Woodland Park, Denver Cereal Volume 23

By Claudia Hall Christian

A crazy time which causes everyone to stretch.

Nelson Weeks has been stuck in time and history. He is pushed out of the Castle Ponferrada by a most unlikely ancestor and winds up, bleeding on the front lawn of the Castle.

And, then, Covid-19 hits Denver.

As work and school falls away, everyone at the Castle rallies together to take care of each other and their community. Their friends rely on them for help as the children of the members of the Fey Team arrive and Gando Peaches appears, sick with Covid from the Navajo Reservation.

Rage-filled meetings become the norm at Lipson Construction until Sam Lipson nearly dies of the disease. The employee owners agree to job sharing and masks as they are designated “essential,” but only for three sites.

Jacob opens the Castle ballroom to Jeraine only to discover a few bodies. Jeraine brings the head of the Casino to visit the ballroom. The head of the Casino is able to get the money flowing so that Lipson Construction can open all of their sites.

It’s a crazy time which forces everyone to stretch to their limits in ways only a once every 100 years pandemic can do. Fantasy, paranormal, and everyday life connect to make the world called Denver Cereal. Started in 2008, Denver Cereal is one of the longest serial fictions ever written and published.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cook Street Publishing
• Release date: Nov 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781956034400

Claudia Hall Christian

Claudia Hall Christian writes stories about good people caught in difficult situations. Her stories are addictive, heart pounding, and intense. She is the author of the Alex the Fey thriller series, the Queen of Cool, the Seth and Ava Mysteries, Suffer a Witch, Abee Normal Paranormal Investigations, and the longest consecutive serial fiction ever written, Denver Cereal. She lives in Denver where she keeps bees, gardens, hangs out with her Plott Hounds, and husband

Book preview

Chapter Six Hundred & Thirteen

Bathsheba

Somewhere in time

Possibly Spain

Nelson Semaines had no idea what day it was or even how long he’d been here. He’d even lost track of where here might be.

Spain?

Maybe.

Sometimes.

He’d stopped trying to figure it out.

It felt like he’d been away from home for longer than grad school or internship and residency combined or forever. He’d been here forever.

Jacques de Molay, the last publicly known Grand Master of the Templars, and his Weapons Master, Peddra, Nelson’s grandfather’s great-grandfather — or something like that — had taken him to every single battle or skirmish the Templars had fought in. He’d watched the Templars bully and beat the enemy into submission.

Nelson had come to loathe these men.

They had joyous sex with other men — but killed homosexuals in the name of God. They raped the women of their enemies, all the while believing in the pure love of their wives and, of course, the Virgin Mary. Even though they, like Nelson, had dark hair, dark eyes, and various shades of suntanned skin, they loathed anyone whose skin wasn’t white.

They hated Muslim people. They hated Buddhists. They hated people of Jewish faith. They hated all of the people who celebrated Earth-based religions almost as much as they hated people who believed in the Greek and Roman Gods.

They didn’t hate all people, though.

They hated only those who weren’t like some idealized version of them.

When they weren’t spouting racist, xenophobic, homophobic, or other disgusting rhetoric, they were blabbing on and on about the fact that they were the chosen ones.

Nelson stayed out of the fighting, the fucking, and the most of the fray.

He stayed busy working.

He kept their clothing clean and their swords sharp. After he’d hunted, slayed, cooked dinner, and fed them, he was left alone to clean up the meal, bank the fire, set up their tents and beds. When he’d completed everything, he finally had time to himself. He took long, cold baths in the stone tub in the lowest level of what he thought was Castle Ponferrada.

Truth be told, all of these Templar castles looked basically the same.

He lay in the cold water and longed for Blane. He ached to see Mack and Wyn. He missed Heather and her better half, Hedone, like a broken tooth. Much to his surprise, he even missed Tres Sierra. He worried about his desperately sick father. He missed his work family.

He missed his life and the person he was in that life.

He loved being a doctor. He loved working in forensic science with Ava O’Malley and her team. He loved his house and the promise of what it would become. He loved his modern life and the freedom of hot running water, clean sheets, and modern conveniences like deodorant.

More than anything, he missed himself. He was becoming unrecognizable to himself. Day after long, wretched day, everything that he’d been was fading away, leaving only emptiness in its place.

He stayed in the bath long after it felt good. He got out only when his fingers were blue and he was shaking with cold. He wrapped himself in a clean animal fur and crept to his bedroll.

He slept like the dead. No dreams. No visions. Just the black relief of sleep.

