Nuclear winter book 4 go.., p.22
Nuclear Winter | Book 4 | Going Home, page 22
part #4 of Nuclear Winter Series
Pete had to admit it would be good to meet up with Trev again. The other cousin was pretty much the last of Pete's old friends he hadn't had a chance to see yet, and he supposed he owed it to the man to clear the air about what had happened six years ago; Matt, Rick, and Alice weren't the only ones he'd left on bad terms with.
Besides, everyone else who'd gotten hitched while he'd been gone had been all too eager to introduce their families. He supposed Trev deserved his chance too.
Chapter Twelve: New Arrival
When Matt pulled into the driveway of the house on the next lot down from the Halssons', Pete wondered if they were at the right place.
It just came as a bit of a surprise after seeing Lewis's, Matt's, and Rick's houses to find that Trev's was very modest in comparison. A small log box, which judging by the windows had five rooms at most. Well-made and lovingly tended, sure, but plain.
And the lot was fairly modest too. Unlike Lewis's double lot this was the same size as other farms, and the outbuildings were obviously less professionally built and, while also carefully maintained, seemed more ramshackle. It looked as if the garden had only been weeded during the first few weeks after planting, which wasn't terrible but left it looking ragged. And while Alvin was obviously doing a good job caring for and grooming Trev's animals, there were fewer here to maintain.
So what was the story here? Lewis had made it sound like the cousins were partners in their reloading business. Maybe not equal partners, but with a venture that profitable Trev's share still had to be considerable. Unless Lewis was stingy, which didn't seem likely considering the man had given all his employees a share in the business too, and had always been generous where practical when Pete had known him years ago.
Maybe Trev and his wife just preferred to live more simply. Or maybe Trev's parents and siblings required more support than Lewis's family; it was possible Trev was managing to get money to Linda after all, without Matt knowing.
Or heck, maybe the guy had a serious gambling problem. Why was his financial situation any of Pete's business anyway?
As Matt and Pete were climbing out of the SUV the house's front door opened and Trev emerged, grinning broadly and striding forward to shake Pete's hand with the other firmly clasping his shoulder. “Glad to see you're still with us,” he said. “Sorry to have missed you when you first arrived.”
“Same here. It's good to see you again.”
Pete meant it, but he also couldn't help but notice that while his old friend looked happy and energetic, his face was somewhat lean and bore the signs of long years of strain and grief. Even though Lewis was the older cousin and had always looked and acted far more mature, as it stood now Trev looked his cousin's senior by years.
Pete had no doubt that if he had a picture of himself from years ago, he might see similar signs of strain and premature aging on his own face after what he'd been through. Which begged the question of what had been weighing his friend down all these years, since he'd been in New Aspen Hill with his family this entire time rather than in extended violent combat like Pete had.
And by accounts the man was happily married, so he couldn't have suffered the same crushing loss Pete had.
Matt hung around for a few minutes to chat, discussing plans to train the group of Aspen Hill residents, what materials and space would be needed, and a few things like that. Matt also helped catch Trev up on what Pete had been through while he'd been gone.
But finally the Mayor glanced reluctantly at his watch and excused himself. As he hopped in his SUV and drove off Trev turned to Pete with a smile. “You're probably ready to eat. Come in and meet Deb, she's just putting the last finishing touches on the meal now.” His face brightened. “And I want to introduce you to our son.”
“Looking forward to it.” Pete picked up his gear and followed his friend into the modest house, entering a smallish kitchen crowded by a dining table.
On the other side of the table stood Trev's wife, leaning over the oven pulling out a casserole dish. At the sight of them she smiled warmly and hastily straightened, setting the dish on the stove so she could hurry around and greet them, pulling off the oven mitts and tossing them on the table as she passed.
