PROJECT ANDERSON

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: ANDIE/SARGE

"Why the hell would you tell her that she could go into that room, after I said that I didn't want her to see that?"

"I thought she was bluffing when she said she wanted to go."

"Jesse, she's a child you can't let her manipulate you, an adult into letting her do whatever she wants."

"I know, I'm sorry it will never happen again." Jesse said before grabbing my hand. "I never should have told her it was okay...I just wanted her to be prepared -"

"Prepared for what?"

"For what is going to happen to you."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I didn't want her to know about that?" I asked softly. "You don't even want to accept it, so why put her through that?"

"She has a right to know what's going on Andie, like it or not she's involved in this." Jesse said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Not yet Jesse, her entire life has just been turned upside down because of me and I don't want to put her through anything this huge again...at least for a little while."

"Its a little too late for that Andie." Jesse said before going back into the bedroom.

However I didn't follow him, I needed to blow off some steam and I needed to do it alone.

"Hey Sarge, are you going to try the CB." Johnny asked as he climbed into the back of the truck.

"Andie's probably resting, so no."

"How do you know that it works if you don't try it out?'

"Are you suggesting that I don't know how to fucking hook up a CB radio?"

"No, but I'm just worried that it won't work."

"Let me worry about that, you just gather the food and ammo for the morning."

"Is that an order sir?" Johnny asked with a smile.

"Yes John, that's an order."

"Are you going to cover me?"

"Of course I'm going to cover you, I'm not a monster." I answered as I looked around the tree line. "Hey Johnny, is that your middle name or just a nickname."

"John boy...my mom loved The Waltons, you know the TV show; so when my dad left she started calling me John boy." Johnny answered as he opened the food trunk. "Robert James Johnson Jr is my real name."

"She should have called you Jim Bob instead." I said with a laugh.

"Whose Jim Bob?"

"The youngest Walton boy."

"There was more than one?"

"Yeah there were like four boys and three girls."

"Big family." Johnny said with a small laugh.

"Yeah Jim Bob."

"Don't call me that."

"At least its closer to your actual name."

"True, but I like Johnny better." Johnny said as he loaded up his bag. "Speaking of names, why did you name your daughter Lilly-Bella?"

"Beautiful Lilly, it was the name my wife picked out when we found out she was going to be a girl; I wanted to name her after my mother, but Mary-Beth didn't care for her much."

"But your wife is gone now, so you could have named her anything you wanted."

"I know, but the first time I saw her and held her in my arms I knew she was my beautiful Lilly; the future."