He woke up when Peddra shook his shoulder. His work started the moment he awakened.

At this point, it was such a routine that he didn’t notice the passage of time. During the day, he never had time to think about anything other than what he needed to accomplish next.

Some days, he hoped that he would be killed on the battlefield or possibly die from overwork.

Somehow, he managed to live on day after long, horrible day.

Lately, he was pretty sure that he was losing his mind.

In the last day or so, he’d started to see a mostly naked woman walking around the lower levels of the castle. Last night, when he rounded the corner to the stone bath, he caught a glimpse of her standing in the water. She had tan-colored skin, round hips, and small breasts. She seemed to be goming to or coming from the bath. When he spoke, she disappeared.

He was certain that she was some kind of hallucination born out of his desperate loneliness and this horrible hollow feeling inside.

When he turned the corner tonight, she was standing in the middle of the bath.

Hello? Nelson whispered.

~~~~~~~~

Sunday night — 9:59 p.m.

Denver, Colorado

Okay, Aden Norsen said as he stepped out in front of the large gathering of employees who owned a part of Lipson Construction. He held the microphone to the cloth mask over his mouth and nose. I just got off the phone with the governor.

The talking, whispering, and general conversation stopped. Aden looked out into the audience. Over the last year or so, Celia Marlowe Lipson’s weird and diverse company had become more and more segregated along racial lines. There was a section filled with mostly white people. Most of the black men were standing at the back of the auditorium, while black women were intermixed with the people whose ancestors hailed from Latin America — either five years ago or a hundred.

There had been a big fight at the door over wearing facial masks. Delphie, Jill, Heather, Tanesha, and Sandy had frantically sewed a mountain of masks. Through sheer force of will, they got everyone inside the auditorium with a mask on.

According to the governor, we are designated ‘essential,’ Aden said.

The entire auditorium broke into loud cheers and applause. Aden raised his hands to try to get people’s attention. Tres stuck his fingers under his mask to make a loud whistle. People fell silent again.

He said that we are ‘essential’ only on the projects we are doing for the state, Aden said.

People started yelling. Aden looked out to see rage roll over as employees fought against each other for the first time since the company’s creation. The Site Managers stood up to help get people to settle down.

Listen, it’s late, Sam Lipson said, stepping forward. His voice was louder than any mask could contain. Give us a chance to get through everything we know before you start yelling.

He wielded his status as the founder like a club. It took a while, but eventually everyone was nodding in agreement.

Good, Sam said. Aden?

Tres? Aden nodded to Tres Sierra, their CFO.

Tres took the microphone from Aden.

We have three sites that are already in progress, Tres said. "We have two others that are fully funded but the funds not released. We asked the governor, and he agreed that he would work to release those funds. We’ve won another three bids, but they haven’t been budgeted yet. They were for next year or possibly the following year. The governor said that there was a lot of competition for money not already allocated. With the unknown costs of the pandemic, it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to start. Unlikely is not impossible, so we’ll see. The state has a lot of expenses in getting the hospitals up and running — PPE and the like, ventilators, you know."

Tell them what that means, Sam ordered. These men and women are afraid for their jobs! You have to tell them what that means.

What does that mean? Tres asked. Without getting too far into it, it means that tomorrow, we have to close fifteen sites and work three.

He looked out to see if anyone would respond.

Jake, Blane, and Sam have agreed to pitch in to get the other two sites up and running when the funds are released, Tres said. But, we need to do things the way we usually do. We need to get our people out to the sites to determine what we need, to set up our systems, before we can get started. It won’t be easy or fast.

He looked out at the crowd. The employee-owners looked angry and more than a little scared.

We’ve come up with two solutions, Tres said. We need to pick one.

He looked out at the employees and then glanced at Aden. Aden gave him a nod.

The first is to lay off all of the people we no longer need, Tres said.

The crowd erupted with rage. It took Sam, Aden, Blane, Tres, and Jacob to get the crowd to settle down. Every time people seemed calm, someone would erupt with rage, and the entire crowd of men and women were yelling again.

This is exhausting, Jacob said when things had settled to a dull roar. Among us. . .

He pointed to Aden, Blane, Sam, Tres, and himself.

We have enough stock to make the decisions necessary for our next step, Jacob said. We are dedicated to have you be full owners. Full ownership means that you make the hard decisions. But we didn’t sign up for this bullshit. If you cannot stay calm, we will make a decision without you.

The employee-owners became almost too quiet. Everyone knew that Jacob Marlowe always said exactly what he meant. They were just afraid and lashing out with anger. He knew this, too, so he waited a moment to give everyone a chance to breathe before turning to Tres.

Go ahead, Jacob said.

Our other option is a kind of rotating job-share, Tres said. It’s Jake’s idea, so I figured that he should tell us. Jake?

Jacob walked to the front.

Here’s how it would work, Jacob said. We can handle all of our current staff by a type of job-share. This means that people would work three-12 hour shifts, and then the next group would step in. We checked our current roster, and we have nearly equal numbers in every job group. This allows us to have plumbing share with other plumbers. The road crew would share with other road crews. Digging, same thing. This goes for office staff as well. We will all work 36 hours over three days and take only three days pay for it.

What about health insurance? a woman yelled from the back.

My sister, Valerie, has spoken to the insurance company, Jacob said. He pointed toward the door where his movie-star sister was leaning against the wall. "She and her husband, Mike, have put up more than a million dollars to secure health insurance for all employees and their families. Everyone. No matter what. So your wife can continue her cancer treatments, Jen, even if we have to lay you off."

What about schools? someone near the front asked. Most of the schools are closed.

As you may know, the Marlowe School is funded out of a trust set up by my mother, Jacob said. We don’t get state funds. Every employee pays into the fund at about 1% of their paychecks. We will stop your portion of the payment while we are on this schedule. As long as it’s safe, we’ll keep the school open from the fund every employee has put into.

He’s asking if it will stay open, a Site Manager asked as he stood.

We’re not sure how we will do it, Jacob said. But we’ll do what we can. If we need to move outside, we’ll move outside. If we need masks, we’ll get it done. We’re not the people who stand around negotiating. We get things done. That will apply here as well.

Jacob nodded to Aden.

It’s up for a vote, Aden said. When you came in, each of you were given a sheet of paper with the number ‘1’ and the number ‘2’ on it. Pick which you one want, and bring it up to the front.

What are they again? a woman near the middle asked.

Number one is to lay off about half of the company, Aden said. Number two is to job-share for as long as it takes until we’re able to finish the construction contracts.

Blane went through the audience with a large cardboard box. He set it in the middle of the aisle.

We’ll give you 15 minutes, Jacob said. Don’t you dare take that mask off Jethro!

It itches, a man’s voice said from the back.

So does my butt, Jacob said. You don’t see me taking my pants off, do you?

Everyone laughed.

Fifteen minutes, Aden said. Then we have to get home to our families.

