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Chapter or Story
Chapter 11
Deftly plucking her son from his perch, Parker held the boy close as she attempted to control her own shaking body. Jarod, who had been barely a second behind her, wrapped both securely in his arms, effectively shielding her weakness from his family. But Ben was the only one of all the people outside who was not overcome with relief, he was instead quite upset that not only had he been deterred form his goal, but that his Snowball was still dangling precariously from the roof of the porch. His piteous wails quickly altered both Jarod and Parker that something was still wrong and when Jarod saw the problem, he ruffled Ben’s dark brown hair, “Don’t worry little mouse, one puppy coming right up.” With that, Jarod effortlessly climbed the tower and plucked Snowball from his perch. Parker had turned Ben so he could see the rescue of his beloved Snowball and had to smile herself at the dashing figure Jarod cut, even when rescuing a now dirty stuffed animal.
Once Snowball was back in his pudgy baby arms, Ben began checking over his favorite friend. “Cut!” his small voice cut through the still afternoon air.
“What sweetheart?” Parker asked, still clutching Ben to her as if he would disappear if she loosened her grip.
“Snowball hurt!” Ben cried again, showing his mother a two inch jagged tear on Snowball’s left front paw.
Looking critically at the tear, Parker glanced at Jarod who stood protectively next to her and Ben, “I think Snowball will be fine, little mouse. He just needs to see the doctor. And get a bath,” she added dryly.
“Is he all right? What happened?” Margaret asked as the smaller family unit walked back to the door.
“Ben is fine, Snowball will be shortly,” Jarod answered distractedly, his entire focus was on the still sobbing baby who was cradling the stuffed puppy as if he were a baby.
Once inside, Parker sat down at the kitchen table with Ben on her lap and Snowball on Ben’s lap. Jarod quickly rifled through the junk drawer looking for the small sewing kit he knew was somewhere in the drawer. Finding it, he took his seat next to Parker and Ben. “Now let’s have a look at this injury shall we?” he asked the small boy.
Sniffing again, Ben lanced up at his father, “You a doctor?”
“I am today,” Jarod smiled at Ben as he threaded the needle with the white thread and quickly knotted the lose ends.
“That sharp. Snowball already hurting,” Ben was staring at the shiny needle.
“Well, that is why he needs anesthesia. That makes his go to sleep so he won’t feel anything. How about you give Snowball the anesthesia?”
“Okay! How?” Ben sounded more excited now that he knew that the needle wouldn’t hurt Snowball.
“Cup your hand like this,” Jarod demonstrated with his hand, and then smiled at Ben’s perfect imitation, “Now, put your hand over Snowball’s mouth and turn on the gas, which is here,” Jarod pointed to a spot beside Ben, “And now have Snowball count backward from ten, to help him fall asleep.”
At that, Ben frowned and using his free hand, he gestured for Jarod to come closer to him, “Snowball can’t count,” he whispered loudly.
Jarod nodded sagely, as if Ben had just imparted the meaning of life o him, “Well then, how does Snowball fall asleep?”
“Mama tells story.”
“I see, and does Mama have a story for Snowball?” Jarod asked Parker very seriously.
Smiling, Parker told a quick story about a puppy who got lost and when her snort story was over Jarod asked if Snowball was sleeping yet. When Ben indicated that he was, Jarod quickly performed the “surgery” explaining exactly what he was doing tot eh ever curious Ben and within five minutes, pronounced the surgery finished and that Snowball should recover completely. Snowball was then hustled off to the laundry room for a “bath.” Ben refused to leave his puppy for a minute so the yawning boy snuggled in his mother’s arms as the washer and dryer his father had “tinkered” with cleaned his beloved friend faster than would be normal.
By the time Snowball was clean and dry in his arms, Ben was fighting sleep. All three members of the small family were emotionally spent and far more exhausted than would be normal for any of them.
Completely ignoring the babbling questions, comments, and apologies of the rest of the inhabitants of the house, Parker and Jarod carried their yawning son to his room, which had been shared by Parker for a short time, and put the protesting boy down for a nap. Ben was extremely exhausted from climbing the tower though, so he quickly began to fall asleep, especially since Snowball was on the mend. “Thank you Daddy,” he mumbled as the Sandman won the battle and Ben drifted off to sleep.
The grin on Jarod’s face stretched at least a mile wide. “Did you hear that?” He whispered in Parker’s ear as they slipped out of the room and crossed the hall. She didn’t need to speak as she turned her head up toward his, her eyes said all that needed to be said. Moving with perfect harmony, they kicked off their shoes and laid down on the large bed, one of the few in the house large enough for Jarod’s long frame.
Instantly Jarod’s arms went around Parker as their legs tangled together and her head claimed his shoulder as its pillow.
