Chapter 12
--Disclaimer: OK, OK..I know you guys probably could care less, but I'm so picky about details! I found out from a source that the town the Hess family lived in was called Newtown. It's a small town in Bucks County where the town scenes were really filmed in the movie. So, no more Bensalem- it's Newtown! By the way, have I mentioned lately that YOU GUYS ROCK MY WORLD? ;) Heather-
The neon red letters on the bedside alarm clock were a blur. Merrill adjusted his eyes and finally saw that it read 8:47. He had barely gotten any sleep that night- he and Alicia had stayed up for most of the night talking in bed about the President's speech. The death toll kept echoing over and over in his head- 130,000. He sat up and looked down at Alicia. She was peacefully sleeping with her hair strewn across her face. He brushed it away and kissed her lips. Then he got out of bed and went downstairs. Bo was sitting on the couch, watching cartoons on the TV.
"Hi, Uncle Merrill."
"Hey there, pipsqueak. What are you doing up so early?"
"I couldn't sleep."
Merrill kissed her cheek and asked, "Are you OK now, sweetie?"
"Yeah."
"OK." Merrill went into the kitchen and saw Ben sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.
"Morning, Ben."
"Good morning, Merrill. There's fresh coffee in the pot if you want some."
"Thanks."
Merrill got a mug and poured himself some coffee. Then he sat across from Ben.
"I can't believe they killed 130,000 people," Merrill said.
"And that's just in the US. They still haven't tallied the rest of the world. They won't know until late tonight or tomorrow."
Merrill traced the rim of his mug and replied, "We came pretty close the other night."
"Sarah told me that Ali said there was one in your house?"
Merrill nodded and let out a nervous laugh.
"I think I blocked it out of my head already..I tend to do that with bad memories."
"So does Alicia. I think that's why you two are so good together."
"I don't know about that. Before all the invasion mess, Ali was having a really tough time dealing with Colleen's death and the miscarriage- more than she ever had before. I was really worried about her for a while. She'd be mad at me for no reason and wouldn't speak to me- and it hurt because my sole purpose in life is to make her happy and be there for her."
"She seems better now."
"Yeah, she is."
"You really love her, don't you?"
"With everything I have."
"Sarah and I are so glad that you're in her life. There's no one else we'd rather see her with."
"Thank you. That really means a lot to me."
"What are you two talking about?"
Alicia appeared at the kitchen door.
Merrill smiled and said, "You."
"I hope it wasn't bad."
"Not in the least bit."
As she sat down, she kissed Merrill and then Ben on the cheek.
"My two favorite guys."
Alicia took a sip of Merrill's coffee and Ben smiled at them.
"You two already seem like you're married. The way you look at each other is the same way Colleen and Graham did when they were engaged."
Merrill replied, "That'll be weird. You know, saying, 'This is my wife, Alicia.' But a good weird."
"Well, I'm going to go run to the office to see if everything's OK there. When are you two leaving?"
"Whenever Graham calls. But we'll be here when you get back," Alicia said.
"OK. See you later."
"Bye, Dad."
Ben grabbed his keys and waved as he left through the garage. Merrill looked at Alicia and kissed her lips twice with soft affection.
"I am so lucky to have such a beautiful fiancée, whose parents just happen to adore me."
"Was my dad buttering you up again?"
"Just a little."
"That's because he still thinks you're going to be a Major League superstar..he just wants World Series tickets."
"Who says that won't happen?"
"I thought you said you weren't going to play pro ball anymore. You said you couldn't stand the thought of being away from me."
"You could come with me."
"Nah..I used to enjoy when you would finally come home after being on the road. Our reunions were so much fun."
Merrill yawned and Alicia ran his fingers through his hair.
"Go back to bed," she whispered, "You barely got any sleep and it's only a few minutes past 9. You can still get in two good hours."
"Only if you come with me."
"You don't have to ask me twice."
* * * * * * * * * * *
A knock at the door interrupted Merrill and Alicia as they slept.
"Are you two sleeping?"
"We were," mumbled Alicia, "Come in."
Sarah came in and was covering the speaking end of a cordless phone.
"It's Graham. He wants to talk to you, Alicia."
"OK."
Alicia took the phone and said, "Hello?"
"Hi Ali."
"Hey Graham. How are you and Morgan holding up?"
"Much better. Morgan's awake and alert..he just needed a lot of rest. If you guys are ready, you can come and get us."
"You want to go back to the house?"
"I want to leave Morgan and Bo with your parents and you, me, and Merrill will go back and clean up."
"OK."
"So..what about you? How are you holding up?"
"I'm good. Still a little shaken in some ways, but I'm OK. I think your younger brother is to thank for that."
"Is he with you?"
