Don't own Chuck
Sarah erupted into the stable first with her weapon at the ready with Chuck following behind. They had no idea who was in there or what they were up to nor if they were alone which was what Chuck was about to point out when Sarah charged in. One thing Chuck was sure of and that was the horses hadn't switched the light on. It was late and no one should've been up at that hour and least of all not in the stables.
"What are you doing here," said Sarah as she pointed her Smith and Wesson. "Who told you that you could come in her at this hour?"
"I don't need permission to be here. And what are you two doing up at this hour and armed? Are you crazy for coming in here like this? Now if you don't intend on using that thing can you please put it away? You're scaring the horses."
"Scaring the horses? If I were you I'd be scared. I still haven't heard a good reason for why you're in here? Who are you?"
"That might be because I didn't give one. I don't answer to you or him so you two can shove it. I don't take orders from you."
"That's true and she certainly doesn't take orders from her own father," said a tall slender white-haired man who walked in out of the darkness. "I thought you were going to sleep."
"Mr. Segwick," said Chuck as he pushed the weapon down in Sarah's hand. "Then this is Alicia your daughter. You know you could've saved us all a lot of grief by simply telling us that. We were out for a walk when we saw the light on and we were afraid there were rustlers trying to steal the horses."
"Okay, they told you why they came in here. Now can you tell me why you're here and not in your bed like I thought you were?"
"I started to think about the horses… Lord Nelson and Sir Winston. This is their first night in this strange place so I thought I'd come down and make a cot here then get back up to the room before you noticed I was gone."
"Well we can see that didn't work. How are the horses?" said Clive as he walked over to the stalls. "Seems they are still a little nervous."
"How can you tell?" asked Chuck as he looked inside the stall gate which was close enough for him. "They look calm to me. Aren't they supposed to sleep standing up?"
"Yes… well most of the time but that's not it. Horses are prey animals so they have different methods for protecting themselves against predators. When they're in a herd one horse will stand guard while the others relax and sleep. At the first sign of danger the horse standing guard sounds the alarm and the herd takes flight."
"That's interesting and Sir Winston thinks he's a full-sized horse?" said Chuck. Winston heard his name mentioned and he turned to look at Chuck.
"Of course he does. For them a horse is a horse. If you want to try out the theory just get in the stall with him and you'll see."
"No thank you, I can see quite well from here," said Chuck. "We should get back up to the house in case our girls wake up."
"You should come back up with me too," said Clive to Alicia. "The horses are bunked down well so let's go. Your staying here compounds their fear and contributes to their agitation so come along."
"It's lovely out here," said Sarah as she looked up at the sky. "Not a street light for miles to block the sights of the stars."
"Yes, we don't have this back in London. It is nice here," said Clive as they stood for moment listening to the night sounds.
"Hear that… that's a tree frog. It's a little tiny frog that lives in the branches of trees and bushes. They say when you hear them like this they're praying for rain."
"Well can you tell them to hold off for a few days. We need to get Lord Nelson adjusted and used to the track. I'm expecting our jockey to contact me as soon as he leaves Heathrow. He was participating in another race with one of the other horses so he couldn't fly over with us."
"We can make sure he's met and brought here," said Sarah. "I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot before. I was a little upset and now I've got to go deal with the source."
"One last thing," said Clive. "This might be nothing but Mr. Green was on the phone with someone earlier. I don't know what they were talking about we came up on him as he was about to hang up but he denied he was on the phone…"
"He came up with a lot of excuses but we both saw him put his phone away and he acted a little strange when we asked him."
"He said it was the farm hands we heard or something about voices traveling far in the evening. It just seemed terrible suspicious and the tone was like they were plotting something."
"Thanks, we'll look into Mr. Green but in the meantime, leave him to us. Don't do any snooping around on your own," said Sarah. "If he is a conspirator, he could be dangerous."
"Are you sure he doesn't think you overheard anything? I don't want to alarm you but I caught him downstairs eyeing rat poison?" said Chuck. He saw the look of alarm on their faces.
