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Isaiah McDermott shifted his pack to ease the pressure on his shoulders. He rested a bit as he checked his bearings. It appeared as if he was on course toward his destination. According to his map there should be a farm house near by. He had to avoid it at all cost. The “Aggressors” would be watching it. It was on a natural choke point where the roads crossed because of the terrain. The creek and the river in conjunction with the hills made this the easiest way to get to the main highway.

He carefully checked each possible place the enemy could use as an observation post to control the crossing ahead. He felt a jerk at his sleeve and looked down to see a child tugging at his sleeve. It said, “Mister, please help us, our Momma is real sick and we need help.”

He scanned the area quickly. What kind of trick was this? “Please Mister, please.” The little face looked up at him. Tears ran down the dirty face.

“What is wrong with her?”

“She won’t wake up and she feels real hot, Mister. Please help her.”

Surely they wouldn’t stoop so low as to use a child like this. “Show me the way to your Momma. OK.”

“This way Mister.” The child ran back down the path and he followed. The farm house appeared ahead of him shortly. The child ran into the door. He followed. He heard a baby crying and followed the child into a bedroom. A woman lay on the bed. He shrugged off his pack.

“Can you hear me Mam?”

She didn’t move. He put his hand on her forehead. She was very hot. Way too hot. He looked around and saw a bathroom. He entered it and found a wash cloth and ran cold water on it. He returned to the bed and gently wiped the woman’s face. Her eyes fluttered and she look up at him. “Please help my babies.” Her eyes closed. He looked at the child. “What is your name?”

“Sue Ann, Sir. Is Momma alright?”

“I don’t know yet, do you have a phone?”

“Yes sir, but it has been disconnected.”

“Show it to me.”

The child pointed to the front room. He followed and the child pointed to a wall phone high on the wall. He picked up the phone and dialed 911. He heard nothing. He hung it up. He hurried back to the bed and looked at the woman. He gently shook her. She didn’t respond. He walked to a crib an looked at the crying baby. He felt it. The diapers were wet. He checked a couple of drawers in the dresser. Then he looked at the little girl. “Sweetheart, where does your Momma keep the babies diapers?”

“Right here in this bag, Mister.”

He picked the baby out of the crib and looked around the room. He spotted a basinet near the bathroom. He lay the baby on the top of it and took the diaper off. Wow it really stunk. Nothing smells worse than a shitty wet diaper he thought. He looked under the basinet and found baby wipes and cleaned the child’s little bottom. He just had every thing clean when a stream of hot urine hit his hand. It almost hit his face. He smiled. Definitely a boy.

He cleaned the mess and put a new diaper on the baby boy.

He remembered his own son. He shook his head and picked the child up and carried it to the kitchen. Sue Ann followed behind him. “Sue Ann does the baby have any food?”

“Yes, there is formula in the refrigerator.” You have to warm it up. I am not allowed to touch the stove or I would have fixed it for Bubba.”

“Where is a bottle?”

“I’ll get it for you.” She ran in the bedroom and was soon back with a bottle. He washed it and found the bottle brush. There were other bottles in the sink. He found a pan and washed it and poured some formula in the bottle. He placed the bottle in the pan in some water and put the pan on a burner. Nothing. He saw the box of kitchen matches on the shelf by the stove, took one and rubbed it along the strip on the side of the box. He turned the knob again and held the match to the burner. Poof! It was lit. He looked down at Sue Ann. “Have you had anything to eat today, young lady?”

“Not since yesterday, Mister.” He looked in the refrigerator and saw nothing. There were several empty soup cans by the sink. “Did you have soup yesterday?”

“No, I fed it to momma.”

“I’ll fix you something in a minute. He felt the formula on his wrist. Still cold. He carried the baby with him out to the porch. He lifted his pack and carried it in the house. He opened a pocket and found his last MRE. Ham Patties. Yuck! Better than nothing. He juggled the baby and managed to get the package open. He opened the meal pack and put it in a clean pan. He felt the bottle again. Just right He carried the baby back to the crib and gave it the bottle. It slurped happily away.

He returned to the kitchen and moved the meal over the flame. He found a cup and poured the hot water in on top of a coffee pack and added creamer and sweetener. Tasted pretty good. He checked on the woman again and wiped her down with cold water again. He was checking the med kit in his pack when he heard the truck pull in. It was the EMT people. He showed them to the woman. They took her temperature and siirt escort one said, “OH! Shit. We have to get her to the hospital right away. Everyone else alright?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“OK we have to hurry.” They put her on a gurney and hurried to the ambulance. They took off in a cloud of dust with the siren screaming.

