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Chapter 15 :

The Caregivers

Meals took place in one of two locations. Breakfast was informal and always indoors, pretty much wherever someone could find a space to eat it. Lunch pretty much didn't exist as an organized event. If someone needed a snack to get them through the day, they handled that on their own. For dinner, on the other hand, they had a series of long folding tables that had to be set up every day. Sometimes in the two bunkhouses if the weather was unfavorable in some manner, but outside as often as possible.

And the food... Henry and the nine grown women. Eli and eleven little girls.

Muffin started preparing dinner each day the very moment the last one was finished. Marinating and thawing. Slicing and stewing. Nearly all day, every day from the minute she woke up to the minute she went to bed.

She was the hardest working woman on the farm. Even Sophie and Annabelle knew that, coming in from a long day of plowing and picking stones, settling in to relax with a drink... While their bubbly little cook never stopped moving save for the time it took to be milked twice a day and the peace of curling up in bed with Jasmine for the night.

Today's meal was taken outside. The heat of summer was fading, but that made it downright pleasant out as most everyone was gathered at the two rows of tables. What had once been a bounty lined up across them was now long gone, leaving stacks of empty serving dishes in their place. It had been nearly mountains of food. Sophie alone required a massive amount of intake to keep herself able to both work the fields and produce in the barn.

Muffin always came through somehow.

Henry showed up late though, and it was all Muffin could do to make sure to save a plate without someone helpfully finishing it off for him. He and Megan walked up to the sounds of laughing, and as he reached the table he set down the large roll of papers he'd had under his arm.

"Could I have the table cleared please?" He said, looking over at Penelope.

Megan had been here for months now, and she still knew next to nothing about Penelope. She and Daisy spent most of their time with the children. She seemed friendly enough, but they really never spoke outside of the barn.

"Of course, Mr. Hoyt." She said politely. She was the only one of the adults that ever called him that, and she seemed to do it because she wanted to make sure the children followed her example. She turned away to those children now, clapping her hands, "You heard him, girls. Lets started on the cleaning, and make sure you thank Muffin for all her hard work."

Megan had to smile. They were all so polite, obediently gathering up the dishes and thanking the cook as they were asked without a single complaint. It took a couple of trips, but soon they were all off in the bunkhouse doing their nightly chore.

"Nice of you to join us, Megan." Penelope said with a smile across the table, "May I ask... Why don't you and Cassidy eat with us? You're always welcome."

"Cassidy gets uncomfortable eating in front of people." It wasn't Megan that answered. It was Eli, still sitting and eyes low, "On account of her jaw. I guess it's irregular, she says."

Clairibelle had to laugh at that, leaning back in her chair to put and arm around Megan as she moved up beside her, "More irregular than us? Not likely."

Megan put her arm around CB in kind. It had been a couple days since their first time in the barn, and frankly neither one of them felt like hiding their relationship any more than they really wanted to talk about it. Everyone else just kind of accepted it, "I'll whittle her down eventually. She's always been a bit shy about certain things, but she'll come around."

Henry meanwhile had started to spread the papers out over the table. Blueprints, it turned out. It had been a long time since he'd done anything like this, and everyone was curious what he was up to. He paused as Elsie stood, quietly turning to walk back into the bunkhouse wordlessly. His brow furrowed, but he didn't address it.

"First, some news." He said finally, "I'm going to be gone for most of the weekend. Any help you all can offer Megan while I'm away would be appreciated."

Clairibelle was leaning back now, sipping at a glass of water, "Nothing she can't handle, Henry. Another meeting of the minds, I take it?"

"Something like that." He replied.

Megan was a little confused, "I don't follow."

"I told you before that I'm part of a group that supports changed rights." Henry said, realizing that he'd never fully explained it to her, "It's fairly informal, but every once in a while we need to get together to discuss matters."

Sophie piped in, still eyeballing the plate that had been set aside for Henry hungrily, "What's the fuss this time, Boss?"

"I don't know yet." He said, shaking his head once, "They've been talking to Judge Gregory, though. Sounds like they want to coordinate some sort of action plan around him."

"Already?" Sophie asked curiously, "It's only been a few days."

"He's a lot more sympathetic than we thought." Henry sighed, and the other's knew what that turn of phrase typically meant, "He raised hunting dogs most of his life. Says he never could have imagined doing anything else, but he lost them all in the change."

"That's why he was there?" Sophie asked quietly. She was the only other one at the table that had met the judge, such as it was, "Trying to find something to fill the void?"

