eric, now conversing quietly with his grandfather, and then at Heather. "They both still are," she whispered, grinning.
The three women soon exhausted the first album, laughing at the photos of Eric and Jake covered in frosting at their first birthday party. April retrieved the next volume - The Toddler Years, as she'd termed it - and handed it to Heather. Gail narrated as Heather paged through the album. They looked at pictures of the boys getting their first hair cuts, playing on the swings at the park, running through the sprinklers, visiting with Santa, and enjoying their first snowball fight with Dad on the front lawn.
Eric called April over for a moment, wrapping one arm around her when she joined him, and then pulling her down, giggling, onto his lap. Gail smiled at their antics before turning her attention back to Heather, who was studying two pictures, side by side, of nearly four-year old Jake. In the first, he was obviously happy, a joyful grin on his face; in the second, his expression had turned sober, a pout replacing the grin.
"That's Jake right there," Heather murmured, smiling to herself. She glanced at Gail, blushing softly. "So much fun to be with, but so serious at times, like he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders." She shook her head. "And, it was already there, a part of him, when he was four."
"We were at a family reunion," Gail recalled, studying the young woman next to her carefully. While it was obvious that Jake was quite taken with Heather, Gail was still surprised that he'd revealed so much of himself to her, already. Jake tended to be emotionally guarded, even with those who'd known and loved him all his life. Heather, still smiling, looked at Gail, who smiled in return, continuing her story.
"The O'Briens. There'r a lot more of us O'Briens than there are Greens, so on my side of the family, we actually have enough for a reunion," she explained. "I remember, Jake ran up to me, and he was so excited, grinning away. I couldn't help but take his picture. Then it turned out he wanted to go with some of his older cousins down to the lake, fishing. They were only nine and ten, and I wouldn't let Jake go with them alone. He tried to bargain," Gail recalled, smiling. "Said he'd be good, and feed the dog, and finish all his dinner even if it was tuna noodle casserole. Jake's never liked tuna casserole," she confided with a sideways glance at Heather. "But I wouldn't let him go, and boy, did that lower lip come out then." Gail nodded, looking back down at the picture. "I guess that would be the weight of the world when you're not quite four."
"No doubt," Heather agreed, chuckling self-consciously. She shook her head, her gaze still focused on the two photos. Without thinking, she traced one finger over the happy picture, and then over the serious one. "Jake," she whispered softly to herself.
Gail couldn't resist putting her arm around the younger woman and giving her a quick hug. Withdrawing her arm, she threw Heather an appraising, though friendly look. "That's our Jake," she agreed. Heather blushed again, but met Gail's eye, offering a gentle smile.
April, giggling, pulled herself out of Eric's lap. She laid her hand on the back of his neck, and then leaned back down to kiss him quickly before, still laughing, returning to join the two other women on the couch. "What'd I miss?" she asked, grinning at them both.
"Family reunion pictures," Gail answered, reaching down to turn the page. "Jake did get to the lake, later in the afternoon," she told Heather. "We all went down, and Jake and Eric both caught their first fish." The next few pictures bore this out. There was a photo of both boys, standing on either side of their kneeling father, all three displaying their fishing poles, then a series of action shots, and finally individual pictures of Jake and Eric, grinning widely, each displaying his fish for the camera.
They continued to look through the album, smiling at the photos of Jake and Eric learning to ride horses and suffering through the chicken pox. They came across one of Eric, covered in head to toe mud, proudly offering a bouquet of daisies to the camera. "I love this picture," April murmured. "It's too adorable for words. I have a copy of it on my dresser," she explained to Heather, throwing her mother-in-law a quick smile. "Gail knew I liked it, and sent it to me as an engagement present. Probably seems a little odd, but I love it. Thank you," she told Gail. "Again."
"I don't think that's odd at all," Heather murmured, shrugging. "It's sweet," she added, smiling shyly.
They finished the second album, and April handed the last one to Heather. "Jericho High," she declared, as Jake, closely followed by his father, came back into the living room, drying his hands on his pants.
