When will this aching pass
When will this night be through
I want to hear the breaking glass
I only feel the steel of the red hot truth
And I’d do anything to get it out of my mind
I need some insanity, that temporary kind
Tell me how will I ever be the same
When I know that woman is whispering your name
Somebody Bring me Some Water - Melissa Ethridge


She reached over and angrily shut off the damn radio. She didn’t need to hear that shit right now, even though it seemed oddly appropriate. She knew she better slow down, because she was driving too fast and not caring. She didn’t want to hurt anybody else so she lifted her foot and brought the car back within a safe speed. She knew it was too good, way too good to last. She knew it. She knew she only had him until that bitch decided to come back. She knew she was just something to fill the time. Damn it, how could she have been so stupid, so damn stupid. She had even allowed herself to think what they had might be something more than just a filler for him. Stupid. She kept replaying in her mind Lisa’s laugh and some of her hateful words.

“I decided to forgive him, so he can stop playing with you and come back to me, where he belongs,” she said. She was wearing some hideously expensive and glamorous suit and she looked fantastic. Lisa carried herself in a way that she knew she never could. She was tall, beautiful and elegant, all the things that she could never be.

She managed to unlock her door through her blurred vision. She grabbed her bags and threw clothing in, not sure where she was going, but knew she was leaving. She couldn’t be here when she knew he was with her. She made sure to grab her passport and her keys. In less than ten minutes she was packed and ready to leave. She was thinking of where she would go as she drove to the airport. It had been a while since she’d been to the west coast, not California again. Somewhere she’d need a passport, Mexico or Canada . She’d decide based on the lines at the ticket counters at the airport.

Mike came out of the gym and found her standing next to his truck. He was almost sick to his stomach at seeing her again. He had hoped he’d never have to deal with her and her manipulations again.

She flipped her honey blonde hair off her shoulder and said, “Hi sweetheart. I missed you. I’ve decide to forgive you.”

He couldn’t believe the shit that was coming out of her mouth. Did she honestly think he’d care what the hell she said? He stayed silent, not trusting himself to speak. She took his silence for agreement.

“I’m so happy to be back home, where I belong, where we belong,” she reached for his hand. He pulled his hand away from her grasp.

“Get the fuck away from me, bitch. I don’t know what you’ve been smoking this time, but it must have been good.” He let his disgust of her show clearly, something he never did before. “Why do you think I’d want you? I don’t give a shit what you think or feel anymore. Got that,” he roared at her.

She couldn’t believe he was treating her this way. She thought she had given him enough time to cool off and get that other female out of his system. Maybe she miscalculated. Maybe she just needed to turn it up a notch. Another thought had occurred to him.

“Where’s Carrie? What did you do to her? What did you say to her, bitch!” His temper was up.

“Why do you care what I said to your little slut? I’ve decided to forgive you so you don’t need her anymore. She crawled back into the hole that she came out of, I’m sure,” she said condescendingly and flipped her blonde hair off her shoulder, again. This wasn’t going like she had planned.

“You bitch! Why do you give a shit about me or what I’m doing? Did Daddy’s money start to run out?” She blinked and he knew he hit the target. Shit, now his biggest worry was to find Carrie. This female just needed to go away, permanently.

“Get away from me. I don’t love you, I never loved you. You’re a sick bitch. You need help, but not from me,” he said as he reached for his keys.

He peeled her off of his truck door, climbed in and locked it. She pounded on his window and screamed at him. He ignored her as he dug for his cell in his gym bag. He had to get a hold of Carrie. There was no telling what that psycho bitch told her. He started up his truck and gunned it out of the parking lot, leaving her far behind. Once on the road, he dialed her number and listened to it ring, and ring, and ring. Shit, now what. Think. Call her place. Same thing, it just rang and rang and flipped over to voice mail.

He said, “Carrie, babe? Where are you? I came out of the gym and you were gone. I want to talk to you, please. Call me when you get this please. I love you.”

He wasn’t sure where to look, but decided to drive to her place, just in case she was there but ignoring the phones. His heart pounded, he had a bad feeling, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. It didn’t look like anyone was home, but he rang the bell anyway. No answer. He knocked, no answer. He knocked again, still no answer. Oh God, his bad feeling was getting worse. He got back in his truck and drove to his house, in case she went there. He tried her cell again, just in case.

He decided he needed to leave a message for her, “Babe, you’re scaring me. Please call me. I want to talk to you, please. I love you.”

He slowed as he pulled into his driveway. What the hell was she doing here? Was she stupid or what? How many times did he have to tell her no?

“God damn it, I said go away! Get the hell away from me. I never want to see you again. Don’t you get that? Leave me alone to live my own life,” he bellowed at her as he emerged from his truck.

She was not dissuaded. This was her Mike, her man and she loved a good fight. If that’s what he wanted to prove his love for her, then that’s what he was going to get.

“I told you I forgive you. How many more times do I need to say it? Are you deaf? I know you’re not very smart, but I didn’t think you were deaf too,” she sneered. Oh, she was just warming up, this was going to be great and the sex after was going to be fantastic. She licked her lips in anticipation.

He turned around silently and got back in his truck. His heart pounded faster; he had a very bad feeling. He pulled into traffic again and tried to calm himself. His hands were slick with sweat and shook on his steering wheel. He picked up his cell and called Kris.

“Hi Mike, what can I do for you today,” Kris said brightly.

“Please tell me you’ve talked to Carrie in the last half hour,” he said urgently.

“Mike! What’s wrong? You sound sick?” Kris knew something had happened.

“Have you? Have you talked to her recently,” he pleaded. Please tell me yes, he thought as he said a quick prayer in the brief second he waited.

“No. I haven’t spoken to her since this morning. Please tell me what’s happened, you’re scaring me,” she said.

David heard the tone of her voice but not the conversation and followed his wife’s voice into the kitchen. He was alarmed to see she was crying and pacing with the phone up to her ear. He took the phone away.

“This is Dave,” he said.

“Dave, jesus buddy. Carrie’s gone”, Mike sounded like he was in tears too.

“What? What do you mean gone?” He started to worry, but now understood his wife’s tears. She had just sat down at the kitchen table and cried. He walked over to her and put his hand on the back of her head and let her lean into him and cry while he held her.

“Fucking bitch Lisa showed up today, at the gym. I didn’t see her until she had already said or did something to Carrie to make her run away. I’ve tried her phones, I tried her condo, hell I even tried my place. Lisa had the balls to be there, but no sign of Carrie. Any ideas?”

“You call Wease?” David asked.

“Oh shit, no, I’ll try them. I didn’t think of that. I’ll call you back in a minute,” he said and disconnected.

“Honey, we’ll find her. Just be patient,” he said to his wife. She shook her head.

“Dave, you don’t know. You don’t know her or how she can be. She could be half way to Spain by now and looking in to taking up permanent residence. She’s lived in lots of places. I had hoped she’d stay this time, but this might be the thing that pushes her away for good.” She kept rocking herself, trying to calm herself, but it wasn’t working. Nothing was working. The phone chirped once.

“Yeah,” David said without introductions.

“They haven’t heard from her either. Any other ideas?”

“Kris thinks we need to check the airport, but they won’t tell us if she’s on a flight.” He knew it was a frustration of Kris’ when he was delayed and regulations wouldn’t let them tell her if her husband was a passenger.

“Well, how the fuck do we find her? Do I just need to go the airport and start walking the concourses? It’s a huge airport Dave, I could miss her,” Mike said as he drove through traffic and changed lanes to go to the airport.

“I’ll be right there with you. I’m getting in the car and I’ll meet you at the ticket counters. Keep calm buddy. We’ll find her. I’ll call you when I get there and we’ll go from there.” He knew that she hated confrontations, and whatever went on with Lisa would have been horrible. He was betting she was getting on a flight somewhere. Now the trick was to figure out where.

“Kris, can you do me a favor and go to her place and look and see if she packed a case and call my cell once you’re there.” She just looked at him numbly and nodded. She went to get the baby and tried not to wake her as she put her in the car seat. She had a bad feeling about this.

On the drive to the airport, David went through a list of people to call if they couldn’t find her at the airport. He knew the people she knew in wrestling, but was frustrated to realize she had a completely separate professional life that he knew nothing about. He hoped Kris would know. He also hoped he wouldn’t have to call Hunter. Telling Hunter he’d lost Lil’ Sis was the last thing he wanted to do. It didn’t matter to Hunter that she was her own person. Hunter was adamant in reminding him that she was his responsibility every chance he got and Hunter was going to hold him to it. He started to get an ache right behind his eyes.