Deb was a somewhat plain, kind-faced woman, slender and with brown hair touched with just a few strands of gray. She looked to be at least ten years older than her husband, in her late 30s or early 40s, although Pete supposed it was possible the years had just been unkind to her; he'd seen more than a few people prematurely aged by the brutal life they were forced to live after the Gulf burned.
Although whatever else his uncharitable side might say about the couple, it was obvious they loved each other fiercely. Trev met his wife halfway and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an enthusiastic kiss and not seeming at all hesitant about such a public display of affection. And although Deb shot Pete an embarrassed look she kissed her husband back just as passionately.
Trev pulled back and turned to Pete, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. “Pete, this is my wife Deb. Deb, this is-”
“The hothead I replaced on your squad,” she said, eyes crinkling with warm amusement as she stepped forward to shake his hand. “Not literally, of course, but from the way everyone talked about you it sometimes felt that way.”
Pete returned her grip with polite firmness, unable to shake the feeling he was talking to a kindly aunt. It felt more than a little weird since Trev was only four years older than him. “You were one of the volunteers, then?”
A brief look of pain flashed across her face. “In a way.” She stepped over to the table and patted a chair. “Come sit down. I still have a few things to do for lunch, but I'll tell you all about Trev's heroics while you wait.”
Heroics, huh? He took the offered seat and glanced over at his friend, who looked a bit sheepish. “I can't wait. Trev never was very good at bragging about himself, which made some stories that should've been awesome sound pretty boring instead.”
“Well luckily he has me to brag for him these days.” The brown-haired woman leaned up to kiss her husband fondly on the cheek, then slipped past him to open the door and lean outside. “Derek!” she shouted with surprising volume. “Time for dinner, sweetie!” After an appropriate wait she shouted again.
To his surprise a boy of about six popped through the door almost immediately after his mom's second shout. Pete remembered his own mother having to practically chase him down and drag him home when he was out playing, so Derek had to either be hungry or commendably obedient.
Trev's and Deb's son had dark brown hair and surprisingly blue eyes. He was expectedly dirty from playing outside and seemed happy and energetic when he popped through the door, although when he caught sight of Pete at the table he immediately turned shy and huddled closer to his mom.
Deb tussled his hair. “Derek, this is our friend Pete. Pete, this is our son.”
Pete grinned. “Good to meet you, Derek.”
“Hello,” the kid peeped back in a tiny voice.
With a gentle shove his mom propelled him towards the door leading further into the house. “Go get changed and wash up for lunch, sweetie.”
“Yes ma'am,” Derek said solemnly. With a last guarded look at Pete he edged past and bolted out of the room.
Pete stared after him in amusement. So formal. He didn't know Deb's stance on childrearing, but he had a hard time picturing easygoing Trev as a stern disciplinarian who drilled his kid on proper manners. Even when training the volunteers his friend had showed a reluctance to shout and usually walked over to a person to correct them face to face.
Although on the subject of Trev's kid, now that Pete thought about it that was a mystery in and of itself, since Pete had been gone six years and Derek looked about that old.
That meant Trev should've at least been expecting the kid when Pete left. Only Pete had never heard a word about his friend knocking some girl up, and he definitely hadn't met Deb until just barely. Had Trev had a relationship with a woman from Sergeant Davis's camp that he hadn't told anyone about? Maybe a onetime oopsie?
From the couple's obvious closeness Pete didn't get the “accidental pregnancy leading to doing the right thing marriage” type of vibe. Besides, Trev wasn't too strictly traditional and probably wouldn't have kept something like that a secret out of embarrassment or shame.
The other obvious explanation was that the kid wasn't theirs. Pete was awful at seeing whether a child looked like their parents, but Derek didn't look noticeably like either of them. And adoption could explain where the boy had had his manners drilled into him.
To Pete's embarrassment Trev noticed his sidelong glances and seemed to guess what he was thinking. His friend gave him a slightly pained smile. “You're trying to do the math, aren't you?”
He felt his face flushing. “What?”
