The Boy Who Appeared from the Rain

by Kevin David Jensen

Craig grew restless the Saturday after Zach's kidnapping—that was an awful way to mark a date, but at least the youngster seemed to be recovering from the ordeal. Zach was still afraid to be alone, even in the house, but less so than at first. Now he preferred to have the bathroom door shut when he was in there—at least as far as it would shut. He was also fine sitting alone in the den now, so long as Paws was with him. The dog had gotten to enjoy the great indoors a lot more than usual these past few days.

  "Hey pal," Craig said, nudging Zach out of the book he was reading beside him on the couch, "want to play a little catch?"

  Zach frowned at Craig's arm in the sling. "You can't throw, Dad."

  "I'll play one-handed."

  Zach raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

  "The Angels used to have a one-handed pitcher," Craig informed him. Zach lifted both eyebrows, curious. "A lefty, years ago. I'll just play like him."

  "But you're right-handed. Maybe we should do soccer."

  "Nah, you can play soccer with your mom. I want to play baseball."

  In spite of his initial concern, the youngster needed little convincing, and a minute later they stood in the grass behind the house, tossing the ball back and forth. It was awkward, throwing left-handed and cautiously, with broken ribs—much to Zach's delight.

  "Fine," Craig remarked when Zach laughed at his technique, "you throw with your right hand!" That evened things out, and the youngster chuckled at his own clumsiness as much as at Craig's.

  Craig lobbed another ball to his son, wincing just a little at the pain that jabbed through his rib cage. He hoped Zach didn't notice; he didn't want to stop so soon. This wasn't any life-changing experience they were sharing, but there was something special about this moment all the same. Everything was all right between himself and Zach again. They were father and son once more. And he was grateful, truth be told, that they were both still alive.

  Father and son, Craig marveled. He reached cautiously for Zach's next right-handed throw and missed. Paws saved him the trouble of retrieving it. They played on for another twenty minutes until at last Craig—still only beginning to heal—had to return inside and rest.

  The next day, the officer assigned to guard their house accompanied them to church and stood outside Zach's classroom during Sunday School, then posted himself at the back of the sanctuary during worship. Marissa stuck close to Zach all that morning, as if having an armed police escort nearby weren't enough to keep him safe. In fact, from the moment they stepped into the building to the moment they left for home, church members swarmed around Zach. Craig felt sympathy for the youngster, with so many people hugging him or shaking his hand. He and Kara ran interference for him when they could, but in spite of the bullet holes mending in Craig's arm and side, it was Zach everyone wanted to see—Zach back safe and sound.

  On Monday morning, Ben came by to check on the family and found Derek inside repairing the two broken doorframes and replacing the doors. He offered to help, so he and Derek naturally spent the morning picking on Craig.

  "Give us an extra hand here, would you?" Ben asked from the side door as Craig ventured into the kitchen. "Oh, wait—you only have one, don't you?"

  "That was original," Craig returned with a halfhearted scowl.

  Derek drove a nail into the strip of wood he was attaching to the doorframe. "Hey, quit ribbing the poor guy; those ribs are sore enough already. Besides, supervising is hard work! And he should know—he does it all the time."

  Craig gave a mock sigh. "Did I ask you two to come over today?"

  "Nope," Derek responded. "But with Kara at work and Zach at school"—the officer on duty this morning had accompanied the youngster there, his first day back to class—"I figured you might need someone around, in case you wanted a glass of water or something."

  "Besides," Ben added, "somebody has to keep you out of trouble. We heard you've taken to hanging around with criminal types."

  With another pair of nails, Derek finished replacing the wood that Nyler's kick had splintered apart. "Here, try the new door," he invited Craig.

  "Don't strain the poor fellow," Ben said.

  With a snort, Craig reached past him and drew the door shut. The latch fit perfectly. "Looks great. Thanks."

  "Not a problem," Derek answered. "We'll fix the doors. You fix that body." With a broad smile, he slapped his big hand onto Craig's right shoulder. Craig grimaced a little more than the jolt of pain required, for Derek's enjoyment.

  Craig followed them to the bathroom door and watched the two men work for a few more minutes. They detached the wood Dr. Lerwick had broken from that doorframe and removed the damaged door from its hinges. Derek carried the old door outside to deposit in the bed of his pickup.

  Ben paused his work to look at Craig. "So, why'd you do it, Craig? Why did you rush Dr. Lerwick?"