"I need to take off soon," he announced, returning to the couch. "Someone thinks it's important that I'm tucked safely into my hotel room at a decent hour tonight," Jake said, teasing Heather. "Apparently I need to avoid maniacal truckers."
April and Gail exchanged a quick, though significant look. The dynamic between Jake and Heather was interesting, indeed. "Well then," April declared, "We better move straight to the prom pictures." She started to flip through the album, allowing Heather only quick glimpses of the pictures - Jake in a Jericho High baseball uniform, Eric receiving an award, both boys posing in front of their new-to-them cars - as she turned past them. "Ah, here we are," April said, sitting back. "Junior Prom. And, may I point out," she added, "Jake is wearing a tux."
"Miracle of miracles," Gail declared, rolling her eyes. "I took all three boys to get their tuxedoes, and that was the day, in all my life, that I came closest to just leaving them on the side of the road to fend for themselves. Even Stanley, though he was certainly better behaved than the two of you," she accused, throwing each of her sons a disgusted look. "To hear them carry on," Gail told Heather, "You would've thought I was committing actual torture."
Heather glanced at Jake, who shrugged at her in return, but rather wisely chose not to argue this particular point with his mother. She offered him an amused grin, and then looked down, finally, at the photo album in her lap. There were two pages worth of posed pictures, all taken in the Green living room. The first was a photo of three couples: Jake stood behind Emily Sullivan, his hand on her waist; Eric had his arm around a teenage girl whom Heather didn't recognize as anyone she'd met in Jericho; and to Heather's surprise, April was with Stanley Richmond. "You went to the prom with Stanley?"
"I did," April agreed, chuckling. "Because he asked me," she added, throwing Eric a pointed look. This was apparently an old joke between them now, and Eric settled for giving her an apologetic shrug. "We had a very nice time. You know Stanley?"
Heather nodded. "And, I know Emily. Some. We went through the whole HR process together at the school district, and were in the same mandatory training class in August. I just don't know Eric's date."
"Wendy Thom," Eric supplied. "Literally the girl next door," he chuckled, pointing with his thumb to the west. "Isn't Wendy in Denver now?" he asked his mother, who nodded in confirmation.
"So, you know Stanley through Jake?"
"Through Bonnie," Heather clarified. "And now through Jake. Bonnie comes to my classroom when her own class goes to gym or music, anything that she can't participate in. They were shunting her off to the library, which I thought was awful. So, I called Stanley up and made him agree that she could come into my classroom." She shrugged, smiling softly. "It's working out really well. My kids are now all competing to get to be in Bonnie's group when she's there, and it seems to be helping her confidence, especially talking to people."
"That's wonderful," Gail decided, smiling at Heather. "We've known Bonnie all her life," she sighed, "Helped Stanley out with her, when we could, since their parents were killed. Thank you for taking an interest in her."
"No need to thank me," Heather replied. "Bonnie's great. I love having her around. And besides, now when I run into Stanley in town, he feels obligated to buy me a cup of coffee, and then we have a 'big brother - sorta teacher' conference."
Gail and April both laughed at that, while Jake started to stand. "I really should hit the road," he told them.
"And, I should go, too," Heather added. "I have an early staff meeting."
Everyone stood up then, Heather moving past Gail to stand next to Jake. Johnston and Eric both stepped forward, offering their hands to Heather, and wishing her a good evening. Grandpa Green hugged her, and then Gail followed suit. "You have no idea how glad I am to meet you," April said, smiling. "And, don't go yet," she added, seeing Jake take Heather's hand and tug on it gently. "I want to give you my phone number. Maybe, if Jake goes hunting with the rest of the guys next weekend, we can grab dinner on Saturday night."
"I thought you were working next weekend," Eric said, stepping behind April to wrap his arm around her shoulders.
She looked back at him, shaking her head. "I'm working Thursday morning to Saturday morning. So, I'm gonna end up sleeping most of Saturday," she reminded April, Heather had learned, was finishing up her residency at the hospital in Rogue River, eager for the day that she'd open a general practice in Jericho, out of the town's Medical Center. April kissed Eric on the cheek. "Go hunting," she told him. "There's no reason for you to stay home, just to watch me sleep."
