Chapter 6 Unexpected bumps in the road.
Waking early Dana lay in bed listening to the sound of Ryan singing in the kitchen. It was so good to hear his voice, to know he was still there and safe. Sometimes she had nightmares where he had died in the accident. Those were the times she'd get out of bed and goes to look in on her big brother as he sleeps oblivious to her dreams or secret fears.
Now though as she heard a new voice join his she smiled, he'd never be alone or scared again, no never again. He didn't have to be, he had family, friends and now maybe even a girlfriend. Yes, he would be just fine.
Dana's thoughts shifted to the night ahead of them and she smiled, soon, very soon they'd all be there, the eight of them back together and yes one more for Chad. She was glad that Kelsey would be ok with that. She really hated to see anyone of her friends upset. She just loved them all so much.
With that thought her mind turned to the one person she looked forward to seeing most. Just the thought of Carter made her heart speed up. She knew that as much as she denied it to her brother she did love him. It wasn't' even a crush, in the time they'd been rangers it had turned to something more powerful, it had turned into out right love. She wanted to tell him that day when they
He'd gone to save Ryan from the demons. She had started to but what if he'd not felt it too? What would she do then? She'd not said anything and there had been terrible moments as he'd clung to the pit as queen Bansheera attempted to pull him down where she'd felt as if she too would parish if he did not survive the ordeal. However he did and she'd not had much of a chance to tell him, as they'd helped rebuild the city, only stopping when they were too exhausted to work any longer. Then had come that day in the park where all but Ryan had returned their morphers. She'd hoped there would be time then but with helping Ryan readjust to the normal world there just hadn't been time and they'd all drifted apart…
"Dana!" She jumped when there was a knock on her door and Ryan pushed it open. "You're up good there's someone on the phone for you." He said and she was reaching for the pone when he added. "It's Carter."
"Carter…" She breathed and silently cursed herself at seeing the smug look on her big brother's face.
She picked up the portable off of her night table.
"Hello?"
"Hi Dana its Carter."
"Hey what's up is there a problem?"
"Well, yes and no."
"Oh, is there anything I can do?"
"Maybe know anything about shopping?"
At Ryan's laugh Dana hurled a pillow at his head. Ryan caught it and threw it back.
"Yes, um one sec I have to kill Ryan." She said and pounced off of the bed and was chasing him from her room.
"Ok that's better." She said closing the door and locking it. "So what kind of help do you need with shopping?"
"Any help you can give me."
"Ok, well I have to help get things set up here and…"
"Kel and I can do that!" Her brother shouted through the door and Dana hurled her stuffed monkey at the door.
"Go make cookies!" She shouted to the sound of his laughter and then she was back on the line. "Sorry about that, Ryan's just an idiot."
"So I hear, so how about in an hour?"
"Um, ok."
"Great, I'll pick you up um…"
She gave him the address and realized it was a god thing he'd called; otherwise he'd never be able to make the party that night.
Shaking her head she got out of bed and prepared for the day.
***
"Ok here." Kelsey handed Ryan the last sprig of Holly.
"I think that should go right here." Ryan said as he placed it atop the door.
"Ryan if you put that there you won't have anywhere to put the mistletoe." She told him and he looked at her oddly, then holding it up he shrugged and reached for the decoration she was talking about. He then tacked it p.
"Perfect." She smiled up at him and it struck Ryan just how pretty the dark eyed girl was. She reminded him of a doe in spring.
"I thought so." He smiled down at her and then he leaned down and brought his lips to brush across hers.
Kelsey was surprised and yet as the electricity shot through her she leaned into him resting her hands on his shoulders as his came to rest on her shoulders. And as they shared that first affectionate gesture The CD changed and Jim brickman's "the Gift began its soft strains.
***
Dana appeared to see the tablo and smiled to herself, yes things were definitely coming along very nicely.
As she heard the car pull up she silently slipped out so not to disturb the couple.
***
Carter's first sight of Dana had his breath lodging in his throat and e wondered if he was seeing things this could seriously not be the same girl who clobbered have of queen Bansheera's demons. Her golden hair just looked so bouncy and her smile so real, not at all the memory of the flame eyed warrior he'd come to truly care about. No, this was some one all together different.
"Hey Carter!" She called and her voice even sounded like Magic, man he was so losing it.
"Hey you ready to go?" He asked and she nodded and then he was opening the door to his red pick up truck.
They picked up a new hat for Joel and a water proof camera for Chad and then headed to the sporting goods department to pick up a pair of all purpose gloves and hiking bots.