“Trying to figure out how I can have a kid who looks six or seven with a woman you've never seen before when there was no hint I was even expecting a child when you left?”
Pete shrugged sheepishly. “The thought did cross my mind.”
Trev chuckled, although the sadness was still there. “Derek's adopted. We brought him home just recently in fact.”
It finally clicked, and Pete's eyes widened. “Holy cow. Everyone was talking about you guys going to pick up your son in Manti when I got here. That was when you adopted him, just a few days ago?”
“That's right,” Deb said, leaning in against her husband and inviting him to put his arm around her, which he did. “And he's been a model child the whole time. Honestly I don't think I've ever seen such a polite, respectful little boy.”
Trev shifted uncomfortably. “He's been really great,” he agreed, then hesitated. “Only, I almost wonder if maybe he's trying too-”
He quickly fell silent at the sound of a shutting door, not quite slammed but definitely closed with enthusiasm, followed by the patter of rushing feet. Moments later Derek reappeared, face and hands clean and wearing clothes that looked brand new. Or at least as close to brand new as things got these days.
“Just in time,” Deb said, giving him a warm smile. “Can you set the table while I finish this up?”
The boy nodded, showing none of the reluctance Pete would've expected for a kid who'd just been forced to come in from playing and now had to do chores. He silently made his way to a little footstool and pushed it over in front of a cupboard, climbing up so he could reach the plates inside. Slowly and carefully he moved them one at a time down to the counter in a neat stack, then began taking out cups.
As he worked Trev came over to lean against the sink beside him. “Did you have fun with Luke and Pete?”
Pete jumped slightly at the use of his name, then realized his friend must be talking about Rick and Alice's son.
Derek nodded again. “We dug a hole in Luke's backyard and used the hose to turn it into a lake. Then Pete had the idea of using sticks and string to make rafts, and we were doing that when I had to go home.”
“Sounds fun.” Trev smiled. “Did you know Pete's parents named him after their friend Pete?” He pointed over at the table where Pete sat. “He's eating lunch with us.”
Pete bit back a groan, wondering how often he was going to hear his friends tell their kids he was little Pete's namesake. But he supposed it was hard to complain when they all made such a big deal out of it.
Derek certainly did. “Really?” he asked, starting to turn to look at Pete. Unfortunately, in his eagerness the cup he was holding flew out of his hands and shattered on the floor, spraying glass everywhere.
For an eternal moment everyone stood in surprise. “Oops,” Trev finally said.
Derek hunched his shoulders miserably, as if he'd just trashed a laptop instead of accidentally dropping a cheap cup. He scrambled down the stool and crouched to begin picking up pieces.
“Leave it!” Deb said, more sharply than she probably meant to. She was obviously worried about him cutting himself. The boy froze in alarm. “We'll use a broom,” she continued in a milder tone.
“I'm sorry,” Derek mumbled, shrinking into himself. “I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!”
That last came out as a surprisingly loud scream, and everyone stared at him in shock. In that horrible silence the boy bolted out the door barefoot, voice raised in a high, keening sob.
Trev and Deb stared at each other helplessly, completely blown away by the unexpectedness of their adopted son's response. Pete felt bad for them and for Derek, whatever his deal was, but mostly he just felt awkward that he'd been caught in the middle of that.
“We need to go after him,” Deb said, fetching her shoes from the rack by the door.
Trev hesitated. “I don't know. He might need some space.”
She shot him an impatient look. “He's a six year old boy who just ran off in a tantrum to who knows where in a town he barely knows. Let's get him home, then decide if he needs space.”
Pete stood. “I'll help you look.”
They both turned, obviously uncomfortable. There was no telling how long lunch would be delayed in the search, and it was obvious they both wanted to look but also didn't want to just ditch him here twiddling his thumbs. After a moment Trev nodded reluctantly. “Thanks. Can you head towards the Watsons and see if he went that way?”
