The First Love Of Alipang Havens

I simply made it up, just as I made up the slang words "krin" and "loosh." Had to do something to portray a popular culture in 2025 that _wasn't_ simply the same stuff we have in 2011. If you look back through this novel, you will see that there are one or two previous "throw-away" references to stun jazz.

During this little pause, I'll ask opinions on this: if Emilio Vasquez were being infuriatingly hindered from helping someone dear to him who was in trouble, do you think he would try diplomacy, or pull his gun on the person who was interfering?
 
Copperfox said:
She was growing tired of idiots, while at the same time ashamed of herself for having helped to _make_ them idiots.
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Not a comfortable position to be in.

Copperfox said:
During this little pause, I'll ask opinions on this: if Emilio Vasquez were being infuriatingly hindered from helping someone dear to him who was in trouble, do you think he would try diplomacy, or pull his gun on the person who was interfering?
Click to expand...

I think he would want to try diplomacy, but if it went on too long he would quickly give up on it.
 
Sunday was one more working day for Dan and Chilena Salisbury, but at least not in Brazil now. The Self-Esteem of the Shrew had been produced in Brazil as a concession to obtain the participation of the actress Astrud Ferreira; but most of the Revised Shakespeare productions were made within the Diversity States, and so it would be with A Midsummer Solstice Dream.

In a rehearsal hall belonging to The People's Theater Collective, a sub-organization of the actors' union, director Jessamina Pinder had introductions to make. Dan and Chilena having arrived first, a man and woman younger than they were brought in and presented to them.

"Velvet, Strontium, you are privileged this morning to meet the queen and king of progressive classical drama, Chilena and Daniel Salisbury," Jessamina said to the young pair with her. Dan judged by the director's eye movements while speaking that Velvet was the man's name and Strontium the woman's name--which would be typical these days. This was confirmed an instant later by Jessamina's indicative gestures when speaking further: "Chilena, Dan, meet Strontium Welby and Velvet Corrigan."

"This really is a privilege," said Strontium, clasping Chilena's hand; but what Chilena read in the younger woman's eyes was: You look good enough, but you're an old hag next to me. Not like me--I'll never get old!

"I've dreamed of working with you two," said Velvet, shaking hands with Dan; but what Dan read in the younger man's eyes was: After this one time of being billed lower than you, I'm going to be the new star. And if I feel like it, I'll steal your wife too.

"Here's how I plan to assign your parts," Jessamina went on. "Dan and Chilena, you already know that you will be Lysander and Hermia. In addition, you, Dan, will play Bottom, and you, Chilena, will play Titania. Gives the two of you plenty of camera time together, as you prefer. Strontium will play Helena and Peaseblossom. Velvet will play Demetrius, and Flute of the Rude Mechanicals. Puck, Theseus, and others will be played by members of the original ensemble."

"What about Oberon?" asked Velvet. "I would have liked to play him--I mean, that is, a revised Oberon, one who would be put in his place."

Jessamina smiled. "Oberon's place, for this production, is OUT of the script altogether. Titania will still have her embarrassing interlude with Bottom, but we'll give her a different reason for it."

For a moment, Chilena was extremely uneasy. Up to now, the studio had spared her and her husband from having to go along with the worst of gender-bending in their movies. What WAS Jessamina planning for Titania? But then came assurance that the particular possibility she dreaded was not being inflicted on her. "Instead of a marital conflict, we're going to have a combined message of child emancipation and collective liberation. We will say that Peaseblossom is Titania's daughter; no need to bother even mentioning a father, we're not patriarchal cavemen here. But mothers get no free ride either. In reaction to Titania's maternal tyranny, the daughter calls all the other fairies into a plan to assert equality of personhood. THEY cause Titania to be magically infatuated with Bottom, so that the embarrassment will cause her to lose prestige in the sight of the fairy proletariat."

Glancing at a rack of plastic prop swords, Strontium asked the director, "Will I get to do a swordfight with Chilena? That would be SO cosmic!"

"Of course you will, at least two fights. We're eliminating all that stuff about Helena feeling herself no match for Hermia in a physical fight; they have to be equally matched, so the audience will get at least fifteen minutes' worth of Amazon-warrior action out of them. Chilena, would you mind letting me see you spar a bit with Strontium?"

So the two actresses chose their harmless toy swords. Negative though her first impression was of her new co-star, Chilena didn't want to act all insecure and catty; therefore, she did not immediately bring into play the skill that her brother Alipang had taught her long ago. But when Strontium proved obnoxiously aggressive, trying too blatantly to outshine the "old lady," Chilena fought fire with fire, and plastic with plastic, scoring an impressive series of touches all over the younger woman until Jessamina called a halt.

Strontium did her best not to look resentful of having been bested. And Jessamina did very well at not noticing the little dominance-clash that had just occurred. The director knew perfectly well who had made it a clash, and she was glad that Strontium HAD found Chilena tougher than expected.

"Now, boys, your turn. We will be having Demetrius fight Lysander at least once as well. You know what to do."

So, not bothering to take toy weapons, Dan and Velvet faced each other, assumed childish pouty-faces, and began limp-wristedly thrashing at each other with their fingertips, striving to make themselves much MORE comical and contemptible than women had ever been made to appear when staging catfights in old movies.

Jessamina smiled--both because both male performers were acquiescing to their function as inferior beings, and because Velvet appeared to have learned by Strontium's mistake, and was not trying to humiliate Dan.

"That's good, boys. I think this will be our best Shakespeare movie yet."

Through all of this, Dan was being buoyed up by one thought: Christmas this year was going to be on Thursday, the day on which Christians had the use of the Oneness Temples. Thus, this year, Pastor Schell's congregation could have a great worship service on the night of Christmas Day. And even with younger actors looking for the chance to supplant them, Dan and Chilena still had the clout to be able to get off work that evening and enjoy the holiday.
 
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With things as they are, why does Dan stay in the film industry? It's clear that he can't enjoy his acting with the pathetic state of the television/movie industry. Does he have enough money to retire? Or is he concerned that, without his position as a famous actor, his family might be in danger due to their beliefs?
 
The comparative safety given by his and Chilena's celebrity status is the biggest thing. As has been seen, their being in the cultural elite has even caused the government to give them enough leeway that they could harbor Evan and Summer, and liberate Evan and Summer's children from bondage. Evan and Summer would never have seen their kids again in this life, if not for having someone with "pull" on their side. Also, as long as Dan and Chilena can go on living within the Diversity States, they cling to the hope that one day they'll be able to see Alipang and the others who are in the Enclave.

