B/K: Thinking of You 3/5
Part Three
I can hear rain drops hitting the roof and window before I even open my eyes. I turn on my side to look at the clock. 3:30 PM. At first I think its wrong and grab my watch lying on the night stand. But it is still half way through the afternoon and I can’t believe I slept for as long as I did.
A flash of panic runs through me and I pick up the phone, half hoping that there is a message from her telling me that she is safe and half hoping that there isn’t. I couldn’t bear the thought of having missed her call and the chance to hear her voice simply because I was too tired. But there isn’t a message and I slouch back in defeat. Maybe I wanted that message more than I thought.
Staring out the window I see how dark and stormy it is. Its strange how fast the weather changed in a couple of hours. Though I suppose I should know how fast things can change. I think this new weather is a much better representation of my mood and that of the country’s. Maybe this is what we need. To wash away all the horrible events that happened and start fresh. I hope this doesn’t delay my flight.
Dragging myself out of bed I decide to take another shower. I take my time standing under the hot water hoping it can relieve the pain in my neck and shoulders. Field work never used to hurt this much, another nice reminder of how I have aged. I climb out and grab an aspirin before getting dressed. As I head downstairs I make a mental list of everything I need to bring with me.
Only when I am satisfied with this list do I go into the kitchen and grab an apple and a bottle of water. Looking out the window at the rain coming down I realize that Karen would be livid if she knew that I haven’t been eating and sleeping properly. She said it was the thing she was worried about the most while she was gone. When I reassured her that I was a bachelor for many years and survived she rolled her eyes and said that was questionable. But the truth is I have become quite dependent on her.
I am about to check the locks on the windows and back door when I hear someone outside. In an instant I am in CTU mode and I immediately regret having gotten rid of my gun. Peeking around the corner I can see that someone is standing outside the front door and I am relieved to remember that I had locked it. But when I hear the door open I rush into the hallway.
And there she is. She is soaked and slightly shivering. For a small moment we stand there staring at each other.
My wife…my beautiful wife…she’s here…she is standing ten feet away from me…its been two months…but here she is…what are you doing…say SOMETHING…
But she beats me to it. Glancing at my suitcases by the door she looks at me.
“Are you leaving me?” Her tone is playful but her eyes say that she is scared of the possible answer. Something we’ll have to talk about later but right now all I can think about is how much I love her.
I still can’t speak but move forward so fast I startle her. I wrap my arms around her not caring if I get wet. She embraces me and lets out a small yet content sigh. Running my hand through her damp hair I place several kisses on her forehead. We rock gently back and forth in the silence neither of us in a rush to speak. We have all the time in the world because now that she is back in my arms I am never letting go.