The Risks

July: Chapter 59

"Okay," I agreed. And then, because we'd gotten everything else out of the way, I asked, "Where's George?"

"Currently in a cell. I've told Raleigh to keep him there until you're ready to speak with him. Then they'll move him to his lab in the basement."

"No one else has talked to him yet?"

"You wanted to be the first one," he said, and I noticed the way his jaw tensed. "So no. No one else has talked to him."

"Thank you," I told him, squeezing his hand gently. "Are you still okay with me doing whatever I need to do to him?"

He considered that for a moment. "As long as you're not putting yourself at risk."

"Will you help me if I need it?"

"Of course," he answered without hesitation. "Do you know what you need to do? Once you've got what you needed from him?"

I pursed my lips and sighed. "I'm not sure. I haven't decided yet.

"Well, whatever you decide. I'll be right beside you."

"I just want to start by talking to him. I know he won't give in easily, so first I'll give him his options and see how he handles it. We can plan from there."

"Do you want me to get in touch with Raleigh? Prepare George to be moved?"

"No yet," I said, grinning at the irony of George being trapped in one of his own cells. Cold, dark, alone. "He can wait."

...

I hadn't said it aloud, but I'd decided to confront George the following morning. For today, I'd rest. And so I did. The doctor –Fjeld was her name, a short woman with dark skin and kind eyes- brought us breakfast and checked in on both myself and the baby. I liked her right away, and it made the thought of staying here for months a little easier to accept.

I was amazed by the amount of visitors we saw throughout the day. A handful from the Zone –Raleigh, Paula, and a few others I remembered from our attack on Deacon's house all those months ago- and several from back home.

Charlotte was the first from the school to come in. She sat with us a while, and after expressing her content that we were safe, she told us about their progress on the expansion.

"We should be finished before winter. Then we'll have to send in a cleaning crew and work on accommodations. Getting water and electricity to all those houses will be quite the task, but we're capable people."

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to help with the walls," Parker told her. "When we come back, I'll help in whatever way I can."

I knew it had weighed heavily on his mind -that he'd been so idle for the past couple months while others were working on building a better community. Not like he'd had much of a choice. But Charlotte just smiled softly.

"You two have done more for the community than I can repay you for," she said, her dark eyes sincere. "When all is said and done, I hope you'll make a home out of one of those houses. Until then, your room will be waiting for you."

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice thick and my eyes teary.

When she left, Wes and Abby came in next. I could tell immediately that whatever problems they'd had were now resolved. Wes was his normal, puppy-like self, talking with Parker about guitar lessons and new songs he was trying to learn. And Abby seemed happier, less weighed down. I mentioned something about it and she smiled bashfully. She didn't say much in response, but she did thank me for bringing Rhea –the girl with dark hair and a skill for throwing knives- to the school, and that was all the explanation I needed.