45:
"How many times have I told you not to mess with the gators?!"
Bayley swatted at Roman's arm to let him know she meant business. He stared at her like she was some kind of a crazy lady. Charlotte reached for the tail of the small alligator trying to slide its way into the pool and told Roman, "Get the head!"
"No! No, no, no, no, no! We are not eating that thing!" Bayley insisted.
I was watching the three of them from the kitchen windows. Seth was sipping coffee while he watched beside me, but he didn't say a word. He was giving me his own personal form of the silent treatment, where he would say nothing until he felt something needed to be said, which usually ended up being something passive aggressive or a bad example of a cut-down.
The reason Seth was so mad at me was actually a good one: More of the Carnies had arrived.
I counted at least twelve, but there were probably more. They were not the ones like Roman and Charlotte. They were the ones that Dean used to swat away when they tried to take food from my plate. They were smaller and unwashed. Despite the intense heat and humidity of Florida, they were dressed in several layers of clothes. I couldn't tell the females from the males. They arrived over the last two nights, settling in the two largest rooms they could find.
They didn't talk to anyone except for Marlyn. She and Naomi were bringing them food and drinks. There were so many of them that the food supply was quickly running low. Some of them had gotten into my closet and taken a few of the clothes Bayley bought for me. Seth was trying to find a way to get them their own clothes, but Marlyn insisted that they only needed food.
The bathroom facilities had become a nightmare. Carnies were using it most of the time. Seth and Bayley had their own bathroom and there was one in my bedroom reserved for Charlotte, Roman and I. The other four bathrooms in the house were free game.
"I'm really sorry, Seth. I will help clean the bathrooms," I told him.
"Are you going to help my wife not to fall in the pool with an alligator?" Seth motioned outside.
I looked just in time to see Bayley stumbling in an attempt to stop Roman from putting his hands over the alligator's mouth. Charlotte was still holding its tail. They were dragging it away from the pool and Roman had a big knife tied to his jeans. Bayley lost her balance and fell into the water.
"You should go save her," I told Seth.
"She'll just call me an idiot and pull me down with her," Seth replied.
"I'm sorry I sabotaged your marriage," I said.
"Well, I'm sure you have your reasons," Seth joked dryly.
I rolled my eyes and turned away, telling him, "I don't want to watch Roman kill the alligator."
"Maybe it'll kill him, first," Seth was trying to sound like he didn't care about Roman's welfare but it ended up sounding more like he was nervous it could really happen.
I went back to my room and closed the door. The babies were with Marlyn and Naomi, so I had a moment to myself. I was grateful for the air conditioning in the house, though a smell had started to come up since the Nomad Carnies had arrived.
I took out my cell phone and tried to call the jail in Tennessee. I had been trying for two days to talk to Dean, but the people answering my calls would give me dumb excuses like he was being moved to another cell or he was at lunch.
An older woman answered my call this time, asking in a husky voice, "Who would you like to speak with?"
"Dean Ambrose, please," I answered.
"Just a moment," she said, sounding bored.
I waited for what felt like a long time. My heart starting beating faster as I prepared myself for her to give me yet another excuse why I couldn't talk to him.
"You still there?" the woman asked.
"Yes," I replied.
She sighed into the phone like she was hoping I had hung up. I opened my mouth to argue with her when she stated, "Dean Ambrose has been released."
"What?!" I shrieked.
I couldn't believe it. I was sure I had misheard her. She repeated, "He made bail," and hung up on me.
I sat there for a few minutes. I didn't know I was crying until my nose started dripping. I couldn't believe it. He was out. He was free. He was headed my way.
"Seth! Seth!" I called out to him.
I got up and rushed out of the room. I went down the hallway and called for Seth along the way. He wasn't in the kitchen like before. I saw Bayley, Roman and Charlotte still outside by the pool, but Seth was gone.
He was probably headed out to get more food. I ran out the front door and caught him just before he was about to pull out of the driveway. He rolled down the window and asked, "Did you forget something?"
"Dean is out! He's out! He's on his way!" I told him.
"You talked to him?" Seth looked confused.
"I talked to someone at the jail where he was being kept! She said he made bail!" I told him.
Seth still looked confused. I ran to the passenger side and got into his SUV. He pulled out of the driveway and headed to the local grocery store as he asked, "Who told you this?"
"A woman at the jail. She didn't give me her name," I said.
"Did she say when he got out? Like, should we expect him today?" he asked.
"I don't know. She didn't tell me that," I answered.
"Well, what do you know, Liz?!" Seth sounded agitated.
I was surprised by his tone. He was mad at me about the Nomad Carnies, but I thought he would be happy to hear Dean was okay.
"I know he's out and I'm sure he's on the way!" I argued.
Seth pulled over and told me, "You should go back to the house and wait for him, then."
