Chapter Forty
"Wait…" Alison said softly as Rafe moved to open the door. She turned him to face her and kissed him passionately. "OK." She said with a laugh as she pulled away. "I just wanted to do that one last time before we went in there."
He laughed back at her and gave her another kiss. "I know. Being back home - it's going to be a tough adjustment."
"Yes." Alison agreed. She got a dreamy look in her eyes and paused a second before speaking again. "But…at the same time I missed them all so much."
"Me too." He said with a smile as he pushed the door open.
The house was a flurry of activity. There was music blaring somewhere and the sound of a video game beeping in the background.
"Welcome home." Alison whispered with a laugh as she put down her carry-on bag.
Just then, Ella came bouncing by, soaking wet from a water fight she'd apparently been in the midst of with Aidan and Ty.
"MOMMY!" She squealed as she put down her water gun. She ran into Alison's arms, dripping water all over the rug in the entry way. "YOU'RE HOME!!"
"You're wet!" Alison replied with a laugh and a sigh as she pulled her close, not caring much that she was now in a similar state as her youngest child.
"Grant and Chloe brought us here. Uncle Cam and Aunt Abby are going to the movies. They needed to get away from us rug rats for a bit – at least that's what Uncle Cam said."
"Did he really?" Rafe laughed as Ella jumped up into his arms, throwing her little arms around his neck and squeezing tight. "I missed you Ella Bella."
"I missed you too Daddy." She giggled as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Hey. You have a suntan."
"I guess I do. Maybe just a little bit." Rafe replied as he kissed her nose. "Sweetie, where's your brother?"
"Oh. He and Chloe are outside with Becky and Kyle." She said with a shrug.
"Kyle who?" Rafe said, on edge already as he placed his daughter on the ground.
"Becky's new boyfriend I guess. HEY!!!" She yelped as Aidan squirted her full in the face.
Alison didn't know where to turn first. She thought she could actually see steam coming from Rafe's ears as he heard Ella's words – plus, she didn't mind getting damp but no water wars would be fought over her good furniture.
"Ella Rose. Outside. RIGHT NOW. Don't make you tell you again. You know better." She turned to her nephew and his counterpart. "Aidan, ten bucks your mother will see this without me telling her so if you want me to make her go easy on you – start marching and follow your cousin out back. Tyler – you get off easy this time but I trust you'll remember that there is no water fights in the house – do you understand me??"
She got a "Sorry, Mommy." "OK Aunt Alison" and a "Yes I do ma'am." before the three of them walked out the door, water guns in tow.
It was then that she focused her attention on her husband. "Rafe." She warned him.
He was finding it hard to breathe. "Alison…" he replied his voice shaking. His head was beginning to spin. Why couldn't he catch his breath? Rafe wondered to himself.
Alison watched him with concern. There were little beads of sweat dotting his brow and he looked incredibly pale. "Honey?" She asked as she touched his arm. "Are you alright?"
"Five days…" He whispered as he fought against the tightening in his chest. "How could she find a boyfriend in five days?" He moved away from her and stumbled towards the couch.
"I don't know. Sweetie. Do you feel OK?" Alison didn't need to ask, she could tell something was seriously wrong with him.
"No. Not at all…" Rafe winced as he settled onto the couch, holding a hand to his heart. "Alison…" He gasped just before he faded away.
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Lynnie sucked in a breath and squeezed Ethan's hand – her eyes wide as she turned to face him.
Ethan sighed, pulling her close and holding her tight. "Lynn – honey. What is the matter?"
"Oh my God!" She whispered, tears threatening to fall. All of the sudden she blinked and her voice was full of laughter. "Uncle Rafe."
Ethan leaned back to look at her and gave her a concerned look. "Sweetheart? What happened?"
"What we've all been saying would happen all along." She said with a grin. "Come on…" She said. "We have to get to the hospital quick."
"Lynnie??" Ethan was baffled. Her uncle's in the hospital? How can she be laughing? He'd gotten better at helping her when she had visions – but every now and again something would throw him for a loop. This was certainly one of those times.