As for retirement, that is at the mercy of the Fairness Party no matter who you are. Dan and Chilena don't make as much money as Brad and Angelina, and they know it can be taken away anytime.
 
In front of Bert Randall's outback bungalow stood an Australian baobab tree thirteen meters tall. It furnished not only shade, but also the same nutritious fruit long known to Native Australian tribes. Right now, however, what most visibly festooned its branches were not ripe fruits, but Christmas ornaments--because, for the first time since it had become the adventurous researcher's property, this baobab was being recruited to serve as a Christmas tree.

A sizeable crew, aided by long ladders leaning on the tree from four sides, was at work decorating the tree. The youngest persons involved were the only ones venturing into the branches beyond the ladders' ends, and these were wearing tree-management safety harnesses Bert had obtained for this purpose. These climbers were Meretseger and Montu, plus their new cousin, a nephew of Bert's named Colin Kerang, who was close in age to Montu. Bert's younger sister Emma had married an Aborigine man by the name of Prentice Kerang; and the two of them were on two of the ladders, keeping an eye on their son as Colin and Montu dared each other to climb higher.

Bert himself was on the third ladder, passing ornaments to the kids from a pack on his back as needed; Ma'at was on the fourth ladder, her hands tightly clutching it both by her husband's urging and by her own inclination. At one point she told her husband, as if he could not have guessed it anyway: "All those years of shuffling around in a burka did NOT train me for climbing!" But she had ascended this ladder by her own insistence, not wanting to be left out of the new delights her daughter and son were savoring.

Watching from the ground--also keeping an eye on the steadiness of the bottoms of the ladders--were five more persons: the parents of Bert and Emma, the parents of Prentice Kerang--and a very special guest from Argentina. This guest, about the same age as Bert, was the only unmarried adult present, though he had hopes of securing a bride for himself in the near future. But although he enjoyed being included in a happy family event, his reason for coming to Australia in the first place had been purely business.

"Bert was never this enthusiastic for Christmas that I knew of," remarked the Argentinian, looking up into the tree. To this, Bert's mother replied, "He was never so enthusiastic for _Christ_ before. The holiday enthusiasm simply tagged along with his conversion."

Santiago Sanchez of Argentina was an author, from a nation which had long valued authors with intellectual depth. His body of work included studies of his own country's history, and reading these had been what first made Bert Randall aware of Santiago. They had first met in person in 2017, when Bert had been attending a symposium on educational theories in Buenos Aires. That, of course, had been before the radical redefining of the North American continent. Now, a little more than eight years after their first meeting, what brought Professor Sanchez to the Randall residence was an issue affecting the new order of things in the former United States.

When the baobab was adequately beautified, everyone climbed back down. Then, although this was happening in daylight, the carol "O Holy Night" was sung by those who knew it, which included Bert, thanks to his brother-in-law having just recently taught it to him.

Eventually, Santiago was able to draw Bert aside, and get to business.

"Bert, compadre, what I came to ask of you is easy to say; I hope it will also be easy to do. Please postpone--don't cancel, just postpone--your plan to bring testimony against the Diversity States Department of Indoctrination at the United Nations and the Western Hemisphere Union."

Bert glanced back toward his Egyptian-American wife. After being married to him for months, Ma'at still was clingingly, almost pathetically grateful to him for liberating her and loving her. Not that he objected to her attentions; he doubted he would ever get tired of their mutual affection even if he lived to be two hundred; but it was always a reminder to him of just _what_ an unhappy life she had endured _before_ he became her knight in shining armor. The tyrannical bureaucrat who had used Ma'at and kept her in fear ought not to go unpunished. To Santiago, Bert now said: "We've waited some time already, and we _could_ wait longer if there's a reason to; but what IS the reason? Yang Sung-Kuo and I both promised that we wouldn't undermine the Fairness Party's authority over their internal exiles; but the way I meant to handle Ma'at's testimony was a matter only of calling on the D.S.A. to hold an _individual_ wrongdoer accountable, not a matter of arguing that the regime in America _can't_ be allowed to have its blasted Enclave. So what gives?"

"What gives, is the situation with the _other_ American dictatorship, the _other_ neo-Communist party: Aztlan, and its Aztec-Maoists. Unlike the D.S.A., Aztlan is guilty of aggression _outside_ its own borders; and the Mexican Alliance, to which my own country now belongs, feels responsible to curtail the harm the Aztlanos are doing. But the Diversity States is so little esteemed nowadays, except as a supplier of amusing movies and stun-jazz bands, that it is hard to inspire any positive support for helping them against a military threat."

A thoughtful rumble came and went inside Bert's throat. "Your bloc of nations is arguably the strongest in the Western Hemisphere; how much permission do you _need,_ to remedy a problem that's practically in your own back yard?"

Santiago sighed. "Remember, although the two strongest nations in the _world_ are not members of the Hemispheric Union, both of them allow their more decadent citizens to travel on pleasure vacations...to Aztlan. So we have to take _some_ account of how China and India feel. Neither China nor India is going to give Aztlan an unlimited free pass for troublemaking; but neither are they wildly frantic to protect the D.S.A. from aggression. This is a diplomatic gray area, in which even slight shifts in global opinion can make a difference."

"Meaning, if Ma'at embarrasses the Diversity States right now by blowing the whistle on their human-rights abuses, there will be less sympathy for that government in the international community, thus more negative feedback for the Mexican Alliance if it continues providing aircraft and weapons to the Texas Rangers."

"Correct, my friend. If the D.S.A. falls even lower in the world's regard, yet we _still_ proceed with military assistance to the Texans.... it might start occurring to some people.... that perhaps we do not consider aiding the Texas Rangers to be _quite_ the same thing.... as aiding the Fairness Party. And we might not want other nations thinking in that direction just now." Seeing a look of dawning comprehension on Bert's features, Santiago added, "Are you deciphering my meaning, compadre?"

Bert nodded slowly and smiled cheerfully. "I am a linguist, after all."
 
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Chapter 70: Visitors for Cecilia


On Monday, December 22, Emilio and Jed were on their own, their Great Condor escort having headed back for Texas during the night so that new fliers could get a turn in it. (Emilio and Jed had been able to find sleeping quarters in a police-cadet barracks.) The fact that, while having six of these attack helicopters, the Rangers were nonetheless keeping all of them busy with orienting new crews, encouraged Emilio to believe two things. There was hope of Texas getting _more_ Great Condors; and there was hope of Emilio getting his turn to pilot one.

