Chapter 3
Thinking back on the night before, Rick just shook his head wearily. His day had started out so
well, Laurie greeting him with a cup of coffee and a kiss that promised a continuation of the
night before when he got back.
He decided to walk as far as Oscar and Rudy's cabin, then double back on the other side of the creek. If he got tired, he planned on stopping for a while at the little shack they had restored, then he'd make his way home.
Taking only a thermos of coffee and a couple of bacon sandwiches as well as a flashlight and canteen, he gave his wife one more java-flavored kiss and set off, having to stop and send Mike back twice to the house.
"Mike, go home and watch over Mom, now!" he ordered, and almost eagerly the dog raced back to Laurie as she stood on the steps and jumped into her arms.
"Be careful!" she called, then waved him off as he blew a kiss at her.
Unfortunately, the snow had started to soften with the brief sun of the day before, and before long he was exhausted. Halting at the little shack little more than a mile from their barn, he decided to take a break and unlocked the door, opening it to let fresh air in. Not stopping to check the vent, he went inside and found the interior damp and cold.
Deciding to light a fire in the wood-burning stove that the Chief had helped restore, he went outside to chop some wood and accidentally stepped on a snow-covered log. As he tried to regain his balance, his leg gave way and he just missed falling on the wood, landing in a snow bank instead.
Pain shot through his knee, and he thought he was going to be sick. Breathing slowly, he steadied his stomach and managed to get to his feet. Gathering a couple of logs in one arm and grabbing the side of the building with the other, Rick slowly made his way, swearing a blue streak, into the shack.
Now here he was, leg aching, stomach churning and thinking about the worry he was about to give Laurie.
Rick dazedly changed his watch to send, then answered his wife's call
"Sweetheart, is everything all right?"
"Yes, but where are you, it's storming and I need to know you're safe." Laurie replied, sounding
worried. "I'm in the little shack, darlin'. I'm.. just resting for a moment, then I'm going to come home, just as soon as it lets up." he managed, feeling suddenly sick to his stomach.
"Rick, you sound funny, are you sure you're all right?" "Damn!" he thought, trying to sit up.
"Uh, yeah, Laurie, my stomach's a little sick, but don't worry, I'll be okay." he fibbed, then felt
his stomach started to heave, and he crawled to the waste can and was very sick.
"Darling, I'm going to call Rudy and Oscar, I'm not leaving you to be ill in that cold shack!"
her voice faded in and out of his hearing.
"No, sweetheart, it's too dangerous, something's making me sick, bad air. Don't come, Laurie."he pleaded weakly, now realizing something was very wrong.
"I'm not going wait for you to get worse, Rick. I'm going for help, please hang on, please, my
love." she called, suddenly coming in clear.
Hearing her on the phone trying to reach her dad and Rudy, he opened up the thermos of coffee and managed to drink half a cup of coffee. Amazingly it stayed down, warming his body and giving him the strength to climb back onto the chair.
"Rick, darling, are you there?" she called. "They're not answering, Rick, I left a message and I also called Robbie, but he and Ramona are out and so is the Chief. I've left word with everyone, I'm coming to get you. Can you open the door and get some air in there?" she asked.
"No, angel, but I'm sure I'll be just fine. I'm going to rest for a few minutes in the chair, then I'm going to try the door again, Laurie, don't come, that's an order!" he muttered, closing his eyes.
"No, you can yell at me once you're home, but I'm already across the yard. I'll be there as soon as I can!" she told him. He tried to reply, then he started to go to sleep.
"Rick, stay awake!" Rick heard Laurie calling to him, then realized she was "calling" to him.
Opening his eyes, he saw the room swimming around him, then felt himself sliding off the chair.
"Ouch!" he yelled, hitting the floor hard. "Rick, are you all right?" Laurie cried out to him.
"Yeah, just fell off the stupid chair, sweetheart." he told her, squinting in the semi-darkness of the room at the windows, now completely fogged up.
Starting to nod off, abruptly Rick heard a pounding noise at the door, then his wife's voice, "Rick, if you're near the door, back up, I'm going to bust it open."