"Don't worry if he had slipped it in your food you'd already start showing signs," said Sarah as she gave him a look. They went inside the house together then stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
"Go on up there's something I need to take care of in the kitchen first," said Chuck. He and Sarah made a bee line for the panty. "Let me see," said Chuck as he opened the cupboard. "Yeah, it's still here," he said as he took the box then poured it down the drain.
"Here use this," said Sarah as he handed him a package of flour. "Fill it up with this he'll never know the difference."
"Good thinking," said Chuck as he filled the container with flour. They'd just finished and was about to leave when they heard a noise.
"Quick hide," said Sarah as she ducked behind a curtain and grabbed Chuck pulling him along as they dove behind and just in time as the light came on.
"It's him," said Chuck as Green walked in. "I knew he was going to do this," he said but Sarah put her hand over his mouth.
"Be quiet or you're going to get us caught. We don't know what he's up to until he does it," said Sarah. "Let's observe and keep quiet."
They watched him as he opened the cupboard then stood there staring inside. They watched him as he gathered his strength reached up and took out the box of poison then sat it down on the counter staring at it.
"Looks like you're wrong about him," whispered Sarah as they watched him put the box under the sink. But then he rummaged through the trash and pulled out a box with sugar written on it. He put the box in the sink then reached back under the sink and got the poison and poured the contents from the one box into the other then he replaced the sugar in the cupboard. After he was done he placed the sugar box in the trash then he left. They waited until they heard his door upstairs open then close.
"Okay the coast is clear," said Sarah as she came out. "I feel like going up there and putting a bullet between his eyes. He replaced the sugar with rat poison which means he's not only targeted us but also the girls too. Chuck, we shouldn't have brought them with us. They would've been safer in Montenegro with Mom or LA with Alex and Kat."
"So, what do you want to do," asked Chuck as he fished the sugar out of the trash and replaced it with the box that was in the cupboard then put it in the trash. "I hope you're wrong that somehow he forgot about the girls because if he didn't then Mr. Green is going to have an accident. I'm serious about the girls. What do you want to do? One of us can take them to LA then turnaround and come back."
"No that would look too suspicious and how would we explain that we suddenly sent our kids away? No I think we need to be extra vigilant and that means they don't leave our sight."
"Then one of us will be with them at all times and tomorrow I'm going to fix Mr. Green. I'll break him from trying this again," said Chuck as he grabbed Mr. Green's coffee cup and began to wash it.
"Sweetie, I'm with you but we can't take him out or people will think Roscoe got tired of him. If they can't pin it on him then they'll start looking at us hard and we can't afford that. Excuse me but I have to ask why are you washing his coffee cup?"
"This is what we call the revenge of the nerd," said Chuck. "We used to do this to Emmett," said Chuck as he got his cup soapy then towel dried it without rinsing it off. "Now we leave it here where it was to air dry and tomorrow when he has his coffee he'll be drinking a little detergent with it which will have the effect of a laxative. I might even be able to tell him I put a spoonful of sugar in his coffee which will really trip him out."
"You're bad," said Sarah as she smiled. "Come on I need to deal with Jack… maybe I need to wash his coffee cup? That way I'd know where he'd be. Thank you for taking me out I feel a lot more relaxed."
"As a good husband that's my job to make you feel good or better when you're down. You know I have a ring and everything to prove it," said Chuck as she took his hand and they walked together back up the stairs to their room. When they walked inside they found everyone was fast asleep. Jack was in his room and Carina in hers with the baby monitor on.
"I feel like yelling into it and watching Carina's reaction," said Chuck as he picked up the monitor. "I'd do it but I'm afraid she'd come over here and try to kick my butt."
"That I can almost guarantee it. Come on to bed you've done enough practical jokes for one night and I'd hate to see Carina kick your butt."