Isaiah looked around. Shit, what now?

He went and got the baby and sat on the porch in the rocker and rocked the baby. The bottle was empty. The baby started to cry. He put it over his shoulder and burped it. It looked up at him and cooed. The baby boy smiled and kicked his legs. He grinned back at it and gave it a finger to tug on. He looked up and saw Sue Ann looking at him. He jumped up and ran to the kitchen in time to save the food in the pan. He put the baby back in the crib and then fixed a plate for Sue Ann. She wolfed it down. He smiled at her. She smiled back and said he was a good cook. He laughed at her. “You are just real hungry, Thank you anyway.” He took stock very quickly and found there was very little food in the house. There was no more milk or formula for the baby. He looked at the little girl, “Sue Ann, does your Momma have a car or truck?”

“Yes, in the barn. I’ll show you.” He followed her to the barn and found a clean Toyota Corolla. There was a baby seat and a child’s seat in the back. There was a stroller between the seats. He took Sue Ann’s hand. “Sweetheart, can you show me how to get to the nearest store?”

“Yes, I know the way. It is about ten miles I think.”

“Do you know where your Momma keeps her car keys?”

“Yes, they are in her purse by her bed.”

“What is your little brother’s name?”

“His name is Robert but we call him Bobby, just like my Daddy.”

“Thank you Sue Ann, I think we had better go to the store and get some things or we will get very hungry to night. Do you have any relatives near by? Where is your Daddy, will he be home soon?”

“Our Daddy is in Heaven, he got killeded in the war. The only other relative is Aunt Ginny. She lives far away in Atlanta.”

“Well I guess it is up to me then. Let’s go to the store.”

He found a little sleeper for the baby and put it on him. He helped Sue Ann wash her face. He found the car keys and they went to the car. He strapped Sue Ann and the baby in their seats. The car started instantly. The fuel was low but appeared to be plenty for ten miles. Sue Ann directed him and he had no problem finding the store. It was in a small shopping center, a Wal-Mart Super Center. He had brought the mother’s ID with him. He found pay phone and called the phone company and discovered the phone bill could be paid at the convenience store he was in front of. It would be back in service by five. He called the non emergency EMT number and got the number for the hospital. He inquired about the mother. She was listed in stable but serious condition with pneumonia. He asked to talk to the billing office. He gave them her phone number and address. They asked for the name of the person responsible for payment and he gave his name and address. He told them to send him the bill.

He got the kids from the car and put the baby in the stroller and went into Wal-Mart. Sue Ann could push the stroller and she showed him were things were. She was a very smart little girl he thought. He bought all their favorite things, plus the staples of bread, milk, formula, etc.. He bought more diapers.

They stopped at Burger King for lunch. He got the meal to go so he wouldn’t have to load and unload the kids. He had a new respect for mothers with children. He thought it was amazing that they could cope with it all. Especially when a husband was not there to help. He knew women were much better suited to this sort of thing than he was. He was too used to giving orders and having them obeyed instantly.

He got things on a schedule and organized in his head. In the next few days he mowed the lawn after fixing the mower. He made a bunch of repairs around the house. And even completed the paint job the mother had started in the kitchen.

The second afternoon, with the kids taking a nap he sat in the rocker on the porch and sipped a NA beer. It tasted good for a change. He looked up and saw a car coming down the long drive. It stopped in front of the house. A woman got out of the BMW and strode toward him. She wore a light weight beige suit and high heels. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as she had trouble with her heels sinking in the sandy dirt. She walked up on the porch and stood in front of him. “Who the hell are you? Where are my sister and her kids?”

“How do you do, Ma’am? I am Isaiah, the lady of the house is in the hospital with pneumonia, the kids are taking a nap. I assume you are Aunt Ginny. Please sit down before you break your neck in them there heels.”

“Thank you, I am Virginia Marston, Susanna’s sister. How is she?”

“She is doin’ jest fine, Ma’am, she was real sick for a spell, she should be siirt escort bayan comin’ home in a couple of days. You look like you could force down somethin’ wet and cold. How ’bout a coke?”

“Is that a beer you are drinking?”

“Yes’em, it shore ‘nuf is. Would you like one?”