~~~~~~~~

Somewhere in time

Possibly Spain

The woman turned to look at him. For a long moment, they locked eyes. As if she were embarrassed, she looked down. She slid into the water.

Do you mind if I join you? Nelson asked. I won’t. . . I mean. . .

Please, she said. I’ve taken the liberty to turn on the warm water.

How? Nelson asked. Are you a demon?

A demon? she laughed.

He smiled because of her laugh and because this ghost creature seemed so real, so normal.

The water is warmed by the hot spring. She gestured to an area he’d never noticed before. I removed the block on the drain.

Has that always been there? Nelson asked.

She looked at him and then at where the warm water came in. Her eyebrows went up and down as if to wonder what he was asking.

I’m sorry. I’ve never seen it, Nelson said. I usually take cold baths.

That sounds lovely, she said mildly.

He smiled. He pulled off the thick leather under-armor and unbuckled his sword belt. Sitting down, he took off his sandals. He noticed that she was looking at him when he pulled off his wool tunic.

What? he asked.

You don’t have servants? she asked.

I. . . Nelson started.

Would you like mine to assist you? the woman asked.

Two young girls stepped from the shadows. Using his hands, he indicated for them to stop.

I am all right, he said. In my time, people do these things for themselves.

Why? she asked.

He was about to launch into some kind of explanation when he saw that she wasn’t listening. Her back was to him. He slipped into the warm water. To his surprise, the water smelled of lavender and something lovely. The simple luxury of the warm water and scent brought tears to his eyes.

Why did you stop talking? she asked.

You weren’t listening, he said.

So? she said, with mild reproach.

Smiling, he slipped under the fragrant warm water. He felt his grime slide off his scalp. When he came up, he saw that she was still there.

And, she was still watching him.

He smiled.

What’s your name? he asked.

Anything you’d like it to be, she said.

He laughed. When she looked offended, he laughed harder. He wasn’t even sure why he was laughing. He just couldn’t stop. Tears fell down his face.

She appeared in front of him. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

Stop, she whispered.

