Wasn't Expecting You

History on Repeat

Everything that goes up, must come down. With every high, there is a low. For every time in my life that things are smooth sailing, the tide turns, the waves get rough. Bad things happen to the people I love.

Their words are repeating in my mind over and over, it feels like a sick joke, one big prank. But I know it's not, it wasn't the first time and it's not this time either.

They were separated from the group.

There was a storm we didn't prepare for.

The search will continue in the morning, when we have light again.

It's too dangerous to stay out there. We can't have search groups go missing too.

He will be ok.

I'm sat in a corner, alone. Silent. Watching, but not seeing. Hearing, but not listening.

I remember when I was 11 years old. Night had fallen and dad should have been home. I sat in the front window of our family home waiting for his car to pull into the driveway. I watched as the big heavy raindrops splashed against the window. The front garden flooding by the planter boxes with the amount of water falling from the sky.

Mom was in her room, she hadn't come out all day, she never did when it was only her and I. I walked past her door a few times and could just see the flicker of light from the tv in the gap under the door. I didn't disturb her and she didn't check on me, that's just how it was.

Dad was always home by nightfall after his fishing trips. He promised he would always be home to make me dinner and put me to bed. Not tonight. I found a tin of soup in the pantry and made my own dinner. But that was an hour ago now, dad still wasn't home.

As I still sat in the window, I finally saw some headlights pull into the driveway. Only, that wasn't my dads car, it was a police car.

After they knocked on the door I had no choice but to get my mom. I hid around the corner as I heard them talk.

There was a storm that hit earlier than expected.

The search will continue in the morning, during daylight.

It's too dangerous to stay out there.

It's not looking good, I think you should prepare your daughter and yourself that he may not come home.

All around me now, people were moving, talking, making plans. Coach and some team members were again re-telling what happened to another police officer. Harper was wrapped up in Ethan's arms, crying. Ryan, pacing back and forth. The room around me was buzzing, people kept asking if I was ok, if I needed anything. I couldn't respond. I felt like I was stuck in a time warp, history on repeat.

36 hours earlier.

"If you pretend to be sick, you don't have to go on this stupid bonding trip and we can have the house to ourselves all weekend!" I pouted as I watched Joey opened and closed his draws to pack a bag of clothes.

The basketball team had a compulsory camping trip this weekend. It's the first week of spring and they are spending two nights in the bush. It was supposed to make them bond better as a team and condition them with some hardcore training or something before the finals. As if they needed any more bonding than what goes on in this house.

He zipped up his backpack and climbed back onto the bed, hovering above me on the other side of the blankets. "Baby, you know I would much rather stay here with you, if I had it my way we would never leave this bed again except to get food and shower. But I'm the vice captain and it's compulsory," he said before softly kissing my lips, then peppering soft teasing kisses along my jaw.