"Now what about Ryan?"
"Hm, well, I got him a coat and gear for the outdoors."
"How about boots?"
"Boots?"
"Well if your right about Kelsey and your brother he might just need them too."
"Your right."
"That was easy enough."
"Who's left on your list?"
"Angela."
"Ok, how about perfume?"
"Aren't women sensitive bout what kind?"
"She where's um… this one."
"Ok, now there's just your Dad."
"Oh, um, lets see, he likes to exercise but now he's having more and more trouble with it, you know how age sometimes sloe's people down."
"Well, how about sunglasses?"
"Sunglasses?"
"Yeah, there good no matter what he's doing."
"That works for me."
"Great now just one more gift for Chad's girl."
"Hmm… I really don't know much about her so lets see you can't go wrong with picture frames."
"Oh, yeah your right."
"How abut this one?"
"Woks for me." ]
"That's great."
"Yeah…"
"Looky looky at those two!" A voice called and Carter frowned and looked at the child. Then he realized he was looking above them and then he saw it too even as Dana moved on. They'd been standing just under the mistletoe. Why hadn't he noticed it? He could have… What? Kissed Dana? Kissed his old friend? That would have been cute, she'd have looked at him like he was crazy and probably demanded he take her home. No, he'd not do that, he'd rather have her with him for this than have her mad any time.
"Hey I just realized I don't have a gift for Chad's girl either." She told him and then after looking through a rack of sunglasses picked out a pair for her.
"Not too bad, so is that everyone you had to by for?"
"yeah, I just need to pick up something at the printers and that's all."
"Really? What's that?"
"I put together a yearbook kind of thing for Dad. It's from the time we were all kids. I used picture of all of us form our annals and I thought it would be perfect."
"It is." He assured her adding. "It's great."
"Thanks."
"So hungry?"
"Starved."
"Come on I'm cooking."
"Your…"
"Yes I can cook."
"I thought you lived at the fire house?"
"I only stay there when I'm on duty; I have an apartment on the other side of town."
"Oh, ok."
***
"This one's really pretty." Kelsey said as she carefully removed a small ornament from a box. "It looks old." Kelsey Said with sadness lacing her voice as she ran a finger over the delicate wings of a pair of geese.
"Yeah, Mom bought it because she said that Christmas was a time for family's and geese stick together like family." Ryan said quietly as he glanced at the ornament his friend held so lovingly.
Just the sight brought back the memory of the year when their mother had bought it.
"I never knew that." The raven haired young woman said but he didn't hear her.
"Come on Ryan time to decorate the Christmas tree." Alison Mitchell smiled down at her oldest child.
"Ok, Mom." He said and reached into the box for the first bulb. Instead he pulled out a little white box. "Mom what's this?" Ryan asked puzzled. He didn't remember that being in there.
"Oh, That, It must have accidentally gotten put in there." She replied.
"What is it a present?" He asked hopefully.
"Well I suppose you could call it that honey." She said and his eyes lit up.
"Can I open it?"
"I was going to save it for Christmas Eve but go ahead."
Ryan carefully lifted the lid off the box
"Aw it's just a dumb duck." He muttered.
"No, it's not a dumb duck." His mother laughed lifting the ornament from it's package. "What it is is a pair of geese."
"Ok, so it's a dumb Goose." He muttered turning back to the cardboard carton of decorations.
"Ryan do you know the thing about geese?" Ryan glanced up to see his mother placing the ornament on the branch just at his eye level.
"Their birds." He said wanting to get to one of the really good decorations.
"Come with me." He said and she smiled and moved to the bookcase. She pulled down a book about birds. He watched as she opened it to a page with a big picture of a flock of geese flying across a winter sky. "Geese are like Families, they stick together. No matter what, they stick together."
"Mommy! Mommy!" They both turned as Dana came barreling into the room and He thought she looked like a dumb baby doll. Her blond curls were tied back with pink ribbons that matched her lacy little dress. Ug, she was such a little girl.
Ryan realized now that the ornament was already placed in the same spot it had been when they were small and glanced at his friend who was rooting through the box for other trinkets.
"Listen, I forgot to pick up something, can you hold down the fort?" He asked and she glanced up frowning.
"Why is something wrong?" She asked worriedly
"No, there's just a gift I have to pick up for Dana. I don't want to forget." He said and she nodded.
"I'll finish this and when Dana gets back everything will be done."
"Kel…" He began and she looked at him in question.
"Hmm?"
"I owe you big time."
"If you say so."
"I do, and I always pay my debts."