"Well, you're cute when you sleep," Eric grinned at her, earning himself a kiss on the mouth.
"Go hunting," April repeated.
Jake let go of Heather's hand, and glanced at his mother, tilting his head to signal that he wanted to talk with her. Heather went into the kitchen with April to find paper, and Jake and Gail stepped into the entry. "So?" he asked her, looking back into the living room, where his father and Eric had started straightening the room, returning pieces of furniture to their original positions. "What do you think?"
His mother smiled at him. "I don't think it matters what I think." Gail reached up, brushing his too long hair out of his eyes. "You like her, that's all that matters."
He sighed, grinning. "I do like her, a lot. I want you to like her, too."
"I do, sweetheart," Gail assured, kissing Jake on the cheek. "And, you need to get a hair cut."
"When I get back home," he grumbled, his smile widening as Heather came out of the kitchen, heading in his direction. He held his hand out to her. "Hey."
"Hey," she smiled in return, her fingers brushing his before she wrapped her arm around his. Heather faced Gail. "Thank you again for dinner, Mrs. Green. Everything was lovely."
With that, the couple disappeared out the front door. Gail and April waited approximately ten seconds before they rushed to the bay window in the living room, and worked together to very carefully crack one shutter open so they could see the street in front of the house, and more importantly, Jake and Heather as they went down the walk, Jake escorting Heather to her car.
"What are you two up to?" Eric laughed, crossing the room to join them.
"We want to see what happens," April whispered in return.
"I'll tell you what's gonna happen," Grandpa chuckled, lifting himself out of his chair. He followed Eric's path, coming over to join the others as they peered out the window to spy on Heather and Jake. "Canoodling."
Johnston settled himself back in his chair, and crossing his arms, stared at their backs, while Gail, April, Eric and his father all jockeyed for a place to stand at the window and peer out. "You know, you're all going to Hell for this."
Gail looked back over her shoulder, chuckling. "Well, I doubt this will be the deciding factor for any of us," she told him.
"Huh," April exclaimed then, leaning back into Eric's embrace. "Go Heather!"
"Canoodling, I tell ya," Grandpa declared cheerfully.
Johnston snorted. "Dollars to doughnuts, Jake knows you're all watchin' him." He pulled himself out of his chair, sighing deeply, once again drawing Gail's attention from the happenings outside.
"Harmless fun," she told him, holding her hand out to him.
"Well, if you're all gonna go to Hell, I might as well join ya," he said, winking at his wife.
* * * * *
Once the door closed behind them, Jake led Heather two steps out onto the porch before drawing her into his arms and kissing her slowly. "You survived?" he asked.
"No sweat," she agreed. "You? I'm sorry we kinda ganged up on you," Heather added, wrinkling her nose.
Jake shrugged. "I have to admit, I didn't fully consider the implications of introducing you to my Mom and April," he chuckled, lifting her hand to his mouth and placing a soft kiss on her palm. "But it's fine. I'll survive. C'mon," he ordered, grinning and tugging on her hand.
They walked down the steps, their hands joined. Heather moved closer to Jake, leaning against his shoulder. "What I didn't think I was going to survive was you drawing on my leg during dinner," she admitted, turning her head so that her face was pressed against his upper arm, her warm breath dampening the sleeve of his shirt. "You made it very hard for me to concentrate," she complained, giggling.
"I wasn't drawing," he told her, stopping in the middle of the walk. "I was writing you a message."
"Really?" she questioned, watching him carefully. "What was the message?" Heather demanded.
"Uh-uh," Jake denied, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling Heather against him. He kissed her on the forehead. "You're just gonna have to pay closer attention next time," he teased.
Heather groaned. "Jake," she muttered, her tone bordering on petulant. He started to laugh when she actually stomped her foot.
"Fine," he decided, letting her go, and then taking her hand into his own. "Look at me, not your hand," he instructed, turning Heather's hand over, and then beginning to draw on her palm. She did as he asked, watching him, their gazes locked. Jake's grin showed just exactly how pleased with himself he was, and Heather felt her own smile start to grow as she interpreted the letters he was scrawling out on her skin. 'JG + HL' he wrote.
