Linger: Book 2

Chapter 12

It didn't take long before the downpour started. It began with the wind. What was first nothing but a light breeze quickly lit the river with rage. The clouds gathered overhead, black and full, and with one deafening crack the storm was upon them. The group did their best to remain dry, though the cabin was small and the windows had long been shattered. Amy was absolutely soaked to the bone, her shredded clothes doing nothing against the pelting rain, even with Billy's jacket and the huddled bodies on either side of her. Amy's body shook terribly as she wrapped her arms around herself, though the barge would suddenly bounce to one side and she would have to steady herself, fighting against the slick floors and pushing bodies. Paul and Alan hardly noticed when they would bump into her side or even the storm at all. The two men were currently struggling over the satellite phone, their hands slipping over the slicked object as they argued over what they should do.

"Turn off the power!" Paul shouted over the downpour. "You've got juice for maybe one call. Whatever you do, don't call the U.S. Embassy! They won't do a damn thing." While the men discussed who they should call, Eric caught Amy's eye. The kid pushed his way past the arguing adults and out into the open of the deck, seemingly not to care for the rain. Feeling suffocated in the cabin herself, Amy pushed between Paul and Amanda and followed. After all, the cabin was doing nothing to shield her from the storm and the men were beginning to give her a headache.

Amy trailed after the young boy to the front of the barge. He was leaning over the edge, watching the river pass underneath and the harsh raindrops that splattered on top the surface. Mimicking him, Amy crossed her arms against the railing and leaned over as well. However, the sight of the black liquid below made her feel queasy, the memories of her near watery death beginning to resurface. Amy moaned lightly at the thought and she leaned back.

"Are you alright, Dr. Young?" Eric questioned curiously.

She forced a smile. "I'm fine, Eric. You know, you can still call me Amy."

Eric nodded with a soft smile of his own, then his gentle face changed to contemplative as he returned his sight out to the dark, raging water below. "You seem sad."

Amy swallowed, not sure how to respond at first. Normally, she was rather good at keeping her true emotions in check when she needed to. She must not have been doing a very good job at that for Eric to notice so plainly. Still smiling, Amy managed to give a simple answer. "I am sad, but that's okay. People get sad sometimes." It may not have been the most perfect response, though she wasn't sure how open she could be about such a topic, especially with a kid that wasn't her own.

He seemed to take her words well enough. His brow furrowed lightly as though he were in deep thought as he watched the passing shadows of the treeline, though he did not speak again for a long time. Amy was almost thankful for this as it gave way to a possible change in topic, however, the kid was too quick. Her mouth parted to speak, yet Eric suddenly peered up at her with a new, almost mischievous look. "Can I tell you something, Amy?" After a small pause, she gave the boy a small nod to continue. "My parents have been fighting for a long time. When they were still together, they would find something new to argue over every day."

"So, not much has changed," she huffed absentmindedly, then immediately recoiled from what she had said. "Sorry."

"It's alright. They do fight a lot, but they seem happier than they have been in a while." Amy looked at the child curiously, her brow raised, though her confused look did not deter the boy. "I don't know if they'll ever admit it, but I know they still love each other."

"Well, Eric, sometimes that isn't enough," she said carefully. It wasn't exactly her place to say such a thing, but Amy understood what it was like to be a young child hoping your parents would realize they still loved each other and eventually get back together. Her parents had never divorced, though there was still the child-like hope that they would somehow love again. And yet, that normally wasn't the case. She would not completely crush Eric's wishes, but she knew that some grounding of reality now may help him better understand later. "Adults are complicated. Especially with love."