After leaving Enya's house, Captain Chassepot lead the girls down main street. The lights were the only thing illuminating the road through the snow and thick clouds. The girls, wrapped in their winter coats and a couple layers of blankets, trudged through the thick snow to keep up with the Captain. A few blocks down, they walked past a Falanist church with the steeple high and the light on the front porch always on. Their destination was just past the church.

  Captain Chassepot knocked on the door of a small house just down the road from the Falanist church. Susanna and Sophia followed him close behind. The buildings blocked the wind somewhat, but that didn't stop the girls from shivering. They would wait together on the porch for a minute before Solomon Brasher got to the door. He opened the door with a robe on and a bottle of beer in his hand.

  "Captain Chassepot! What are you doing in the cold, come inside."

  "Oh I won't be long, I just need to drop off your daughters." The captain said.

  "I see you brought them. I assume Enya had to go to an emergency?"

  "Mine collapse, her, Doctor Lavender, and Maria Simonov are all taking a truck to Bray Valley."

  "A bit dangerous, don't you think?"

  "For sure, but Enya is probably the only one who can do it."

  Solomon took a deep sigh. "The poor woman can't seem to catch a break. Captain, why don't you and the girls sit by the fire and warm yourselves up."

  "I can't stay long, but I won't say no to a fire." Captain Chassepot said.

  He lead the girls to the fireplace, and the Captain took a seat near the fire. Solomon placed some wood carefully into the fire.

  "How are things in the militia these days anyway? I hear Turnip Rijan got promoted ."

  "Sergeant, yeah. That was a well deserved promotion, especially after he helped with that fire on 5th street last year. He was up for 30 hours, only taking breaks for food and water. Even at the time I thought he deserved more than just a pat on the back, but that was all I had to give at the time."

  "I still remember when he was a recruit, that was not long before I left. What a lazy lump he was at the time, always cutting corners, always avoiding extra work. He's changed a lot in only a couple years."

  "Having a kid will do that to you. I know you know, you've changed a lot since you were 19 and running around with any Chunish girl you can get your hands on."

  "Yeah, I really did see a lot of my younger self in him. I do consider myself lucky that out of all the Chunish women I could have gotten pregnant by accident, it was Enya. She's a good person. Turnip's girlfriend really rubs me the wrong way."

  "Why do you think he prefers to spend his time at work instead of home?" The Captain said.

  Solomon shrugged his shoulders. "That sounds like a nightmare, not being able to come home to a beautiful loving wife."

  "Speaking of, how is Minnie doing? I haven't talked to her since she retired from the militia."

  "Great, she gave birth to our son just a few months ago. I can tell she's happy, but having newborns is always a challenge. I've already been there once myself, this is Minnie's first."

  "Ah, well, give her my regards. I should probably get going, there is still work to do before I can go home."

  "It's almost midnight, Captain, and you don't have a hateful wife to go home to anymore. Why work so late?"

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  "The well being of the entire county relies on my ability to get my work done, unfortunately."

  "Okay, okay, just take care of yourself."

  The Captain groaned as he stood back onto his feet. After a brief goodbye, he made his way out the door. There was silence for a moment before Minerva, or Minnie as she was known by friends and family, stepped into the room.

  Minerva was a tall and thin Rhenian woman. She would normally keep her extremely curly hair immaculate any time she went out, she had now just risen from bed and was still in her hair bonnet. She had four steaming mugs of hot chocolate. She sat down without a word next to the girls and passed them a cup each.

  "Thank you, Minnie." Solomon said in a quiet whisper.

  "Enya had to tend to an emergency again, dear?" Minerva said.

  "Yes. The Captain said it was a mine collapse. Of course, that gives me two people to worry about."

  "Have you called your brother?"

  "He doesn't work nights. He's either asleep, or busy helping the miners who do work nights. I will call him in the morning."

  "Is it even possible to get a truck to the mines in this weather? I know I wouldn't have attempted it."

  "If anyone can, it would be Enya, but that isn't going to stop me from worrying. You know how she is, jumping at every emergency, never once thinking about whether or not she will get hurt."

  "Poppa," Susanna spoke even though her eyes will fixated on the fire. Unlike Sophia, she had not finished her hot chocolate, she just held it in her hands. She was still shivering from the cold. "Why does momma always have to go to the mergency?"