Startled, he watched, almost fully awake now as the door shook, then slowly slid open, stopping part-way. Cold wind blew in, and Rick saw Laurie stagger in, coughing and choking on the bad air. She moved quickly to the stove first, then put out the smoky fire and doused the wood.
Managing to raise to a sitting position, he croaked, "Laurie, down here." She turned, then fell on her knees next to his side. "Rick, darling." she put her arms around him and held him tight "Thank God, I thought I'd never get here, the snow's so bad."
"You shouldn't have come, sweetheart, I'm so groggy, I'll kill us both. Go for help, Laurie, I'll hang on until you get back." he said. She shook her head wearily. "No, I won't leave you. I'll help you up, Rick, the air'll revive you."
Bracing herself against the chair, she tried to rise, then reaching for his hand, tried to pull him up. He was nearly a dead weight, and Laurie almost fell on top of him, only just managing to catch herself.
"I'll drag you, just lay back, darling." she panted, then grasping his legs, she tugged and pulled, actually moving him halfway across the floor. Almost to the doorway, she suddenly slipped, then landed hard on him, knocking the wind out of her.
"Laurie, darlin', are you all right?" he asked, frightened as she tried to catch her breath.
"I don't have any strength left." she gasped, dazed. "Darling, help me, don't give up." she begged., then she collapsed against his chest. "I won't leave you." she wept, then her eyes started to close.
Rick recognized the danger, she was starting to succumb to the carbon monoxide still in the room. Struggling to sit up, he raised her up with him, "No, no, Laurie, wake up, I'm not going to give up, angel." He rubbed her hands and her eyes opened as she heard his voice, then she whispered, "Rick, darling. Oh, I knew you wouldn't let go."
"I'm going to push you up, sweetheart, can you catch hold of the doorknob and then pull me up?" he asked, then she nodded. As Laurie braced herself, he pushed her straight up, then she grabbed the doorknob and used her leverage to lift Rick to his feet. Swaying, he took hold of the door, then her. Leaning against the wood, he caught his wife to him, kissing her and trying to warm her in his arms.
Seeing her eyes fully alert, Rick kissed her again, saying, "Better, my sweet?" "Yes, darling." she sighed, then seeing the wind start to die down, added, "we should try to get back to the house, Rick, before the wind picks up again." "Laurie, anything you want. I'm never going to give up, not with you by my side." he soothed her. Looking up at him, she tried to smile. "I'm never going to leave you, my prince."
Putting his arm around her waist, he leaned against her and they started walking toward the distant outline of the ranch. Abruptly they both heard a voice from Rick's transmitter, then Laurie's watch.
"Laurie, Rick, can you hear me!" Oscar's voice sounded in their ears. Relieved, Rick brought his transmitter to his mouth. "Oscar, it's Rick, we're trying to get back to the ranch, where are you?"
"We're at the house, are you all right?" Rudy's voice came on, worried.
"We've both been exposed to carbon monoxide, and Rick hurt his leg, Rudy." Laurie answered,
seeing the perspiration beading up on his upper lip from the pain.
"We're on our way, honey, just keep walking, we'll meet you." Oscar replied. Scarcely had
they gone a few hundred yards when they spotted two shapes coming toward them in the
glare of the snow. "Dad! Rudy!" she cried, then Rick managed to move faster and all at once
she was in her father's arms and he was holding her tightly as Rudy got an arm around Rick.
"Baby, I've got you, you're safe. Rick, can you make it, we're halfway to the barn." Oscar cleared his throat, then caught a puzzled look from both husband and wife.
"Uh, Oscar, isn't that the house?" Rick pointed at the outline of a building just a short distance away."No, son, that's the back of the barn, you two were headed in the right direction, it was just a little further then you thought!"
"Thank God, Dad that you two got home when you did, I was worried when I heard the answering machine come on." Laurie said relieved.
Rudy shook his head. "We never made it to the cabin, we came straight here when Rob called us. He was frantic, said you left a message at the office that Rick was sick and that you were going to get him."
Rick looked down at his wife. "And to think I ordered her not to come, she told me she didn't care, I could just yell at her at home." Laurie smiled at him. "That's the only time I'll ever disobey you, darling."
