𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭 | d.dixon

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

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Bentley finished her game of tag with the two. She wiped the sweat from her face. 

"Alright now do your school." Bentley nodded. The two scurried off to the corner. She walked over to Jim.

"How ya feeling?" She asked sitting down onto her knees.

Shane ended up tying Jim to a tree. "Better." 

Bentley smiled as Shane walked up to them holding a bucket of water.

"Jim, take some water?" He asked, 

"Alright." Jim nodded. "Yeah? All right. Here you go, bud." Shane lifted a blue mug filled with water to the man's lips. He slowly sipped.

"Pour some on my head?" He asked. Shane nodded and poured some over Jim's head.

"Yeah. Cooling you down, huh?" Shane asked. Bentley looked to him with a smile.

"You already look much better." Bentley reached a hand up to his cheek. 

"How long you gonna keep me like this?" Jim asks. Shane shakes his head.

"Well, yeah. Until I don't think that you're a danger to yourself or others." He replied.

"Sorry if I scared your boy and your little girl." Jim apologized over to Lori and Carol.

"You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you." Jim asked Sophia. "No sir." 

"Your mama's right. Sun just cooked my head is all." Jim smiled.

"Hey, do you remember why you were digging?" Bentley asked the man. 

"I had a reason. Don't remember. Something I dreamt last night. Your dad was in it. You were too. You were worried about him. Can't remember the rest. You worried about your dad?" Jim looks to Lori and Carl.

"They're not back yet." Carl says.

"We don't need to talk about that." Lori tells Jim. 

"Your dad's a police officer, son. He helps people. Probably just came across some folks needing help, that's all. That man, he is tough as nails. I don't know him well but... I could see it in him. Am I right?" Jim says.

"Oh yeah." Shane agreed.

"There ain't nothing gonna stop him from getting back here to you and your mom, I promise you that." Jim stated. 

"All right. Who wants to help me clean some fish, huh?" Shane changes the subject.

" Sweet. Come on, Sophia." Carl runs over to Shane, Sophia and Carol following.

"Stay with Carol, all right?" Lori says.

Lori walks over to Jim. "You keep your boy close. You don't ever let him out of your sight." Jim tells her. Lori nods.

Several hours had passed and the sky got darker and the air got slightly cooler.

"I, uh, built up the rocks all around. See? So the flames can be a little higher and have 'em be hidden." Moreales explains. 

"Hey, Jim. How you feeling, man?" Shane asks.

"I'm better. More myself now." Jim replies.

"I hope you understand the need for this... this timeout. I've got others I've got to think about. I just want to make sure there's no... there's no hard feelings." Shane speaks. Jim nods.

"There's not. I do understand." Jim says. Shane begins to untie him.

"Okay. Why don't you come join in with the rest of us? Big ol' fish fry." Shane smiles. Bentley walks over to Carl and wraps a arm around him.