"Not so much trying, as did." Henry said, moving on before anyone else could comment, "But enough of that... Second topic."

"There was once a plan... Phase one was to get the bunkhouses built. Phase two was to get the barn up and running." He said slowly, folding his arms and looking them over, "That all cost me nearly everything I had at the time, so the rest had to wait."

"But phase three..." He waved his hand toward the blueprints, "Ranger and Annabelle are going to need a place of their own. Eli can't keep sleeping in the old supply shed."

Sophie spoke this time, leaning forward to regard the papers, "So these are houses?"

"I should have started phase three years ago." Henry said with a nod, "The bathrooms are overcrowded, there are relationships developing that require privacy, and the kitchen absolutely needs to be expanded."

Muffin practically started bouncing, her arm shooting up into the air, "All in favor of phase three raise your hands!"

There was a laugh from the group, before Henry continued.

"I've been talking to Annabelle and Ranger about it..." He said, folding his arms again. Those two hadn't come to dinner tonight. Ranger was doing better, but he was still struggling to put weight on his leg, "He's a big man, and he's going to need a role to fill around here. I know how to build things, and he's keen to help me do it."

Penelope piped in again. She'd been his nurse since he got here, tending to the wound on his leg, "I wasn't sure what to make of him at first, but I am surprised how earnest he is about making a go of this life."

"That's my read on him too." Henry replied, smiling now, "I can't see the future, but I rather like the kid."

Sophie reached over, giving Clairibelle a playful nudge, "Hands off, CB."

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm good." Clairibelle said with a wink, "Maybe just a little peek through the window. I bet it's like sticking a baseball bat through a sewing needle."

"Hah!" Sophie, out of everyone, seemed to be the only one that ever really appreciated CB's humor. Aside from Megan that is, but that was a recent development, "Driving a Buick through a drain pipe?"

"Like lacing your shoes with a fire hose." CB called back.

"Right, enough of that." Henry stopped them from continuing, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was amused, though he would never admit it, "So it all comes down to a matter of who wants to live with whom, what sort of home they'd like to live in, and how we arrange the layout of the, well..."

He looked them over with a smile, one so proud he could barely contain it.

"We're building a neighborhood."

"Oh, I like the sound of that." It was Rosie that spoke this time, standing off to one side, "Like an actual village. We have the space, we could put in all kinds of things with enough time."

"Like what?" Jasmine added, suddenly very interested and a more than a little excited, "Like a fountain or something? I'd love to have a fountain!"

Henry laughed a little at the enthusiasm, "One thing at a time, okay? Lets start with the houses."

"You laugh, Henry, but she's just wishing for part of what we all want." It was Muffin that spoke now. She did this from time to time. Her bubbly cheerful self wasn't any kind of act, but when she had a serious moment it usually meant something. It usually put something into perspective that they hadn't seen yet, "What you're offering us is... Normality. Homes and neighbors. Something for our human half, not the animals."

Everyone went quiet, looking at her as they considered her words. She was right. This place was something that very few of their kind had, and now it was going to become more so...

A home.

"Thank you, Henry." It was Clairibelle that said it first, but even she had her eyes to the ground. Soon after they all joined in, thanking the man that had made their lives possible. The man who had given them a chance.

If there was ever a time to give difficult news, it was now. And Henry still had news to give.

"Right, well..." He said, still fearing what came next, "We do have one more topic to address."

Some of them knew what was coming. Megan and Eli knew, of course. Muffin and Jasmine. Somehow Clairibelle, though she made a show of not having a clue out of courtesy.

"Eli..." Henry said, looking over at the young man, "Would you like to tell her?"

"I should, sir." He said, head low and nervous, "But I'm still a bit embarrassed and a lot terrified about the whole matter. I think you'd do a better job of it."

"Fair enough, son." Henry said, sighing heavily. He'd hoped the boy would tell his mother himself, but his explanation for why he hadn't seemed fairly reasonable, "Daisy... Cassidy is pregnant."

Daisy scrunched up her brow a bit, and then rolled her eyes, "I told you, Eli... Now she's gone and cheated on you, and it hasn't even been more than a..."

"The baby is mine, momma." The boy said, swallowing hard before going on, "She was with me. I didn't think it was possible, but it is. I'm... I'm able to do that, it turns out."

"What?" Daisy was just in shock now, mouth open and eyes wide, "Eli... What have you done? What did you do?"