  "Because God can't always send his angels to help when people get hurt. The Militia's emergency workers are the next best thing."

  "Momma is an angel? Like the ones in your stories?" Sophia said, looking up from her hot chocolate.

  "I wouldn't go that far." Solomon said with a chuckle. "But she does have a kind heart."

  "That's why momma goes to mergencies?" Susanna said.

  "The emergency workers need to be kind enough to care about all the people who get hurt. They need to be tough enough to handle the dangers of the roads. They have to be resilient enough to watch someone die and not break down themselves. Few people can do that. It's hard on your mother too, she just doesn't talk about it much."

  "What's at a mergency?" Susanna said?

  Sophia finished off the rest of her hot chocolate and leaned against Solomon's legs. He gently strokes her curly hair and she let out a small purr as she drifted into sleep.

  "Minnie, why don't you tell. You worked as a militia paramedic." Solomon said.

  "You want me to tell a 4 year old about the sorts of things I saw as a paramedic? I really don't think that's a good idea."

  "Okay, okay, I'll tell her. You see, dear, sometimes bad things happen to good people. It's up to other people to help. It's like when your friend Tom's family lost their house so you convinced your mother to let them sleep in her living room for a few weeks until they could find a new one. Or, if you remember when your other friend, Vera, scraped her knee so you brought her some bandages. The difference is that some people have a job for helping people with bigger problems. An emergency is when someone needs help, and a professional helper has to go."

  "What if I need help?" Susanna asked.

  "Your mom will be back soon enough. In the meantime," Solomon picked up Susanna to place her on his lap and hug her tight. "You still have the rest of us."

  Susanna laid her head down on Solomon's belly. She didn't say anything more. Her eyes were heavy.

  "I believe it's time to get you girls to bed." Solomon said.

  "No." Susanna said with a yawn.

  "Yes."

  "I want to wait for momma."

  "She will be here soon enough, but you need sleep."

  The movement woke Sophia. Solomon just smiled at her and said, "It's time for bed, dear." Sophia nodded.

  Getting the girls to bed was easy, they were tired. The bedrooms were warm. They were carefully tucked in and given kisses before Solomon and Minerva retreated to their own bedroom. The room was lit by a single electric lamp beside the bed. There was a crib next to the far wall. As soon as they walked into the room, the baby started whining. Minnie picked up her young son. She sat on the bed and opened her gown to feed the baby.

  “It won’t be long before we’re going to have to start checking to be sure they’ve done their homework.” Minnie said.

  “Next school year.” Solomon sat down on the bed next to Minnie, he pulled her nightgown down to massage her shoulders. “That’s assuming the city council doesn’t go into a stalemate over curriculum again.”

  “Oh don’t even tell me about the possibility. If the school gets delayed another year over that argument about religion in the curriculum, I am going to have someone’s head.” Minnie said.

  "That's not even my biggest worry. My biggest worry is whether or not some federal agent is going to see that the schools aren't segregated."

  "Tacust doesn't even have the funds for two segregated schools."

  "They're going to need three. One for us Rhenians, one for the chunes, and one for the Saronins."

  "There can't be more than a couple hundred Saronins in town, why would they need their own school!?"

  "It's absurd, I know. The kids all get along fine outside of school, why would they need separate schools? Our parents came here to get away from the problems out east, but the problems have a way of finding us."

  "Please don't get me worked up before bed."

  "Sorry, dear." Solomon laid down on his side of the bed and admired his wife.

  "Have you had the chance to check on Brenda from church? I think I forgot to ask earlier today."

  "I did, yeah. I brought her coal for her oven and got a fire going. I might go back first thing in the morning just to be sure it didn't go out while she was asleep. I hear her grandson plans on visiting soon, but it is a long trip from New Morina, and the snow might delay the trains."

  "I hope so, she's been lonely since her son passed away. Maybe he will take her with him when he goes back, living in a city with properly funded services would do her some good."

  "Oh we both know she won't do that."

  "I know, I know."

  There was silence for a while before their son finished feeding. He yawned and Minnie put him back in his crib. Minerva took her nightgown off before sliding into bed next to her husband. He turned off the light.