Chapter 19: Holly
IT HAD BEEN DAYS since Holly had last spoken to Michael and Gunny and learned of the full extent of everything that happened. She still struggled with the idea that common knowledge of the horrible picture they painted would help anything. Finally, she concluded that focusing on the future instead of the past was the right thing to do. If people needed to know, or if it was hindering progress, then it should be addressed. Until then, concentrating on a better tomorrow would be far more beneficial to the people as a whole than dwelling on the past.
Jesse and Oliver noticed how quiet Holly had been since her meeting with the General. She refused to discuss it and mostly locked herself away with her thoughts as she sorted through all they’d told her. They were both worried about her and what Griffon would think.
Everything she ate seemed to make her sick, and she was losing more weight by the day. Her cheeks were beginning to hollow out, and they feared for her safety.
Oliver confessed to Jesse how tired he was of being locked up like a prisoner and shared his plan of escape. They would grab Holly at the last second and bring her back to the ship, where she could get proper medical help. Jesse told him it was too big of a risk, but Oliver had made up his mind and there seemed no way to change it.
Holly began a new day just like any other day. She had been sick for so long that it was wearing her down. Determined to push through, she got up and changed the routine she had been living for the past several days.
“Where are you going?” Jesse asked.
“I’m going to have breakfast in the chow hall today. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, and I’ll be back shortly. I just need to stretch and clear my mind,” she told them.
“Must be nice,” Oliver grumbled, but she chose not to respond.
Holly still had free reign of the place, and for that she was grateful. Still, the shelter was far too confining and reminded her of the bunker. This made her both homesick and antsy to leave. She knew she couldn’t until she had solidified a solution. What was she going to do with that information? How could she possibly make such a magnanimous impact such as they explained to her? It was too much for one person to bear.
Holly was grateful that people were still mulling around when she arrived in the chow hall. She grabbed a tray and went through the line. Halfway through, looking at the spoon of scrambled eggs, or some sort of egg like substance heading for her plate, she stopped, dropped her tray, covered her mouth, and ran to the closest bathroom.
Michael’s wife followed. Waiting patiently outside with a cold rag. When Holly finally came out, the woman pressed the rag gently to Holly’s forehead.
“How far along?” she asked Holly.
“What? How far along to what?” Holly asked.
The woman laughed. “How far along are you in the pregnancy?”
Holly froze. “Wh-what? Why would you ask something like that? I’m just a little sick to my stomach.”
“How long you been sick to your stomach, sweetie?”
Holly thought back. “Food poisoning from the ship. It’s been a few months I guess. Weakened my stomach pretty bad and sometimes it still hits me.”
The lady gave her a knowing look. “The last round of food poisoning that hit me for that long, is named Adai. And I’m the midwife around here. Trust me girl, I’ve delivered more than my fair share of food poisoning.”
Holly shook her head. “No, no, it can’t be. I can’t be.”
“Do you know who the daddy is?” she asked calmly.
Tears pricked Holly’s eyes as she collapsed to the ground. “Jared,” she said. “I’ve only ever been with my husband, but he was killed around New Years. That was months ago. Don’t you think I’d know? Don’t you think I’d at least suspect?”
“Now you listen to me, Wildflower. You have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Don’t think the rest of us don’t know how even the General is looking to you for help. Everyone wants a better life, a better place to raise our kids, and right now, you’re the greatest hope we have to see it through. It’s too much burden for one person to carry, but I know you’re shouldering it all right now. You been so busy trying to take care of everyone else, that you’re forgetting to take care of you. It’s really no wonder you haven’t suspected anything. You don’t stop long enough to even think about it. I bet at least once a day, probably more, you simply pause, go throw up, and return to whatever you were doing.”
Holly’s larger than usual eyes in her sunken face stared back at the woman with guilt.
“It’s time someone takes care of you, and you have got to do better for that child you’re carrying. I’m real sorry to hear about your husband, sweetie, but that’s only more reason to take care of you, because in there,” she laid her hand flat across Holly’s stomach, “that’s a piece of him, too.”
