Chapter 6

Jack hung up the phone.

-That was Jonas.

-So I gathered.

-He says there's gonna be a blizzard tonight. I told him that was nonsense. I mean it's not even snowing!

Katie laughed.

-Actually, it is.

-What?!

-It just started while you were on the phone. It's coming down pretty hard.

-For crying out loud!

-My thoughts exactly.

Jack rolled his eyes.

-So, which bedroom do you want?

Katie grinned.

-As if you don't already know.

-The attic?

-The attic.

-You know, it gets kinda chilly up there.

-I never get cold. And even if I did, the view is worth it.

-Yah, it's my favorite part of the house besides the roof.

-So why isn't it your bedroom?

-Because unlike you, I get cold. Come on, I'll show you how to open the door up to the stairs.

-What's wrong with the door?

-There's no handle.

-Hmm. That could be kinda tricky.

-It is.

The walked down the hall until they reached the door. With a shove, a creak, a pull and a grunt, Jack opened the door. Katie was ecstatic.

-That's really funny.

Jack glared at her sweat dripping down his brow.

-You won't think it's funny when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and can't get the door open.

-Good point. Hey, the bright side is no one can sneak up on me.

Jack grinned mischievously.

-That's what you think.

Katie slugged him.

-Ow! What was that for?

-What was the evil grin for?

-That's for me to know and you to find out.

Katie was about to slug him again when he ran up the stairs. She ran after him. When she got to the top she gasped loudly.

-It's my room!

-Yah, so what's your point?

-No, I mean this is exactly what my room looked like!

-No foolin'?

Katie shook her head and surveyed the room. Cream carpet accented the Hunter green bedspread on the queen size bed in the corner. Cream curtains with green flowers were pulled back to show off the scene visible in the panoramic window in the west, which gave a beautiful view of the sun setting over the treetops, with a mountain peek silhouetted in the background. A skylight was directly above the bed. An oak dresser, desk, bookcase and hunter green lazy boy were up against the wall.

-Why aren't there any books on the shelf?

-I don't exactly have a lot of call for them around here, if you know what I mean.

-Good point. Well, I can fix that.

She took off her backpack and started rummaging through it.

-You haven't let that thing out of your sight since you showed up in our little universe. What have you got in there?

-Pictures, clothes, a few odds and ends and other stuff I couldn't bear to leave behind. And...books.

Katie pulled out four books, one rather large (over a 1,000 pages), one average size and two rather thin.

-'The Lord of the Rings', 'A Wrinkle in Time', 'Flatland', and my Bible. My favorite books in the world, although, not necessarily in that order.

-Can't say I've read them. Well, bits and pieces of the Bible, but that doesn't count.

-Sure it does. Brr...it's cold up here.

-Told you. Hey, wait a second, I thought you were never cold.

-Only when I'm...

Katie felt herself falling. Jack rushed to catch her.

-...sick.

-Katie, Katie, talk to me.

She looked up at him, her eyes struggling to focus and stay open.

-Dad...

Jack got to his feet and carried her down the stairs.

-Katie, just hold on. I'm gonna call Doc Fraser. We'll get you to the car and back to the base, just hold on.

He gently set her down on the couch. Just as he picked up the phone the lights flickered and went out. The phone wasn't working.

-Ok, we won't call. We'll just go out to the car.

He walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain.

-Dang it.

Snow was swirling all around. Jack could barely see outside, but he could see enough to tell that there was 6 or 7 inches of snow on the ground. He went over to the couch and sat down. Jack brushed a strand of hair from Katie's face. Her teeth were chattering and she was sickly pale. He got up, ran down the hall to the closet, pulled out two blankets and a pillow and ran back. Jack covered her in the blankets and put a hand on her forehead. It was cold and clammy, no fever.

-Katie, you still with me?

She opened her eyes and nodded slightly.

-So cold...

-I know, I know.