Big Yellow Taxi
Chapter 42
Eric drove. His new best friend was riding shotgun, holding her doll in her lap and looking out the window for anything of interest she could spot. Sophia wasn't really big enough to ride in the front seat. But since riding loose in the back of the bus with two large dogs and no seatbelts didn't seem any safer, her mother shrugged it off and allowed the girl to sit wherever she wanted.
Daryl watched the woman. Carol. Her body was tense with anxiety at first. And she kept a close eye on all of them. But after the first hour, she started to sink down against the beanbag chair behind her back. Daryl found himself wondering how long she had been awake. His guess was at least two days. Because when she finally allowed her watchful eyes to flutter shut, she passed out completely. She was currently sprawled out on the floor of the van, adding her softer snores to Lily's loud dog snorts.
They drove for the rest of the afternoon. When the light started to fade in the sky, Sophia spotted a sign advertising a campground. Eric steered the van off the highway and headed that way. It was late enough in the day that no one was stationed at the small cubicle near the entrance. So the small group pulled through and parked at an empty campsite, hoping that if they left early enough in the morning that no one would notice they stayed overnight without paying.
Eric and Aaron walked to a small convenience store they passed on the way in and bought a package of hot dogs and a bag of marshmallows. They roasted them on sticks over a small fire that Daryl built in the grungy old half busted metal fire pit he found in the back corner of the campsite. Sophia toasted marshmallow after marshmallow, sharing them with the dogs until all three of them were covered in sticky melted sugar and Tank's slobber. When she finally had her fill, the girl climbed into the back of the van and curled up between the two large dogs. Within a few minutes she was asleep. Her mother climbed in behind her shortly after. Aaron and Eric climbed into the front seats, leaning them back as far as they went, which wasn't really very far, and curled up to sleep.
Daryl lay down on the ground near the dying fire and tucked his hands under his head. Sleep didn't come as easily to him as he expected. He had an unsettling feeling down in the pit of his stomach. And the little voice that was whispering to him throughout his trip was getting too loud to ignore. It was urging him to hurry. To get to Rowan before it was too late. When he finally managed to sleep his dreams were full of her. Her hair. Her face. Her slim delicate hands. And her voice. Crying as she called out to him for help.
Aaron shook him awake at the crack of dawn. The highway was devoid of other traffic and they barreled down it as streaks of light started to fill the morning sky. It was near lunchtime before the highway started to fill with more traffic. Daryl was surprised they didn't run into any morning commuter traffic. And then realized it must be the weekend. Probably Saturday.
"There it is!," Eric hollered from the driver's seat. "The state sign! We're here! We're in South Dakota!"
Daryl leaned around the passenger seat, eager to get a look at the sign as they passed. Sophia clapped her hands in delight. She climbed out of the front seat and into her mother's lap, hugging the woman tightly around the neck as she whispered into her ear. He'll never find us now. Carol didn't look convinced, but she still visibly relaxed as they left Nebraska behind them.
Aaron climbed into the front and fished around in the glove box until he found the note with Rowan's father's address on it. Her mother wrote it down for them before they left. Eric pulled them into a rest stop where he hoped they might find a local map. There were maps. But none of the reservation territories. Or the streets inside.
"We might just have to drive there and ask for directions," Eric said. Daryl nodded. But he wasn't sure how well that was going to work out for them. He wasn't looking forward to any sort of confrontation with Rowan's father. And hoped to avoid contact with the man. At least until he had a chance to explain himself to Rowan. He might not get that chance if her father got ahold of him first.
Sophia was begging to walk the dogs. Daryl handed her Tank's leash. He was the larger of the two dogs. But he was better behaved. And more likely to be gentle with the girl. Or at least that's what Daryl thought when he handed her control of the large beast. She only walked a few feet away when Tank jerked his leash from her hands and took off running. Daryl grabbed Lily's chain with both hands and dug in his feet to keep her from tearing off after him. One giant loose dog was enough. Eric darted forward and took Lily, dragging her forcefully back towards the van. Daryl hurried around the vehicle, yelling for Tank.
Daryl spotted the large dog immediately. He stopped in his tracks, his mouth hanging open. He blinked his eyes a few times, sure that he was seeing things. Because across the empty parking lot he saw not only Rowan but his fucking brother too. And they were together. Tank was jumping all over both of them. Merle was cringing away from the giant slobbering beast. And Rowan was laughing at him.
Suddenly Rowan stopped laughing. Her body went rigid. Almost like she could feel Daryl there before she saw him. He felt like everything was moving in slow motion. She turned towards him, her face lighting up in a huge smile. Time sped up the moment she started moving. Daryl felt like he barely had time to blink again before she was throwing herself into his arms. Her body collided against his with so much force she knocked him back a step. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even tighter against him. She hugged him back just as fiercely. And then her mouth was on his, kissing him like crazy.
When they finally came up for air, Daryl realized that his brother was laughing at him. Aaron and Eric were crying. Sophia was clapping her hands and jumping up and down. And a car full of women he never met before were whistling and clapping on the other side of the parking lot.
"You came all the way from Georgia for me?," Rowan asked. Eric wasn't able to hold himself back any longer. He rushed in and snatched her up into a hug. Now that he wasn't holding Rowan, Daryl had a bone to pick with a certain other someone.
"You owe me a new bike motherfucker!," he informed his brother.
"What happened to your bike?," Rowan asked, turning back towards Daryl with her voice full of concern.
"He sold it to pay back the money," Eric announced.
"You sold your bike?," Rowan asked.
She felt it like a little tingle down deep inside her. Small at first. But the warm feeling quickly spread throughout her body. Rowan knew how much Daryl cared about that bike. How proud he was of it. She saw it in his face when he showed her the machine. And he gave it up. For her. She was in total disbelief for a moment. And then her entire body filled to the brim with joy. Daryl loved her more than he loved his bike. She jumped back into his arms, hugging him tight. She was so happy she felt like she might burst and shoot little rays of happiness out all over everyone. I love you so damn much! She was careful to whisper the words so only Daryl could hear them. He didn't respond verbally. He only held her tighter against his chest. Rowan wanted to thank him for what he did for her. But she couldn't find the right words to express how she was feeling. She wished she had something of equal importance she could do for Daryl to repay his sacrifice for her. Then she realized she did have something for him. Rowan's eyes lit up as she pulled back so she could see Daryl's face.
"Guess what!," she said, not waiting for an answer before she quickly added the answer to her question. "I'm pregnant! We're gonna have a baby!"