It was too much, Holly hit her breaking point and sobbed in the woman’s arms. She just held her, stroking her hair. It reminded her so much of Jared, that it only made her cry more. When the sobs turned to hiccups and she slowly began to calm, the woman spoke again.
“Come on. You’ve had your cry, now pick yourself up. I’m taking you back to my office for a checkup. We’re going to see about how far along this little one is and how well he’s doing in there, and then we’re going to get you started on some supplements and a food plan that will help you gain the weight you need to carry this baby to term. And you’re going to listen and do everything I tell you to, you hear?”
Holly nodded, still in shock, but so very thankful someone else was taking control for once. All she had to do was listen.
“I know you’re Michael’s wife, but I’m sorry, I don’t even know your name,” she said to the woman.
“Michelle.”
“Thank you, Michelle.”
“Holly Jenkins, you don’t ever have to thank me for doing my job.”
“I get that, but it doesn’t mean I’ll stop.”
Michelle took Holly back to the little room she used for checkups and deliveries. It wasn’t much, but she was lucky to have it. If it wasn’t for her husband’s close relationship with the General, she’d probably be delivering babies in people’s rooms, or on the bathroom floor or something.
She was able to determine that Holly was somewhere between three and four months pregnant. They were able to get a strong heartbeat that had both women crying this time.
“It’s a baby? It’s really a baby in there?” Holly asked in wonder at the sound of her child’s racing heartbeat.
Michelle nodded. “That’s going to be you around the start of the second trimester or a little into it already. Good news is, most women start seeing a decline in morning sickness. But in the meantime, I want you eating something every four hours. I don’t care if you throw it up or not, just keep eating. That baby needs the nutrients from the food to grow big and strong. This is an important developmental stage, so promise me.”
Holly gave Michelle her first real smile. “I will, I promise.”
They walked back down to the chow hall and Michelle picked out food that she said tended to be gentler on the stomach and easier to keep down, but also warned that if she came across something she really wanted, to eat it. No matter what it was.
The rice and side of applesauce she ate wasn’t the tastiest thing ever, but as she moved on through her day, she felt a slight boost in energy and didn’t throw it back up.
Holly said aloud to her baby, “Well, I’ve had worse, so even if we need to eat that every four hours for the next five to six months, we’ll still be okay.” She rubbed her stomach in awe. A piece of Jared. It was more than she could ever have asked for, and it sparked her own flame of hope for the first time since Jared was shot.
She headed back to the quarters she shared with Jesse and Oliver. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. All the resources they needed were at her hands. She just had to get the AMAN and the soldiers working together once and for all. Next would be an allocation of resources and shared information between the two groups. Once they were stabilized, she could focus externally on the people and the needs of the people.
“Well, someone is looking a lot better today,” Jesse noted. “What happened to you?”
Holly bit her lip. If she told them about the baby and word got back to Griffon, would it hurt the mission she was playing out in her head? Absolutely.
“I saw a doctor today. She was able to help and is working with me to keep food down and gain a little weight before we get out of here,” she said, keeping it more generic than it really was.
“Out of here?” Oliver asked. “The bastard’s actually going to let us go?”
“Eventually, yes. I’m working on a plan that I know he’ll go for. Then, we’ll have to sell it to Griffon. I think that may be the harder part, actually, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Holly told them, without really giving them any information.
Various scenarios kept playing over and over in her head. Jesse was patient and watched her critically. Oliver was bored as usual and ready to do anything he could to get out of that building. He vowed to himself to bring the entirety of the armed militia down on this place for keeping him prisoner.
“When, Holly? When are they going to let us out?” Oliver asked.
“I told you, I’m working on it.”
“You really believe they’re going to let us just waltz right out the door? They aren’t stupid Holly. They know we’ll just bring hell right to their doorstep and obliterate every single one of them for holding us here.”
Holly shivered at Oliver’s threat.
“If that’s how you truly feel, Oliver, I’ll be happy to advise the General to leave you here when Jesse and I leave to meet up with Griffon, er, the Major. Reigning hell down on this people is not in my plans for unity and peace,” Holly shouted at him. At least now she could just blame the pregnancy for her slip in control.
