His staff began to hurry out. Sharon put her hand on The Speaker's arm for a few moments. They spoke together, then The Speaker hurried out.
"What was that all about? Samuel asked.
"I asked him about our children," Sharon explained. "He said they would all do very well, but we would lose one young."
"Damn!" Samuel cursed.
"What's the matter?" Sharon wondered.
"Don't you understand?" her husband answered, "Now we'll have to worry about it constantly until it happens, wondering when it will happen. I'd rather he had not told you."
Sharon put her hand on his. "We will simply love each one," she answered, "as long as we have them, and we won't worry."
Samuel returned her smile. The cadets headed off for summer vacation. They enjoyed their month at the resoort, then came back and began organizing for the next semester. Samuel found he was breezing through his high school courses so easily, that he started taking some engineering at the college. He found no difficulty carrying on his duties as a cadet officer. The younger cadets looked at him with such awe, and obeyed him so quickly that it almost made Samuel nervous.
The months sped by. Sharon's ever growing stomach made everyone begin to pamper her, to such an extent that she complained to The Commandant, and he ordered that she be assisted but not embarrassed. She wasn't that helpless!
Things became more manageable. The big day was getting closer and closer. Sharon had duty in the hospital so the doctor could keep close watch on her. "This is going to be one big baby!" he warned.
One morning Samuel's group had the morning work detail. He picked up his cadets and went down to assignments. A young man he didn't recognize came up and handed him a work slip.
"Mid term recruit," he announced. "They told me to report to you today, 'til I get a permanent assignment."
"Fine!" Samuel answered. "Welcome to The Academy, Stephen!" he remarked, looking at the young man's name tag. "You'll work with me and Bill today. We'll be transferring squashwhe seedlings to bigger pots. It isn't hard, just laborious. Come on!"
They got to the greenhouse and worked for several minutes when Samuel heard a thud. He wondered what it was and turned to see Bill slumped over the seedling racks, and Stephen coming at him with a small hand shovel! Samuel warded off the first blow, and they began to fight viciously back and forth, across the greenhouse.
Samuel had no idea how long it lasted, then his head hit something and he went down. "This is for my sister!" Stephen screamed, raising the shovel.
Suddenly there was a THUD and a cracking sound, and the point of a small pick axe came protruding out of Stephen's mouth! He trembled, staggered backwards and fell to the floor. Bill, blood running from the gash in the side of his head, stood over him panting.
"Son of a bitch hit me from behind!" he panted, "Damn little bastard!"
He stopped and nearly collapsed. Samuel got him to a bench, sat him down, and called for help. He found a first aid kit and applied a bandage to the side of Bill's face.
"Had to stop him!" Bill muttered, "What was that he was saying about your wife?"
"What?" Samuel asked.
"While you were fighting," Bill continued, "he was screaming something about while you were dying here your wife and your bastard would be dying in agony. I think you'd better get to the hospital."
"Just as soon as help gets here!" Samuel answered.
Bill's big black hand came up and pushed him away. "Get to hell to your woman!" he snapped. "I'll be all right! Go, dammit!"
Samuel hesitated a moment more, and then sped through the halls. He figured it was just as fast as calling and warning them. When he burst into the clinic the nurse shrieked. The doctor rushed over.
"Get over here!" he cried, "Good Lord! What's happened here?"
"Not now!" Samuel insisted. Is there anybody in here you don't recognize, anybody that's been hanging near my wife?"
"That new girl, Betty," the nurse remarked. "She's been helping her do stock all morning."
Samuel charged into the stock room. Sharon looked at him in surprise. The young woman with her stepped nearer.
"Get away from her!" Samuel ordered.
"What's the matter?" Sharon asked, " She's the new girl, very nice."
"She's come here to kill you!" Samuel answered. "We just had to kill a boy in the greenhouse who was after me! They're probably with The Redmans."
He had worked his way between his wife and the young woman. "Come with me, miss!" he insisted. The young woman reached in her pocket and withdrew a metal cylinder. There was a clicking sound.

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