Both husband and father looked at each other. "The only time?" Rick shook his head as Oscar gave her a stern look. "Laurie...." "What?" she looked blankly at the three men.
Rudy chuckled. "Never mind, Missy, we'll talk about it later when you're rested."
After everyone was warmed up and Rudy had wrapped Rick's knee and given him some oxygen to finish clearing out any poisons in his lungs, Rick told them how he was trapped in the shack. Oscar got upset when Laurie told him and Rudy about her premonition, then how she fell.
"Honey, that explains those bruises on your knees and your chest. Which knee gave out on you?" Rudy asked, as Rick put an arm around her shoulders. Pointing to the left knee, Laurie took a deep breath when the doctor probed a swelling on her kneecap. "Bad?" he asked gently.
"Uh, yeah." Rick took her hand and squeezed it, prompting a weak smile from his wife.
"Laurie, I'm going to have to go in and take care of that knee when the roads clear, it's just not going to hold up on you anymore. If it's any consolation, "Rudy grinned, "Rick's knee is only sprained, he'll be able to run you around in a few days."
"Yeah, great present I gave myself for my birthday!" Rick groused, catching the look of rebellion on his wife's face. Her face softened when she realized he was upset.
"Rick, I'm just glad I'm going to have you for your birthday." She told him softly, then seeing the
worry on Rudy's face, started to tear up. "Don't mind me, I know I have to have it done. I'm just scared." She put her face down as tears ran down her cheeks. Rick couldn't stand it, he drew Laurie into his arms and held her as Oscar got her some water. "Here, darlin', it's all right, there's nothing to be afraid of, I won't let you go." he tried to comfort her.
"I know." She sniffed, then looked up at the worried faces around her and took a deep breath. "I know it's worse if I don't have these visions, I just wish I knew why they were so vivid!"
"I think I know, honey." Rudy took her hand, then looked at the others. "Joe told me something that we didn't know about your mother. I don't know if he ever told you but she had the gift of second sight and it came on stronger as she got older. There was no explanation for it, and your father may or may not have been able to help her manage it as it got more powerful in her. She died of a heart attack, Laurie, it just was too much for her, but you have us, we'll never let your premonitions hurt you, understand?" She nodded, then put her arms around his neck and hugged him.
Rick looked at his wife, then tentatively said, "Sweetheart, the Chief said he'd teach me some of the history of our family and I told him I'd teach a class on how to use investigative methods, you know, like A.J. and I learned. That way I'd be around home more, if you like. We can figure this out, together."
Laurie stared at him, her eyes big with surprise. "Darling, what about the office, you and A.J. aren't going to close it, are you?" He laughed as Oscar just shook his head. "Rick, I give up, you've got her hook, line and sinker." Standing up, he grinned at his girl, then gave her a hug. "I love you, baby, I'll let you two talk things over while we get some lunch, good thing there's plenty of leftovers!"
"Thank you, Dad, I love you too, and thank you for coming to get us." She hugged his neck and he ruffled her hair. "Oh, you!" she giggled, then tried to duck as Rudy did the same thing. "You two stay put, I'll be back with some ice for your knee, Missy."
As the door closed behind the two men, Rick put his arms around her and whispered, "Now, where were we?" Laurie reached up to kiss him and then nestled against his chest as he dropped a kiss on her hair.
"Darlin', A.J. and I still enjoy what we do, somehow you've always understood that, too. But I think both of us are tired of being private investigators full-time, A.J. wants to only work part time, so he can spend more time with the kids while they're still little." he explained.
Laurie smiled up at him, "And you want to spend more time with Mike, huh?"
"What do you think?" Rick lifted her face to his and kissed her passionately, until they were both out of breath.
"Yes, darling." she answered, resting her face against his. "I've always wanted you to be happy with your work, it was what brought us together. I think you and A.J. should always share what you want to do, but, but for you and the Chief to work together.... I can't help it, you're going to get tired of me hanging around you."
"No way, darlin'." Her husband stroked her face, "You're my fountain of youth, I couldn't ever
get enough of my angel." Laurie looked up at him, "Thank you, my love, you always say such
wonderful things. I think I'm going to like your part-time work!" "You think, maybe I need to make sure you will!" he replied, grinning as he kissed her again.
