It was a quiet trip home.
Sanderson and I walked back in silence, at three in the morning, down the street on base that ran between the houses. With the streetlights on.
Everyone in bed.
It was deserted.
Plus it was still nice out, not a cloud in the sky, moon bright.
We had beaten the Rangers record by ten minutes, no cows were shot, or Fowler, and Leon was with us at the bottom. The night was good.
I waved to Sanderson and walked up the driveway to my house, up the walk that lead to the front door, where my brother was seated having a smoke. He glanced up and waved as I came on up.
Still in all my gear, minus the repelling harness.
"How went the flyin lessons?" he asked, watching as I dropped down on the cement walk beside him.
"Pretty good, is Diana awake?"
Albert shook his head, "Naw. She was up till you left, bout….ten, then her daddy brought her some milk with a benedryl crushed up in it, she went out lika light bro."
Good.
She needed to get some sleep. Whether naturally or drugged, it didn't really matter. I laid down on the cement walk beside my brother and stared up at the stars I had been under earlier in the night. I folded my hands over my chest and watched the moon.
"You man, I've been thinkin."
"Oh," I asked.
"Yeah. Now when I git home, I can't even grope my wife without thinkin what may or may not be in her. I can't get it outta my damn head, thank you very much."
I smiled, "Not a problem."
Albert blew out a breath of smoke, then looked down at me, "So, you gonna marry her fore she has any surgery?"
I lifted my eyebrows in confusion.
"Insurance shit," was his answer.
I shook my head, "I tell ya right now she won't go for that."
Albert shrugged, he ran put out his cigarette on the cement, then laid down on the ground beside me. Both of us only got half the damn cement, then rest of us were in the damn lawn, or the ten by ten ft of grass that I had to mow that was apparently a lawn. I coulda got a damn goat and staked it in the square, problem solved.
We lay out there for a while….until my watch beeped, I lifted it up and saw the numbers 4:15. I sat up and patted his stomach, "I'm goin in to bed."
Albert waved, "Aight. I'll bring in breakfast."
As I opened my front door I asked, "You have money?"
He laughed and lit another cigarette.
If he needed money he'd come and steal from me like Diana did, the two of them had no shame.
As quietly as I could I closed the door and pulled off my boots, then headed upstairs. Peeling the ankle holster off before I made it to the bedroom so the Velcro wouldn't wake Diana's drug induced sleep.
When I walked in our bedroom I jumped, McKnight was seated in front of the window in a chair, watching her sleep. He was awake. He looked up and waved at me.
I looked to Diana to see her asleep. Soundly. She looked dead. Quietly as I could I put my gun on top of the dresser and took out a pair or sweats, a t-shirt, then headed into the bathroom. I closed the door. Not wanting McKnight to see my naked ass.
Only when I was undressed, after my shower, and in my pj's did I take a look in the mirror. My stubble was dark enough it could pass as a light beard. There were circles under my eyes, I looked like shit.
Where was the Nyquil?
I opened the medicine cabinet and spotted the blue bottle with the blessed word on the side.
Thank God.
I twisted the cap off and took two mouthfuls of the nasty shit. Winced. Brushed my teeth. Then went in the bedroom. McKnight looked up and then whispered, "How'd it go?"
I climbed into bed as carefully as I could, "No dead cows."
"Wonderful," he took one last look at his daughter then headed to the door, "Wake me up when you get up."
"I just took a swing of Nyquil."
McKnight may have rolled his eyes, "Fine. I'll wake you up."
I gave him thumbs up as he closed the bedroom door. Once the door was closed I slid down under the quilt her mother made, I wrapped my arms and legs around her, kissed her temple and laid my head on the pillow.
She was so out of it she never even moved.
For some odd reason I reached out and felt her pulse with my thumb, only when I felt the vein beat on my finger and I was assured she was alive, I relaxed. I put my arm down and watched her sleep, until the Nyquil kicked in.
9:30
McKnight came and woke us both up. Bastard. Diana cried out, "Daddy….."
"Take a shower. Albert brought in breakfast, I'll go make coffee."
Coffee!
Somehow I managed to tell him, "No decaf." It came out muffled since my face was buried in the pillow, but understood. Decaf was evil.
Only when McKnight's footsteps were in the hall did I roll on my back. I looked down at Diana who scooted closer to me since I moved, she buried her face between my shoulder and the mattress. Only one of those green eyes looked up at me.
"How'd you sleep," I asked.
"Like a rock. Like I was drugged."
I reached down and ran my fingers through her hair, "I had no part in that darlin."
She made a noise, then sat up, "Would you take a shower with me?"
Did she even have to ask? But even staring into her green eyes, that face, even though she had on one of my old t-shirts. I couldn't help but glance at her breasts. Remembering Albert's words, "I can't even grope my wife without thinkin what may or may not be in her."
Diana noticed my stare, she reached out and took my hand. Very gently she lifted her shirt and pulled my hand up, until I felt the side of her breast, almost diagonally under her arm. She watched my eyes while she did this, then she softly told me, "It's right there."
I felt it. A round bump the size of a peanut.
Something that small was threatening the life of the woman I loved. A completely helpless feeling filled me. I bit my lips. But held my hand there, trying my best not to concentrate on the round lump. Instead the warmth of her soft skin, or even the fact it was her breathe. But I couldn't move past the fact it was there and I hadn't noticed it before.
Diana then touched my face with her other hand. I met her green eyes as she told me, "I didn't notice it till the other night, Hoot. So don't look at me like that."
She kissed me, "Come take a shower with me."