"No, I want to go shopping with you!" I told him.
He sighed and started back on the road. He didn't seem to be in a talking mood, so I watched the scenery out the window until we reached the grocery store. Seth got out and opened the trunk. He handed me a bunch of bags and said, "They'll fill these up for us."
"Don't we need to get the stuff, first?" I asked.
"I ordered ahead. They'll come to us," Seth said.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I waited by the SUV while Seth went inside. He came back out moments later with employees pushing several carts of food and drinks. It took them all nearly half an hour to load everything up.
Seth got back in the car and I did as well. I asked him as we pulled away, "How did you do that?"
"It's very easy. I just pulled up each item online and where it says quantity of one, I added two zeroes," Seth informed me.
"I really appreciate all you're doing for us. Carnies are loyal. They'll find a way to pay you back for everything," I said.
"I'm not worried about the money, Liz. I'm worried about your father trying to take our babies away," Seth told me.
"I'm sure that won't happen. He doesn't know where we are. Besides, he never wanted any kids. I would testify to anyone who will listen that he's not a good father," I explained.
Seth was quiet for a moment, then he said somberly, "I'm sorry you had that asshole for a father."
"I'm sorry, too," I replied.
"He's not right, you know? He thinks you're a bad child and you did all the wrong things, but he's not right about any of it. You're a good person, Liz. You've helped all these Carny folks when they didn't have anywhere else to go."
"I think you and Bayley did that," I reminded him.
"We did it because of you, because we knew they were important to you. They're like your family," Seth said.
"I don't know if they think of me that way," I replied.
"What do you mean?" Seth asked curiously.
"There have been some outspoken members who don't believe I'm one of them. I'm still an outsider in many ways," I told him.
"I don't see it. You fit in with them so well. When I came to the house for the first time, it felt like I was coming to visit you and your family, like you were always there," Seth replied.
"I think I have more in common with them than I do with Hefram and Abbey," I said.
"That's what I see. If they can't see that, they're missing out," Seth replied.
We pulled into the driveway and I looked for a new vehicle, but I didn't see one. I helped Seth take some groceries inside as he asked, "Do you know if Sheamus is out, too?"
"I'm not sure. I'm kind of worried about Kevin getting out," I said.
"Why's that?" Seth asked.
"Because Charlotte will want to have sex with him all over the house," I groaned, making Seth stumble on the front steps.
:-:
I waited for Dean all day, but he didn't arrive. I asked Seth not to tell the others he was coming because I thought Charlotte might get weird, again. After her blow up three days earlier, she started spending more time doing projects with Roman and keeping her distance from me. The only time we were close was at night, when she slept next to me in bed.
She and Roman had made a feast out of the alligator they caught that morning. Despite Bayley's objections, they cleaned it, cooked it and served it. I went to bed early so I could get some rest before the babies needed me. I woke up to them crying and I felt Charlotte's elbow in my back.
"Ow," I whispered, moving away from her.
I sat up and let my eyes adjust for a moment. I wandered over to my babies and turned on the light beside their cribs. I reached for Abbey Marlyn and picked her up. Roman came up beside me and took Colby Dean.
We wandered out to the kitchen to get some breast milk from the fridge. Roman opened it and took the milk out while I turned on the oven. Marlyn came out from her room to take Colby Dean from Roman while I sat down at the kitchen table with Abbey Marlyn. I talked to her and rocked her in my arms until the milk was ready.
I fed Abbey Marlyn while Marlyn fed Colby Dean. We had the feeding schedule down to a science at this point. Those involved didn't need to exchange words. Once we were done, Roman took Colby Dean and I took Abbey Marlyn back to their cribs. Marlyn went back to bed.
"I think I'll stay up for a while and make sure they fall asleep," I told Roman.
He nodded and went back to bed. He was snoring within a few minutes.
I watched my babies until they fell asleep. I sat in the rocking chair nearby and rocked for a while. I didn't feel very tired and I knew the babies would want me up in a short time, anyway.
I got up and wandered back to the kitchen. I noticed that the door to the fridge was open.
Roman had closed it before we left the kitchen. I was sure of it.
I went over to check. Before I got too close, the door closed and one of the Nomad Carnies scurried off with a load of food.
At least they were leaving the breast milk.
I made my way to the front door and wandered outside. There were still a lot of vehicles in the driveway. I felt stupid for not asking the woman from the jail when Dean was released. It would've at least given me an idea about how much longer it would be until he arrived.
I wandered around the driveway for a while. There were a lot of strange noises that I wasn't used to in the Florida darkness. There were also more bugs. After a few of them flew in my face, I decided it was best to get back in the house.
"Luz?" I heard a familiar voice say from nearby.