"Yeah. We're still in bed, being lazy. Here he is."
"OK. See you soon."
"Alright. Bye."
Alicia handed the phone to Merrill and climbed out of bed. She dreaded the thought of going back to the house. Now it brought her horrible memories of the creature whenever she thought about it. Merrill got off the phone with Graham within five minutes.
"Let's get our things together so we can leave soon," he said, putting on a shirt as he rolled out of bed.
His hair was a tousled mess, so Alicia approached him and temporarily fixed it. As she reached her arms up, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"You never fail to take my breath away," he whispered.
She kissed him in return and replied, "I feel the same way about you."
They got all of their belongings together and Bo's as well, and then went downstairs. Sarah was in the kitchen, watering plants that rested on the windowsill.
"Mom," Alicia said, "We're going back to Newtown to pick up Graham and Morgan. But is it OK if the kids stay here for a little while when we come back? We don't want them to go back to the house just yet."
"Its body is still in there," Merrill said under his breath.
"What'd you say, Merrill?" asked Sarah.
"There was one in our living room. Ali and I killed it and we left it there, because we were so concerned about Morgan's asthma."
Sarah placed her watering can down and stared at the couple in disbelief.
"There was one in your living room?"
Alicia looked down as she nodded.
"It was horrible, Mom."
"Let's not talk about it. Of course Morgan and Bo can stay here while the three of you get things back together."
"Thanks."
Merrill went in the living room and extended his arms to Bo.
"Time to go get your daddy and Morgan. Come here, sweetie."
She leaped into his arms and he tickled her. As she squealed uncontrollably, he brought her into the kitchen.
"Whatcha laughing about, silly girl?" asked Alicia.
"Uncle Merrill's tickling me!"
"Give Grandma Sarah a kiss goodbye."
"I don't want to leave."
"Bo.."
"Please? I just want to stay for a little longer."
Merrill looked at Alicia and said, "She could stay here while we go to Newtown..after all, we'll be coming back to drop off Morgan."
"You're right. You get your way, pipsqueak, but just this time."
She grinned and did a little happy dance.
"Dad's not back yet?" Alicia asked.
"No. But I'm sure he'll be home when you guys come back."
"OK. Bye, Mom."
"Bye, honey. Drive safe."
Merrill kissed Sarah on the cheek and said, "We'll be back."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Compared to what it had been 24 hours before, the emergency room of the hospital was serene. Alicia and Merrill walked in through the electronic doors and saw Morgan sitting next to Graham in the admit area. Alicia immediately embraced Morgan.
"Hi, sweetie pie! How are you feeling?"
"Better. Where's Bo?"
"At Grandma Sarah's, which is our next stop."
"Did she sleep OK last night?" asked Graham.
"As far as we know," Merrill replied, "She had a nightmare right before Bush came on TV, but after that she was fine."
"Well, let's not stay in this place any longer than we have to. Let's go."
They went out to the station wagon and got in. Graham drove, Merrill sat in the passenger seat, and Alicia sat with the kids in the back like always. Alicia reached her hands in front of her and ran her fingers through Merrill's hair, massaging his neck as she did so. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, wishing he were in the backseat with her. He took her hand and delicately kissed it, keeping it in his for the duration of the ride. When they finally got to Drexel Hill, everyone got out of the car but Merrill.
"Why aren't you getting out?" asked Alicia.
"Because I want to talk to you."
"But.."
Graham said, "It's OK. Just meet us inside when you're done talking."
"OK."
The kids and Graham went inside the house and Merrill got in the backseat with Alicia.
"So," she said, "what do you wanna talk about?"
"Nothing in particular. I just felt the urge to be alone with you for a little while."
Alicia leaned towards Merrill and kissed him.
"You look so hot right now," she whispered.
"You always look hot..I don't think a moment passes in the day where I don't fantasize about ripping your clothes off and having passionate sex with you."
"I think that's what I might need to get my mind off of everything right now- like a temporary escape."
"What?"
"Sex."
Merrill had no arguments. He could count on one hand the times he and Alicia had actually had sex since the accident.
He laughed and said, "When? Now?"
"Why not?"
"Alicia.."
"We've been through hell and back in these last few days. We have the right to enjoy ourselves, if only for a little while."
"Where would we do it?"
"I have an idea. We'll tell my parents and Graham that we're running to the store and we can park the car in a secluded place. There's this wooded area by the park where no one can see in."
"You're quite the little Drexel Hill slut, aren't you?"
"Always have been , always will be."
As they got out of the car, Alicia approached Merrill and embraced him.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what, baby?"
"For making me smile..making me laugh again. For..just being you."
"That's what you do when you love someone as much as I love you."
They shared a tender kiss on the lips and walked hand in hand back to the house.