"That's very third grade of you," she teased. "Well, maybe more like fifth or sixth," Heather decided, "But you probably liked girls earlier than most."
"Nah," he argued, shaking his head. "My Dad built us a tree house in the backyard when I was seven. Supposedly we helped, but it was really all his work. Eric, Stanley and I made a pact: it was our clubhouse, and no girls allowed, no exceptions," Jake told her. "That pact stood until the sixth grade, and it was Stanley who broke it first. He got a huge crush on Lucy Wharton," Jake chuckled.
"I see," she nodded. "You know, you forgot to write 'forever' and then put a big heart around it," she said, holding his gaze with her own, feeling very bold.
They studied each other silently for a long moment, and then Jake nodded, finally throwing her a crooked smile. "Um, you know, you're right, I did," he agreed, beginning again to write on her hand with his finger. He'd managed to trace out '4eve' before Heather launched herself at him, throwing her free arm around his neck, clinging to him, kissing him thoroughly. They didn't stop until they had to, pulling a few inches apart, both gasping for breath and grinning. "Heather," Jake murmured, kissing her on the forehead.
"Jake," she returned with a contented sigh. "You know, you didn't tell me that you and your brother were twins," Heather prompted a few seconds later, finding his hand and lacing their fingers together.
"I didn't tell you I had brown hair, or that I'm six feet tall, either," Jake argued, shaking his head. "And I know that's a crap excuse," he shrugged, "But it's really like that, just a characteristic." He looked up, over Heather and back at the house, squinting for a moment. "Don't look, but we're being watched," Jake told Heather, rolling his eyes. "The shutter on one of the windows is halfway open. They were all closed when we were inside."
"Stop trying to change the subject, Jake," she complained with a smile, squeezing his hand.
He chuckled. "I'm not, I swear. Somebody's watching us, and I am sorry I didn't tell you beforehand that Eric and I are twins." Jake sighed and, pursing his lips, pulled on her hand. "C'mon," he insisted, leading her the rest of the way down the front walk. They didn't stop until they had reached Heather's car, and then he backed her up against it. "Now, it's at least harder for them to watch," he reasoned, leaning into her.
"Does it really matter?" Heather asked. "It's a public street, anyone driving down it can see us," she reminded as Jake brushed his lips over hers.
"Okay," Jake agreed, offering her a lopsided grin. He didn't say anything else, and Heather didn't either. He waited a long moment, watching her carefully. Exhaling deeply, he extracted his hand from Heather's, ran it through his hair nervously, and then cupped her chin, placing a series of soft kisses on her mouth.
"I'm three minutes older than Eric, and he's the only person in the world that cares," Jake began quietly. "And, if I could give him those three minutes, I would. I don't want them. But that's the difference between being Johnston Green, Junior or being just Eric Green."
"He's named after your grandfather, that's nothing to be ashamed of," Heather murmured.
"I know," Jake shrugged. "And - I don't know. Eric and I, we shared a room until we were ten. Bunk beds. The whole time we were growing up, we did the same things, at the same time. We fought all the time, but if anyone else went after him, even Stanley..." Heather nodded, and he broke off, not bothering to complete his thought. Jake sighed. "Right now - today - we're actually getting along," he chuckled grimly, "But that'll change soon enough. It always does. I know everything about him, yet half the time, it's like I don't know him at all."
He looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Heather couldn't help but reach up and cup Jake's cheek with her hand. He turned into her touch, bringing his own hand up to hold hers in place, closing his eyes. "It's okay, Jake," Heather whispered, running her thumb gently over his jaw. "You don't have to -"
"I want to," he interrupted, his eyes opening, allowing Heather to once again see the conflict within them. "I - I only know what it's like to have Eric for a brother. We were born at the same time, and that's supposed to mean something, but I've never really figured out what." Jake shrugged, trying but failing to smile. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry I let you get surprised by that."