“Yes I would, thank you. He rose out of the rocker and went to the kitchen and brought her one. “Sorry, but I just drink non alcoholic beer.”

“Mmmm, it tastes good. Hit’s the spot. Just who are you?”

“Ma’am, Ahm jest a passerby. Lil’ Sue Ann said her momma was sick and she needed help real bad so I stopped tryin’ to escape and gave her a hand. Got her Mom to the hospital and been looking’ after ’em ever since.”

“What were you escaping from. Jail?”

“No Ma’am, I am a United States Marine. We are loyal, trustworthy and honorable men. I was on an Escape and Evasion Training Drill. E&E. I called in and told them I would be detained.”

“What happened to your hick accent?”

“Oops!”

She laughed, “May I go look in on the kids?”

“Certainly!” She walked in the house. Bare footed he noticed. She was back in a minute. She smiled at him again. It was the first time he had seen her without her sun glasses. She was a stunning woman. She smiled at him and he suddenly felt very old. She was really beautiful when she smiled. She said, “I am impressed, everything is neat and clean. I don’t see any dirty clothes or diapers piled around, no dishes in the sink. Everything is spotless. Your wife has you well trained.”

“Thank you very much, I have been well trained over the years by various women, but I have no wife. She couldn’t stand being a Marine wife and ran off with the grocery store manager last time I was sent to war.”

“I am so sorry.”

“Hey, she is happier now I guess. Although my oldest son says she wants to come back now that I am retiring. I don’t think so.”

“How old is your boy?”

“He is about your age, he just turned twenty nine.”

“Flattery will get you a long ways. I don’t think you are that much older than I am.”

“Are you married? Kids?”

“No and no. Haven’t had time yet.”

“Don’t wait too long.”

“I know, my biological clock is winding down. No prospects in sight.”

“Girl, I just can’t believe that. There should be guys lined up wanting a shot at you. What do you do for a living?”

“I am a trial lawyer in Atlanta.”

“Oh! Well that explains everything.”

“WHAT?”

“Calm down, I was just teasing. Let me feel your hand. OH! You must not be a real lawyer, your hand is not at all slimy.” She hit him hard on the arm.

“You are a fine one to talk, baby killer.”

He grinned at her, “You a cute when you get angry, makes me want to kiss you.”

She looked at him, startled. Then she grinned back. They grinned at each other. He said, “Let me carry your bag in so you can change to something more comfortable. OK?”

She took the bag from him and walked in the house. He sat and looked out across the fields. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. No use dreaming, she was way too young. He heard a faint sound and turned to see her in cut-off jean shorts and a well filled halter top. He stared at her. She blushed and said, “I just brought home clothes, I didn’t think I would see anyone. Savanna and I were going to paint the kitchen. I see she finished it.”

“Don’t blame that on her, I saw it needed finishing so I did it last night.”

“So how long have you been a Marine?”

“Thirty four years.”

“Wow, since I was five years old. You must have liked it. Did you do well?”

“I did OK I guess. They are just now getting around to getting rid of me.”

“What rank are you now?”

“I am an O-8, but will retire as an O-9.”

He watched as her lips moved and she counted on her fingers. Her head jerked up, “Major General, to Lieutenant General? Really, Wow, and they send you out on drills?”

“Well they don’t exactly send me. I like to say I won’t ask my men to do anything I won’t do. I still join the troops and do a ten mile forced march with my full pack and gear. I still run five miles with a forty pound pack. I finish with the top ten percent too!

“I just love to run, not with a forty pound pack though. I can do a 5K with out hurting too bad.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t hurt. Sometimes I think I can’t make it but I always do. Often takes days for me to recover now.”

“You appear to be in great shape.”

“Why thank you girl, I think your shape is truly magnificent. I love it.”

“Aunt Ginny,” shrieked Sue Ann as she ran through the screen door to the porch.

Virginia hugged the little girl to her breast and kissed her over and over again. They cried together. She looked up at Isaiah and said, “I love this girl so much. Can I take her to visit her Mother this afternoon?”

“I doubt that they will let her in. Let me call and find out, maybe you can talk to her.”

He walked in the escort siirt kitchen and called the hospital. Mrs. Bushnell would be able to take and make calls after five that afternoon. No visitors under 18 years of age. Visiting hours from noon till nine. He walked out on the porch. He gave them the information. Sue Ann was disappointed. He motioned for her to come to him. He hugged her and whispered in her little ear, “Sweetie, I know you are sad you can’t see your mommy, but just think of how happy your mommy will be to see Aunt Ginny. Won’t that be fun for her. Maybe you can talk to her after five. That will be special too! I’ll fix us a special dinner to night. What would you like?”