Pete had his own uncomfortable moment, since he still felt a bit awkward around his friends after opening up to Alice about Abella. But he wasn't about to let that get in the way of a search for a runaway kid. Besides, the Watsons' house was all the way across town on the other ridge, so if Derek had gone that way Pete should find him long before then.
“Sure.” He got to work putting on his boots, keenly aware of the tense silence in the room until they were all ready to leave.
They split up, Deb agreeing to search their farm's outbuildings before heading towards Trev's parents' house, while Trev went the other way towards Lewis's lot. Meanwhile Pete took the road leading into town that served as the straightest and most obvious route to the Watsons' house perched prominently on the ridge across town.
As he walked he checked yards, side streets, and places a kid might find interesting and wander off to explore. But he had to admit he didn't know this town or Derek, so he had no idea where the kid would run off to.
Heck, most likely Deb would find Derek before any of them, hidden behind some hay bale in their barn.
✽✽✽
“I haven't seen him since he ran home for lunch,” Jane said, frowning as she shifted little Jonah into a more comfortable position in her arms.
On the porch behind her Alice, who'd been snuggling her own baby while visiting with the redheaded woman as their sons played in the yard, nodded her agreement at the statement. “How long ago was this?”
“Just a couple minutes,” Trev replied. “I figured since he was just over here playing with Pete and Luke he might've come back.”
In answer to his unspoken question Jane motioned across the yard, to where two familiar boys were huddled over a muddy puddle playing with crudely made rafts. One redhead, one blond, but no dark brown.
Alice frowned in heartfelt concern. “You don't think he might've gone to our house, do you?”
Trev shook his head. Derek had spent most of yesterday over at the Watsons' house playing with Pete and Brett, Terry and April Lynn's youngest boy. He'd really enjoyed it and wanted to go back soon, but Trev wasn't sure he'd brave a hike across town so soon after coming to Aspen Hill.
“I'm going to ask the boys,” he said, starting across the yard.
“We can help you search!” Alice called. Jane was already heading towards the barn to check it.
Trev was disappointed but not really surprised when neither Luke nor little Pete had seen his son since going home for lunch. The boys joined him and their moms in a search around the lot, with no luck. Trev even checked around the shooting range, even though the few times they'd visited Lewis's house he'd been very careful to tell Derek it was dangerous and he wasn't to go anywhere near it without an adult. Derek had been so solemn and obedient up till now that he hadn't really worried about him going where he wasn't supposed to, but now he thought it was worth checking.
That was actually what had been worrying Trev ever since his new son had come home to live with them. Derek had been the model child, but he'd been trying too hard this entire time. And while he was able to relax and act naturally around other kids, when he was around adults, and especially Trev and Deb, he always seemed to have a brittle edge to his politeness. Almost as if terrified for some reason.
Trev couldn't understand it. He and Deb had done everything they could to welcome their new son; if anything, they'd been as earnestly accommodating and friendly as Derek had been polite and obedient. There was no reason he should be scared of them.
The horrible thought struck him that maybe the boy had suffered abuse in his past that made him wary of adults. That maybe the kindly Mr. Morris and his modest orphanage had a darker side. Trev didn't like to think it, and honestly didn't believe it, but there was obviously something bothering Derek and he wanted to find out what it was and do whatever he could to help him through it.
He had to find him first, though.
Once they'd exhausted the possibility of Derek hiding somewhere on Lewis's land, they tromped back into the house to regroup. Alice, bless her heart, had spent most of the time while the rest of them had been looking on the phone calling all their nearby neighbors, and checking in with Deb at his parents' house and Rick at home.
No one had seen anything. Alice volunteered to leave May with Jane and take the boys on a hike down the nearby streets searching, while Trev decided it was probably about time to get in his old truck and start searching a wider area.
He ran on the way home; he was starting to get worried now, the sort of worry a parent feels when a misplaced kid doesn't quickly show up again. When the nagging fear begins to grow that this may be worse than he'd thought at first.
