Flooded City
Chapter 7—A Road Trip and a History Lesson
Disclaimer: The only character I own is Ela, the rest all belong to….whoever created National Treasure.
A/N: Just want to give a quick thanks to all those faithful reviewers out there. Thanks for your patience with this chapter, it took a while w/ classes and everything I know. Hopefully this will make up for it!!


They had been driving for nearly an hour and were just outside the DC/Baltimore limits when Riley broke the silence. "Anyone care for a history lesson on the wonderful city of Johnstown?"

"Sure," Ben answered.

"Why not," Abi echoed, though she continued to stare blankly out the window, her thoughts a million miles away.

"Alright well the city was founded in 1793 and became a big coal mining and steel community. The Allegheny Mountains that surround the area are littered with coal deposits and pretty much made up 60 of the regions resources," he read from the computer screen. Mechanically Riley's eyes scanned the text in front of him looking for pertinent information about the city's history of floods. "Okay here we go," he continued, "the first flood came in May 1889 when the dam at the South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club burst. The waters went rushing through the mountain ravines and descended upon the city. Over 2,200 people were killed…lots of death and destruction…blah blah blah."

Ben continued to stare at the road ahead of him as he digested the information. The sun was beginning to sink in the western sky signaling the end of yet another day. Had it really only been a day? It seemed like forever since this whole ordeal had begun, but as Ben did the math in his head he realized it had been less than twelve hours since Ela had been rushed to the hospital. He wondered how much longer her body would be able to fight the virus and prayed he had enough time.

"How many floods were there?" Abi suddenly asked. She had been repeating the riddle in her head, hoping to crack something and cut down their time.

"Three," Riley answered from the backseat. "Well three major ones anyhow. Apparently this city floods every year, but most of them are minor, just causing property damage. Why would anyone want to live in a place that floods on a regular basis?"

Ben smiled, having been thinking the same thing. "Well I guess they stay where the jobs were. Late 19th century was a big time for coal and steel since the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. They really became the leading industries."

Riley nodded absently in the backseat hoping that Ben would not go into history-mode and repeat every single fact he knew about the Industrial Revolution. Chances were he could go on for minutes if not hours on the subject and Riley really didn't have the patience for that. "So what's the rest of this riddle mean?"

Silence followed as each occupant thought about the lingering lines of the riddle. Three minds worked in overtime as the wheels turned and thoughts floated around. Minutes ticked by with each lost in their thoughts.

"I think we better stop for gas soon," Ben said after glancing down at the dashboard. "I need to get out of this car and stretch."

"I second that motion," Riled echoed from the backseat.

"Abi?"

"Yeah sure," she smiled weakly and returned her gaze out the window.

Ben got the sense that something was weighing heavily on his wife's mind; something other than the current situation. He made a mental note to find out what that something was. As the car pulled to a stop, everyone was anxious to get out.

"I'm going to raid the vending machines," Riley announced as he dug in his wallet for change. "Any requests?"

"Crackers or at least something healthy," said Abi. Honestly she wasn't that hungry but she knew she needed to eat something; it was becoming increasingly dangerous to go without.

"Ben?" Riley inquired continuing his search for change or at least small bills.

"Something with a lot of sugar," he yawned. "I'm going to need to increase my sugar and coffee intake for the next four hours if I'm going to stay awake.

As the trio split ways, Abigail pulled out her cell phone and dialed her father-in-law's number.

"Hello," he answered.

"How is she Patrick?" she asked immediately.

"There's been no change since you guys left," Patrick reported. "She woke up about twenty minutes ago and asked where you were so I told her you and Ben went home to change and such."

"Okay," she mumbled in response, processing the information. 'At least she isn't doing any worse. That's something, I guess.'

"The doctors have been paying close attention to her though," Patrick continued. Abi snapped back to reality, completely forgetting that he was talking to her. "They did warn me that the virus could accelerate at anytime, so I should be prepared."

On the other end Abi closed her eyes tightly. She wanted to cry but managed to hold her tears at bay. "Okay," she breathed, "if anything happens—"

"I'll call you immediately," Patrick told her. "Where are you right now? Where's Ben?"

"We stopped at a rest area in Maryland. I think we're only twenty or so miles from the Maryland/Pennsylvania border," Abi said trying to remember what the GPS system had said. "We should be there in another two hours or so."

"Alright," he said. "Be sure to let me know when you get there safely."

"I will. Thanks Patrick," she added before closing the phone and slipping it back into her pocket.

"Everything okay?" Ben asked as he approached balancing three cups of coffee in his arms.

"Yeah," Abi answered smiling at her husband's lack of coordination. 'He would never make it as a waiter,' she thought randomly. "Still the same."

Ben nodded in understanding. It wasn't the best news; he was really hoping to hear, 'Yeah the virus turned out to be a dead one and Eleanor is just fine. We can go home now.' 'I guess that's asking a little too much,' he thought. "I got you some coffee out of the machine," he said offering her one of the steaming cups. "It probably tastes like mud but it'll have to do until we can find something better."

