Getaway

“Come on Evan, you can do it.”

Min was dressed in pink shorts and a white tank top, she was sitting on a dark brown area rug, her legs folded under her Indian style. She was watching her son trying to roll over from his side onto his back. The little boy had been dressed in a bright red bodysuit with a Dalmatian in the center of his chest. Min smiled, she could see how hard her son was trying, she wanted so much to help him but she couldn’t. This was something Evan had to do on his own, just one more step towards growing up. Evan heaved himself but instead of rolling onto his back, he ended up on his stomach, the baby boy smiled at mother.

“Well you rolled, just not the right way.”

Min leaned over and picked him up, she touched her forehead to his. “Don’t worry Baby, you’ll get it.” She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him. “I wonder if your daddy is up yet. What do you think?”

She was looking at her son, the little boy touched her nose and cooed. His mother nodded. “Yeah that’s what I think too.”

Evan’s playpen was sitting a short distance away between the living room and the dining room, Min got to her feet and walked over to it. “Okay I’ll go see if your daddy is up, you stay here and play.” She gently laid him down in it. “I’ll be right back.”
Min tickled her son’s stomach and straightened up.

The doorknob to their bedroom carefully turned and opened slightly, Min peeked her head in. Johnny was on his back, his eyes were closed, he was half-covered with the blankets. Min smiled and opened the door all the way, she climbed up onto the bed and stretched out beside her husband. She turned towards him and put her hand on his bare chest.

The young woman sighed as she looked at her husband, he was asleep but just the sight of him made her heart race. She moved her hand up his chest to his face. Johnny had a finely chiseled jaw line and his wife ran her hand over it. Min closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips against his.

The paramedic didn’t respond so she kissed him again, he moved a little and turned towards his wife.

“Good morning.” He put his arm across his wife’s waist.

Min smiled as she hugged her husband. “Morning to you too.”

Johnny had his face against his wife’s neck, he lifted his head a little and started to nuzzle it. “What time is it?”

Min squirmed and giggled as his lips brushed against the nape of her neck. “7 30.”

“That early huh?” He rolled her onto her back and shifted his attention from the side of her neck to the base of her throat. Min put her hands to the back of his head.

“And just what do you think you are doing?”

He lifted his eyes to look at her briefly before returning to his work. “Having my breakfast.”

This made Min laugh. “Oh you are, are you? What’s wrong with bacon and eggs?”

“They’re not nearly as much fun.”

Johnny’s kisses grew more intense and they made his wife sigh. “What about Evan? He’s in his playpen.”

The paramedic stopped what he was doing. “Do you think he’ll be all right where he is?”

Min was playing with her husband’s hair as he continued to focus his attention on her neck. “Well, he should be, he’s probably trying to roll over.”

“How did you sleep?”

“Good, I don’t know if it’s because of where we are or if I was tired from the drive, but I crashed.”

“Me too.” He sighed. “So what are we going to do today?”

Min smiled as her hands moved from Johnny’s dark head to his back, she traced her hands down his smooth skin. “Well, I was thinking about going to check on Evan, and if he’s playing I was going to come back in here.”

Her hands were tickling his lower back, it was the paramedic squirm. “And then what?”

The young woman put her fingers in the waistband of her husband’s dark blue pajama bottoms. “Oh I was thinking about maybe making love to my husband.”

Johnny slid away from his wife and looked at her. “That’s interesting, are you sure your husband will agree to it?”

Min saw the playful gleam in her husband’s eyes. “I have ways of persuading him.”

Johnny nodded. “In that case, I’ll go check on Evan.”

He climbed backwards off of the bed and walked out the door.

Johnny was in the kitchen, he saw his son’s playpen, he looked through the side meshing and saw that his son was lying down. The paramedic quietly crept up to the black and white checkered playpen. Johnny put his hands on the sides, he leaned over and saw his son was on his back asleep. He reached down and touched the little baby on the face. Evan was four months old, he had only been in their lives a short time but Johnny sometimes still found it hard to believe he was a father. The baby had made him discover things about himself that he had never known before. He sighed, he wished his father could see his namesake. A pair of hands gently encircled his waist, he yelped in surprise. Min pressed her cheek to his bare back.

“I was getting lonely waiting for you.”

The paramedic straightened up and touched his wife’s hands. “Sorry.”

Min peeked her head around her husband, she looked down into the playpen. “He fell asleep?”

“Yeah.” He opened his wife’s arms and turned around. Johnny gave his wife a small smile. “Still want go back to our room for a while?”

Min was peering into her husband’s handsome face, the way he was gazing at her made her face flush. “I would like that.”

Johnny gave her a nod, he reached down and took her hand in his, he led her through the kitchen and down the hall towards their bedroom.

Over the course of the next few days, the Gages got to know the Montana woods. Johnny had put Evan in his blue carrier and Min helped strap the little boy to his chest. The paramedic had volunteered to carry his son since Min had carried him for nine months, it was only fair. They had gone on several exploratory hikes in the woods and had a picnic by the creek. The forest surrounding the cabin was dense with many trees and lush greenery. It was like another world, the trees surrounded and enclosed anyone that dared to enter them. The outside world seemed to disappear, even the sun could not break through them, despite how bright and hot it was, the forest remained cool and crisp. The couple spent a lot of time just walking around and showing their son what the woods looked like. The little boy was awed and amazed by everything that he saw, but he seemed to be enjoying the new area. Min and Johnny were also taken by where they were, after all there were very few forests in L.A.

The cabin door opened and Johnny walked in with Evan on his chest, he was carrying a line full of fish. Min was stretched out on the multicolored plaid couch, her ankles crossed, she was reading a romance novel.

“And what is this?”

Johnny walked over to the sink and put the fish into it. “Dinner, I told you we were going fishing.”

“I didn’t think you were going to catch anything.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Johnny walked over to the couch. “Help me get Evan out of this thing.”

Min laughed and set her book aside. “What’s the matter? Is he too heavy?” She got up and stood in front of her husband. He turned to his side and she unbuckled one of the straps. “Do you have him?”
Johnny put his hands on his son’s back. “Yeah I’ve got him, now the other side.”

Min walked around him and unbuckled the other side. “Okay, you’re free.”

Johnny lifted Evan off of his chest and sighed, the extra weight was gone and he breathed deeply. “And you carried him for nine months?”

“He didn’t weigh twelve pounds when I carried him.” She took a hold of her son underneath his arms and her husband pulled the carrier off of him.

Johnny put his hands on his hips and tilted his torso, stretching his back, it was a little sore. “At least I can take him off, you weren’t so lucky.”

Min sat down on the couch, her son in her lap. “Have you thought about calling your mother yet?”

“Yeah I have but I wanted us to take a few days off first.”

“We’ve been here three days, Johnny. She’s had to have called the house by now.”

The paramedic sighed and sat down on the matching loveseat, it was right next to the couch, he put his feet up on the oak coffee table. “She probably has, wondering where we are.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “Do you think I should call her now?”