"Come on…" She said again as she tugged on his hand and led him out the door.
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She stood in his room with her back to the door, her arms folded in front of her chest. She watched as the monitor beeped beside him and tried to collect her thoughts.
Alison watched as Rafe's eyes fluttered open. "Alison…" He said softly.
"Yes Rafe?" She replied.
"What happened?" He asked as he finally realized where he was. What was he doing in the hospital?
Alison shrugged and looked at him, her gaze furious. "You tell me. Ella mentioned that Becky made a new friend and the next thing I knew we ended up here."
Rafe's gaze fell upon an EKG and his eyes filled with horror. He fought to sit up and looked at her with a face full of terror. "What?? Oh no Angel. Tell me what happened. Please. I didn't really have a heart attack did I?"
"NO. You just gave me one." She said as she walked towards him.
"What happened?" He asked her again as she settled next to him on the edge of the bed.
Alison sighed as she took hold of his hand. "You couldn't breathe, you could barely speak and you held your hand to your chest and fainted. Chloe called an ambulance and Grant kept checking on you to make sure you were breathing. Ella and Becky were terrified." Alison continued to glare at him. "Ian's official diagnosis is "anxiety attack."
"WHAT?!?" Rafe sat bolt upright in bed.
She dropped his hand and nearly growled at him. "Are you satisfied Rafe? You scared me and our children half to death and it's all because you won't allow your daughter – who is SEVENTEEN – by the way - to have a friend of the opposite sex."
Rafe was astonished. It could not be possible. He would never get himself worked up like that. He blinked at her in surprise. "Alison. That can't be it. Something must be wrong with me…"
She cut him off and bounced off the bed, her eyes on fire. "Oh there's something wrong with you alright."
"Angel…" He tried again.
"Don't!" She warned him. "Rafe. You have to stop this. Becky's clearly love-struck but right now it's not anything serious. I've met this Kyle – he's very sweet. There's a lot about him you'll like – I promise you – but you know what? This isn't even about that."
"What is it about?"
"You. Making yourself crazy. It's like since the vampires left town you need something to fight – so you've decided your cause will be defending your daughter from teenaged boys. Keep doing that and her only option would be to look for older men. How do you like that?"
"Please. Alison." Rafe said as he lost his color again.
Her voice shook with anger. "STOP. Stop it right now. I'm not going through this ever again. Do you know what just happened? Do you know how my heart stopped when I thought something happened to you Rafe? I felt like I was drowning. Not to mention how Ella and Becky reacted. Please. I'm begging you. Relax and go easy. Please." She said with tears in her eyes as she moved to sit beside him again. "I can't lose you Rafe…"
"Shh." He tried to quiet her as he sat up and tried to pull her close. "I'm sorry."
She sank into him and held on tight. "You should be. Rafe. I can't believe you. We had such a nice vacation and the minute we get home you get yourself so worked up you end up in the hospital. I can't take it any more."
"OK…" Rafe replied as he placed a kiss on her hair. His hand got caught up in the wires they had hooked him up to and he grumbled as he tried to break free.
She started to giggle at him. "It's only because I know you're going to be alright that I'm so mad at you." She said softly.
"I know." He said as he got himself untangled finally.
Alison framed his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. "You were so well rested and now you look so tired."
"I'm sorry." He promised her. He took a deep breath and made himself say the words. "I promise. I'll try not to get so crazy anymore."
"You'd better." She warned him as she pressed her lips to his. She shook her head at him and sighed. "Rafe…what am I going to do with you?"
"I don't know. It's amazing. I don't know how you've put up with me this long…" He said with a smile.
She smiled back at him. "Because I love you. And Rafe, I love that you're worried about them…"
"I know you do. But I tend to go overboard…" He finished for her.
"Way overboard." Alison qualified. "Please. Relax…"
"How many times have you been said that to me?" He asked her then.
"How many times have I told you to relax? More than I can count. I hope I can stop saying it soon." She said as she sighed again.
"I'll try." He said solemnly as he leaned in to kiss her. "I promise you I will."
"OK. I'll take that. For now…" She said as she pulled him close and kissed him back.