Kris opened her front door with one hand and Melissa in the other. She quickly walked to her bedroom and realized she had missed her. She was gone. She packed and left to God knows where. Okay, she needed to do a quick check to see if she could tell where by what type of clothes she packed. After flipping through the closet, she still didn’t know, she had taken summer and outdoor clothes, not parkas, but cooler weather stuff. Oh no, she took her passport. Oh my God.

“Dave? Are you at the airport yet?” she asked frantically.

“Just parking now. What did you find out?”

“She’s gone. She’s gone,” Kris wailed into the phone.

“Kris, tell me what you mean honey,” he asked patiently.

“She’s taken her passport,” she wailed. Shit, that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. The ache behind his eyes shifted to a definite pain.

“Okay, what types of clothes are missing, maybe that’ll help.” He hoped it would narrow the search a little.

“I can’t tell, she took a real mixed bag, not all summer beach stuff, some outdoor camping type stuff too.” Oh no, she’s gone, she’s really gone this time, Kris thought.

“Damn, okay. Keep your ear open for the phone in case it’s her. We’ll call if we find her or once we’re done here. Don’t give up yet sweetie. We’ll find her.” Dave locked up his car and started to walk towards the terminal and flipped open his phone as he did so.

Kris’s cell rang while she was in the car driving home. “You’ve found her,” she said as she answered the phone.

“Um no, Kris. Sorry”

“Wease? Oh God, any ideas,” she asked.

“You check the airport?”

“Dave and Mike are doing that now. She took her passport.” She could hear him sigh on the other end and knew he was dragging his fingers through his hair, just like his sister did.

“Kris, do you want me to check manifests,” he asked her quietly.

“Um, yes if you think you can?” She knew he had just asked her if she wanted him to break the law, several laws and she had said yes.

“Shit, piece of cake. You think leaving local and going international, right?”

“Yes”

“Okay, I’ll scan a four hour time fame and give you a call back,” he said as keyboard tapping could be heard. In less than five minutes, her phone rang again.

“Yes?”

“She went to Toronto ,” said Wease triumphantly. “Oh shit, wait. Shit!”

“What? What does that mean,” she asked him. She could hear him mutter to himself and more keyboard tapping.

“She’ll land in Toronto , but won’t stay there. It’s just a stop. Shit!” he said at himself for being some damn stupid. “Okay, this is gonna take me a while,” he told her.

“Why,” she asked, thinking he could get into any computer, anywhere, at any time.

He sighed before he said, “The Canadian government uses better software to keep eyes out. Don’t worry, there’s always a way, it’ll just take me longer,” he said.

“Okay, keep me posted. Thanks, Wease,” and she disconnected and dialed another number.

“Dave here.”

“Wease found out she’s flying into Toronto ,” she told him.

“ Toronto ? Why there? Okay, now we just need to find the next flight.”

“No, honey. It’s just a layover, we don’t know where she’s headed, but we do know she’ll touch down in Toronto . We just have to wait for Wease to find out more. He said it would take him a little longer.”

“Damn, I thought we had something there. Let me call Mike so he can stop searching and start packing. Thanks baby, you’re the best.” He hit one of his speed dial buttons, the phone was answered before the first ring finished.

“Carrie?”

“No sorry, it’s Dave. Wease found out that she’s already in flight to Toronto . We don’t know where she’s headed yet, that’s just a connection or something. Once we find out, you need to be packed and ready so you can get your ass on a plane, Buddy.”

“Do I need a passport? I left mine at home, since I was just going to the gym, then a nice dinner with...” He stopped himself, because he was going to loose it and he didn’t want Dave to hear.

“I don’t know. But it’s safest to have it, just in case. Let me find out where the final destination is. Drive your ass home and grab your passport so you can catch a flight, once we know where she lands. Sound like a plan?”

“Yeah, I’m walking to my truck now. I’ll call you if there are any changes or if by some miracle she’s at my house,” Mike said as he left the noisy airport.

***

Mike pulled up to Dave’s house frantic, after another clash with Lisa as he grabbed his passport at his house. He knocked on the door and was admitted by Liz. She would have known something was up by his quick, “hey” to her if she didn’t already. He usually took some time to say something, but not this time. He walked past her to find David in the kitchen with Kris. She was on the phone.

“He’s here right now,” she said as she paced.

“Tell him he’s fucked if he wants to fly out tonight,” Wease said.

“Why,” she asked. She knew this was the last thing Mike wanted to hear.

“No flights arriving or departing National this evening and looks like it’s going to last for the next day or so,” he explained.

“Um, why and how do you know,” she asked. As soon as she said it, she realized how stupid it was.

“You know how I know, let’s not talk about that. The airport is locked down because of some nut. They haven’t found him yet, but they have found some stuff. So officially they are telling the news it’s terrorist activity,” Wease said. His tone told her plainly what he thought of the official spin that was being used.

“What about any others close by? Can’t he fly from any of the other big ones in the area,” she asked him. She could see Mike was following the conversation, at least half of it and he was starting to pace.

“No, all of D.C is locked down, precautionary they say. The other two are long ass drives away. Plus they don’t have as many flights. I can check if he wants me to, but I think sitting tight for a day or so is best. We know where she is sorta, and that she’s safe,” he said.

“Do we? Do we know she’s safe, Wease.” Kris asked. She heard him sigh again and knew he was dragging his fingers through his hair, again. She could hear Ethan’s quiet cry in the background.

“Yes, she’s not doing anything really stupid. She just ran for some space and time, don’t you think, Kris,” he asked her. He didn’t blame her with all the recent shit. He was reminded why she always tried to avoid any kind of ties, for this exact reason. He felt like running too, but he had ties and one of them was making himself known currently.

“I hope so sweetie. I hope you’re right,” she said. She could hear Ethan’s crying getting louder. “Wease, I’ll talk to you later, sounds like you have a baby to feed. Keep me posted. If we need to make changes, we’ll call,” she said.

“Okay, talk to you soon Kris,” as he hung up. She knew he was worried too, but didn’t want to share it with her. She disconnected the phone and turned to the two large men in her kitchen. Liz was hanging out too, she noticed. She took a deep breath before she repeated Wease’s news to all of them. Liz stayed in the background, but she was listening and thinking, Kris could tell.

“What the hell am I supposed to do? Just sit here?” Mike asked them as he waved his hands in frustration.

“Kinda looks that way buddy. No point in trying to jump on a flight that might be stranded for days or something,” David said to his frantic friend.

Mike looked at him and said, “Where’s RAW this week?” David was surprised at the question but knew where his mind was going.

“Um, I think they’re on a mid west swing this week. Yeah, I think that’s where they are,” David told his worried friend.

“Call him. Ask him. I don’t give a shit about anything, just call him for me,” Mike said quietly. David nodded his understanding and walked away to make the call. Mike continued to pace in their spacious kitchen.

David came back into the room a few minutes later and said, “He suggested I also call her friend in Kentucky . Said he’d call if he heard anything.” He knew that Liz was absorbing everything that was said, so he kept it as minimal as possible.

“Just do it, I don’t care,” he said. David nodded again and dialed the next number as he walked away.

A male voice answered, but he remembered at the last minute that he had teenage sons, so he said, “Dave Batista here, is ‘Taker available?”

“This is him. What’s up that you’re calling me at home? Actually, I’m not at home, but you know what I mean,” he said amicably. David could hear a radio playing, he thought.

“Are you in a car,” David asked.

“Yeah, driving my son back to school. What’s up,” he asked again.

“Carrie’s flown the coop. Just up and left without a word and we can’t find her. Any ideas?”

“No shit? Um, er….I can’t say much right now, but why are we talking,” he asked, hoping the other man would understand what he didn’t say.

“We were hoping you might know where we could start to look for her and also to ask you to keep your eyes and ears open in case she contacts you. Mike just wants to know she’s safe, he’s a fucking wreck right now.”

“I can imagine. Okay. Let me think for a minute to see if you should make some more calls. I’m guessing you already called The Doctor,” ‘Taker asked. He used a different name so his son wasn’t included in the conversation. He could see he was bursting with curiosity in the passenger seat. He knew that they were still friends and communicated regularly.

