Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1586

The Matriarch returned just as Walter finished organizing the list of supplies. She was thrilled. “That’s it! It’s Strain 8!” Elliot let out a long sigh of relief. At least they didn't have to worry about finding it anymore. “I’m going to the comms outpost to tell Dad. Great-Grandma, do you need Dad to ship in any medicine?” Walter explained, “We haven’t heard anything from Gerald. Since Elliot is here, I was thinking we could have Tarquin send some things over first. This is the list I made. See if you need to add anything.” The Matriarch nodded. “Alright.” Twenty minutes later, she handed the completed list to Elliot. “Have Evan go with you.” She said Evan, not Bernard. Elliot, ever perceptive, took the list without changing his expression. “Evan went out with Bernard.” The Matriarch looked surprised. “Bernard went out again?!” Seeing his great-grandmother's tension, Elliot grew concerned. “Great-Grandma, is Bernard not supposed to go out?” The Matriarch frowned. “It’s not that. He just recovered from his illness. He needs to rest.” The small, scarred old man immediately spoke up, “I’ll go get him back.” The Matriarch shook her head and sighed. “Let him be. He’s happy to see Evan. He won’t come back even if you call him.” Elliot’s brow furrowed. He asked, unconvinced, “Great-Grandma, are you sure Bernard is okay?” The Matriarch looked at him and was silent for a few seconds. “He’s fine. He knows his own body. If he feels unwell, he’ll come back to find me.” With that, the Matriarch changed the subject. “In that case, let your great-uncle and Walter go with you. Grab a bite before you go.” … After they left, Quincy looked worried. “Can Bernard’s body still handle this much activity?” The Matriarch sighed. “We can’t control him. Having Elliot, Evan, and his junior suddenly show up is a joyous occasion for him. Perhaps it was fate’s way of letting them have one last good gathering. So, don’t worry about him.” Quincy frowned, his appetite gone. “Elliot didn't find any trace of Gerald and Howard out there either. I fear the worst for them.” “They said they’d definitely be back for Christmas dinner when they left. But they've been gone so long without a word. I’m afraid they won’t be making it back for that dinner.” As Quincy spoke, he heaved a long sigh. “The eldest and the fourth are likely gone, and Bernard is gravely ill. With a heavy sigh, he added, "Our time is running out. Can we still complete our mission?” The Matriarch said with a frown, “We do our best and leave the rest to fate.” The room fell silent for a moment before she spoke again. “But don’t be so negative. When we die, the next generation will take our place. Elliot, Evan, Emmett, Elijah, and Baby—every one of them is a promising talent! They may be young now, but being raised by Elysia and Tarquin, they’ll surely grow up right. Our entire bloodline is full of talent; it will endure and thrive!” “Besides, we’ve always had a spirit of unity, a spirit of selfless sacrifice for the greater good. It’s in our blood, passed down from our ancestors! They once had the power of nations on their side, but we had an unbreakable will. Now, the playing field is finally even. Do their descendants still have that same fire in their bellies?” The Matriarch snorted coldly. “Even though we have traitors in our midst, most of our people are loyal to the bone. If they think we're the same easy targets we were decades ago, they're in for a violent awakening. As for what we old folks couldn’t finish, we’ll leave it to the children. They will surely be more successful than us in the future. What good did our strength do us? Weren’t we cornered, forced to fake our deaths and live in hiding in these mountains?!”