Jarod felt her sobs before he heard them and did the only thing he could do, he held her. Held her against tight against her grief; held her tight against the fear for Ben, not only from today, but also from the fear that the Centre represented in their lives. When she was calm enough to speak, her words chilled him.
“I saw it, Jar. I saw Ben put Snowball n the windowsill to watch the screens be put in. I saw one of you accidentally kick Snowball out onto the roof as you all were climbing in and out of the windows, roll down, and catch on that shingle. I saw him climbing and fall. I saw him lying there with his neck…God, Jarod I saw it, and once the vision ended it seemed like I couldn’t move fast enough. Like I was trying to run through molasses.”
“Jarod heard the fear I her voice, at what her “gift” had forced her to see. He didn’t need his skills as a Pretender to know how she felt. Ben was his son too, and the mere thought of losing him to the Centre or to the Grim Reaper made him feel as it someone had cut out his heart, with a spoon. “Shh, he’s fine. Ben’s fine and we’ll make sure he’s always safe.”
“I can’t get that image out of my head though. That image of him lying on the grass…..it’s like it’s branded onto my mind’s eye. I close my eyes and I see that damned image, and even though I know he’s fine, the only thing keeping me from checking on him this instant are the twin facts that I don’t quite trust my legs to keep me upright, and the fact that I doubt you’d let me up right now.” Parker attempted to joke, but when her voice broke she flushed and tried to keep him from seeing her eyes, from seeing how much the images of her vision were terrifying her.
“He’s fine, I know you’re scared but he’s fine now. We’ll keep a better eye on him, we’ll destroy the Centre. He’s safe right now, and we’ll make sure he stays safe.”
“What if I hadn’t….what id that premonition….that vision….what if I hadn’t seen it?” her voice wavered, but she finally lifted her face toward his, in control enough to allow him to see her eyes.
“I…I don’t know,” now it was Jarod’s voice that broke, “but it didn’t happen and thinking about all the ‘What If’s’ possible won’t do either of us much good,” Jarod was attempting, vainly, to keep himself from SIMing all the possibilities.
The silence that fell over them was not an uncomfortable one; neither needed words at that moment, just the reassuring physical contact of lying there together. Eventually the breathing of both evened out and without adrenaline and fear coursing through their veins, they fell asleep; comfortable and safe, wrapped in each other’s arms.
Deftly plucking her son from his perch, Parker held the boy close as she attempted to control her own shaking body. Jarod, who had been barely a second behind her, wrapped both securely in his arms, effectively shielding her weakness from his family. But Ben was the only one of all the people outside who was not overcome with relief, he was instead quite upset that not only had he been deterred form his goal, but that his Snowball was still dangling precariously from the roof of the porch. His piteous wails quickly altered both Jarod and Parker that something was still wrong and when Jarod saw the problem, he ruffled Ben’s dark brown hair, “Don’t worry little mouse, one puppy coming right up.” With that, Jarod effortlessly climbed the tower and plucked Snowball from his perch. Parker had turned Ben so he could see the rescue of his beloved Snowball and had to smile herself at the dashing figure Jarod cut, even when rescuing a now dirty stuffed animal.
Once Snowball was back in his pudgy baby arms, Ben began checking over his favorite friend. “Cut!” his small voice cut through the still afternoon air.
“What sweetheart?” Parker asked, still clutching Ben to her as if he would disappear if she loosened her grip.
“Snowball hurt!” Ben cried again, showing his mother a two inch jagged tear on Snowball’s left front paw.
Looking critically at the tear, Parker glanced at Jarod who stood protectively next to her and Ben, “I think Snowball will be fine, little mouse. He just needs to see the doctor. And get a bath,” she added dryly.
“Is he all right? What happened?” Margaret asked as the smaller family unit walked back to the door.
“Ben is fine, Snowball will be shortly,” Jarod answered distractedly, his entire focus was on the still sobbing baby who was cradling the stuffed puppy as if he were a baby.
Once inside, Parker sat down at the kitchen table with Ben on her lap and Snowball on Ben’s lap. Jarod quickly rifled through the junk drawer looking for the small sewing kit he knew was somewhere in the drawer. Finding it, he took his seat next to Parker and Ben. “Now let’s have a look at this injury shall we?” he asked the small boy.
Sniffing again, Ben lanced up at his father, “You a doctor?”
“I am today,” Jarod smiled at Ben as he threaded the needle with the white thread and quickly knotted the lose ends.
“That sharp. Snowball already hurting,” Ben was staring at the shiny needle.
“Well, that is why he needs anesthesia. That makes his go to sleep so he won’t feel anything. How about you give Snowball the anesthesia?”
