Jade

Chapter 21

“Chinese,” Max answered, “I got you both General Chicken.  Actually, I got General Chicken for all of us and some Crab Rangoon’s.”  “Sounds delicious!” I took a tray, fork and a Crab Rangoon.  I sat down at the table, with Max, as did Aris.  Ripley was happily eating in the recliner.  I took a bite of chicken and closed my eyes.  “It tastes just as good as it smells,” I commented.  Max grunted his agreement.

“Are you going to tell me another story Max?”  “Actually, why not ask Yaris?” Max replied, “he is a much better story teller than I am.”  “That is true,” Ripley agreed with him.  “Aris will you tell me a story?”  “I will,” he agreed, “After we finish eating.”

“Actually, I was wondering if everyone feels up to traveling?” Aris asked.  “I am not sure that it is a good idea to stay here.”  “I am okay,” I answered, “are the roads going to be clear enough?”  “Lia says that the mountain roads are pretty clear.  We should be able to reach the cabins with four wheel drive.”  “I am willing to drive for Ripley,” Max offered, “Do you feel up to it Ripley?”  “If someone will get my overnight bag out of the Jeep, I will have clean dry clothes,” Ripley answered.  “I will as soon as we are done eating,” Max offered.  We all agreed to pack up and leave after we finished dinner.

“Just one thing, though,” Max spoke up when we were finished eating, “If I am going to be stuck in a car with Ripley, he has to take a shower.”  “You do too,” I told Aris.  “I am not in the business of helping other men take showers,” Max stated.  “Neither am I,” Aris stated.  “I will help,” I offered, “but I don't really know how because I have never done it before.”  “It's okay we can tell you what we need help with,” Aris smiled.  I smacked him on the arm, “you don't need help.”  “I will help Jade help Ripley,” Aris offered.  “Why wouldn't you just help Ripley then?” I asked.  “It is a code among men,” Ripley answered, “I do not want him to help me.”  “What would you do if I weren't here?”  “Suffer.”  “Fine, I will help.”

Max went out to get Ripley’s bag.  “Bath or shower?” I asked Ripley.  “Bath,” he answered.  I went in the bathroom and started a bath for him.  I dumped bubble bath in for some sense of privacy.  When the tub was full enough, I turned the water off and went back into the main room.  “It's ready,” I announced not knowing how to proceed.  “I will help him into the tub and then help him out, “Aris offered.  I got a disposable cup from the kitchen then waited for Aris to get Ripley situated.  Aris came back out of the bathroom, “He is a big baby.  Do not let him take advantage of you.  Leave the door open a little.”

I went in and left the door open.  Ripley was sitting in the tub.  I got down on my knees beside him.   “What do you need me to do?” I asked.  “Just wash my hair and my back.  The rest I can get myself.”  “Okay, first I am going to get your hair wet.”  I dipped the cup in the water and poured it on his head.  I repeated until his hair was fully soaked.  I used the same shampoo that Aris had used on my hair and lathered him up.  Then I rinsed his hair using the cup.  I lathered his hair with conditioner.  “Do you think you could lay back in the tub to rinse the conditioner?”  “I don't know if I will be able to sit back up.”  “Okay.”  I started rinsing his hair with the cup, working it off of his scalp with my fingers.  It took a few more rinses than the shampoo, but I was satisfied that I got it all off.  I moved his clean hair to the side to hang in front of him.  I lathered up soap on my hands and rubbed it onto his back, then rinsed him off with the cup.  “How's that?” I asked.  “It feels great,” he answered, “could you wash my back one more time?”  I lathered him up and rinsed again.  “Thank you Jade.  You made me feel so much better.”  “You're welcome.  Do you want me to stay?”  “No.  You can go now.  Really, thank you, though.”  “If I remember correctly, it was you who held my hair back twice so I could puke.  That's what friends do.”  “I was honored to help.”  “As am I.”

I left the bathroom, but left the door open so that we could hear him.  Aris and Max were busy packing to go.  “Did you get his clothes?” I asked Max.  He motioned toward the bed, “right there.”  I went to the bed.  “What should I get for him?”  Aris came to me and got out boxer shorts, black sweat pants and a black sweat shirt.  Is he done?   I don't know.  He just said that I could go.  Aris took the shorts and knocked on the door.  “I am ready,” I heard Ripley call out.  Aris went in.  They were in there for about five minutes.  Thin Aris emerged helping Ripley walk out, only wearing boxers, with his hair wrapped up in a towel.  Aris helped him to the bed, “Jade can you help him get dressed?”  “Yes.”

I helped him get his feet in the sweatpants first.  He was able to stand for a minute to pull them up over his shorts.  I pulled the shirt over his hair that was still in the towel and got his arms into the sleeves.  I got a pair of thick white socks out of the bag and put them on his feet.  “Are these yours?” I asked holding up a pair of black snow boots that had been left on the floor by us.  “Yes,” he answered.  I got the laces as loose as I could then slid and worked them onto his feet.  I tightened up the laces and double knotted them.  I dug a hairbrush out of his bag and gently brushed his hair.  I could tell just by looking at him that he was exhausted.  “Why don't you just lay back and relax now?” I asked him.  “Okay.  Thank you Jade.”  “You're welcome.”  He leaned back against the headboard.  I put some pillows behind him.  He fell asleep almost immediately.

