Isolation | Book 4 | Holding On Jones, Nathan (best smutty novels txt) 📖

she pulled him into her lap and cuddled him during dinner, but it didn't seem to do much to lift his spirits, either.

It was almost a relief when the people who'd be leaving began excusing themselves to make their last preparations and get an early night. Nick and Gen left too, taking Ricky, Tallie, and Billy out on a walk around the block to spend a few more precious minutes with them before bedtime.

Ellie stayed behind to help clear up after dinner. Hal stayed with her, doing his best to try to cheer her up, but while she appreciated his efforts her heart remained heavy.

It was safe to say that most of them went to bed early that night. Although she wondered how many, like her, slept poorly.

✽✽✽

Nick, Gen, Billy, and the rest of their group arrived early to the relief worker camp, not wanting to give Gorstrom any more reason to go after them. Which meant they had plenty of time to sit around watching the bustle of activity, after her aides had jotted down their information and bustled them off to join the gathering crowd of volunteers outside of town.

Considering how much of a hurry Gorstrom had seemed to finish her business in Stanberry and move on to the next town, the relief convoy had almost looked like it was putting down roots. But now, after three tireless days, they were preparing to leave in the same sort of whirlwind with which they'd arrived.

Some would be staying, of course, those who'd been assigned to oversee the quarantine camp until its residents could be relocated and the place shut down for good, no longer necessary thanks to the Zolos vaccine. As well as an aide who'd stay as a liaison with the town.

But as for the rest, they would be moving on to the next town to deliver the vaccine, enforce law and order, and dispense “justice”.

In spite of the fact that the relief workers had brought the lifesaving vaccine, as well as much-needed supplies and the inspiring vision of a country restored to its former glory, few would be sorry to see them go.

Nick wondered if they thought it was worth it; desperate to find workers or not, alienating every single town they passed through in order to get a few dozen more people seemed like a terrible idea. But then, as Ellie had said with a sort of bitter humor, bad ideas tended to gain wings in bureaucracies, somehow getting past everyone with a lick of common sense to become standard practice.

Speaking of bureaucrats, the convoy was still busily making their preparations to leave when several of Gorstrom's aides arrived to inform the waiting volunteers (and prisoners) that they should say their last goodbyes and get ready to load up.

Nick was a bit curious about how the relief administrator was going to get the thousand or so people who'd volunteered to join her rebuilding efforts south to the Gulf Coast.

Her relief convoy had plenty of vehicles, but those vehicles were already packed with personnel or were meant to carry supplies. And while she planned to leave people behind to take over management of the camp and coordinate continued relief efforts in town, that was going to be a dozen people at most.

But whatever else he might've thought of the administrator, at this point he didn't doubt her ability to get things done.

He was standing with Gen and Billy among the rest of the crowd of volunteers, a stone's throw away from where a few soldiers kept a wary eye on the fifty or so people who'd been arrested by Gorstrom's people for lawlessness during the pandemic. Including the McCleese brothers and Chase.

While he felt bad for his friends, he couldn't help but be relieved that Gorstrom had let him be part of the volunteer group. Along with Darby and several other town leaders, and Denny and Starr and a few people from the camp.

Many of the nearby volunteers were family of the prisoners, including Brant McCleese and Aimee. The labor programs were tiered based on the severity of the prisoners' crimes, and Gorstrom had assured the families of those guilty of lesser crimes that they'd be able to visit their loved ones, and depending on good behavior those prisoners might even be able to live with their families under reduced supervision.

That offered a bit of hope that Chet and Ben might get to have a better situation than some hard labor camp.

At the aides' invitation, the loved ones of the people who'd be leaving approached to say their goodbyes, including Ellie and the kids. Nick stepped forward to crouch and sweep Tallie up into his arms, holding her as her little arms wrapped around his neck almost tight enough to cut off air.

“Don't go, Daddy,” she begged, looking up at him with tears in her big brown eyes.

Nick kissed her forehead, vision blurring with his own tears. “If I could, sweetie girl, I'd never leave you. But I have to go, so I need you to be brave until I can see you again.”

“You need to come back soon,” she admonished him, burying her face in his shoulder. “Really soon.”

“As soon as I can,” he promised. Giving her a few more seconds, he reluctantly passed her off to Ellie, heart breaking anew when she was reluctant to let go of him and began crying again. Then he dropped to one knee and held his arms out to Ricky.

Sad and withdrawn as his son had been, Nick was disappointed but not surprised when he didn't come. “You shouldn't go,” Ricky said sullenly. “This isn't fair.”

Nick settled on the trampled grass, patting the ground beside him until Ricky reluctantly came and sat down. “A lot of things in life aren't going to be fair,” he told his son gently. “A lot of people's lives don't go the way they would've wanted.”

Ricky was glaring at the ground, and Nick lifted his chin until his son reluctantly met his eyes.