“You wouldn’t dare, you little bitch,” Oliver said. He moved towards Holly as if to threaten her, but she did not back down, and when he got too close, she raised her chin in stubborn defiance, but at that point Jesse was intervening.
Jesse pushed Oliver back. He knew Oliver wouldn’t attack him. Jesse was the stronger, more capable man in hand-to-hand combat, and they both knew it. Oliver put up little resistance, even when Jesse forcefully pushed him down onto the chair.
“Cool it, Oliver. You know you can’t threaten her like that,” Jesse warned. “You have orders.”
“What exactly are these orders?” Holly asked with genuine interest.
Jesse and Oliver shared a look that Holly didn’t like.
“You’re on a need-to-know basis, Red. Our orders are our business,” Oliver said. “And I’m sick of being treated like a prisoner around here. We’re busting out, and we’re doing it tonight.”
“You are a prisoner here, Oliver,” Holly said in her snarkiest voice. She was sick of his whining and complaining. “Consider how you and your fellow buffoons treated Gunny out there when you captured him, and then be thankful he has more compassion than you’ll ever know.”
Jesse intervened. “That’s enough, both of you.”
“I’m just saying. He’s damn lucky to just be confined to this room. Not to mention three meals a day, no interrogation, and no beatings. So stop complaining. I’ve had it.”
Holly glared back at Jesse defiantly.
“Listen, bitch, you have free reign of this God forsaken place. You have to know the layout by now, we’ve been here for weeks already. Just give us the exit plan, and I got no problems leaving you behind. Unlike my friend here, I don’t even give a damn what the Major thinks of it. You choose to be in here when we level this hellhole, then that’s your choice, little girl, but Jesse and I are getting out of here, tonight, with or without your help.”
Holly squared up her shoulders, standing tall, and snorted in his face. “You do whatever you want, Oliver, but I know without a doubt Jesse isn’t leaving me behind. I can also warn you both that they know you’re a threat to this place. Gunny isn’t going to just let you waltz out of here. He’s not an idiot. There are very valid reasons why you haven’t found him sooner. You’d be best to remember that. You decide to try and escape, fine, I won’t even stop you, but I’m not going with you and I sure as hell am not going to help you. And I promise you, you’ll never make it far enough to see daylight.”
Jesse chuckled at her audacity. “We are well trained, Hols. At least give us some credit.”
“Jesse, you, of all people, know better than to underestimate me. I’m telling you, unless you are taking to the water under the cover of darkness, you aren’t escaping this place. You don’t know where you are or how high you’d have to climb to reach the water. It’s suicide to even try, and I’ve been pleading for both you, so don’t do this.”
Holly saw the look on Oliver’s face and immediately regretted opening her mouth. She’d all but confessed there was a way and that way was up. She shook her head and turned to Jesse.
“Please don’t do this. I’m not sure I can save you again.”
“You went to bat to keep us alive this long?” Jesse asked sounding surprised. Holly just nodded.
Jesse pulled her into a hug. It was out of character for him, but she looked like she needed it. Holly snuggled into his broad chest and enjoyed just being held. It had been so long, and even if it wasn’t the arms she craved, she was grateful for it.
Oliver stomped off to the next room with a warning. “Do what you want Jesse. Choose the bitch over an AMAN brother if you must, but I’m leaving.”
Jesse sighed and nodded but continued holding Holly. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been with a woman before. He’d been with plenty, but this was different. Something had changed in Holly, he could feel it. He just didn’t know what that something was. Jesse didn’t expect her to open up to him. He wasn’t sure he needed that kind of drama in his life, anyway. She already talked too much, but whatever was going on with her, his need to protect her strengthened, and not just because of his orders.
He did have his orders, though, and they came straight from the Major himself. He wasn’t leaving her behind, and he knew it was pointless to try and stop Oliver. He was going to do what he had to do, just as Jesse would do what he needed to, which was to keep Holly safe.
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