Chapter 23

Eve said, "That takes care of them through one round. How long can you stay?"

I grinned. "I could say that I would stay as long as you want me but I think that might be longer than I could plan. I could drive you down to Birmingham and then meet you back up in Atlanta for a week."

She said, "I would like that. Of course, you could stay with me in Birmingham?" I gently shook my head. "I could fly from Birmingham that Friday and then you could drive me to Atlanta after church."

I responded. "I will need to get back to check on the place and look over my buildings. It may take a while to get started on remodeling the building for your studio because of the need to fix storm damage. There is a lot of it. That's if your folks up there even think it's usable."

I started to say more but Eve said, "Bill, we talking ways and means not if's and maybe's. That is if you want me to be part of your life."

"Eve, I love you. I want you to be part of my life just like I want to be part of yours. However, I don't want you to give up your life nor should I. Concentrating on solutions also requires a degree of realism. We're trying to put two disparate worlds together. It's not going to be easy. I keep saying that because it is real. We have to think solutions through and we have to be careful not to take for granted that something that works for one of us works for the other. Eve, I worry about having the first hot blush of love die under the daily work of living."

Eve smiled and said, "Bill, I'm far beyond the 'first hot blush of love' with you. I know what I want and I am determined to get you." She lowered her voice to a sultry whisper. "I'm going to ravish you tonight until you are as enthralled to me as I am to you." She kissed me for a long time with accompanying body rubs. She ended the kiss allowing me to breathe again as Joan and Todd came into the room.

Joan giggled. "That helps to convince Todd, too. We're working out a solution that fits both of us." Todd smiled happily.

It was late when Todd left and Eve and I went to our bedroom. She did what she said she was going to do. I went to sleep feeling very ravished.

In the morning, it was another day in the field looking for people in need of help. It was quieting down now because most people had been verified live or dead. Those injured had been seen by doctors and treated. The issues now were quickly becoming damage assessment and then starting the long work of repairing damage. Power was being restored as new poles and lines were placed into service. I still had no power but did purchase more gasoline for the generator as I drove back to the house late in the afternoon.

Todd joined us again and the four of us prepared supper. It was a quieter time. Charles was backing us down. Most areas were covered though there were some places that were still not checked because the road was out or blocked. The state EMA had finally shown up and was asserting itself. There was a new head of the agency and she had little use for "amateurs." Eve had realized a dismissal when she heard one. She was fuming.

With supper well begun, she turned to me. "Bill, what are you going to do about that woman?"

I knew who she meant but said, "What woman?"

"Marjorie Emerson, of course."

"Why, nothing. I'm not doing this to fight and, particularly, not to fight with her."

She was not happy with my reply. She looked at Joan. "Joan, do you have your recording kit in your car?" Joan nodded. "Good. Tomorrow, we will record an interview with Miss Emerson to play on Monday."

I had smiled and walked out to the barn. Todd had followed me. Out there, I peeled the signs off my truck and placed them back on their designated spots on the wall. Todd said, "Why remove the signs?"

I said, "Charles has released us because the AEMA won't use amateurs in emergency work or communications. Enough has been repaired that the police and fire departments are back on their own radios. The state folk use satellite radios and phones so they don't need us. These aren't my battles and I won't fight them. FEMA is even worse. It's not worth it. As long as they don't get in the way of real work, I leave them alone." I shrugged.

Todd said, "I had the feeling that Greg wasn't happy to have the 'big's' come into the picture. However, like you said, the real work is done. We have already contacted every person in our area. It's rebuilding time. Their money will help."

"Yeah. Tomorrow, I plan to check on my properties in both Brantley and Luverne. It looks like most of the damage was around here rather than in either town."

"Bill, be careful in Luverne. They had more damage than we did."

I nodded. I was finished in the barn and we headed back into the house. Eve and Joan were involved in simmering supper while working on Joan's laptop. They were quiet and I felt that was ominous. They nodded and Joan said, "I think we're ready." She looked up at me. "Bill, do you have a printer that I can reach?"

"If not, you can send the file to me and I can print it." I told her my printer's type and connection. She keyed the information in and printed the file.

I looked over at Eve and said, "You're up to something. What is it?"

She looked at me innocently. "I have broadcast information about first responders in weather emergencies. I thought that Miz Emerson would like to give an interview that we can air." She smiled. "We are going to record Todd in uniform this evening."

I said, "Eve, why do I think I'm not getting the entire story here?"

She said, "Bill, you just aren't trusting. I will never do anything to hurt you or your friends."

I decided to let it drop though didn't feel that I had received a full and complete answer to my question. I would trust her though had a pretty definite feeling that there would be some interesting repercussions from her plans.

After supper, she interviewed Todd turning on her not inconsiderable charm. It was a friendly interview and she quickly had him at ease. He was quite complementary regarding the efforts of the city's and county's volunteers on the radio and in the field. He said that lives were saved and people helped who would still be waiting or even dying if not for the volunteers. It took about fifteen minutes. When they finished, Eve said, "We should be able to easily get ten minutes out of that. Thank you, Todd. You did really well. Bill, you're next."

Todd was grinning as he waved me over to the couch where I sat next to Eve. She took one of my hands and said, "We're at the home of Bill Anderson who was on the show when we were last in Atlanta. He is a totally scrumptious man. I stayed with him during the hurricane and then accompanied him as he helped out after Horace went through the area.

"Bill, I counted and we went to fifteen houses a day on average. As a former emergency room nurse, some of those people would not have survived had we not come to them. Your ability to help someone in pain and then help communicate with EMT, fire, and police personnel was vital in saving lives.