Abigail wanted that coffee, God how she wanted the coffee, but she knew the caffeine rule all too well. It was nearly the death of her last time. "No thanks," she said trying to sound nonchalant. She turned and began walking back to the car, hiding her eyes from Ben, knowing he could read them like a history book.

'What the…' Ben thought. It was an immediate red flag. Abigail never refused coffee; it was her lifeline, her wake-up call. She had always joked that she needed an IV line to pump the black liquid straight into her veins.

"Abigail stop," Ben called causing his wife to stop dead in her tracks. Ben covered the distance between them in a few strides and taking a hold of his wife's arm he turned her so that she was facing him. Even though they were now face to face, Abigail's eyes still refused to meet his. "Abi what's going on?"

"N-nothing," she muttered.

Ben loosened his grip and let his arms fall to his sides. "Please don't lie to me," he said.

She felt the tears stinging the corners of her eyes and she began to stutter something out. "I didn't want…I mean I didn't think…now wasn't the best…"

"Whoa, whoa," Ben said. He pulled her into an embrace and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Calm down. Breathe." Ben led her over to a nearby bench and sat down pulling her down next to him. "Now what's going on?" he asked. He attempted to make light of the moment laughing, "The last time you refused coffee was when you were…" Realization dawned on Ben at that moment.

Flashback

"This has got to be one of the weirdest ideas you have ever had," Abigail laughed. She smoothed her hands over the navy fabric of the dress and looked at the surrounding houses. They were almost there.

Ben laughed, "Come on you have to admit this will be funny. I've always thought a little de javu is necessary in everyone's life."

"Except Riley isn't with us," she pointed out, "and the FBI isn't chasing us." She had wanted to tell Ben's father about her pregnancy over a nice dinner, but he had a different idea. Abigail had laughed when Ben told her of his masterful plan and now here they were, dressed in the same clothes they wore on the night Ben had stolen the Declaration, driving through Washington D.C.. "Do you think your dad will get it?"

"I hope so," Ben replied as he pulled the car to a stop at the end of his father's sidewalk. "Otherwise we just drove an hour through rush hour traffic for nothing."

Abigail laughed as she climbed out of the car and joined her husband at the other side. "Ready?" she asked. Ben extended his arm to her which she gladly looped hers through. They covered the distance in seconds and were soon ringing Patrick's doorbell.

The older man opened the door with a surprised face. "Ben? What are you doing here? What happened?"

Ben smiled. "Hi Dad. I'm in a little trouble here."

Patrick's face fell. "What happened? Are the police involved again?"

Abigail hid her laugh from Patrick.

"No, no. Nothing like that," Ben assured his father. "I'm just in a little trouble." He held his fingers up a few centimeters apart to emphasize his point.

If possible Patrick looked even more confused. "What the hell are you talking about? What's going on?"

Ben finally dropped his head in defeat with a sigh.

"It was a good idea," Abi smiled, tugging on her husbands arm lovingly.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Patrick asked. It felt like there was a continuous joke playing and he was missing the punch-line. Perhaps he was the punch-line.

"It's kind of cold out here dad," Ben said trying desperately to salvage his wonderful plan. This was not how he pictured this whole event going.

"Come inside then," Patrick insisted. He moved to the side and let his son and daughter-in-law pass by him. He closed the front door and joined them in the parlor. "Where's the party?" he joked. Suddenly it dawned on him where he had seen those outfits before. "Aren't those the same clothes you had on when you stole the Declaration of Independence?"

"Yeah," Abigail smiled. She was a little disappointed that Patrick had not remembered the conversation.

"I was in a different kind of trouble that night," Ben added quietly.

Suddenly it was as if someone had flipped on a light in Patrick's mind. "Trouble? You mean…she's…is she pregnant?"

Ben's face lit up. "Better late than never," he whispered to Abi. "Yeah she is. You're going to be a grandfather."

End Flashback

"I found out a few days ago," Abi whispered. "I was going to tell you…well I guess it would have been tonight. Right on schedule," she laughed sarcastically. Absentmindedly her hand went to her abdomen and rested there.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ben asked, his face growing into a huge smile. He was overjoyed at the thought of being a father again.

"We never planned on having any more kids," she explained. "I wasn't sure how you'd react. Then everything with Ela today…I didn't want to burden you with this news."

"Burden?" Ben grabbed his wife's shoulders and turned her to look at him. He tipped her chin up and captured her lips with his own. "I love you Abigail," he breathed when their lips finally parted. "Knowing that you are carrying my child makes me love you even more. Ela is going to love being a big sister."

Abi threw her arms around his neck and held on tightly. 'God I hope so,' she thought.


A/N: Holy crap that was a long chapter. Whew!! I need a nap, lol. Review!!