“I love Mommy’s tuna casserole.”

He looked at Ginny, “Can you tell me how to make that one?”

“I sure can. You cook ½ a package of egg noodles, then in a skillet you melt ½ a stick of butter. You chop a small onion and brown it in the skillet. Then add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, then 1 can of milk. OK, next you melt chunks of American cheese or Velveeta. Next we add a can of tuna. Then you grease a casserole and pour the contents of the skillet in the casserole. You crush Saltine crackers and sprinkle them over the top and bake it at 350 Degrees for 45 minutes. Nothing to it.”

“Well, I think we have everything we need for it. I’ll give it my best shot.”

Ginny and Sue Ann looked at each other and giggled, “Right.”

Isaiah jumped up, “I hear Bobby. His formula is in the little pan warming on the stove, you may have to cool it a hair.” He got the boy from his crib and changed his diaper. He handed the baby to Ginny and said, “Here is your nephew. Is his bottle ready?”

“Sure is, right here.” The baby fussed and cried reaching for the man. It wouldn’t take it’s bottle.

“It looks like he wants you, General. Here he is.”

He took the baby and cuddled it and gave it the bottle. Bobby cooed and slurped it right in and began noisily sucking on it.”

Ginny grinned at him, “It looks like you men have really bonded. That is so sweet. You must have been a wonderful father. I see you have everything under control, I am going to change and go see my sister.

Ginny came out a few minute later. She looked at the big Marine as he sat rocking the baby. He looked up and saw her. She wore jeans, very tight jeans, She had on a light jacket over a T-shirt. His eyes slowly closed then popped open. A slow smile built on his face as he carefully looked her over, from her little low cut sneakers to the baseball cap with the ponytail out the back. “Girl, you look delicious, are you sure you are out of high school?”

“Yeah! About a hundred years ago, but I love your saying that. I will see you guys in about an hour.” She bent over and took his face between her hands and kissed him softly on his lips. “Bye now.” She turned and walked out the door. He watched as she got in her BMW and drove off. He gasped for air, he had forgotten to breathe. Wow!

He put the baby in the crib. He stood and watched it sleep for several moments. He turned and went to the phone. He dialed a number from memory. The phone was answered, “Second Marine Air Wing, Commanding General’s Office, General Zeigrfeldt speaking.”

“Hey, Jack how are you? Everything under control?”

“Sure is boss. No problems. Every thing is on schedule. How are you doing?”

“Just fine Jack, put me down for a couple more days of leave. And check and see if I can stay away a few days after that?”

“Mack, you know you have forty days of leave on the books you are going to loose if you don’t use it. Say, is that a baby I hear crying?”

“Yes, Jack, it sure is, I’ll call you later.” He walked to the crib and picked up the baby and burped it. It closed it’s eyes and went back to sleep. He saw Sue Ann watching him.

“Sweetheart, can you please help me get dinner ready?”

“I can help?”

“Sure Sue Ann, find the right skillet and casserole dish for me. Let’s see. Do we have any grease? Oh! Here is some Crisco, that is just what we need, do you know how to grease the casserole dish?”

“Yes I do. Can you get the grease on a paper towel for me and I can do the rest.” He scooped a little Crisco on a paper towel and lifted her on to a stool so she could reach the dish on the counter. He watched her while he got out a stick of butter. He broke it in half and put half in the skillet. He found a onion and chopped it up.

He looked very carefully at the casserole. She had done a good job of covering the inside with grease. He said, “Yes! That is a very good job. Thank you.”

“Mister, can I call you something besides Mister?”

“Yes, Dear girl, you certainly can. All my best friends call me Mack. Would you like to call me Uncle Mack?”

“Yes, that would be very nice, I like you, Uncle Mack.”

“That is good, Sue Ann, because I like you a lot too!”

They worked well together and put the casserole, less the toping, in the refrigerator. After Sue Ann crushed the crackers she sit them aside.

He called the number he had been given for Savanna’s room. A familiar voice answered. He said, “Is this Virginia Marston?”

“Yes it is Isaiah, Is everything all right?”

“Everything is just fine, except I miss your smile. Is your sister able to talk to Sue Ann?”

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