Chapter 14

The bright afternoon was soon turned dull as thunderheads rolled in from the east. Jenn and Jayce decided to stay by the boarded up fireplace in the living room, far away from the windows and the scary storm heading their way, but close enough for the thrill of the flash and clash outside. They didn’t seem so scary in the daytime, especially when Kelly was up to protect them. Billy was up early, feeling irritable that his sleep was disturbed when Jayce decided to throw a temper tantrum at the door that led up to the attic. The child's voice was like a dental drill as it went through the door, bounced off the walls and traveled right up to where Billy lay dozing. After Kelly had stopped the crying, Billy found he couldn't get back to sleep, so as the storm approached, he floated down the main staircase, and then out the front door, where he spent the better part of an hour skulking about the yard and contemplating if he should hide Nix's tools as punishment for his disturbed rest.

By the time five o’clock rolled around, Nix rode into the driveway a little faster than normal. He was trying to get home before the rain broke loose on them and the last thing he wanted to do was get drenched. The wind was picking up, and blowing the scent of rain towards him. He took his bike to side of the house, and busied himself covering it up once he pulled in beneath his new carport.

"Poppy home," Jayce said as he rolled his car along the stone mantle at the bottom of the hearth. Jenn had rebounded quickly, but Jade had taken a turn for the worse. It had been bad enough to warrant her a trip to the doctor, who said she had strep throat on top of the flu. Jenn nodded her head as she lined cars up to crush. "MOM! Uncle Nikki's home!"

"The dead heard you, hon," Kelly called from the kitchen.

“We sure did,” Billy answered back as he floated into the parlor.

When Nix had finished securing the cover over his bike with small bungee cords that came with his tarp, he noticed that his small weatherproof toolbox was open. With a raised brow, he walked over and peered in, where he noticed that some of the tools were missing. With a disgruntled sigh that would have made Billy proud, he stalked across the backyard and headed up the porch steps. Potted plants the girls had planted and hung from the eaves of the covered deck swayed in the wind as he knocked on the back door.

Kelly moved away from the cake batter she was mixing and opened the door for him. "Hey, Nick. Glad you got home before the storm," she said, and then stifled a sniffle with a tissue.

"Hey, you guys have any problems today?" Nix asked, taking the bandana off his head as he stepped into the house.

"Problems? What kind of problems do you mean?" Kelly asked as she returned to the large bowl and turned on her hand mixer.

"I don’t know, where you might need some of my tools?"

"We have Ade's tools, why would we need to borrow yours?"

"I don’t know, that’s why I asked. My box was open, so I wanted to check and see if you were okay, and needed any help."

“I have no idea why your toolbox is open,” Kelly said as she checked the oven, and then began to grease her cake pans. “You must have left it open the last time you used it.”

"Yeah, maybe so," Nix said, knowing that wasn’t the case. "Anyways, how’s the kids doing?"

“Well, Jenn’s down to the sniffles, and the doctor said she was no longer contagious, same for me. She and Jayce are playing with cars in the living room. Jade, however, decided that the flu just wasn’t good enough for her, so she decided to come down with strep throat, too.” Kelly sighed. “When it rains, it pours. Are you going to call Ade tonight? He’s going to try to come home this weekend.”

"Oh man, sounds like you got your hands full." Nix said, fluffing up his mohawk. "Yeah, I’ll give him a call a little later."

“Good,” Kelly said as she poured the batter into the cake pans and then quickly popped them into the oven and set the timer. “Depending on how Jade feels, would it be too much to ask if you could pick him up at the airport if he’s able to come home? He knows his girls were sick, so I know he won’t be disappointed if we don’t meet him there.”

"Yeah, of course. It's just easier and faster if I get him if he’s cleared," Nix said, peeking out into the living room at the kids. Jayce lifted his head and gave Nix a soft wave, and then went back to his cars.

“Thanks, that really takes a burden off,” Kelly said as she came into the living room. “Supper is whatever take out we agree on, I just do not feel like cooking tonight.”

"That sounds good, don’t worry about cooking. I'll be back in in a bit. I just want to make sure the outside is secured."

“Well, all right… but I don’t think there’s anything wrong. We’ve been here all day since getting back from the doctor this morning and nothing has seemed out of the ordinary.” She only wanted to set his mind at ease that no one had arrived and tampered with their things while they were gone, however, she also knew just how much like her husband Nix was, both men were protective. “But if you think someone was here, and then maybe we need to start locking up more securely?”

