The Independents (22 page)

A
few moments
after he had finished
, Sam emerged
from behind the
wreckage
, brushing her hair. “I feel like a new person. Thank you. Can we leave to go find my grandpa now?”

Bishop nodded and held the door open for the lady. He ran around the front of the Hummer like a hired chauffer, smiling all the way.

It was about two hours later when Bishop brought the Hummer to a stop at the
Meraton
roadblock. He picked
up his rifle and strode
to
ward the guards. He hadn’t managed
four steps
,
when
someone shouted out, “Who are you?”

Bishop responded with his name, and was shocked to see the headlights of one of the blocking trucks turn on immedi
ately. “Please follow me into
town
,
sir.”

Bishop got back
in his truck and turned to Sam.
“They must know you here.” His comment was met with a blank look.

Just like Terri two hours before, Bishop was escorted to Pete’s. This time, the guard didn’t even have to honk his horn before everyone was pouring out Pete’s front door.
Bishop parked along Main Street and turned to his passenger, “We’re here.
”

By the time Bishop unbuckled
his seatbelt and opened the door,
a small crowd gathered around,
waiting for him to
get out. He saw Pete and smiled.
“How are you
,
Pete? Damn
,
it’s
good to see you.” The two men hugged
,
and then it seemed like everyone wanted to shake Bishop’s hand or give
him a squeeze
. He felt like he was going down the reception line at his wedding, not knowing who most of the people were, but scared to ask in case he should
’ve
known.

At least ten of the men and two of the women asked to b
uy him a beer. He had seen his
truck par
ked nearby, and assumed Terri
had made it to town safely. As he made his way to Pete’s, he almost forgot about Samantha, but she pushed her way through the crowd and was right
by his side. He looked at Pete.
“I have someone I want you to meet. This is Samantha. She is a brave little lady.”

Pete smiled from ear to ear and held out his hand
.
“Any friend of Bishop’s is a friend of mine.
” Sam shook his hand and nodded.
“Please
d
to meet you
,
sir.
Where are
my grandfather and brother?”

It took Pete a second
to connect the dots.
“Oh, that is your grandpa? Miss Terri and some of the men took him over
to
T
he Manor
. Would you like to see them?”

“Yes sir, please.”

Pete looked around the crowd and nodded to a woman standing close by. She came forward and extended her hand to Sam, but the girl recoiled and grabbed Bishop’s
arm
. She looked up at her rescuer and said, “Please
, Mister Bishop,
can you take me. I
’d
like it very much if you would take me.”

Bishop smiled down at her and then signaled the woman it was okay. “Of course I will
,
Sam. I want to see Terri anyway.” He looked around
the crowd and raised his voice.
“I had better go check in with my wife before I start drinking. She carries a gun all the time now
,
ya know
.”

Everyone laughed and several of the men nodded their understanding. Their wives were armed a
s well.
Bishop waved to the crowd
and
promised to return soon.
Samantha
and he turned and
proceeded toward
The Manor h
otel.

As they walked silently the few blocks to the hotel, Bishop started getting a tight stomach. He hadn’t been back here since the shootout that night with the bank robbers. He had th
ought it was all over then. But
Terri, Pete and some of the town’s me
n had saved his life. As
Sam
and he approached
the front steps to the main door, he was in for another surprise.
Betty
met them
with
all smiles and hugs.

“Betty, it’s damn good to see you! What the heck are you doing here this time of night?”

“Bishop, I
run
T
he Manor now. It got too dangerous for me to stay out at the bed and breakfast. We had some trouble after you left, and the townsfolk asked me to move in here and run the place. But enough about me
, dear.
I bet you want to see your wife. Come right this way.”

Betty
lead them through the small office area and out into the gardens. The Manor’s gardens were known far and wide.
Literally
an oasis in the middle of the desert, many guest
s
we
nt out of their way to vacation here to
simply enjoy the gardens. Bishop struggle
d
to keep from thinking about the night of the gun
fight. The bank robbers had been holed
up in
T
he Manor
,
and the battle had been in these very gardens.
He had been pinned down
,
about
to receive the coup de gr
ace
,
when Terri had come to the rescue.

It helped Bishop a little to see that T
he Manor apparently was being used for something good now.
Betty
told him that one whole section of the rooms was now being
utilized
as a hospital ward for the d
octor. As Bishop happened
past the spot where
he had almost been killed, he couldn’t help but stare at the earth as if it should say something to him.

