“I appreciated your help,” answered Demi.
“You know Demi, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for,” responded Chris in disheartened tone. “I felt something since I’ve been with you.” Tears came to Chris’ eyes as he said, “I wanted to know if you felt something too.” Chris looked at Demi with his glossy eyes, which was unexpected for her. His tone was softer since he pried further.
“Oh,” answered Demi, not giving any more emotion than that.
“Oh?” Chris responded, his tone became angrier. “Oh?” He started to get more flustered. “That’s it?” Chris yelled, appearing to be frustrated with Demi and her response.
“Yeah, that’s it,” said Demi, reeling back from Chris’ display of emotion. Shutting herself off from revealing any more about her feelings.
“Demi, you make me so angry,” shouted Chris. “You want to know why I didn’t follow you to Los Angeles and leave Salt Lake?”
“Why?” Demi shouted back, frustrated that Chris had the nerve to bring up their break up.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t think you’d make it. Hell, I was certain you’d make it and we would live in Hollywood. I didn’t think we would make it,” Chris pointed to him and her. He continued, “And I would have just moved back to SLC after a few months,” answered Chris. “I didn’t want to put myself through that.”
“So, breaking up with me in SLC was better?” Demi asked, tears coming to her eyes as she remembered that dark time of moving out of Chris’ house.
“Yeah, Demi. It was better. It was better that I didn’t leave my house and family in SLC and follow you to Los Angeles. Only to have you break my heart,” answered Chris in a loud tone.
“Break your heart?” Demi asked, tears streaming down her face. “Why did you think I would break your heart? I loved you!”
“That’s the thing, Demi. You always closed yourself off. I never felt like I got to know the real you,” answered Chris in a softer and more reasonable voice.
“Close myself off, Chris, I thought we were going to get married,” shout back Demi.
“Well, you telling me that you love me just now is the first time that I ever heard it from you,” responded Chris, more emphatic.
“Chris, you knew I loved you. I didn’t need to say it,” replied Demi.
“Well, maybe you did. I always felt like I loved you more than you loved me. Now, that we have had some distance from our relationship, I see that it is difficult for you to have emotion. You shut yourself off and are afraid to be vulnerable. You ran away before you let me in. These things I knew back then, and that’s what made me ultimately decide not to go with you to LA,” explained Chris in a clear tone. Demi’s eyes became wetter as tears clouded her vision. She never heard Chris say those words to her. She didn’t realize that he knew her that well.
“Well, I guess that’s all we have to say about the matter,” Demi said softly. More tears were at the edge of her eye, and she ran toward the park before he could see her break down.
Chris reached for her wrist to stop Demi from running, but she pulled it away. “No, let me go. You’ve done that once, it seems easy for you.” With that, Demi ran to a park bench that she saw in the distance. Once she arrived at the bench, she sat, pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head in her legs. She sobbed, letting out all the hurt she felt just now and five years ago. The pain came out in her tears, and it hurt just as fresh as it all did five years ago.
Demi never thought she would be in the same vicinity as Chris, let alone having him save her life. Mike’s family was in crisis and now it seemed all the progress she made about moving on and becoming the person she wanted to be, came undone.
Chapter Seven
Mike Cromwell
John decided that he, Helene, and Mike would hunt for dinner. Demi and Chris were still out, but Jack could watch the kids, his and Lily. Jack could also keep his eye on Sophie, who they left to sleep in her tent.
John led the three to an open field, where wildlife appeared to be roaming. As the trio hiked through the field, John’s breathing became labored. “John, should you be doing that?” Helene asked.
“No. You’re right, I need to start taking it easy,” responded John.
Mike was not used to hearing his father back down from anything, and this was a surprise to him. “Dad, are you all right?” Mike asked as they walked in the field, looking for a rodent or possum to kill, and his mind was also on his sister back at the camp. With the sudden worry about his dad, he hoped Demi returned with Chris so she could keep an eye on Sophie as well as Jack. Mike trusted Jack, but he saw that he and Sophie had a connection. His mind wandered back to his dad. “Dad, if you need to stay behind, that’s fine. I’ll get us something,” assured Mike.