“Yeah, he was the one that suggested we call you, just in case,” he explained.

“Okay. I’ll put my brain back in gear and give you a call on my way home. Keep me posted if something happens, okay,” he asked her brother in law.

“You got it and thanks,” David said as he walked back in to the kitchen and hung up. Mike looked at him and realized neither of the men had heard from her either.

top

end

She looked up from her attempt at reading and realized her cell light was blinking again, indicating she had another message. She grabbed it, and was going to delete it when she realized it was a text. He had only ever sent her a text once and that was today. It must have taken him a long time, she thought grimly, considering how small his phone was and how large his fingers were. She flipped open her phone and scanned through the message that read, “bt says phone home.”

She only knew of one person who called himself that and the text sounded urgent. She worried that he might have hurt himself again as she picked up the phone and dialed.

She interrupted him before he even finished saying hello, “What’s up? Are you okay?” He smiled at her concern.

“Baby, that’s what I’m asking you,” he said seriously.

“Are you sure you didn’t get dropped on your head or something,” she pressed.

“Nah. You got your boys worried,” he said as he tried to sound light hearted.

“What the hell are you talking about, John,” she asked as she raked her hair again.

“Dave called me a while ago,” he said

“Damn it,” was all she was able to say before he cut her off for once.

“Baby, he’s worried about you. Mike’s worried about you and now I’m worried about you. Are you okay,” he asked her.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just had a shitty day and needed to get the fuck away for a while,” she snapped at him. He wasn’t buying it, he knew her too well.

“Baby, I don’t believe you. You know why,” he asked her.

“Why,” she asked in a small voice.

“Because Dave said Mike asked him to call me. He said he didn’t care if you were with me; he just wanted to know that you’re safe. You must have scared the shit out of him. Are you safe, Carrie,” he asked.

“Yes, I’m safe. I’m far away from home and I’m safe for now. You can tell them that if they call and bug you again,” she said.

“Baby, things must be bad if Mike doesn’t care if you’re with me,” he said quietly. There was silence on the other end.
“Carrie, talk to me. Tell me how I can help you,” he said.

***

They had moved into the den to sit and wait. David knew his wife was worried, but she was also tired of watching Mike pace in their kitchen. Liz had automatically turned the tv on for some noise. David knew he’d wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone, if asked later, what was on the tv that night.

“I can’t stand it. How do we know if she’s safe? She isn’t answering her phone, I’ve tried texts, I’ve tried messages and I’ve tried email. She seems to have fallen off the face of the fucking earth,” Mike finished with a shout as he stood up so he could pace again.

“She’s safe,” Liz said quietly. All eyes turned to her on the couch at her comment.

“What did you say, Honey,” Kris asked her daughter.

“She’s safe. She sent me some emails today. I asked her where she was going and why and she told me,” Liz said to the stunned adults in the room. Mike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He shook his head like he was trying to clear the cob webs away.

“You know where she is,” he asked his oldest niece. She nodded. “Did she say exactly where,” he asked her.

“No. She just said she was going west. Said she missed it and hadn’t been there in a while and she was going exploring tomorrow,” she shared.

“What?” Mike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Carrie was communicating with Liz in spite of everything. “Did you think it was weird she emailed you?”

“No, we email all the time. Sometimes ten times a day. She’s really funny and she lets me say what I want without giving me grief,” Liz explained.

Kris knew Carrie and Liz emailed, but she didn’t know it was so often. She’d ask Carrie about it next time she talked to her, when ever that was.

“Did she say how long she was going to stay,” Kris asked.

“No, I don’t think so. She just said,” she looked at her Uncle Mike, ”she said she didn’t want to be here anymore.”

At her last comment, Mike threw his hands in the air and started pacing again and swearing.

“Buddy, lets go for a walk,” Dave said to his frantic friend with a quick glance at his wife.

He wanted him to calm down and didn’t want to freak Liz out anymore than they already had. He grabbed his arm and escorted him out the door. Mike looked at him like he was insane for a second, then understanding showed in his face and he went without a fight. Kris waited until she heard the front door shut behind them before she turned back to her daughter.

“Honey, do you know why she left,” Kris asked her daughter gently.

Liz nodded.

“Did Carrie tell you,” she asked her.

Liz nodded again.

“Did she say if she was ever coming back,” Kris asked her as her voice cracked.

Liz looked at her mom quickly. It never dawned on her that her Aunt Carrie might not come back. Her dark eyes got very large and she just shook her head. Kris took her daughter into her arms and held her, for both of their sakes. Liz started to cry, but tried hard to hide it. Kris just held her, without comment. When she finally seemed to have finished crying, Kris pulled away and looked at her with an understanding smile.

“I don’t think she’d leave with out telling you, do you,” Kris asked her. Liz shook her head, hoping her mom was right. They wandered into the family room and sat down on the oversized furniture, enjoying the quiet. Kris was relieved that Mikie was staying at a friend’s house, after consuming huge amounts of pizza she was sure.

David and Mike came back inside after a while, Kris wasn’t sure how long they’d been gone, but was glad that Dave had thought to remove Mike for a while. David took one look at his daughter and sat next to her on the couch, something she hadn’t let him do for months. She usually got up and moved. This time she stayed and leaned into her dad for a hug. David was happy to hug her and let her know he loved her.

“It’s okay, honey, it’s okay” he said to her and he rubbed her back gently.

Mike watched from one of the huge chairs and kept quiet. He didn’t know what to say and he didn’t want to scare his niece any more than he already had.

“Anybody else want a beer,” he asked as he got up.

The two other adults nodded in response.

“Liz, what can I get for you,” he asked the back of her head.

She kept her head buried in her dad’s chest and just shook her head. Mike frowned, not knowing what to say to that. He came back in after a few minutes with three opened beers and some of Liz’s favorite flavored water. He set it down on the end table so she could have it if she wanted.

“Now what do we do,” Mike asked them in a much calmer tone.

He was coming to the conclusion that he had lost her forever thanks to that bitch showing up and screwing up everything that was going good in his life. He was angrier at her than he had ever been, but he was also worried sick about Carrie. He had no idea what Lisa said to her, but knowing Lisa he was sure it was nasty. It took him over thirty five years to find the right woman and be genuinely happy. He knew it probably took Lisa less than five minutes to destroy it.

“We wait, like Wease said,” Kris said quietly.

“At least we know she’s safe, thanks to Liz,” David said.

“Yes, thanks Liz. I am relieved to know she’s safe. Thanks,” Mike said directly to his niece.

She was still buried in her dad’s chest in a hug, but she started to sit back up and pull away to sit on her own again. She still held her dad’s hand, not quite ready to break contact.

“You’re welcome, Uncle Mike. She sounds like she’s really upset. Can you help,” she asked him.

“Only if she’ll let me, sweetie. Right now she’s shut me out,” he admitted. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I tried everything I could think of.”

Liz was quiet as she thought about his words. She really liked her Uncle Mike and Aunt Carrie and was happy that they were a couple, finally. She didn’t want her aunt to leave him. She had been so happy since they had been together, she knew. Plus, Uncle Mike was a lot funnier since he was with Aunt Carrie. She wanted to help but wasn’t sure how.

“Um, Uncle Mike,” she said tentatively.

“Yeah,” he looked her way.

“I still have the emails she sent me today. You think if you read them that…you might,” she paused because she knew what one of them said, but she still wanted to try to help. Her parents were quiet on the couch, but they shared a long look. Mike’s gaze sharpened as he listened to his niece.

“Yeah, it might help. I’m willing to try anything,” he said with a sad smile to his oldest niece.

She let got of her dad’s hand finally and stood up, expectantly. Mike squinted at her quick action, but understood. He stood up and motioned her to lead the way. Kris and David shared another long look. Kris eventually leaned over and kissed his cheek and left him on the couch alone as she followed the two upstairs.

Liz opened her door to her room and waved her hands at the mess that was her room.

“Sorry it’s so messy,” she said as she lifted a pile of stuff off the corner of her bed and deposited it on another pile on the floor, near her closet. That pile was perilously close to toppling over, she saw.

Mike smiled, “Don’t worry about it. My room used to be a pit when I lived at my parents’ house.” Liz didn’t believe him, he was always so neat. He saw her disbelief. “Really. If you don’t believe me, ask your dad. His room was worse.”

