2) Greater Love

Jenny's baby has arrived - it's a boy. She suggests the name  David for him. Jen wants to stay at Whitecross to raise him -  Greg concedes and tells Charles they will stay after all - Charles  is pleased.

Paul and Ruth are now a couple. Paul is particularly pleased  with himself after his long search for a companion, for attracting  someone who would have been a doctor in the old world!

Ruth is called over to see Jenny, who has developed a fever  - she thinks some placenta has been left behind after the birth,  which must be removed. She needs surgical tools and drugs, which  would only be readily available at a city hospital. The obvious  choice of city is Birmingham. The risk of going into the city  is high. Greg wants to go, but Ruth feels he'll be more use at  Jenny's side. Paul volunteers, and sets off at first light, on  horseback.

He is back the next day, on foot as his horse went lame on  the way home. He has found all of the stuff Ruth had requested,  but is feeling unwell. Ruth suggests he stays in the haybarn  in case he has something infectious.

Ruth treats Jenny and successfully removes the placenta which  was causing her problem. She turns her attention to Paul who  is now very sick. She dare not go near him, but instructs him  on how to inject himself with some of the drugs he had brought  back.

Paul continues to get sicker. He develops lumps under his  arms and on his neck. Ruth thinks it is bubonic plague. The drugs  should have done some good, so she concludes that this is a mutant  strain.

The main characters meet to discuss the situation. They realise  now that although they all survived the death, they are not immune  to all forms of plague. Also, they are in immediate danger as  the plague is carried by rats, and they live on a farm. A suggestion  comes up that as Paul is dying, maybe they should humanely finish  him off, and burn the haybarn to the ground for the safety of  them all.

Greg strongly vetoes that idea - he suggests that Paul is  perhaps too ill to have injected himself properly, and that someone  should do it for him. He makes a suit of polythene sacks, and  paints it with DDT mixed in paraffin, with the intention of doing  it himself. Ruth insists that she does the job.

She comforts Paul, and tells him that his efforts saved Jenny's  life. Obvously in great distress, she gives him an injection...

Arthur has been making a census of the community, encouraged  by Charles, whose previous attempt had come to naught. His census  reveals that it is in fact Paul's birthday, an also John's. They  have a party for John with all of the settlement's children.  During the party they spot a fire in the haybarn.

Ruth burns the barn and disappears. They search all evening  but cannot find her. They resume next morning, and Greg finds  her in the woods. She is very disillusioned and had contemplated  suicide.

They decide to learn from their experience, and set up a quarantine  area for use on returning from such trips in the future, and  for strangers who may come to the community.

Jenny and Greg decide on the name for their new son - they  call him Paul.