“You, get us something?” John asked. “Son, I appreciate the offer, but I would worry even if I sent you to the store to buy a cut of meat.” A frown came across Mike’s face. “I mean that with all the respect, Son. I could never drum the way you do, let alone make a career out of it.”
Mike felt reassured by John’s response even though it started off condescending, yet something still gnawed at his intuition. “But, dad, are you all right? Why is mom making such a big deal about us going out hunting? Thought you liked to hunt.”
“Well, Mike, I’ve had some heart issues recently,” began John.
“Right. I knew about those, but I thought you had it under control,” countered Mike, not certain what was transpiring with this conversation.
Helene interjected, “Well, the situation got more serious just after the holidays. We didn’t tell you or Sophie because we did not want to worry you guys.”
“You hid this from us?” Mike shouted, not believing what he was hearing and feeling as though his world came crashing down.
“Mike, it was my decision,” said John calmly, appearing to diffuse Mike’s anger. “Don’t blame your mother for this.”
“But, dad! I could have been there for you. I could have gone with you to your doctor’s visits,” argued Mike, still coming to grips with the gravity of the situation. Apparently, his dad was still alive, which appeared to be a good sign, so how bad could this be? Yet his parents hid his condition from him and his sister.
“I didn’t want to burden or worry you,” responded John.
Mike, just coming to grips with everything, asked with tears in his eyes, “How bad is it?” All three had paused from their hunting, and stood in the open field, having an uncomfortable, yet important discussion.
“He was scheduled to have surgery before the power went out,” answered Helene.
“Surgery!” Mike shouted, becoming angrier than before, infuriated, in fact. Mike could not believe his ears. His parents hid the notion that his father was scheduled to have surgery. What were they going to tell him when he was recovering, or his sister?
John must have seen the puzzled look on his face when he explained, “Mike, you were busy touring and Sophie was busy with her new baby. The last thing I wanted to do was have you guys worry or worse feel as though you had to help out in some way. Your mother and I had it handled. We were going to let both of you know when I had the surgery done and was in recovery. Then there would be nothing left to worry about.” The explanation eased Mike’s anger as he let go of the contempt he briefly held for his parents. Concern and worry replaced the anger.
“Well, what is exactly wrong?” Mike asked with a calmness in his voice.
“I basically was a walking heart attack waiting to happen,” John said in a cavalier manner.
Helene elaborated, “Dad has a blocked coronary artery. It’s coronary heart disease, he was going to have scheduled to have a coronary angioplasty today, actually. If today is October tenth. Goodness, I’m not sure what day it is. Everything would have been back to normal by Thanksgiving, just in time to have all of you over.”
“He was scheduled for surgery, today?” Mike emphasized. The news sounding surreal.
“If today is the
tenth. Then, yes, today would have been my surgery date,” confirmed John.
“Gees, dad. I get why you didn’t want to bother me or especially Sophie, but come on, we deserve some respect,” pleaded Mike, wrapping his mind over the whole ordeal.
Helene interrupted the father-son moment and said, “Mike, the doctor said that we should not stress dad out, so leave this alone. Bringing this up is only going to make his condition worse.” She paused for a moment, and said, “Now, traveling is taking too much of a toll on dad. I vote that we stop traveling and try and make it in Jack’s town.”
Mike confirmed, “You know, that is a great suggestion, mom. We could make our home here for the time being. This is a smaller town, people seem to be helping each other. Salt Lake was a tight-knit community, but the city was so big and people were becoming desperate. Here, they seem to be banding together and helping one another.” The idea of having his parents in Lava Hot Springs intrigued Mike. Once everything returned to normal, they could go back to Salt Lake City and his dad could have his surgery. Until then, this was a safe option. A place where his dad could take it easy and not stress until this whole thing blew over. Mike continued, “I’ll help Demi find Lacey in Pocatello, and once we find her and get her up to Montana, I’ll come back here. This shouldn’t take more than a few days, a week at the most,” explained Mike.