"It's okay," she repeated, smiling at him softly. Heather stood on tiptoe, pressing herself into Jake. He clutched her to himself, kissing the top of her head and then burying his face in the crook of her neck.
They held onto one another for a long moment, until Jake, reluctantly, raised his head. "I should go," he muttered, taking a step back to check his watch in the weak light thrown off by the street lamp overhead. "It's still gonna be nearly midnight before I get there."
Heather nodded. "You need to go then," she agreed, smiling at him, her eyes suddenly and suspiciously bright. She squeezed his hand. "Call me when you get there."
"What about your early morning meeting?" Jake asked, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her. "Or, did you lie to my mother?" he teased.
"I didn't lie," Heather replied, giggling. "I really do have to be at school at six-thirty tomorrow. But, I still want you to call me," she continued, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be in bed, but I can answer the phone."
"In bed, huh?" he grinned.
"In my flannel pajamas, no less," she laughed. "I just totally blew the image you had in mind, huh?"
Jake shrugged, chuckling. "I can work with flannel," he assured her. "But what I want to know is, if you're in flannel in October, what're you planning to do in January?" he asked, threading his hand through her hair. "It's cold in January."
'Invite you over,' Heather thought, wishing she could bring herself to say it; she settled for saying, "Add a blanket."
"Have your keys?" Jake prompted then with a sigh. Heather nodded, fishing them out of her purse. She unlocked her car and opened the door before turning back around to face Jake. "I'm gonna miss you," he said, frowning. He cupped her chin, and then pressed his mouth to hers, tasting his mother's apple pie on her lips. Jake pulled away, stepping back. "I'll call you, and I'll see you Wednesday night."
"Okay," Heather agreed, forcing a smile. Jake reached around her, pulling the door open for her. She climbed in the car, and he shut the door behind her. She rolled down the window. "Bye, Jake."
He exhaled deeply, and then reached out, laying his hand along the side of her face, needing to touch her one more time. "Bye, Heather."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Wednesday, October 4, two weeks after the bombs
On the front porch, the Greens debated whether to drive or to walk to Bailey's. Heather argued for walking, pointing out that Stanley had walked over, and insisting again that she was fine despite her cast. Johnston and Jake agreed with Heather, both of them worried about the fuel situation, not quite able to believe that a satellite feed from DC was necessarily good news. Eric argued for taking a car or two, but he was overruled, and the family plus Stanley set off as a group, heading for downtown Jericho.
The Greens split into their respective couples, Gail and Johnston taking the lead, followed by Heather and Jake, and then April and Eric. Stanley naturally joined Heather and Jake, walking next to Heather, ready as Jake was, to assist her if she needed it. Jake acknowledged his friend with a quick, relieved grin. "What exactly did you see, Stanley?" he demanded.
"It looked like when they have a press conference," Stanley answered, shrugging. "Except there weren't any people yet, just the room."
"What'd it look like? Was it from the White House?" Jake questioned.
"I dunno," Stanley responded. "There was a podium. It had one of those official seals on it," he added, shaking his head. "There was a blue curtain."
"What was on the seal? Did it say White House?"
"I don't know!" Stanley replied, exasperated. "It had the eagle on it, I think. I only had about two seconds to look at it before Mary made me come get all of you."
"It's okay, Stanley," Heather interjected calmly before Jake could say anything else. She caught her husband's hand in her own, squeezing it, trying to signal him to lay off. "We'll all know in about five minutes anyway," she added for good measure, starting to cough.
Jake forced her to stop, and Heather doubled over, the coughing fit wracking her body. He rubbed her back, making what he hoped were soothing circles with his hand, not knowing what else to do. April came forward, throwing Jake a questioning glance. "Were her other coughing fits like this?"
Heather shook her head, righting herself, gasping for breath. "The other ones were worse, and it's been a few hours, so that's good, right?" Jake answered, his hand still on her back.
They were all now gathered in a close circle around Heather, their expressions betraying their concern, as they waited for April's diagnosis. "I don't know," she admitted finally. "It could just be because we're walking, and you need to take it easy for a few days. I don't know," April shrugged.
