Fly ∆way Girl

|25|

|UNSTE∆DY|

My father finally arrived when it was almost dark outside.

We heard his truck pull up, and Harley jumped up to go get him.

Minutes later, she was dragging him through the fence that surrounded the back yard. He seemed tired, and worn out, but all that changed when he saw Baylor's unconscious body in the grass.

"I'm sorry daddy, we were just playing, and he fell down..." Harley started.

His face went pale, and he took off in a frantic dash towards us. "Harley, where's your mother?!" He asked her.

"She's asleep again." Harley answered.

They both huddled over him. My father checked his pulse, and a tiny spark of relief flooded over him. He must have found a heart beat.

"He's still alive. Go get in your car seat." He commanded her.

She ran towards the front yard while my father carefully lifted Baylor in his arms.

Tears were flowing down my own face now even though I knew he would be okay.

Josiah pulled me into an embrace. "Do you want to go somewhere else to take a break?" He asked.

I knodded my head. When he let me go, we were in a huge green field on a sunlit day. More soft grass surrounded us, but a knitted picnic blanket was beneath our feet.

I sat down next to a closed basket, and he joined me.

I tried to take my mind off of what I just saw, maybe distract myself with some questions. For the first time in however long I've been here, no questions came to mind. None that really mattered anyway.

"I can't believe you aren't loading me down with questions right now." Josiah said with a smile. I think that was an attempt to cheer me up.

"I can't stop thinking about what happened. Besides, you never answer the juicy questions anyway."

His grin widened. "I answer the ones that will benefit you. I'm here to help you, not hurt you."

As usual, I didn't quite understand what he meant.

"I brought some snacks for you." He said, raising his eyebrows a few times in a silly way. I've never seen playful Josiah, he's always so serious. The one day I'm not in the mood is the day he decides to have a personality.

"I don't want snacks." I said, shutting him down.

He nudged my arm. "Come on Harley, I brought some of your favorite foods." He said.

This actually did spark my curiosity, and he noticed. I don't really remember what foods I liked, but it would be nice to know a little bit more about myself.

He pulled the basket over in front of us. "I brought some cookies, chocolate chip specifically." He said in a taunting tone.

"My grandmother's cookies were my favorite." I do remember that. "Those won't be as good anyway."

He pulled one out, and took a bite. "I don't know Harley, they are pretty good to me."

They did smell really good.

I took one from the basket, and took a small bite. They tasted exactly like my grandma's cookies. I think they were her cookies. "How did you...?" I stopped myself before I asked another unanswered question. "I'll just enjoy them."

He smiled wide. He knew he had just provided me with the best cookies in the world.

After I had eaten three, he offered me a mason jar with hot tea in it. The tag read "chamomile". I wasn't sure I had ever had it before, but it was delicious. "This is awesome! Where have I had this before?"