赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Bell arrived at the house that was temporarily hers while she stayed in the Safe Zone. A small one-bedroom cabin not far from the hospital. It was already almost dawn. She hoped Ren would be willing to sleep in a few more hours as she placed him in the small crib near the bed.

She lingered a moment as she looked down at his innocent face. She thought of Galen holding him in the air, both giggling joyfully. She smiled with a sigh and shook away the sweet memory.

Once she had tucked Ren in, she changed into one of Galen’s old shirts and a pair of sweatpants. She yawned as she stepped out of the bathroom, pulled her hair into a messy bun, and looked at the bed. She was exhausted.

So much had happened. Most of it, she couldn’t even begin to process. Ashleigh and Corrine were mostly stable. However, Axel had been touch and go. He was still in critical condition and could go either way at any moment.

She didn’t want to leave. She would have stayed and continued to monitor him all day, but she wasn’t given a choice, and she knew they were right to send her home.

But, after hearing Fiona say out loud that her boys were gone and now being here, alone. It only made everything she had been pushing to the back of her mind come racing forward.

She stared at the empty bed and felt her throat run dry.

What if he was really gone? What if she never saw him again?

Bell had been worried about Galen the moment he left, but she wasn’t scared until the communications went down. That was the whole reason she had pushed Ashleigh to go to Summer. She knew he had been in a dangerous situation and out of contact. He could be hurt, trapped, and in need of rescue. But she never really thought that he was gone.

It wasn’t until she heard what Ashleigh had said about Caleb, about him being trapped inside the ley line. Until that moment, Bell had never actually considered that Galen might never come home to her.

Bell took a shaky breath as hot tears moved down her cheek, and a painful pressure fell on her chest. She swallowed and glanced at Ren in his crib. She didn’t want to wake him, not like this. Then, carefully closing the door behind her, Bell left the room and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.

Leaning on the counter, she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and slowly released it.

“Not today...� she whispered. “Not today...�

She pushed against the emotions and fears that wanted to be released, trying to keep them at bay as she refused to fall apart.

“It’s not time yet,� she said, wiping a rebellious tear from the corner of her eye. She swallowed and took another deep breath. “You don’t have the luxury of letting go....�

A few more deep breaths and she felt the flood waters receding in her mind. She took a large gulp of water, feeling the cold move down her throat and cooling the muggy feeling from her chest.

Bell looked back at the door to her bedroom. She needed sleep. Her body was begging for it. But she was afraid of what memories, imaginings, or cruelty the darkness of her eyelids would bring. So, with a heavy sigh, she turned back to the kitchen. It was as good a time as any to clean every surface in this place.

An hour later, Bell was out of surfaces to clean. The dishes were done, and the laundry was folded. Then, as she looked around for any possible task that might occupy her thoughts, there was a knock at the door.

Bell turned with a furrowed brow. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw it was still early. The sun was up but only barely. She felt a sudden jolt of panic in her heart. What if Peter was coming to tell her Axel had taken a turn for the worse?

She rushed to the door, releasing the lock and pulling it open quickly.

“What happened?� she asked without seeing who it was. “Is it Axel? Corrine?�

“Whoa, take a breath,� Fiona smiled. “It’s just me.�

“Oh, Fiona... I’m so sorry... I thought maybe you were Peter....� Bell replied with a soft glow of embarrassment.

“It’s all right,� Fiona replied. “Corrine is fine, and from what I understand, Axel is showing signs of improvement.�

Bell took a deep breath and nodded with a smile. She then looked back up at Fiona.

“What are you doing here, then?� she asked. Then suddenly remembering she had invited her, she added. “Are you accepting my offer? Coming to get some sleep?�

Fiona smiled and motioned that she would enter the house. Bell nodded and stepped back to allow her in.

“Thank you, but not exactly,� Fiona said, closing the door behind her.

She turned and looked around the room.

“Where is Ren?� she asked.

“He’s asleep,� Bell replied, pointing to the bedroom door.

Fiona nodded and smiled, moving toward the door.

Bell furrowed her brows and followed after her.

“What do you mean ‘not exactly’? If you aren’t here to rest, then what?� she asked.

Fiona opened the bedroom door. Both women stepped inside. She leaned over the crib with a gentle smile before reaching down to pick him up.

Bell didn’t understand what was happening but trusted Fiona and saw no reason to stop her.

“What’s going on?� Bell asked.

Fiona looked around the room, her eyes landing on the diaper bag that Bell kept stocked with all the supplies Ren needed.

“Is this full?� Fiona asked, picking the bag up.

“Yes...� Bell replied. “Why?�

Holding Ren close and putting the diaper bag over her shoulder, Fiona moved toward the door before finally turning to look at Bell. She gave her a warm smile.

“Ren and I will be going to get some rest elsewhere,� she said. “You need some time alone.�

“What?� Bell questioned. “No, I appreciate the thought, but I would rather Ren stay here with me.�

Fiona left the room, closing the door behind her without another word. She trusted her mother-in-law and knew she meant well. But the last thing Bell wanted was to be completely alone. She hurried to the door, pulling it back open.

“Fiona! Wait! I--�

Bell’s words caught in her throat as her eyes widened, and her entire body froze in shock and confusion. On the other side of the door, she didn’t find Fiona and Ren, but rather, his lopsided grin. His pale green eyes filled with the same longing and relief she felt inside her.

“Galen....� She whispered.

He smiled and let out the breath he had been holding.

“Honey,� he whispered. “I’m home.