"Well, I'm not spitting again," Heather croaked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "No matter what you say."
"Spitting?" Stanley, Gail and Johnston questioned in unison.
"You don't wanna know," April and Eric both replied.
"I think I just need a drink of water," Heather suggested then. "My throat's scratchy," she coughed, "And I need something that will soothe it. I'm sure Jake will buy me a drink of water at Bailey's," she joked weakly, as Jake wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"I think I can do that," he agreed, pressing a quick kiss to her hairline. Jake glanced at his father and brother. "Let's go."
Johnston and Gail took the lead again, setting a somewhat slower pace for Heather's sake and - Gail thought - for Johnston's as well. Although he refused to admit it, he was still having coughing fits much like Heather's, and they wore him out, just as much as they did her. As a result, it was nearly ten minutes later, and not the five that Heather had predicted, that the Greens entered Bailey's Tavern.
The place was packed, filled past capacity with the nervous, chattering citizens of Jericho. The Greens split up because they had to, Johnston and Gail disappearing one way into the crowd, Eric, holding fast to April's hand, heading to the back of the bar, and Stanley shoving his way through the crowd, leaving a trail for Jake and Heather to follow. Amazingly, there was an open seat next to Mimi Clark, and Stanley patted it, glancing back at Heather. "All yours," he told her.
Heather climbed up on the barstool, nodding gratefully at Stanley. "Thanks," she managed to cough out hoarsely.
Jake, resting his hand on Heather's back, tried to signal Mary, but she was distracted. He looked back, following the path of her gaze to his brother and April. He couldn't suppress an annoyed grunt, drawing Mimi's attention. They exchanged a grim glance, and then Jake cleared his throat, calling out, "Mary!" He repeated himself, practically yelling, a few seconds later. "Mary!"
His shout startled her out of her reverie, and Mary moved toward them, enquiring tiredly, "What do you need?" She couldn't manage a smile.
"Water, she needs water," Stanley answered for Jake, who now had his arm wrapped around Heather, whispering soothing words into her ear. She'd started into another full blown coughing fit, and Stanley was pretty sure that Jake's support was the only reason she hadn't fallen over. "The fire at the library," he reminded, "Her throat's a mess. She needs water."
Mary nodded, crossing quickly to the bar sink. She grabbed a beer glass, filled it, and then brought it to Heather. "Here you go," she murmured, concern evident in her tone, as she placed the glass on the bar.
Heather's coughing had subsided to the point where she could take breaths again, but she didn't reach for the water. Jake picked up the glass, moving it toward her mouth, "C'mon, babe," he urged her quietly. He held the glass for her, and she took a testing sip. Finally, she wrapped her hands around the glass, holding it for herself, and taking a long drink.
"Thank you," she murmured, exhaling softly. Heather's eyes were wide and watery, and she faced Mary, trying to smile. "Thanks," she repeated, reaching back to lay her hand over the one that Jake had on her shoulder.
"More?" Mary asked, glancing at the glass which was only about a third full now. Heather nodded.
"You can put that on my tab," Stanley joked nervously, patting Heather on the arm.
"Don't worry, I already did," Mary retorted. She picked up Heather's glass and walked back to the sink.
"So, you must be the wonderful and fabulous Heather Green," Mimi declared, turning sideways on her barstool to look Heather over. "Heather Green?" she asked, a smile twitching at her lips.
"I know," Heather wheezed softly, shrugging. "Though, really, it doesn't even occur to most people."
"Well, I shop a lot," Mimi responded. "It's pretty much my hobby. I have an innate understanding of color."
Heather chuckled quietly. "I'm wonderful and fabulous?"
"According to these two," she explained, titling her head at Stanley and Jake. "I'm Mimi Clark, by the way."
"Stanley's IRS agent," Heather nodded. She looked back over her shoulder at Jake. "I'm wonderful and fabulous?"
"I probably did say you were wonderful," Jake admitted with a grin. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "But Stanley must've said fabulous."