“Great idea!” Helene exclaimed, appearing to approve of the plan. “We really can’t travel with Sophie in her condition.” Helene paused, and said, “Oh, and don’t tell Sophie about dad’s, uh, condition. I don’t want to worry about her anymore. She is dealing with enough.” Mike nodded, empathetically. He felt lied to with his parents not informing him of his dad’s condition, however, Sophie could not take this news. Not with what she was going through.
“I will have nothing of it,” stated John, vetoing the plan that Mike laid out. “We will all go to Pocatello. We will all find Lacey, and we will all go to Montana. No, if’s, and’s, or but’s about it.”
“Dad, but you’re not well,” countered Mike.
“Hon, we should stay here, this is a very nice town,” persuaded Helene.
“No. We are going to Montana, and that’s final,” repeated John. Just then, John pulled up his rifle to his cheek and pulled the trigger. “Got ‘em!” John yelled. “Now, Mike, help me clean dinner.”
Mike went to chase down the fresh kill that John expertly shot. A bad heart and all, John was still Mike’s hero. The man was larger than life. If anyone could make the journey in his condition, it was Mike’s dad. Mike reached down to get the raccoon that John shot at least one hundred and fifty yards away. That was a good shot. John was a sniper in the Marines before he married Helene. Only doing one tour before starting his business and meeting his wife, he was honorably discharged after three years for a disability. He came down with a sleep disorder while stationed overseas in Lebanon.
John was a member of the 1200 marines deployed to serve in a temporary multinational force to facilitate the restoration of Lebanese government sovereignty under President Reagan. John stayed in Lebanon for eighteen months. When he returned home, he no longer could sleep through the night, often waking up to himself in a cold sweat screaming as he was having night terrors. After medical exams, he was found not fit to serve any longer and was discharged from the military.
Mike picked up the raccoon, and by the base of its tail carried it back to John and Helene. The barbecued raccoon did not sound appetizing to Mike, but at least it was fresh. He was certain that his mom would combine with some canned vegetables and it would make a nice meal for the family to enjoy at their camp by the hot springs.
The trio returned to the camp. Jack played with his youngest on a path by the brush. The two chased leaves and played with Rufus. Demi and Chris must have returned.
“We got dinner,” announced John as the three walked back to join the others. Demi and Chris sat by the fire and talked. Demi tended to Lily. She held the little girl in her arms, comforting her.
“Where’s Sophie?” Helene asked Demi and Chris looking at Demi, who held Lily. Sounding as though she hoped Sophie would start to care for Lily again.
“She’s in the tent,” answered Chris.
“Has she been out yet?” Mike asked with a concerned tone.
Demi responded, “No. She hasn’t been out. I’ve been checking on her. We got back around an hour ago., When I bring Lily in, she’ll nurse her, but that’s it. She seems to be totally out of it.”
“Goodness,” muttered Helene. “My heart breaks for her.”
Lily started to cry and became fussy. Demi said as she held the crying baby, “It’s time for another feeding. I’ll take Lily to see Sophie.” Demi got up from the chair she sat in and headed for the tent that Sophie was sleeping in.
“I’ll go,” interrupted Helene as she held out her hands for the baby.
With tears in her eyes, Demi responded, “Thank you.”
Helene then said, “My girl needs her mom. I’ll see to it that we get her through this. Thanks for all of your help with Lily.”
“My pleasure. Who knew, I kind of like kids,” said Demi, handing over Lily. Helene headed inside the tent with Lily and Demi returned to the fire pit next to Chris. Mike helped John clean the raccoon a few feet away from the fire on a tarp on the ground.
Mike joked with Demi as he overheard the conversation, “What is this I hear? Did Demi say she likes kids?” Demi broke into a nervous giggle and the mood lightened some.
“Yeah, that’s what I heard,” yelled Chris over to Mike. “Hardly can believe it myself.” Chris jested as they teased Demi.