Theoretically, the unarmed chopper was at liberty to fly around randomly--because its _real_ mission was keeping Jed Brickhouse hidden. Since they were in clear skies this morning, they would not be projecting their phantom airplane. But Jed himself was growing tired of being kept safe, while everyone else in the Ranger command chain was in more danger than he was. After an hour and a half of cruising northward near the Mississippi River, Jed half-jokingly ordered Emilio to reverse course and make for home.

"You know why I _want_ to go back to Texas myself," Emilio told him; "but I think we'd better call first." So he raised Ranger Headquarters in Dallas on an encrypted channel--to receive a shock.

Zella Greenlee, a lady Ranger with whom he was slightly acquainted, was manning the comms station at the time, and she almost snapped, "Stay away! I was told to tell you if you called in or showed signs of returning--stay away!"

"What's the matter?" Jed cut in, accustomed to being in the loop as a senior officer.

"No deaths on our side," said Zella; "but there was an attempt, in Waco. Martha Pollock and Wade Sampson were secretly meeting there, as part of trying to plan how to keep normal operations going at the same time as our crisis. Meeting in person to avoid electronic interception of talk. Just the two of them, incognito, plus one plainclothes bodyguard each, in a new location never used by us before. They _should_ have gone unnoticed by any hostiles. But _somebody_ knew they were there, and an attack was made on them using a binary chemical weapon. Fortunately, all four Rangers had wider-spectrum toxin-immunization than the attackers reckoned with. That saved them, so they turned the tables and killed two of their attackers; but no perps were taken alive."

"Leads on how the assassins knew where to look?" demanded the Vice-Commandant.

"None yet, sir. But for the first time, Commandant Pierce is looking at the possibility of traitors IN OUR OWN RANKS."

Emilio and Jed exchanged a glance when they heard this; not that either of them had any doubts of the other's integrity, but both were horrified at the idea of ANY Texas Ranger being a turncoat.

Zella continued: "Because of this, you two are _ordered_ by the Commandant to stay clear. Don't come anywhere near Texas today or tomorrow; don't even _communicate_ with us again today or tomorrow. And don't assume you're safe out there. Keep moving, and be _unpredictable_ about where you go."

"Not much use, if our enemies have got satellite tracking on us," growled Jed.

"Be optimistic, sir. We don't _know_ that any bad guys know it IS you in that helo with Emilio; and even if they do know, AND they have a satellite track, they still _don't_ have magical teleportation to pounce on you instantly. So it _will_ make a difference if you keep them from knowing in advance where you're headed. When you next need fuel, don't go to any branch of law enforcement; requisition fuel from other agencies, like medical evacuation. Only exception: if you find yourselves in reach of Inspector Lincoln in Kansas, you remember him, you can go to him for assistance, he's clean. That is, go to him _once;_ don't go anyplace _twice_ for fuel. And call us back around midday on Christmas Eve. That is all."

Emilio gave the acknowledgement, after which Zella Greenlee went off the air without more formalities.

"A smart woman," remarked Jed.

"And now it's my turn to be a smart pilot." Emilio turned his helicopter some twenty degrees eastward, climbed to a higher altitude--and thus began a series of evasive maneuvers intended not to _look_ like evasive maneuvers. Rather like a thief being careful not to run when seeing cops, lest his very running attract their attention. Only now it was two cops who were on the run. Emilio was reminded of old undercover-detectives-in-trouble movies.

But, with a private smile, he reflected that the heroes in those movies didn't shake off pursuit by flying a helicopter into a giant concentration camp. That was because those movie heroes didn't have in-laws living inside such a camp....
 
After faking to the east, Emilio turned to the northwest, put on more speed, and flew diagonally across Missouri. On the way, he stopped at the airport in Jefferson City, where fuel for a piston engine could be obtained, and requisitioned a tankful. Continuing into Nebraskan airspace, he faked east again, toward Iowa, letting himself be heard in unencrypted radio chat with another of the Great Condors that was on a training flight over Des Moines. Then it was westward again.

As evening drew on, they landed at Grand Island. While Jed stayed with the chopper, Emilio went to a government-owned restaurant. He brought back from there two servings of dull-tasting soy-and-seaweed squares, with Joy Nectar to drink. After he and his superior officer had eaten, each of them slipped a cleansing capsule into his mouth. On contact with the tongue, each man's capsule turned into a fizzy liquid which cleaned his teeth; half a minute later, as each man held his mouth open, the liquid evaporated into the air.

Of government measures to conserve water, this invention was one which actually _didn't_ cause more problems than it solved. "I wish I dared to give my father-in-law some of these capsules for his dental patients," remarked Emilio.

"But why can't you?" asked Jed. "It isn't as if they're a controlled substance. You've sent food parcels to them before; would some dental supplies be so different?"

"When you put it that way, probably I _could_ send him some by mail after I get home. But with my plan to visit being outside regular procedures already, if I gave him the package of capsules I've got with me _while_ I'm there, some Overseer might grab the chance to pretend that my _whole_ reason for invading the Enclave was to smuggle to Eric not only a legal over-the-counter product, but also some kind of serious contraband. Then my in-laws could be in serious miercoles, not to mention me."

"Aren't you already risking trouble by flying into the Enclave at all?"

"You can order me not to if you judge that best; but protecting you by going where hit men don't expect us to go, IS a legitimate action. And I have a plan to make it still more legitimate."

As they drew near the easternmost point of the Western Enclave, which was the tip of the Nebraska Sector, Emilio found in the law-enforcement database the right frequency and encryption settings to call the Overseers' air-traffic network inside the fence. Calling the headquarters in Rapid City, he told them truthfully that he was involved in building air-defense readiness for the country in general--and invited them to track him as a pretended hostile when he flew a random course over portions of their domain.

Even the stupidest Overseers were not unaware of the Aztlano airborne threat; so they played the game with Emilio, while being made to wonder just what plans their government DID have to protect them in case of an attack in their direction. They did have particle-beam weapons that would be effective against aircraft at close enough range; but they had no prepared plan to USE those weapons effectively for any purpose more challenging than murdering defenseless Biblicals.

Since Emilio was doing the overflight, Jed was sorry they had to do it on instruments in the darkness; he would have liked to see the area's landscape, which he had never visited. Around one a.m., they set down outside an Overseer outpost in a uranium-mining area west of Casper; there, they gladly used restrooms and showers, but afterwards went back to the chopper to sleep in their seats.