His wife was playing with her son’s hands. “I think you should, she’ll be happy to hear from you.”

“All right, I’ll call her right now.”

There were only two phones in the cabin, one in their bedroom and the other was on the wall next to the fridge. Johnny got up and headed into the kitchen, he was about to pick up the phone but instead he opened the fridge and took out a beer.

“Need a beer to talk to your mother?” Min raised an eyebrow as she watched him pull out one of the dining room chairs and sit down.

Johnny shot his wife a look. “I’m on vacation.” He looked down at the white phone and started dialing.

Gloria Gage was napping, she was lying down on her hunter green bed. The older woman was in her light blue robe, she was laying on her side. The sound of the ringing phone startled her awake, her heart was racing as she reached over and picked up the phone off the nightstand.

“Hello?” She panted, her voice reflecting fatigue.

“Hi Mom it’s me.”

Gloria smiled, instantly recognizing her son’s voice. “Hi, I tried to call you guys last night.”

“I know, we’re not home right now.”
”You aren’t? Where are you?”

Johnny laughed a little on his end of the phone. “Actually that’s why I called. Are you busy over the next few days?”

The older woman shook her head. “No I’m not busy at all.”

“Good, in that case why don’t you get in your car and drive to Red Lodge, Montana?”

She creased her brow. “Red Lodge? Why would I want to go there?”

“Because that’s where we are, I thought you might like to come meet your grandson.”

Gloria smiled widely. “You are? That’s great! I’ll leave first thing in the morning. It’s about eight hours, right?”

“Yeah or less the way you drive.”

“To see you guys and my new grandbaby I’d break the sound barrier.”

This statement made Johnny laugh. “Well you don’t have to go that fast, we don’t want you to die on the way over.”

“Don’t worry I won’t drive like a maniac. I’ll get up at five and I should be there between one and two.”

Johnny nodded. “That’ll be fine, we can have a late lunch.”

Gloria sighed, she was all smiles now. “All right, I can’t wait to see you, give Min and Evan a kiss for me and tell them I’ll see them soon. I’m going go pack now.”

“Okay Mom, I will. See you tomorrow. Bye.”

“Bye Johnny I’ll see you soon.” The older woman hung up the phone and clapped her hands together. She had a lot to do before tomorrow morning.

Johnny was lying on the floor with his son, he had changed out of his jean shorts and blue t-shirt and was now wearing black cotton shorts and a blue muscle shirt. Min was in a blue t-shirt and jean shorts, she had insisted he clean up, she claimed her husband smelled like fish. Dinner was over, the fish Johnny had caught were delicious, his wife had battered them with corn meal and had fried them. She was just finishing cleaning up the mess she had made while cooking and doing the dishes.

“Did your mom sound pretty excited?” Min rung out her sponge and turned around, she started wiping the stove and counter.

Johnny was on his back, he was holding his son high in the air above him, the little boy’s eyes were round as he looked down at his father. He seemed a little scared at first, but then he smiled.

“Yeah she did, she’ll probably be up even earlier tomorrow morning.” He made a silly face at his son. “Fun huh Evan? It’s fun to be off the ground.” He brought his son back down to his chest and hugged him.

“Probably, can’t say I blame her though, she’s never seen her only grandchild, I would get here as fast as I could too.” Min finished wiping down the stove, she rinsed her sponge and shifted her attention to the table.

The paramedic sat up, he still had Evan in his arms. “Dinner was good Min, I never had fish like that before.”

“Thanks, I learned to cook it that way from Uncle Jesse, he was one of the best cooks in Hazzard.”

Min finished the table and tossed her sponge in the sink, she rinsed her hands and wiped her forehead. “There, all done, the fish was good but what a mess.”

“Yeah that’s one of the downsides to fish.” He put his son down on the area rug on his stomach, Evan rolled onto his side, he once again started trying to roll onto his back. Johnny crossed his legs under him Indian style, he watched his son struggle. “Boy he really wants to roll back over doesn’t he?”

Min dried her hands and walked into the living room, her husband had moved the coffee table away so Evan could practice. She sat down on the couch and put her legs on either side of her husband, he was leaning against it. “Yeah, he’s really trying, it’s hard to just sit by and watch him.”

Johnny nodded and touched his wife’s legs. “I know but we have to let him do it Min.”

The couple watched Evan, he reminded them of a turtle on its back, after several moments of trying, the little boy cried out in frustration.

“Oh now it’s all right.” Johnny reached out and picked up his son, he set him on his lap. “I know it’s hard and you get frustrated but you’ll do it.” He tickled his son on the chin.

Min reached down and touched her son’s head. “Your Daddy is right Ev.” She smiled at the little baby. “Know what happens tomorrow? Grandma is coming!”

Johnny nodded. “Yeah, she’ll be here after your nap. She is just going to go crazy over you.”

“I hope not too crazy, I don’t want him to be spoiled.”

“I can’t promise that Min, this is her first grandchild.”

“That’s true, but I hope she spoils him with love, not toys.” Min put her hands around her husband’s neck and kissed his cheek. “I can’t wait to see Gloria Johnny.”

“Me either.” Johnny put his son back down on the floor, he touched the arms that were around his neck and sighed.

The little light tan cabin was cleaned from top to bottom, Min and Johnny had gotten up at 5 am and had gone from room to room making sure everything was nice and clean. Min had done the sweeping and mopping, there was a slew of cleaning supplies in a small closet in the kitchen. Johnny was in charge of rug cleaning, he had taken each area rug outside. There was a picnic table just outside the porch, he laid each rug on top of it and had beaten them with a tennis racket he kept in the Land Rover. It was very dusty work despite the cool early morning air that was heavily scented with pine and nature. The paramedic’s black t-shirt quickly turned light brown with dust, he was whapping the area rug from Evan’s room, he hit it hard and a huge dust cloud emerged, he turned his head away but it was too late. Johnny was enveloped by the brown cloud, he dropped his tennis racket and covered his mouth and nose, he started sneezing.

Min was barefoot, she wiped her brow, her light green sleeveless shirt was now covered with sweat and dirt. She went into the kitchen to dump her mop bucket water, she heaved the large blue bucket against the edge of the sink, she was pouring out the water when she heard the sound of sneezing. She lifted her head and looked out the window, she saw her husband bent over a little, his hair hanging in his face.

Min set the empty bucket down on the floor, she walked out the front door, the screen door slamming behind her.

“Johnny?” She walked over to him and touched his shoulder, the way he was hunched over had her worried. “Are you all right?”

The dark haired man straightened up, his eyes were red and watering. “Yeah I’m fine, just a little too much dust.”

His wife nodded and wiped the wet marks from his cheeks. “Is that the last rug you need to do?”

“No, there is still the one in our room.” He sniffled and cleared his throat.