Around an hour later, Helene returned from the tent with Lily, asleep. The raccoon was cooked over the flame on spite that John had rigged, charring the flesh perfectly. The group ate the raccoon and cooked canned green beans that Demi made while Helene helped nurse Lily. Jack and his two kids joined the group for dinner.
“Let me hold her,” said Mike to Helene so his mom could eat. Tom’s death had taken a toll on them all, however, everyone was concerned about how Sophie was going to pull through this. At this moment, getting over Tom’s death seemed impossible. Mike was not sure how Sophie would get through this, if at all. However, he would help out as much as he could and for the time being, he would be a father to Lily.
Chapter Eight
Demi Thicke
“Are we ready?” Chris asked Demi as soon as Demi woke up, the sun shining through the tent. Mike slept on the other side of Demi and he snored, not yet awake. Demi took her arm and whacked him on the chest. He snorted as he woke, startled by Demi’s playful, yet aggressive jester.
“What? What was that?” Mike asked in a groggy tone.
“That was Demi,” answered Chris. “I think she wants you to wake up.”
“Oh, right,” replied Mike, sounding more cognizant.
Chris said as he got up, “I’ll go wake up the other two tents. We need to arrive at Idaho State early to get Lacey.” Chris left the tent.
Meanwhile, Demi and Mike packed up their things and the tent. Jack was already up and had his kids wrangled. The Cromwell’s passed out energy bars to everyone along with a bottle of water. “Hydrate!” John barked. “We are going forty miles for the first leg. After that, we are going to travel as far as we can. We should hit Whitefish tomorrow.” Demi liked John’s planning. He was more aware of their travel schedule than she was.
Soon after the group finished breakfast and packing they were on the road, the final descent toward their first goal. Chills moved up and down Demi’s spine as she relished in the thought of seeing her sister’s eyes light up when she saw Demi. Demi saw herself as Lacey’s guardian, always making certain Lacey was taken care of. Lacey and David had a relationship, as much of a relationship that anyone could have with David, and Demi respected that. David was not her cup of tea, but he wasn’t many peoples either.
As the group resumed their journey on the I-30, two trucks pulled up and slowed dow
n, eyeing John as he led the group, pedaling. The trucks were large ford pickups from the ’60s. Vintage cars that were not well-maintained, as they had rust spots and oxidized brown paint. Demi, right behind heard what they said to them. “Hey! Where are you headed?” the passenger of the truck yelled to John.
In Demi’s head, she did not want John to say their destination. She did not want others knowing where they were headed. However, John replied, “Idaho State University.”
The passenger yelled back, “That’s on our way. Want a ride? We can fit you guys in the back in this truck and the other.”
Now Demi found it her place to speak up. She pedaled faster to reach John. As she rode side by side with John in between the truck and Mr. Cromwell, she yelled, “No, we are fine. We are almost there.”
The passenger yelled back, “Suit yourself,” as the truck accelerated, the one behind it gained speed as well, passing them and leaving them in the dust.
John glared at Demi while she rode next to him. “You know, I’m sure Sophie is tired of pedaling. Please be more considerate of those who are traveling with you.”
Demi instantly felt bad, but she responded, “I was. Safety is our top priority. If you agreed, Sophie and I could be back on the black market again.”
“Demi, there are good people in this world. You have to trust,” said John in between pedaling.
Several miles later, Sophie fell farther and farther behind. Frequently, Demi, John, Mike, and Chris pulled over on the side of the road to wait for Sophie, Helene, and Jack with his kids. His oldest, no longer pedaling her own bike, sat with her younger brother in the trailer.
When the lagging three reached the first four, John, Mike, Chris, and Demi started again. For a while, Sophie, Jack, and Helene could keep up with the faster four, however, as time went on, they would sink behind again. Demi worried for Sophie. She felt bad for making her do this trek after losing her husband, but Demi reasoned that Lacey needed to save herself. Lacey was among the living, what was done was done.
Lights Out (Book 2): Power Trip Page 8