by Maira Dawn
Stomach swirling, Skye clutched the phone to her ear. It rang several times, and without intending to, she counted them. Three. Four. Five. Each chime tightened the knots now residing in her body. It was six rings before her father picked up.
"Skye? Skye baby? How are you?" Her dad’s words were quick and taut.
Relief rushed through her, and her shoulders relaxed. "Good! I'm doing great, Dad. How about you?"
"You been sick?"
"No, Dad. I'm fine. I really am. How is everyone there?"
"We're gettin by. We're all stocked up on essentials. I... I think we'll ride this out."
He was trying to reassure her, but he sounded distant. It wasn't convincing. But maybe she was making more of it than it was. "Good. Who is with you? Is Bobby there?" Skye hoped that her brother had gotten to her parents. They would need the help.
"Yep. Me, your Ma, Bobby and his family."
"Dad, I'm coming home. I will start up in a couple of days. I wanted to call and let you know."
Dylan squinted up at her as he shifted against the cabin wall.
"No, Skye," her father said. "Bobby and Patty are taking good care of us. We're doin fine. Don't you be out on those roads. It's dangerous. All that'll happen is we'll be worrying about you. I won't hear the end of it from your mother."
Skye chuckled. That was probably true. "I'm sure they're taking proper care of you, Dad. It's more than that. I... I can explain when I get there." She didn’t want to go into the whole subject of Jesse right now. What am I supposed to say? Oh yes, Dad, I'm bringing a kidnapped boy with me. Yes, me. I stole him. But don't worry, he's happy about it. No, better to talk about it once I get there.
Her father must have noticed something in her tone because he asked, "What's wrong? Who are you with? Are you with Tom?"
"No, but he's not far away. I am with a boy I counsel and Wade and Dylan Cole."
Skepticism flooded his voice. "Cole. Only Cole I know is a Virgil Cole. Must be his boys. Virgil isn't a good man. Can't imagine them being any better."
Skye glanced over at Dylan, unsure what he caught of the conversation. He hung his head, staring at the ground while kicking the side of the cabin with his heel. Skye flushed and bit the inside of her lip. Yeah, he heard. He must have listened to this kind of thing a thousand times.
Skye turned her attention back to her phone call and said, "They've been treating me well. Tom says they're just what I need right now. We're up at their hunting cabin. It's away from everything. But Dad, this is temporary. I am coming home."
"No, baby. I don't want you to do that." He insisted. "I want you to stay right where you are. I need you safe and protected. Your mother and I both do."
Skye ruffled. "Dad, I can protect myself." She shot an irritated look at Dylan when he stirred and chuckled.
"I'm not arguing about this, Skye."
She held back a sigh. "Oh, Dad. I understand what you are saying, but I really..."
Her father moved to the tone he used when she was a young girl, and he wanted her immediate obedience. "If you're safe, you stay there, girl. You hear me? It will be all over soon, then you can come up here, and we'll be happy to see you."
Skye sighed. She was no longer little, and there were more pressing concerns he wasn't aware of. But arguing would do nothing but upset everyone. Besides, it never did any good. She understood his concern, but she wouldn't be content until she was with her family. "I promised Tom I would wait a couple days while he checked on a few things. I will call you when he calls back. We can see how everything is going and decide. Okay?"
Doubt riddled his voice. "Long as you promise me you're gonna to stay put until then."
"Yes, Dad. I'll stay put." Skye smiled and shook her head. "Now, can I talk to Mom?"
The phone exchanged hands, and tears gathered when her mother's soft voice greeted her. "Hello, dear."
"Mom!"
"I'm so glad you're safe, darling. I have been so worried. Where are you?"
"In a cabin, up in the mountains. Well away from everything. It's quite beautiful here, quiet." Skye's gaze roamed the mountainous view. "One would never know what is going on below." Skye left out that Dylan had told her there were Sick on the mountain too.
