"His Son"
by: iluvaqt
Disclaimer: As per default chapter.
iluvaqt's Notes: I haven't forgotten about this. I'm really sorry about the lapse.


Chapter 6 -
Early evening, November 22nd 2020,
Lounge, Walker Ranch

Mary brought in a cradle from the attic. She put a fresh sheet over the mattress and took out a blanket from the linen cupboard.

Syl placed Leo down and Mary tucked the extra blanket over the one he was wrapped in.

"He's such an angel," Mary whispered. "I thought this would never be used." She rested her fingers over the edge of the cradle and gently pushed, rocking the drowsy child.

Tears swelled in the woman's eyes and Syl was at a loss to say anything. She wasn't good with comforting. Krit never cried, and when he moped, she could usually tease him out of it. She wasn't quite sure how to act right towards Mary, so she said nothing. Instead, she smoothed the tussled hair on Leo's forehead.

"He does look like Adam."

Syl had grown tired of correcting both Buddy and Mary, so she'd given up. Besides, they'd never known Zack as anyone but Adam, so what was the harm in letting it stay that way? "Jondy didn't have to tell me. They have the same eyes."

"They both have such beautiful eyes. Gray, blue, I don't think I could choose," Mary mused with a smile.

"I think he would look too pale with gray ones. Jondy's got her red hair to contrast," Syl said. She hadn't given it a lot of thought before now, but her imagination quickly conjured up a picture of Mary's idea. She wasn't going to say it, but Leo was almost a mini-replica of his father. Right down the regal-cut chin. So long as he didn't go sticking it in the air when he got older, he'd do just fine by her.

"I wonder what BOM means," Syl thought aloud. "B must stand for baby, but the rest…"

"One of Buddy's aunts used to say it. She said it stood for baby of mine. I used to think it meant, 'bomb' as in 'gee, you always leave a mess in your wake'," Mary snickered. A curl slipped free from her braid and she tucked it behind her ear. Leaning over the crib, she touched Leo's warm cheek. "They're so precious when they're asleep."

Syl couldn't help smiling. Watching Leo's little lips making suckling movements in his sleep tugged at her heartstrings. She wouldn't get teary. She wasn't a sentimentalist. Was she?

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," Mary said. With one last longing glance at the sleeping baby and a weary sigh, she left the room.

After Mary left, Syl flopped into the couch and stretched. Inclining her head, she studied her nephew. She wondered if he had any clue as to what was happening around him. If he did, he was showing remarkable calm about it. He looked very relaxed. One fist curled by his head, and the other clutched the edge of the blanket. The tips of long golden lashes rested against the curve of his cheekbones. She could even just see the tiny veins in his eyelids, his eyes flickering beneath them. He was having baby dreams. Tossing a cushion aside, Syl curled up on the sofa to watch over Leo while he slept.

The study

Krit followed Buddy to the study. Buddy said that he and Mary had taken a few shots of Zack while he'd been on the ranch. They were going to bring the laptop to the lounge, so everyone could look at the pictures together. Buddy had also peaked his interested when he said they had some really old albums of back in the day when Buddy's grandfather had first built the ranch. Their primary purpose was to check in with Jondy. She should have reached the cabin by now.

Buddy flipped on the CB radio and tuned in the frequency of Jondy's two-way. "Jondy, are you there? Buddy here. Just checkin' in."

There was no response, but the audible crackle of static over the radio waves. Krit checked the frequency, before pulling the microphone from Buddy. "Jondy, respond."

Again there was no reply.

Buddy decided to try to check a different frequency. Maybe the tower was out. If the weather had put the communication tower out of commission, it might explain why they couldn't reach Jondy. Either that, or she hadn't turned her radio on. Maybe she thought she'd save the battery. He wasn't sure of her reason, but he would have thought she'd have reached Adam by now. Why wasn't she checking in? Surely she would want them to know she got there safely.

"Harold, if you're there, it's Buddy, just checkin' the line." Buddy waited for his friend to answer.

There was more static and a few seconds later, a deep, husky voice answered. "We're here Buddy, storms comin' our way. Gotta secure the barn and got the men bordin' up the house. Best be donin' the same."

"Will do," Buddy replied. Flipping open his laptop, he typed in a few commands and brought up the local weather map. Harold was right. A huge storm was headed their way. "Unlike Harold, all we got is us. We gave the ranchers two weeks off. The foreman's laid-up with an injury, but I'll call through and maybe his missus can handle prepping their end for it. Could you help us out?"

