One Last Time

10

Buck

 Buck needed a drink. The day seemed endless and his stomach was growling with hunger. The lodge manager had graciously offered everyone free soup and salads for dinner. The blizzard still stormed on, confining everyone stranded at the resort who did not leave before the collapse. His stomach burned with emptiness.

After Bobby had warmed up, Maddie and Buck spoke with the man in charge of providing rooms to sleep in. He reassured them, that they weren't charging anybody for the unexpected stay, but were over their capacity meaning they were squishing couches and air mattresses into anywhere they could fit. Maddie pleaded for a room for the seven of them.

That resulted in them cramming into a two-bedroom hotel room. They only possessed a couple of belongings, everything else was back at their old hotel. Buck glanced at his watch, reading "9:05 PM". He was anxious to lie down after their intense physical activity. His calves ached from skiing.

Hen and Chimney were quiet, most likely due to their loss of a patient. Eddie was in the washroom, taking a few moments to himself. Buck debated whether he should check on his friend. Would he even know what to say? He'd only ever pulled Eddie out of one breakdown. Even then, Buck still replayed the scenario in his head, pondering upon different things he could've said. Bobby always told them not to play the "What if," mind game on calls. What if he moved faster? What if he said something different? What if...

But that principle applied to life too, he hated overthinking and second-guessing himself, especially when Eddie was involved. Their bond was unbreakable yet he felt like he was carrying around his mother's rare glassware."Where are we going to sleep?" his sister huffed, interrupting his thoughts. She placed her hands on her hips. "What am I going to wear? We don't have anything."

Bobby, who was sitting down for once, tried to calm Maddie's nerves. "Once this blizzard passes over we will get all our belongings back."

"In the meantime, we need to cooperate because there are a lot of people who are stuck here with us," Athena scolded in a mom-like manner. "And a lot have it worse than us." Everyone fell silent, picturing the man sobbing in the lodge over the death of his wife. Buck looked at the ground, his foot tapping rapidly.

"How about the girls take a bed, the boys will take another. Bobby gets the couch," Chimney announced, breaking the silence.

"Sounds good," Maddie replied quietly. Her attention quickly turned to Buck. Startled, he nodded in agreement unsure of the pressurized stare she was giving her. Eddie joined them, his hair looking brushed and a weak smile pasted on his face. His eyes were still red, yet no one dared to acknowledge it.

The girls left to mind their own business in a separate room. Bobby layed on the couch covered in several blankets. He fiddled with the high-tech TV remote, pressing every button possible. The TV bounced between channels.

There was noise all over the lodge, the thin walls didn't help. Buck was gaining a headache, he assumed from the lack of food. Eddie sat on the bed, scrolling through his phone. Chimney was on the other side, hands folded in his lap.

"I'm going to scavenge for food," Buck said, fingers crossed that Eddie was hungry too. "Anyone wanna come?"

"Where you going?" Chimney asked, still looking at the ground.

"There were some vending machines in the hallway," he replied. Chimney shrugged but didn't move. Bobby yawned. Buck sighed and dug out his wallet from his back pocket, grateful he'd decided to bring it along. "I'll be back," he called over his shoulder.

In the hallway, he shut the door tightly, grasping a key card in his hand. It was late and all the families with young children were probably fast asleep. However, many young teenagers and adults were awake downstairs, their chatter rising through the floor. The hallway smelt musty and mud had stained the meticulously designed pattern on the carpet floor. Decorative lights were lined against the wall, lighting a path for Buck.