Jed Brickhouse was no wimp about roughing it; as a boy, back before the Boy Scouts had been abolished as a "hate group," he had gone on many Scouting campouts, a natural lead-up to the hardships he would later face as a Texas Ranger. Still, he was startled, before the sun had risen, to be awakened by the sounds of Emilio starting up the engines.

"What? Why--?" the tired Vice-Commandant mumbled.

Emilio, for his part, was ruthlessly awake. "The Lord woke me up, sir. No other way to put it. We have to get to Casper right away."
 
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Cecilia Havens had been prone recently to go to bed as early, and rise as late, as her conscientious performance of domestic duties allowed. Last night she had been up a bit later, packing things for the train trip north to Sussex; while doing this, she had listened three times through to the tape recording Eric had made of the telephone conversation between Daffodil Havens and Chilena's household. At last, she and Eric had retired for the night, expecting to be awakened by an antique wind-up alarm clock.

Thus it was quite a surprise for Cecilia when she awoke in brilliant daylight, lying not on a mattress but on a bed of flowers. Sitting up, she did not see her husband.... but she did see her brother, Douglas Fairhope, who with his own household had been unaccounted for since the mob violence which had attended the Fairness Party takeover. He looked as he had in his college days, before he had married Tracy.

"Doug??" Her vision of him was confused as to the clothing he wore; it seemed he had on some kind of cross between a snazzy business suit and an angelic robe. But there was no vagueness about the strong, comforting affection with which he embraced his sister.

"You can stop wondering about us now, Ceelie," Doug assured her. "All this time you've been agonizing over our fate, we've been in the safest place there is. The Pinkshirts had kept video of me attending Tea Party rallies, and had me marked for death well before they had the power to do as they wished. They made a clean sweep of the family: me, Tracy, our kids AND our grandkids. Tried out their new toys on us, the beam weapons."

Cecilia could feel her eyes widening at this, even though her mind was not yet facing the question of how she could be present where her deceased brother was. "Then, all the time I was praying for your safety, never hearing any news, you were already dead?"

"Yes, though we don't CALL it being dead once we're up here. As I say, we're safe; nothing can ever harm us again, for all eternity. And you know what? It's just like the scene of the altar in Revelation: we asked God how long it would be before He avenged the blood of His martyrs, and He told us to be patient. Our slayers will be punished--that is, those who don't come to repentance; and those who do repent are a greater source of satisfaction to us than those who bring justice on themselves in the end. Listen up, Ceelie, you have to remember not to hold our murders against that boy who's boarding with Al and Kim; the tyranny is not of his making.

"Oh, and speaking of Kim, you can tell her that her mother and sisters and brothers-in-law all escaped to Canada, where they're living to this day. They've tried more than once to send letters to Kim in the Enclave, but the censors wouldn't let the mail go through."

Cecilia clung harder to her brother. "I don't understand. If I'm in Heaven, how can I tell Kim anything?"

Doug gently kissed her. "You aren't all the way in, sweetie. Sort of on the front sidewalk. You're having a heart attack, because of the long hardships and emotional weariness."

"Am I? I don't feel anything; but of course, my spirit wouldn't feel that happening, would it? Only, why would I have a heart attack NOW, when some things have been getting better?"

"The accumulated effect of your stresses. There was already damage done to you, before the recent good things happened. Your physician couldn't detect it, because he has so little medical technology made available to him. But you aren't meant to die at this time; your family still needs you. So the Lord is going to send you back to Earth, back into your body."

"But does Eric need me? He tries so hard to lighten the load for me, and... and I... I seem to have so little left that I can give him in return."

Doug smiled. "Love doesn't keep financial files about how much it gets rewarded. Everything Eric does for you, he considers himself privileged to do. And do you think he would feel BETTER if your premature passing left him feeling that he had failed you?"

"You're right."

"Of course I'm right. It is not time for you to come here yet. My love is always with you, but I don't NEED you to hurry up your passing for my sake. You have to go back. You have to keep on living. You have to WANT to live. Do you want to live, I mean in earthly life?"

"I--I don't want to miss holding my new grandchild, Kim's baby. I don't want to leave Eric without telling him how much I.... Yes, I want to go on living."

"Good. Because you have a happy surprise on its way to you, if you can just hang on. So I want you to do one thing..." Doug did not now dwell further on loving goodbyes, but impressed his instruction on his sister's very spirit. "Just one thing, but it makes all the difference. Move your right arm, now. Nudge Eric awake. Move your right arm...."

Then Doug was gone, but Eric Havens was there. Eric was grasping what was happening to his wife, and acting fast without panic. Hitting a light switch, he shouted for Harmony and Terrance even as he slid Cecilia off the bed and onto the floor, because chest compression would be more effective with the patient lying on a solid surface. The two youngest Havens children came to their father's call, while he was administering C.P.R.; a moment later, Harmony was taking over the breathing part, while Terrance got on the telephone to Doctor Torvill.

This was all chaotic for the victim of the near-fatal infarction. Only later would she be able to tell her family what she had seen and heard.
 
Emilio wasn't making his takeoff from an airport with a tower to advise him on current air traffic and weather. But he could see the weather, insofar as fresh snow was lightly falling on his canopy; and he knew that there was almost NO air traffic in the skies directly over the Western Enclave. Of course, he had radar and g.p.s. to guide him in that respect; and he doubted that anyone else in this vicinity was using the same kind of g.p.s. deception that HE had used in the course of his recent duties. Thus, a mid-air collision hazard was the last and least of his worries.

What he didn't know was exactly where his in-laws in Casper lived. The few postal letters from them that had ever reached him and Melody were from a "general delivery," so he only knew the city. As they got underway, Emilio called up the national residential database in an effort to locate the Eric Havens residence; but addresses in the Enclave were locked against general access. Of course, he could ask whatever authorities were in Casper, once he got hold of them; but the sense of God calling him to go to Eric and Cecilia was also a sense that there was no time to waste.

Jed Brickhouse, by now, had come fully awake, and in view of the apparent emergency he refrained from complaining about not having had a chance to go to the bathroom. When he saw that Emilio couldn't find the address he needed, Jed sighed, "It never was realistic to expect that we could keep absolutely everyone in the dark about my being with you. Let me use my access as a federal district-level police commander."

Sure enough, Jed's recently-acquired access code as Vice-Commandant of the Texas Rangers obtained the location of the Eric Havens household as they were flying. It also resulted in a non-encrypted radio call coming to their helicopter less than two minutes after Jed made his inquiry.