"Hey, I'll own it," Stanley shrugged. "Because, you know," he continued, moving up to the bar to stand between Heather and Mimi, facing Heather, "I love you. Madly, deeply, truly, I do," he insisted melodramatically, grinning at her. He stopped, considering his words for a second. "That wasn't right, was it?"
"Truly, madly, deeply," Heather supplied, laughing quietly. She laid one hand on Stanley's shoulder. "And, you know that I love you too, Stanley," she coughed, trying to affect a serious expression. "But as a friend. Almost like a brother."
He groaned, pretending to clutch his chest, and took a step back. "You're a cruel, cruel woman, Heather Green," he sighed.
Mimi wasn't sure what to make of this display. Truth be told, it irked her. Aside from the actual day of her audit, Farm Boy had taken every opportunity to flirt with her. She was starting to expect it, to count on it. God knew, there was little else in this town to distract her. And, she knew that he was only flirting with his best friend's pregnant wife, but still! Mimi looked at Jake, her eyebrow raised in question.
"It's one of their routines," he told her, shaking his head. "You learn to just go with it." Mary returned then with a full glass of water for Heather. Jake pointed at the TV. "Anything happened yet?"
"No, just that," Mimi answered, taking a sip of her own drink. "For the last half hour. Traffic must be bad on the beltway," she grumbled. "So." Mimi faced Heather. "He really proposed on top of a water tower, and you accepted?"
"Yes," Heather confirmed, glancing over her shoulder at Jake. He shrugged, and she turned back to meet Mimi's disbelieving gaze. "Though, you know," she added, reaching for her water, "Everyone else today wants to know why I ran into a burning building."
"Oh, I heard about that, too," Mimi dismissed with a wave, "But I just figured temporary insanity, and left it at that."
"Okay, that works, I guess," Heather agreed, chuckling.
"About the water tower," Mimi said then, "Did you know that you were on a water tower? I mean, were there mind-altering substances involved?"
Heather looked back at Jake again, but other than rolling his eyes, he offered her no help. Sighing, she faced Mimi. "No mid-altering substances," she assured. "It was seven-thirty in the morning, and I'd had maybe half a glass of champagne the night before. What you have to know is, I pretty much told Jake on our second date that if he ever wanted to propose to me, that water tower was the place to do it."
If Mimi's expression was anything to go by, then she really didn't know what to think about this latest tidbit of information. She took another gulp of her drink, and then started to speak, only to be cut off by the sudden sound of static and the accompanying collective gasp of the patrons in the bar that night, waiting for the broadcast to begin. The television picture had gone out.
The noise level in the bar rose immediately, and Deputy Jimmy Taylor found himself trying to shout everyone down. "All right! Everybody calm down, all right?" he demanded, starting to fiddle with Mary's flat screen TV. "We'll have it back in a second," he assured.
Mary was on the radio, talking to whomever she'd conned into going up on the roof this time. "Keep moving it," she yelled into the handset. "We've lost the picture."
"What's going on?" Mimi murmured, watching as Jake, if possible, took a step closer to Heather, resting both of his hands on her shoulders possessively. Stanley moved directly behind Mimi, not touching her, but close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body radiating against her back. It was, Mimi admitted to herself, comforting.
The building started to shake then, the lamps swaying wildly. Jake began to get nervous when he heard glassware starting to break. The shaking continued. "C'mon," he muttered, reaching for Heather's hand. He clamped onto it like a vise, helping her down from the barstool. He saw Robert Hawkins slip past, moving toward the entrance. "Stanley, Mimi," Jake said quietly, jerking his head toward the door. "C'mon."
He didn't wait to see if they were following, just held onto Heather, pulling her along behind him, forcing her to go faster than he knew she really should, given both her cast and coughing fits. But, Jake wanted her out of the bar in case the crowd spooked. Out on the street, he slowed slightly in deference to Heather, but he still kept her moving until they were standing in the middle of Main Street.
Robert Hawkins stood a few feet away, looking up. Hawkins glanced at Jake and Heather, and then back at the sky. Jake and Heather also looked up. There were missiles, ICBMs Jake guessed, sailing up and across the sky.
