51: The Series

51: The Storm Chapter 6

Lindsay pulled into her driveway and was glad to be home. She was shocked when her husband told her deputies what she had been attacked by because she always tried to avoid telling people about it. She walked into the house and was met by her dog, Crook, wagging his stubby tail.

“Hi Crook, I’m glad to see you, too,” she said, rubbing his head.

When she stood up, Wren was standing right in front of her. Before she could say anything, he put his arms around her, hugged her, and kissed her on the head.

“I’m sorry I blurted that out today. I shouldn’t have, and I am so sorry I did,” Wren said, still holding her, his face buried in her hair.

“It’s OK. Viktor and Yuri needed to know what they were getting into by working here. As for everyone else, if they didn’t already know, they should. You did the right thing,” Lindsay assured him.

“OK, well, enough of that,” Wren said as he let go of her. “I know how you feel about mushy, sentimental stuff. I will be making pizza and salad for supper, so why don’t you go lie down and try to get in a nap.”

“Do I look that tired?”

“Kind of, but I know that you haven’t been sleeping well with one of our big friends hanging around, and when this weather hits, you won’t sleep for days,” Wren said, smiling at her with his arms still around her.

“You have heard it too, then? I’m not going to argue if you are going to insist I take a nap. Remind me when we eat that we all need to talk about the camping trip Dillon wants to go on with the Jones kids,” Lindsay told him. “Come and take a nap with me, Crook,” Lindsay said, kissing Wren and walking toward the bedroom. She sat on the bed to remove her boots, her dog hopping up to join her.

Wren walked to Dillon’s room. Dillon was finishing his homework from school that day and, as usual, had music playing while he did it.

“Hey, Dillon, what kind of pizza do you want tonight?” Wren asked from the doorway.

“Pepperoni is good,” he answered as he began to put away his books.

“OK, if you’re done, come out and give me a hand. I told your mom to go lay down and try to get a little sleep before we eat,” Wren told him.

“You told her to do something, and she listened? Are you sure that’s really Mom and not some kind of shape-shifter or something?” Dillon asked as he walked toward the door.

“Yes, I’m sure it’s your mom. I’m as surprised as you are that she listened to me.”

When they reached the kitchen, Wren immediately pulled a large mixing bowl of dough out of the oven and then turned it on to heat. After setting the mixture on the counter, he began pulling things out of the refrigerator and placing them on the counter near the dough.

“I thought you were going to make a couple of frozen pizzas,” Dillon said, a little confused.

“No, I am making three from scratch. I made the dough this morning before I left for work. I might be the infamous Agent Gold, but I do try to take care of you and your mom and I do know how to cook. Now that you know this, are you sure that all you want is pepperoni?” Wren asked as he put a skillet on the stove.

Dillon looked at the possible choices on the counter and asked, “Well, can you add every kind of meat we have to it and extra cheese?”

“Of course, I can and will, but I will need you to help chop the salad and veggies for your mom’s pizza,” Wren said as he separated the dough into pizza pans.

“OK, what do you need me to do first?” Dillon asked.

“Since your mom likes hers, browned more, go ahead and get started on the mushrooms and peppers and grab a can of black olives out of the pantry,” Wren told him.

Dillon got the olives first and then sliced the mushrooms and peppers. He watched as Wren worked the dough into the pans, put cheese slices down first, and added sauce on top of the cheese.

“I thought you put the sauce on first,” Dillon said.

“It is a trick that I was taught. If you put a thin layer of cheese first, then the sauce keeps the pizza from getting soggy. Then you just put everything on top like normal, including more cheese,” Wren explained.

“I would never have thought of that, but it makes sense,” Dillon said, returning to cutting up the salad.

He and Wren finished up and got the pizzas in the oven to cook. They began to clean up and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. By the time they were done and had the salad mixed, the timer on the oven went off. Wren opened the oven and pulled out the first pizza, carefully setting it on the counter to cool. He followed that with the second and third, leaving the oven door open so it would cool faster.

“OK, I am going to go wake up your mom. Guard those pizzas with your life so that our felonious fur ball of a dog doesn’t live up to his name and steal them,” Wren told Dillon.

“You got it,” Dillon answered.

Wren walked into the bedroom and saw Lindsay lying on the bed. Her feet were on the floor, with the dog next to her. She had taken off her duty belt containing her equipment but had fallen asleep still in her uniform. He walked over to her and carefully touched her arm. As soon as he did, she was awake and sitting up.

“Linz, why didn’t you change out of your uniform?” he asked, sitting on the bed beside her.

“I don’t know. I don’t even remember lying down. I remember taking off my duty belt and sitting down to take off my boots, and then you woke me up,” Lindsay said.

“Then, as soon as we finish eating, you need to come back in here and go to bed, and I am taking all the phones out of this room so they can’t wake you up. The pizzas are done, so change out of the uniform while I cut them,” Wren said, kissing her.