“Why don’t you forget about that one? As long as the one in the room Gloria will be sleeping in is clean, that’s all that matters.” Min smiled at her husband. “You know, I’m done mopping and it’s only 6 30.”

Johnny saw the mischievous smile on his wife’s lips. “Is it? Evan won’t be up for at least an hour and a half, what should we do with that time?”

She put her hands on her husband’s dusty t-shirt. “Well, how about I finish with this rug.”

“And what will I be doing?”

The young woman smiled at her husband, she gave him a kiss. “You could be getting out of those clothes.”

Johnny closed his eyes and gently kissed his wife. “Anything else?”
Min gave him a smile. “How about you turn on the Jacuzzi?”

Both of Johnny’s eyebrows raised. “You want to try out the Jacuzzi?”

“Sure, why not, we have plenty of time before the baby wakes up.” She traced her hands down her husband’s chest.

Johnny gave his wife a wide grin. “All right, let’s try it.”

Min stepped back from her husband and bent down, she picked up the racket. “I’ll be right there.”

She turned around and started hitting the rug as her husband walked towards the door.

The rug in Evan’s room was left outside to air out, Min dusted off her hands and gave them a fast rinsing in the kitchen sink before heading towards the master bedroom. She could hear the sound of bubbling as she quietly reached out and turned the doorknob, she peeked her head in and looked behind the door. Johnny was sitting in the Jacuzzi, he had his arms spread out on top of the sides. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted back, he looked very relaxed.

Min stepped into the room and closed the door, she saw her husband’s clothes just beside the large box, she put her hands on her hips. “Comfy?”

“Very.” He sighed loudly and opened his eyes, he lifted his head and looked at her. “Are you coming in?”

“I don’t know, how high is the temperature set?”

Johnny brought his right arm down and flicked the water with his fingers. “It’s set on 80, it’s nice and warm.” He motioned with his head towards her. “Come on in.”

“All right, if you insist.” Min smiled and touched the ends of her sleeveless shirt, she lifted it over her head and dropped it on top of her husband’s pile of clothes. Johnny was watching her, a small smile on his face. His lovely wife put both of her hands on the waist band of her raggedy jean shorts, she unzipped them and let them slide down her legs. The young woman was going deliberately slow, she wanted her husband to enjoy the show.

Johnny’s lips bloomed into a crooked grin. “You are being quite a tease this morning.” He lifted his hand up and curled his finger at her.

Min was in her under clothes, they were light blue. “I’ll be right there.” She gave him a wicked playful smile as she quickly removed them and carefully climbed over the side and into the warm bubbling water.

Gloria knocked on the dark wooden screen door, she turned and saw her son’s Land Rover, it was parked near the front porch. The light tan door opened and the older woman’s face brightened as she saw the handsome face of her son.

The paramedic was wearing a white t-shirt and red shorts, he opened the door and smiled widely at his mother. “Hi, Mom.”

The older woman threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “Johnny…I’m so happy to see you.”

Min got up when she heard the knock on the door, she looked down at herself to make sure she was decently dressed. She had put on a light pink spaghetti strap sundress that went to her knees, her long dark hair was left loose. She had Evan on her lap, she had put him in the dark blue overalls his grandmother had sent him not too long ago. She stood up and walked over to stand behind her husband, she was watching mother and son embrace.

Johnny let go of his mother, he turned around and took Evan from his wife’s arms. The paramedic looked very proud as he held the little boy close to his chest. “Mom, I want you to meet Evan Ethan Gage, your grandson.”

Gloria was dressed in jeans and a purple cotton shirt, she looked at the little boy and her eyes filled with tears, she smiled widely. “Oh…he’s so beautiful Johnny.” She wiped her face and held out her arms. Johnny gently handed his son over to her.

Min smiled when she saw the older woman’s reaction, she put her arm around her husband’s waist. “Hi Gloria.”

Gloria wiped her face again, she had totally forgotten about her daughter-in-law. “I’m so sorry Min, I guess I just got so swept up with Evan.”

The young woman only smiled at her mother-in-law. “It’s okay, happens all the time.”

Gloria held the baby close to her, she was looking down at him. “The photos don’t do him justice, he is the spitting image of you as a baby Johnny.”

Johnny smiled as he turned towards his wife, he moved her so she stood in front of him, he encircled her waist and rested his chin on top of her shoulder. “Yeah I know.”

Evan was looking at the stranger that was holding him, he wasn’t sure what to make of her.

“Say Hi to your grandma Ev.”

Min reached out and touched his hands, she played with them a little. Johnny realized that they were still standing in the doorway.

“Why don’t we sit down?”
They all walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

Min had made a chicken casserole for lunch, the threesome was sitting at the table eating it. Gloria took a bite and wiped her mouth. “This is wonderful casserole Min.”

“Thanks, I was hoping it came out okay I’m not used to this stove.”

Johnny was sitting across from his wife, they had found a white highchair in the closet of Evan’s room and had put the baby boy in it, he was sitting at the table beside his father. “It’s not the stove, it’s the cook.” He gave his wife a wink.

Min smiled at her husband. “Thank you.” She watched as Evan played with his teething ring, he was nibbling on it. “Having fun with that Ev?”

Gloria laughed, her grandson seemed to be having a ball with the simple water filled plastic ring. “It looks that way Min.” She looked at her daughter-in-law. “So where am I going to be sleeping?”

Johnny picked up his glass of ice tea and drank some of it. “The room Evan’s been sleeping in has bunk beds in it, you can take one of those.”

“That’s right next to your room isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

The older woman shook her head, she didn’t want to be that close to her son and his wife. “No, I don’t want to sleep that close to you guys, you need your privacy.”

Johnny set his glass down. “Mom there’s no where else for you to sleep.”

“Nonsense, I can sleep on the couch.”

The paramedic looked at his wife, his dark eyes were silently asking her for help. Min got the message loud and clear, she pushed her plate away from her. “Gloria, Johnny is right, there are two perfectly good beds in Evan’s room, that couch is probably very uncomfortable.”

Gloria shook her head and put her hand up. “I’m not going to intrude on you both, this is the first vacation you’ve had since you were 4 months pregnant. I’m not going to hear another word about it, the couch will be fine.” She pushed back her chair and got up, she started clearing the table.

Min sighed, she had tried to convince the older woman to take the spare room but had failed miserably, she looked at her husband and shrugged. “I tried Honey.”

Johnny nodded. “I know, if she insists what else can we do?”

“I guess we have no choice.”

Min got up and started helping the older woman, Gloria was standing at the sink, she was filling it with warm soapy water. “Now Min I got this, why don’t you just relax.”

“I can do it Gloria it’s okay I don’t mind.”

“Well I do, you made a delicious lunch the least I can do is clean up.” She smiled at the young woman. “Now shoo, you and Johnny go take my grandbaby for a walk or something while I take care of this kitchen.”

Min looked at the ash blonde haired woman. “Now I know where Johnny gets his stubbornness from.”

