I feel like I should apologize for this. I had this idea in my head and it didn't turn out at all how I wanted, but I decided to post it anyway.
…
They lose power about two hours into the storm, but they are as ready as two people can be.
They emptied out their fridge the day before, they have plenty of water, nonperishable foods, batteries, diapers and Daryl always likes to have a few cans of spare gasoline on hand – just in case. Beth has never asked what just in case means, but she's grateful that she always has such a prepared husband. Her parents had asked her to come to the farm before the storm hit, but Beth hadn't wanted to leave their home. Daryl boarded the windows and doors up and it's as secure as it can be. Beth promised her parents that they'll come in a few days and they'll need the gas to get there.
She's not sure if Daryl agrees – about staying and not going to her parents' house or maybe even going up to Tennessee or even Kentucky and getting a hotel room for a few days – but whether he does or not, he doesn't say and just gets their house ready to make sure it gets through the storm.
The hurricane has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but it still makes Beth nervous nonetheless. How could it not? Roofs are still blown off and basements are still flooded with tropical storms. There isn't anything more they can do now though. She and Daryl are prepared as they can be and they have insurance if things really get damaged and gathering the two girls and Lemon, their cat, they go into the bathroom and Daryl closes the door firmly behind them all.
Their supplies is packed away in Rubbermaid plastic containers, stacked in the corner, and for the first couple of hours, four-year-old Lucy is excited; as if they are embarking upon a grand adventure. Daryl and Beth are more than prepared to keep her distracted and they all sit on the floor together in the small bathroom, playing games of Candyland that Beth has put in the bathroom along with the rest of their supplies. Lucy laughs and chatters happily as they play and it seems as if maybe she doesn't even notice the storm raging outside.
But then, the lights go off and Lucy goes quiet.
Holly, their one-year-old, had been napping in Beth's lap, but Lucy seems to forget that as she scrambles for Beth's lap, too, startling Holly awake, and the baby begins to cry and Daryl gets up to get their solar powered lantern that he has been charging for the past few days. With the bathroom flooded in a warm yellow glow, he sets the lantern down on the closed toilet lid and lifts Holly into his arms, doing his best to comfort her and quiet her down as Beth does the same with Lucy.
"Are we going to get blown away?" Lucy asks in a whisper, looking up at Beth as she trembles.
Beth squeezes her arms around her and holds her tightly. "I promise you, Dot. That won't happen." She presses her lips to Lucy's forehead and keeps them there. Lucy's body is still trembling as the wind seems to pick up outside and Beth holds her close.
Beth lifts her eyes and looks to Daryl as he slowly rocks Holly back and forth in his arms. Holly already seems to be calming down – which is more than can be said about Lucy.
"Would you like to hear a story?" Beth asks.
Lucy doesn't say anything – which is just a cause for as much worry. Lucy is never quiet.
"What story would you like to hear?" Beth continues and again, Lucy doesn't say anything. "Hmmm? There must be one you want to hear more than any other."
Lucy lifts her hand and wraps her fingers loosely around the end of Beth's loose braid that is over her shoulder. Beth kisses her head again and Daryl slowly eases himself down on the floor next to them, resting his back against the wall and stretching his legs out in front of him as much as he can. He settles Holly on his lap, resting her back against his chest. Holly sucks on her pacifier and lifts her head, looking up at towards the ceiling. The rain seems to be pounding even harder now. Lucy hears it, too, and seems to shrink into Beth's lap.
"Your wedding," she finally says in such a soft voice, it is nearly lost to the thunder rumbling, seeming to shake their hours around them, but Beth and Daryl can still hear her.
Parent Hearing, Daryl calls it.
"Our weddin'?" Daryl asks and Lucy nods. "Why you wanna hear 'bout that? You were there," he teases her and Beth smiles when the tiniest giggle escapes past Lucy's lips.
"You were the prettiest flower girl your daddy and I ever could have had for our wedding," Beth smiles. "Your dress matched mine. Do you remember what color our dresses were?"
