Chapter 8
Dave waved and smiled as Aaron pulled the coach to the curb. When he put the coach in park, Cait opened the door. "Hi you," she smiled.
"Hey you," he said, getting on with his luggage bag, pulling Cait into a hug. "Missed you," he said in her ear as Mike shut the door. Aaron pulled away. Cait kissed his cheek.
"You're here Uncle Dave," Jack excitedly asked, powering into him for a hug.
Dave happily accepted it. "Missed you too Jack," he said. "But I've got something." He pulled a yellow and black envelop out of his back pocket as Matt took his luggage bag and put it off to the side.
Jack ripped it open and pulled out the clue. "It's another Road Block." He opened it and read it. "Who's ready to bunk with Uncle Dave?" Dave smiled.
Jack shook his head. "How come I have to do two?"
"Because you had too much fun doing the first one," Dave smiled.
Jack smiled at well. "At least we get the pull out sofa." Mike eyed Matt.
"Yeah, yeah bro; it's my turn on the air mattress." Dave greeted the other boys as well and then moved up to stand behind Aaron.
"I'm impressed my friend," he smiled. "You pulled the coach up to right spot at the curb so the steps could come down."
Aaron smiled. "I've learned some tricks along the way. But Dave, get them all sitting down please. I'm about to get back on the freeway." Cait nodded at the boys, motioning for Dave to take the passenger chair next to Aaron.
"They'll have to talk over the latest case," Cait winked. She got the boys into the lunch booth. Matt grabbed the box of Seven Layer bars they had bought in the grocery store in Roswell, and plastic glasses. He pulled milk out of the fridge and sat down as Aaron made a turn onto the freeway.
Mike got up from sitting next to Cait, and opened the upper hatch. "Risk or Clue guys," he smiled with a question.
Cait smiled at him. "Actually neither one." Mike looked at her. "Our campground for the night is about twenty minutes away." Aaron handed the directions to Dave after getting the Denver case review.
Like Cait predicted, they were parked for night with everything hooked up for the coach forty minutes later. Cait looked at Jack, trying to hide a yawn. "You're in the shower first." She got him going.
Dave looked at the Matt and Mike. They were unshaven. "Early start this morning," he smiled.
"Too damn early Uncle Dave," Matt said. "But we know why now," he smiled.
"You really didn't think I'd tag along on this great adventure for a couple of days," Dave asked with his huge smile.
Mike rubbed his shoulder. "We're glad you did Uncle Dave," he smiled.
Aaron looked at him. "Where's the milk and those Seven Layer bars?" Mike smiled.
By ten-thirty, the lights were out in the coach.
-00CM00-
Cait softly woke to Jack getting into bed next to her. It was still dark. "Jack," she whispered, pulling the sheet and blankets over him.
"Mom, Uncle Dave came off a tough case. He's a snoring machine catching up." Cait smiled in the darkness and pulled him close, kissing his head. Jack snuggled to her.
-00CM00-
Matt woke up on the air mattress to Beans sticking her wet nose in his face. He looked at the clock on the microwave. It read 8:20 am. "You hung tough girl," he smiled, getting up from the mattress. He opened the door and let her out.
Dave stirred on the pull out sofa. "What time is it Matt?"
"Almost eight-thirty," he said.
Dave rolled on his back. "Where's Jack," he startled.
"I'm sure with mom and dad," he laughed. "You were a snoring machine last night."
"Sorry Matt….."
Matt shook his head. "Don't Uncle Dave; we all get it. You're coming off a tough one."
"Did I keep you awake?"
"Hell no Uncle Dave; Pete can rattle the roof. I'm used to it," he smiled. Beans barked at the door. Matt let her in and fed her as Dave threw the sheet and blanket off and stood up.
Just then, Cait came out of the bedroom into the kitchen. "Judas Priest Cait, I'm in my boxers," Dave snarled. Matt looked at her and rolled her eyes, standing in his own.
"And I've had that sight before, remember? I'll live; and I've four of my own to put up with," she said eyeing Matt. "I already told dad; if you want breakfast, get rid of the scruffies." Dave pulled on his jeans.
"How about showers," Matt asked.
"If you want one, use the swim house."
Mike stuck his head out the opening to the upper bunk, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on," he mumbled.
Grab your stuff, Matt signed. We're showering and shaving at the swim house.
And shaving Mike signed back with a question.
Cait looked at him. Do you want breakfast she quickly signed, then started the coffee pot.
Ten minutes later, Aaron came out of the bedroom, showered and shaved. He had Jack all ready with his stuff to join the older boys. They went out the door.
Cait looked at Dave. "You can go next," she smiled.
"Actually Cait, you go; plus you've got a clue to print out," he winked, kissing her. Dave smiled. "Marine training; I can shower and shave in ten minutes."