Sam spoke
up.
“Mister Bishop, you’re hurting my hand.”

Bishop relaxed his grip, clearly embarrassed.
“Are you okay
,
Sam? I’m really sorry, I would never hurt you.”

“It’s fine
,
Mister Bishop. If you
’re
scared and need to squeeze someone’s hand, take mine. I’m ready for it now. I
understand because I
feel the same way when my d
ad takes me to the doctor to get a shot.”

Bishop grinned and took her hand, but was careful not to hold on to tightly.

Betty
walked up to one of the rooms and quietly tapped on the door. Terri’s face appeared and
Betty
announced
, “I have someone here w
ho wants to see you.” Terri peer
ed over
Betty
’s shoulder, and exploded out of the door, “Bishop!”

Bishop met her embrace and lifted her into the air, turning in circles and kissing her cheek.
After they had assured each other they were fine and that the baby was fine, Bishop told Terri he had someone she needed to meet. He pointed at the young girl standing beside him, “Terri, this is Samantha. Sam, this is my wife
,
Terri.”

Sam stepped forward and h
eld out her hand. Te
rri smiled and gent
ly shook her hand
, “Was Bishop nice to you
,
sweetie?
He isn’t around girls very much;
are you okay?”

Samantha got a very puzzled look on
her face and then scolded Terri.
“Mister Bishop was the perfect gentleman
except for when he threw me into the dumpster
. He saved my life.
He even stopped and let me brush my hair and didn’t make fun of me when I smelled like garbage.”

Terri gave Bishop a puzzled look, o
nly to have him return one of “
I
t’s a long story
.”

Sam was impatient,
“Can I see my grandpa now?”

“Yes you
may, sweetie
, but you hav
e to be very quiet because the d
octor is trying to help him.”

Betty
offered her hand to Samantha, but the girl hesitated and took a step closer to Bishop. Bisho
p looked down at her and smiled reassuringly, “It’s okay
,
Sam. Y
ou can go with
Betty
;
she will take you to your Grandpa.”

Sam hesitate
d
and edged closer to Bishop.
“Can’t you take me
,
Mister Bishop?”

Bishop smiled at
the girl reassuringly
.
“I won’t go far
,
Sam. I’ll be here in the gardens with Terri. We need to talk while you visit The Col…your grandpa.”

Samantha hesitated, but then took
Betty
’s hand. As she walked toward the hotel room, she k
ept looking
back
at
Bishop
over her shoulder
.

As soon as they were out of sight
,
Terri put her hands on her hips as if to scold him.
“Well, I see there is another woman in your life. You
’re
away for a few hours
,
and already I
’m
yesterday’s news.”

Bishop shook his head
.
“I didn’t anticipate that
but it makes sense
. She
’s
been through some serious shit the last few days, and I guess I
’m
the father figure right now.”

Terri smiled and
rubbed her tummy.
“You should get used to that role. I think it’s cute by the way.
So what happened, Bishop?
How bad was it?”

Bishop held
Terri’s hand
, and they strolled
through the gardens. He
recounted the day’
s events, beginning
wi
th the meeting that morning
and continuing
right up to his arrival in Meraton
. As usual
,
his wife interrupted him several times to ask questions or to clarify something he said. Almost a half hour had gone by before he f
inished
the tale of his escapade
. Terri hugged him again.
“Bishop, for a man who doesn’
t want to take chances
anymore, you sure have a funny way
of showing it. I’m glad you got
Samantha out of there though
. And I really do
understand why
you took the risk. By the way, what color is my new Hummer?”

Bishop laughed
and
pulled Terri close. He looked her in the eye and leaned in for a kiss. Slyly avoiding his pass, she
whispered in his ear, “Bab
y, I can make it worth your while to give me the keys to that Hummer.”

Bishop decided to beat Terri at her own game. “Did I mention the leather interior and a slightly used nav system?”

Terri, not to be outdone, upped the ante. She pressed her body against his and
whispered to him
in her most sultry voice.
“I guarantee
you;
it will be worth it, baby.”
She
was just moving into seal the
deal
,
when
a distant voice interrupted their moment.

Betty
was standing a f
ew yards away.
“I hate
to break
up you two lovebirds, but the d
octor has finished
,
and I think you should talk to him.”

