Rise From The Ashes: The Rebirth of San Antonio (Countdown to Armageddon Book 3) by Darrell Maloney Page A

eyes getting moist.
         He turned and walked outside. Tough guys don’t cry. And when they do, they sure as hell don’t let anyone see it.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    -11 -
     
         “He’ll be okay. You just have to have faith. That’s what my mom tells us whenever we start worrying about my dad.”
         Rachel was trying her best to console Zachary after he got the news about his father.
         “I know. It’s just that… well, I guess I always thought that Dad was invincible. I mean, he’s always been the strongest man I know. He’s always been able to win at everything. I guess I just assumed that if he was shooting it out with someone else, that he would win that too.
         “Or maybe I just didn’t consider the alternative because my mind wouldn’t let me.”
         “Or, there are other possibilities. Maybe there were several of them and he was outnumbered. Maybe there were fifty bad guys, and he shot forty nine, but then the last one got a lucky shot. Or maybe they bushwhacked him, like they do in old cowboy movies. Maybe they shot him without giving him a chance to fight back.”
         “Yeah, maybe. That would make more sense, I guess.”
         Rachel reached out and held his hand. She looked into his eyes and said, “In the end, it doesn’t really matter. He’s alive, and that’s all that really counts.”
         She put her arms around him and held him. He hadn’t expected that, but he enjoyed it. He enjoyed it a lot.
         “How are you two doing out here?”
         They looked up to see Linda stepping off the back porch and walking toward them.
         “Okay, I guess. How long do you think they’ll keep him, Mom?”
         “I don’t know, Zach. You heard the same thing I did. I know it takes the body a while to replace lost blood. I suppose it depends on how much blood he lost, and whether they have blood of his type to give him. If they don’t, if his body has to make its own, then I expect it’ll take a lot longer.
         “The main thing is, he’s at a hospital, and he’s under the care of doctors, and I’m sure they’re doing everything they can for him.”
         “Do you think we can go visit him?”
         “I’m sorry, honey. But you know that the city’s been hit hard by the plague. We’re darn lucky it has n’t spread up here. But if we went down there and got exposed to it, we’d probably bring it back with us. And then some of us, probably starting with your brother’s baby, would get sick and might die.
         “I know your first impulse is to run down there to support your father, but you’ll have to trust me on this. Your dad will understand. In fact, I’m fairly certain that he would not want us to go see him. He realizes the risks more than anyone.
         “We’ll just have to trust the doctors to take good care of him, and trust Hannah’s friend Robbie to keep us informed on his condition.”
         Rachel was no longer holding Zachary in her arms, but she never let go of his hand. It didn’t escape Linda’s notice, and she made a mental note to talk to him about it later, when Rachel wasn’t around. She already had one grandchild on the way. She certainly didn’t want another one. At least not right now. The world was way too chaotic, and way too dangerous.
         “You gonna be okay?”
         “Yeah. I just miss him is all. And I’m worried about him.”
         “I know, son. I feel the same way. But you could look at it another way. We’re better off than we were yesterday. Yesterday we didn’t know if he was even still alive. Today we know that he’s not only alive, but that he’s in the care of the people who can make him well again. And he’s a strong man, and stubborn too. He’s not going down without a fight. You know that.”
         “I know that. And yes, I’m okay.”