Epilogue
"NO! Not Rick, NO!"
Rick awoke, still hearing Laurie's voice, softly at first, then louder. Turning over, he groaned, realizing it was just a nightmare. Looking at his wife, he realized she was gasping, and he gently shook her awake. "Sweetheart, it's all right, I'm here." She opened her eyes with a start, then sat up, taking a deep breath as she looked over and saw him. "Oh, Rick, I'm sorry I woke you." He put his arms around her and cuddled her, kissing her and saying "It's ok, I had a bad dream, too."
She sighed, laying her head against his shoulder, "Darling, this isn't right, here I wanted you to go back to work today and we both have nightmares." He turned her face to his, "Laurie, honey, I'm going to work when I'm good and ready, A.J. can manage another day. What worries me is these nightmares. I don't want you to be sick from them."
She shook her head, "I'll be fine, I just wonder why you're having them too. I know Willowby is gone, and his people are going to prison, but I'm still scared. I just have to get over it, but ."
"But nothing. Laurie, do you trust me?" She stared at him, a surprised look on her face. "Darling, how can you ask that, I trust you with all my heart!" He cleared his throat, then said, "You told Rudy that Willowby made threats against me and A.J. What else did he say he'd do?"
She turned her head, "I don't want to talk about it right now, Rick, it's.." "Too awful, honey, you started to tell me and I didn't get it, What did he do to you?" He was insistent, "Please, sweetheart, we've got to figure this out," Gazing into her eyes as she tried to look away, finally she drew a shuddering breath and blurted out, "He was going to kill you in front of me, he stood next to my bed and said he was going to lure you back and shoot you, to prove he owned me.
He made me take a pill of some kind after you left, then he snuck in and woke me up, saying he killed you. I was hallucinating, thinking I saw you blown up. After it wore off, I heard Steve, and I realized it was a lie. Then he came into my room the next night, and said."
"What, sweetheart,", Rick prompted, heartsick at what he was hearing. "He was going to take me away, he said, he was going to take me as his wife, if I didn't go willingly, he was going to grab Rob and Robin, so they wouldn't stand in his way. He started describing how he was going to do it. then he tried to kiss me.
I.threw up, so he backed away and said he could wait until I felt better. He woke me up in the middle of the night, though, he was describing how you died and I could hear him, and see it, and I couldn't move." Suddenly Rick saw the last minute of his own dream, Laurie behind a glass of some kind, the bomb going off. He said, "That's what I keep dreaming, darlin', I see you, I'm dying and I can't make a sound!"
She broke down in sobs, and he held her and let her cry it all out. His own eyes smarted as he whispered over and over again, "I love you", nothing is going to happen to us, I promise."
Now he knew why they were both suffering in their sleep, the fear they both had hidden from each other. Comforting Laurie until he felt the shaking stop, he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears away. Drawing a ragged breath, she gazed up into his face, and taking the hankie from him, dabbed his own tears. "I'm alright now", she sighed, stroking his cheek. " Rick, nothing's going to separate us again. You're my knight in shining armor, and I love you." Overwhelmed by his feelings for her, he cradled her in his arms and kissed her until they were both breathless.
"Well, if you're going to quote love songs, darlin', how about, "I'd choose you again", he said, caressing her hair. She smiled at him, and softly replied, "I would."
"Would you, sweetheart, I was thinking, we could celebrate our anniversary at sunset by renewing our vows. Just with the Chief and our friends, Mom and the kids, what do you think?"
"Ohhh, Rick, that's so beautiful!", she cried, then kissed him, putting her arms around him tightly. "I'll marry you, as many times as you like!"
The next day, Rick, A.J., Rob, Steve, Linda and Chief Joseph stood in the patio between the ranch house and the barn, watching as Robin and Robert approached, each carrying a lit candle, then Cecelia with an unlit candle, then Laurie on Rudy's arm, holding a small bunch of violets, still limping a little.
The two of them had decided to incorporate elements of the Navajo Wedding ceremony with a tradition they had skipped at their first ceremony, instead of just renewing their vows.
As she approached, Rick couldn't help thinking how fast the five years had passed since their wedding, and all the changes in both their lives. Both Rob and Robin in college, their office in Phoenix, A.J. thinking about settling down.
As she came to his side, he took her hand as she passed her flowers to Robin. Impulsively he squeezed it, feeling her return the gesture.
Exchanging smiles, they faced Chief Joseph, standing in front of their picnic table, where the candles were placed on each side of a bowl of hominy and a pail of water with a cup. The chief made a small cross, then a circle around the design, on the bowl of meal with a spoonful of yellow cornmeal, substituting it for pollen. Laurie took the cup and dipping it in the water, poured it over Rick's fingers.
Remembering the elder's instructions, Rick did the same for her, then following Laurie's example, dipped his fingers in the bowl of grits, from the east, south, north and west of the design. After cleaning their hands with a towel, Rick and Laurie each picked up a lit candle, then lighting the new candle, blew out the individual candles as the Chief blessed them.
Smiling at them both, he finished by saying, "Rick, you have been the tsohanoai, the protector and Light, you are the spirit, the giver, in your lives together. May you always share your gifts with your family and the people. Rick, you may now kiss your bride." Taking Laurie in his arms, he kissed her, then said, "Happy Anniversary to our second chance, my love." Smiling, she returned his kiss, saying "Happy Anniversary, Darling, to you, for all our beginnings."