I turned around to face Sheamus coming up the driveway. He was being followed by Sami, Kevin, Bray, Tamina, Paige, Miz and Uncle Trumbly.
Sheamus held his arms out and I gave him a hug. I hugged the others as they came forward. I saved Uncle Trumbly for last, asking him when we broke away, "Where's Dean?"
"He's on his way," Uncle Trumbly looked over his shoulder.
I looked past him, but I didn't see anything. It was black.
"Elizabeth?"
My eyes fluttered open. I didn't know where I was, but the slight breeze told me I was outside. It was very dark and I struggled to see anything.
"Hello?" I asked.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to face Dean.
He was holding a flashlight and he still had the same gruff expression as always. He stated with a sense of aggravation, "Still sleepwalking, I see."
"I was searching for you!" I threw my arms around him.
I saw Sheamus and Sami behind him. They came over to give me a hug, as well. I asked Sami when we broke away, "When did you arrive?"
"We came by train. We just got here," Sami replied.
"What about Hefram?" I asked.
"He's not following us," Dean answered.
"Haw's it inside?" Sheamus gestured back at the house with his thumb.
"It's...interesting," I replied.
He made a curious expression and I explained, "The Nomad Carnies are here. They're eating all the food."
I heard a strange noise and Merlin the zebra stepped out from the darkness. I went over to give him a hug as I asked, "How'd you get him here?"
"The train," Sami replied.
"What about the other animals?" I asked curiously.
"They're bein' tended to," Sheamus answered.
He sounded kind of sad when he said it. I turned to him and asked, "Will you ever see them, again?"
"Aye," Sheamus nodded, though he didn't look too sure of it.
"Let's get inside," Dean took my head and led me along.
Sheamus took a rope around Merlin's neck and led him with us to the house. He was going to tie Merlin up in the driveway, but I told him, "There are alligators around here. Could Merlin stay in the house?"
"He's trained for the indurs," Sheamus replied.
I opened the door and Dean held it so Sheamus could get Meriln in. I glanced back through the house and I saw the fridge door was open again. It closed and another Nomad Carny scurried away with more food.
"They're going to eat it all," I whispered to myself.
Dean looked at me and asked, "What?"
"The Nomad Carnies keep raiding the fridge. Seth is paying for all the food and we just brought a bunch home but I'm not sure what will be left after tonight," I told him.
"I'll talk to them," Dean said.
Sami looked at me and asked, "Where should we stay?"
"You have a room close to mine," I told them, leading the way.
They followed me down the hallway. Merlin's hooves made a quiet clomping noise the whole way. I opened the door and said, "I think Merlin can stay with you. The floors are tile so it should be easy to clean."
"Ya got a pail for 'is ur-eye-n?" Sheamus asked.
I was confused until Sami translated, "He means something to catch Merlin's urine. A bucket or a bowl or something."
"Oh. Right," I wandered off to find one.
I didn't know Dean was following me until I reached the kitchen, again. The fridge wasn't open, but one of the Nomad Carnies was already headed for it. They scurried away before I got close. Dean hissed at them, "You've got enough!"
They hurried down the hall to get away from him. I glanced around the kitchen, but I was pretty sure there wouldn't be any buckets just lying around. I turned to Dean so I could ask him where he thought one might be, but I caught his lips against mine, instead.
He kissed me harder than usual, like he wasn't sure he was going to be able to ever again. I responded to his affections by moving closer to him so I could put my arms around his neck. He lifted me up and put me on the kitchen counter. We kissed a few more times before he buried his head in my chest and said, "I thought you were gone."
"Of course not! I would never leave you!" I told him.
He looked up at me. His eyes were desperate as he told me, "No, Liz, I thought you were dead."
"Dead?!" I asked with surprise.
"You passed out while in labor. If Miz hadn't been there..." Dean trailed off.
"He was there, and so were you. I'm safe because of you. My babies are safe because of you," I told him.
He rested his fists on the table and stretched out from the counter. He hung his head so low that he was between my knees. I tried to lift his head again as I said, "I'm glad you're here. I was so worried about you. They wouldn't let me talk to you, but I called every day."
"I was in some fights. They were having trouble finding a place for me away from the others," Dean told me.
"You're here, now. That's all that matters to me," I said.
Dean finally lifted his head to meet my gaze. He leaned in to kiss me again, but we were separated when Sami appeared from the hallway.
"Sorry, I just...we really need that bucket," Sami said.
Dean helped me down from the counter and I asked him, "Where would Seth and Bayley keep a bucket?"
"Probably in the garage. Do they have a garage?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. This house is pretty huge, I'm sure they do," I answered.
"I'll find it. You go back to bed," Dean told me.
I shook my head and replied, "I don't want to be away from you, again."
Sami chimed in with, "I'll help you look."
"Fine with me," Dean said, moving aside so I could lead the way.