I went to Aris.  “What else do you want me to do?”  “I want you to sit in that recliner and relax for a little while.”  I went to the recliner and sat.  You're right I'm tired.  Can I have a cigarette.  He lit me a cigarette, then lit one for himself and handed the pack to Max.  They both sat down to take a break with me.  “Did one of you push Ripley to go to sleep?”  “No, that was you,” Aris answered.  “But I don't know how.”  “It was instinct.  You knew what he needed and you did it.”  “I'm tired too.  Are you pushing me?”  “I am.  It is just automatic.  I will wake you when it is time to go.”  I finished my cigarette and put it out.  I leaned back to relax.  It wasn't long before I felt myself falling asleep.

I awoke with a start.  The room was dark except for the light from the fireplace.  I looked around.  Aris and Max were gone.  Ripley was still lying on the bed, sleeping soundly.  I swallowed a lump in my throat.  Standing right beside him was a stranger pointing a gun at his head.  The stranger turned to look at me.  It was the man from the alley.  I felt a prickly sensation all over.  He pulled the trigger.  I started screaming “Noooooooo.”

“Wake up Jade,” someone was shaking my arm.  My eyes flew open, still screaming.  It was Aris.  I looked over at Ripley and breathed a sigh of relief.  He was sitting up, awake now.  “Is she okay?” he asked.  “Yes.  It was just a nightmare,” Aris answered.  “We need to get out of here,” I told him.  “Okay.  The cars are loaded.  We just have you two left.”  I sat up, “Let's go.”  I put on warm clothes including white snow boots, green gloves and a green parka.  “We are going to get Ripley situated in the Jeep then we will come back for you.”  “I can walk,” I insisted.  “Can you do a walk thru and make sure we got everything?”  “Sure,” I answered, wanting to get out of here.  I walk through the cabin.  There is not much to check.  They even cleared out the refrigerator.  I walk out the front door into the cold dark night.  Aris looks my way.  He said something and then shut the front passenger door to the Jeep.

He turned and walked toward me.  Something zinged through the air.  He put up his hand.  Whatever it is, it just stopped about a foot before reaching him and fell to the ground.  I wonder how much my jaw dropped in that moment.  He made it to me.  “How do you do that?”  “That is why we wanted to come back for you.  Someone is shooting darts at us.”  “Shouldn't we do something about them?”  “We are.  Do not worry.”  “Where's Max?”  “Taking care of it.”

“Can you catch me a dart?”  “Sure.”  We walked out from the cover of the building.  Immediately a dart came whistling through.  He stopped it then caught it.  I took it from him.  “Whatever you do comes back to you.”  Not even knowing what it means or what will happen, I blew on the dart.  It raised up off of my hand and went sailing back to where it came from.  We watched as all of the other darts, one by one, raised up off of the ground and flew in the same general direction.  “Max, Ripley and Aris are protected.”  There was a cry, then a grunt from that direction.  We heard shouts.  Aris hurried me to the Lexus and opened the door.  I got in and cracked my window.  A few seconds later he got in the driver's seat.  “Max will be back soon,” I assured him, “cigarette please?”

He lit me a cigarette and then one for himself.  A few minutes later the back driver's side door opened and in came Max.  “I do not know what happened.  They are all dead or gone.”  “Jade happened,” Aris told him.  “Well I am glad.  I do not know if I would have survived.  There were about ten of them and they were all together in a group.”  He lit a cigarette.  “Is Ripley ready to go?”  “He is sleeping in the Jeep.”  “Good.  He needs to rest.”

“We need to stop by the main cabin and turn in the room keys.  We will also need to stop for fuel soon.” Aris stated.  “You will need to follow us, since you do not know where to go.”  “That is fine,” Max agreed.  We finished our cigarettes then Max got out and went to the Jeep.  We backed out.  Then he backed out and followed us to the main cabin.  “Lock the doors when I get out,” Aris told me, “I will not be long.”  He got out and went in to settle the account.  A few minutes later he came out, unlocked the door and got in.  “Any trouble?”  “Nope.”  We backed out and followed the messy driveway to the almost clear main road.  I turned and looked behind us.  Max was following close but at a safe distance.  We stopped for fuel at a truck stop on the outskirts of town.  Aris and Max both pumped fuel.  “Would you like anything,” Aris asked before he went in.  “Tea and chocolate,” I replied, hoping to finally get to savor chocolate after so many attempts at buying it and not getting to eat it.

A few minutes later, he got in and handed me a plastic sack.  It had two teas, four bags of Doritos, two Cokes and about ten Hershey bars.  “Are you trying to make me fat?” I smiled.  “I just want to be the one to put that look on your face.”  I looked down, embarrassed.  “Do not be embarrassed.  I will do it one way or another.”  “Is that a challenge?”  “It is,” he had the biggest, most dazzling smile.  He leaned over and gave me a feather light kiss.