"Tell me what you need done," Krit said readily.

"How are you with heights?" Buddy asked.

"I'm a daredevil by profession," Krit quipped.

Buddy chuckled and shook his head. "I guess it runs in the family then. Follow me."

On the way out, Krit and Buddy passed the lounge. Syl was sitting on the sofa watching Leo. And she stood as soon as she saw Krit.

"How's Dee?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest, with a frown.

Ordinarily, Krit would have teased her about wrinkles but this wasn't a time to joke around. The fact that they hadn't been able to reach Jondy and a storm was coming, didn't sit well with him. He would have to do his best to stop Syl from jumping to wild conclusions and going charging after Jondy. Right now they would need all the hands on deck.

"She doesn't have the radio on. We'll try again, a bit later. Right now we have to help Buddy get this place secure. Storm's brewing."

Syl's frown deepened. "But what about Jondy? She could still be out there. What if her radio's out? We should try again."

Krit could see she was getting edgy and he moved toward her and put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to relax. "She'll be fine. It's been over an hour, I'm sure she's there by now."

The wind outside started to whistle past the windows. The shutters creaked and rattled. Syl glanced through the glass. Outside the mist had suddenly darkened to an ugly looming shadow. She shivered and shot a glance at Leo. He was still napping peacefully.

Mary reappeared in the doorway that led to the back of the house. "The wind has chanced direction and the chimes are going crazy…"

"We've got a big one coming. I'm taking the young man here to the roof. We'll get the dish down and then secure the sheds. If you can get the wood stocked and block-up the windows?" Buddy pulled his hat and coat of the stand by the door and tossed Krit a pair of gloves and a tool kit. "I'll cut the power for twenty minutes. Will that give you enough time?"

"Plenty," Krit replied. He shoved on his boots and zipped up his jacket.

"Go up stairs and use the attic window to get on the roof. It's slippery so be careful," Buddy warned.

"Will do."

Compared to free-climbing, or taking a running jump off a cliff with nothing but a few hundred yards of string attached to a giant tent, this would be a walk in the park. The only thing he wasn't looking forward to was sitting on the roof, with nothing between him and the inclement weather but his trusty old windbreaker.

Mary pointed him in the direction of the stairs down the hall. "You'll see the attic door above the landing. The ladder will fold out when you pull on the ring."

Before he left the room, Krit walked back to Syl and planted a kiss on her forehead. Staring into her blue eyes, he felt himself falter. If it were Syl out there and he hadn't heard from her, he'd be outside right now with a survival kit and a floodlight. He had other things to worry about right now. His first priority lay with Syl and Leo. Jondy was a big girl. She could handle herself. They had to get this place prepared to weather the storm.

"We'll try her again when I get back, I promise," Krit said with conviction.

After Buddy left, Mary wrung her hands uncomfortably as she looked at Syl. "I could use a hand getting more firewood. Or you can close all the windows and shutters?" she offered.

"I can get the wood if you show me where." Syl knew she could bring the wood in faster than she could go around the house and shut all the windows. She could also pile it all on and carry more than Mary could. She didn't want to leave Leo alone, but she couldn't sit around and not help.

"Behind the stables, there's a log pile. Fill up the wheelbarrow and stock up the fuel shelter under the kitchen window. Then when you come inside, just bring an arm load with you for the fireplace."

Syl nodded and took one last look at Leo before hurrying to the back door. She had to heave-hoe like no tomorrow if she wanted to get back quick. She crossed her fingers hoping they had one big wheelbarrow.

Outside, the front veranda.

Mary went out the front door and closed the shutters along the front of the house. Oil stained timber under a tin veranda, skirted the house. It was wide enough to fit deck chairs and still have plenty of walking room. She had a scarf, a jacket, and a hat on, and she could still feel the chill whip through her right to her bones. The cold wasn't going to be kind to them tonight.

As she passed the lounge window, she looked inside. Leo was still asleep. He'd rolled on his side, and the blanket was bunched around his middle. He looked adorable, one of his hands curled under his chin.

All of a sudden, there was a roaring sound from above. She flinched involuntarily, the noise shocking her out of her quiet reverie. To her left she saw what was causing the racket. Hail, the size of marbles, were thundering down in waves. The sound coming from the roof was deafening. It was like being inside a steel drum. Pulling her hat as far down as it would go, Mary ran around the side of the house, closing the rest of the shutters as fast as she could.