"No, I think we have more to worry about from the elements right now," Nix said, trying to keep up a calm facade as on the inside he wanted to yell at Billy until he could barely utter a coherent word afterwards.

“All right,” Kelly said gently, as if Nix were on the verge of snapping. He looked displeased and a little on edge. “Well, when you get hungry, come on over and we’ll decide what we’ll have. I’m sure the kids won’t put up too much of a fuss over what we choose.” She continued to look at him oddly for a little while, wanting to ask him if he was okay, but afraid of the answer. Instead, she smiled through her concern.

"Sounds great." he smiled. "I won’t be too long." He let himself out the back door, the smile on his lips dropping quickly as he trotted down the steps and stomped across the yard. "Billy!" he said through clenched teeth.

Billy was up on the roof, straddling one of the dormers as he watched Nix stalk across the yard. He tilted his head slowly in thought, and then leaned forward. “Storm’s coming,” he announced, pleased with the irritation he could hear in his friends tone.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm aware of the storm. Where are my tools?" Nix said, looking up at the blond.

“What tools?” Billy asked innocently. He swung his feet lazily on either side of the dormer as he tipped his head back, presuming to study the sky.

"The tools from my tool box?" he said, glancing at the house to make sure no one was watching. "You know, the big black box that's under my carport?"

“Oh, yes,” Billy said slowly, his face still tipped back as the sky grew darker overhead. “That toolbox.”

"Yeah, so where's my tools?" Nix said, having to turn his back into a gust of wind.

“I decided to create a new game today while you were at work,” Billy lowered his head, his full lips slowly pulling into a mean smile as the wind whipped his long hair like a curtain.

"Oh shi..." Nix groaned, rubbing his face. "What game?"

“Where did Billy hide Nix’s tools.”

"Damn it, Billy! This is not the time. Where are they? I don’t want them to get rusted."

“Who says they’re anywhere where they’ll be rusted?” Billy asked innocently. “And most importantly, who said they’re together?”

Nix tipped his head back. "Billy, where are they?" he asked, trying to keep his cool.

Billy tilted his head back once again and pressed his finger to his chin, as if trying to remember something important.

"Come on, the storm will be on us soon."

“Let’s put it this way, you’re gonna need a shovel.”

Nix groaned loudly. "Where are they?"

“What are they worth to you?” Billy asked. His question was punctuated by a loud clap of thunder.

"A lot! You know I need them."

“I know.” Billy once again turned his mischievous smile down to Nix, his dark eyes twinkling with boyish humor.

"Damn it, Billy! Get my tools out of wherever you put them!” Nix fumed as his temper finally got the better of him. "This isn’t funny!" Another hard gust of wind managed to whip his braid over his shoulder.

“Temper, temper, temper,” Billy purred as he loomed over Nix’s left shoulder. “You want Kelly tossing you in the nut house because you’re out here yelling at the roof during a thunderstorm?” He clucked his tongue softly.

Nix growled in frustration. "Billy," he said through clenched teeth. "Get my tools out of the ground."

“So bossy,” Billy said. “Have you forgotten the magic word?”

Nix sighed deeply. "Billy, please get my tools back."

“Pretty please?”

"Pretty please," He said as he closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath.

“Can we say it with a smile?” Billy tilted his head and rested it on Nix’s shoulder. “A big smile? Like you’re happy to ask me nicely where it is that I hid your tools and your wallet.”

Nix quickly put his hand over his back pocket, where he normally kept his wallet. Even the chain that kept it clipped to his pants wasn’t there. "You got my wallet too?"

Billy reached around Nix, dangling the wallet at arm’s length by the chain, way up high just in case Nix decided to suddenly grab for it.

"I don’t have time for this," Nix groused.

It was the moment when Billy lifted his arm even higher when Gregg stepped out of the little stone house to witness the exchange between the two. He had spoken a few more words to Jade that morning while she was still in a lucid sleep state and promised to bring her more tea. With Kelly home, it was just safer to use Nix’s place. He wasn’t, however, pleased to see the tall blond bullying their friend. A part of him couldn’t blame Billy, who had died young and didn’t have much in the way of social skills over the long years of being dead, and sometimes a little rough to Billy was way too rough for others.

“Do I feel the sudden urge to announce your middle name as loudly as I can?” Gregg asked as he held the mug of tea with one hand over the top to keep the wind from cooling it.

Billy hissed and turned, pinning Gregg with a feral glare. “That secret was given to you in the strictest of confidence!”

“And now, I feel like breaking that promise, seeing you treat our friend so rudely. Spit him out, Billy, before I spit out your middle name.”