  Craig shook his head. He had asked himself the same question a hundred times since it had happened and still had no answer. "It happened so fast—and so slowly, too. I don't know how to explain it. I guess… He shoved Zach, Zach fell and hit his head… Dr. Lerwick looked away for a second, and…" His voice failed him.

  Ben nodded and set a gentle hand on Craig's shoulder, the left shoulder. "You're a good man, Craig Fleming."

  Craig ran his hand through his hair—it felt strange, doing that left-handed—and hung his head. "I don't know. There was an FBI agent right outside—"

  "You didn't know that."

  "Still, it wouldn't have done any good if I'd gotten killed, would it? I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have done it."

  "Is that how Zach feels about it?" Ben asked.

  Craig released a deep breath. "He thinks I'm a hero. He thinks I saved him from being kidnapped again."

  "Did you?"

  "No! He yelled, 'Dad!' and I did a stupid father thing and rushed the guy who was hurting my son!"

  For some reason, Ben's eyes lit up. "Yeah, you did." Craig grimaced at his brother-in-law. "Don't worry," Ben assured him, "I won't disillusion the boy."

  Word from Mr. Herd that week was that Zach was a little distracted at school, but that some time spent with the school counselor seemed to be helping. At home, the youngster still stuck close to Craig, but not as close as at first. He reclined in the armchair or worked on his homework at the dining table while Craig rested on the couch. He helped his mom in the kitchen some and even took the garbage out—normally Craig's job—without being asked. And he kept the officers on guard duty entertained with reenactments of Craig mightily severing the tape binding his wrists. When Zach used the new tape from the kitchen to demonstrate, Craig didn't have the heart to tell the youngster about the old roll in the computer desk drawer.

  The following Saturday, now more than a week after the encounter with Dr. Lerwick, Craig felt good enough for him and Kara to take Zach for a ride on the ferry. In line to buy their tickets, an Officer Carter escorting them for protection, Kara put a hand on Zach's shoulder; he didn't flinch, though Craig looked for it. The youngster was dealing better with being touched, especially by his parents.

  "Let's take the Bremerton ferry," Kara recommended. "You've already been on the Bainbridge route."

  "Mom, I want to take you the way I went before," Zach said.

  Biting her lip, Kara squatted down in front of Zach. "Hey kiddo, you don't have to go on that ferry. That was really scary for you."

  Zach's face tightened. He met Kara's eyes firmly. "I want to fix it, Mom."

  "Fix it?"

  "I want to do it the right way, without being scared. Just…don't leave me by myself."

  Kara licked her lips and glanced up at Craig.

  "All right, pal," he said after a moment. "That's a big step, but if you're ready for it…"

  They bought four tickets for Bainbridge—the officer would be coming, too—and the boat launched away a few minutes later. Craig began to lead them to the upper decks, but Zach touched hi
s arm. "Dad, can I show you where we were, down by the cars?"

  "Sure, pal," he nodded, letting Zach step in front of him. They followed the youngster down the stairs to the auto deck, where dozens of cars were parked in rows spanning the length of the ferry. Zach led them toward the middle of the boat, between the cars. The officer followed, his watchful eye scanning in every direction.

  "Over here somewhere," Zach told Kara. "That's where we parked. I could hardly see the water at all." The boat plowed across Puget Sound, rocking slightly. Craig sighed; what a terrible boat ride that must have been for Zach.

  Kara squeezed Zach's shoulders in a side hug. He sagged against her. "He wouldn't let me leave the car, Mom. He said it wouldn't be safe. And," he continued, looking up at her, "this is where he told me how I was born. He said you couldn't really love me if I didn't come out of your tummy." The youngster looked back at the cars, seeing himself and Dr. Lerwick inside one of them together. "But he was lying."

  "Yes, he was," Kara affirmed simply.

  Zach looked around for another minute, remembering. Then he turned to Craig with an eager expression. "Can we go up to the top now?"

  "Lead the way," Craig encouraged him.

  Zach took them to the top passenger deck, to the rail that wrapped around the deck's outer edge. For a long time they watched the water roll by, letting the cold wind blow against their faces, gazing at the gray clouds that stretched north all the way to the horizon. Green land rose to the right and left of Puget Sound.

  Craig cradled one arm in the sling and pointed out to the northwest with the other. "That's Bainbridge Island," he told Zach. He traced the eastern edge of the island with a finger. "You were in a cabin somewhere up the shore a few miles and inland a little bit."

