The McClane Apocalypse Book Five (73 page)

So he takes his clipboard with patient notes
attached to it and heads for his favorite spot, the front porch
swing where he used to spend quality time with the love of his life
discussing the girls, the state of the world, and anything else she
wished to talk about. When he gets there, Susan is already perched
on the swing. He joins her, and they swing gently together.

“Everything all right, Susan?” he asks and
takes his oldest granddaughter’s hand in his.

“Sure, Grandpa,” she replies. “Just worried
about the family that’s not here. Always do.”

“We all do, dear,” he admits. “They’ll be
fine. What else is troubling you?”

She regards him with her soft, brown eyes and
smiles.

“Just thinking about Dad coming back.”

“I figured,” Herb admits. “How do you feel
about it?”

“I’m not sure how to feel about it. At first
I was happy, but now…”

“I know,” he says. “We’ll get it straightened
out. I’m calling a family meeting tonight if we can. I want us to
all be present. I have some important things to go over with you
girls and your husbands. I’d like Robert and his wife to be
present, as well.”

She cocks her head to the side with
puzzlement.

“What are talking about, Grandpa?”

“You’ll see. Don’t worry, honey,” he allays
her fears. “It’s nothing bad. I just want everyone present so that
there isn’t any confusion later on.”

“Okay, we’ll be there.”

“As for your father’s return, I don’t care
how you girls feel about him or even his wife, but I’d like
everyone to be kind to his kids. Or if kind is too much, then at
least courteous and tolerant. This isn’t their fault.”

“I agree,” Sue acknowledges. “I’ll talk to
everyone about it today. I think we all feel the same way, but I’ll
make sure to discuss it with them.”

“Well, it looks like you have another sister
and brother.”

“Yeah, Grandpa, I guess we do. Strange,” Sue
says with a wrinkle of her forehead as she contemplates this.

“It’ll all work out,” he promises. “You’ll
see.”

Sue tries to offer a smile, but it doesn’t
come off of as completely genuine. Herb feels the same, so he
chooses to look down at his notes instead. He doesn’t like false
illusions between them. He’s always been open and honest with the
girls, even when the world fell apart, even when the truth was
going to be harder to take than a falsehood. He makes a note on one
of his patient sheets to distract himself from having to look at
his lovely granddaughter, who has chosen to stare off into the
distance. He can only wonder if the promise he just gave his
granddaughter will prove true.