"She might try but that's about it. I hope Cole gets here soon she's like a caged animal pacing back and forth…"
"I was going to go with a cat in heat but you're right Cole needs to get here soon. She's the closest thing I have to a best friend but I'm having a hard time putting up with her," said Sarah as she changed out her clothes for bed. Chuck did the same then they climbed in bed and were sound asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
Somewhere around five in the morning Sam woke up. She was still on Montenegro time. She climbed out of bed and changed her clothes. By now she was a big girl and could get herself dressed. Once she was dressed she decided staying in the room was boring so she went down stairs. Her intention was to look around to see what she could find but when she saw how sparsely furnished the first floor was she lost interest.
"I shouldn't go outside. Everyone will get angry with me if they catch me outside. But there's nothing to do inside," said Sam. Then she heard Willy banging around in the kitchen. "If you don't go for it now you're going to get caught and get sent to your room."
She didn't have to think twice she was out the front door. The air was cool and crisp. There was dew still on the grass but she ignored all that because standing in front of her was Boss. The half dog half coyote and he seemed taken aback by Sam. He started growling.
"Now you sound like Uncle Casey," said Sam. "What's your name?" she asked as she held out her hands for Boss to smell. He walked cautiously up to her then sniffed them. After he sniffed them he licked them and her.
"I like you too," said Sam as she petted Boss on the head which he liked. He jumped up on her and she fell backwards. He started licking her in the face and wagging his tail.
"Ouch, not fair. You're just like my Chuck when he tickles me," she said as she sat up and Boss licked her some more. Then he ran off heading up to house door.
"I see you've made friends with Boss," said Roscoe standing on the front porch with Boss sitting next to him. Sam got herself up.
"That's her name, Boss. That's a funny name. I've made friends with a coyote family before. There was a momma and two little ones. I wanted to bring them home with me but Chuck told me that they were better off left in the park."
"He's right wild animals should be left wild. This one I found in the stable. His mother left him there and never came back. When I found him he was hungry so I fed him and he's been hanging around ever since. He always comes by to say hello in the mornings and I give him something to eat. Do you want to give him a biscuit?"
"Can I?" said Sam as she ran up to Roscoe. He handed her a biscuit then she put it in Boss' mouth. He chomped on it and wagged his tail then sat in front of her looking up sad-eyed. "He wants more."
"He does that all the time. He's a real freeloader and he knows how to beg," said Roscoe as he handed her another one that she gave to Boss.
"What's going on out here," said Alicia as she walked out the door to see Sam and Roscoe with Boss. "Is he a real wolf?" asked Alicia as she took a step back looking a little afraid.
"No, don't be silly," said Sam. "He's half coyote and half dog and all Boss," she said as he jumped up on her knocking her down and licking her. "Stop, stop," she said as he licked her in the face. Roscoe and Alicia laughed.
"It looks like you've made a new friend. My name is Alicia and I'm here with my father to take care of the horses."
"Hi, I'm Sam and I'm her with my sister and parents. We're here to… to… well, I'm not sure why we're here. They never tell me anything," said Sam as she got up and dusted herself off. "Can I come with you to see the horses?"
"Sure, but Boss will have to stay here. The horses could get nervous around him because he's a predatory animal and they are prey if you know what I mean."
"I watch Animal Planet. I've seen what happens to Zebras on the Serengeti," said Sam then she said so long to Boss but promised to be back with more food then she followed Alicia towards the stables. As they walked Alicia noticed the bag Sam was carrying which looked a little big for her.
"Why did you bring that bag you? It looks a little large for you and heavy. What do you have in it… all your worldly possessions?"
"This is my doctor bag and I've got everything I need to work on a patient that might need emergency triage before follow up care."
"You're serious aren't you. Why do you want to be a doctor?" asked Alicia. She'd thought about becoming a vet but wasn't sure yet. However, here was someone who was young… a lot younger than her and she already knew what she wanted to be. "I'm curious how did you decide you wanted to be a doctor."