Liz smiled and shook her head, she couldn’t believe her dad was messy too when he was a kid. She had a hard time thinking of him as anything other than what he was now, her dad. Mike sat on the corner of her cleared off bed and waited. He hoped to get some kind of clue by reading today’s emails. Liz reached over and flipped on her computer.

“It’ll just be a couple of minutes” she said as she waited for the system to be ready. Kris was standing outside the room in the hall, just watching and listening, in case. Mike looked up at Liz and nodded. He also saw Kris standing outside the door and understood her reasons.

“Okay, here they are,” Liz cut through Mike’s thoughts. He jumped up and glanced at the screen and frowned. He watched as Liz opened the first one, sent sometime this morning. He tried to read it, but it was blurry.

Liz noticed his struggle and said, “You want me to print them out? That’ll be easier.”

He nodded and waited silently. Five minutes later, he was sitting on the end of her bed reading the last email Carrie had sent Liz. Liz gave them to him in order so they’d make sense. The bedroom was quiet as he held the paper in his hands. Liz stayed in her chair at her desk, because Uncle Mike hadn’t moved since she handed him the last piece of paper. She glanced over at him and saw tears on his face. Her eyes widened and she jerked her face back to her computer screen. She didn’t want him to be embarrassed that she’d seen him cry. She thought her dad was the only man that she knew that cried. She thought she knew her dad’s long time friend, but she’d learned more about him in the last few hours than she thought possible. But now she knew her Uncle Mike was also one of the big softies, as her Aunt Carrie called some men. She realized tonight that she didn’t really know her Uncle Mike very well. She loved him and had ever since she could remember, but she hadn’t known him other than just vaguely. After his silence and tears in her room, she knew that she liked him, too.

He drew a deep breath and said, “Thanks Peanut. I don’t know if it gives me any ideas of where to start to look for her, but at least I know a little bit more.”

Liz heard his sadness and her heart went out to him, she hadn’t meant to hurt him by showing him the emails, but she obviously had. He stood up and put the paper on her desk and met Kris’s gaze outside in the hall. He was surprised she had stayed the entire time. Liz stood up silently and wrapped her arms around his ribs and cried.

David grabbed his ringing phone.

“Dave here” he said, hoping it was Carrie or some news.

“Yeah, Dave. I just talked to her man, and she’s safe,” he told his worried friend.

“Thank God. Did she say where she was,” he asked John.

“No, even though I told her I wouldn’t tell you, she still said no. Any word from Kentucky ,” John asked.

“Yeah, I contacted him but he hadn’t heard a thing. Said he’ll call back if he gets any ideas or if he hears anything.”

“What the hell happened? She’s really messed up right now. She wouldn’t tell me, so I’m guessing it’s the whole boyfriend thing,” John said with a grimace.

“Kind of, but not really. His ex showed up. She’s a major fucking psycho and probably filled her full of lies just because she could. She’s a real piece of work, let me tell ya,” David explained to the younger man.

“Now I get it. That’s probably the last thing she needed to hear. She doesn’t think she’s worth a shit anyway, then to have someone’s ex pop in on the scene. Not good, not good at all,” John said as he nodded to himself.

David was surprised by John’s clarity of understanding of Carrie, but knew he shouldn’t be. They were still friends, regardless.

“Yeah, exactly. Mike is pretty sure Lisa said some nasty shit about him just playing with her until Lisa came back. That type of shit, you know.”

“Where’s psycho bitch now,” John asked.

“I have no idea and I bet Mike hopes she’s been struck by lightening or run over by a truck,” he laughed.

“I’ll try talking to her again, but I don’t know what good it’ll do. She needs some time first,” John said.

“Understand. And thanks, thanks for your help with this. Way above and beyond the call of duty, my friend. I owe ya,” David said sincerely.

“Just get her home and safe, then we’ll talk about pay backs, buddy,” he laughed and hung up. David disconnected and waited for the dial tone again so he could put out the fire he started in Kentucky .

top

end

Somewhere on the west coast of North America

She woke up knowing that her mouth tasted like the bottom of a bird cage. She wondered briefly why until she spied the mostly empty bottle on the table. Now she remembered. Stupid. She had no idea of the time, other than day time, since it was light outside. She had put the do not disturb sign out so she wouldn’t be awakened at some ungodly hour to change out her unused towels. She tried to reach for her watch to check the time, but just that little movement caused her head to explode. Okay, time to lay still and let the throbbing subside for a while before she tried that again. Now she remembered why she didn’t drink like that very often, the whole morning after thing sucked. She knew many people were able to shake it off, get right up and start their day. She was not one of them. She did remember that she had thought to put some water in the room’s small fridge. Thank God for that at least. Now she just had to be able to get to it, clear across the room. She knew she had one phone call to make today, but the rest of her day was open to whatever she wanted, which in her current state wasn’t much. She reached for her watch again and was able to grab it, but had to bring it within inches of her face before she could see the time. Okay, eleven thirty wasn’t too bad, she reasoned. She wasn’t too sure of the time she went to bed finally but knew that the sky was just beginning to lighten before she finally crawled in and slept.

She slowly moved to sit up, pausing to let her throbbing headache subside at each movement. She knew she has some Tylenol in her case, she just needed to grab it when she grabbed the water. She finally sat up in bed and took stock of herself. She was bleary eyed, she knew, and probably had her hair going in every which way and to top it off she felt like hammered dog shit. How the hell did people do this all the time? After several long moments of very little thought, she got out of bed and staggered over to the mini fridge and grabbed three water bottles. Her toiletries case was near so she unzipped the inner compartment and grabbed the bottle that she needed and made it back to the safety of the bed. Once she sat down, the world tilted on her again and she pressed one of the cold bottles to her forehead, hoping for some small relief. She sat on the edge of the bed for a while, just waiting for the throbbing and nausea to subside. She finally cracked open one of the bottles, tapped out several pills from her bottle and downed the whole lot in one gulp. She cracked open the next bottle and drank most of that in one long drink also, knowing that the sooner she was re-hydrated the better she was supposed to feel. Let’s hope that theory would work for her, she mused. It wasn’t really working for her so far, but she was always impatient, she knew. She finished off the second bottle, knowing that she wouldn’t be drinking like that again in the foreseeable future.

She knew exactly why she decided to wallow in her pity pot and get completely shit faced. It had been many years since the last time and at that time, she had vowed to never let it happen again. But she left herself open and damn it, it happened to her again. As she started to wake up and think, she realized she wore his shirt to sleep in. She really was a piece of work, she thought. She prided herself on not being a woman who let her emotions cloud her judgment, but somehow she seemed to have gone off the deep end in the last few months. How the hell did that happen, she worried. She decided to take a long hot bath and think about things and hopefully work up the nerve for the phone call.

She felt almost human after her bath, but knew she needed some more water and at least one of her protein bars, regardless of how it tasted. Screw it, she thought. Just order some room service, anything is better than the protein bars. They were for extreme emergencies and being in a swanky hotel was not an emergency. She flipped open the menu and saw to her delight that they served breakfast all day. At the top of the menu were strawberry crepes, perfect. While she waited for the food to arrive she thought about how and what to say for her phone call. She knew they’d be worried, but she wasn’t ready to talk about anything yet, she just wanted them to know she was okay. The longer she was awake, the better she was starting to feel, so there might be some hope on that score.

She grabbed her portable and checked her emails. Too many to count, she scanned through them, noting what was business, what was spam and what was stuff she wasn’t ready to deal with yet. She saw she had another from Liz and popped it open to read.

Damn, she didn’t blame her for telling them that she had emailed her and said she was going west. From her descriptions, it sounded like a major family breakdown almost happened. That’s exactly why she needed to call, to let them know she was safe.

