Hurricane

Chapter 8

Naveen drove the car back to the cabin before parking it on the cobbled drive, the engine shutting off with a quick flick of his key. Still caught in an awkward silence as heavy as the rain clouds above, the trio padded back towards the cabin. Ethan watched Becca out of the corner of his eye, holding a few paces back with Naveen to let her approach the porch first. In the doorway, Sienna was waiting with two bath towels draped over her arms. A wave of relief washed over her petite form as she saw them; her big eyes softening and bottom lip quivering with all the emotions she saved for the worst of outcomes.

"Becca!" Sienna called as she closed the distance between her and Becca, wrapping her soaking wet friend in a hug around a large, plush towel. "Are you okay? What happened?"

For someone who's life nearly drifted away with the current earlier, Becca seemed strangely quiet and calm. She didn't even look at Sienna; darkened eyes trained on her peripheral, towards the unrelenting waters. "I'm fine, Si. Just went for a little swim."

Sienna looked at her with critical eyes, not believing a single word coming out of her friend's mouth. She would have said something in any other circumstances, but she was too thankful that Becca was breathing at the minute. This conversation would have to wait. She turned her attention to the other rogue swimmer now coming up behind them, handing him the other towel still draped on her arm.   

"Ethan, are you okay?" she asked the attending, her trained doctor's eyes scanning him for obvious injuries.

He took the offered towel gratefully. "Please, there is no need to worry about me." He wiped his face first then draped the burgundy fabric over his shoulders, shivering as the cold wind caught his wet clothes, "Where's Jenner?"

Sienna nodded towards the ajar door, her arms still wrapped securely around her best friend. "In with Elijah."

Ethan nodded and went inside to his dog, sparing one last glance towards a despondent Becca on his way.

With a small, resigned sigh, Sienna turned her full attention back towards her friend and guided her to the door. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Sienna led Becca inside and up to her room. Elijah didn't notice the girls as he was in deep conversation with Ethan in the archway to the den. For that, Becca was thankful; they could just slip upstairs and rest. 

As soon as the girls reached the threshold of the master suite, Sienna closed the door softly behind them and reached for her friend, her eyes severe now that they were blessed with the privacy they didn't have earlier. "You okay?" She asked with a concerned hand gripping Becca's forearm; her tone of voice emitting a firm warning that she would accept the truth and nothing else.

Becca shrugged Sienna off, taking a step back to shed her wet clothes and throwing on her pajamas. Biting her tongue this round, Sienna gathered up the strewn garments into a pile and wrung them out in the bathroom, making a mental note to wash them once the power came back on. Becca didn't waste a single second before immediately crawling under the covers while Sienna watched with a very careful eye. 

Sensing the stare, Becca sighed heavily. "Si, I'm fine. Truly."

Her friend wasn't convinced. "That's what you say, but you were literally being ripped down stream, you could have died."

"But I didn't."

Light pads of sock-clad feet walked to the bed with private determination and sat on the edge of the mattress, her eyes begging. "Talk to me, please." - a hand reaching for the top of Becca's thigh - "What's going on in that head of yours?"

But Becca wasn't waving, keeping her gaze on the darkwood bedpost in front of her to avoid Sienna's concerned one. "That I really need to sleep. I'm exhausted."