Whisper My Name

Chapter17

February 8, 1992

Charles Wright Cabin, Outside Telluride

You've got to believe

And I don't know, I don't know

What I believe anymore

Or whether to leave, or whether to stay

Or what I can say...

~ How Deep It Goes ~ Heart ~

The following morning, John was rethinking the whole plan as he was helping the twins make sure they had everything they needed for the trip to see their grandparents. What if Abe was followed? It was possible, and that would add another layer of danger to this plan. What if one of the children were injured during the exchange? What if Abe was distracted, for even a moment? All of the old fears, the ones that had pushed him to make plans to begin with and left him with crippling anxiety late into the night, started to return.

He'd climbed up to the loft and offered to assist with the packing because Marlena was becoming emotional. He couldn't allow himself to get lost in those feelings. His intrusive thoughts about every possible way their plan could go wrong were not helping in that respect. The twins couldn't know exactly how much danger they were all presently in. They were children. They couldn't know how upset Marlena was going to be when she said goodbye to them. The idea was that they were taking a fun trip to see their grandparents, and explore the Denver area for a couple weeks.

Beside him, Eric lay on the bottom bunk bed, staring at Sami across the room, "Tail Spin is better because it has adventures and flying, plus all the characters from Jungle Book. DuckTales is boring and dumb."

John smirked. The argument, as best as could be done between two seven-year-olds, had been going on for a couple of days.

Sami stood up, her little fists sitting on her hips so reminiscent of her mother, "DuckTales had adventure! And they're rich, so they can go swimming in their money!"

Eric rolled off the bed, "Tell her, Daddy! Tell her that adventure is better than money!"

John reached for the boy, wrapping his broad arm around his tiny body, and he pulled him close. "I think," he said, ruffling Eric's hair, "that you and your sisters are about to go on an adventure."

Sami grinned. She loved her daddy so much, and even if she had another daddy, she loved the one in front of her the best.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Carrie knocked on Marlena's bedroom door softly, and when she peeked into the room she found Marlena sitting on the bed. She watched her wipe the tears from her face quickly, with the back of her hand, as she turned and said, "You can come in."

Carrie entered the room slowly, walking over to where Marlena sat on the edge of the bed. She sat down next to her, running her small hand over the colorful quilt that covered the mattress. "I know that you're sad about me and the twins leaving," Carrie said. "I'll watch out for them. I promise. I wanted you to know that you're one of the strongest, and bravest people I know."

"Carrie," Marlena said softly. She stroked the back of her fingers across Carrie's cheek, still surprised at how much she had grown. She could see the pain in Carrie's eyes, and even though Carrie sat there trying to put on a brave face, Marlena knew she had been through so much pain in her short life. "You are mature beyond your years. Don't forget you're still a child."