Her food and coffee finally arrived. After pouring her coffee, she looked at the crepes and remembered the last time she ate some. He was cooking breakfast for her. She had Abby because Carla was in the hospital having Ethan. She didn’t know it at the time, but he was there because he wanted to spend every waking moment with her. At least that was what he said later. She still wasn’t sure he would’ve felt that way if he knew everything about her, but it didn’t matter now anyway. She never would have chosen to be with a man who looked so damn clean cut. He wasn’t her type, or so she had convinced herself. She normally went for the bad boys. Kris was the one who used to fall for the clean cut assholes, not her. He wore cowboy boots and listened country music sometimes, for goodness sake. What did they have in common, she reasoned. Yeah, they had fantastic sex, but that didn’t mean that she loved him. It was possible to have great sex with a stranger. She knew that for a fact. You don’t have to be in love with someone to have great sex or enjoy their company. Once she had that figured out, she was able to concentrate on other issues that were demanding her attention, but not for long. She looked down at her crepes again and smiled as she remembered his quirky dimpled smile as he pulled out her chair for her and his beautiful ice blue eyes as he explained that he had found some interesting tofu sausages he wanted her to try. She could get lost in his pale blue eyes, she knew. She mentally shook herself and tried to eat her breakfast in spite of her memories. After a few bites, she lost her taste for them and just drank her coffee. It was not love, she told herself. She would not allow herself to even think that. She’d been down that road a couple of times before and only ever been hurt. She had made a vow that she wouldn’t let it happen again. She allowed herself to get roped in by his pretty words, that was all. She got used to him in her life. Yeah, that was a good way to think of it. She just got comfortable with having him around. Didn’t mean anything, she told herself.

She grabbed her portable and replied to Liz, answering some of her funny questions about music, but staying clear of anything about where she was or how long she would be away. She wasn’t sure herself on how long she’d be away or if she was ever going back. She just wasn’t sure right now. She poured the next needed cup of coffee and sat in one of the chairs and tried to let everything ebb away, so she could be calm enough to call.

Finally she felt she was ready enough to call. She brought her water back to the chair along with her phone. She took a deep breath and let it out before hitting one of her speed dial buttons.

“Carrie?” Kris said in relief and amazement as she recognized the number.

“Yes, Kris. Are you alone,” she asked her quietly.

“Yes, honey. I’m so glad you called. I’ve been so worried. We knew you were safe, but,” was all she managed to get out.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I needed to leave and just bolted. I’m okay, but please don’t ask me where I am, because I don’t want you to lie to your husband if he asks, so I’m not telling you. Okay?” Carrie finished with.

Kris sighed, “Okay. We’ve all been so worried. Mike’s been frantic.”

“I don’t want to talk about him right now, okay,” she told her plainly.

“Okay,” she said reassessing her best friend’s tone. After a few moments of silence she asked, “Do you have any idea when you’re coming home.”

“No. I’m just not ready. But I have looked at David’s schedule and he’s set for next week, no major problems. If he has problems he can call or email and I should be able to fix them for him. He shouldn’t have to suffer just because I am a big baby going through some silly personal crisis,” she said.

“Carrie, I don’t think that. No one thinks that. We’re just worried about you, you know that,” she said gently.

“I know, Liz told me. She told me that you guys beat her until she confessed,” she joked.

“Hardly,” Kris smiled so she knew Carrie could hear it. “Are you sure you’re okay,” she asked seriously.

“Yeah,” Kris heard a deep sigh before she continued. “I tried to make myself sick last night. Did a pretty good job of it too. But, I’ll be okay. I just need some time to think. My life’s been a wild ride recently and I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath. Now’s my chance and I really need it. I hope you understand,” she asked.

Kris did understand and was surprised that it had taken this long for it to catch up to her. She had been worried about her wellbeing for months, knowing that she took too much on and didn’t take care of herself. Then throw in all the recent shit and it’s no wonder she was overwhelmed.

“I understand. You know I do,” she assured her best friend and sister.

“Thanks. I’m hoping that you keep this conversation private, because I’m just not ready, not ready for anything right now. Please tell the folks I had to leave for some business shit or something. I’ll drop Wease a line so he can stop chewing his nails, but I’m not ready Kris. I don’t know,” she stopped as she heard her voice betray her.

“Okay, honey. I do understand. Take as much time as you need, for once. I’m just glad you’re safe. Can I call you,” she asked.

“Of course. I might not answer right away, but you can call anytime. I plan on getting my life back on track. I’m going to plan day by day right now and see how it goes. Liz keeps emailing me, so if you need to get something to me urgently, just tell her. She sends me a dozen or so emails a day,” Carrie admitted.

“Yeah, she said something like that. Why so many,” Kris asked her.

“You daughter’s a chatter box. She might not be on the outside, but she’s got lots of stuff going on in her head and she tells me about most of it. Don’t worry, none of it is bad, it’s just normal teenage girl stuff. Nothing earth shattering. If something important shows up, I’ll let you know, don’t worry about that,” Carrie assured Kris.

“Okay, I remember being that age and it wasn’t fun. Just keep us informed if you can. Know that we love you and care about you, no matter what,” Kris told her quietly.

“I know, I know. It’s just…shit I don’t know. I’ll try to call you later in the week, it might not be until the weekend, just to make it easier but I’ll try and call. Okay,” she asked her in preparation for hanging up.

“Okay, thanks, thanks for calling and take care. Take as much time as you need sweetie and I’ll talk to you soon. Bye,” she said and hung up. Kris sat and stared at the wall in her kitchen for a few moments, relieved that Carrie had called but also worried because it sounded like she might be contemplating a major change, usually meaning a relocation. She didn’t come right out and say it, but her meaning was clear in her tone. Shit. She didn’t know what to do other than give her the time she asked for, plus keep their conversation private. If she told Dave, he’d tell Mike and then all hell would break loose, not what Carrie needed right now, she knew.

She sighed again and dialed another number.

“I just heard from her,” Kris said to her brother.

“Really? That was fast,” Wease said.

“I know, fastest I think,” Kris said.

“How is she? Where is she,” Wease asked.

“She’s hung over, at least that’s my guess. And she wouldn’t tell me where,” Kris admitted.

“Damn. Why does she think she has to take it all on herself,” her brother vented.

“I don’t know, honey. But she always has. You know that. Plus you add in Mike and all his mess and is it any wonder she ran,” Kris asked him quietly.

“No,” Wease said as he raked his fingers through his hair. He was glad that Carla had taken the kids and went to visit a girlfriend. He was too tired to amend his remarks. “How did she sound?”

“Like she had a hell of a headache,” she said honestly. She was unaware that her husband had finished his workout and had walked into the kitchen behind her. “She wouldn’t tell me where because she didn’t want me to have to lie to Dave.” Her husband’s words died on his lips as he decided to stay quiet and listen. He had an idea of the topic of discussion. It had kept his wife awake most of the night.

“Always covering everyone else’s ass, even if we don’t want her to,” Wease groused.

“You know how she is. I had hoped Mike’d be able to get through to her. If anyone can, he can, but now,” she paused and took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I just don’t know what to do. She sounded like she was getting ready to flit again,” she said as her voice trembled.

“No, not now,” Wease said quietly. “Damn it,” he said, knowing Kris would know exactly what he was referring to.

They were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts for a few. Kris hadn’t moved from the kitchen table so she was still unaware of the room’s other occupant. David had a debate with himself about how long he should listen and not let his wife know he was in the room.

“She said she was going to take it day by day,” Kris said as she turned in her seat and she saw her husband. He smiled at her and nodded, letting her know to continue. “But she also didn’t want to talk about Mike at all. She made that crystal clear.”

“Damn it. Can we nail her feet to the floor or something,” Wease said, only half in jest.

“I don’t know honey. I really don’t. She said she’d drop you a line to let you know she was safe.” Kris heard his affirmed grunt. “But she didn’t want me to let anyone know she’d called because she wasn’t ready and she didn’t know when she would be.”

“What can we do from here,” Wease asked.

“I don’t know. Just give her the time she asked for and hope she wants to stay,” Kris said. Neither of them were under any illusions about that prospect.

“What about Dave and his shit,” Wease asked. He knew he could do some of the stuff, but not all of it or as smoothly.

“She said he could call or email if he needed help and she’d take care of it,” Kris said as she looked into her husband’s surprised eyes. He pulled up a chair to listen and wait. He understood what she hadn’t said yet. Mike wasn’t going to be told about the phone call.

“That’s a relief. I was worried that I’d have to pinch hit,” Wease admitted.

“I know, me too. She’s still the best, no matter what else she has going,” Kris admitted. David nodded his agreement but held his tongue.

"So do we just wait or what,” Wease asked.

“For now. She said we could call, but she wasn’t going to be held to anything right now. I think she needs to spend a month relaxing by a pool somewhere, but you know damn well she won’t.”

“Okay. I’ll try to keep up my end of the bargain. I don’t know what else to do,” he said. Kris thought he sounded tired and confused.

“Yeah, that’s all we can do for now. I don’t know for how long though, yet,” Kris said as her husband reached for her hand.