"Texas Ranger Aircraft Number 343, this is Rapid City Air Traffic Control. Lieutenant Carmen Delgado, Transport Police, speaking for coordinated law enforcement, Western Enclave. We now identify your helicopter as carrying Texas Ranger Vice-Commandant Jed Brickhouse. Please report reason for unannounced visit by high-level police commander."

"Will reply on your secure channel," Jed told the woman. Before making the frequency change himself, he looked at Emilio with an expression that mocked their caller. "You realize, she was just saying, 'Tell the whole world why you didn't hire a marching band to announce your secret arrival.' It was idiots like that who allowed the United States to fall in the first place." Once on the encrypted channel, he went on to Lieutenant Delgado:

"You know that criminal elements have made well-planned attacks on the leadership of the Texas Rangers. Commandant Pierce ordered me to drop out of sight for awhile, so that the still-unidentified ringleaders of the attacks wouldn't be able to nail ALL of our leaders. I accordingly tagged along on Lieutenant Vasquez's perfectly genuine sorties in connection with rebuilding national air-defense readiness. At this time, we are proceeding to Casper..."

Jed finally got the officious Carmen Delgado off their backs. Following g.p.s. directions, Emilio brought the helicopter directly over the Eric Havens residence, switched on his spotlight to see where he could land, and brought the machine down as fast as he safely could. It seemed that something had stirred up the neighborhood even before he had flown into their sight; people were milling around the house in the gray predawn. "I'll mind the helo," Jed told him. "You take the emergency medical kit and go inside."

Picking up the medical kit, Emilio hopped out of the cockpit and into the crowd. He had decided in advance that speaking of himself as a Texas Ranger, to people this far out of his normal jurisdiction, would only confuse them, slowing down their answering any question of his. Thus, he simply shouted, "Police here! What's going on?"

A woman close enough to hear him replied, "It's the dentist's wife, having a heart attack!"

A man added, "Doctor Torvill's in there with her now;" but the first answer had already propelled Emilio into a dead run for the door of his in-laws' house. Less than half of his body was inside the doorway before he yelled, "Cecilia! Where is she?"

Some unfamiliar local man in the living room directed the Ranger up the stairs. In the master bedroom, Emilio recognized Eric, Harmony and Terrance Havens anxiously gathered around the doctor as he worked on the supine patient who lay on the floor. They did not at first register in their minds who it was that had joined them. On Cecilia's face was the mask of what Emilio recognized as a Continuous Positive Air Pressure apparatus: the typical equipment for combatting sleep apnea. All in one mental flash, Emilio guessed that Doctor Torvill, as an exile, must not have proper oxygen equipment at his disposal, so he was using the one thing he did have available to help Cecilia continue breathing after initial C.P.R. had succeeded. A used syringe lay nearby; in a second mental flash, Emilio guessed that adrenaline or something similar was also available to the exile physician, and had just been used. Fortunately, what the Ranger was about to offer would have no conflicts with such an injection.

Keeping his actions efficient and his words to the point, Emilio dropped to his knees beside the physician, opened the emergency kit from his helicopter, and said: "Here! Police medical kit, cardiac restorative!" He knew that Torvill would know what this was, even if not provided with it by the Enclave authorities.

Reuben Torvill took in the fact that the stranger offering him a jet-injector was wearing a badge and a gun, and so assumed that this was someone competent. Accepting the injector, he made the injection into Cecilia's neck. The complex formula in the ampule was one intended to accelerate tissue repair, improve the electrical conductivity of the motor nerves controlling the heart muscles, renew the elasticity of the globular proteins in those heart muscles, and give a booster dose of oxygen to the blood.

Minutes later, Torvill's own breathing became easier, as he detected an improvement in his patient's heartbeat. "God willing, she's going to be all right now," he declared to the suspense-tormented family.

Terrance and Harmony squeezed each other fervently in grateful relief. Eric Havens finally permitted himself to look at something besides his wife and their physician--and did a double-take at just who this was who had suddenly assisted with the emergency care for Cecilia. Reuben Torvill was just beginning to thank the newcomer, when Eric burst out in astonishment:

"That's my son-in-law!! Emilio, how did you get here??"
 
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Jed Brickhouse was saved from an exploding bladder by the timely appearance of Sergeant Pasquale of the Transport Police, the same officer who had met Alipang on the morning of Trip Conklin's show being presented in Casper. Transport Police being eminently qualified to guard a helicopter, Jed was finally able to relinquish his post, go inside the Havens house and find a toilet.

On the wall of the bathroom he used hung a hand-carved and painted wooden placard, which read:

"For there was never yet philosopher
Who could endure a toothache patiently."

William Shakespeare, "Much Ado About Nothing" ​

Coming out of the bathroom, Jed encountered a black man who immediately spoke to him, saying, "Are you Emilio's friend?"

"I'm his fellow Texas Ranger, so yes," Jed replied, offering his hand. "Jed Brickhouse."

Shaking hands, the black man identified himself in turn: "Abraham Zondei, pastor at Church of the Faithful here in Casper. My whole congregation would have been awfully sad to lose Mrs. Havens. How did you and Emilio know to come here and help Dr. Torvill?"

"You, of all people, should be able to accept my answer: God told Emilio he needed to come here in a hurry. Of course, he would have wanted to see his family members in any case."

"And how do you even come to be inside the fence?"

"By a sort of benign abuse of authority; it's a long story. But I hope I understand correctly that Mrs. Havens is out of danger now?"

A different voice responded, the voice of a teenage boy who had just come downstairs. "Yes, she seems to be. Hello, I'm Terrance Havens, son of the patient." He also shook hands. "So you're the other Texas Ranger? I suppose it's too much to hope for that YOUR force will be taking over in the Enclave?"

"Sorry, I'm afraid that our operations outside of Texas don't extend that far. But now that we've been spared from grieving for a death, I can tell you that I'm glad to meet Emilio's fascinating in-laws at last. You seem to be Shakespeare fans, along with everything else Emilio tells me."

"Shakespeare--? Oh, of course, you must have seen the placard in the bathroom. Alipang made that for Dad as a birthday gift, the first year we were in exile. All of us like Shakespeare, but my brother especially."

"Will I meet Alipang? Emilio describes him as quite a character."

"Alipang and his wife and children live north of here, in Sussex," interjected Pastor Zondei, to which Terrance added, "They'll be coming down here once they hear about Mom's close call; but I don't know how long you'll be here."

"I don't know that myself," Jed admitted.
 