Her mother let out a breath. "That puts me at ease. It really does." She cleared her throat. "Whatever happens, we love you. If you make it through this, it is enough for us."
"Mom, what do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. These are troubled times, and we shouldn't act as if they're normal. I'm telling you what I need to say," her mother said. More than once, she uttered a light cough.
"I love you too, Mom." Skye frowned as her body tensed with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine now that you called. It is only my asthma acting up. I will let your father say goodbye."
“Mom?”
Skye had worried all along her mother's compromised airways would put her at additional risk for the AgFlu as it had so many others. She gasped at her mom's deeper cough as she handed over the phone. "Dad, is Mom okay? She sounds ill."
Her father hesitated. "It'll be fine. We had trouble getting her asthma meds, so she is spacing them out a bit more than usual."
Skye ran a hand over her hair, feeling helpless. Her biggest worry since the AgFlu started was that she would be left alone with no family during this incredibly bleak time. I should be there with them. Why did I ever leave?
Skye stilled when there was more coughing in the background. "Dad, is she ill? Does she have…"
"No one is ill. Your mom's asthma and Janie's allergies are just acting up is all. Don't be worrying yourself. We're all fine here. You call again in a couple of days until then take care of yourself. Things are too dangerous out there. Stay with your group. Do what you need to do to get through this, to be safe. It'll be over soon, and we will all be together. Goodbye, baby girl. Love ya much." The phone clicked.
"Dad?"
She stared at her cell. Why did her rush her off the phone? Her conversation with her parents had sounded like more than a goodbye for now. It had felt like a goodbye forever. Skye turned her wide-eyed gaze to Dylan. He tensed and pushed off the wall, his eyes never leaving her. Skye released the lip she'd held between her teeth. "He hung up, he just hung up."
Skye rubbed her ribcage barely able to breathe the words slipping through her mind. The words no one wanted to say about the people they loved. "There was… someone was… what if they’re infected?"
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Story of My Life
Dylan was at a loss when Skye turned her teary green eyes to him for help. There was nothing he could do to save her family. Dylan watched her as she stood there hugging herself, so alone and scared.
He wanted to help her. She was in such misery, but he didn't know where to start. He wasn't used to much physical contact. Well, the good kind anyways, he thought. Never sure when to give it or what to do. But I reckon a crying woman would want a hug.
Dylan took a slight, hesitant step toward her, then froze. What if this was the wrong thing? Story of my life, just can’t be normal. But a part of him wanted to take the chance. Hardly aware of what he was doing, he beckoned her to him with a small gesture of his fingers. "Come here."
Skye stumbled into him. Dylan surprised himself when he instinctively and gently folded his arms around her. Now he was standing there holding her. It felt awkward to him, but she seemed okay with it so he reckoned he must be doing it right.
Skye’s sniffles turned to sobs. Her hands clenched at his t-shirt on either side of his body. Dylan squinted down at the top of her bent head as he stiffly held her.
She is as different from me as can be, but she's a good woman. I can tell. She cares about that kid, and he ain't anybody to her, just a patient, and she probably has a lot of them.
Even with all the craziness around them, she did fun things for the boy. She'd packed one of his favorite books, and they read it together this morning. And there
had been a discussion about getting some game called Jenga that Jesse liked to play.
He smiled as he remembered Jesse and Skye playing ball in the front yard. Skye couldn't catch worth anything, but he was impressed she kept trying. Everyone laughed at her bad attempts, but she didn't care. She laughed right along with everybody else. Ended up making me and Wade take a few tosses too. Couldn't tell her no.
It felt... normal—if he could even tell what normal was. And there it was, just like that. Dylan's deepest secret. The one he would rarely admit to himself. That he pushed deep down and tried to ignore. His body gave a small involuntary tremor as he struggled to stomp it down again. But it didn't work. His arms tighten around Skye as if he now needed the support.