  Zach scanned the shore soberly. A light rain, not unpleasant despite the chilly air, began to fall. He lifted his eyes to the rain and smiled. "This ferry ride is way better," he said. "I bet Grandfather would be less grouchy if he came outside more. Woah!" he exclaimed suddenly, pointing to a gray form in the water a hundred feet from the boat. "Is that a seal?"

  "A harbor seal, yeah," Kara informed him.

  "And it's totally free?"

  "Yep, wild and free."

  Zach grinned, and from that moment on, he talked with her and Craig almost non-stop, noting landmarks in the distance, leading them in a circle around the deck, bringing Officer Carter into the conversation. Somehow he convinced Officer Carter to radio in to the Bainbridge Police Department and arrange to pick up the four of them and take them to Dr. Lerwick's cabin, and after visiting there they followed the path by which Dr. Lerwick had taken Zach from Bainbridge Island to the Edmonds ferry and then back to Seattle.

  That evening, Kara snuggled into the armchair with Craig, careful not to bump his injured arm. "My ears hurt," she groaned. At a questioning look from him, she continued. "Zach started talking on the ferry to Bainbridge and never quit. I finally sent him out to play with Paws, just so I could get a break."

  "He's going to be all right, isn't he?" It was more of a statement than a question.

  "Yeah," she said quietly. "Pretty soon… We might, too. Can you believe we're parents?"

  "No," he confessed. "Can't believe I got shot, either. That was brilliant, by the way, sending Zach out through the bathroom window."

  Kara sighed. "I didn't know what else to do. I had to try something."

  "Me, too," Craig nodded, rubbing his right arm. "Your idea was better."

  Zach came back inside an hour later, having worn Paws out with frolicking in the back yard.

  "It's bath night, Zach," Kara hinted.

  He pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. "Really, Mom? This was a perfect day until you said that." Teasing her with a mischievous grin, he tipped the glass to his lips with one hand and reached into the refrigerator with the other, drawing out a cube of cheese that he popped into his mouth.

  "What are you doing, young man?" Kara challenged him.

  "I'm hungry," he shrugged.

  "You're stalling. Get in the tub!" She watched him sternly but fondly as he gave a resigned exhale, grinned again, and wandered down the hall to his room.

  Craig shook his head. Just a normal kid, born from a box or not.

  Zach took his bath without further resistance and dressed himself for bed. After a little negotiation with Kara, he agreed to go back to sleeping in his own room again, so long as Paws was there with him; fear of being alone at night still lingered. Craig took Kara's compromise on Paws to mean that she was entirely ready to have Zach out of their bed after more than a week of nights spent crowded together.

  Paws lay down happily at Zach's feet as the youngster snuggled under the covers. Kara tucked Zach in and sent the dog a look of mild disapproval, which Paws ignored.

  Craig chuckled. "Don't get used to it, Paws. It's only for one night."

  Kara spun to face Craig, blinking. "That's exactly what you told Zach," she said. Craig, confused, frowned at her, and she continued. "His first night on the bed—you told him it was only for that night." She turned to the dog. "Don't get any ideas, Paws. This is only until they catch Dr. Lerwick. Then you're back outside." The dog gazed back at her with eyes that suggested a suspicious measure of comprehension.

  Kara tousled Zach's hair and, hesitating, rubbed Paws' head, too, on her way out of the room.

  "Mom?" Zach called to her.

  She stopped beside Craig at the door and turned back toward the youngster.

  He propped himself up on his elbows. "Have you and Dad ever thought about adopting another kid? You know, so I could have a brother or sister?"

  Kara gaped at him. Craig laughed before he could stop himself, but stifled his mirth as she turned a glare on him. "That's not funny, bozo," she chided him. "One child is more than enough trouble…" But there was something in her eyes that left Zach's question open.

  Craig looked back at Zach. "We've been too busy getting used to having you here to think about anything else, pal," he told him. "But"—he glanced hesitantly at Kara—"you never know, right? Stranger things have happened…recently."

  Kara slapped Craig halfheartedly in the gut. "Go to sleep, Zach," she said as she left the room.

  "You too, Paws," Craig added. He paused at the light switch; Zach was still watching him. "Something else on your mind, pal?"

  "No," Zach shrugged. "I was just…glad you're my dad." He flopped onto his back and rolled to his side. "Good night."

  "Good night, Zach." Craig turned out the light.

  *****