“Fine,” Billy snorted and the wallet smacked Nix on the forehead.

“What else are you holding ransom?” Gregg demanded.

“They’re under his bed!”

Nix put his wallet back in his pocket. He knew he didn’t have to check it, Billy would have no interest in the items in there and he knew he wasn’t a thief. "Thank you!" He sighed with relief. "What’s in the mug?" He saw it was one of his. It didn’t bother him that Gregg was borrowing it, he had pretty much given them free reign over his place, anyway.

Gregg lowered his head as a shy expression briefly crossed his face. “Jade and I talked a little bit this morning.” He lifted his eyes to Nix and they were bright. “I promised her I’d keep making her this tea if she’d drink it. She said it really makes her throat feel better.”

Billy let out an explosive sigh of disgust, but held his tongue. Gregg was still armed with his middle name and he had a feeling Jade was quickly becoming a hair trigger for him.

Nix's face lost the tightness to it as a grin broke through the stress like the sun through a dark cloud. "Oh yeah? That’s great to hear. So it’s really helping her? I had strep throat once, I was miserable for weeks."

Gregg lowered his eyes again, and then smiled bashfully down to the hand that was covering the top. “I… need to go in and bring this to her. I think… she likes me. I mean, not in that way, but as a person.” He pulled his lower lip between his teeth to stop the giddy laughter that wanted to come out.

"Go man. Do your thing. I'm going back inside, Kelly's getting some take out. I'll keep them downstairs."

“Thanks!” Gregg laughed, and then disappeared.

“Don’t… encourage him,” Billy snarled.

"Why not? He seems happy, and if there's peace amongst all of us, that much better."

“Are you telling me that you don’t see a problem in this budding situation?”

"Yes... and no," Nix admitted. "Maybe it will help keep the peace around here. If she starts believing again, then think of how much better it’ll be for you guys."

“He’s in love with her!” Billy cried out. “Do you realize how many things that can and will go wrong, especially if she starts seeing us the way you and Jenn and little man do?” He turned and headed towards the house. “A disaster in the making!”

"Not like that’s the first one around here," Nix said, following Billy inside.

“Hey, this is my house, if you want my opinion, you squatters are the disaster!”

"Blah blah blah," Nix said softly, going back inside to see his boy. An idea suddenly occurred to him and he decided to leap upon it.

“Hey, Kelly?”

“Hey, Nix,” Kelly answered as she handed the kids down their juice boxes.

“You know how impulsive your husband is?”

“Oh yes,” Kelly turned to address him. “And no, we don’t have room for an elephant.”

Nix chuckled as he leaned against the kitchen doorway. “No, no elephant,” he promised. “I’ve got something else on my mind. You know that old house across the road?”

“The one in the trees that’s probably fallen in on itself?”

“Yeah, that one. I’m thinking about buying it if I can find the owner.”

Kelly groaned softly. Desmarais men.

*****

“Hi,” Gregg said softly after he opened Jade’s bedroom door a crack and peeked in. She was sitting up with her hands between her knees and her head down. It took a moment for her to acknowledge him.

“Hey,” she answered back quietly. She wasn’t sure if she were awake or asleep, or if the handsome young man were real. She decided that he wasn’t, because she had never met him before and there was no logical reason why he’d be in the house. She chalked him up to fever dreams, seeing him in place of her mother. On the other hand, she had learned in school that you never dreamed of a face you’d never seen. Maybe he rode the bus with her once and had been kind to her. Maybe that’s why she was dreaming of him now.

“How are you feeling?” Gregg came into the room, offering the mug of tea to her.

"Wishing I was dead." She set the beverage on her night side table, and then held a pillow to her chest as she coughed. "Everything hurts, inside and out and there’s no position that I can get into that will give me any comfort. I can’t sleep, I can’t stand to be awake, not even a long hot soak in the tub will help."

Gregg sat on the bed next to her, putting his hand between her shoulder blades as she coughed. “Slow deep breaths,” he said gently. “You don’t want to become faint.” He rubbed the area gently, trying to ease the sore muscles.

She nodded after finishing her coughing fit. "Okay, I do want to die now. That really hurt." She took the warm mug, wrapping her hands around it.

“Drink that, I put honey in it to help your throat. I just hope this doesn’t try to turn into pneumonia,” Gregg said. “Are you drinking enough water? Is there anything I can bring you?” He traced his fingers gently along the spot he had pressed his hand while she coughed.

She brought it up to her lips and took a small sip where she held the sweetness in her mouth. For a little while, she let it stay in there where the flavors bloomed along her sick dry tongue. She cut her eyes over to Gregg, her misery clearly written on her face.