It wasn't the white picket fence, and the perfectly mowed lawn, Dylan was after. It was something deeper than that. He yearned for a family to love and care for. One that would love and care back. A family without the beating, screaming, and hate. Being good, not ugly to one another, or as good as people could be to each other.
Some days, the good ones, Dylan thought for all the wrong he had gone through, he was due some right, so surely it would happen. But most times, he was convinced he would never have what he wanted—ever be worthy of it. Normal often seemed beyond his recognition, something Dylan only guessed at. More than once he'd thought he needed to stop because to imagine something he could never have was too much to bear.
But then—her. She's normal. She could help us get rid of the past and move on. That's her job, ain't it? That's what she wants to help the boy do. Why wouldn't it work for me and Wade?
The smallest sliver of hope took up residence in Dylan. He was sure he would regret it but couldn't root it out now if he tried.
As Skye settled, Dylan's thoughts switched to her pain. Here I am thinking about getting a family when she’s worried she’s losin hers.
Skye stirred in Dylan's firm arms sinking further into their warmth, letting him give her support both physically and emotionally. Dylan had whispered no comforting reassurances like so many others would have. He knew, as she did, that there was no comfort to give. If someone in that house was Sick, their chances were slim. The situation was dire.
Once again, Skye broke down, but it was short-lived. When she was done, she raised her head from his chest and saw the tear stains she'd left on his shirt. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. She ran a hand over the blotches. Realizing she accomplished nothing, she stopped.
Dylan gathered a few words to say, hoping they would help. "Skye." His gentle tone surprised her, and she quickly tipped her head up to him. Dylan held her arms as he spoke. "I can't tell you everything is gonna be fine because we can't know that. Don't know if it's gonna be okay for them, or us, and I'm not one to pretend it will be. But for what it's worth, we... I’m here. And we are gonna to get through today and tomorrow and every day after that, just as good as we can. That much I can promise ya."
Grateful for his remarks, Skye nodded her head even as she wondered at the change in him. Not a talkative man, Dylan mostly communicated with a series of looks, nods, and grunts. When he did talk, he fairly growled his words as though he resented being forced to use them. Occasionally though, his voice became almost gentle in nature. He'd been that way with Jesse and now with her.
When that happened, when the kind nature that resided inside cracked through his rough exterior, it was something a person remembered, something they treasured.
She sniffed and gave him a small smile. "Thank you."
Dylan grinned and patted her arm three times. Jesse had done it, and Dylan figured rightly that Skye had taught him to do that when people needed comfort.
To show her appreciation, Skye wrapped her arms around him again and hugged him hard.
It almost took Dylan’s breath away, and surprised, he stiffened a bit. But after a moment, he relaxed and slowly gathered her back into his arms, relaxing against her and returning her embrace. A small, unseen smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Chapter Thirty
Two Days
Skye imagined herself soaking in Dylan’s strength. I'll need it. Dylan, Tom, and Dad—they may suppose I'm not aware of what I'm was doing, that I don’t understand what may be out there, but I do. Yet, if I don't go now, I may never get to go. It may only get worse.
Skye stepped away from Dylan and looked out over the view. There were fog-covered mountains as far as she could see from this lofty place. It was beautiful. It was safe, or as safe as the world was right now.
Skye checked herself. There was still some sort of order. People clung to the familiar in a crisis. Healthy people continued to work, doing their best to help their community through this event. And police assisted those who needed it. Perhaps the trip wouldn’t be bad at all. Maybe in two days, things would be better.
Five hours. It takes five hours to get home. I’ll fill up on gas, water, and food, and I won't stop until I pull into Mom and Dad's driveway. Just the thought of seeing them made Skye's emotions lighter.
Dylan scraped his foot against a rock sticking out of the ground. Skye ran her gaze over him. Tall, strong and handsome. His black hair ruffled in the wind while his dark-blue eyes narrowed as he scanned the view. I'm sure he takes in a lot more than I do when he looks out there.