Thinking back on the night before, Rick just shook his head wearily. His day had started out so
well, Laurie greeting him with a cup of coffee and a kiss that promised a continuation of the
night before when he got back.
He decided to walk as far as Oscar and Rudy's cabin, then double back on the other side of the creek. If he got tired, he planned on stopping for a while at the little shack they had restored, then he'd make his way home.
Taking only a thermos of coffee and a couple of bacon sandwiches as well as a flashlight and canteen, he gave his wife one more java-flavored kiss and set off, having to stop and send Mike back twice to the house.
"Mike, go home and watch over Mom, now!" he ordered, and almost eagerly the dog raced back to Laurie as she stood on the steps and jumped into her arms.
"Be careful!" she called, then waved him off as he blew a kiss at her.
Unfortunately, the snow had started to soften with the brief sun of the day before, and before long he was exhausted. Halting at the little shack little more than a mile from their barn, he decided to take a break and unlocked the door, opening it to let fresh air in. Not stopping to check the vent, he went inside and found the interior damp and cold.
Deciding to light a fire in the wood-burning stove that the Chief had helped restore, he went outside to chop some wood and accidentally stepped on a snow-covered log. As he tried to regain his balance, his leg gave way and he just missed falling on the wood, landing in a snow bank instead.
Pain shot through his knee, and he thought he was going to be sick. Breathing slowly, he steadied his stomach and managed to get to his feet. Gathering a couple of logs in one arm and grabbing the side of the building with the other, Rick slowly made his way, swearing a blue streak, into the shack.
Now here he was, leg aching, stomach churning and thinking about the worry he was about to give Laurie.
Rick dazedly changed his watch to send, then answered his wife's call
"Sweetheart, is everything all right?"
"Yes, but where are you, it's storming and I need to know you're safe." Laurie replied, sounding
worried. "I'm in the little shack, darlin'. I'm.. just resting for a moment, then I'm going to come home, just as soon as it lets up." he managed, feeling suddenly sick to his stomach.
"Rick, you sound funny, are you sure you're all right?" "Damn!" he thought, trying to sit up.
"Uh, yeah, Laurie, my stomach's a little sick, but don't worry, I'll be okay." he fibbed, then felt
his stomach started to heave, and he crawled to the waste can and was very sick.
"Darling, I'm going to call Rudy and Oscar, I'm not leaving you to be ill in that cold shack!"
her voice faded in and out of his hearing.
"No, sweetheart, it's too dangerous, something's making me sick, bad air. Don't come, Laurie."he pleaded weakly, now realizing something was very wrong.
"I'm not going wait for you to get worse, Rick. I'm going for help, please hang on, please, my
love." she called, suddenly coming in clear.
Hearing her on the phone trying to reach her dad and Rudy, he opened up the thermos of coffee and managed to drink half a cup of coffee. Amazingly it stayed down, warming his body and giving him the strength to climb back onto the chair.
"Rick, darling, are you there?" she called. "They're not answering, Rick, I left a message and I also called Robbie, but he and Ramona are out and so is the Chief. I've left word with everyone, I'm coming to get you. Can you open the door and get some air in there?" she asked.
"No, angel, but I'm sure I'll be just fine. I'm going to rest for a few minutes in the chair, then I'm going to try the door again, Laurie, don't come, that's an order!" he muttered, closing his eyes.
"No, you can yell at me once you're home, but I'm already across the yard. I'll be there as soon as I can!" she told him. He tried to reply, then he started to go to sleep.
"Rick, stay awake!" Rick heard Laurie calling to him, then realized she was "calling" to him.
Opening his eyes, he saw the room swimming around him, then felt himself sliding off the chair.
"Ouch!" he yelled, hitting the floor hard. "Rick, are you all right?" Laurie cried out to him.
"Yeah, just fell off the stupid chair, sweetheart." he told her, squinting in the semi-darkness of the room at the windows, now completely fogged up.
Starting to nod off, abruptly Rick heard a pounding noise at the door, then his wife's voice, "Rick, if you're near the door, back up, I'm going to bust it open."