A random thought prompted Wease to ask, “What are we going to tell the folks?”

“She asked that I tell them she had some business. You know Mom would worry otherwise,” Kris said. David was finding the conversation very intriguing.

“Okay,” he sighed. “I’ll check my mail then I’m gonna take a nap,” Wease admitted.

“Alright, sweetie. I’ll let you know if I hear anything else. A nap sounds real good, thanks for the idea,” she said as she prepared to hang up.

“Yeah, I’m just full of them,” he chuckled. “Talk to ya later,” he said as he hung up. Kris clicked the phone off and set the handset on the kitchen table.

“That’s answers some questions, doesn’t it,” David said quietly. Kris nodded as she felt her eyes tear up. “Oh baby,” was all he said as he reached for her so he could wrap his arms around her. She crawled on to his lap and let the tears fall. She was too tired to stop them and too worried to deny them.

“I don’t know what to do,” she finally said in to his chest.

“I don’t think you can do anything more, honey,” he rumbled into her hair.

“Maybe,” was all she would say. She stayed in his arms for many minutes, just letting herself soak up his comfort and strength. Finally she smiled to herself and pulled away from his chest.

“Um, Dave,” she asked.

“Yes, baby,” he said as he caressed her back.

“You need to take a shower,” she giggled and looked into his eyes. He chuckled at her comment and nodded. She climbed off his lap and hung up the phone. He brought his empty water jug to the sink and snagged her hand on the way past.

She looked at him with a question on her lips. He smiled and tugged on her hand so she’d follow him upstairs. Once inside their bedroom, he turned to her and started to unbutton her blouse.

“Dave,” she started to protest quietly.

“You said a nap sounded good and I think that’s a great idea. Now be quiet,” he said as he gently pulled her blouse from her shoulders. She sat down on the edge of the bed as he reached for her shoes. She flipped them off and gave him her feet so he could slip off her stockings. He pulled her to her feet once he dealt with them so he could unzip her skirt. She dutifully turned around and let him slide it down her slim hips and stepped out of it. She smiled as he bent down to retrieve it from the floor and folded it neatly. She started to pull her slip off, but he stopped her as his hands reached for hers.

His look plainly said let me do this for you. She sighed and nodded as he slid her slip down and she stepped out. He picked up the discarded garment and tried to fold it in some way as she watched with an indulgent smile. He turned his attention back to her as she stood in front of their bed in just a pair of panties and her matching bra. She noticed his heightened physical state through his baggy shorts, but he ignored it as he reached for her panties to slide them down enough for her to step out of them. He smiled as he motioned for her to turn around so he could gently unhook her bra. He slipped the straps off her shoulders and smiled at her as she turned around. He reached behind her and pulled the covers back so she could slide in for her nap.

“Dave,” she questioned him.

“In, baby. You need to sleep. I’ll take a shower, then Lissa and I can play,” he said as he tucked the covers back up. She nodded and watched him as he stripped off his sweaty workout clothes. She noted he was still aroused, but didn’t say anything.

He caught her look and looked down at the object that had caught her attention. He shook his head at her and chuckled. Without another word he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Ten minutes later as he stepped out of the bathroom in just a towel, he was happy to see she was sound asleep. While he was in the shower he considered the phone call he'd overheard and all the ramifications. There was obviously more to Lil' Sis running away than just Lisa showing up. He wasn't sure Kris would tell him if he asked, since both her and Wease were still fairly tight lipped about some things. He did find it interesting that Lil’ Sis didn’t want to talk about Mike to Kris. He wondered how long that would last, knowing how upset his buddy was last night and this morning.

He pulled on a pair of sweats and a t shirt since he was just hanging around the house and playing Dad today. It was one of his favorite roles, right next to being husband to the women currently sleeping in their bed, naked. He smiled and shook his head as he left the room and pulled the door shut. He walked across the hall and peeked in to see if his youngest was awake yet. Her clear blue eyes greeted him as he opened the door.

“Dada”, she signed as she saw him.

He grinned at her as he walked over to help her get up from her nap. She dutifully sat on the edge of the bed as he put her shoes back on.

He gave her a serious look as he asked her in sign, “dry?”

She proudly nodded and giggled at him as she jumped off the bed and ran out the door. He herded her down the stairs to keep the noise down. Once downstairs, he saw the time and knew he had some time before the older kids got home. Lissa had run into the family room to play with her building blocks and dolls, her dad noticed. He shook his head at her, knowing she could play for hours. He left her for a few moments as he went back to the kitchen to see what to do about dinner. Kris already had the meat prepped and in the fridge. He could guess what vegetables she had planned so he knew he could cook it for them if she was still sleeping by then. Besides, he thought to himself, he liked cooking. He just didn’t get to do it very often.

He walked back in to the family room where Lissa had some complicated construction going with her barbies sitting right in the middle of it. He smiled at her efforts, she still amazed him. She didn’t seem to have cared that she couldn’t hear much anymore. He felt so damn guilty about that, about the fact that he couldn’t protect his child. The more he brooded, he realized he felt guilty about a lot of shit, regardless of what Kris said. She had the tougher job and they both knew it. More so now that Lissa needed a little extra attention to make sure she didn’t…

His thought was cut short as his daughter put a Barbie on his lap and smiled at him. The Barbie had seen better days, in his opinion. Her red hair looked frightening, she didn’t have a skirt on, only a top, but he knew she was one of Lissa’s favorites.

Lissa signed, “Play, Dada.” He smiled at her and looked at his Barbie seriously.

He signed, “Is she making the house today?” Lissa shook her head at her dad’s dim wittedness. Nan Barbie was obviously taking a break since she had built the house. Didn’t Dad’s know anything, Lissa serious expression conveyed.

David got down on the floor and reached for some more of the blocks so he could help build and play with Lissa. They spent an hour or more putting blocks together, knocking them down and putting them together again, all at Lissa's direction. David didn’t quiet understand the object of the game, but he didn’t care. He snuck a glance at the clock and realized they’d been playing for an hour and half. Where did that time go, he thought. He remembered one of Eddie’s comments about life being made of unplanned moments. Playing barbies with his daughter was definitely one of them, he knew.

He signed, “Got to start dinner, Lis.” She put Nan Barbie back in his hand, she wasn’t finished playing. “No baby,” he signed again.

“Nan not done,” Lissa signed. David frowned. He didn’t know what she was talking about.

“ Nan ,” he questioned. She pointed at the red haired doll in his hand since he seemed blind. He looked at the doll in his hand and finally realized that red headed Barbie actually had a name and her name was Nan . He smiled and signed, “ Nan .”

Lissa nodded and signed, “Not done.”

“Okay, but Daddy is,” he signed as he gave Nan Barbie back to his daughter. He was stiff rising from the floor. He’d been sitting for a long time since his workout. That wasn’t smart he knew, but it was definitely worth it. He had planned to kneel back down to kiss his daughter but she was standing with a Barbie in each hand, one of them Nan he noticed, ready to follow him.

“Help,” she signed. He shrugged and nodded as she followed him to the kitchen. It had been a while since he had made dinner with his youngest as a helper, he realized sadly. Let’s see what we can have you do, he thought to himself. Some time later, he looked up as Mike walked into the kitchen and stopped with a laugh.

“Looks like you have a helper there, Dad,” Mike said. Lissa was seated at the kitchen table, playing with some cheerios and corn, mixing them all together and putting them back in to a bowl.

“Yeah. I don’t know how she does it,” David admitted as he turned from his sautéing. Lissa had looked up when Mike walked in and squealed with delight. She happily jumped down from the table and ran to him. He smiled at her as he scooped her up and kissed her ticklish tummy.

“Need any help,” he asked David.

“No, you’re helping me right now,” David said in reference to the tot in his buddy’s arms. Mike nodded and walked over to him to see what he was cooking.

“Smells great,” Mike said.

“You staying,” David asked. He knew Mike didn’t have anywhere to go and didn’t think he’d want to be home alone, if he had a home to go to at all.

“Sure,” Mike shrugged. He was thankful for the invite, but knew Dave knew him well. No words needed to be said, they both understood.

“I tried to go into work today,” Mike offered.

“How’d that go,” David asked as he lifted one of the lids and lowered the temp to simmer the contents.

“Waste of time. I couldn’t concentrate. You know how I am. I’m a fuckin’ basket case today. They told me to just go home,” Mike shared as he looked away. “You hear anything else?”