"You two decide on what you want for breakfast," she smiled, heading to the bedroom.
Dave looked at Aaron. "That's a no brainer; I need scrambled eggs, bacon and toast." Aaron pulled out the fry pan and grabbed a pound of bacon from the fridge. He turned the oven on to keep the bacon warm.
"What's the plan today," Dave asked.
"It's a travel day. We make our way to Flagstaff. It's about six hours away. Tomorrow we'll do the Grand Canyon."
Cait handed the clue to Dave and looked at him with a smile. "If you can mix up the scrambled eggs for me, I'll cook them," she smiled.
"Deal," Dave smiled back, sticking the clue in his back jeans pocket. The boys came back as Cait was cooking the scrambled eggs and Aaron was toast patrol. Dave came out of the bathroom, showered, shaved and ready for the day. As he bent over to put things in his luggage bag, Jack spotted the yellow and black clue envelope and pulled it out.
He ripped it open, pulling out the clue. "It's Route Info," he smiled. "Who's about to get an mpeg?" Cait, with her cell phone on the counter next to the stove, hit a button. Mike's cell pinged.
He pulled it up and hit the play button. Willie Nelson's video of On the Road Again popped up. The boys smiled and then saw the scrawl along the bottom. Follow I-40 to Flagstaff, Arizona.
They all ate heartily. Yet an hour later, they were set to pull out of the campground with the kitchen cleaned up and the coach ready to go. Aaron looked at Matt. "You're driving," he smiled.
Matt shook his head. "Honestly dad; can you get the coach out of the campground and onto the main road back to freeway. I'm not comfortable making the corners. Then I'll drive." Aaron, Cait and Dave proudly smiled at him.
They had a wonderful time travelling together. Dave shook his head. "This interstate has replaced old Route 66," he sadly smiled. Jack looked at him. "Champino, Route 66 used to be the only way to go to Los Angeles. And it had a lore and history with it all its own."
He told a story from his past about he and two college buddies that had traveled the historic highway, working two years to save for the trip in a 1973 silver Ford Mustang that his uncle had gave him when he entered college. Dave kept the story pretty clean for Jack's sake; Matt and Mike sitting in the driver's area looked at each other and smiled. They were able to read between the lines. Cait smiled at Aaron. They made more miles.
Cait noticed Beans getting restless. "Matt, next rest stop please."
Mike smiled. "Beans' timing is awesome as usual. There's one two miles away."
As Matt pulled in, Cait put Beans on her collar leash. "Go you guys; I've got her." The five men made a beeline to the restroom.
When Aaron came out, Cait handed him the leash. "Did the sewer system survived?"
"Barely," Aaron laughed. "It was five of together, each in a stall."
Cait laughed. "My turn."
Aaron looked at Matt, as he let Beans off the leash to run a bit. "You OK?"
Matt smiled. "Dad, you need the break. I'm good."
When Dave came out, he looked at Aaron watching Beans and boys playing. "So this is how life is on the road for you all?"
Aaron smiled. "Yes; this isn't the BAU jet. It takes time to get from Point A to Point B."
"I get that," Dave smiled. "How are the boys handling it?"
Cait joined them. "The boys can do social media on their phones or notebooks. Or there's the stock pile of DVD's we have. But Jack is our wild card," she smiled. Just then, Mike passed the football to Aaron. "Go," Cait smiled.
Dave put his arm around Cait's waist. "He can't watch what the boys would like to see." Cait hadn't agreed with the movie selection they had started to watch. Cait nodded. He nudged her shoulder. "If you haven't noticed Dr. Barkley, he's growing up; and knows more things about this world than you think." Cait looked at him. "Cait, you and Aaron got him through Haley's death. He knows there are monsters out there. Hell his dad's team chases them every day. He's old enough now to deal with that." He looked in Cait's eyes. "Stop shielding your youngest son; he's smarter than that."
Cait shook her head. Dave noticed the tear in her eye. "I don't want to lose my second chance at having another little boy I can love and protect from the monsters."
Dave kissed her temple. "I know sweetheart," he lovingly said. "But be honest with yourself Cait. He already knows." Cait nodded her head and kissed his cheek. "And for the record, I wish you and Aaron could have had a couple more kids," he smiled, kissing her temple, pulling her close to him.
Cait kissed him. "Thanks for joining us Dave," she smiled. "We've missed you."
Matt pulled the coach off the freeway into Holbrook, Arizona. Aaron paused The Shawshank Redemption on the DVD player the four of them had been watching. It was one of the older boys' favorites. "We don't need to see it dad," Mike had smiled from the co-pilot chair. "We know what's going on just by the words." Cait and Aaron took the time to explain some of things of movie to Jack. Dave had helped.