Gloria turned back towards the sink. “Yeah from his father.”

She shook her head. “Maybe, maybe not.”

Johnny got up from the table, he lifted the tray over Evan’s head and unbuckled him from the high chair, he picked him up and held him. “You heard the lady Min, let’s get Evan’s umbrella stroller and take him for a walk, maybe it’ll make him go to sleep since he didn’t nap earlier.”

“All right, I’ll go get it.” Min walked past her mother-in-law and went down the hall towards Evan’s room.

There was a small path that started just outside the cabin, it led deep into the woods all the way down to the creek. Min was walking beside the blue with multi-colored squares umbrella stroller, her husband was pushing it.

“That is one stubborn woman.”

“I know, she’s always been that way.” Johnny started pushing the stroller with one hand, he put the other across his wife’s shoulders. “But I’m glad she doesn’t want to sleep in the spare room.”

His wife turned her head and looked at him. “Why? She is probably going to be sorry when she sleeps on that couch.”

The paramedic gave his wife a grin. “How can I make love to my wife with my mother in the next room?”

Min felt her face flush a little. “You make a very good point Mr. Gage, that would have been rather difficult.” She put her arm around his waist. “Difficult but not impossible, we would just have had to have been extra quiet.”

Johnny looked at his wife sideways. “That might have been tough.”

Min cleared her throat, her face was burning red. “Uhh, yeah.” She was trying to wipe the blush from her cheeks.

They walked halfway to the creek, the forest was peaceful, only the sounds of nature could be heard. Min was looking around, the trees were so tall, pointing like giant fingers straight up into the sky. Johnny looked down at his son, the little boy had his head tilted sideways, he was fast asleep. “It worked, he’s out.”

The path turned as it got closer to the creek, there was a small clearing, Johnny parked the stroller under a tree and sat down a fallen log that was next to it, he sighed. Min stopped walking and was standing over him.

“Rest break?”

Johnny shook his head. “No.”

“Then why did we stop?”

He stretched out his hand to her. “Come here.” His dark eyes were piercing right into her soul she gently placed her hand in his and he pulled her onto his lap.

Min was sitting side saddle on her husband, she smiled at him. “So what are we doing here if you don’t want a rest break?”

Johnny put both hands on his wife’s face, he closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers, he moved his mouth and kissed her. Min could feel her knees get weak, she put her hands on her husband’s shoulders. When the kiss ended he leaned forward and touched his forehead to his wife’s, he loved this woman more than life itself and he vowed to start showing her more often just how grateful he was that she was in his life. “I love you Min.”

“I love you too Johnny.”

Johnny moved his hands from her face to her shoulders, he fingered the spaghetti straps of her dress and started sliding them down.

Min opened her eyes and pulled back. “Johnny what are you doing?”

The paramedic slowly lifted his eyelids, he saw the surprise on his wife’s face. “I want to make love to my wife.”

“Here? How? And what about Evan?”

The stroller was next to where they were sitting, Johnny carefully turned it so that their sleeping son faced away from them. “Sorry Ev but you’re too young to learn about this yet.”

Min shook her head, she wasn’t sure how they could possibly make love right there in the middle of the clearing. “This is nuts how can we do this?”

Johnny put his hand on his wife’s knees. “Simple, just turn and face me.”

She was still unsure about this but nevertheless Min got up and stood over her husband, she hiked her sundress up a little and put her legs on either side of his as she sat back on his lap. “Like this?”

“Right.” He put his hands on her legs, he wrapped them around his waist. “There we go, that’s better.”

Min could feel her face once again turn red, this was something they had never done before. “Are you sure about this?”
Johnny gave his wife a nod, he once again touched her straps, he slid them down her arms, this caused her neckline to lower, he leaned forward and started kissing her neck. Min closed her eyes and leaned back a little, giving her husband total access to it. He stopped kissing her and Min sat back up, she put her arms around his neck and hugged her husband. Johnny returned her embrace and sighed, the feel of her was taking over his senses.

“I want you, so much.”

Min heard the words her husband whispered in her ear, they made her heart melt, she held her husband tighter. She could feel a surge of passion and desire course through her body, she wanted him too. She moved her hands from his neck to down his back, she slid them down to the bottom of his t-shirt and started pulling it up.

Johnny let his wife pull his t-shirt all the way up, he let go of her and leaned back, he raised his arms over his head and she took it all the way off of him and dropped it to the ground. The couple was looking into each other’s faces, Min put her hands on his chest and started to move them slowly down it. “Show me how much you love me.”

Her husband gave her a small smile, he nodded his head as his hands touched her legs, he curled his fingers around the hem of her sundress and started moving it up.

“There are you, I was beginning to get worried.”

Gloria was reading a book, she was sitting in the loveseat, she was glad to see her son and daughter-in-law.

Johnny and Min were all smiles. “Sorry we were just enjoying the fresh air.”

Min nodded. “Yeah it’s really nice out there.” She crouched down and carefully unbuckled her son from the stroller, she lifted him up and put him against her chest.

“He’s been asleep the whole time?”

“Mostly, I’m going to go put him down in his crib.” Min gave her husband a smile as she went to go put Evan to bed.

Gloria was not a fool, she saw the way they were looking at each other. Johnny sighed and went into the kitchen, he opened the fridge and got out a small bottle of apple juice. He sat down on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table, he had a sip of his juice.

“Tired?”

“A little, we walked around a lot.”

The older woman shook her head. “Uh huh I’m sure the walk is what wore you out.”

Johnny looked at his mother and grinned. “That obvious huh?”

“Yes.”

The paramedic’s face darkened in a blush, he cleared his throat. Gloria saw how her son was suddenly red faced, she shook her head. “Don’t be embarrassed Honey, you don’t have to be, you are in love with Min, she is your wife after all.”

He could feel his hot cheeks start to cool down, his face grew serious. “I do love her, I don’t think I tell her that often enough, part of the reason we took this little trip.”

Gloria was sitting in the middle of the couch, she got up and moved to the end of it, close to where her son was sitting. The older woman could see her son felt bad about that and she reached out and touched his arm. “Johnny, don’t feel bad, your wife knows you love her, even if you don’t go telling her every 5 minutes.”

Johnny sighed, he leaned forward and put his bottle of juice down on the coffee table. “Sometimes I go for months without telling her, I just get so busy.”

“Min knows how important your job is Johnny, you are a paramedic, without you a lot of people wouldn’t be alive today, the work you do is important.”

“I know and I love it, I just wish sometimes it wasn’t so all consuming of my life.”

Gloria touched her son’s hands. “It isn’t, you still have time to be there for your wife and your son.”

Johnny squeezed his mother’s hands. “Sometimes I don’t feel like I do.”

“Well you are, if you weren’t your wife would be the first one to tell you that, I guarantee it.”

His mother’s reassurance made the paramedic feel better, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks Mom.”

Gloria smiled widely at her son. “Anytime.”