Wren left the room, closing the door behind him. Lindsay stood up and began to change her clothes. She knew she was not getting the sleep she needed but had no idea she was that tired. She kept running everything that the upcoming weather could do through her head. At least her department was not as short on deputies now. They did not have any extra deputies, but at least they had enough. After she had changed, she turned and looked at her dog, still lying on the bed, snoring in his sleep. She wished she could sleep like that. She opened the bedroom door and smiled when she smelled the food that Wren had made. It was one of the many reasons she was thankful he was a part of her life.

“Hey, mom, how did you sleep?” Dillon asked when she walked into the kitchen.

“Good, I think. I don’t even remember lying down,” Lindsay answered.

Wren told him, “Dillon, please help me move everything to the table.”

Without a word, Dillon picked up the salad, placed it on the table, and returned for a stack of plates and utensils. Wren managed to carry all three pizzas at one time. As Lindsay watched him, it made her think of a circus act.

“Did you guys leave anything for me to do?” Lindsay asked.

Dillon and Wren looked at each other. “No,” they said.

Wren said to her sweetly, “Sit down, and I will bring you the ice water that I know you will want.”

“Yes, dear,” she replied with a smile.

They all found their places at the table. Wren proudly served the pizza, each of them having their favorite. Lindsay bit into it. It had been a while since Wren had made pizza, and it was delicious as ever. She remembered the first time that he made it for her. He had told her a story about his grandfather teaching him how to make it.

“Dillon, tell us about the camping trip that the Jones kids invited you on,” Lindsay said.

“I told Wren about it a little already. Some of the kids are grown and aren’t living at home anymore, so twice a year, they all get together and go camping from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening so that they can stay close. This time, Rebecca and Nim asked me if I wanted to go with them. They know that you two are really busy right now, and I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so they thought I would have fun,” Dillon told them.

Lindsay asked, “When is it, and more importantly, where is it?”

“It isn’t this weekend. It’s the next one. They usually go into the woods behind their house. There is a spring that they drink out of, and it is close to the house if they need help or if someone gets hurt or sick,” Dillon said.

“Since it is all the kids, I know there will be boys and girls, so you need to be very clear about that arrangement,” Wren said.

“They have two tents. One is for boys, and one is for girls. I know Jake always brings his wife Ashley, and they even sleep in separate tents,” Dillon said.

“I think it would be good for you to go. The weather should be good again by then, and that area sounds like a good place. I say when you are done eating, go call and tell them you are going,” Lindsay said. “What do you think, Wren?”

Wren answered, “I couldn’t agree more. Just make sure you take your phone and charging pack just in case you need to call, but I say have fun.”

They watched Dillon eat with amazement. They both knew that a teenage boy could eat a lot and do it quickly, but he looked like he was trying to beat a record. Dillon ate half the pizza Wren had made for him and then politely asked to be excused so he could call Nim and Rebecca. When he left the table, he put his dishes in the sink and ran to make the call, saying he could go with them.

“What are you thinking about, Linz?” Wren asked.

“Everything. I am thinking about this camping trip. How will Victor do tonight with Max? How will Yuri do with Little Bob tomorrow? Everything involving the upcoming weather situation and what might go wrong. Everything, just everything.”

“I think you should have another slice of pizza, go into a carbohydrate coma, and go to bed so you can get some of the sleep you have been missing out on,” Wren told her. “I know that your brain never shuts off, and that, in part, is what makes you good at what you do, but tonight, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you sleep.”

Without saying another word, Wren got up and put another slice on her plate. He then began to put away the leftovers. Whenever Wren came close to her, he kissed her on top of the head while she ate. She finished eating, and simultaneously, he finished putting away the food that was left.

“It is time for you to go back to bed. Knowing you, this might be the last time that you will sleep for any length of time until after this storm system is over,” Wren said as she reached for her hand and walked with her to the bedroom.

When they walked into the bedroom, Crook was still asleep on the bed. He woke up, raised his head, looked at them, yawned, stretched, and began to wag his tail.

Wren laughed, “I think he has been waiting for you.”

“I think you’re right,” Lindsay said, looking at their dog.

Lindsay crawled into bed, and Crook moved to lie down next to her again. Wren took her hand and began to rub it. She felt drowsy almost instantly.

“Is that one of your special powers to put me to sleep?” Lindsay asked, already half asleep.

“If it is working, it is, and if it isn’t, it is not,” Wren answered.

He looked at Lindsay, but she was already asleep. He was glad to see her go to sleep that fast. He just hoped it lasted.

-

Lindsay awoke with a start. She was sitting bolt upright in bed and soaked in sweat. She had been having nightmares again since she and Wren had rescued Nim Jones from the national forest. Until recently it had been some time since she had one after her attack almost a year ago. Lindsay looked at the clock and saw it was only nine o’clock at night. She walked into the living room, where she heard the TV. Wren was sitting on the couch with Crook sitting next to him.

“What are you doing up?” Wren asked her.

“Bad dream,” Lindsay said as she sat on the end of the couch and pulled a blanket over herself.

“Monsters?”

“Yup.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Wren asked.

“Nope.”