Disclaimer: Disappointingly, the characters are still not mine
Notes: Thank you for the reviews for last chapter; please continue! Thanks to Ballettmaus for the help with this chapter :)
Chapter 11
"She's here!"
After meeting Jennifer's eyes, full of joy and triumph, Don sagged with relief and the dark green grove full of sinister possibilities became just a copse of trees.
Grabbing a branch to haul himself up with, he managed, with some dexterous movements, to perch himself beside her.
"Look, between the roots," Jennifer continued to speak in a low voice. "She's tucked herself in there and fallen asleep, see?"
Don peered over her shoulder to where she pointed and saw the sleeping little girl. Even in the dimness he could see her face was tear-streaked and in her arms she clutched a small bear.
"Thank God," he murmured and shifted himself round, balancing even more precariously as he yelled, "Lindsay! We've found her, she's safe."
Turning to see Jennifer's startled glance, he grinned. "Lucy has the ability to sleep with a pneumatic drill going next to her."
"Oh..." Understanding dawned. "No wonder she didn't hear us."
"We couldn't be sure she was asleep though," Don pointed out and she nodded. "Problem we got now is how to move her out of there without waking her up," he continued, glancing down again with a grim look into the pit below. It was all too obvious how easy it would be for one false move to send Jennifer tumbling down.
Catching the sound of Lindsay's hurried approach, he turned again to call, "We're over here."
Jennifer glanced down into the pit and back up at Don. Then manoeuvring herself an inch at a time, she positioned herself so her back was to the drop down and she faced Don. As she gripped a root with her fingertips, she drew her eyebrows together in concentration. "If I can just get..."
Don lurched forward, grabbing her wrist just in time as her foot scrabbled for a hold and her other hand clamped down on a handful of grass. "Thank you," she breathed giving him a sheepish look and he released a long breath.
"Any time."
"Where is she? Where's my little girl?" Lindsay's unnaturally high voice reached them and still clutching Jennifer's hand, Don craned his neck to look at her.
"She's fine, Linds. Sleeping. We're going to lift her out and we'll pass her down to you, okay?"
Already though, Lindsay had started to scramble up the slope so Don held out his hand to stop her. "There's no more room here, trust us, okay? We'll get her down safe to you."
Lindsay hesitated for a moment before she nodded and made her way back down to the ground, standing wringing her hands.
Giving her a reassuring smile, Don drew in a breath and turned back to Jennifer. "Ready?" he asked.
"Ready."
Teeth nipping at her bottom lip, she lowered her right foot, finding a hollow. Testing found it satisfactory and she moved closer to Lucy. Don sucked his bottom teeth, his eyes never leaving Jennifer. Edging sideways, she looked up at him, giving him a quick smile before she stretched out a tentative hand towards Lucy's bower.
"Almost there," she murmured.
"You're doing great," Don told her before raising his voice for Lindsay's benefit. "We'll have her out and safe in no time."
Jennifer eased herself closer, retracting her hand while she found herself a more secure position. Don watched her brace her feet so her hands could be free and in turn, he slid forward with care, knee scraping on a root, ready to grab Lucy as soon as Jennifer had her.
"Whenever you're ready," he said.
Quick and precise, Jennifer removed Lucy's bear and gave that to Don. Lindsay fumbled when he dropped it down to her, picking it up from the ground where it had slipped from her hands.
His attention returned to Jennifer, who with furrowed forehead slid her hands beneath the sleeping child and withdrew her from the den in one swift movement. Don snatched her just as Lucy's mouth opened to protest and she began to wriggle, and dangled her down to her mother who grabbed her, seizing her in a fierce embrace as Lucy's face screwed up in distress at being woken so abruptly.
Face burrowed in her daughter's hair, Lindsay rocked Lucy from side to side, hushing her and stroking her back, pressing kisses to her head while Lucy's wails sounded.
Don's head dropped onto his chest as he exhaled, knuckles ivory around the tree root.
"Are you all right?" He looked into Jennifer's slightly pale but smiling face and a grin of sheer relief bloomed on his face as he grabbed her hands.
"I'm okay."
It took only moments to haul her to safety and both a little giddy with their success, they sat for a moment on top of the embankment simply smiling at each other.
They clambered down together to join Lindsay and Lucy, now sniffling and rubbing her eyes as she clung to her mother. Between her admonishments and endearments to Lucy, Lindsay spoke to them. "Thank you so much," she said, eyes glinting with tears, "and... and I'm sorry, too, for what I said earlier to you."
"It's okay, you were upset," Jennifer said, her fingers squeezing Don's. She smiled at Lindsay. "I've forgotten already."