Chapter 71: Peace on Earth, No Thanks to Herod


It was just after breakfast, on the Tuesday before Christmas, and Alipang's household was double-checking the packing for those who would be going down to Casper...when the phone rang.

Esperanza was nearest to the phone in the living room, so she picked it up. "Hello, Havens residence and dental clinic."

The voice of her Aunt Harmony came to her ears: "Essie? Put your Mom or your Dad on the kitchen phone." So the girl gestured accordingly to her mother, who was within sight, Alipang being outdoors shovelling last night's snow. When Kim had made her presence known to her sister-in-law, Harmony continued: "Listen carefully. Something serious has happened, but don't be scared, because it isn't as bad as it could have been. Grandma just had a heart attack--"

"NO!" yelped Esperanza. "Hush," her mother ordered.

"Don't be afraid, Essie, she's recovering," Harmony assured her niece. "I told you it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Grandpa and I did C.P.R. on her, and Reuben Torvill was available to help her. Not only that, but there was _more_ help for her, and you'll never guess who."

"Did we get a new doctor settled in Wyoming Sector?" asked Kim.

"No; less permanent, and more surprising. _Emilio_ is here!!"

"Uncle Emilio?" gasped Esperanza. "The Overseers didn't exile him, did they?"

"No, he was on air operations, and was able to bend his flight plan enough to come inside the fence. We can tell you more about it later; but we have to change our Christmas plans. Although Grandma is going to be okay, for now it isn't safe to let her be active. So none of us can come up to Sussex; she needs us here."

"Then we'll see how many of us can go down there," Kim declared.

Daffodil was in a position to hear some of this. If the occasion for the phone call had not been so solemn, he might have worked up the boldness to ask to be allowed to speak to Harmony himself.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = =

A quarter of an hour later, Alipang was jogging along snowy streets, heading for Pastor Ionesco's house, which was on the north side of the Powder River and some distance west of the old highway bridge. Ahead of him, having crossed the bridge from the far bank before he reached it, appeared a couple on horses, a black man and a white woman. The woman called out: "Doctor Havens, is that you? Merry Christmas!"

"Mrs. Hanley? Yes, I'm Alipang! Pardon me, I have to get to Peter Ionesco's house."

"Dorcas and I were just there," said Blake Hanley. "Now we're on our way to check in as lodgers with Sylvia Lathrop. We'll be celebrating Christmas with Sussex Bible Church this year, our first time with your fellowship."

"They'll be glad to have you, but won't that leave Irina lonely on the holiday?"

Dorcas grinned. "You're forgetting: as a Russian, she celebrates Christmas in January. We'll be with her then, and so will the Spaffords. But what's your urgent business?"

"I have to tell the pastor that my children won't be able to sing the special songs they were going to sing on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," explained Alipang. "My Mom is ill, and we all need to get down there for her."

The Hanleys' faces at once turned somber. "Here, you can borrow my horse to go talk to Pastor Ionesco," Blake offered; "I can walk the remaining distance easily enough, and you can return the horse as you come back." While getting dismounted, he added, "And if it's a problem for the order of worship to be missing a song, tell Pastor Ionesco that Dorcas and I can fill in for your kids. We know practically every Christmas song in the English language."

Alipang sprang into the saddle. "Thanks, bless you. Thanks both for the singing offer, which I'll urge Pastor Ionesco to accept, and for the use of your horse, because I'm short on time." (Alipang had set out on foot because it would have taken some time to saddle up one of his own horses, but the use of an already-saddled one was a bonus.) "We're scrambling to change our train-travel plans. This is actually the _second_ time in my life that a man with the first name of Blake has come to my rescue; one of these days, I'll tell you about the other one."
 
At the Havens house in Casper, about an hour after Harmony's call to the family members in Sussex, Doctor Torvill judged Cecilia to be sufficiently out of peril--thanks to the cardiac restorative--that he did not need to go on watching her. This being so, he needed to get back to his own combined home and office, in case other citizens of Casper needed his attention. He promised to check back on Cecilia in the afternoon. By now, several Transport Police were guarding the Texan helicopter as if they were afraid the whole Enclave population would escape in it.

Meanwhile, Emilio and Jed had both been treated to breakfast, including the first meat Emilio had eaten since his last undercover gig, and Jed's first meat in longer than that. During this time, Sergeant Pasquale had been joined in the house by Overseer Phosphorus Andrews, she being even more inquisitive about the Rangers' business than Pasquale was. While eating, Jed Brickhouse as the senior officer told Harmony, Terrance and the two law-enforcers as much as he deemed safe to tell about what he and Emilio had been doing. Next, both Rangers took baths--tub baths, not showers, since hot water in the plumbing remained iffy for exiles, while a tub bath could make use of separately heated water added to the tubful. Eric and Terrance traded away some of their own underwear and socks, so that the two Texans could have clean underwear and socks to put on after bathing. The dirty items left behind would in turn belong to Eric and his son after being laundered.

Pasquale and Andrews left them in peace at last; so, when he was all cleaned up, Emilio returned to the master bedroom where his father-in-law was keeping vigil over the patient. Seeing Emilio in the doorway, Eric leaned over to kiss his wife's cheek, saying, "Cecilia, darling, do you feel up to talking a little? Emilio sure would love to hear your voice."

Cecilia flopped her head in Emilio's direction. "Emilio...thank you for helping. Thank you for coming. I already told Eric...that I met my brother Doug on the edge of Heaven. Doug told me...a good surprise was coming for me...but he didn't specify that it would be my handsome Latino son-in-law."

Emilio stooped and kissed the opposite cheek than Eric had kissed. "Don't tire yourself now, for God's sake; but I believe you about the dream. God woke me up, where Jed and I were sleeping in the chopper overnight--let me know I had to get to you. Our Lord is in control, no matter what secular authorities think."

Cecilia reached for her son-in-law's hand, so he lovingly clasped hers. "Did Melody have her baby yet?" she asked. "Been awhile since we got a letter from you."

"The last one we got," Eric put in, "was the one in which you told about your friend Mrs. Cantu taking first place in a chili cookoff."

"We've written one more letter since that one," said Emilio. "You should receive it any day now. As for the baby, no, not yet, but the hour could come anytime. The Yellow Rose is in good shape, and being well taken care of." He wanted to tell them about the arrangement which had enabled Melody to have refuge in Mexico without objections from the Health Rationing Agency; but he would not reveal anything that might in any degree compromise his wife's safety, and he knew that his wife's parents would not wish him to. Still, one thing was perfectly all right to tell. "By now we know that the baby is a boy. And we have not named him yet. Maybe God planned for the baby not to receive his name until I would have a chance to talk to you." He held Cecilia's eyes with his own, presenting her with her opportunity. "I have enough brothers and sisters, that all the ancestral naming is covered for my side of the marriage. So if you, Mama Cecilia, have a suggestion for a name, I have no doubt that Melody will be happy to use your choice."