“No. Nothing. Kris was up half the night,” David said. He knew he was hurting his buddy by telling him a lie, but there were reasons for Kris’ actions, he just didn’t know them yet. He also knew he’d be asking her tonight.

“God damn it,” Mike muttered and looked out the window again. “Why me? That’s what I want to know, Dave. Why does this kind of shit seem to happen to me?”

“I don’t know buddy. Wish I did. She still at your house,” David asked him.

Mike nodded, “Drove by there on my way here and sure as shit. Her car’s parked in my damn drive way. How the hell do I get her out of my house? Any ideas?”

David shook his head. He had no idea other than physically tossing her out, but both men knew that was what she was waiting for.

***

“Honey,” David asked his wife as her let his fingers trail through her hair. A quiet mmmmm, was her response. He could tell she was on the verge of sleep so he knew he better ask quickly.

“What did you mean today when you said you hoped Mike could get through to her,” he said quietly. He knew she’d know exactly what he was referring to. They had avoided the topic all evening, particularly since Mike had dinner with them and stayed late. He’d eventually left to go spend the night at his parents place.

She stilled at his question. She had hoped he wouldn’t remember, but he obviously did. She knew his blank expression hid a keen mind, but sometimes it was forgetful. She pressed her back against him and pulled the covers up to her shoulders as she thought about her response.

“It’s complicated honey,” she said quietly. As soon as the words left her mouth she felt him tense with irritation. She didn’t need to see his face to know he wasn’t going to be put off this time.

“I thought Mike would be strong enough, stubborn enough to help her,” she said quietly. David frowned at her words. Why would Kris think Mike was strong or stubborn when all he’d ever seen was his buddy emasculated with Lisa?

“Mike? He has always been a wimp with women,” he stated as he wrapped her silken blonde hair around his fingers. He thought back before college, all through high school, same thing.

“That’s because he didn’t care,” she said quietly.

David heard her words and turned them over in his mind for a time. Kris had an uncanny ability at reading people, he knew. He had never thought of his buddy as anything but a wimp when it came to women. He had always seemed to pick women that liked to treat him like shit and he kept going back for more.

“Dave, you ever wonder why Carrie stays single?”

“Yeah, many times. It’s not like she doesn’t get any attention,” David admitted as he thought of all the covert glances directed at her when his wrestling buddies didn’t think he would notice.

“Exactly. But most of the time, she ends up with men who let her walk all over them. And she does. Then she gets bored and moves on,” she said as she turned in his arms to look at him. She saw her words had some impact. David was thinking about the few times he knew Lil’ Sis had a dinner date or something similar but then nothing ever seemed to come of it. Pieces were sliding into place for him of their volition.

“The fact that she stayed with Mike for this long before she ran tells me something,” Kris said quietly.

“He still doesn’t seem like anything but a wuss to me, honey,” he admitted.

“That’s because that’s all he shows you. He shows Carrie something different obviously or she would have grown tired of him long before now.” Kris was quiet for a few moments, letting her husband digest her views on his long time buddy. It was obvious to David that Mike cared. He cared a hell of a lot, if his frantic behavior yesterday was any indication.

“Honey, where the hell have I been? Why didn’t I see it,” he asked. He knew that Mike had been intrigued by Lil’ Sis for a long time, but he had no idea about the depth of his feelings. Not really.

“I don’t know baby. But it’s been pretty obvious for a while. Now all we have to do is convince Carrie.” Kris was quiet in his arms, letting him work it out for himself.

David was thinking back to John’s words on the phone last night, she doesn’t think she’s worth a shit. Damn, even John had her figured out better than him. How did that square with her walking all over men? He didn’t know but he was starting to get a headache as he tried to figure it out. He was relieved that she was okay and safe and had called and talked to Kris. He knew she had been worried last night. Just before he drifted off, he had a quick thought that at least he wouldn’t have to tell Hunter he’d lost Lil’ Sis.


***

She sat with her phone in her hand for a few minutes, going over her call with Kris. She didn’t think it went too bad, could have been loads worse, but Kris knew her well. They’d been through many challenges together over the years. Guessing that she owed another the courtesy of a phone call, she dialed another number and waited.

“Surprise, surprise,” he chuckled, recognizing her number on the caller id.

“Yeah,“ she said ruefully. “I didn’t catch you at a bad time, did I,” she asked him. She didn’t want to make his life any more complicated than it already was.

“No Min, I’m just running some errands before the weekend. Fun crap like picking up dry cleaning and dinner. You know how we big superstars live,” he teased.

She couldn’t help herself, she giggled. “Oh yeah, what’s for dinner in your house tonight,” she asked.

“The lady of the house requires something sweet for desert she said, but the dinner menu was my choice, so I’m not sure,” he admitted.

“Sounds like you should go with something salty to go with her sweet craving,” she said.

“You’re probably right. I know what happens if I mess that up. Not good, believe me,” he said.

“I’m guessing you got a call yesterday,” she said quietly.

“You’re guessing right,” he smiled so she could hear it.

“Sorry about that, love. Didn’t mean to get everyone’s panties in a wad. I just had to bolt. I’m okay and safe, but not sure what’s next for me,” she admitted quietly.

He was quiet for a few moments, she thought he might be thinking or driving or both.

She heard him sigh before he said, “You know you can always talk to me if you want to. I know there’s a lot of stuff that you haven’t talked to him about yet and maybe that’s something we should talk about soon. Not today I know, but sometime soon.”

She was quiet on the other end in response to his words. He knew she would be.

“Fish and chips sounds like that should fit the bill for the family, what do you think,” he asked her.

“Sounds like a hell of a plan to me. You gave me a good idea of what not to have for dinner,” she laughed.

“Yeah, but we both know that you’re just odd that way, so no big deal about my dinner choice. It should work for her, hopefully. And if not, I’ll just blame you. Shit, I blame you for all my faults anyway, so why not this one too,” he confessed.

She laughed, “You asshole. You do not!”

“Okay, not all of them. But some of them, yeah,” he laughed.

They laughed a little more and hung up. She shook her head, knowing he was still a good friend even though they led separate lives.

Talking about dinner with her reminded him of one her rare kitchen experiences.

***

“You sure you want to do this,” she asked him through her curtain of curly hair. Her hair clip had come out, but her hands were occupied so she couldn’t fix it yet. He thought she looked very sexy with her hair down and mussed. He pushed that thought away for the time being.

“Yeah, I think we should be able to do this together, don’t you,” he asked her with a grin. She looked doubtful, but continued on peeling potatoes in the sink. He was at the counter prepping his steak for the barbeque. “You sure I can’t tempt you with this, Min,” he asked her.

“Yeah, I’m sure. It smells great, but I don’t think it would like me very much,” she said as she blew her hair away from her face again. He shook his head at her, since he knew how great his steak was going to be with his own sauce. Then they were having mashed potatoes, gravy and corn on the cob. Damn, he was getting hungry just thinking about it. He should make some biscuits too, he thought.

He finished stirring his sauce and needed to wash his hands at the sink she was using. Her back was to him, but he could see over her and watched how slowly and carefully she peeled the potatoes. He thought she was kidding when she told him she wasn’t very good at it, but he could see that she was definitely a novice by her lack of speed and carefulness.

He stepped beside her and grinned into her eyes as she looked up at him and stopped peeling the spuds long enough to ask, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No honey, just need to wash my hands,” he smiled at her. She nodded and blew her hair back again. He washed his hands, dried them off and looked over at her again. She was so serious, concentrating so hard on such a simple task. She continued to amaze him, this time it was in the kitchen. He’d never met anyone who was so absolutely clueless in the kitchen before. His mom had made sure her boys and girls knew how to fend for themselves. She obviously didn’t have that luxury, as he reminded himself of her mom leaving when she was a teenager.

He smiled as he leaned down and kissed her neck. She dropped the potato in the sink as she said, “damn it,” without any real ire.

He lifted her hair away from her face as she turned towards him. He leaned down and kissed her lips, loving the taste of her and how soft her lips were. He heard her mumble something, but he wasn’t sure what because his brain was quickly shutting off as his hands found their favorite places to torment her.

“Baby, I still have this knife in my hands,” she reminded him as she pulled away from his tempting lips.

His hand caressed her lower back, in preparation for grabbing her ass. He reached for her hand and took the knife from her and put it in the sink, with her forgotten spud. He checked quickly to make sure that the peeled spuds were under water as instructed. He saw that they were so they were free to pursue other entertainments.