When he began to sob, she pulled him to her. He wept on her shoulder like a child. His mother had died when his was an infant. He’d always loved men. Outside of Heather or one of his work-friend’s hugs, he’d never been held by a woman. Her kindness brought out his most desperate grief. When he thought he’d never stop crying, the feeling faded until it disappeared. She kissed his cheek and floated away from him.

Who are you? he whispered in a hoarse voice.

I believe that I am your grandmother and then some, she said with a soft smile. I did not believe it until I saw your face. We could be twins.

He looked into her face, and for the first time, saw his own. She gave him an ironic smile.

Please, let me introduce myself, she said. I am Bathsheba.

Shocked, Nelson stopped moving.

Wife of Uriah, she said. Mother of Solomon, among others. Consort to King David. You are my child by my first husband, Uriah, the warrior. He was. . .

She gave him a soft smile.

You don’t want to hear about ancient history, Bathsheba said. Know that your ancestors love you.

Why have you come? Nelson asked. How have you come?

I was invited here by my daughter, your mother, Bathsheba said. She has a mother’s right to be by your side. She could not attend, so she asked me to slip in here. I have tried for. . . a long time.

Bathsheba looked around.

This is a wretched place, she said. How can you stand it?

I can’t, Nelson said.

It’s time for you to return home, Bathsheba said.

How? Nelson asked, tears falling down his face.

Remind me, Bathsheba said. Who is the Grand Master?

Jacques de Molay, Nelson said.

Jacques de Molay is long dead, Bathsheba said. Dust. He was loathed in life and left here in death.

I am on a quest! Nelson declared.

Bathsheba rolled her eyes.

Men, Bathsheba said. "I said to my husband, ‘I will not do this! You are my husband, my love.’ He said, ‘He is my king, my friend. It’s my honor.’ His King and friend had my beloved murdered, leaving me to. . ."

Bathsheba stopped speaking. She gave an angry shake of her head. Nelson blinked.

Please, Nelson said. I am exhausted and desperate. Speak plainly.

You are the Grand Master of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Bathsheba raised her eyebrow at him. You are my descendant. They are dust.

How? Nelson asked.

Decide that you’re done with this. . . Bathsheba said.

My father’s life is in the balance! Nelson’s voice rose with desperation. I need to. . .

Go home, my son, Bathsheba said. "Gather your strength. Draw from mine, your mother’s, all of your ancestors’. Only then will you get where you need to be. You are dying here."

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

You are so loved, she whispered and disappeared.

He closed his eyes and felt himself drifting.

When he opened his eyes, he was lying in the grass in front of the crazy house they called The Castle.

Oh, my God, a young man’s voice said. Feet ran over pavement in his direction. It’s Nelson. Go! Get Heather! Get Blane!

The young man dropped next to him.

Uncle Nelson? the young man asked.

Nelson was looking into the face of Nash Norsen. He was too shocked to respond.

Come on, Nash said. Slowly. He’s bruised all over. Bleeding. Badly. Noelle — call 911!

I did, Noelle Norsen said. They said they were coming.

Realizing he was likely naked, Nelson looked down. He was wearing his medieval Templar costume.

He heard running. He felt strong hands under his armpits, lifting him to standing. He felt a wave of pain and passed out. He was carried inside.

Chapter Six Hundred & Fourteen

Spouting Languages

Sunday night — 11:31 p.m.

How did it go? Sandy asked Aden as he entered their bedroom at Seth O’Malley’s house.

Sandy had started a series of surgeries to correct some of the damage from falling down the stairs. She’d had her ankle replaced just a week ago. Because no one knew what to do about the coronavirus, Aden had stripped down at the front door. He was wearing his boxers and T-shirt.

Hey, you’re supposed to be asleep, Aden said.

He leaned over to kiss her. She touched his face. He pointed to the shower, and she nodded. While he showered, she rolled out in her wheelchair to the kitchen to get his dinner. Of course, Maresol was standing in the kitchen already.

You should be sleeping, Maresol ordered. Those bones are not going to heal themselves.

Yes, ma’am, Sandy said with a grin. In the meantime, can I have Aden’s dinner?

Maresol kissed her cheek and set the tray in her lap. Sandy rolled back to the bedroom. Aden was drying off when she got back to the bedroom. He’d been fit when they moved into her biological father’s house. But their stay here had caused him to drop fat. He was lean, muscular, and even more gorgeous. She smiled at him, and he grinned back. He wrapped the towel around himself and settled down to eat at the table and chair near her bed. He ate without stopping and took a long drink of water.