Of course Lucy won't remember. She had just been a baby of six months old when Beth and Daryl had gone to the Greene family farm to get married. Beth's mother, Annette, had carried Lucy down the aisle and everyone had laughed and let out Awwwws when the baby fisted flower petals from the basket in Annette's hand and threw them on the ground.
"Blue," Lucy says, still quietly.
"That's right, sweetheart," Beth smiles. "Our dresses were blue. Do you remember? If you get married in blue…"
It takes Lucy almost a full minute to answer. "He'll stay true."
"Not that your ma had to listen to some old wives tale like that," Daryl adds and Beth smiles at him.
Another crash of thunder seems to break right over their house and even Lemon seems to be scared now, crawling right into Daryl's lap alongside Holly, who whimpers, and Lucy turns her head, burying her face in the side of Beth's throat.
"Shhhh, it's okay," Beth says, keeping one arm tightly around Lucy and reaching her other hand out, rubbing her finger over Holly's knuckles. Holly suckles on her pacifier, looking towards the ceiling again. "You know your daddy and me will always keep you safe."
"Luce, what did we have to eat at our weddin'?" Daryl asks.
"Fried chicken," Lucy mumbles against Beth's throat.
"I can go for some fried chicken right now," Beth smiles, rubbing a hand up and down Lucy's back. "Doesn't that sound good? Fried chicken and mashed potatoes with biscuits. Yummy."
"Damn, Beth. Stop it," Daryl gives her a frown he doesn't mean and Beth giggles. "Hope there's a fried chicken place open between here and your parents' house. You want some fried chicken, Dot?"
Lucy doesn't say anything, but she nods her head.
"Yeah, you do, girl," Daryl smiles a little and then reaches out and tickles Lucy's side, drawing another giggle from her as she squirms tighter against Beth.
"And we danced," Beth continues. "Your Aunt Maggie had her music and she played it for hours and even your daddy danced. I wish you could remember that because your daddy dancing is a sight."
"I'm a fine dancer," Daryl grumbles and this time, Beth and Lucy both giggle.
They can hear the wind blowing and pushing against their house and Beth looks up at the ceiling, hoping that it doesn't knock one of the tall oaks over onto their roof. Daryl had bought this house and had it completely restored. For her and Lucy and then when Holly came along. She loves this house and loving it so much and not wanting to leave it alone to the tropical storm without having a way of knowing what happened to it, she couldn't bear the thought.
Maybe it would have been better for the girls if they had taken Lucy and Holly to the farm, but her parents are just a few hours away. They'll be getting the same storm. And at least here, they are all together, crammed into this little bathroom in their home. Together.
"I don't like tropical storms," Lucy whispers.
"Me, neither," Beth agrees. "But you know, if we moved up North, to the East, we'd have snowstorms. And if we went to the middle of the country, we'd have tornados like Dorothy in The Wizard of the Oz. Remember that?"
Lucy nods.
"Yeah. And then if we moved out to California, we'd have earthquakes," Daryl says. "And that's when the whole ground shakes beneath you and buildings split right down the middle."
Lucy's eyes widen at that and she looks at Daryl to see if he's pulling her leg. Once she decides that he's not, she then turns her head and looks up to Beth. "Where do we live?" She asks.
Beth smiles and kisses her head. "Right here, Dot. We live right here. The rain can't last forever."
Lucy looks at her for a moment and then to Daryl.
He gives her a small smile and reaches out, giving her foot a gentle squeeze. "Your mama's right. The storm's gonna pass and the sun is gonna be shinin' tomorrow."
"Promise?" Lucy asks.
Daryl squeezes her foot again and Beth holds Holly's hand and squeezes her other arm around Lucy.
"I ever steer you wrong yet, Dot?"
Lucy shakes her head.
"Never," Beth answers, staring at Daryl, and Daryl looks at her.
"I'm outta hands," he says after a moment and Beth laughs because she is, too, both of them with their hands full with the girls. He and Beth look at one another for a passing moment, looking into one another's eyes. "I didn' wanna leave our house either," he then says to Beth and she smiles at that as if it's the best thing he could say to her in that moment.
And she supposes that it is.
"Together," Beth says softly.
"Always," Daryl adds.
…
Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to comment!