There was a part of her, a large part, that wanted to curl up in this cabin and let Dylan take care of her. He would do it. She could read him enough to recognize that. But that wasn’t the sort of woman she was and that wouldn’t get her to her parents.
Right now, Skye had to trust that her father told her the truth. Asthma and allergies. It was beyond her to acknowledge she would never make the trip, never see her family again. She even went so far as to dream they would all survive this epidemic.
Skye wondered if her house remained untouched, if this disease would stop now or keep going, if she was making the right decision. It was impossible to know the answers all that. Even now, the world would be changed forever. If it continued... Skye shivered.
“You cold?” Dylan asked with a frown. The temperature may be a little chilly this morning, but it was still summer.
“No. No, I’m fine. I was just thinking.” She wrapped her arms around herself despite what she said.
Dylan stepped closer, blocking the wind. “Hope you’re thinking of sticking around.”
Skye squared her shoulders. “I’m staying here for two days, like Tom said, then I’m heading home.”
Dylan scoffed and shook his head. “It’s foolish.”
Dylan wouldn’t be the only one with that opinion. “It is what it is. I need to be with my family.”
"You heard your dad. They want you here."
“Yes. But… we’ll see what two days bring.” Her eyes teared up. Skye tipped her face up to Dylan’s. “They’re my parents. Can’t you understand that I have to try?”
“I wouldn’t have risked my life for neither of the ones I lived with. You're a fool if you go, and I won’t have anything to do with it.” His words came out gruffer than he intended, and he wished he could pull them back. But he couldn’t, and he’d meant them.
Skye turned away from him. “I understand. My problems are not yours. But you know nothing about me, so don’t call me a fool.”
Dylan put a hand to her shoulder and leaned toward her. “I know you more’n you think. Probably shouldn’t tell you that, but I do. This decision, it’s the wrong one. One that could kill you and that boy. I’m tryin to save your lives.”
Skye frowned. “It's not a bad decision just because you wouldn't make it.”
A stormy light flared in Dylan's eyes. He turned and walked away. "I ain't arguing with you."
"Don't be angry."
He stopped. “I ain’t angry. I just want…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Since when does that matter.”
Skye walked up to stand by him. “Dylan.”
“I ain’t angry.” Dylan stepped away and walked to the door of the cabin.
Skye watched him go. Something in the way he walked, perhaps the set of his shoulders, reminded her of an earlier conversation with Jesse.
There were times Dylan seemed uncomfortable with Skye's presence and took it out on her by grumbling about trivial matters. After one such time, he crossed the room and occupied himself in cleaning his weapons. It was then that Jesse leaned toward Skye and said, “He likes you.”
Skye shushed him. “No, he doesn’t. That’s not how someone acts when they like another person.”
Jesse shrugged. “It’s how he acts.”
When Skye shook her head, he insisted. “He does.”
“Jesse, he doesn’t even know me.”
He crunched on a piece of toast. “Wade says they do.”
Skye had dismissed Jesse’s words, but now as she recalled them, they brought back something else.
I know those shoulders, this man. He saved me before yesterday. He stood up to the Bengay guy. And outside the coffee shop? That was him. Now that I think about it, I’ve seen him around town a few times.
If Dylan had asked around about her as she’d been told twice now, it certainly added an awkward twist to this arrangement.
Skye’s gaze trailed him as he reached the porch and held the door for her. She still stood in the yard, but he waited there as if she needed to make a decision.
One thing Skye had to admit, this man who had appeared frightening only days ago, now seemed a protection. He had already been looking out for her. He was tough, she was not. Skye looked over the hills again imagining the chaos below. This was the best place for her and Jesse right now. She couldn’t ask for better.
Skye walked toward Dylan. When she got to the door, she flashed a determined look at him as she squeezed past him. “Two days.”
Dylan laughed despite himself. “Stubborn, foolish woman.”
After gasping, Skye added her light laugh to his deep chuckle. Why do I get the feeling he likes the challenge? The next two days are going to be interesting.