Only then did he take a breath.

Let’s see, he said with a grin. "How did it go. . . Shitty. It was. . . God damn, some people are such assholes. More than once, they were all screaming at each other. Every one of them! One of those guys I hired last year was screaming, ‘Go back where you belong!’ to one of the guys that Celia hired."

Ouch, Sandy said.

Aden scowled and shook his head.

Big Sam had to step in twice, Aden said. I. . . I never thought that we’d be in this place. Never. But the politics, the pandemic — everyone’s on edge and carving out their own territory.

Sandy waited for him to get to the point.

In the end, they went with the job-share, Aden said. But not before Jake said that he was being badgered by two big corporate-construction companies to purchase Lipson Construction. The money is great. They say that employees want the money, not the work. He said, ‘They believe that you will cash out today and give up on tomorrow because you’re just stupid employees and not genius old white guys.’ That shut them up.

What did people say? Sandy asked.

No one said anything for a long time, Aden said. Jake then said: ‘What do you believe? Do you believe that only people who look like me can run construction companies? Because that’s what you’re doing here tonight. You’re telling anyone who can listen that you’re not up to the task.’ His voice. . . Like his heart had just broken. He’s done so much to. . .

Looking crushed, Aden simply shook his head.

Sam finally had to hug him to keep him from crying. And, that was it, basically. Third vote, there was a majority — job share. And those pricks have no idea what a nightmare it’s going to be to set it up. God, the entire thing is going to take a miracle to just make the plans.

You’re good at logistical nightmares, Sandy said.

He smiled at her. Getting up, he pulled on a T-shirt and underwear. Without saying a word, he swooped Sandy up from her wheelchair. She giggled, and he smiled. They kissed. He flipped off her covers and carefully set her onto the bed. He pulled up her covers. He joined her in the bed. She turned off the light and rolled over to hold him.

He was sound asleep.

She kissed his cheek. She stared at the ceiling, trying not to itch under the cast. Before she knew it, she was sound asleep.

~~~~~~~~

Monday early morning — 2:03 a.m.

Looking for Jacob, Jill slid across the hardwood floors in her socks. She went out into the open space in the loft. He wasn’t in the kitchen or near the gas fireplace or in the boys’ room or in Katy’s room or in his office. She went out on the balcony off their bathroom and saw him sitting on the decking off the medical offices. Grabbing the baby monitor, she went down through the Castle kitchen and up to the second floor. She heard Valerie’s and Mike’s muffled voices from their bathroom as she passed. She went through the medical offices and out onto the deck.

Are you okay? Jill asked at the door.

She touched Jacob’s shoulder, and he jerked with surprise.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, Jill said.

I’m okay, Jacob said. Lost in thought. Please.

He gestured to the bench, and she sat down. They looked out over the snow-capped mountains. The setting moon cast everything in a deep purple and the snow on the mountains in a shade of lavender. The night was so still that it was almost as if the entire world had paused for them to enjoy her beauty.

Spring is coming, Jacob said.

When? Jill asked, pulling her robe around her and crossing her arms.

Grinning, he pulled her close. She rested her head against his shoulder. They sat together in companionable silence.

Want to take me back inside and ravish me? Jill asked.

Jacob looked at her.

Let me ravish you? Jill asked.

He kissed her.

I. . . Jacob said. It’s a hard offer to turn down.

I know, I know, Jill said. You’ve got a lot on your mind.

I’m just. . . upset, Jacob said, and kissed her head. I’m sorry. Your offer is. . . enticing. I just. . .

The meeting? Jill asked.

Jacob gave an almost imperceptible nod.

You can talk to me, Jill said.

Oh, I know, he said with a sigh. My thoughts are angry. Dark. I don’t want to vomit it all over you.

Vomit away, Jill said. I have three children. I have known my fair share of vomit. I also know how to clean up.

Jacob chuckled.

Well? Jill asked with a smile.

I. . . Jacob blew out a breath. I’ve done so much to. . . to. . . Oh, I don’t know. I’m such a big-headed jerk. I had this idea that the employees could take of the company and. . . All they needed was a little training, and they could own their own company. By owning a successful, profitable, necessary company, they could pull themselves out of paycheck-to-paycheck poverty. And they. . .

Scowling, he stopped talking.

Sounds like the meeting was awful, Jill said.

Worse than awful, Jacob said. People were screaming at each other. Pointing fingers. Raging. I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe it. I was halfway between shocked and furious. I sat there dumbfounded and so ashamed. I mean, what would Mom say?

Jill didn’t respond to give him space to talk.

I’m so ashamed, Jacob said. He turned to look at her. That’s just it. I feel so full of shame and. . . I didn’t do anything. I’m not the one who is angry! I’m not the ridiculous fool that. . . I’m just the fool that thought it could work.

You weren’t able to come to an agreement? Jill asked.

We did, Jacob said. I mean, they did. Finally. After I told them about the offers and how greedy and stupid everyone thinks they are and. . .

He sighed.

Are you working tomorrow? Jill asked.

No, Jacob said. We’re off until Wednesday to figure out the logistics of this. . . bullshit.

Ah, Jill said. They chose job-sharing.

Jacob nodded.

I believe you owe me a silver dollar, Jill said.

Jacob turned to look at her.

How did you know? Jacob asked.

Delphie told me, Jill said.

For the first time in a long time, Jacob laughed out loud.

I should have listened, Jacob said.

"Now that’s something to be ashamed of," Jill said.

Jacob looked at Jill but didn’t respond. Jill pointed at him.

You have nothing to be ashamed of, Jill said. You believed the best in people, and look — they’ve chosen to do what’s best for them. So truthfully, you were right.

Why does it feel so crappy? Jacob asked.

The fighting feels crappy, Jill said. All of this arguing and fake facts and this horrible virus and. . . well, everything. It all feels crappy."

Jacob nodded and went back to looking at the mountains.

Come on, Jill said. Standing, she held out her hand, Come inside.

To ravish you? Jacob asked.

I have decided to ravish you, instead, Jill said.

Jacob laughed. Grabbing his hand, Jill dragged him to her. He kissed her hard. Laughing, she ran back inside. He gave one last look at his mother’s ghost, which was hanging over the garden.

She’s right, you know, Celia Marlowe said.

He heard her voice for the first time that night. He felt immediate relief.

You have nothing to be ashamed of, Celia Marlowe added.

Jacob nodded.

Go, Celia said. Relish the joy in your life.

He ran after Jill. 