"Are those ours or theirs?"
Jake saw Stanley walk past them. "They're headed up," Jake observed. "Must be ours." He pulled Heather against his side then, wrapping his arm around her to keep her in place. He looked around. His parents, Eric and April were all nearby; Hawkins had disappeared.
"Nearest missile silo's in Wyoming," Johnston Green reminded. To Jake's eye, his father looked stunned. "A hundred miles away," he muttered.
Jake nodded, though he knew his father wasn't watching him; they were all watching the sky. He hugged Heather tighter, pressing his free hand against his mouth. He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, it wasn't good.
"So this is it?" Eric demanded. April, standing behind him, laid her hand on his back. "We're at war?" April withdrew her hand, covering her mouth with it, her eyes wide with fear.
"Jake," Heather whispered, her eyes wide. "This is bad." He nodded, not knowing what else to do.
"Well, if they're sending missiles, they must have figured out who attacked us," Eric decided. He glanced around, trying to catch his father's or brother's eye, but neither of them were looking at him.
"God bless America!" Jimmy Taylor declared, jogging by.
"Coulda just decided to take out one of the usual suspects," Jake suggested, finally finding his voice.
Johnston nodded, his expression grim. He had his arm wrapped around Gail. "Means there could be more missiles," he said, "Headed in our direction."
Gail pulled herself out of her husband's embrace. She looked around, and Jake could see her working quickly to confirm that everyone in the family was there. "Well, is this federal response we've all been waiting for?" she asked, clearly distraught.
A crackling sound, like you'd expect from a giant bug zapper began to sound in the air around them, causing all their ears to buzz. The lights on Main Street - back on for just a few hours - started to go out, one by one. There was a popping sound, and they all looked up in time to see a red light flash in the sky.
"Oh God," Heather muttered, covering her face with both her hands. She looked like she might be sick.
"What the hell was that?" Eric demanded just as April moved next to him, forcing herself into his embrace.
"It was an EMP," Jake said.
At the same time, Heather answered, "An EMP. Electromagnetic pulse."
"What?" Gail wanted to know. She moved away from Johnston, drawing closer to Jake and Heather. "What is it?"
"An EMP," Jake repeated. He'd pulled Heather in front of him, and was now leaning his chin on her shoulder, hugging her close. "It means everything's dead."
"All the electronics, the power grid," Heather sighed, frowning.
Eric, April moving with him, spun around, facing his brother and sister-in-law. "Well, is help on its way or not?" he grumbled.
Johnston turned away from his family and bowed his head. To his oldest son, he looked defeated, and that caused Jake's gut to start churning. "I don't think so," he admitted. The Greens all waited silently for their patriarch to turn around, to face them, to lead them. The citizens of Jericho rushed by, some hurrying home, some up to no good. For once, no one bothered the mayor. Finally, after an excruciating wait, Johnston looked up at his family. "Meeting at town hall, the sheriff's station, ten minutes," he commanded. "Eric, find Jimmy and Bill. Find that cop, uh -"
"Hawkins," Jake supplied, his lips pressed together in a hard, thin line.
"Hawkins, yeah," Johnston acknowledged. "Jake, you come, too. April. You're my medical rep," he declared. "And, Gail, Heather. Hell, we're just gonna need your brains." He held his hand out to his wife. "Ten minutes," Johnston reminded his children, before setting off for town hall.
"Stick with Jake, April," Eric commanded, setting her away from himself gently. "I'll be there as soon as I find everybody else."
Jake nodded. "Okay," he breathed, looking first at his sister-in-law, and then down at his wife. "Let's go." April started after Johnston and Gail, but when Jake tried to follow, Heather didn't move. "Heather? What?" he demanded, not bothering to disguise the annoyance in his tone. "Just c'mon."
Heather didn't move. "Look up," she told him, frowning. "Jake, just look up."
"Fine," he grumbled, glancing up at the dark night sky. "What am I looking at?"
"No stars," Heather heaved a sad sigh. "Ever since the bombs, you can't see the stars. You still can't."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *