“Not necessary.”
Her chin went up. It was very necessary. “I’m paying you back, Cullen.”
He started to argue, then shrugged. “All right. When we blow this popsicle stand at some point, we’ll settle up. Right now, we get on with it. Deal?”
She nodded, dropping to the floor to pull on the socks before she scanned the shelves for boots. Most were far too big, but there was one pair that would work with the thick socks. She laced them up before they moved toa small area of clothing. The footwear felt clunky and stiff, her numbness making her gait clumsy, but the bliss of having something between her feet and the floor was indescribable.
A sweatshirt, extra socks, jeans, and jacket later and she was set. She declined another hat. “I’ve got mine.” She fingered the worn brown cap.
“We could get rained on. ‘Chill the head, close to dead’ was Gideon’s favorite saying on our wilderness hikes. He loves nothing better than trekking to nowhere with only a small pack and his confidence. I learned early on when Gid said ‘We’ll only go ten miles’ it was going to be closer to twenty. He’s a SERE instructor for the Air Force now.”
Gideon obviously shared the Landry confidence. She acquiesced when he added a chunky black ski cap to her pile. Wouldn’t hurt to have a spare, and she was too tired to argue. Arms full, she waited for Cullen to make his choices.
He acquired a few pairs of dry socks and a heavier jacket, hat, and pants.
“Grub next,” Archie said. “Only got a loaf of bread and peanut butter at the library besides the cookies and chips. Best take some food while we decide on moves.”
The edible offerings were mostly of the snack variety. They collected cheese crackers, packets of nuts, and as many water bottles as they could carry. She could not resist acquiring some sugary treats while Cullen snagged chips.
“Because who doesn’t need some crunchy, salty cheesiness when you’re outrunning a volcano?” he quipped, waving a bag of Doritos at her.
“What about Tot?” Archie said. “Gotta get some munchies for her.”
Kit was startled. “Like, actual food?”
Cullen groaned. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that.” He explained, “She’s about nine months or so, to my mind. She’ll be eating some solid foods, more than likely. There was a baggie of some cereal stuff in her duffel.”
Archie nodded sagely. “Yeah. I think I saw a glimmer of teeth when she was hollering, a nice neat pair coming in on the bottom.”
Teeth. The baby had teeth. What else did this kid need that she was unaware of? Prickles of panic ribboned up her spine. What if they didn’t provide it? Bad enough the baby was at risk due to their situation, but what if Tot was harmed out of pure ignorance? Smothered by her blankets? Given an improperly sterilized bottle? Dehydrated or vitamin deprived?
Calmdown.Cullen knew about babies, even if she didn’t. The pink book cover flashed in her memory.YourBaby,Month by Month. She’d never gotten past chapter 3 when the fetus was still plumping and doubling like rising dough, now the length of a peapod, now the heft of a small lemon.
Her ears replayed the soft whoosh and rhythm she’d heard at the doctor’s office, a tiny heartbeat.
Two hearts beating in one person. Breathtaking and terrifying.
Until there was only one again, the other just an echo of memory.
“You okay?”
Cullen was looking at her over the top of his pile. She jerked, stuffing away the dark thoughts. “Yes. Tot needs solid food along with her milk. I get it.”
“These were the exact ticket for my grands when they were getting teeth,” Archie said, taking a mini box of Rice Krispies from the shelf and shaking it. “Easy to eat, and the dog cleaned up all the bits that didn’t find their target.”
Kit took the cereal.
Archie sailed on. “Next stop, the baby aisle. Think they got more infant foods there.”
In a daze, she followed Cullen and Archie around an endcap filled with Sterno, camp stoves, and emergency lanterns, tidily displayed. She admired the shop owners’ sense of order. Not the slightest sign that they’d hastily evacuated.
Cullen selected several items from the shelf. “We’ll get a variety of foods,” Archie was saying. “’Cuz we don’t know what Tot prefers since we just met her and all.”
It was comical to hear the men compare the formula labels and discuss the merits of sweet potato versus butternut squash.
“She’s not gonna like spinach,” Archie said. “No human likes spinach.”
Cullen eyed the little jar and its green contents. “Worked for Popeye.”