Gloria’s simple few day visit turned into a much larger one, she had been staying with her son and daughter-in-law for the past 5 days. Over the course of those days the family had done many things together. Gloria and Evan were getting to know each other, the little boy had even smiled at his grandmother. Min and Johnny surprised her by letting the grandmother feed her one and only grandchild his first taste of solid food. Min had taken Evan to see Dr. Hanson, the pediatrician told the young mother that her son was ready to start baby cereal and stage 1 baby food. The couple had talked it over a lot and had decided to try it while they were on vacation. The baby was sat in his high chair, Min had her camera ready and took the photos of Evan’s first few bites of baby cereal. The little boy was unsure of it at first but then he ate a few spoonfuls of it. Gloria was absolutely delighted to do it, she loved her grandson very much. Things between Min and Johnny were getting better, the couple had been able to grow even closer, the time away had made them appreciate each other all the more.

Johnny was lying on the couch, he was taking a nap, Gloria had taken her Jeep Wrangler into the nearby town to get some groceries, she had taken her grandson with her. Min came out of the bedroom and peeked over the edge of the couch, she saw her husband had his eyes closed. He was wearing a banana yellow t-shirt that read I SWING BOTH WAYS…FIREMAN/PARAMEDIC. She walked around the couch and crouched down, she gently kissed his lips. The dark haired man slowly opened his eyes and smiled at his wife.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Min reached out and smoothed his hair back away from his face.

Johnny rubbed his eyes. “Is Mom back yet?”

“No.”

“Oh good.” He put both hands on his wife’s face and brought it towards him, he kissed her.

Min ran her fingers through her husband’s hair as he did so, she was a little out of breath when the kiss was over. “I was just thinking, why don’t we go for a walk and see if we can find any wildflowers.”

Johnny shrugged. “Well, I know I saw some on that second trail that is just off of the creek, but I was kind of hoping to just stay here and relax.”

His wife nodded. “That’s true, why don’t you stay here and I’ll go ahead and go.”

“I don’t know if that is a good idea Min.”

The young woman shook her head. “Why not? The woods behind our farmhouse in Hazzard are probably more dangerous than these and I always went out into them to go exploring.”

Johnny looked down at what his wife had on, she had on tan shorts and a black tank top. “If you are going to go at least put some jeans on, there is probably poison ivy down there.”

“All right, I’ll change into jeans.” She gave her husband a small kiss and stood up.

Min had put a light blue button down shirt over her tank top, she had left it unbuttoned, she had on her jeans and her brown hiking boots. She checked her watch, it read 1 30. Her husband had sat up, he was watching his wife.

“How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

“Oh I don’t know, probably about an hour, depends on how many flowers I can find down near the creek.”

Johnny nodded. “Just be careful okay? We don’t know what kind of animals are in this area.”

Min rolled up her sleeves, she walked over to the couch and leaned forward, she gave her husband a kiss. “Don’t worry I’ll be fine.”

Johnny touched his wife’s cheek. “Oh I know, I’ll see you later.”

Min smiled and straightened up, she had a small tan wicker basket near the door, she picked it up and waved to her husband, the screen door slamming behind her.

Johnny had fallen back asleep, what finally woke him was the slamming of the screen door, it was loud and it made him sit straight up.

“Min?”

He opened his eyes and turned towards the door, he saw his mother coming into the cabin, she had on a pair of white cotton shorts and a blue and white striped knit shirt, she was carrying Evan.

“Nope, sorry can you help me with the groceries?”

The older woman was a little out of breath, Johnny got to his feet fast and took his son from her. “Come on Son, let’s put you in the playpen while I help your grandmother.”

The playpen was near the couch and Johnny gently laid him down in it, the baby boy was in a light grey bodysuit. “Be right back okay?”

Gloria had gone out to the Wrangler to get more groceries, her son followed her. “Did you find the store okay?” He grabbed two big paper bags out of the back of the vehicle and took them inside.

“So where is Min?” Gloria put the last of the bags onto the dining room table, she set her purse down on a nearby chair and sighed, she started rummaging through them.

“She went to find some wildflowers, she likes to dry them out and make potpourri.”

“Oh! That’s nice.”

Johnny started taking food out and putting it away. “Yeah she likes to do that and sometimes give the potpourri and a pretty candle away as a gift for someone.”

“When is she due to get back?”

Johnny opened the fridge and put the milk and eggs into it. “I think a little after 2.”

Gloria stopped what she was doing and checked her watch. “Johnny it’s 2 30.”

The paramedic stopped putting things away and looked at his mother. “I’m sure she’s fine, probably lost track of time.”

The older woman nodded. “Yeah you’re probably right.”

She went back to what she was doing, Johnny turned his head and looked out the small kitchen window, he saw the woods and hoped that his wife was on her way back to the cabin.

Min had lost track of time, she was down by the creek, there were a lot of wild flowers that grew all along the fast moving water. The water was crystal clear as it went rushing by, she had filled her basket with all sorts of vibrant colorful flowers, they had lots of fragrance and she couldn’t wait to make them into potpourri. There were all sorts of fallen logs all around her as she carefully walked along the side of the river, following it deep into the woods. The sound of the rushing water was very soothing, the area she was in was heavily shaded by the tall trees, she was glad for the long sleeved shirt she had put over her tank top. The area was a little chilly, she got a shiver and rubbed her arms. She shook it off and spotted a patch of bright flowers that was on the other side of the wide creek.

“Oh wow look at those.”

The flowers were bright pink with a yellow center, they were Woods Roses.

“I’ve got to get some of those.”

Min looked around and saw a large fallen log that went all the way across to the creek to the other side, it was very wide.

“There’s my way over.”

Min had her basket in her hands as she walked over to the edge of the log and climbed up onto it. She slowly started across it, putting one foot in front of the other. The clear fast moving water was just below her, she tried not to look down as she made her way across. She was almost to the halfway point and spotted her flower patch, the bright pink flowers were beautiful and she couldn’t wait to pick them. The fallen log was not the safest place to be, there was a large crack right in the center of it, the giant piece of wood was very weak in that particular area.

Min put her left foot down in the center of the log, the wood crumbled under her foot, her legs went straight down into the log. She screamed as the splintered wood ripped through the material of her jeans. She dropped her flower basket. The little wooden basket hit the log, breaking into pieces and scattering the petals as it hit the water with a slight splash. She tried to push herself up and out of the hole she was in but it was no use, her leg was trapped.

Min realized she was too far into the large log to get out of it, she lifted her head. “Help! Someone help me!”

The young woman was dangling a few feet above the rushing creek water, she looked down into it, it was not a huge drop but it was enough of one. She put her hands flat onto the log and pushed against it one more time, trying to pull herself out of it. She heard the sound of cracking wood. She stopped what she was doing, her heart was racing, she was breathing hard. She stood still, she didn’t want the log to break, it was going to take her with it if it did. The cracking stopped and she closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

“Hold, please hold.”

