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She went back out into the living room and saw him in the kitchen, plunking a few cans onto the table.
“The grocery store had already been looted,” he said. His words had that carefully nonchalant tone that she was beginning to recognize as his don’t-worry-Carly voice. “This was all that was left.”
Like the grocery store at home in Juneau. “During the Crisis?”
Justin shook his head. “Some of it, perhaps, but there was little debris inside, which makes me think it was done by people in the town since the Crisis ended.”
“Are they still in the town?”
“I didn’t see anyone, but they might have hidden when they saw me coming.”
Carly shuddered, thinking of Justin being watched from behind curtains, maybe by someone with a gun or crossbow. “Please, don’t go back there.”
“I won’t. I think I got everything we need.”
“Was there a vet’s office?”
“I got de-wormer for all of the animals.” He gave her a little smile. “Though I probably should have gone ahead and stocked up for other creatures. You know, for when you start collecting pigs, elephants, and monkeys.”
Carly appreciated his attempt at humor, but it didn’t distract her from the very troublesome reality of her animals having no protection from disease. “What about vaccinations? For the baby?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Carly.”
A chill swept over her before she sat down heavily in one of the armchairs. “What are we going to do?”
Justin rubbed the back of his neck. “Honey, there really isn’t much we can do. The baby will get a certain level of immunity from your milk, at least temporarily. I’ll keep checking clinics we pass, and maybe we’ll find something.”
She knew he added the last sentence because he wanted to give her some hope, but she could tell he didn’t expect to find anything. She pressed her hands over her still-flat abdomen as though she could shield her baby from the dangers of their new, uncertain world. She told herself she just had to have faith. Surely, if all of this was meant to happen, she wouldn’t be blessed with her baby just to see it get sick and die.
Justin handed her two canvas totes, likely his way of distracting her from her worries. Carly peeked inside. “Books!”
“Yeah, the only book store in town was very small, and most of what they carried were used titles, but I got you everything I thought you’d like.”
“Oh, Justin, thank you!” She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek this time. “I love you.” One of the titles was the classic What to Expect When You’re Expecting, a book her friend Michelle had said was a big help to her.
“I got a few things for the baby.” He lifted out another bag and handed it to her.
Inside, there was a selection of tiny outfits. Carly held them up. Little smocks with matching pants in pastels, but no pink or blue. Itty-bitty socks. A little sweater in yellow with a duckling embroidered on the lapel. At the bottom of the bag was a plush teddy bear, as soft as a whisper, and a bright yellow rubber duck that made her smile.
“I wasn’t sure what sizes to get,” Justin said, “so I picked a variety. And since we don’t know if it’s a boy or girl, I tried to get colors either could wear.”
Carly blinked hard to force back the tears. “Perfect.” She put her arms around Justin and laid her head on his chest. “Absolutely perfect.”
He put his fingers under her chin and lifted Carly’s face for a soft kiss.
Chapter Eight
Carly woke in the middle of the night and reached for Justin, but she found only an empty spot where he should be. She sat up, looked around, and saw him at the window. He noticed she was awake and held out a hand. “Carly, come see.”
Carly slid out of bed and picked her robe up from the foot of it. She put it on while she wiggled her feet into her slippers. The floors in this house were always cold. She shuffled over to him, yawning. “What is it?”
“The first snow.”
She leaned back against him, and Justin’s warm arms enfolded her. Carly looked out the window at the white world, lit by a brilliant moon that peeked through the snow filled clouds. Fat flakes brushed against the window on the way down, and the blanket of snow over the earth seemed to shimmer in the moonlight.
Carly sighed. “It’s beautiful.” She reached out to touch the window and shivered lightly at the chill radiating from the glass. She was so glad they were snug and safe in their warm little house instead of trying to travel through the snow.
It was early November, to the best of their reckoning. Neither of them was sure of the date. Justin moved his arms downward, and his hands cupped over the small mound of her belly lovingly, protectively. Three months along. Carly wasn’t showing much, yet, despite Justin’s efforts to fatten her up. She knew Justin was worried about her, but in this case, Carly didn’t know how to reassure him. Her nausea had tapered down to an occasional bout in the morning, and so she was able to eat more but Carly hadn’t gained as much as he thought she should.
