Sail along

Chapter 27

"Hey Mike?" Micky said going over to him.

"Alone, I'm alone, Ma, Rene? Micky? Why am I always alone? Hello?"

"Mike, I'm right here," Micky said, helping him out of the blankets. "You're not alone. You never were. It's...just because people aren't always with you, doesn't mean they've left you."

"You left me," Mike choked out, turning away from him and pulling the blanket over his head.

"Oh Mike," Micky said " I didn't leave you. I was right down stairs with Millie and Larry."

"You left me like everyone leaves me." Mike said "Ma left, Pa left, everyone left. I left. Guess that's what happens when you're no-" he looked at Micky and cut himself off and got up making his way to the bedroom door.

"Bye bye." He said as he ran down the stairs. Micky sighed.

"Not again," he grumbled as he followed Mike down.

"I swear," Micky said "one minute he's acting like a toddler the next it's like he's a moody teenager."

"Mike?" Millie asked as he ran down the stairs, wrapped in a blanket.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He cried as he ran out the door to the backyard, fumbling a little with the lock. She sighed and stood up.

"Michael?" She asked softly as she stepped out. "Are you alright?"

"Please," Mike begged, "leave me alone, it's better this way, now I won't be in anyone's way and maybe they'll learn how to fend for themselves."

"Michael," she said, taking a few steps toward him.

"NO!" He cried out, sticking his hand up. "STOP!"

"I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" Millie said comfortingly. "Now why not we go inside and I get some tea going and we can talk about it. How does that sound?"

Mike frowned and looked at her, tears filling in his eyes.

"All the tea in Pearl harbor won't make this right anymore. So much has happen." Mike sobbed out. Micky came out and edged towards Mike slowly.

"Hey Mike," he said softly "why don't you come back inside. Okay? It'll be okay." Mike sniffled and shook his head no.

"Don't you see it's all my fault. I shoulda never come back here. All this town is is a heartbreak town." He turned and ran out of the yard and down the street.

"Mike," Micky yelled, "come back here! I gotta go after him " He said and ran out into the dark after him.

"Mike, come on!" Micky called out. "Nothing is your fault. Can you please just come back so we can at least talk?"

He kept running in the direction he thought Mike went, even though he didn't get a response.

"MIKE!" He cried out. "Come on, man, cut it out! Mike?!"

"He couldn't have gotten too far, could he?" Micky asked to himself, stopping to catch his breath.

"MIKE!!!" He screamed again, rubbing once he got his breath under him.

"Mike, where are you?" He ran down to the beach and up towards their house.

"Peter, Davy?" Micky yelled as he got closer. A light clicked on up stairs and then downstairs as someone appeared on the deck.

"Micky?" Davy said confused, "What are you doing?" Micky didn't answer as he put his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"M-Mi-Mike ran away again." He was finally able to gasp out.

"What?" Davy said "Why?"

"No-no clue." Micky said, flopping onto the sand as Davy walked down the steps.

"He just said something about it being his fault and always being alone and then he ran off."

"But he's not always alone." Davy said.

"I know that," Micky snapped. "I'm thinking that he was alone a lot growing up, or felt like he was, and his memories got jumbled up a little and sometimes he thinks he's still I don't know..." Micky trailed off thinking, then got up.

"I'm going to the lighthouse," He said "Mike sometimes goes there to think, Davy can you please look around the pad and see if maybe he is in there?" Davy nodded and went back up the stairs and Micky got up and took off towards the lighthouse.