Weak though it was, and combined with tears though it was, the responding smile on Cecilia's face shook off several years of aging. "Yes, I know just what I want. Please name your son Douglas."

"We'll be happy to," Emilio assured her. "The more so if his middle name can be Eric."

"Douglas Eric Vasquez sounds good to me," answered Eric.

"Now, I don't know yet how much longer I can get away with staying here. I heard that all the relatives from Sussex will be trying to get to Casper no later than tonight, but I may need to clear out sooner than that. So I want to do a couple of things while I have the chance. If you've kept the letters from Melody and me, I'd like to see them, and fill in any information the censors cut out."

"No need," Eric told him. "You did a good job of writing discreetly, no doubt because being in law enforcement helped you to be aware of what _would_ be censored. The letters came intact: that is, thirty-seven of them came, not counting the one you say is enroute."

"Yes, thirty-seven's the right number; we also kept count."

"What's the other thing?"

"I'll need to have an Overseer approve and monitor this; but just as you obtained a sound recording of Chilena and her kids talking to someone, so I want to use my dataphone to record _your_ voices for the ones outside to hear later. As long as you're not having _direct_ two-way speech with the outside, it should be okay."

Cecilia did more happy weeping, and found the strength to raise her arms a little. "Emilio, dear...you deserve a Texas-sized hug...but all I can offer you is Rhode Island-sized."

Emilio leaned into her arms, careful not to place any of his weight upon her. "If it's from you, Mama Cecilia, any hug counts as Alaskan-sized, or should I say Alchatkan-sized. Word to God, I'm _honored_ to have you all welcoming me so warmly even though Melody can't be here with me."

Cecilia kissed him before he rose out of her embrace. "You're family to us in your own right, Emilio dear."

"Especially after what you did this morning," said Eric in great earnest.
 
Up in Sussex, Ransom Kramer was inclined to beg off going to Casper on the quite reasonable grounds that Alipang and Kim's horses, plus three more that were being boarded in the Havens' little stable, still needed looking after as much as ever. But when Sumerico Bivar and Raoul Rochefort, hearing of the situation in Casper, volunteered to care for the horses (one of which, indeed, WAS Sumerico's), even Lydia Reinhart argued that Ransom should go to Casper for this. She considered the Havens family to be Ransom's family, and thus insisted on his obligation to them.

Ransom's agreement, first told to Lydia in privacy behind Alipang's dental clinic, resulted in an unexpected reward: the first kiss he had ever gotten from his Amish girlfriend. It was feather-light and flicker-brief; but coming from an Amish girl not yet engaged to him, Ransom realized that it was a great treasure offered to him from a pure heart. And she would still be around when he got back to Sussex.

Alipang's adult friends were not the only persons wanting to help, nor was Lydia the only girl with an emotional stake in the situation. When there was doubt of getting enough train tickets for today, an exile family that already had tickets for a train today gave their tickets to Alipang--which Alipang counted as more than sufficient repayment for free dental care that he had given to them over the last two years. And Jillian Forrester, the teenager in Sussex who had the crush on Alipang's brother Terrance, achieved such finagling of her parents as to be allowed to ride the train to Casper also, using a token she had been saving up.

Jillian was on the platform at the same time as Alipang, Kim, Wilson, Esperanza, Brendan, Daffodil and Ransom were making ready to board the southbound train. Daffodil, who had crossed paths with her from time to time while a guest in Alipang's home, was the first to notice and greet her.

"Citizen, I mean Ms., I mean _Miss_ Forrester! Are you here to see Alipang's family off? That's very collective of you."

"Thank you, Daffy, but actually I'm going _with_ them."

"You are? No one told me."

"That's because I'm not really WITH-with them. I have a friend in Casper who said I could sleep over at her family's house while I'm in Casper. So I won't add to the burden at the--I'm sorry, I don't mean to suggest that _you're_ a burden to the Havens. They make money from you, after all..."

"Don't worry, no offense taken." Though not interested in this girl for himself, Daffodil would have spoken further with her, just to sample more of the pleasure of talking to _any_ girl without worrying that he might be infringing Tolerance House rules. But now Alipang noticed her.

"Jillian, did I overhear you saying that you're going down to Casper?"

"Yes, Dr. Havens. I know there are going to be a lot of you in that house now, come Christmas. I'll be staying with Cindy Pressman; but I thought I could come over to your father's house, maybe like in the afternoons, and help with cooking or something, you know, if you need help, with your Mom not being able to do anything now, and honest, I am praying for her...."

Though Jillian was several centimeters taller than Alipang, she seemed so timid and waif-like next to this granite-hard, self-reliant man, that no one thought ill of Alipang when he suddenly reached for the girl and gave her a brief, tender hug. Even his wife, standing by, knew it was innocent; in fact, she proved her knowledge by herself hugging Jillian next.

"Any help you can give is sure to be timely," Kim told her.

"I should mention," Alipang told Jillian, "that Terrance never says to me how he feels about you, one way or the other; but as of two days ago, at least no _other_ girl had made any progress with him."

"Al, you're embarrassing her!" Kim scolded.

"What I'm doing," retorted Alipang, "is _sparing_ her from an agony of being _afraid_ of embarrassment. Now she won't be worrying all through the train ride that she'll get to Casper and see Terrance holding hands with some other girl. If she did have that worry gnawing at her, she would at the same time be feeling _guilty_ for thinking about that, when the rest of us were thinking about Mom's very survival. Now, she can be free from that guilt also."

"Please don't be upset on my account, Mrs. Havens; and thank you for thinking of my feelings when your mother's sick, Dr. Havens. I'll try not to get in the way."

Esperanza had followed enough of this exchange that, even though she had not yet reached an age to be interested in boys, she had an idea of what was making Jillian uneasy. So now she _also_ hugged the teenager; and Jillian found this particularly comforting. A minute later, they were all on board the train.

Daffodil found plenty to occupy his mind on the ride, as those with him shared various remembrances of past Christmases. At the last stop before Casper, Rudolfo and Valeria Montefiori with their whole family came aboard and entered the same coach, giving rise to introductions and a fresh infusion of conversation. The eldest son, Giacomo Montefiori, took an immediate and visible interest in Jillian; but although he was too well brought up to be obnoxious about it, he still unintentionally made the girl nervous. She accordingly sought refuge in acting as if she were extremely friendly with Daffodil, without ever dishonestly _saying_ that he was her boyfriend.