“I know,” he said gently, and then smiled. “Don’t try to talk,” he said. “Is the tea doing your throat good?”

She nodded slightly, and then swallowed, grateful for the way it slowly trickled down and coated her raw throat.

“Nurse that, I’ll stay with you for a while, okay?”

"Thank you," she said, her eyes heavy and her achy body just wanting to curl around the mug. "My uncle has a mug like this."

“I know, that’s where I got it,” Gregg said as the clock began to chime the hour downstairs. Without thinking about it, he reached into his front pocket and pulled out an antique pocket watch. He flipped open the front and gazed at it, making sure it was still keeping the right time.

"That's a cool watch," she rasped out before taking another sip. "You like steampunk?"

“Thank you, and I have no idea of what that is,” Gregg said as he twisted the dial on the top. “I found this one day, along with another one, by the old train station. I was digging around to see if there was anything I could scavenge and I lucked out.” He closed the lid and handed it over to Jade, the gold watch chain twinkling in the fading light of the room. “I fixed them both myself.” There was a touch of pride in his voice.

She looked at it, feeling the cool metal in her hand. "It’s very pretty," she said, looking it over. "You did a good job. I’d look at the inside of this, but I might as well be looking at the human brain."

“You can have it… if you like,” Gregg said gently.

"No, this is way too nice to just give away, I couldn’t take it from you." She smiled weakly at him. "You keep it. It’s very...you."

“It’s okay, it’s not my main one. I just finished this one last week. I was having a hard time trying to find a hinge for the face, but I did.”

"Really?" she ran her thumb over the back. "Thank you." She studied it a bit closer before taking another sip. "You have talent. Where did you learn it?"

“I picked up a book one time that was on antique pocket watch repair. I read it, and thought to myself, why not?”

"That’s good. I learned some of my knitting like that."

“You like to read, too?”

She nodded, and then finished the mug. "Yeah. We have to get some more bookcases here. A lot of my books are in those boxes." She nodded her head to the stack in the corner. "I think my dad and uncle are going to build us some."

Gregg followed her gaze to the boxes and his brows lifted high. So many books, probably ones he’d never had the chance to read yet. “Wow… all those boxes are nothing but books?”

“Mostly. I snag a lot of them cheap at thrift stores." She gave a little cough. "I do buy some new, but old ones are more fun. The plastic totes are yarn."

“You know, I have a lot of old books myself,” Gregg mused softly. “Maybe we could make our own makeshift library, I could bring you over a stack and trade them with some of yours and we return them when we’re done and do it again?”

"That sounds good. I don’t know if you'll like mine, but you’re welcome to look," Jade said. "I'm sure you’re bored here, with everyone being sick and all." She pushed the covers back and climbed into bed, where she lie down with a groan.

Gregg pulled the covers over her gently and smoothed them down over her shoulder. “What kind of books do you have?” he asked.

"All kinds. Craft, true crime, fiction, non-fiction." She held the watch in one hand, and covered her yawn with the other one.

Gregg continued to stroke the comforter over Jade’s shoulder. It was good to see her getting sleepy; she wouldn’t get well without good rest. “That sounds good,” he said. “I’ll have a look after you go to sleep, and I’ll be sure to bring you a book to replace each one I take. Most of mine are old editions that are hard to find, but I don’t think I have anything to worry about. You seem to be the type who truly cares for her things. I know they’ll be in good hands.” He spoke in a soothing voice as his hand moved up to stroke her hair.

"I do. Books are valuable. Not too many respect that," She spoke softly, her words trailing off as she slipped into sleep.

“No,” he said, the smile touching his voice moments before it touched his lips. He continued to trail his fingers along her temple and above her ear, and when her breathing evened out, he rose carefully from the bed. For the better part of an hour, Gregg carefully went through the boxes, feeling the excitement that a child felt when they saw a mighty haul of gifts beneath the Christmas tree. He carefully chose five and rose, holding them to his chest as trophies, and then paused to look at her with an expression of gratitude before slipping out of the room so he could go to his own home and read in peace. He’d have to carefully choose for her five books of his own, hoping that she would find the same delight in them as he did with hers.

Jade slept hard and deep for the first time in a week, her body finally getting the rest the illness wouldn’t allow. For most of the night, she hardly moved until just before dawn. She shifted, the hand holding the watch slipping over the side of the bed as her fingers relaxed and released the gift. It tumbled to the floor, bounced once, and toppled just out of reach beneath the shadow of the bed.