With a touch of annoyance at being disturbed, he answered the phone. ‘Thomas speaking.’ Harry’s voice greeted his ears. ‘Ah, Mr. Crawford, you...sound much better than you did when we arrived at the hotel. I trust the rest and quiet was beneficial?’ ‘Yes, Harry, I do feel much better after the rest, and Angie’s ministrations.’ Thomas chuckled to himself, thinking that he would soon be ready for more of Angie’s attentions, as well as return the pleasure she gave him. ‘That’s good, Mr. Crawford. I. At long last we were home again."Mom!" Pat was in my arms before my feet hit the ground.I was given the gift of one hug before the questions started."You got horses! What are their names? Boys? Girls? Can I ride em? Why is your face bruised? Can I help you unload?"I sent a silent prayer up to my mom thanking her for putting up with me."Which do you want answered first?" I asked back.Pat paused clearly listing her questions metally again. "What happened to your face." Figures you'd pick that. I’m going to be out of commission for a little while, boss. I, uh, I heard a bit of what was said back there. I can take care of things here, if you need to, um, leave.”“Let’s make sure things topside are under control first.”We started down the stairway I hadn’t even remembered climbing, meeting Rhys coming back. “Sentinel,” he said by way of greeting. “I’ve given a Stimpaks to everyone that could still use one. Those coats these folks have are pretty tough, it’s the only reason most of them. I almost forgot to duck and nearly ripped the ears off the headpiece. There was a small folding chair, so I sat down and took a load off. The suit was heavier than I thought. The zipper on the front of the suit was installed backwards. It started at the crotch and ended at the neck. To ventilate, I unzipped from the bottom up to my lower chest. I took off the head, stood up and looked out the window. Marci was still passing out candy, bending over frequently to greet the kids at their own.