When I pulled into Leah's driveway, I already had that familiar feeling that something strange was about to greet me. The house looked normal enough from the outside. Lights on, curtains half drawn, the faint sound of the TV murmuring from inside. Still, the moment I stepped through the door, I walked straight into a scene that made me pause.
Harry had just cracked open a beer, the hiss of carbonation barely fading, when Sue's hand shot out with impressive speed. She plucked the can right out of his grasp like a hawk snatching prey. Without missing a beat, she said "Thanks," tilted her head back, and took a long, unapologetic sip.
Harry stood there frozen, his arm still stretched forward, fingers curled as if the beer were still there. He blinked once. Then again. The sight would have been funnier if it were not so painfully familiar.
"Hey," he finally said, staring at his empty hand. "That was my beer."
Sue turned to him slowly, one eyebrow lifting in a way that immediately told me he was already losing this battle. "What did the doctor say?" she asked, her tone calm but sharp enough to cut through steel.
Harry crossed his arms, turned his head away, and did something I did not think a grown man was physically capable of doing so convincingly. He pouted.
Sue sighed, clearly having gone through this argument more than once already. "No alcohol with your medication," she said. "And if you absolutely need to drink something, a single glass of red wine is acceptable."
Harry scowled. "But I don't like wine," he muttered. "I just want a cold one."
Sue took another sip of the confiscated beer and gave him a pointed look. "And I want my husband alive," she replied. "Thank you very much."
I cleared my throat and made my presence known before this turned into a full domestic standoff. "Hey, Sue. Hey, Harry," I said, stepping fully into the room. "She's right, you know."
Sue's expression softened instantly when she saw me. She smiled, clearly pleased to have backup. "See?" she said. "Even Mike agrees with me."
Harry groaned and slumped slightly in his chair. "Not you too," he complained. "Everyone's against me in this house."
I shrugged and set my keys down, unable to stop a small grin. "We're not against you," I said. "We're just very invested in you sticking around long enough to keep complaining."
Sue laughed quietly at that, and even Harry's scowl eased just a little, though he still shot a mournful glance at the beer can in Sue's hand like he was saying goodbye to a fallen friend.
Home felt loud, warm, and oddly comforting in that moment. Exactly the kind of chaos I did not know I had missed until I walked into it.
…
Sue set the empty beer can on the counter and turned to me, her expression shifting into something gentler. "So," she asked, "how's Bella doing?"
Before I could answer, Harry chimed in from his chair. "Yeah," he added, leaning back with a sigh. "Poor Charlie's been worried sick. He hasn't even agreed to go fishing lately. That's how bad it is. Won't leave her alone for more than a few hours."
I smiled at that, rubbing the back of my neck. "I think she's getting better," I said honestly. "Slowly, but for real this time."
Harry raised an eyebrow, clearly interested, and Sue relaxed just a little, like the tension she had been carrying eased off her shoulders.
"And speaking of fishing," I continued, an idea forming as I spoke, "why don't we go tomorrow? We can take Seth too. Call Billy. I can even convince Charlie to come along. He needs to get out of the house."
Harry's eyes lit up immediately, the gloom evaporating like it had never been there. "Now that," he said, sitting up straighter, "sounds like a plan."
At that exact moment, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Leah appeared, hair still a little messy, wearing one of my shirts like it belonged to her. She paused halfway down, clearly having caught the tail end of the conversation.
"If you boys are going fishing," she said, "I can invite Bella over. I'll call Emily too. We can do a girls' day here."
Sue's face brightened at the suggestion, and she nodded approvingly. "That's a wonderful idea," she said. "Bella shouldn't be alone all day."
Harry uncrossed his arms fully, looking more excited than I had seen him all afternoon. "You know what?" he said, already reaching for the phone. "That sounds perfect. I'm calling Billy right now."
He did not even wait for anyone to respond. He was already dialing, grinning like a kid who had just been told school was canceled.
Sue shook her head fondly, a soft smile tugging at her lips as she watched him. "Honestly," she murmured, "sometimes I forget I married an adult."
I glanced at Leah, who met my eyes and smirked, and for the first time since everything with Bella had started, my heart felt light. Like things were finally, slowly, starting to move forward again.
…
Sunday, October 23, 2005
The next morning came way too early.
I slipped out of bed carefully, moving slow enough that the floorboards would not betray me. Leah barely stirred, just shifted and mumbled something under her breath before burying her face deeper into the pillow. I paused for a second to watch her breathe, then quietly grabbed my jacket and stepped into the hall.
Seth's door was closed. I did not bother knocking.
I opened it and found him dead asleep, sprawled sideways on the bed like gravity had personally given up on him. One leg hung off the mattress, foot twitching every few seconds.
Perfect.
I grabbed his ankle and yanked.
He slid off the bed with a surprised yelp and hit the floor flat on his back. The thud echoed through the room. Seth's eyes flew open, wide and panicked, his hands already scrambling for something that was not there.
He froze when he saw me standing over him.
"…Hey, Mike," he said cautiously. "What's up?"
"Get ready," I replied. "We're leaving in twenty."
He blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes, and nodded. "Alright."
Then he rolled onto his side and went right back to sleep. Right on the floor.
I stared at him for a full three seconds.
"…Seriously?"
I grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him.
"Alright! Alright! You win!" he shouted, flailing. "Stop it already!"
I let go, and he scrambled to his feet, hair sticking out in every direction.
"Make it fast," I said. "Or I'm dragging you to the car like that."
He groaned but shuffled toward the bathroom, and I left him to it, shaking my head as I went to finish getting ready.
When we went downstairs, Harry was already in the living room, wide awake, dressed, and surrounded by fishing gear like he had been waiting there all night. Rods leaned against the wall, tackle boxes were lined up neatly, and a cooler sat by the door.
"Morning," I said. "Looks like someone's eager."
Harry grinned. "You're damn right I am. I haven't gone fishing with the boys in over a month."
Sue peeked in from the kitchen, coffee mug in hand, and pointed a finger at him. "And remember what I said."
"I remember," Harry replied, rolling his eyes. "No beer. Just fish."
She smiled anyway.
We grabbed the equipment and hauled it outside, loading everything into the back of my Mountaineer. One of the benefits of driving something big was that it could handle half a small town plus fishing gear without complaint.
Our first stop was Billy Black's place. He was already waiting outside when we pulled up, sitting in his wheelchair with a fishing rod resting across his lap. Jacob stood behind him, arms crossed, looking half amused and half resigned.
Seth leaned out the window immediately. "Hey, Jake!"
Jacob shook his head with a smile. "Morning, Seth."
I got out of the car and greeted them, then helped Billy into the backseat. Jacob folded the wheelchair and loaded it along with Billy's gear.
"Appreciate it," Billy said as he settled in.
"Anytime," I replied.
Then we were off again, heading toward Charlie's place. When we pulled up, he was already standing on the porch with his fishing gear in hand, jacket zipped up, looking more awake than I had seen him in weeks.
I parked and waved. "Hey, Charlie. Toss your stuff in the back and hop in."
He did exactly that, climbing into the seat next to Billy and greeting everyone with nods and quiet hellos. There was something lighter about him, like the constant tension had eased just a bit.
As we drove, conversation slowly picked up. Seth talked nonstop, Jacob occasionally chimed in, Harry and Billy argued good naturedly about which spot along the river was best, and Charlie mostly listened, but he smiled more than once.
By the time we reached the Sol Duc River, the sun was just beginning to burn through the morning mist. The water moved steadily, glinting through the trees, and the air smelled clean and sharp.
…