Chapter 29
December 29, 2006
"Kevin? Are you down here?" Rachel called as she started down the stairs to the basement.
"Yeah," he grunted. "What's-up?"
As she walked into the room, she smiled. He was flat on his back, sweat pouring off him, his basketball jersey soaked. "Sorry-I didn't mean to interrupt," she said softly.
He pushed the weights up one last time and set the bar into the cradle. The frown of concentration smoothed out and he sat up with a grin on his face. Rachel handed him the towel that had fallen to the floor. As he took it from her he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. "You didn't interrupt. I was just finishing." He captured her lips with his and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Mmm-nice way to finish," he murmured as his lips traveled down to nuzzle her neck. Rachel giggled as his goatee tickled her. He looked up and made a face. "Why don't you let me go get a shower and we can pick this up when I'm not all sweaty. I can't smell very good right now either."
"Really? I hadn't noticed," she whispered as she kissed him again. His arms tightened around her and the kiss deepened.
He was breathing hard when they broke apart. "Damn, woman. Part of the reason for the weight lifting is to take my mind off of you and this. If you're gonna follow me down here, I might as well just stay upstairs with you-way upstairs," he grinned. "Now-what did you want? You didn't come down here just for this-even I'm not that conceited!"
Rachel laughed. "You're right-sorry. I think we're in for some kind of heavy weather. I was just listening to the radio and there's a bad one coming in down through Ohio. I thought you ought to know." She got up from his lap.
Kevin looped the towel around his neck and stood up. "How bad?" he asked.
"Well, the weather report said high winds, heavy wet snow-and there were some reports of lightning strikes. I didn't think that was possible."
Kevin was starting to look seriously concerned. "I've only seen it happen a couple of times," he frowned. "Well, I guess I'd better get busy. Did the radio say how fast it was coming in?"
"No-not while I was listening. Can I do anything to help?" Rachel asked.
"Make sure you know where all the candles are-and the flashlights. Check the batteries. If this is as bad as it sounds, we're gonna lose power. I'm gonna get changed and go out to the barn and find some big buckets. We'll need to fill them with water. Call Tracy and Ellen. Ask them if they need anything before this hits. And keep listening to the radio. If there's time, I'll make a run to the store-make a list for me." He started up the stairs, and then turned to her. "Where are the kids?"
She smiled up at him. "They're outside-playing in the snow. They're kids," she chuckled. "Let 'em enjoy it while they can. I'll get them inside when it starts getting bad."
"No wonder they love you," Kevin grinned. "You think like they do. How old are you?"
Rachel smacked him on the ass and grinned. "Get up those stairs! Things to do!"
* * *
The power failed as they were having supper. Jemma gasped and Kevin put his arm around her. "It's okay, honey. We're all here and Rachel's getting the candles. Oh-see there we are," he grinned as the match was struck and flared above the candles in the middle of the table. He looked over the candles at Rachel as she took her seat across from him and smiled. "We're gonna be just fine."
By the time bedtime arrived, Jemma and Aaron had both hooked into the novelty of candles lighting everything. The wind was howling, slapping snow up against the windows and piling drifts in front of the doors, but they both went upstairs with Rachel leading the way without complaint. The long afternoon outdoors in the snow had them tired and ready to sleep. Rachel tucked them in and Kevin came up to read bedtime stories.
Once they were settled in, Kevin and Rachel went back downstairs. Kevin pulled on a pair of heavy boots and layered up in sweater and jacket and ski cap. "Not too long out there, please," Rachel said.
"I know, but if I don't keep a path cleared, we won't get out of here tomorrow." He opened the kitchen door and pushed against the storm door. As if to prove him right, the door wouldn't budge. He leaned into it with his shoulder and slowly, inch by inch, he forced the door open so that he could step through and pick up the snow shovel. Rachel stayed by the door. She couldn't see him once he moved down off the porch, but she could hear the shovel biting into the snow, scraping against the steps and the walkway to the garage.
Twenty minutes passed, and suddenly she heard thunder growling in the distance. The wind, impossibly, seemed to pick up even more. She opened the door and peered out. "Kevin!" she called. Her voice seemed to be swallowed up in the swirling snow. "Kevin! Enough for now! Come back into the house-it's getting worse! If we're stuck, we're stuck!" She held up a candle to guide him back to the porch. It guttered and threatened to go out, and she had to duck back inside. Suddenly he loomed up out of the darkness, and she opened the door again to pull him inside. He was covered with snow. "Oh my G-d, Kevin! Are you all right?" she cried. She pulled the gloves from his hands and chaffed his fingers. He looked frozen. "Come on, get out of those wet things."
He grinned at her even though his teeth were chattering. "Best offer I've had all night," he laughed.
