Not on my Watch

Chapter 4

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -Edmund Burke

                                                                                Late January, 2012

                                                                                    Park City, Utah

          Rowan awoke to bright daylight shining in her eyes.  She blinked sleepily, and opened her eyes.  She'd been having such a wonderful dream.  She was with Mike, on their wedding night...why did she have to wake up?   Plus, she was feeling sick to her stomach, probably from all the drama of the day before.   She took some ginger capsules from her fanny pack and the nausea went away.

          She saw the door wide open.  It was cloudy, but bright.  No wonder she'd awoken so...early? Well, she didn't know what time it was.   Funny, she didn't see her clock anywhere, and her arm seemed to be pinned to the bed so that she couldn't see her watch.  She yawned.  She wondered if there were anywhere she needed to be soon.  She hoped not.  She felt all snug and cozy here in bed.  She was warm, safe, and protected.  She smiled.  As she tried to raise her arms over her head to stretch them, she felt them bump against something.   What the hell?  She looked up and saw a man's bare arms around her, holding her tight.  "Mike?" she whispered.  "When did you get home?  I missed you like crazy!"

          She turned toward the wall and found herself facing Vin, eyes closed, still asleep.  What the... she thought again.   Then, in an instant, conscious thought returned to her, and the memories of the last twenty-four hours came flooding back in.   It was like a nightmare.   Now she wished she'd remained asleep.   The one good thing about this situation was that she and Vin were friends again.  She gazed at him as he slept.  He was so masculine, strong, and handsome.  She knew it was only to keep her warm, but she loved the feel of his arms around her.  In fact, knowing he'd held her close all night so she wouldn't freeze to death made her feel protected and cared for.  In that way, she wished they never had to leave this place.   She sighed. Back to reality, though.   The storm appeared to have abated at last, so they had to leave and find out what had happened to their comrades and the other movie-goers.  Oh, how I wish I could stay here forever, and never have to go back to reality!

          As she continued to drink in the beauty of Vin's face, he opened his eyes and looked at her, then smiled sleepily.  "Oh, what a beautiful vision for my eyes to behold, first thing in the morning," he breathed, and brushed his hand across her cheek.

          "Stop it!" Rowan admonished, punching him playfully.  Vin lightly punched her back, laughing.

            "Yeah, you're right.   I shouldn't say such things."  He sighed and sat up.

           Rowan sat up as well, and the sudden movement made her feel sick to her stomach, probably from all the drama of the day before.  She took some ginger capsules from her fanny pack and the nausea went away. She then remembered Vin's wound and asked about it. "Let's see that bandage," she demanded.

          He complied.

          "It looks like it's still wrapped ok.  Looks clean, too, no blood stains.  How do you feel?"

          Vin assessed that.   "Alright.  A little drained of energy, but otherwise fine, physically."

          He looked towards the cave entrance, which was covered with snow.  "Looks like we'll have to dig ourselves out," he sighed.  "Well, let's get to it.  We have to see if we can find out what happened and if we can locate everyone else."