Braveheart's Son

9

"Lori? Lori?" Chunk says. My eyes are blurry with tears. No, this can't be it, not now!
"You've found his body? A death certificate?"
He pauses at my question and answers.
"We found a death certificate sadly enough but not a body Sam thinks he got himself in a mass grave probably near Wounded Knee."

I weakly glance at him.
"Who told you to search for him? The last time I checked, my problems weren't worth your sheriff's time! What made him change? Huh? What made him change!"
I pick Caleb up close to my chest, feeling his heartbeat against mine looking away from Carlson soothing my boy.

"He's just like you, a single parent, who went missing for a spell and found his ass... I mean his butt in Virginia." Carlson catches himself, clears his throat, and continues sitting down on my couch,
"Sammy, since then, has always had soft spots for "Skip" survivors like himself, especially since you gotta kid."

Skip? What the hell is a skip? I wondered quietly. "Carl, what's a "Skip"?" I ask, gently putting Caleb in the nursery. "Sam just calls them skips because he skipped into time, hence "Skip, " but I guess you have another word?"
I give him my journal and sit down next to him, "Turn to page 103." I say kinda coldly still pissed off but intrigued.
He turns to the page to see the words, "AKOKIYA / Beyond/ (ah – koh – kee – yah)" and "ANAHME / Secret/ (ah – NA – ghmay)" Carlson looks at me then back at the page, and says not looking up at me, "Did you write this? Cause this is technically a dead language to Samuel but not to his daughter. Fiona can read and write the sacred language, but..."

"Doesn't dare to speak it." I interrupt him, laying my head back against the soft silk fabric. "If you reverse the words, it says, "Secret Beyond, " by the way. It seems Fiona doesn't want to either except the fact she can speak the language or Sam never taught her how to speak it."
I look forward to collecting a thought, then look back at Chunk, "Speaking of time travel, maybe you could help me out?" He looks at me already, knowing the answer.

"No...Absolutely not."

"Oh, come on! Chunk seriously!''

"Hell no I won't go, Lori!"

He crosses his arms like a child being told no. He crinkled his nose, puffing his cheeks like a rattler retracting his neck into his shoulders.

"You gotta be serious. Chunk what are you 40? 50? And yet you still act like a child! My two-year-old acts better than you!"

"Hey, ok rude! I'm 50 ok I'm not old!"

I glance at him a look which prompts him to get up and leave not wishing me a goodbye. Such a drama queen!

I see him walk to his car a small 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am colored with a shade of Castilian Bronze with a Roman Red interior interesting choice of colors for a muscle car.

*Chunks POV*

I get in my car turn the transmission on and just drive to the Sheriff's office drop papers off to Sam then head to the Tribal Police Office and remain bored for the rest of the day. Constantly thinking back to the journal.

"How can someone see so much but can be so stubborn?" I muttered quietly looking at the photos on my desk mostly of me, Sam when we were five, and, Fiona when she was eight.

I even have pictures of his wife that he's given me and now a picture of Lori and Caleb that her mom sent as a thank you for finding them.

I flip through my files my eyes scan for recent pictures and find one from Sam's case looking at his hospital photos remembering him in the wheelchair relearning to walk since he was found "Sleeping".

The radio goes off squawking loudly,
"All units please respond we have a code 22-3303 at Darlington Cemetery's south side please be warned suspects may be armed and dangerous."
I roll over to the radio feeling that Lori might've decided to do something that can fuck up her future and rush to the door with my work belt and answer.

"Ruby, Show Buffalo Rider responding," I say starting the car and leaving the parking lot in a hurry.
"Ruby?" I can hear Sam on the other line.
"Yes, Sam?" Ruby groans.
"Nothing Ruby I forgot again," Sam responds stifling a laugh on the other side of his radio.
It's not normal never to bother Ruby but it sure as hell fun.