“Okay! How?” Ben sounded more excited now that he knew that the needle wouldn’t hurt Snowball.
“Cup your hand like this,” Jarod demonstrated with his hand, and then smiled at Ben’s perfect imitation, “Now, put your hand over Snowball’s mouth and turn on the gas, which is here,” Jarod pointed to a spot beside Ben, “And now have Snowball count backward from ten, to help him fall asleep.”
At that, Ben frowned and using his free hand, he gestured for Jarod to come closer to him, “Snowball can’t count,” he whispered loudly.
Jarod nodded sagely, as if Ben had just imparted the meaning of life o him, “Well then, how does Snowball fall asleep?”
“Mama tells story.”
“I see, and does Mama have a story for Snowball?” Jarod asked Parker very seriously.
Smiling, Parker told a quick story about a puppy who got lost and when her snort story was over Jarod asked if Snowball was sleeping yet. When Ben indicated that he was, Jarod quickly performed the “surgery” explaining exactly what he was doing tot eh ever curious Ben and within five minutes, pronounced the surgery finished and that Snowball should recover completely. Snowball was then hustled off to the laundry room for a “bath.” Ben refused to leave his puppy for a minute so the yawning boy snuggled in his mother’s arms as the washer and dryer his father had “tinkered” with cleaned his beloved friend faster than would be normal.
By the time Snowball was clean and dry in his arms, Ben was fighting sleep. All three members of the small family were emotionally spent and far more exhausted than would be normal for any of them.
Completely ignoring the babbling questions, comments, and apologies of the rest of the inhabitants of the house, Parker and Jarod carried their yawning son to his room, which had been shared by Parker for a short time, and put the protesting boy down for a nap. Ben was extremely exhausted from climbing the tower though, so he quickly began to fall asleep, especially since Snowball was on the mend. “Thank you Daddy,” he mumbled as the Sandman won the battle and Ben drifted off to sleep.
The grin on Jarod’s face stretched at least a mile wide. “Did you hear that?” He whispered in Parker’s ear as they slipped out of the room and crossed the hall. She didn’t need to speak as she turned her head up toward his, her eyes said all that needed to be said. Moving with perfect harmony, they kicked off their shoes and laid down on the large bed, one of the few in the house large enough for Jarod’s long frame.
Instantly Jarod’s arms went around Parker as their legs tangled together and her head claimed his shoulder as its pillow.
Jarod felt her sobs before he heard them and did the only thing he could do, he held her. Held her against tight against her grief; held her tight against the fear for Ben, not only from today, but also from the fear that the Centre represented in their lives. When she was calm enough to speak, her words chilled him.
“I saw it, Jar. I saw Ben put Snowball n the windowsill to watch the screens be put in. I saw one of you accidentally kick Snowball out onto the roof as you all were climbing in and out of the windows, roll down, and catch on that shingle. I saw him climbing and fall. I saw him lying there with his neck…God, Jarod I saw it, and once the vision ended it seemed like I couldn’t move fast enough. Like I was trying to run through molasses.”
“Jarod heard the fear I her voice, at what her “gift” had forced her to see. He didn’t need his skills as a Pretender to know how she felt. Ben was his son too, and the mere thought of losing him to the Centre or to the Grim Reaper made him feel as it someone had cut out his heart, with a spoon. “Shh, he’s fine. Ben’s fine and we’ll make sure he’s always safe.”
“I can’t get that image out of my head though. That image of him lying on the grass…..it’s like it’s branded onto my mind’s eye. I close my eyes and I see that damned image, and even though I know he’s fine, the only thing keeping me from checking on him this instant are the twin facts that I don’t quite trust my legs to keep me upright, and the fact that I doubt you’d let me up right now.” Parker attempted to joke, but when her voice broke she flushed and tried to keep him from seeing her eyes, from seeing how much the images of her vision were terrifying her.
“He’s fine, I know you’re scared but he’s fine now. We’ll keep a better eye on him, we’ll destroy the Centre. He’s safe right now, and we’ll make sure he stays safe.”
“What if I hadn’t….what id that premonition….that vision….what if I hadn’t seen it?” her voice wavered, but she finally lifted her face toward his, in control enough to allow him to see her eyes.
“I…I don’t know,” now it was Jarod’s voice that broke, “but it didn’t happen and thinking about all the ‘What If’s’ possible won’t do either of us much good,” Jarod was attempting, vainly, to keep himself from SIMing all the possibilities.
The silence that fell over them was not an uncomfortable one; neither needed words at that moment, just the reassuring physical contact of lying there together. Eventually the breathing of both evened out and without adrenaline and fear coursing through their veins, they fell asleep; comfortable and safe, wrapped in each other’s arms.