Penelope had started to move to her side, but Daisy swatted her away, "You damned fool! I told you not to get involved with a human girl! I told you!"

Daisy turned and started to storm off towards the guest house, the others calling after her loudly. None of them would have ever gotten through to her, though. Even Eli's panicked cries as he stood and started after her fell on deaf ears. Only one voice got through. Only one voice was able.

"Daisy... You stop right there."

Penelope.

She didn't yell. She didn't raise her voice. She said the words calmly, in a way that made the order sound almost kind.

Daisy stopped.

"What do you plan to do?" Penelope said softly, "Barge into the house and yell at a girl whose just found out she's having an unexpected child? Does that help you? Does it help her?"

Daisy was just standing there now, facing away from everyone but clearly starting to cry, "No..."

"You're angry... And afraid." Penelope started around the table, "But look at your son. He is more terrified than you could ever be. Is this what he needs from you?"

Daisy turned. Eli was standing about ten yards away, and he was weeping openly, but quietly. He loved Cassidy and he wanted to do right by her, but his mother meant everything to him and the thought of disappointing her...

"I'm sorry, momma..." He said, sniffing back a tear, "But I do love her, and I ain't keen to turn my back on the problem I caused. I want to do the right thing."

Daisy's hand came up to cover her mouth, the tears blurring her vision now. Penelope started to move closer toward her friend, and as she approached the shorter Daisy looked up at her as if craving guidance.

Penelope reached out, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder, "Who always taught him that he should do the right thing, Daisy?"

"I did..."

She practically ran the short distance between herself and her son, taking him into a hug around the waist.

"I'm scared, momma." Feeling as though he could fall into the embrace and she would carry his weight easily, "Miss Jasmine says the baby might not make it. That we might still be too different for it to work."

Daisy pulled back to look up at him with concern, resting her hand on his chest. She held his gaze a moment, then turned to the table where the other's were still gathered, as they silently watched the drama unfold, "What does he mean? Jasmine?"

"Well, the virus that caused the Change..." She started to reply.

Muffin cut her off, "Short version, dear."

"Right. Sorry." Jasmine reached up to scratch behind her ear nervously, "Only the youngest survived. He changed before he was born, so it's probably what made him more human than us. Our daughters may even be more human than him, and theirs more than they are, and so on."

"That might be exactly what we were hoping for." Penelope had moved up alongside Daisy again, smiling at mother and son gently, "If Eli is different enough from the other bulls to conceive with a human, he might indeed also be the only one who can save our kind."

"Do we know that, though?" Sophie called. She had stood now, arms folded, "I mean, do we know if the other bulls even been with humans?"

"Trust me... They have." Clairibelle took another sip of her water, "You put that much money in a young stud's hands and all kinds of girls will show up to take a ride."

"What about Cassidy?" Penelope asked, this time turning to look at Megan, "How is the poor girl handling all of this?"

"About as well as you'd expect, but at least I can get her to eat now." Megan replied with a sigh, "It's happening fast. It should have been weeks before morning sickness started, and if we have to choose between her life and the child's..."

"Oh dear..." If any shred of Daisy's compassion had been held back before, that comment from the human woman loosened the grip on it, "I'm... Sorry, Megan. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

"Lets go talk to her, Daisy." Penelope said after a sigh, "She needs know she has our love and support, and... It's been months now. Maybe we should have made more of an effort to know her."

Eli's voice was quiet, still looking down at his mother as if seeking approval,"I want you to like her, momma."

Daisy looked back up at her son, a gentle and loving smile come across her face. She took his hand to lead him to the guest house, "Alright, Eli. Lets go meet your... Your girlfriend."

The other's watched as the pair left, Megan and Penelope falling in step behind them. Henry, for his part, had remained silent the whole time. Penelope never said much to the adults, but when she did it was usually wise to shut up and listen, "I think she might just be the best of us, most ways you can measure it."

"My money is still on the cook." Sophie chuckled back, once more eyeing the last of the remaining food on Henry's still untouched plate, "Your potatoes are gettin' cold..."

"Can't see how." He said, finally fetching the plate dramatically, "You been burning a hole in them with that stare ever since I got here."

"I wouldn't put ol' Penny up for sainthood just yet." Clairibelle had her eyes closed as she was enjoying the cool evening breeze. A sly smile on her lips as she spoke, "She doesn't ask for much, but she's known what she's wanted for a long time now."

"What do you mean?" Rosie asked, moving back to sit down at the table again.