--Disclaimer: OK, OK..I know you guys probably could care less, but I'm so picky about details! I found out from a source that the town the Hess family lived in was called Newtown. It's a small town in Bucks County where the town scenes were really filmed in the movie. So, no more Bensalem- it's Newtown! By the way, have I mentioned lately that YOU GUYS ROCK MY WORLD? ;) Heather-
The neon red letters on the bedside alarm clock were a blur. Merrill adjusted his eyes and finally saw that it read 8:47. He had barely gotten any sleep that night- he and Alicia had stayed up for most of the night talking in bed about the President's speech. The death toll kept echoing over and over in his head- 130,000. He sat up and looked down at Alicia. She was peacefully sleeping with her hair strewn across her face. He brushed it away and kissed her lips. Then he got out of bed and went downstairs. Bo was sitting on the couch, watching cartoons on the TV.
"Hi, Uncle Merrill."
"Hey there, pipsqueak. What are you doing up so early?"
"I couldn't sleep."
Merrill kissed her cheek and asked, "Are you OK now, sweetie?"
"Yeah."
"OK." Merrill went into the kitchen and saw Ben sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.
"Morning, Ben."
"Good morning, Merrill. There's fresh coffee in the pot if you want some."
"Thanks."
Merrill got a mug and poured himself some coffee. Then he sat across from Ben.
"I can't believe they killed 130,000 people," Merrill said.
"And that's just in the US. They still haven't tallied the rest of the world. They won't know until late tonight or tomorrow."
Merrill traced the rim of his mug and replied, "We came pretty close the other night."
"Sarah told me that Ali said there was one in your house?"
Merrill nodded and let out a nervous laugh.
"I think I blocked it out of my head already..I tend to do that with bad memories."
"So does Alicia. I think that's why you two are so good together."
"I don't know about that. Before all the invasion mess, Ali was having a really tough time dealing with Colleen's death and the miscarriage- more than she ever had before. I was really worried about her for a while. She'd be mad at me for no reason and wouldn't speak to me- and it hurt because my sole purpose in life is to make her happy and be there for her."
"She seems better now."
"Yeah, she is."
"You really love her, don't you?"
"With everything I have."
"Sarah and I are so glad that you're in her life. There's no one else we'd rather see her with."
"Thank you. That really means a lot to me."
"What are you two talking about?"
Alicia appeared at the kitchen door.
Merrill smiled and said, "You."
"I hope it wasn't bad."
"Not in the least bit."
As she sat down, she kissed Merrill and then Ben on the cheek.
"My two favorite guys."
Alicia took a sip of Merrill's coffee and Ben smiled at them.
"You two already seem like you're married. The way you look at each other is the same way Colleen and Graham did when they were engaged."
Merrill replied, "That'll be weird. You know, saying, 'This is my wife, Alicia.' But a good weird."
"Well, I'm going to go run to the office to see if everything's OK there. When are you two leaving?"
"Whenever Graham calls. But we'll be here when you get back," Alicia said.
"OK. See you later."
"Bye, Dad."
Ben grabbed his keys and waved as he left through the garage. Merrill looked at Alicia and kissed her lips twice with soft affection.
"I am so lucky to have such a beautiful fiancée, whose parents just happen to adore me."
"Was my dad buttering you up again?"
"Just a little."
"That's because he still thinks you're going to be a Major League superstar..he just wants World Series tickets."
"Who says that won't happen?"
"I thought you said you weren't going to play pro ball anymore. You said you couldn't stand the thought of being away from me."
"You could come with me."
"Nah..I used to enjoy when you would finally come home after being on the road. Our reunions were so much fun."
Merrill yawned and Alicia ran his fingers through his hair.
"Go back to bed," she whispered, "You barely got any sleep and it's only a few minutes past 9. You can still get in two good hours."
"Only if you come with me."
"You don't have to ask me twice."
* * * * * * * * * * *
A knock at the door interrupted Merrill and Alicia as they slept.
"Are you two sleeping?"
"We were," mumbled Alicia, "Come in."
Sarah came in and was covering the speaking end of a cordless phone.
"It's Graham. He wants to talk to you, Alicia."
"OK."
Alicia took the phone and said, "Hello?"
"Hi Ali."
"Hey Graham. How are you and Morgan holding up?"
"Much better. Morgan's awake and alert..he just needed a lot of rest. If you guys are ready, you can come and get us."
"You want to go back to the house?"
"I want to leave Morgan and Bo with your parents and you, me, and Merrill will go back and clean up."
"OK."
"So..what about you? How are you holding up?"
"I'm good. Still a little shaken in some ways, but I'm OK. I think your younger brother is to thank for that."
"Is he with you?"