"I don't know. My aunt Ellie and my uncle Devon are doctors but I just want to help people who are sick. My Mommy and Chuck help people but what they do… well it's different and dangerous at times. You can't tell them this but I worry about them. I can't help it but I do…"
"I think I can understand that. Parents don't understand that we worry as much about them as they do about us," said Alicia as she opened the stable door. "Be careful with the little one he can be a little mean."
They walked over to the stalls to find they both already had their heads out having recognized Alicia's voice. Sam smiled looking at Sir Winston because she'd found a horse her size. He stuck his head out and lowered it in front of her.
"He wants you to pet his mane. He seems to like you which is strange. He usually doesn't like anyone he meets for the first time."
"He's a nice horse," said Sam as she petted him and he began to act like a big dog. Lord Nelson wasn't going to be slighted so he came over and lowered his head to be petted too.
"Looks like you've got a knack for animals," said Alicia as she went and got the feed out. Then measured it in buckets after which she brought it over for the animals. They both stood back and watched them eat. "Just wait until you see them run they're magic. Let's take them out into the paddock so they can start moving around."
"Shouldn't you wait for your Dad to come? Are you sure you won't get into trouble if you do this on your own?"
"No, I've done this a thousand times and they like getting out of these boxes. My Dad, the Royal Stable Master, let's me do this. Do you want to help?"
"You don't even have to ask," said Sam with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back in London it was late afternoon. The sky was gray and overcast it looked like it might rain at any moment. As it began to sprinkle a taxi pulled up outside of Heathrow in the unloading zone. A short man got out and grabbed his bag then paid the driver. He walked inside as the taxi drove off.
"Fifty quid for a ride to the airport. That's blood highway robbery," he humbled to himself. "If I were paying for this I would've protested. But got the receipt and I'll include this with business expenses."
He made his way over to the check-in queue and got behind other passengers waiting to get their boarding passes for British Airways.
"Sonny, are you holding a spot for your parents," asked an old lady who came up behind him. "I'm kind of in a hurry."
"Wait your turn like everyone else and my parents are in Ireland where they live," said the man. The woman gave him an odd look.
"Do they know you're here? You didn't run away from home did you with one of those horrible traveling circuses?"
"No lady, I didn't runaway I rode away. I'm a jockey and this is as tall as I get. Before you ask yes, I buy my clothes in the boys' department," said the man as he approached the counter.
"Next please," said the man behind the desk. "Your passport please and can you put your bag on the scale for me?"
"Sure, here you go mate, and here's my bag. My name is Sean O'Hair as you can see from my passport. There's supposed to be reservations for me."
"Yes, I have you in the system. You're booked in first class on our British Airways flight into Detroit for a connecting flight to Lexington."
"That's right and can you please give me an aisle seat. I don't want to have to walk over someone when I have to get up."
"Okay," said the man as he typed away in the computer. "Sure, there's no problem. I've got you aisle seats on both your flights in first class. Here's your boarding passes you can proceed to Gate 17 just go through the security check then look at the monitor and follow the directions."
"I know where the gate is at I've flown through here before," said Sean as he took his passport and boarding passes then left getting in the security check queue. Right behind him was the elderly woman from before. She waited in line until being called.
"Next in line please," said the man behind the desk. "Your passport please and can you put your bag on the scale for me?"
"Here you go dear," said the woman. "Gladys Parker, but you can read that I think. You've already got my reservations my nephew made for me."
"Yes, I have it right here. You're going to Lexington, Kentucky by way of Detroit in First Class. Your nephew must like you a lot."
"He is a love. I have a funny request. The man that was here he's a friend of my nephew's. He promised to look out for me on my flight but I told him not worry about it. He doesn't know but my nephew found out we weren't sitting together so he got a little upset and he paid for this trip so…"
"Do you want me to put you in the seat next to him? Well I shouldn't but," said the man as he typed in the computer. "But look at that you're there by accident."
"Thank you love," said the woman as she took her boarding passes and walked away. Once on the other side of the security checkpoint she took out her phone and called.
"It's set I sitting next to him. Do I have a green light?"