Peace Out (The Futures Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

OLIVIA AND JOE

I
’m against the whole idea of Basic Living. But for the sake of argument, let’s look at it like this. My tax dollars are the fee I pay for keeping the local crack addicts and BL queens in their ghettos and away from me and my family.

The enablers say we need a social safety net. Then it should be temporary. Not a lifestyle.  The enablers say we need BL so no man, woman or child in America goes without food, shelter, or healthcare. But why should the producers pay for the non-producers and get nothing in return?

People on BL need to pay in the only way they can - by giving up rights. Right to vote. No more politicians pandering to the entitlement crowd. Right to reproduce. No more BL babies.

Make them all sign
 Peace Out Directives. In a generation these dregs of humanity will be gone.

The Becker Templin Show, Fox News, 7/22/2036

“Here
’s to coming full circle,” Ned said, popping a bottle of champagne. The Lady Luck had reached Australia once more. He poured a glass for each of them. “And here’s to Olivia and Joe’s three month anniversary!”

“Cheers,” Joe said, raising his glass. He took a very small sip. The doctors had advised against mixing alcohol with his medications.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to be here this long,” Sophie said.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to go home?” asked Olivia.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Sophie says. “We are in port for three days so I have some time.”

“You don
’t want to do the same tours all over again,” Joe said.

“It
’s actually different,” Ned said. “They vary the itinerary so that people can do a year long cruise without repeats.”

“I know it isn
’t a factor, but we will miss you if you decide to go,” Olivia said.

“You won
’t have a chance to miss me,” Sophie said. “I’ll call you every day while Joe plays golf. You can give me the lowdown on latest exploits of your grandkids. Harriet’s thing with the teeth was hilarious.”

Olivia smiled, remembering. Harriet had lost her first tooth a while ago. Bethany helped her put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. The next day, a twenty dollar bill had replaced the tooth. Harriet was amazed. She told friends at school and learned that her tooth fairy gave way more than anybody else. So she made a deal with her friends: Give her a tooth and she would split the money. A few weeks later, Bethany was horrified when Harriet showed her the five teeth she was planning to leave for the tooth fairy. Olivia had done her best to be equally horrified, but privately, she thought her grandchild should be congratulated for such ingenuity. Twenty dollars was far too much for a tooth anyway.

“I will talk about my family any time someone is willing to listen,” Olivia said, smiling. “They really are enjoying the summer. All the ones who are old enough are in swim lessons. Bethany’s family is going to Mexico for a week. Jake’s family just got back from Hawaii. Mark is talking about joining us on the Lady Luck for the Alaska leg. I told him the ship doesn’t really have that much for children to do, but he said all they need is a pool and their grandparents.”

“Oh, that is just a blatant bid to get us to stay,” Ned said. “Mason and little Olivia on board the Lady Luck? How could Sophie resist that?”

Olivia was reading by the pool when Sophie took the chair next to her. They were on the long stretch cruising between Melbourne and Juneau. “Missed you at breakfast,” Olivia said.

“I wasn
’t feeling so well this morning,” Sophie said. “Ned got us some tea and toast from the buffet and brought it back to the cabin.”

“I
’m sorry,” Olivia said. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Much,” Sophie said. “Is Joe at the driving range?”

“Should be,” Olivia said.

“Ned
will be there soon. He had a call with Peace Out again. They want him to take over a case. He told them he couldn’t because of me, of course. But he did agree to consult.”

“Why do they want him?”

“He handled a lot of the Peace Out cases back in the day, including the Bishop one. I think this one is similar.”

“Bishop,” Olivia thought for a moment. “I think I remember the case. It was all over the news. Some boy who wanted to Peace Out and his parents sued to stop it?”

“He was eighteen and terminal. They had no right to stop it.”

“I thought he wasn
’t terminal. That’s what the parents said.”

“The boy had been through two bone marrow transplants in three years and his kidneys were failing. He said he had already taken enough from his sisters and he wasn
’t going to take anymore.”

“I don
’t remember the sisters.”

“Savior siblings. The parents screened embryos until they found a match. Did the implant and it split.”

“Ned represented the brother?”

“And Peace Out since their interests were aligned.”

“What is this new case?”

“I don
’t know. We didn’t really have a chance to talk about it.” Sophie’s phone rang. “Speak of the devil.” She answered. “Hey Handsome, how—what?” Her eyes widened. “My God. Olivia. We have to go right now. Joe collapsed. They are taking him to the hospital.”

Olivia was cold. The nurse had put a blanket around her and gotten her a steaming cup of tea, but Olivia was freezing. Shivering. This wasn
’t how it was supposed to happen. The doctor was talking at her, but she could not understand a word he was saying. She sat in a chair next to the hospital bed. Joe’s eyes were closed and he was covered with wireless monitors. The large screen on the wall displayed scrolling information in bright colors on a black background. She was mesmerized by it. We’re going to miss dancing tonight, Olivia thought. And Joe had never been to Alaska. He wanted to walk on a glacier. Maybe he would be better by then. If he wasn’t, she could take pictures. Just like the safari.

“Mrs. Goodman?” The doctor
’s face showed concern.

Olivia got the feeling he had been trying to get her attention for some time. “Yes?” she said, trying to focus on his face. He had very large ears, this doctor.

“What would you like to do?” he asked.