Betty
led
them t
o an adjoining hotel room where
Doctor
Richard Hopkins
stood
washing his hands. Bisho
p had met the man the day
Terri
and he
were leaving
town
,
finally
on
their
way to the
ranch. The harried looking physician had somehow made it out of Houston and navigated to
Meraton. Bishop respected him
for that reason alone, having barely survived that journey himself.

The doctor dried
his hands before shaking Bishop’s.

“I
’m
so frustrated with
this frontier medicine,” he remarked,
pulling off his glasses and cleaning them
in the candle
light
. “I might
be able to
save you
r
friend if I had
even
basic equipment. I
’ve
stabilized him for the moment, but it won’t last. I can’t remove that shaft without x-rays. It’s too close to so many vital internal organs
,
and I would be operating blind. Even with an x-ray, his chances of contracting infection would be very high
,
and we don’t have
much more than
a bare bones
supply
of meds here
.
Of course, he is already beginning to show signs of infection. The longer we leave that foreign object inside of him, the weaker he gets
-
eventually the bugs will win.
”

Bishop looked down at the floor and shook his head. He thought he
’d
already accepted the fact that his ex-boss wasn’t going to make it, but now realized he
’d
been holding out hope.

Terri broke the silence.
“What ki
nd of equipment would you need, D
octor?”

“Terri, I don’t know. We only have what I brought with me from Houston.
The community gathered up all
the o
dd
prescription drugs, but it
’s
a ho
dgepodge
mixt
ure at best. I
know many of
the
antibiotics
are
expired. I guess I would need
the contents of a modern operating room, maybe even a field MASH unit
.”

Bishop as
ked to
see
the Colonel, but the d
octor said he was sleeping.

Terri decided to see what David and Sam were doing,
while Bishop and
Doc
Hopkins sauntered
d
own to Pete’s. They had just stepped
out onto Main Street when
the d
octor put his hand on Bishop’s shoulder and stopped him.

“Bishop, we are all going to have to get use
d
to this. Healthcare has taken a big step backwards with the rest of society. Last week, I lost a woman giving birth. It was so frustrating because I could have saved her just a few months ago. The baby didn’t make it either.
I am doing my best, but I
’m
so limited. I understand now what my colleagues went through just 100 years ago.”

Bishop
’s pulse quickened. He
stared at the man for a moment and then mumbled, “A woman died giving birth?”

The d
octor i
mmediately realized his mistake.
“Oh, Bishop, I’m sorry. I
’m
sure Terri and her child
will be fine. I didn’t mean to
…”

Bishop
held up his hand, interrupting the doctor’s train of thought.
“It’s okay Doc
. I guess I hadn’t considered
her having trouble, but it could happen. What
was the survival rate of child
birth back in the old days?”

Doctor Hopkins
turned away, leading the way
to
the local wat
ering hole
, avoiding the
question. “I don’t know
,
Bishop. I
shouldn’t have said that
. I
just
need a drink.”

Bishop thought about all the people waiting for him at Pete’s. He didn’t like his newfound popularity, but didn’t know what to do about it. He walked a
long a few more steps with the doctor when he got an idea.
“You need a drink
,
Doc, and I need a bath. Tell everyone at Pete’s I
hope to
be down shortly, but
had some business to attend to
. Give them my best.”

Doctor Hopkins
nodded, patted Bishop on the shoulder
,
and proceeded on down Main Street.

Bishop tu
rned around and headed
back to T
he Manor. He had noticed
the swimming pool looked as clean and fresh
as ever.
The filters must be solar powered
,
and someone is taking care of it.
When he arrived at
poolside, he looked around to make sure no one was close by
before
removing all of his load gear and clothes. He checked his rifle
safety, and then laid the weapon on the pool decking
. After he was naked, he dove in the cool water and came up for air.

It felt so wonderful to be free of all his gear and clothing. It seemed like he
constantly
had to wear
heavy armor and
a
load vest these days. The
buoyancy
of the water
,
combined with the sensation of skinny dipping
,
greatly
improve
d
his mood.
He swam around for a bit, enjoying the experience
,
and then
realized he was going to have to put his dirty
c
lothes back on. He breast-
stroked to
the side of the pool, next to the discarded
pile of smelly l
aundry,  grabbed his t-shirt, jeans
and socks and took them for a swim with him.
I hope
Betty
won’t mind if I pollute the pool a little more.
 