For his part, this made Daffodil even _more_ nervous. Although Giacomo backed off without seeming resentful, Daffodil couldn't help imagining how helpless he would be if someday some other boy offered to _fight_ him over a girl. His mind was peeking at the very edges of the experience a great part of the male sex had endured since before history was recorded: the undeserved humiliation of being forced to yield place in the search for a mate, because of other men enjoying an undeserved advantage in muscular strength or other forms of power.

Logically, Daffodil knew that no such bullying was in progress here; Giacomo Montefiori was not a barbarian, and Jillian Forrester was not a girl he wanted anyway. But now, the realization that such an injustice _could_ happen would not leave him alone.

Daffodil knew that if he were ever to talk to his mother about this feeling, she would parrot the Party line, telling him that it was specifically and only the belief in a masculine Deity which caused this kind of bullying. But all he had to do was look at the Christian man Alipang to know that his mother would be dead wrong. Since being introduced to the Havens family, Daffodil had heard accounts of how courteously Alipang had courted Kim, AND how unlike Alipang it was ever to terrorize those weaker than himself, OR ever to take his beloved for granted. He had seen, when Alipang had hugged Jillian, the completely UN-offended look on Kim's face; she had _known_ that his motives were harmless. And then there were the parents who had _raised_ Alipang to be so honorable a man; Eric and Cecilia unquestionably shared between them a love so great as to make present-day "romance" movies look like a pathetic joke in comparison. Daffodil wanted to thank God that Cecilia Havens had not died; but he still had not reached the point of being able to do that without hesitation. Still, everything he was seeing about the character of serious Biblicals only served to _increase_ his wish to be more like them.

This was the sort of collective in whose midst Daffodil was enjoying the privilege of living; and if he had not realized it before, he realized now that he _never_ wanted to go back to the society he had grown up in. He would be happier collecting trash in the Enclave, like that odd man Frodo Von Spock, than being a high-level Fairness Party official--but having to defer to idiots like that woman who had vilified him for saving a child from drowning.
 
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When the train pulled into Casper in the early afternoon, Alipang and several others of his party noticed that the trombone girl from the church here was standing on the platform. As soon as she spotted Alipang at his window, she turned and made a whirling gesture with her arm. Alipang just managed to see that some distance beyond her, the clarinet girl repeated the gesture. Turning to Kim, he said, "Looks like Dad has sentries watching for our arrival."

The group had hardly finished saying goodbye to the Montefioris (who were continuing to a farther station), and gathering their luggage, before a squad of Casper acquaintances, including Mr. and Mrs. Pitafi from the government store, took possession of them. The light-rail train being not exactly at its nearest point to the overland-railway station at the moment, the group from Sussex was hastily bundled into horsedrawn sleighs--one of these being pulled by the same draft horse whom Terrance had borrowed last month for snow-plowing work. The caravan, complete with actual jingle bells, hurried to the Eric Havens residence.

And the helicopter which could only be Emilio's was still parked there.

Tilly De Soto, Sergeant Pasquale of the Transport Police, and a cluster of local children, were awaiting them in front of the house. The children, obviously briefed in advance, pounced upon the arriving sleighs, to take the luggage and carry it around to the back of the house, so it could be brought inside without getting in the way of those who would momentarily be rushing out the front door to greet Alipang's party.

Pasquale nodded in greeting, showing no sign of anyone being in trouble with the law. Feeling it was good form to show appreciation for this officer's cordiality, Alipang paused to shake his hand, waving the others on ahead of him to go see how Grandma was doing. Daffodil hovered to watch the encounter between his host and the lawman.

"Sergeant Pasquale, thanks for helping to keep order."

"I wish I'd had this place as my beat starting when I was with the Chicago Transit Authority, back before the turnover. No one does anything evil here! Like those kids: here, you can let them take your suitcases, and you _know_ they won't steal anything."

"I have to admit that knowing we're watched probably helps along the conscience of some; but I have to _assert_ that most of us _would_ be honest anyway." Alipang now turned to Tilly. "How's Miguel?"

Tilly tried to smile. "He seems to have slowed down a little bit, lost a bit of energy. Doctor Torvill thinks it's because he can still get infections in his atrophied air passages, but can't cough stuff out of there. Once he's sure about your mother's recovery, he's going to see what he can do for Miguel. But that grim reaper isn't going to get my husband without having to fight for every centimeter; Miguel's in the house right now, interviewing that senior Texas Ranger who came with Emilio."

"Interviewing?" Alipang echoed, not forgetting that Miguel could no longer speak.

"Yes, interviewing--by means of having written down a bunch of questions on paper, and having the tape recorder along to save all of the Ranger's answers. That's raw material; Overseer Andrews will review it all when there's a chance, to cross out anything that can't be allowed in the newspaper, and then the Wyoming Observer will have a prestigious headline article. But you need to get inside if you want to talk with your brother-in-law, or else wait outside and only trade a few words with him when he comes out and boards his helo, because he has to leave well before dark."

"What decided that as a deadline?"

Pasquale furnished the answer: "Less than half an hour from now, enough of a time interval will have passed since your mother was given a cardiac restorative, that a booster dose can be given her. And these Rangers are the ones who _have_ that medication to give. She looks like being all right even without that; but Doctor Torvill will be more assured if she _does_ get the second restorative. Which is why Ranger Vasquez has been allowed to stay _this_ long. As an emergency responder who _isn't_ an exile, he is allowed to dispense what his medical kit contains. If he just _left_ the second dose with Doctor Torvill, there could be legal consequences for Torvill. So Ranger Vasquez had his excuse to linger, and he's been making the most of it. His superior was the one who thought of preparing fast action to expedite you getting to the house once you reached Casper."

"He deserves our thanks, too." Alipang then talked a little more with Tilly about Miguel's condition, since he knew that his children and others would be showering Grandma with enough solicitous love to keep her occupied for the moment. But while he was thus conversing, his youngest sister came out the front door.

"Ah, _there_ you are, Al!" She ran up to hug and kiss him, then added, "And I see you brought Daffy. Merry Christmas, Daffy; it's a merry one for Al and me, because we get to keep our Mom!" An instant later, she also hugged and kissed the teenager, who blushed frantically, and dared not put his own arms around her in return, fervently though he wished to.
 
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