by Estee
From the wooden steps beneath the ranch house,
Buck kept watch over his two charges while at the same time keeping an ear
tuned to the storm raging outside. He’d
set a halogen lamp in the middle of the floor to give them all a little light,
and the portable radio was at his feet, playing some old love song from the
seventies.
In one corner of the shelter, JD sat cross-legged
on the cement floor, looking a little bit nervous but he’d been calm for the
most part. He was clinging to his blanket, with their two big pups curled up on
either side of him.
Vin, who was usually the calm, reliable one, was
not dealing well with the situation. The boy was breathing raggedly, still
trying to twist his body in a vain attempt to escape Buck’s firm grasp.
“Settle down, Junior,” Buck murmured calmly,
tightening his hold just a little when Vin stiffened and a seemed to struggle
with a new burst of panic. The boy squirmed against him, his little hands
desperately trying to push for freedom, but he was no match for the strong arms
surrounding him. Buck’s hold remained steadfast, refusing to be budged.
Several more minutes passed before Buck felt the
slight body finally begin to relax against him. “That’s it,” he whispered.
“Everything’s gonna be just fine.” He dropped a kiss on top of Vin’s head then
rested his chin there, and gave a reassuring smile and wink to JD.
JD smiled tremulously, his big brown eyes filled
with concern for his ‘brother’. “Is Vin
scared of the Nortado?”
“Nah, he’s doing okay.” Buck knew Vin wasn’t
afraid of the weather; in fact he’d much rather be standing out in the middle
of the storm than be cooped up in this tiny, suffocating space. Vin didn’t like
being closed in and Buck had no doubt that if he let go right now, Vin would be
up the stairs in a flash.
In addition to that anxiety, he was also terrified
for Chris who’d been on his way home when the sirens went off. Buck hadn’t heard from him or been able to
get a hold of him since he left the office, but he wasn’t going to burden JD
with that. The kid didn’t need any more worries than the ones he already
had. “You’re okay, aren’t ya, pal?” Vin
nodded against his chest, his thin arms finally reaching around to hold on to
his protector instead of trying to push him away.
From the sound of things, the storm was
dissipating, but Buck decided to keep the boys in the shelter until the tornado
warning expired. A few minutes later, he thought he heard the sound of a car
door closing, but he didn’t say anything to the boys because he didn’t want to
get their hopes up. A moment later, though, the heavy door to the shelter
creaked opened and a ray of late afternoon sunlight spilled into the tiny room.
“Hey,” a familiar voice called down to them, “is everyone okay down there?”
Buck looked up, giving his old friend a relieved
smile. There was a vibrant rainbow arching across the still malevolent-looking
sky, bright sunlight was just beginning to peek out from behind the storm
clouds. He shifted the boy in his arms and stood slowly, looking down into a
pair of sky blue eyes and a beaming smile that rivaled any rainbow he’d ever
seen. “We are now,” he said quietly,
giving Vin one last squeeze before handing him up to his partner.
The two pups circled the room, before Buck shooed
them up the stairs. He turned off the light and the radio, took one last look
around then scooped up JD, who was waiting patiently for him.
Outside, a gentle rain still fell from the sky, in
spite of the sun and the rainbow. Chris was following Vin across the yard,
grinning and shaking his head as the boy purposely splashed through every
puddle he could find. The two pups were romping in his wake, barking with joy
at being set free.
Buck glanced down to find JD with his little face
turned up, his eyes closed and mouth open, catching drops of rain as they fell
on his tongue. Suddenly he felt such a rush of love and
affection for his family that it seemed to make his heart swell
and his chest feel tight. He brushed his lips across his
son's soft cheek and took a deep breath, inhaling a faint trace of baby shampoo
mingled together with the scent of wet puppy and damp little boy. Closing his
eyes, he turned his own face up towards the sky and opened his mouth, sending a
silent prayer of gratitude for everything he had right then, in that single
moment of time.