Bum's Rush Ch. 09

Dad brought the baby to mom and then wrapped his arms around Miriam. She accepted his hug as if he were her favorite son. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheeks, quieting him with soothing words. Of course, dad did not understand anything she was saying. We didn't bother to translate - it would have just taken away from the tenderness of the moment.

Dad moved from hugging our sibling and crying - to hugging Miriam and crying - to hugging Megan and crying - to hugging me and crying. The man couldn't have been happier if you'd told him that he'd been healed from some horrible terminal disease. Next, dad was hugging Nina - who was teary-eyed from mom giving our sister part of her name.

Miriam and the medical team finished their work and then they quietly disappeared and left us to our celebration.

When Megan and I returned to the outpost, several hours later, the chieftain's wife wasn't there. I hoped that she had brought an escort with her, but I wasn't sure that the island spirits would let anything happen to her either way. I stopped worrying about it and laid down with my sister and our daughter. We were happy and tired - and were soon asleep.

We spent the next couple days living at the outpost, walking into the resort each morning, and spending all of our time visiting with mom and dad - and taking our turns holding little Miriam.

Nina brought the paperwork over for the birth certificate and then sat and held the baby for an hour before she headed off to supervise whatever project was next.

At the end of the week, we headed back to our village, our hut, our home.

~~~ Epilogue ~~~ Week 64+ ~~~

The following week, Megan, Pearl, and I came back and checked in on mom and dad one more time before they returned to the States. The medical team had already cleared all of them for travel. The next time we saw Nina, she let us know that they got home safely.

~~~

The chief from the other island sent a messenger to say 'thank you' for the ovens. They hadn't seen any further smuggler activity, but they were continuing to follow Hal's training schedule to keep their warriors in shape. Hestia's mom sent us a gift to say thank you for her oven as well.

~~~

It took six months for the cousins to finish all of their reward vacations at the resort. Nina assured us that the property was going to be a tremendous money-maker. She and Johnny had gotten so used to living on the island that they moved in permanently.

~~~

Nettle and her team of young women helped Macy finish getting the island's language turned into its written form. Brook, her brother, and Miriam recruited a woman from each of the villages to send to the resort to be trained by Macy on how to teach the language to others. They returned to their homes and began teaching the children. Within a generation, every child on the island was able to read and write their language.

~~~

Pearl was nearly two years old when Nina and Megan got pregnant - about a week apart. Both children, obviously, were born on the island. Johnny's sister and mine each gave us sons. Mine was born in the village; Johnny's was born at the resort. Johnny and Nina named their little boy Robinson; we named ours Storm.

~~~

Jorge buys Alma flowers and takes her out to dinner almost every week - but she's still putting him off on proposing any kind of permanent relationship.

~~~

Paul and Naomi had a little girl. Petal is, once again, the world's best big sister. She is overjoyed at having a little brother and a little sister. You would never be able to get her to admit that they're not her flesh and blood. The one-legged villager is the best husband and father. He and Joshua are still my best friends.

Joshua and Heather have three children. They had two little girls after their son was born.

With food production being nearly guaranteed now, Miriam has slightly relaxed the constraints on village births. Within a couple years after we arrived, the village was nearly twice the size that it was when Megan and I came to the island.

~~~

Megan and I filed paperwork to put all of our holdings into a trust that would be left to our children if and when something happened to us. We intend to spend the rest of our lives here, living among the people who have accepted us like we are family.

~~~ The end. ~~~

Thank you for reading.

~~~

I appreciate those who have patiently waited for me to finish spinning this tale. I'm sorry it took so long.

I began this story after watching a video by a husband and wife team who did a survival-challenge under the watchful eye/care of experienced coaches - who gave them hours of training before leaving them on their own - in the exact area where I set this story.

I have been accused of bending realism. After watching that couple's struggles, it is my opinion that stories that begin with a shipwreck or a plane crash are the ones that are beyond belief.

I set up a scenario where the couple had a chance to pack a "go" bag - but still venture into the unknown - to face real-life challenges. I don't know how to make their ultimate survival any more plausible.

Again, thanks for sticking with me!