Taken

Chapter Sixteen--DENNY

                                                                  PART TWO BEGINS

                                                 ~TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LATER~

From my perch at the window, I saw spring.  Budding trees, no more frost, and a warm sun.  The scent was strong and definite as it came through the crack of the window opened just slightly—a scent that proclaimed that winter was no longer present.  The birds had returned and filled the forests around the cabin with chirps and songs too amazing for human ears to understand.

          “What are you watching?” Grady asked, coming up behind me, bringing with him the familiar smell of evergreens, of Jeremiah. 

          I didn’t answer, for my hard gaze out the window was answer enough.  I wasn’t thinking about spring anymore, I was thinking about how every time I thought of Jeremiah, there was an inkling of a feeling that he might not come back, that I may never see him or hug him again.  It was overwhelming and I wanted to cry.

          I didn’t, though.  I wouldn’t let myself get worked up over something that may not happen.  So instead I took a deep breath and faked a smile that at least seemed genuine.  “Hey there.”

          “Hey.”  Grady set his cup of tea on the window sill and rested his arm on the back of my chair.  “Staring into space again?”

          I hated how he could read me like a book.  My face fell and I felt a lump rise in my throat.  “I still miss him,” I said, not louder than a whisper and swiveled to look in Grady’s sympathetic eyes.

          “Everything will turn out just fine,” he replied, after too long of a silence.  I tried not to let on that I saw the flicker of doubt cross over his eyes.  I bit my lip to keep my mind off the tears.

          “I hope your right.”

          Grady patted me on the back gently and his hand lingered.  “I’m always right!” he said in his joking way and I had no choice but to laugh.  I couldn’t help myself. 

          Grady and I had turned out to be good friends.  Then again, when you were stuck in a cabin in the middle of a forest with the only signs of civilization being a couple about a mile away, then you couldn’t really hate the person.  We were good friends because he didn’t give me a reason to, and I liked him for that.

          We had a lot of free time to talk, and while we had lots conversations where we couldn’t stop laughing, we also had serious conversations too.  He was kind and had a good sense of humor, something—I hate to say—Jeremiah kind of lacked.  Even though Jere would laugh at funny things, he was a sensitive guy and had some uptight moments, but I still loved him. 

          That’s why it killed me when he left.

          It was a frigid day and we had planned for it for a week.  He had made his own weapons, except for the pistol he had been given from Ladd and a few boxes of shells, and I had given him a carved bear, a replica of my necklace.  I wasn’t as good with a knife as he was, but at least it resembled a bear a little. 

          I gave it to him before he left, and he had me put it on him immediately.  I told myself I wouldn’t cry, but I did anyways.  He held me in his arms before he finally had to peel away and leave.  “If I’m not back in three months, don’t come find me.  Just go on with life.  Grady will protect you, Sarah will be there for you to lean on when your down.  Take care of Haven.  I love you.”  Then he left.

          Grady came to wrap an arm around my shoulder and I didn’t care about the tears anymore.  I wept into his orange shirt and didn’t even think twice about the wet spots when I left him and Haven in the yard and locked myself in the bedroom.

          Those last words played over and over in my head now as me and Grady went to the kitchen and I poured myself a cup of tea from the pitcher that Sarah had sent over the day before. I still missed him as much as I did that day, but it was easier to handle.  Sure, it was worse from time to time, but it was getting better.  I still had Haven and Grady, and Sarah and Ladd were like parents to me.  At least I wasn’t alone.  

          “What’s for lunch?” Grady asked, even though we had just had breakfast an hour before.

          “Is that all you think about? Food?” I rolled my eyes.  “Sarah invited us over.”

          “Ah.”

          We sat in silence for a moment, me staring out the window across from where I was sitting and him drumming his fingers on the table.  It was a rare silence, but I was thankful it wasn’t awkward.  Sometimes I just needed the quiet.

          I stood, finishing my tea and bringing Grady’s over to the sink as well.  I boiled a gallon or two of water and let it cool before plugging the drain and filling the sink.  I submerged the cups and scrubbed the grits of the leaves out of the bottom, then rinsed them with cold water and laid them on a towel.  It sure was a different process then the way I used to wash dishes. 

          When I thought about washing dishes, I thought about the way Jeremiah washed them for me when he found me still at home.  I couldn’t help but wonder where he was now.