"How did you find her?" Lindsay asked, calming now as she smeared the last of her tears away from her eyes and continued to rub Lucy's back with her free hand.
Jennifer glanced at Don. "It just seemed the sort of thing a child would do, and the sort of place she might find a hidey-hole." Her shoulders lifted in a light, dismissive shrug just as the sound of voices calling them from the garden reached them.
Guilt leaping into her face, Lindsay startled. "Danny," she breathed and looked to Don with a plea in her eyes.
He gave Lindsay a quick reassuring smile and ruffled Lucy's hair, speaking in a bright and cheerful voice. "Hey, Luce, how about we go meet Daddy back from town, see if he remembered to get all the stuff Mommy asked him to, huh?"
The mumble and sniff that Lucy gave him along with the movement of her head he took as consent and started to lead the small party out of the wooded grove, but a pull from Jennifer stopped him.
"This way. There's a kind of tunnel, must have been a path at some time, it's probably quicker."
For a flash of seconds, Don remembered the tour of the house and her reactions to the rooms and wondered, but he saw no reason to argue and Lindsay offered no contradiction so they followed their house guest, Lindsay walking between Jennifer and him with Lucy still in her arms. That they had come so far from the garden surprised him. However, Jennifer's surmise proved sound and they were soon pushing their way back to the open lawns, where Mac, Stella and Danny stood, turning in surprise at their appearance.
As they emerged into the steel-tinged sunlight, Don blinked and almost stumbled over a root in his lapse of concentration. The heat was thick, palpable almost and his shirt seemed to have glued itself to his skin. No one but Jennifer noticed his slip which he realised when she brushed his arm, steadying him with discretion and a brief smile. He took the moment to stand still, Jennifer beside him and watch the unfolding aftermath.
Danny's attention was all on his wife and child, Mac's had become distracted by Stella as he stood with his arm round her while she shook her head at something he seemed to have asked.
At the sight of her husband, Lindsay had all but collapsed, her knees bending, Lucy sliding down to land on the grass unhurt.
"Danny I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for losing her..." Lindsay gasped. Bewildered, her husband looked at Don, who explained rapidly what had happened. When he had done so, Danny drew his wife even more closely to him.
"Lindsay, honey, sweetheart, it doesn't matter. She's safe, it's okay. It's not your fault," he murmured into her hair, enfolding his sobbing wife in his arms while Lucy wrapped her arms round his legs. Mac and Stella glanced at each other and by unspoken mutual agreement, began to make their way indoors, Mac giving a wary glance at the sky as they went.
"We should..."
"Probably head indoors," he finished Jennifer's sentence and she gave a short laugh.
"Seems like we're in for a thunderstorm unless I very much miss my guess."
As a wire of sweat seemed to uncoil itself down his neck and back and the oppressive heat became like a band round his head, Don could only nod in agreement. "One heck of a storm." He laid a hand on Jennifer's back. "Go on ahead, I'll make sure they get inside safely."
"It's fine, I'll wait with you," she said, the briefest look of hurt appearing in her face and he kicked himself.
"I just don't want you getting wet if it's going to rain," he explained and she softened, but still gave him a wry look.
"A bit of rain isn't going to hurt me, Don."
"Oh really?" He feigned surprise.
"Really." She grinned. "I'm not a delicate flower, I've been caught out in rainstorms many times and they've never done me any harm."
Don adjusted his features to look concerned. "You should watch out, if I'm not careful, I start to melt in the rain."
He sniggered at her expression, before turning back to the Messer family.
"Come on you guys." He laid an arm round Danny's shoulders as a fat raindrop plopped onto his head. "Let's get back indoors before we all get soaked."
"We're coming," Danny answered; his arm round Lindsay's waist his other hand holding his daughter's.
"Daddy, carry me," she pleaded, and Danny glanced at Lindsay who gave him a tremulous smile.
"She wants you to," she said simply and after a searching look at her, Danny scooped Lucy up who clung, Koala bear-like to his side. With Lindsay leaning into his other side, thus balanced, he limped back to the house. Don idled a little way behind them, Jennifer slowing to meet his pace, both of them uncaring of the raindrops which had begun to fall thick and fast from a sky now like smoked glass.
They reached the shelter of the porch only just in time. As the concussion of thunder shook the heat-thickened air, a medley of exclamations came from those indoors and outdoors. Pushing Jennifer in front of him, Don slammed the door shut as the ground began to boil with rain and lightning slashed a rent across the clouds.
Thank you for reading! I'd love to know what you think. Lily x