Min could feel her heart pounding in her chest, she closed her eyes briefly, she realized the predicament of her situation. She was a good distance from the cabin, her yells were probably not heard by anyone least of all her husband. The log she was currently stuck in was very unstable, it could go at any second sending her plunging into the creek. The way the water was moving, she had no idea where she would end up. The young woman closed her eyes and wished with all her might that her husband was coming to look for her.

Johnny was standing on the front porch, he checked his watch and it read 3 30. He sighed and put his arm back down, he was getting worried, his wife should have been back by now.

“Johnny?”

Gloria was standing at the screen door. “I’m going to start supper, are you hungry?”

“No thanks Mom, I don’t have much of an appetite right now.”

The older woman opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, she put her hand on her son’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’s fine Johnny, don’t worry.”

He turned and looked at her, his dark eyes were brimming with worry and fear. “I am, she should have been back by now.”

Gloria patted his shoulder gently. “I’m sure she’s on her way.”

Johnny nodded and looked out towards the woods. “I hope you’re right.”

Min’s mother-in-law couldn’t have been more wrong, the young woman wasn’t on her way, she was stuck, her legs were caught inside an ancient log. She was trying not to move too much, every time she did she only made the log seem to sag that much more. Min was scared, she didn’t know how she was going to get out of this situation. She couldn’t just sit there and wait for someone to come get her, she had to try and free herself. She turned her body towards one side and reached out, there was a part of the trunk that looked like a cow horn, she reached out and wrapped her hand around it.

“Come on, you can do this, all you have to do is pull your legs out of there.”

The young woman was trying to give herself a nice pep talk, her confidence in her strength was low.

She took a nice deep breath and pulled with all her strength. That was when the log snapped in half, she felt it give and she covered her head with her hands. The force of the breaking log pulled her down, she was in the middle of a big wooden teeter totter. The other end went down but her weight against it and the part of it that was on the ground caused it to come back up hard. It hit under the chin, snapping her head back and rendering her unconscious as both halves of the log and the young woman fell into the creek.

Johnny was putting on his jeans, he had taken off his t-shirt and had put on a thick red and blue checkered flannel shirt. The young man’s lips were set in a line of determination, he opened his closet door and got out his dark brown hiking boots. He sat down on the bed and started lacing them up. There was a knock on the door and it opened, Gloria came in carrying Evan.

“Where are you going?”

Johnny finished tying his boots, he got up and took his pocket knife off of the closet shelf and tucked it into his pocket. “I’m going to go look for Min.”

“But don’t you think you should just wait for her?”

“No, she’s been gone for two hours longer than she told me. It’ll be getting dark in two more and I want to use what daylight there is left to find her.”

His mother shook her head. “Johnny, I’m sure she’s fine.”

“I’m sure she’s not.” He got a dark blue vest out of the closet and slipped it on, he zipped it.

“How do you know that?”

“Just a feeling.” He started to leave when his mother called out his name, he turned around and looked at her. “Take care of Evan for me, okay?”

Gloria sighed, she could tell by her son’s face that nothing she could say was going to dissuade him. She gave him a nod. “I’ll watch over him.”

The paramedic nodded and reached out, he touched his son on the cheek. “Don’t worry Baby, I’ll bring your mom back.” He gave his mother a slight smile and left the bedroom.

Gloria sighed as she heard his boots thump down the hall, the last thing she heard was the screen door slamming.

The sound of rushing water all around her forced the young woman to slowly open her eyes, she was in the creek, there was something solid against the back of her head and shoulders, it had to be a rock. Min groaned, her head was killing her and she was freezing cold. She was lying face up in the water, she slowly turned around and saw that it was a rock she was leaning against. The young woman closed her eyes, the whole world seemed to be spinning and she felt sick to her stomach. She saw the bank was right there, she reached out towards it and grabbed the edge of it, she carefully heaved herself out of the water and laid down on the pine needle covered ground. Min looked up at the sky, she could tell by the light that sunset was not too far away. She had no idea how far away she was from the cabin, all she did know was that her whole body felt like she had been beaten with a baseball bat. Her leg and her head especially were both hurting her. She was not a trained medical professional like her husband but being around him all this time had taught her a few things. She was pretty sure she had a concussion. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed, she knew she needed help but her pounding head told her she was not going to go anywhere.

Min felt the warm tears start to slide down her face. She was cold, wet, alone, hurting and most of all, very very scared, all she wanted was her husband.

Johnny had jogged down the path that led to the creek, he was out of breath as he started looking around. He walked along the shoreline looking very carefully at all of the flowers that grew there. He crouched down and studied the soft ground, he was looking for any sign of his wife. Johnny was an experienced woodsmen, his father had taught him all about wilderness survival, camping and most of all, tracking. Evan had started teaching these things to his son when Johnny was a young boy of 8. The father and son had spent a lot of their time in the Wyoming wilderness together. Johnny sighed, he never thought some of the things his father had taught him were ever going to come in handy until now. His wife was lost in the woods and it was up to him to find her. He reached out and touched the ground, he could almost hear his father.

“Look for any signs of someone being there Johnny, everyone on this planet leaves some sort of sign behind you just have to find it.”

The paramedic duck walked along the edge of the river, he hadn’t spotted anything yet but he was determined. There was a patch of yellow flowers, he spotted something on the ground, he carefully brushed some of the flowers back and saw a single petal. He reached down and picked it up, he looked down at the ground for more and spotted a boot print. The print was pressed into the soft mud that the flowers were growing out of. Johnny knew his wife’s shoe size, he had always teased her about having tiny feet and the boot print he found was little, it made his heart start beating hard, it had to belong to Min. He looked out along the creek and spotted more patches of flowers, he straightened up and headed for them hoping to find more clues as to his wife’s whereabouts.

The flowers that grew along the banks of the creek were of the typical Montana variety. The beautiful blooms of the Showy Milkweed, Bitterroot, Chicory and other flowers decorated both sides of the rushing creek like rainbow colored dots. Johnny followed the creek into a deeper area of the woods, it was off of the trail. He knew that his wife’s intense love of flowers and potpourri making had probably tempted her to leave the trail and go into the unmarked area of the forest. He sighed and started looking down on the ground, seeing if he could find anymore prints or any other sign that she had come this way. He got close to the water’s edge and spotted something. He crouched down, it was a large piece of tan wood, nestled among the reeds. Johnny picked it up, he recognized the color, it was a piece of his wife’s wicker flower basket. It looked as though it had been broken off.

“Oh no.”

It worried the paramedic that the piece of basket had been broken, he clutched it in his hands and sighed.

Min woke up, the pain in her head had gotten worse, she sat up slowly only to feel her stomach roll miserably. She put her hand to her mouth thinking that she might get sick. She decided to try and get to her feet and walk back along the river. She had followed it into the woods and it should be able to lead her back out of them. There was a tree that was behind her, she put her hands on it and pushed against it, trying to get to her feet. Her legs reminded her of their injuries as she stood up. A strong wave of dizziness hit her and she slammed back against the trunk, she closed her eyes hoping it would stop. After a few seconds she opened her eyes, the world had stopped spinning.

