Surviving Day By Day (Book 2): Fears, Flames, and Future
Page 59
Alden turned to Ceara and took her hand, “Maximus fought for this group because he had been trained to protect all of us. The reason this all happened today was we failed each other. We panicked, and that we can never do. It was a hard lesson to learn. From here on, we remember we don’t ever react to a situation, we respond. The difference between the two is simply, reacting is without thought. Responding is with thought.”
Alden got up and gave Ceara a kiss on her forehead, “Thanks for pulling my ass off that rock cupcake.” Turning he winked at Charlie then limped down the hall.
Stopping to grab a clean pair of sweats and tee shirt he headed for the bathroom and took a hot shower letting the water pour down his back. Lifting his face to the faucet he let the water wash away the tears of pain he had for those he lost.
The day wore on as night fell; Charlie and Ceara got dressed and headed out the door for their turn on guard duty. Tonto was lying on the porch, raised his head as the two walked out. Jumping up, he stretched his body and yawned, then walked over and pushed Ceara’s hand with his snout causing it to flip up on the top of his head. She started to rub his ears as Charlie looked over at her with a smile, “It’s a strange thing about animals, especially one like Tonto. They just seem to know what you’re needing, when you need it.”
Charlie stepped off the porch and walked out into the yard. The last bit of sun was just peeking over the horizon. The desert sky went from orange to purple to almost black with the stars twinkling above. A slight breeze was blowing and they could hear the tumbleweeds rolling around. Charlie pulled up the night binoculars and scanned the area. Nothing was moving except a rabbit. Ceara petted Tonto then joined Charlie. The two started to walk the perimeter. As they walked past the two semi-trailers, Charlie stopped and looked back. The turned and walked over to it. Ceara looked at him, “What, did you hear something?”
Charlie smiled, “No. I was just thinking about Alden. Wondering if there would be something in here we could use to fix him up a crutch or something.”
Charlie opened the door and shined his flashlight inside. The trailer was a mess with boxes and items just strewn all over. He handed the flashlight to Ceara as he climbed in and started to look around. Ceara looked around at the growing darkness, “Charlie, can’t we do this tomorrow? I don’t like being out here in the dark. Let’s just go in ok?”
Charlie could hear the shaking in Ceara’s voice; he jumped back down out of the trailer. “Of course we can, let’s just go say goodnight to everyone.”
Ceara fell in step with him, “How long do you thing before we are back to normal?”
Charlie wrapped an arm around her, “Honey, this may be normal.”
Tabitha sat on the edge of her bed for what seemed like hours, thinking of the ride in the truck, and how it would be the last talk she would ever have with Heath. Tears began to pool once more as she wiped them away with both of her hands. Hearing some thumping and bumping in the other room caused Tabitha to think about Alden. Placing her elbow on her knee then laying her head in her hand she wondered what Alden was thinking. Knowing how mean she was to him was beginning to take its toll on her and Tabitha knew that wasn’t even right. She loved that old man. If there was anyone that she cared for more than anyone else it was him. The love that she had for Heath was one thing, but it was Alden, Charlie and Red who met up with her first and those three pulled her ass literally out of the fire on the day that they found her.
Slowly she stood and made her way quietly out into the kitchen, no one was around. The coffee pot was almost empty, so she figured on making a fresh pot. After it was finished brewing, Tabitha grabbed Alden’s mug and poured him a cup. Her stomach growled and she decided to make them a couple of buttered biscuits.
Tabitha knew that Alden loved butter on his and she loved jelly so she fixed them each two pieces the way that they both liked. Grabbing a tray from one of the cupboards she placed Alden’s mug along with two plates each with hers and his biscuits. She didn’t really care for coffee and remembered that there was a little bit of Beth’s sweet tea left. She made herself a small glass and placed it on the tray as well.
Quietly she turned and made her way down the hall to Alden’s room, where she gently sat the tray on the floor and knocked on the door ever so slightly. “Alden? May I come in please?”
She waited for a response and suddenly she heard him with a struggling voice, “Come on in.”
Opening the door, she saw Alden sitting down on his bed while trying to get his foot in a comfortable position up on the bed.
Tabitha brought in the tray and laid it down on a table that was over in the corner. She noticed a pillow over on the other chair at the far end of the room. Quickly she went over and grabbed it, then made her way over to Alden on the bed. “Lift your foot Alden, let’s elevate it and maybe that will help.”
Once the pillow was in place, Tabitha went over to the table where the tray was and brought it over to Alden. “Care for some company? I made you some buttered biscuits just the way you like it and also made a fresh pot of coffee too?”
Alden groaned a little as he shifted to get comfortable. When he was finished, Tabitha placed the tray on the bed and sat down with him. Alden picked up a biscuit and took a bite. He loved warm biscuits and the melted butter dribbled down his chin. He wiped his mouth, then took a sip of coffee. He watched her as she sipped the tea and took a very small bite of her biscuit. “Not so good is it, mixed with whiskey and sweet tea.”
Tabitha shook her head. Alden popped the last of his biscuit in his mouth and took a sip of coffee to wash it down. “I let you get good and drunk today for two reasons. First, because you had planned on getting good and drunk, and we didn’t need any more fighting. Second, because as you sit here now, you feel guilty about how you treated Ceara, and maybe a few others, not to mention me.”
Tabitha started to square herself for attack, but she was too hung over and what’s more she knew he was right. Her head sank down as she began to cry.
Alden reached over and pulled her head up. “You, along with all the others, are more than just a team to me. I told Heath once that I felt like a Grandpa to most you and he said he felt like a big brother to you and Charlie and Ceara sometimes. You youngsters came together back there in Missouri for a reason. We will never know how or why of it, but it happened. We formed a group that became a family, which was good. I made the mistake of not preparing you for the eventual death of a member. What happened… happened. It was my fault as much as anyone else’s, but in the end I take full responsibility. So if you want to be mad, be mad at me.”
Tabitha looked at him her eyes full of tears, “I’m mad at the Indians for coming here. I’m mad at Ceara chasing after her dog.” Tabitha turned her head wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
Alden squeezed her shoulder, “You’re most mad at Heath for being the one to go down there to protect the others.”
She shook her head no, as her heart was agreeing with him.
“What if that had been you on those rocks and he had to save your ass? Heath did what he thought was right. He saw his family in danger, and took a chance. It comes down to this, shit happens and we learn from it or we let it eat us up. I learned from it that’s why I have all these fucking grey hairs.”
Tabitha turned to look back at him. He had a small smile and his eyebrow was raised. The next words shocked her…”Grow old with us, Tab… don’t let this kill you too.”
TO BE CONTINUED……
Book three in the Surviving Day by Day series will be coming out in 2014
It will be continuing with the survivors as they try to grow past their past and survive the future
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