Dark Days

Charlie

©JRF2016

It took a while for Riley to even talk to me but these last few weeks we've been hanging out more and talking. I finally worked up the nerve to kiss her thinking no one was around and watching. "Hey kid, you'd better keep it PG-13 or I'm gonna have your ass!" I turn my back on them to hide my reddening face. I could hear them all laughing. God, why do they always have to be around.

        The next morning I walk out of the house and see Riley up on the wall with her uncle. He was teaching her how to use a bow. As always, I was looking for an excuse to be around her. I walk up and climb the ladder. "Hey Darrick," I say as I reach the top, "You mind showing me a couple things with the bow?" He smiles and nods me over. Riley looks at me and smiles. She gave me feelings deep inside that scared me a little but I still wanted her close to me.  We listened to him go on for about an hour on bow technique and everything else when Riley finally told him to go get some rest. Darrick looks at both of us unsure as to whether to leave us alone. "Uncle Darrick, you've been on watch since early this morning. You need to rest sometime.  I think we've got the big points, we can handle being on watch, we're not babies."

"Yeah," I said, "You've taught us well. We can handle a shift on watch alone." He was still unsure but he starts to descend the ladder anyway. He stops and just before he climbs down he turn and nod at me to come to him. I walk over slowly. He wraps an arm around me and whisper, "You watch yourself with my niece boy. I'll be right over there," he pointed at the bedroom window on the second story of his house, "I can hit a turkey between the eyes from that distance. You catch my drift?" I shake my head violently, "Yes sir." My whole body went stiff. Darrick laughs and climbs down the ladder. As I sit down Riley takes my hand. I snatch it away and look back to see if Darrick was watching us. "Charlie," she said taking my hand again, "Don't worry about my uncle, or my dad. Their bark is much worse than their bite." I loosen up and scoot closer to her. I look over my shoulder again for Darrick and then back at Riley. I slowly slip my arm over the back of her chair. She looks down at my hand on her left shoulder and leans over placing a kiss softly on it before intertwining her fingers with mine. She looks up at me and I kiss her. She lays her head on my shoulder.

        The sun was coming up now and I hear my dad calling for Rachel. Riley and I turn around in our chairs to see what was going on. Rachel runs up to the gate and slips through closing it in dad's face. When she turned around I could see her face and she was crying. She didn't say a word just turned back and ran. Darrick tosses my dad his gun and they both take off after her. "What's going on?" I call down to Cathy and she shrugs, "I have no idea Charlie."

"What's going on up there?"  Conner asks and I look down to see I'm still holding Riley's hand.  I snatch it back and start to stutter.  "I, uh, I, nothing."  He laughs before he walks away shaking his head.

        I keep watching the gate from the couch waiting for my dad and Darrick to come back with Rachel. "They'll bring her back," Riley said as she wraps me in a hug. I nod as I settle into her embrace wrapping my arms around her too. The later it gets the more worried I become. "It's going to be dark soon," I whisper still wrapped in Riley's arms, "I hope they get back soon."

      I finally get up and walk outside and over to the wall, "Hey Conner," I call up, "Any sign of them?" He shakes his head no, then stops, "Wait. Get ready to open the gate, they're coming." I peer out the gate and see my dad and Darrick walking up without Rachel. I open the gate and they walk in. "Dad, where is she? What happened? Why'd she run off?"

"I don't know Charlie." Darrick reassures dad that they would head back out at first light and bring her back. Dad smiles but I could tell it was a forced smile.

        That night I lay in my bed listening to my dad tossing and turning. It was killing him not having Rachel here. He was the happiest I've seen him when he was with her and she just runs off. I couldn't understand it. I couldn't sleep either, both listening to him and worrying about her, had my mind reeling. My eyes finally start to get heavy at last when I hear dad walking across the floor. I get out of bed and walk to his room. He was getting dressed to go out again. "Dad, I want to go with you in the morning." He looks at me and I cut him off before he can tell me no. "We have to find her dad and I want to help. We all love her dad. Please let me help." He really didn't want to but he agreed to let me go.

        When we got her back tonight she and dad went up to their room and stayed there. They come down just long enough to eat supper with us and went straight back upstairs. Riley shows up shortly after and helped put Grace to bed.  I sit down on the couch with her. "Told ya they'd bring her back." She curled up against me.

"Yeah," I say pulling her closer, "You did. I'm really glad she's back, now we can plan this birthday party for Grace that we were talking about the other day. We haven't even told dad yet."

"Well she's back now and we can all get our birthday party on." She smiles up at me, dancing as she lays next to me, and I look back at her and laugh. "What?"

"You're a weird little girl." Now she giggles and kisses me. I pull back and look at her giggling some more. "What now?"

"I was just remembering the day when you couldn't stand me," I laugh, "Now you can't keep your lips off me." She sits back on the couch looking at me and pouts. I pull her back to me and cover us up with the blanket that had been lying on the couch. I kiss her on the top of her head and we fall asleep together, my arms around her and her head on my chest.

        Rachel walks downstairs and sees Charlie and Riley asleep on the couch. She slips out the door without waking them. Reid had loved the idea of a birthday party for Grace when she brought it up last night. After the long night she decided to let him sleep in. "Hey Conner," I call down the street, "Wait up." He turns to me and smile.

"Anything for you sweetie," He says slinging an arm around my shoulder.

"You up for a run?"

"Hell yeah, always. Where we goin'?" She wave the keys at him.

"I'm driving just get in. I'll tell ya on the road." He nods and climbs in into the passenger seat. Rachel told him about the party idea and he smiles, "I forgot all about that sweet little girl turning two. Sounds like a great idea. Always knew you'd fit into that mama role nicely."  Rachel shakes her head.

"She needs some kind of normalcy in this world." Rachel tells him as she pulls into the lot. They go inside and gather up some toys for Grace and load them in the truck. Rachel closes the tail gate and stops for a second. She glances over her shoulder. "Whatcha lookin' at?" Conner asks as he walks up to her. "Nothing, just got that creepy we're being watched feeling."

"Let's get back," Conner said, "Ain't nobody here and if they are they ain't gonna bother us." Rachel nods to him. Before Rachel walks around the truck she looks back at the store and saw a very pregnant Lucy standing there, in front if the store, hand on her belly and she was smiling at her. No more visions of Lucy came to her the rest of the day.  Reid greeted them at the gate with Grace clinging to his leg. "Everything go okay?"

"How could it not go okay? She took me with her didn't she?" Grace let go of Reid's leg as soon as she saw Rachel and ran into her arms. Rachel grabs a bag out of the truck and starts toward the house, "You big strong menfolk can unload the truck right?" Reid smiles as he and Conner start unloading.

        Grace was playing on the floor with her red solo cups while Rachel took the Twinkies she found out and spread them on a plate. She put two candles in the Twinkie on the top. "Gracie," Reid calls, "Rachel!" Grace looked up at me puzzled.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go see what daddy wants." Rachel smiles at her, "I'm right behind you." She runs out the door to Reid and Rachel hears her squeal when she sees the toys. Rachel laughs as she lights the candles and carried the plate outside. She smiles at Reid as Grace was diving into the toys and he smiles right back. He picks his daughter up into his arms, "Happy birthday baby." He points over to Rachel and sets her back down, "Mom's got cake." Grace runs over to me. The flames on top of her Twinkie were dancing in the light North Florida breeze. "Make a wish and blow out your candles." Grace closes her eyes and puffs out her candles just as a truck crashes through our gate.

by\uJ