"Yeah. We're still in bed, being lazy. Here he is."
"OK. See you soon."
"Alright. Bye."
Alicia handed the phone to Merrill and climbed out of bed. She dreaded the thought of going back to the house. Now it brought her horrible memories of the creature whenever she thought about it. Merrill got off the phone with Graham within five minutes.
"Let's get our things together so we can leave soon," he said, putting on a shirt as he rolled out of bed.
His hair was a tousled mess, so Alicia approached him and temporarily fixed it. As she reached her arms up, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"You never fail to take my breath away," he whispered.
She kissed him in return and replied, "I feel the same way about you."
They got all of their belongings together and Bo's as well, and then went downstairs. Sarah was in the kitchen, watering plants that rested on the windowsill.
"Mom," Alicia said, "We're going back to Newtown to pick up Graham and Morgan. But is it OK if the kids stay here for a little while when we come back? We don't want them to go back to the house just yet."
"Its body is still in there," Merrill said under his breath.
"What'd you say, Merrill?" asked Sarah.
"There was one in our living room. Ali and I killed it and we left it there, because we were so concerned about Morgan's asthma."
Sarah placed her watering can down and stared at the couple in disbelief.
"There was one in your living room?"
Alicia looked down as she nodded.
"It was horrible, Mom."
"Let's not talk about it. Of course Morgan and Bo can stay here while the three of you get things back together."
"Thanks."
Merrill went in the living room and extended his arms to Bo.
"Time to go get your daddy and Morgan. Come here, sweetie."
She leaped into his arms and he tickled her. As she squealed uncontrollably, he brought her into the kitchen.
"Whatcha laughing about, silly girl?" asked Alicia.
"Uncle Merrill's tickling me!"
"Give Grandma Sarah a kiss goodbye."
"I don't want to leave."
"Bo.."
"Please? I just want to stay for a little longer."
Merrill looked at Alicia and said, "She could stay here while we go to Newtown..after all, we'll be coming back to drop off Morgan."
"You're right. You get your way, pipsqueak, but just this time."
She grinned and did a little happy dance.
"Dad's not back yet?" Alicia asked.
"No. But I'm sure he'll be home when you guys come back."
"OK. Bye, Mom."
"Bye, honey. Drive safe."
Merrill kissed Sarah on the cheek and said, "We'll be back."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Compared to what it had been 24 hours before, the emergency room of the hospital was serene. Alicia and Merrill walked in through the electronic doors and saw Morgan sitting next to Graham in the admit area. Alicia immediately embraced Morgan.
"Hi, sweetie pie! How are you feeling?"
"Better. Where's Bo?"
"At Grandma Sarah's, which is our next stop."
"Did she sleep OK last night?" asked Graham.
"As far as we know," Merrill replied, "She had a nightmare right before Bush came on TV, but after that she was fine."
"Well, let's not stay in this place any longer than we have to. Let's go."
They went out to the station wagon and got in. Graham drove, Merrill sat in the passenger seat, and Alicia sat with the kids in the back like always. Alicia reached her hands in front of her and ran her fingers through Merrill's hair, massaging his neck as she did so. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, wishing he were in the backseat with her. He took her hand and delicately kissed it, keeping it in his for the duration of the ride. When they finally got to Drexel Hill, everyone got out of the car but Merrill.
"Why aren't you getting out?" asked Alicia.
"Because I want to talk to you."
"But.."
Graham said, "It's OK. Just meet us inside when you're done talking."
"OK."
The kids and Graham went inside the house and Merrill got in the backseat with Alicia.
"So," she said, "what do you wanna talk about?"
"Nothing in particular. I just felt the urge to be alone with you for a little while."
Alicia leaned towards Merrill and kissed him.
"You look so hot right now," she whispered.
"You always look hot..I don't think a moment passes in the day where I don't fantasize about ripping your clothes off and having passionate sex with you."
"I think that's what I might need to get my mind off of everything right now- like a temporary escape."
"What?"
"Sex."
Merrill had no arguments. He could count on one hand the times he and Alicia had actually had sex since the accident.
He laughed and said, "When? Now?"
"Why not?"
"Alicia.."
"We've been through hell and back in these last few days. We have the right to enjoy ourselves, if only for a little while."
"Where would we do it?"
"I have an idea. We'll tell my parents and Graham that we're running to the store and we can park the car in a secluded place. There's this wooded area by the park where no one can see in."
"You're quite the little Drexel Hill slut, aren't you?"
"Always have been , always will be."
As they got out of the car, Alicia approached Merrill and embraced him.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what, baby?"
"For making me smile..making me laugh again. For..just being you."
"That's what you do when you love someone as much as I love you."
They shared a tender kiss on the lips and walked hand in hand back to the house.