"NO! Not Rick, NO!"
Rick awoke, still hearing Laurie's voice, softly at first, then louder. Turning over, he groaned, realizing it was just a nightmare. Looking at his wife, he realized she was gasping, and he gently shook her awake. "Sweetheart, it's all right, I'm here." She opened her eyes with a start, then sat up, taking a deep breath as she looked over and saw him. "Oh, Rick, I'm sorry I woke you." He put his arms around her and cuddled her, kissing her and saying "It's ok, I had a bad dream, too."
She sighed, laying her head against his shoulder, "Darling, this isn't right, here I wanted you to go back to work today and we both have nightmares." He turned her face to his, "Laurie, honey, I'm going to work when I'm good and ready, A.J. can manage another day. What worries me is these nightmares. I don't want you to be sick from them."
She shook her head, "I'll be fine, I just wonder why you're having them too. I know Willowby is gone, and his people are going to prison, but I'm still scared. I just have to get over it, but ."
"But nothing. Laurie, do you trust me?" She stared at him, a surprised look on her face. "Darling, how can you ask that, I trust you with all my heart!" He cleared his throat, then said, "You told Rudy that Willowby made threats against me and A.J. What else did he say he'd do?"
She turned her head, "I don't want to talk about it right now, Rick, it's.." "Too awful, honey, you started to tell me and I didn't get it, What did he do to you?" He was insistent, "Please, sweetheart, we've got to figure this out," Gazing into her eyes as she tried to look away, finally she drew a shuddering breath and blurted out, "He was going to kill you in front of me, he stood next to my bed and said he was going to lure you back and shoot you, to prove he owned me.
He made me take a pill of some kind after you left, then he snuck in and woke me up, saying he killed you. I was hallucinating, thinking I saw you blown up. After it wore off, I heard Steve, and I realized it was a lie. Then he came into my room the next night, and said."
"What, sweetheart,", Rick prompted, heartsick at what he was hearing. "He was going to take me away, he said, he was going to take me as his wife, if I didn't go willingly, he was going to grab Rob and Robin, so they wouldn't stand in his way. He started describing how he was going to do it. then he tried to kiss me.
I.threw up, so he backed away and said he could wait until I felt better. He woke me up in the middle of the night, though, he was describing how you died and I could hear him, and see it, and I couldn't move." Suddenly Rick saw the last minute of his own dream, Laurie behind a glass of some kind, the bomb going off. He said, "That's what I keep dreaming, darlin', I see you, I'm dying and I can't make a sound!"
She broke down in sobs, and he held her and let her cry it all out. His own eyes smarted as he whispered over and over again, "I love you", nothing is going to happen to us, I promise."
Now he knew why they were both suffering in their sleep, the fear they both had hidden from each other. Comforting Laurie until he felt the shaking stop, he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears away. Drawing a ragged breath, she gazed up into his face, and taking the hankie from him, dabbed his own tears. "I'm alright now", she sighed, stroking his cheek. " Rick, nothing's going to separate us again. You're my knight in shining armor, and I love you." Overwhelmed by his feelings for her, he cradled her in his arms and kissed her until they were both breathless.
"Well, if you're going to quote love songs, darlin', how about, "I'd choose you again", he said, caressing her hair. She smiled at him, and softly replied, "I would."
"Would you, sweetheart, I was thinking, we could celebrate our anniversary at sunset by renewing our vows. Just with the Chief and our friends, Mom and the kids, what do you think?"
"Ohhh, Rick, that's so beautiful!", she cried, then kissed him, putting her arms around him tightly. "I'll marry you, as many times as you like!"
The next day, Rick, A.J., Rob, Steve, Linda and Chief Joseph stood in the patio between the ranch house and the barn, watching as Robin and Robert approached, each carrying a lit candle, then Cecelia with an unlit candle, then Laurie on Rudy's arm, holding a small bunch of violets, still limping a little.
The two of them had decided to incorporate elements of the Navajo Wedding ceremony with a tradition they had skipped at their first ceremony, instead of just renewing their vows.
As she approached, Rick couldn't help thinking how fast the five years had passed since their wedding, and all the changes in both their lives. Both Rob and Robin in college, their office in Phoenix, A.J. thinking about settling down.
As she came to his side, he took her hand as she passed her flowers to Robin. Impulsively he squeezed it, feeling her return the gesture.
Exchanging smiles, they faced Chief Joseph, standing in front of their picnic table, where the candles were placed on each side of a bowl of hominy and a pail of water with a cup. The chief made a small cross, then a circle around the design, on the bowl of meal with a spoonful of yellow cornmeal, substituting it for pollen. Laurie took the cup and dipping it in the water, poured it over Rick's fingers.
Remembering the elder's instructions, Rick did the same for her, then following Laurie's example, dipped his fingers in the bowl of grits, from the east, south, north and west of the design. After cleaning their hands with a towel, Rick and Laurie each picked up a lit candle, then lighting the new candle, blew out the individual candles as the Chief blessed them.
Smiling at them both, he finished by saying, "Rick, you have been the tsohanoai, the protector and Light, you are the spirit, the giver, in your lives together. May you always share your gifts with your family and the people. Rick, you may now kiss your bride." Taking Laurie in his arms, he kissed her, then said, "Happy Anniversary to our second chance, my love." Smiling, she returned his kiss, saying "Happy Anniversary, Darling, to you, for all our beginnings."