Searching for Swimmers

79

Ross paid the driver and he left. The two men stood at the curb looking at the dark blue door, then they slowly began walking down the cement pathway that divided the front yard into two symmetrical pieces. Jason wiped his sweaty face on the arm of his shirt. His heartbeat thumped in his ears as they approached the front door.

"You okay?" Ross asked.

"No, no I'm not."

"It's going to be fine. You're just going to walk through that door and everything else will take care of itself. Soon enough this will just be a memory, a story you tell your friends, and then that will be just a memory and it will be a story you tell to your son."

"You're not helping."

"Then shut up and get it over with."

"Should we knock?" Jason asked.

"How am I supposed to know? Do you feel comfortable just walking in, or should we knock?"

"I do still have a key; after all, I lived here for a month."

"Then let's just walk in."

"But I did storm off and ignore Gabby's phone calls for weeks."

"Then let's knock."

"Technically, I still have belongings inside the house."

"Then just open the fucking door."

Ross and Jason stopped their argument when the door opened. Reese stood in the doorway. "Are you two going to argue all night, or are you just going to come inside already?"

The two men blushed and followed her into the house. First Reese hugged Jason then hugged Ross. Her hug with Ross lingered.

"Can you two save the groping long enough to tell me where Gabby is?"

Reese and Ross let go of each other and grinned sheepishly. "Gabby and the baby are in her room," Reese said.

"Are they asleep?" Jason asked.

"Maybe. I haven't checked in on them for a while."

"Should I go in there?"

"Yes," Reese and Ross said simultaneously then looked at one another and laughed.

"What if they're asleep? It's pretty late. I wouldn't want to disturb them."

"You just flew all the way from fucking Colorado to see them. I think it'll be okay," Ross said.

"Yeah but they probably had a rough day."

"Yeah and you had a rough night," Ross said.

"Is this going to be like the opening the door thing?" Reese asked.

"No," Ross and Jason answered simultaneously.

"I'm just going to peek in. If they're asleep I'll, I'll just figure it out from there." Jason walked into the hallway.

"So," Reese said.

"So," Ross said.

"Would you like a glass of wine?"

*****

Gabby's bedroom door was cracked open a bit. Jason peered through the crack and saw mother and baby fast asleep. All of Jason's previous nervousness vanished and were replaced with a smile. Before he even realized what he was doing, he opened the door and walked in. He stood at the bedside, first looking at the baby boy then at Gabby, both sleeping peaceful. A certain lightness overcame him as if his body was filled with helium and the slightest jump would send him to the ceiling.

His knowledge that studies had proven adults react differently to baby faces than adult faces, which cause a reaction in the segment of the brain key for emotions, thus proving a biological survival mechanism for babies, didn't even register in his brain—at least not consciously. Jason's eyes flitted back and forth between the baby and Gabby until Gabby's eyes slowly opened.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," Jason whispered in reply.

"I'm glad you came back."

"Me too."

"Come on. Get into bed with us."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Jason took off his shoes, walked to the other side of the bed and climbed in.