Min went to take a step but found out quickly that she couldn’t, she stumbled hard and nearly fell onto her behind. She grabbed the tree for support, she definitely had a concussion, which only made her situation even more difficult. Not being able to walk straight was going to slow her efforts to get back to the cabin, now it looked as though she would not make it before it got dark. The young woman swallowed hard, she didn’t want to be in those woods once the sun went down but it looked as though that was exactly what was going to happen.

The young woman was using the trees to help make her way back towards the cabin. She was going from tree to tree, stopping occasionally to rest. She was slowly making her way home, using the creek as her guide. She decided to rest her legs, she was leaning against a large tree breathing hard, her legs and her head were still bothering her, she slid along the bark and sat down on the ground. She wasn’t sure how far she had gone, although it felt like miles. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and let it out slowly, she wondered where her husband was and if he was trying to find her.

Johnny found the rest of his wife’s flower basket, it was only a few feet up the creek, the broken remains of the little tan basket were caught in some branches. He fished it out of the water and looked at it, obviously the creek was involved in his wife’s disappearance. He was holding the little shattered basket in his hands as he ran started running down the bank of the creek.

The paramedic ran until he spotted a patch of flowers, they were the bright pink with yellow center Woods Roses. He looked around and saw that they were only growing on the other side of the creek. They were very pretty little flowers and he knew his wife had probably tried to get to them. Johnny creased his brow as he crouched down and looked at the ground, there was a large indentation, he reached out and touched it. He could see that something large had once been sitting right there, the odd shape told him it had been a log. He looked out across the water and saw a half of a broken log lying in the water. He set the broken remains of Min’s flower basket down and walked right over the creek’s edge and into the water. The first thing he did was gasp, the water was frigid, it was fast moving and he was trying not to let himself get caught up in it as he made his way over to the log. The water was up to his waist by the time he made it to the busted log. The ancient log was very thick, he touched the dark bark and began looking it over for any clue that it had something to do with his wife.

Min had decided she had taken enough of a break, she put her hands back against the tree and started to push against it, once more trying to get to her feet. She only made it partly when her hands slipped and she ended up back plopping back down on her behind. The young woman was not feeling good, her emotions got away from her again, she wiped the tears that were rolling down her face and sighed. She felt too bad to try and get back up, she decided to just stay there and wait for her husband to find her.

Johnny saw the break in the log, it was fresh, there was a tiny piece of blue material snagged in one of the large splinters, he pulled it off and looked at it, the material was denim. He sighed, he knew exactly what had happened to his wife now, she had been on that log and it had broken and sent her into the water. The paramedic looked at how fast the creek moved and in what direction, he tucked the snag of denim into his pocket and stepped away from the log. He knew there was only one way to get to where his wife was, he had to take the same path she had. He sunk down in the water and laid down on his back, letting the creek sweep him away.

The dark haired man was flat on his back, the ride down the creek was an exciting one, like being on a water slide. He ended up a couple of miles away, the current took him to a fairly slow moving area of the creek. He saw a large rock on the side of the bank, the water went right to it, it was right beside the bank. Johnny was freezing as he stood up and climbed out of the water, he checked the ground and saw that he was not the only one that had been there, someone else had to. It had to have been his wife. Johnny ran his hand through his dark hair, it was soaked, he shook the water from his hands. He started thinking that if his wife was all right enough to climb out of the water she would no doubt try and get back to the cabin. He knew what direction the cabin was in and how far away it was, the common link his wife had was the creek. He started walking back towards the cabin, he knew that Min had to be somewhere close by.

“Min?” Johnny ran down the creek bank calling out his wife’s name.

Min had fallen asleep again, her head slipped off of the trunk and had forced her to open her eyes, she was breathing hard as she looked around. She had been dreaming about her husband and she could have sworn she heard someone call out to her. She sat very still and listened.

Johnny was running fairly fast as he dodged fallen logs, and ducked stray branches.

“Min? Min where are you?”

That time she heard her name, she recognized the voice instantly and it made her heart start to beat hard.

“Johnny?”

It hurt her head to yell but she didn’t care, all she wanted was her husband.

He stopped in mid run, he had heard his wife call out to him and it wasn’t too far away.

“Call out to me again Min!”

The young woman forced herself up to her feet despite how lousy she felt, she was leaning back against the tree trunk. She was smiling widely.

“Here Johnny, I’m over here!”

She was just up ahead, Johnny heard her voice and ran over in that direction, he spotted her against a tree. She looked rather pale, her clothes were disheveled and dirty, her long hair was almost completely out of the pony tail he had watched her put in before she left. The paramedic was never so relieved in his life, he ran over to her and hugged her. Min put her arms around her husband, he was wet but she didn’t care, she leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Johnny had his hand on the back of his wife’s head, he was pressing her tightly against him.

“I think I have a concussion.”

He pulled back from his wife and looked her over. “You hit your head?”

“I think I did when I hit the water, all I know is my head hurts and my stomach feels bad.”

Johnny crouched down, her saw her pant legs were ripped open, he looked down and saw a few deep looking scratches. “Can you walk?”

“I don’t know, I tried and nearly fell.” She winced when he touched her legs.

He lifted his eyes to look at her. “Does it feel like you might have had too much to drink?”

Min nodded her head. “Yeah, I have no balance.”

Johnny straightened up. “We have to get back to the cabin before it gets dark.” He stood over her and touched her slightly smudged face. “I know your legs hurt but you have to walk on them.”

“What about my balance?”

“You can lean on me, okay?”

The young woman nodded. “Okay.”

Johnny reached down and took her hand, he put an arm around her shoulders and drew her to him. Min leaned against her husband as they started back towards the cabin.

Gloria gently laid her grandson in his crib, she had given the little baby boy a bath and had put him in his blue pajamas. She put him on his back and covered him with a thin blanket, he had fallen asleep on the area rug in the living room. The older woman touched his head gently and leaned down, kissing his cheek. She crept quietly out of the room closing the door behind her. She went back into the living room and sat down, she picked up her book and started to read it. It was already dark outside and she tried not to think about that fact as she curled up on the couch. Johnny had been gone for over 2 hours and she was starting to really get worried for her son and daughter-in-law. The couple had been gone way too long and she knew that.

She had just began to get engrossed in her novel when there was a loud thump on the door. It startled her off of the couch, she set her book down on the coffee table and opened the door. Johnny was behind it, he had his wife in his arms, he was out of breath.

Gloria sighed when she saw her son, he was carrying his wife, she was unconscious. “Oh my God what happened? Are you both all right?”

Johnny stepped into the house. “Yeah we’re fine, can you get my big black tackle box out of the Land Rover?”