“About what?” she replied.

The doctor sighed. “Mrs. Goodman, your husband is in a coma. His brain activity has ceased. We can withdraw nutrients and fluids now, or we can wait until we dock in Juneau. You can fly him to the Peace Out Center in Anchorage.”

“When is he going to wake up?”

“Mrs. Goodman,” the doctor said gently, “he is not going to wake up.”

“No,” she said. “We are supposed to Peace Out together. With all our family there.”

“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. “We have done all we can to stabilize him, Mrs. Goodman, but there is no way to know if he will survive long enough for you to complete Facilitation.”

“He has to. We have to go together,” she said, turning to Joe and resting her head on his chest. “Hold on,” she begged. “Don
’t leave without me.”

Olivia stayed with Joe the rest of the day and all that night. She woke, stiff and hurting. There was a patch of drool on Joe
’s blanket where her head had been. Joe looked the same. She looked at the screen, hoping that maybe something there had changed. New wavy lines. Anything that might mean he was coming back to her.

A nurse popped her head in. “Good morning, Mrs. Goodman,” she said. “I
’m Mary. I’ll be taking care of Joe this morning. We just had a shift change and Gretchen let me know that his vitals were really good last night. I’ll be back with a breakfast tray in a jif.” Mary the nurse was gone before Olivia could respond.

Olivia went to the sink, splashed some cold water on her face and rinsed out her mouth.

Mary the nurse bustled in and set a tray on the table. “There’s coffee and OJ, pancakes, sausage and hash browns.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said. “I
’m not really hungry.”

“Gretchen told me you haven
’t eaten since you got here.”

“I
’m not hungry,” Olivia repeated.

“Would you be OK with visitors?” she asked. “You have a few in the waiting room. Ned and Sophie?”

“Not now,” she said.

Two hours later, Mary collected the breakfast tray. It was untouched.

The doctor with big ears was talking at her again. The nurses had told him she hadn’t eaten for two days and wouldn’t see anyone.

“What do you want from me?” Olivia interrupted. “Look at Joe. Look at my husband. Please just leave me alone.”

The doctor left.

Mary the nurse came in an hour later with a phone. “It
’s your son, Mark.”

“Tell him I
’m busy,” she said.

“He said that he is not going to get off the phone until you talk to him.”

“How did he even know I was here?”

“Why don
’t you talk to him and find out?”

Olivia took the phone and looked at her son. He was at his desk. “Hello.”

“Mom, we heard what happened. How are you? How is Dad?”

“Who told you?” she asked.

“Sophie called us this morning. She said that you hadn’t left the hospital and that Dad is in a coma.”

“Then you know all you need to know. I
’m tired. I will talk to you later.”

“Wait!” Mark pleaded. “Mom, wait.”

Olivia sighed.

“We are flying to Juneau in three days. Bethany and Jake too. We will all be there with you. We will help you through this.”

“Help me through this?” she asked. “Help me through this? Your father is dying, Mark. What is there to help me through?”

“I talked to Dr. Willard,” Mark said.

“Is that his name?” she said. “I didn’t catch it.”

“You need to eat, Mom.”

“Do I?”

Mark didn
’t respond.

“Tell the others I don
’t want to talk. I’ll see you in Alaska.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Olivia put the phone down. “That was Mark,” she said to Joe. “He wants me to eat something. But we both know there’s no point in that, right?”

“Olivia?”

“Sophie? What are you doing here?”

“I snuck past the nurse
’s station after my treatment.”

“I really don
’t want to see anyone right now.”

“I know.”

“So why are you here?”

“Because I have something to say. Olivia, I know you and Joe planned to Peace Out together. But things have changed. Joe has gone without you. There is no need for you to follow him. Listen, I never minded that Ned and I didn
’t have kids. Until I got cancer. When I’m gone, Ned has no one. But he isn’t going to Peace Out. He is going to stay. Try to extract some joy from the time he has left on this earth. But you? You have three children who love you. You have eight grandchildren, at least one of whom has talked to you every day since you got here. How many of the people on this ship would give anything for that? And you want to leave it behind? I don’t know what you believe about death. Maybe you think you and Joe will be together, watching over your family from the clouds. But who knows? Maybe there’s nothing. Maybe it just ends. But here. Now. This. You have it. It’s yours. Don’t let it go, Olivia. Don’t let it go.”

Olivia looked away. “You
’ve said what you needed. You can go now.”

“You
’re pushing everyone away. Trying to make this easier for yourself. But it won’t work. Because deep down some part of you is relieved that you don’t have to go through with it. And you would have, because you love Joe. And you believe with all your heart that he wanted you to Peace Out with him. But he never expected it of you, Olivia. He told Ned that. He was surprised. Gratified. But he did not expect it as his due. You don’t owe him your life. Don’t feel guilty because you get to live and he doesn’t.”

“Please go away,” Olivia said. “I
’ll call the nurse.”

“No need,” said Sophie. “I
’m going. You know where to find me.”

Olivia woke to the sound of a high, steady beep and the rush of people around her. Words were shouted, equipment was brought in. Gretchen the nurse took her by the shoulders and pulled her away from Joe. Olivia fought to get back to him, but was too weak to break Gretchen
’s hold. She watched as the doctor sent wave after wave of electricity into Joe’s chest. She watched as they called time of death. Then she fainted.