***
Twenty minute later they were settled in his kitchen as Carter chopped vegetables for chicken stir-fry and Dana poured two cups of coffee into mugs she'd found in one of the cupboards above the sink.
"So you like being back in the fire house?" She pulled down the mugs.
"Yeah, I do. It's not half as deadly as fighting demons in some ways but in others…" He trailed off the memory of the death of his cousin Troy's racing through his mind.
"I'll bet, I have treated my share of smoke inhalation and burns." She said poring the steaming liquid into the first mug. "But I doubt I'll ever truly know what it's like, not any more."
"I know, I can remember the first day I saw you at a fire." That had her looking up.
"You can?" She then went back to pouring the second cup of coffee.
"Yeah, you were treating a little girl for smoke and your own face was ash smeared and there was a little smudge just at the tip of your nose." He indicated the spot in his own face and then was stirring the food.
Dana really didn't know what to say to that. He'd noticed her all the way back then? Sure she'd seen him but she'd never even dreamed he'd noticed a lowly paramedic. She wondered then if he noticed anything else about her, like she did about him…
"You know," He began slowly a memory flashing through his mind. "That's why when you came to recruit me I recognized you." He said breaking into her musing once more. This time she looked up to stare at his broad shouldered frame.
"I figured you were just annoyed with me. You now for getting in the way of your job."
"Hey, who in there right mind would get annoyed when an angel approaches them?"
"Excuse me?" She blushed and he smiled over his shoulder at her.
"I'd just seen a fire demon in the building and for a second…" He recalled truing to look at her as she brought him his drink.
"Oh, Carter do you know how sweet you are?" She asked and he looked down at her perplexed.
"Me? Sweet?" He asked as if even the very thought was foreign to him. That was just like Carter, he didn't even realize how different he was, how special…
"Yes you." She smiled at him and then turned to add milk to her coffee. The thought that she should check in with Ryan hit her and she reached into her pocket for her phone.
"Checking in with big brother?" Carter asked adding seasoning to the food in the skillet.
"Sort of I guess. I want to be sure that he and Kelsey have everything under control." She explained.
***
Kelsey was just finishing putting away the last empty box of ornaments when the phone rang. She ran to it and picked up unthinkingly.
"Hello?" Kelsey said glancing around the room at all they'd done. The room looked very pretty, holly, garland and mistletoe everywhere, but in a tasteful way so not to make things look tacky.
"Kel it's Dana, is Ryan there?"
"No, he had to run out." Kelsey said taking the portable cell phone into the dining room. She saw that they still had to finish up the table. She moved to the China cupboard and pulled out the table cloth from where Ryan had said it was stashed and walked back to the table.
"He did?" Kelsey noticed Dana's surprised tone and shrugged as she tried to open the damask coverlet.
"Yeah, something about forgetting a present."
***
"I'm at Carter's but I'll be right there." Dana said frowning as she moved to hang up.
"Hey your at Carter's?" Kelsey asked slyly and Dana rolled her eyes.
"Yes I am."
"Hmm, and what are you two doing?" Now Dana knew her friend was smirking.
"We were going to have lunch." Dana shrugged as she headed for her jacket.
"Oh, sorry, so is that why you called?" Kelsey asked.
"Actually, I wanted to know if you and that brother of mine needed help." She told her.
"Like I said I have things…"
"Hold on." Dana said cutting Kelsey off as she found Carter at her side, his eyes questioning.
"Everything ok?" He asked and she sighed
"Ryan ran out and left Kel to do the work." She informed him once again slipping into her jacket.
"That doesn't sound at all like Ryan." Carter frowned.
"I know. I think I should head home." She said and he only hesitated a second.
"Tell you what I'll just wrap this up and we can have lunch there." He said quickly not wanting this pleasant time with his best friend to end yet. He knew he'd see her that night but for some reason he still didn't want to let her go.
"Carter you don't have to do that." She said and he took the phone from her.
"Kelse, hey, why don't you put some ice in some glasses and we'll be over with lunch?"
"Carter you guys were having fun I don't…"
"It's no big deal." He said for more Dana's sake. he didn't want her to know the truth.
"Oh, ok I'll be ready."
"Cool."
"Carter what did you do?" b She asked amused by how easily he took control and used adjusted the situation to his liking. She knew she should be annoyed but right now she was just glad to have more time with him. She knew she'd see him that night but the morning had been so nice…
TBC
***
Ok there's the newest chapter to this one. I know it's time consuming so I'm sorry and yet I ask please let me know if there's anyone still rading this.