“Sure.” Gloria took his keys off the nearby hook and walked out the front door.

Johnny carried his wife to their bedroom and laid her gently laid her down on the bed, he lifted her eyelids and tried to see her pupils. The room was too dim, he couldn’t see them.

“Here is your kit.” Gloria came into the bedroom and set it down beside her kneeling son.

“Thank you, is Evan asleep?”

“Yeah I just put him to bed.”

The paramedic opened his kit and got out his penlight, he lifted his wife’s eyelids and checked her pupils, they were not responding properly. “Yup, she’s got a concussion.”

“What happened to her?” Gloria could not help but notice how dirty her daughter-in-law was.

“Tried to cross the creek on an old log, it broke and sent her into the water, it carried her a few miles downstream.” Johnny got everything he needed to give his wife a Ringer’s Lactate IV.

“What’s that for?”

“She might be dehydrated.” He took off her button down shirt and turned over her arm, he found a vein and started the IV.

Johnny sighed and sat back on his haunches. “That’s all I can really do, we’re just going to have to watch her.”

Gloria put her hand on her son’s shoulders. “I’m glad you found her Johnny.”

He reached back and touched his mom’s hand. “So am I.”

“You stay with her and I’ll bring you something to eat okay?”

“Okay.”

“Why don’t you change out of those clothes and dry off.”

Johnny stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt, his mother went to make him a plate of food.

Min slowly opened her eyes, she recognized where she was, back in the cabin. She looked down at herself and saw that she was clean. It was obvious who had bathed and dressed her, it had to have been Johnny. He had dressed her in her purple short nightgown, her legs were bandaged from her knees down. She felt someone pressed against her, she turned to the left and saw her husband. His eyes were open and he was watching her closely. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“How do you feel?” Johnny lifted his head brushed the hair away from his wife’s forehead.

Min shrugged. “My head hurts and so do my legz.” She felt something tug at her right arm, she looked down at it and saw the IV needle and the first-aid tape. “What’s this for?”

Johnny had changed into his red pajama bottoms, because of his dip in the creek he was cold and decided to wear the top as well. “I thought you might be dehydrated.”

The young woman nodded her head. “I was gone for a while wasn’t I?”

The dark haired man sat up, he turned with his back to his wife. “Yeah you were.”

Min reached out and put her hand on her husband’s back. “You were really worried about me weren’t you?”

He didn’t say a word, he simply gave her a nod. Min sat up and very carefully scooted towards the edge of the bed. She was behind her husband, because of her IV she could only put her left hand on his shoulder. She leaned forward and rested her chin on top of her hand. Min knew and understood that there were some things that men in general wouldn’t always talk about. She and Johnny had always been very open with each other, there wasn’t anything they couldn’t talk about, however this time it was different. Her husband had been frightened, very frightened, and it was hard for him to admit it. He could race into burning buildings to pull strangers out or saw through a car door to rescue someone. This however was harder than both of those things because this time it was not a stranger, it was his wife.

Johnny was a paramedic and fireman, he always had people and equipment with every situation he faced, he had never been helpless. This particular time there was no one there to help him, Johnny had gotten his first true taste of helplessness and his wife knew it.

Min could feel how tense her husband was, his shoulders felt like concrete, she wished he would say something. She hated the stony silence between them. “It wasn’t your fault, it was mine. I never should have tried to cross the creek.”

Johnny sighed and shook his head slowly. “No it wasn’t your fault. I never should have let you go alone.”

“I didn’t give you much of a choice did I?”

He started to turn and Min lifted her head from his shoulder, the couple was now facing each other. Johnny looked at his wife and started to speak, Min put her fingers over his lips. “I know what you are going to say, you felt scared and helpless didn’t you?”

Her husband kissed her fingers and gently lifted them from his lips to hold her hand in his. “Did I say that?”

The young woman smiled. “You didn’t have to.”

Johnny was still holding her hand, he pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, do you understand?” His voice was deadly serious and Min could hear that he meant it. She put her arm around him. “I understand, I’m sorry for what I put you through. All I wanted was to make potpourri.”

“I know but you could have ended up with more than just flower petals.”

Min pulled back and looked at her husband. “How exactly did you find me?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I tracked you, something my father taught me a long time ago.”

“Did you ever use it before?”
Johnny smiled at his wife and kissed her forehead. “No, first time, worked good didn’t it? I think my father would have been proud.”

Min nodded and hugged her husband again. “Thanks for coming after me, if it hadn’t been for you who knows what would have happened to me.”

Johnny sighed and closed his eyes briefly. “It doesn’t matter, you’re home now and you’re safe, don’t think about the what ifs, okay?”

“Okay.”

Min once again pulled back and looked at her husband. “This has been some vacation hasn’t it?”

The paramedic started to laugh. “Yeah it has, but its not over yet, we still have a whole week left.”

“Yeah I know but I think I have a great idea about where to spend the rest of it.”

Johnny looked at his wife, he creased his brow. “Oh yeah? Where?”

The young woman let go of her husband and laid on the bed, she was propped up on her elbow, she smiled wickedly and patted the area next to her. “Right here Mr. Gage, we can spend the rest of our getaway right here.”

Johnny gave his wife a nod. “I see.” He swung his legs onto the bed and got on his knees. “So I am a piece of meat to you is that it?”

Min grinned at her husband. “Absolutely.”

The dark haired man put his hands to the buttons of his red pajama top and began to unbutton them slowly. “I can live with that.”

His wife was watching him, she started laughing at what he said. “Oh Johnny get serious you know I was only teasing you.”

He nodded as the buttons opened one at a time, his chest was slowly being exposed. “I know that.”

“Then why are you doing that?” She swallowed hard, the room suddenly felt warm.

Johnny only gave his wife a crooked grin. “You teased me so now I’m teasing you.”

He unbuttoned the last button and slowly parted the shirt, he let it slide down his shoulders and fall to the floor. His dark eyes were beckoning to her, he lifted his hand and curled his finger at her.

“Come here.”

Min swallowed hard again and got up, she was on her knees and moved closer to him. “You have to be careful, my head still hurts a little.”

The paramedic gave her a nod. “I know, what you need is some medical attention.” He reached out and grabbed her by her nightgown and pulled her to him. “I’m a paramedic, I am trained to handle such things.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, certified by the city.”

Min nodded and put her arms around her husband’s neck. “Oh good I’m glad I’m in the capable hands of a professional.”

“I’m one of the best in the city.”

She looked at her husband and gave him a smile. “Prove it.”

Johnny leaned forward and started kissing his wife, he pushed her back with his weight, she moved her legs out from under her and ended up sitting on the bed. Johnny stretched out beside her and reached out to her with his hand. “I’ll be more than happy to prove it.”

Min grinned at her husband and took his hand. “See, this is turning out to be a great vacation.”

“I know but like I said, it’s not over yet.” Johnny tugged at his wife’s hand and pulled the young woman on top of him.