Startled, he watched, almost fully awake now as the door shook, then slowly slid open, stopping part-way. Cold wind blew in, and Rick saw Laurie stagger in, coughing and choking on the bad air. She moved quickly to the stove first, then put out the smoky fire and doused the wood.
Managing to raise to a sitting position, he croaked, "Laurie, down here." She turned, then fell on her knees next to his side. "Rick, darling." she put her arms around him and held him tight "Thank God, I thought I'd never get here, the snow's so bad."
"You shouldn't have come, sweetheart, I'm so groggy, I'll kill us both. Go for help, Laurie, I'll hang on until you get back." he said. She shook her head wearily. "No, I won't leave you. I'll help you up, Rick, the air'll revive you."
Bracing herself against the chair, she tried to rise, then reaching for his hand, tried to pull him up. He was nearly a dead weight, and Laurie almost fell on top of him, only just managing to catch herself.
"I'll drag you, just lay back, darling." she panted, then grasping his legs, she tugged and pulled, actually moving him halfway across the floor. Almost to the doorway, she suddenly slipped, then landed hard on him, knocking the wind out of her.
"Laurie, darlin', are you all right?" he asked, frightened as she tried to catch her breath.
"I don't have any strength left." she gasped, dazed. "Darling, help me, don't give up." she begged., then she collapsed against his chest. "I won't leave you." she wept, then her eyes started to close.
Rick recognized the danger, she was starting to succumb to the carbon monoxide still in the room. Struggling to sit up, he raised her up with him, "No, no, Laurie, wake up, I'm not going to give up, angel." He rubbed her hands and her eyes opened as she heard his voice, then she whispered, "Rick, darling. Oh, I knew you wouldn't let go."
"I'm going to push you up, sweetheart, can you catch hold of the doorknob and then pull me up?" he asked, then she nodded. As Laurie braced herself, he pushed her straight up, then she grabbed the doorknob and used her leverage to lift Rick to his feet. Swaying, he took hold of the door, then her. Leaning against the wood, he caught his wife to him, kissing her and trying to warm her in his arms.
Seeing her eyes fully alert, Rick kissed her again, saying, "Better, my sweet?" "Yes, darling." she sighed, then seeing the wind start to die down, added, "we should try to get back to the house, Rick, before the wind picks up again." "Laurie, anything you want. I'm never going to give up, not with you by my side." he soothed her. Looking up at him, she tried to smile. "I'm never going to leave you, my prince."
Putting his arm around her waist, he leaned against her and they started walking toward the distant outline of the ranch. Abruptly they both heard a voice from Rick's transmitter, then Laurie's watch.
"Laurie, Rick, can you hear me!" Oscar's voice sounded in their ears. Relieved, Rick brought his transmitter to his mouth. "Oscar, it's Rick, we're trying to get back to the ranch, where are you?"
"We're at the house, are you all right?" Rudy's voice came on, worried.
"We've both been exposed to carbon monoxide, and Rick hurt his leg, Rudy." Laurie answered,
seeing the perspiration beading up on his upper lip from the pain.
"We're on our way, honey, just keep walking, we'll meet you." Oscar replied. Scarcely had
they gone a few hundred yards when they spotted two shapes coming toward them in the
glare of the snow. "Dad! Rudy!" she cried, then Rick managed to move faster and all at once
she was in her father's arms and he was holding her tightly as Rudy got an arm around Rick.
"Baby, I've got you, you're safe. Rick, can you make it, we're halfway to the barn." Oscar cleared his throat, then caught a puzzled look from both husband and wife.
"Uh, Oscar, isn't that the house?" Rick pointed at the outline of a building just a short distance away."No, son, that's the back of the barn, you two were headed in the right direction, it was just a little further then you thought!"
"Thank God, Dad that you two got home when you did, I was worried when I heard the answering machine come on." Laurie said relieved.
Rudy shook his head. "We never made it to the cabin, we came straight here when Rob called us. He was frantic, said you left a message at the office that Rick was sick and that you were going to get him."
Rick looked down at his wife. "And to think I ordered her not to come, she told me she didn't care, I could just yell at her at home." Laurie smiled at him. "That's the only time I'll ever disobey you, darling."