Behind the stables

"So much for quick," Syl grumbled as she swung the axe again. The wood split and before the halves hit the ground, she'd placed another on the chopping block. She continued at her blur pace until she had reasonable mound on either side of her splitting block.

Loading up the wheelbarrow with as much wood as it would carry, Syl lifted the handles and started to push. The tire groaned and squeaked, slowly it inched forward, but before she could push a step further, the wheel stunk into a patch of knee-deep snow.

"Doggonnit!"

Syl kicked the back of the wheelbarrow, than hopped around on one foot as her bruised toes screamed out their abuse. "Oh flying…" Syl bit her lip and stomped her foot in defiance of the throbbing. Ignore it. Move that huge pile of…! Her brain screamed.

Staring at the wheelbarrow through narrowed eyes, she purposefully lifted the handles and pushed with all her might. For a moment it seemed like she was pushing it deeper, but then all of a sudden the load looked to be tilting out of the snow. She'd found the other end of the ditch. Grinning with satisfaction, she ploughed on with determination. She almost started humming happily to herself until she got a cold hard thump on the top of her head. And then another…

On the roof.

Krit had just finished lowering the satellite dish down to Buddy, when the hail started. It pounded his hands and body, like rubber bullets. In his haste to get off the roof, he lost his footing and slid. Just as his legs slipped off the roof, he caught the gutter and held on for dear life. The fall wouldn't kill him, but over sixteen feet up, he'd break a bone or two, and that - he wasn't keen on. By the look of the ground beneath him, assessing what lurked beneath the surface was like winning the lottery. The snow had to be at least four inches thick. And from the way Buddy had stood when he had handed down the dish, there definitely were odds and ends down there. He'd rather take his chances trying to get back through the attic than trying to land safely. Shimmying along, he knew he had to hurry. He could feel the gutter braces starting to buckle under his weight.

"Krit!" He heard Syl scream.

Oh great, he moaned inwardly. He'd never hear the end of this. Hail bounced off his face. The sting it left felt like hundreds of pins sticking into him simultaneously. He looked over at the window. It was so close. Maybe he could make a swing for it. Staring at the sill for a second, Krit pursed his lips, flexed his arms and swung his body.

He heard Syl's sharp intake of breath. He felt his own heart thud in his chest and adrenaline course through his veins for the fraction of a second he was suspended mid-air. His fingertips felt wood and he grabbed hold of the sill. The surface was icy, he felt his grip slipping and he threw arm through the open window and held on. Easily pulling himself up, Krit tumbled through the window and onto the floor. Leaning against the wall, few seconds he didn't even acknowledge how deafening the hail was against the tin roof. He was just happy be able to sit.

Smiling to himself, he got up and sauntered for the stairs. From the top he looked down to see Syl glaring up at him. Her blue eyes flashing and her thick blonde dotted with little hailstones, her cheeks were blotchy pink and her mascara had run; she looked a fright. Krit stopped mid-step. She was furious.

"What the hell were you doing? If you didn't notice, we're in the middle of a freak storm. It's no time to go monkey-ing around. If you pull a stunt like that…"

She was rambling and maybe she hadn't noticed, but she was shaking like a leaf. Krit bounded down the stairs two at a time and took her in his arms.

"Shh…" he whispered over her head as held her close. "I'm sorry. I was careless and I slipped. I swear…"

"Don't," Syl interjected, pulling back to look up at him. "Don't say never. We're supposed to be perfect. Accidents don't happen."

Krit lifted his arms and turned for her. "I'm fine, not a scratch." He grinned. "Don't be mad okay?" He kissed her forehead and wiped the mascara from the tops of her cheeks with his thumbs. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It brought a small sparkle to her eyes. "Now if it's good with you, I have to go help Buddy in the barn."

Reluctantly, Syl stood aside and let him pass. She followed him down the landing to the stairs. When Krit reached the bottom he looked back at her and smiled.

"Love you."

His words washed away the chill that had settled over her skin and she felt warm again. Leaning over the railing, she looked down at him with a sly smile. "I guess that means I'm stuck with you a little longer?"

Winking at her, Krit chuckled. "You bet." As he walked away, Krit couldn't shake the feeling he'd gotten when he'd seen the look on her face. He made a promise to himself to never give her a reason to evoke that kind of fear again. He never wanted her to cause worry over his stupidity. There were enough outside factors that did that enough already.