"Look, I'd have loved to have first crack at Eli, but we all know that was never going to be allowed." CB started to explain, a touch of almost sadness in her voice at the loss, "But all she wants is to be a woman, a mother and a caregiver. It's what makes her happy. She's got three kids already, and you all know she's itching for another."

"She wants to feel like a woman... And a mother." Clairibelle paused as she repeated the words, swirling her glass a little,"But we all kind of skipped a step, didn't we?"

Muffin caught on first, giggling somewhat inappropriately, "You mean the insemination? You think she and Eli..."

"Mark my words..." Clairibelle added, opening her eyes to look back at them, "Penelope is going to fuck that kid."

Cassidy had been ravenous for days. She was just a waif of a girl and not prone to eating all her meals, but whatever the unusual pregnancy was doing to her body had her practically eating everything in sight. She'd given up on small careful bites, and was now sitting at the table positively shoveling pasta with white sauce into her crooked maw, not even bothering to worry about the little bits that escaped as she chewed it as best she could.

That was what the other's walked in on. An embarrassed girl, wide eyed with a fork full of food in front of her face. Her shirt speckled with bits of noodle, and sauce on her chin.

"Again?" Megan said as she entered, the other's just behind, "I've never seen you eat so much. I'm a little worried and also kind of relieved. I'm not sure what to think."

Cassidy hurriedly tried to make herself as presentable as possible with a cloth napkin, her face bright red with a blush, "You know I don't like eating in front of people, mom. It's embarrassing."

"Here, sweetie. Let me." Penelope had moved forward already, kneeling near the table to take the cloth from the girl and start dabbing at her face.

"Penelope, right? Thank... You?" Cassidy asked, surprised by the gesture. She then looked at the rest of them gathered, including Daisy who was still holding her son's hand, "I... Guess you told them."

Eli looked away nervously, "I chickened out and made Mr. Hoyt do it."

Cassidy nodded. She couldn't really blame him, "So what happens now?"

Penelope had finished helping her clean up, but was still kneeling before her. Looking at her with a comforting smile, "Ideally... You're going to have a baby."

Daisy finally let go of her son's hand and moved over toward the nervous girl, who stood up as she approached still very aware of the bits of stain on her shirt.

"Just tell me one thing, Cassidy..." She said. Calm, but still struggling, "You know what the world needs him for? What we need him for?"

The girl nodded, looking over at Eli, "He told me that the first day we met."

Daisy looked her over carefully, "And you're okay with that?"

Cassidy looked back at her, wondering how she should say what she needed to say next. Wondering if she even should.

"He isn't proud of what he has to do, Daisy. You all raised him into a good, considerate and thoughtful man, and that a big reason why I never really stood a chance." She smiled as best she could, looking away herself now and clutching one arm with the other hand, "It's also... Why he's going to need... Help. I think I can make it easier for him, if he's not having to do it alone."

"Miss Cassidy." Eli said with a gasp. The thought of such a thing being brought up in front of his mother horrifying, "We don't need to talk about that!"

"Yes we do, Eli." Cassidy replied, "Like... A lot. You aren't ever going to be ready for it if you don't start preparing for it."

"What if I decide not to?" Eli said with a snort, moving over near the couch to practically flop onto the floor and lean back against it, "What about what I want?"

"Eli..." Daisy had started to turn to him, but Cassidy stopped her with a hand on her arm. The two locked gazes for a moment, and then the skinny little woman walked to him instead. There was something she'd been thinking about for a while now, and she needed to say it.

"You have textbooks from the sixties, Eli. You ride to school in army surplus. The teachers aren't properly trained for how fast you learn, they skip over history almost entirely, they don't even give you lunch." She put one hand on his shoulder, causing him to look back up at her. He was on the verge of crying again.

"You talk about not being able to take care of so many children, but the kind of money you all are talking about..." Cassidy smiled down at him, then lowered herself into his lap sideways to rest her head against his chest with a sigh, "You could fix all of that. You could take better care of them than anyone else ever could."

They all watched the kids like that for a long moment, holding each other quietly. Eventually Daisy turned to look at Megan, who had been quiet nearly this whole time.

"You saw this before I did. It made sense to you." She shook her head slowly, letting a little sad laugh out as she did so, "Thank you, Megan. I wouldn't have given them a chance, but you did."

"I... Had my doubts at first too." Megan smiled back at her, "But, I mean... Look at them. It's not nothing."