~~~~~~~~

Monday early morning — 2:48 a.m.

Nelson realized that his eyes were open. Closing his eyelids felt like dragging sandpaper over his eyeballs. The pain was as intense as the relief. He pressed his fingers into his eyes.

And then he realized that he had no idea where he was. He tried to get up. A large hand pressed him back to the bed.

Úbi sum? Nelson croaked.

Hospitium, a male voice responded with Hospital in Latin.

Nelson’s mind jerked awake at the Latin. He looked over to see Tres Sierra.

Blane? Nelson asked.

He doesn’t speak Latin, Tres said with a smirk. He pressed his hand into his chest. I happen to be fluent in Latin. You’re welcome.

What? Nelson asked.

"You were raving in Latin when you woke up. Only I could help you. Well, there was that guy from the pharmacy. He was here when I got here."

What? Nelson asked.

Tres just grinned at him.

It’s good to see you, man, Tres said. We’ve been out of our minds with worry.

How long have I been gone? Nelson asked.

Couple of years, according to Delphie and Heather, Tres said.

A couple? Nelson asked.

Seven, Tres said. But in regular, non-Templar time, it’s been only a little more than a month. You got back just in time for the biggest and brightest pandemic in the last hundred years.

I should get to work, Nelson said, trying to get up. The ER must be swamped.

You need to sleep and rest, Tres said.

Nelson weaved. He flopped back onto the bed.

What’s wrong with me? Nelson asked.

Besides the fact that, according to the doctors, you’ve had the shit beat out of you for years? Tres asked. Your dad?

Never, Nelson said. War. Wars. Many wars. Jacques. Miserable fucking Templar training.

His eyes welled with moisture. He shook his head.

You’ve had surgery, Tres said. Three. Your ribs had been badly broken and set wrong.

Pushed off a horse, Nelson said.

You have been freed of your spleen, Tres said.

Infection? Nelson asked.

Injury, Tres said. The docs said that if you hadn’t gotten here when you did, your spleen would have likely burst. Uh, ‘Like a ripe berry.’ That’s a direct quote.

Nelson lay back in the bed. After a moment, he turned to look at Tres.

Why are you speaking French? Nelson asked.

Oh, Tres — I can’t believe you’re fluent in French now, Tres said. How ever did that happen?

In a deeper voice, Tres continued, "Well, my dear friend and brother, Nelson, speaks fluent French.