Both husband and father looked at each other. "The only time?" Rick shook his head as Oscar gave her a stern look. "Laurie...." "What?" she looked blankly at the three men.
Rudy chuckled. "Never mind, Missy, we'll talk about it later when you're rested."
After everyone was warmed up and Rudy had wrapped Rick's knee and given him some oxygen to finish clearing out any poisons in his lungs, Rick told them how he was trapped in the shack. Oscar got upset when Laurie told him and Rudy about her premonition, then how she fell.
"Honey, that explains those bruises on your knees and your chest. Which knee gave out on you?" Rudy asked, as Rick put an arm around her shoulders. Pointing to the left knee, Laurie took a deep breath when the doctor probed a swelling on her kneecap. "Bad?" he asked gently.
"Uh, yeah." Rick took her hand and squeezed it, prompting a weak smile from his wife.
"Laurie, I'm going to have to go in and take care of that knee when the roads clear, it's just not going to hold up on you anymore. If it's any consolation, "Rudy grinned, "Rick's knee is only sprained, he'll be able to run you around in a few days."
"Yeah, great present I gave myself for my birthday!" Rick groused, catching the look of rebellion on his wife's face. Her face softened when she realized he was upset.
"Rick, I'm just glad I'm going to have you for your birthday." She told him softly, then seeing the
worry on Rudy's face, started to tear up. "Don't mind me, I know I have to have it done. I'm just scared." She put her face down as tears ran down her cheeks. Rick couldn't stand it, he drew Laurie into his arms and held her as Oscar got her some water. "Here, darlin', it's all right, there's nothing to be afraid of, I won't let you go." he tried to comfort her.
"I know." She sniffed, then looked up at the worried faces around her and took a deep breath. "I know it's worse if I don't have these visions, I just wish I knew why they were so vivid!"
"I think I know, honey." Rudy took her hand, then looked at the others. "Joe told me something that we didn't know about your mother. I don't know if he ever told you but she had the gift of second sight and it came on stronger as she got older. There was no explanation for it, and your father may or may not have been able to help her manage it as it got more powerful in her. She died of a heart attack, Laurie, it just was too much for her, but you have us, we'll never let your premonitions hurt you, understand?" She nodded, then put her arms around his neck and hugged him.
Rick looked at his wife, then tentatively said, "Sweetheart, the Chief said he'd teach me some of the history of our family and I told him I'd teach a class on how to use investigative methods, you know, like A.J. and I learned. That way I'd be around home more, if you like. We can figure this out, together."
Laurie stared at him, her eyes big with surprise. "Darling, what about the office, you and A.J. aren't going to close it, are you?" He laughed as Oscar just shook his head. "Rick, I give up, you've got her hook, line and sinker." Standing up, he grinned at his girl, then gave her a hug. "I love you, baby, I'll let you two talk things over while we get some lunch, good thing there's plenty of leftovers!"
"Thank you, Dad, I love you too, and thank you for coming to get us." She hugged his neck and he ruffled her hair. "Oh, you!" she giggled, then tried to duck as Rudy did the same thing. "You two stay put, I'll be back with some ice for your knee, Missy."
As the door closed behind the two men, Rick put his arms around her and whispered, "Now, where were we?" Laurie reached up to kiss him and then nestled against his chest as he dropped a kiss on her hair.
"Darlin', A.J. and I still enjoy what we do, somehow you've always understood that, too. But I think both of us are tired of being private investigators full-time, A.J. wants to only work part time, so he can spend more time with the kids while they're still little." he explained.
Laurie smiled up at him, "And you want to spend more time with Mike, huh?"
"What do you think?" Rick lifted her face to his and kissed her passionately, until they were both out of breath.
"Yes, darling." she answered, resting her face against his. "I've always wanted you to be happy with your work, it was what brought us together. I think you and A.J. should always share what you want to do, but, but for you and the Chief to work together.... I can't help it, you're going to get tired of me hanging around you."
"No way, darlin'." Her husband stroked her face, "You're my fountain of youth, I couldn't ever
get enough of my angel." Laurie looked up at him, "Thank you, my love, you always say such
wonderful things. I think I'm going to like your part-time work!" "You think, maybe I need to make sure you will!" he replied, grinning as he kissed her again.