"G-d, you're impossible!" she chuckled. She waited until he had stripped down to his underwear and then took the wet clothes into the laundry room. "Go put on something warm and dry," she called over her shoulder. "I'll start a fire in the den. See you there."
They sat in front of the fire in the den for an hour, talking and listening to the storm rage outside. Finally Kevin turned to her and smiled. "I don't know about you, but I think I need to get some sleep. Not that I particularly want to say good-night to you." He was holding her in his arms and her head was resting on his shoulder. "We could always stay right here-get some quilts and sleep in front of the fire," he whispered hopefully.
Rachel smiled at him. "I don't think so," she said softly. "Too much temptation in that scenario."
Kevin shrugged and grinned. "It was worth a shot," he said as he stood up and reached down to help her up.
* * *
The thunder crash rattled the windows. Rachel woke and sat up in her bed. She could hear Aaron calling her from his room. And suddenly Jemma was at her bedside. She pulled Jemma into the bed with her and was about to tell her that she was going to get Aaron, when she heard Kevin moving down the hallway.
"I'm coming Aaron," he called.
"Daddy? Where's Rachel?" Aaron's voice was shaking. He was trying very hard to be brave, but the combination of no lights and the loud storm was scaring him. Kevin appeared in the doorway of his room with a flashlight and Aaron scrambled over the end of his bed and ran to him.
"Okay, Aaron, okay," Kevin smiled. "Everything's all right. Just loud noise, that's all." He picked Aaron up and hugged him. "You want to come bunk in with me for the rest of the night?"
Aaron hesitated. He didn't want to tell Daddy no, but-. "Can I see Rachel first?" he whispered.
"Well, sure son-but-." Kevin stopped. There was a voice in his head saying: "I want to go to Mom's room. Please help me find it." He looked down at Aaron. "Absolutely, Aaron. Let's go to Rachel's room."
Kevin tapped on the door and opened it a crack. "Rachel?" he called softly. "You awake?"
"The hibernating bears are awake after that thunderclap," Rachel chuckled. Jemma giggled as Kevin pushed the door further open and Aaron wiggled down and ran to jump into the bed with Rachel and his sister. Kevin was left standing in the doorway. He smiled at the picture before him, and shook his head. Jemma and Aaron were both giggling now and snuggling up on either side of Rachel.
"Just how do you think Rachel is going to get any sleep with the two of you bouncing around like that?" he grinned. "I thought you were so scared."
"We were," Jemma giggled. "That's why we came to Rachel's room. That's what we do when we're scared."
"I can understand that," Kevin said softly, looking at Rachel with a smile. After a moment, he said, "Well, I guess I'll get back to my room then if everybody is okay here."
Aaron looked up at him. "Aren't you scared too, Daddy?"
"Yeah, Daddy. Why don't you stay here too?" Jemma asked.
Kevin coughed. "Well, I don't think there's room for me there, and it's too cold for me to sleep on the floor in here."
"There's room, Daddy!" Jemma insisted. "We'll move over." Which she started to do. Rachel looked up at Kevin with a grin and moved over as well. And Aaron suddenly fell on the floor.
"Hey!" he yelled as he jumped up and climbed over Rachel to the middle of the bed.
"That's better," Rachel laughed. "You stay on the inside with Jemma and then there'll be room for Daddy over there. And nobody will fall out."
Kevin got under the covers with a look at Rachel that said 'I'll get you for this.' Once everyone was more or less settled in, Aaron turned to Rachel and gave her a kiss. "G'night, Rachel."
That prompted Jemma to kiss Kevin goodnight and then she wanted a kiss from Rachel. Then Aaron had to have a kiss from Kevin.
"Okay," Kevin grumbled. "Are we all finished? Can we settle down now?"
There was silence for a few moments, and then Aaron whispered, "You didn't give Rachel a kiss goodnight, Daddy."
Rachel looked up and saw the gleam in Kevin's eyes. "You're right, Aaron. I didn't," he said with a smile. He sat up. "Rachel," he said softly. "Good-night kiss." He leaned over the children and kissed her full on the lips as his hand caressed her cheek. As they pulled away from each other, he grinned. "G'night, Rachel."
He turned off the flashlight and things got quiet again. The storm seemed to be playing out. The wind was not as loud anymore. In the darkness, Kevin reached above Jemma and Aaron's heads across the pillows and wove his fingers into Rachel's hair. She turned her head slightly and kissed the palm of his hand.
After a few minutes, as he was nearly asleep again, Kevin heard Jemma's sleepy voice whisper to Aaron, "See? I told you Daddy likes Rachel."
"Uh-huh, I know," came the equally sleepy response.
Kevin's fingers tightened in Rachel's hair and his thumb caressed her temple.
"Shhh," Rachel murmured. "Go to sleep, you two." Her arm stretched across their bodies on top of the quilt, and Kevin's hand covered hers.
Chapter 30
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