“There’s an issue with power rations and temperature is supposed to drop a few more degrees, and this place isn’t insulated well. It was a bitch last winter.”

“I remember,” I said.

“Of course,” Gilpatrick said.

He kept giving me very deeply concerned looks. Almost pity.

I really hated those. I’d had a lifetime’s fill and then some.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ve got a space heater right by my desk here. You’ll want to be careful if you’re leaving it running for a while, fire hazard.”

“I’ll be careful,” I said.

“There are blankets we stowed in the locker rooms that you can use if you want to sleep. You could get something serviceable if you gather a bunch. I laundered them not too long ago, too.”

“I know where to find them.”

“There are candles too, in case the power runs out. But again, fire hazard.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’ll be careful.”

“Okay,” he said. “You sure you don’t want company? We can talk it out, if you haven’t eaten I can go grab something, or…”

I was already shaking my head.

“Sure,” he said. “I was needing an excuse to go home, this will do. Unless maybe I should stay around? You could settle in upstairs, and I’ll be all the way down here, you can have your space to think and you can still have me to talk to in case you decide you need it.”

“No,” I said. “Don’t let me keep you. Go home. You’ll have angry parents to talk to first thing tomorrow, once they’ve figured out what happened and had time to get angry.”

He frowned. “Yeah.”

“Please,” I said. “I know where everything is.”

“Yeah,” he said. “You sure you’re okay? You’re not going to…”

He trailed off.

“If I was going to do anything, I’d take someone out with me.”

He scrutinized me.

“I’m worried here, for the record,” he said.

“I’ll manage,” I said. “I’ve managed this far.”

“You have my number,” he said.

“Yeah.”

“You call if you need anything.”

“Yeah.”

“And you… be here in the morning when I show up. Which will be well before the kids do.”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Okay,” he said.

He gathered up his paper container, a stack of his papers. He was trying to pick up the remainder when I approached, picking it up myself.

Silent, I walked him to his car, handing over the papers when it was time. I walked inside and locked the door behind me. The place was big and it was dark, with the open gymnasium space unlit.

I carted the space heater upstairs, and then I got the blankets. I got the candles and the matches, and then I found the file boxes, collapsed and gathered in piles.