There was another silence. A happier one, this time. One that felt like they all finally understood each other. There was one person in the room that still knew that was not true however, and it was time to to finally make the request she had so patiently waited all these years to ask.

"I want another baby." Penelope said, smiling almost blissfully at the thought, "Your baby, Eli."

Everyone went wide eyed and turned to look at her. She just looked back at them, still smiling, "I had hoped to have your first, but... I think I can settle for the second."

Daisy was a bit dumbfounded, "We always said we'd wait until his schooling was done."

"To sell his seed, yes." Penelope said, looking back at her friend the smile dropping to something more serious. More sad, "If there's a chance that one of us could have a son with him, then I want the chance to be first."

"Penelope..." Daisy gasped back at her.

She lowered her head, looking to the floor. What she felt about this wasn't like her, but she couldn't deny the only words to describe it, "I've earned it, haven't I? I have to believe that I deserve this chance."

Megan waited a moment, then cleared her throat uncomfortably, "Does the farm even have proper, uh... Equipment for this sort of thing?"

Penelope kept her eyes low, letting them close with a sigh, "I don't want to inseminate this time. I want to do it right at least once in my life. I want a child conceived in love, not out of a tube."

"Miss, Penelope!" Eli was shocked, "You're like a second mother to me! I couldn't possibly..."

"I think you should do it."

The boy just looked down at Cassidy in surprise, finding her looking back up with with an expression that was as serious as any he'd ever seen, "But, Miss Cassidy... You're my girl..."

"Darn right I am." She said, leaning back up a bit to look at him, "But I only ever done it now a few times in my life, got knocked up right away and I already think I understand sorta how she feels."

He wasn't sure what to make of any of it. His mind was being overloaded, and his emotions were right on the verge again.

"There's no one else who can. You're the only hope she's got for what she's asking for." Cassidy said, reaching up to stroke his cheek, "That doesn't mean I stop being your girl."

"So... What?" He said, still in disbelief, "You want us to just go and..."

"Well, not right now, and not in my bed either. It wouldn't survive." She kissed his snout, then turned to look at her mother, "Mom, could you... Ask Mr. Hoyt about maybe... A bigger one?"

Megan raised her eyebrows, letting out a sharp breath. As much as she accepted the pair, the thought of them physically together was still kind of worrisome for her, "I'll see what he can do."

"Your permission was important to me, Cassidy. Thank you." Penelope rose slowly, flattening the seams of her dress with her hands as she did so, "It's not the only permission I need though. Eli, take some time with the idea."

She moved away from the couch now to stand before Daisy, tilting her head to regard her closest friend with a heartbroken smile, "I can't do this unless I know you'll forgive me, Daisy. You know me better than anyone. You know what this would mean to me."

Daisy shook her head, as shocked as her son by now, "You've... Earned? Deserve? I've never heard you speak like that before."

"I've given so much. I never asked for help and I never expected any, but you never let me carry the burden alone..." She replied, a tear starting to form, "But I need this. I'll never feel whole without it."

"I don't know how to feel right now." Daisy shook her head slowly and sighed, "But maybe you and I should go somewhere and talk about it. It seems there's a lot I don't know about you that you've been afraid to say, and I'd like to fix that."

"Thank you, Daisy." Penelope smiled, fighting back a sniffle and taking her friend by the hand, "Thank you."

The pair left, leaving Megan, her daughter and the still confused young man alone now.

"You are a peculiar girl, Miss Cassidy." Eli finally said, unable to resist putting his arms around her as she leaned back in against his chest again, "You really want me to do it?"

She shrugged against him, "I do. It ain't up to me though. It's up to you."

"This is the strangest place I've ever been." Megan had moved to the table and begun cleaning up the mess of Cassidy's long abandoned meal now. It looked like the remains of a shark attack, "So strange it comes back around again to normal somehow. Will you be staying the night, Eli?"

He cleared his throat, "No ma'am. There's not really anywhere to put someone my size in here."

Megan started to nod, and then stopped. "Wait... Then where have you been..."

She stopped, looking back at the pair awkwardly trying to avoid making eye contact.

"That's what I had to scrub out of the couch cushions?" She said in shock, "But that stain was the size of a..."

"Sorry mom." Cassidy said, not able to contain a giggle. "There's... A lot of it."

"Sorry, Miss Megan." Eli was barely audible.

Megan just shook her head and turned to walk off down the hall toward her room to change out of her work clothes, calling back at them over her shoulder.

"No wonder you got knocked up so fast!"