“Did I ever tell you what I’ve wanted to do in this kitchen since we first moved here,” he whispered into her hair. She giggled, but didn’t say a word, instead she chose to concentrate on peeling his pants off, since they were much easier than the potatoes…

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the woman who had become the center of his world, “Min, I gotta eat something honey. I’m hungry,” he whined.

“You’re the one who got distracted baby,” she reminded him with a smile as she traced his tattoos. He wasn’t quite ready to get up and break their contact. He loved their time together, he just wished it was more frequent. Eventually, she heard the gurgling of his stomach and prodded him to get up off the carpet so they could continue with their kitchen chores.

“Okay. You sure I can’t tempt you,” he asked her as he pulled his pants on.

She giggled, thinking that he already had tempted her and she’d succumbed. She smiled as she shook her head at him, but continued to watch him get dressed. He pulled on his shirt and walked back into the kitchen. He threw the browned spud in the garbage as he figured out what to start first.

“Min, is it a stupid question to ask if you know how to make biscuits,” he asked over his shoulder.

“Baby, I wouldn’t know where to start,” she said honestly.

She was pulling on her shorts and shirt in readiness to assume her spud peeling duties. He sighed and knew he’d have to make those after he got the grill going. He looked around for the band for his hair and didn’t see it. He knew he needed to use something before he lit the briquettes. He saw her large hair clip and knew that’d work for now. He pulled his hair back and clamped the clip around his hair just before he slid the door open on to the patio.

She watched him pull his hair back with something, but just assumed it was one of his favorite black bands. It wasn’t until he came back in that she saw it was her clip. She giggled at the sight.

“No one will ever believe me if I tell them. Wait, I have to take a picture, don’t move,” she told him as she walked towards the unfinished task in the sink.

He looked at her like she’d lost her mind, he just didn’t get what the big deal was. He’d already forgotten. He concentrated on his biscuit making as she finished peeling the spuds.

“How many more of these do I have to do,” she asked him. There looked like there was tons to her, but then she didn’t really know how many it took to make mashed potatoes.

He looked over at her small mound of spuds and said, “That’s enough, unless you’re really hungry.”

Thank god, she thought. This whole cooking thing was a pain in the ass. She washed her hands and put the pot of spuds on the stove as she had been instructed hours ago. He nodded at her actions and watched her as she left him alone on the kitchen.

“What are you doing that’s making such a big ass mess,” she asked him from the other side of the counter.

“Biscuits, honey,” was all he said as he surveyed the kitchen.

The corn was ready to start, biscuits were ready, spuds needed to start, so he flipped on their burner and walked out to check on the coals. They were almost ready too, he thought with a grin. He looked at her in her favorite position on the couch, legs tucked under, reading a book already. He shook his head as he thought about it, about her. She could pick up a book at any time. He knew he would be doing most of the work for dinner tonight, but he wanted her help, at least a little.

“Think you could watch the spuds for me, Min,” he asked her since he was putting in the biscuits and would be grilling his steak.

She nodded. That was good enough for him. He came back inside from pulling his steak off the grill, and was ready to pull out the biscuits when he smelled something burning. A quick look confirmed his worst fears.

“God damn! What part of watching don’t you understand,” he bellowed to the small lady on the couch. She looked up quickly at the beginning of his tirade.

She glared at him and said, “You said they had to boil for 20 minutes and that’s what they were doing, boiling.” She didn’t understand how they could’ve burned when she followed his directions.

He was still muttering under his breath as he put the scorched pan in the sink with its inedible contents. He didn’t trust himself to say anything yet, so he took the biscuits out of the oven. They smelled good and looked just fine, thankfully. He took a minute to collect himself before he said anything.

“Yeah, they have to boil first, but then they have to simmer and cook for twenty minutes, not fucking boil themselves dry for twenty minutes,” he said from the kitchen.

He knew she could hear his irritation. She looked up at him, closed her book and sat still. He shook himself a little after he watched her action. He wasn’t sure what the hell that was, but whatever. The potatoes were screwed up because she didn’t follow his instructions. He busied himself with finishing up the corn since she probably didn’t know how to do that either, he thought angrily. He expected her to come in to the kitchen since dinner was ready but she didn’t. He was still pissed off so he fixed his plate with some extra biscuits to make up for the lack of spuds and no gravy because he was too pissed to mess with it. He grabbed himself a beer from the fridge and walked back to the table near the couch with his full plate. He stole a quick glance at her on the couch. He could tell she hadn’t moved, but she also hadn’t picked her book back up. She was just staring off into space. Damn it, he thought to himself. Now what? She was so damn confusing, sometimes he wasn’t sure which way was up with her. He focused on his dinner because he was hungry and knew he needed to eat. He planned to talk to her once he was done. He thought better when he wasn’t hungry and he was likely to have more patience.

When he came back from the putting his dirty dishes away, ready to talk to her, she was gone from the couch. Maybe she was in the bedroom? He checked, it was empty, but he noticed her shoes were missing. Oh shit, did she go for a drive or something? Maybe she ran to the store to get some dinner for herself? He went out to see which car she took and saw both of them parked in their stalls. What the hell? Maybe she just went for a walk around the block since he was such an asshole? He went back inside and waited for her to come back so he could talk about blowing up at her.

He thought back to his instructions, trying to figure out how the hell she could fuck something so simple up. Shit, it was just potatoes. They weren’t that hard to cook. He remembered telling her that once they were peeled they needed to go under cool water, she did that. He told her they needed to come to a boil and cook for twenty minutes. That wasn’t so hard to do, but she screwed it up somehow. Shit, he realized what he told her. He was such a stupid son of a bitch. Damn it. She did exactly what he told her. He never told her they had to be turned down, and how the hell was she supposed to know since she really didn’t know one end of the kitchen from another. He messed up in his instructions. He forgot that she didn’t know how to cook, at all. Not even a little bit unless it had anything to do with a microwave. He chuckled to himself. She was a wiz with a microwave, but anything else she was clueless.

He hoped she came back soon so he could tell her how much of a dumb ass he was for giving her incomplete instructions. This was one of the times when he felt their age difference. It wasn’t usually a big deal, but simple shit that she didn’t know brought it home to him. But then she would surprise him with some of the things she did know and understand. She was the most confusing and intriguing woman he’d known and he wouldn’t change her. He looked at the clock above the entertainment center and realized she’d been gone for at least an hour. He grabbed his boots and his jacket, intent on trying to find her. He worried that something might have happened to her. They were still new in the area and neither of them knew it very well. He grabbed his keys on the way out the door. He got in his car and made it out of the parking lot before he saw her. She was on the other side of the street, walking back. She didn’t see him or the car, she was intent on something else. He looked for the first place to turn the car around. He pulled up to her and rolled the window down.

“Min, get in honey. You okay,” he asked her as a car honked at him for blocking traffic.

She looked up at him and shook her head.

“C’mon honey. Get in before I have to stop this car and tear that guy a new ass,” he said seriously.

Her lips turned up into a small smile as she looked at him and opened the door. Once she was in, he made sure he gave the driver behind him and very large one fingered salute before he drove away.

“Where are we going, baby,” she asked from the passenger side.

He shrugged a little before he said, “I figure you must be hungry honey. I ate pretty much everything that wasn’t nailed down, so we need to go to the store to get you something.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m not hungry,” she said quietly. This side of her he knew how to deal with.

“I know you’re not hungry, honey. You’re never fucking hungry. But you need to eat something. Since I was such an asshole and ate everything, including the kitchen table, we have to get you something else.”

“Damn, I was looking forward to that table, especially since I spilled some beer on it earlier trying to marinate it,” she giggled.

He looked over at her and smiled as he reached for her hand.

“Baby,” she asked him.

“Yeah, honey,” he said as the light changed to red.

“You think I could have my hair clip back,” she asked the very large man that was still wearing her purple hair clip.

He looked at her for a second before he reached back and felt the offensive clip. Damn it, how could he forget that, he wondered. At least she told him about it before they went in to a store.

On second thought, “Nah, Min. I’m starting to like it. It seems to work a lot better than my bands. It’s a hell of a lot easier to use, that’s for sure.” He grinned at her surprised smile.

He could tell she knew he was going to go out in public wearing her very feminine hair clip. She wondered if he knew it had sparkly things on it and if he did, did he give a damn.

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