After soak
ing
and wringing out his
garments
,
Bishop climbed
out of the pool and draped his wash
over a nearby
lounge
chair. He k
new his clothes
would dry quickly in the low humidity desert air. He jumped back in the water and just floated on his back looking up at the stars.

A few moments later, a voice startled him, “No skinny dipping allowed in the pool, can’t you read the signs?” He turned just in time to see Terri’s naked body dive into t
he water beside him. She swam alongside
him unde
r the water, before surfacing for air and putting
her arms around her husband.

“You’re a bad, bad boy
,
Mr. Bishop. Sneaking into the pool at night and going
skinny-dipping
. What am I going to do with you?”

Bishop played along
.
“I have a few ideas
,
now that you’re here.”

Terri stu
ck out her lower lip and pouted.
“Are you sure you don’t mind being seen with a fat
,
pregnant girl?”

Bishop misread
her meaning and got all serious.
“
Y
ou
’re
not fat
,
and I love you with all my heart. I’m glad you joined me. Isn’t it kind of fun
,
breaking the rules?”

Terri
grinned at her husband’s remark.
“The kids are asleep.
Betty
fed them
,
and they crashed almost instantly. I was heading to Pete’s to make sure all those women down there kept their hands off of my man. I heard you swimming and thought you might like some company.”

Bishop picked her up
,
and she wrapped her legs around him. They started kissing passionately, holding on to each other tightly.

It was the rare romantic moment for the couple
,
and they took advantag
e of it. The famous gardens of
T
he Manor surrounding the pool were illuminated by the soft, warm glow of the landscaping lights.
The cloudless sky was
graced
by a star field that no longer had to
contest
the electric lights of mankind. They went at each other slow, soft and gentle at first, each enjoying the weightlessness of the water and the softness of the air. The cool water contrasted with
the
warmth of skin wherever their tightly mingled bodies would all
ow
it to seep in. Eventually passion
took
over
,
and things moved faster, more direct.

Bishop was strong and lean.
She could feel the cords and sinew flex as he moved against her softness.
As he neared the end, his arms held Terri like a pair of steel bands that would never let her escape. She knew it was
a savage
taking her now.
The man she loved was no longer in her arms. He had been replaced by a wild beast that
sensed the end
,
and nothing
c
ould stop him
.
He was going to take what he needed, and she had to let him.
She
knew
his entire focus was on her
,
and
nothing else mattered. The stars had ceased to exist. The water was no longer there. Air itself had disappeared. The
re
were only their souls,
touching through flesh. She let herself go. It was
easier
knowing she didn’t have
a choice and waves of pleasure shook her body and took away her breath. Terri pulled Bishop over the edge with her. The noise that came from low in his throat was that of a
predator taking its prey.
The
mighty
beast reared its h
ead and roared its triumph.

The warm glow of the aftermath was accented by the hushed sounds of the desert night. After recovering, Bishop and Terri climbed out of
the pool
and found a stack of soft towels nearby. Bishop made a mental note to compliment
Betty
on her management of the hotel.

They didn’t even bother to get dressed
. P
icking up their clothes and gear
, the coupled
head
ed
directly to the
ir
room
. As Bishop closed the pool gate, he glanced at the wet
footprints
left on the smooth deck surrounding the pool.
Side by side – just like it should be.
They feel asleep spooning in each other’s arms.

Bishop had the d
octor by the throat. The man’s eyes were bulging out of his head
,
and his face was a reddish purple color. Bishop was screaming at the top of his lungs, “What do you mean
, she is dying?
Save her!
Save my wife
,
or I
will
kill you!” Bishop squeezed harder and felt the man’s windpipe
crush
in his hands. The d
octor’s eyes flashed a last, helpless
look as his lifeless body slid
to the floor.

Bishop bolted upright in bed. He was having a nightmare and was covered i
n
swe
a
t. Every muscle in his body ached and
was knotted. Terri rolled over to face him.
“What’s the matter
,
baby? Are you okay?”

Bishop shook his head
and wiped the beads of perspiration from his forehead. “I’m okay
,
hun. It was just a bad dream. I’ll be fine.” He leaned
over, gave her a kiss on the forehead,
and told her he needed to go for a walk. She yawned, smiled
,
and then rolled over to go back to sleep.