"Dad, they've got an RV center; and I noticed the readings. And the propane is getting low." It had been a week since they dumped all the holdings of the waste tanks. And they all knew they would need the propane. It powered the generators that kept the refrigerator and AC going through out the coach when they were on the road.
"And we could use another grocery run," Cait added. Matt pulled into the RV Center. There was a grocery store next to the center. "You three guys get that all taken care of; Uncle Dave, Jack and me will hit the store."
Cait, Dave and Jack walked into the grocery store. "Mom, I'm getting hungry." It was getting around three in the afternoon. Cait gave his head a rub. "Then let's find something to nibble on," she smiled. Jack nodded his acceptance as Dave pulled out a cart. "Uncle Dave gets to choose dinner tonight."
Dave smiled. "That's a no brainer; I want Aaron and Mike's grilled pork chops."
Twenty minutes later, Cait walked across the parking lot of the grocery store. She shook her head at Aaron. "He tried to buy; but Jack and I fought him off." Dave helped Jack push the severely overloaded grocery cart. Cait just rolled her eyes at him. Dave held a brown bag in his arm as well.
"We did some damage too" Mike said, as Matt pulled up to the curb separating the two places, "we filled up on gas, propane and dumped all the waste."
Matt climbed off the coach. "And got a free wash for the coach out of it," he smiled. Cait noticed the dust of driving through the New Mexico and Arizona desert no longer coated the coach.
Aaron handed her the receipt. Cait shook her head. "You at least out-spent me," she smiled. She pointed at the large brown bag Dave was holding. "That was separate."
The boys helped load the new supplies on the coach, including two cases of Miller Lite. Aaron eyed Dave. "I'm enjoying the rest of the trip," he smiled.
Cait looked at the receipt and noticed Aaron and boys had purchased enough ice to get the large cooler handled. The grocery cart finally unloaded, Dave looked at the boys. "Leave it," he winked.
"No," Aaron barked. "One of you will return it to the cart stall where it belongs."
Matt had already grabbed the handle. "Way ahead of you dad," he smiled. "Besides, I could use the run."
"I think Uncle Dave should do it," Mike snarked. Dave shot him a side-way look. Cait laughed and got on the coach to put the groceries away. Aaron went to help her. Dave got Jack on and they helped as well.
They were back on the freeway a little later, with Cait, Aaron and Dave enjoying a beer. The three of them along with Jack were enjoying cheese, meat and crackers. Mike grabbed a paper plate and took some up front for him and Matt. All three boys had clear diet sodas that Cait approved of in plastic bottles.
"What about the movie," Jack asked.
"Let's finish it tonight after dinner," Dave suggested.
Aaron looked at him. "Dave, you've got to be in Vegas the day after tomorrow for your flight home. That's pushing us."
Dave gave Aaron his Cheshire cat smile. "No I don't; I want to enjoy this and did some research on my own. I'm leaving Saturday night on the redeye so we all can enjoy this and at an easy pace."
Mike swiveled in the co-pilot chair. "Thanks Uncle Dave," he smiled. "Matt and Mike have figured out where we're going next." He looked at his parents. "Yuppp; we don't need a clue tomorrow," he brightly smiled.
"Where we going," Jack excitedly asked.
Matt got out a syllable. "Matthew please," Cait said. "It's a mom time to be an educator." Mike smiled at her. "Jack, we've already seen some wonderful scenery of our great nation. And we've all commented on it. Remember how you couldn't get over how big the Mississippi River was in Memphis?"
Jack brightly nodded his head with his infectious smile. "It was even wider in Vicksburg." Dave smiled as well.
"That's right," Cait smiled. "And some of your teachers in your upcoming school years will tell you that and other things were carved out through the ages by ice that covered the earth." She eyed him. "And you have to respect that." Jack looked at her with a question. Dave smiled more at the lesson the young Hotchner was learning.
"However Jack, we as people of faith, know in our hearts that God blessed this nation with all of that during creation."
Jack smiled. "We've already talked about that mom." He shied at bit and then looked at her. "I had to bite my tongue last year in geography class."
Cait beamed. "Which you told me about; I'm proud of you. You handled it very well," she smiled.
"Rock on bro," Matt said driving.
Aaron took up the lesson, smiling at Cait. "We're going to see one of God's most marvelous things tomorrow."
Jack looked at Dave. "You get to play Phil Uncle Dave," he smiled. The rest roared with laughter.
Dave smiled back at him. "Thank you Jack; I love you too." Jack winked at him. "Champino, we're going to see the Grand Canyon."
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A/N: I've written this family from day one that they are of Christian faith. That includes their and my belief, in creation. I apologize if that offends anyone.
