It was way too early to be awake, Dave thought irritably as he threw back his covers and got out of bed. It was only five in the morning. It wasn't even really sunrise yet. It was that pre- dawn time, just before the sun started to rise. He liked it, in a way. God knows it wasn't like he got to see that time of the day all that often in the past, but that summer he had discovered within himself a real appreciation for the quiet time just before the morning began. Maybe I could make some coffee, he thought cheerily as he dressed, and snag some of those muffins from yesterday.
He was worn out from the day before. He had spent all day and most of the evening checking out the nearby towns to see if Doug had holed himself up there. It was the right thing to do, to look, even though it was probably a task in futility. Doug was off to the west and it made him sad, but he was glad he was detailed with searching the closer towns. It wasn't like he really knew Doug anyway. It had been only five days since he met the man. It was hard to get worked up over someone he hardly knew.
No, he thought as he quietly walked down the stairwell, that's not true. It felt wrong. Doug, at first and second glance, certainly seemed like a candidate for Flagg's empire. Underneath it though, Dave sensed that Doug was merely flailing in deep water, not able to keep his head up. It made it doubly sad, since Doug's flaws were mostly bad choices, not an evil streak a mile wide. Dave had looked as hard as he could, hoping to prevent the older man from doing something stupid. He hoped Carter and Luka had better luck, and that was the truth.
There was already coffee waiting in the old fashioned percolator. He was surprised but only slightly surprised. Randi was probably fast asleep, but it wouldn't surprise him if Jeanie or Kerry were up and about. Jeanie was worried about Luka. She hadn't wanted him to go at all, he had seen that in her eyes. She understood, of course, but that didn't make it easier. Kerry was worried too, but about who exactly he was sure. He knew she was worried about Doug and Lucy, but he also sensed an uneasy fear on her part. About what, he didn't know. Sometimes he wasn't sure that he wanted to know. In a lot of ways he knew this group of people far too well already and a part of him kept expecting the live studio audience of their lives to start hooting " Jerry! Jerry!"
He chuckled to himself as he poured his cup of coffee. Its not quite that bad, he decided. There's just too many troubles souls in the group. They need to liven up. He walked out of the kitchen, already starting to plot what he needed to do to bring a few smiles to the faces of his compatriots. No snakes popping out of cans of nuts, he thought as he opened the french doors leading to the porch, everyone has bad nerves. I don't want to get shot again.
" Dave, you're up. You're up really early." Kerry waved him over to the wicker table she was sitting at. I was right, he thought as he spied the cup of coffee in her hands and the dark circles under her eyes, I don't think she even went to bed.
" You don't look like you even went to bed, chief." He didn't mean it in a bad way, but he saw a tell tale sparkle of anger flash in her eyes. He didn't let that stop him from smiling though. He hadn't spent all summer watching her every move, analyzing her habits for clues to an impending breakdown, so he didn't deserve her wrath and had no intention of putting up with it.
After a moment, her anger faded. She shrugged, and sipped her coffee. " I couldn't sleep. I was worried. Despite what you all think, I wasn't trying to get Lucy killed. I happen to like Lucy. And for the record, I like Doug enough to not be ok with letting him destroy himself."
" You love him," Dave said. He held up his hand, cutting off her startled protest. " I don't mean you want to marry him or anything like that. Its just... You two have a really warped relationship. You both have a lot invested in being nasty to each other but when the chips are down, you would jump to each other's defense. Do you know Doug almost shot me that night we first met? He was going to kill me... because he thought I was hurting you. People don't act that way over people they don't care about." Dave almost smirked at the end of his analysis. He was right, he knew that, right down to the fact that it would never go any farther than it had the night before. He wondered if Kerry realized that his bedroom was directly over the porch and that he hadn't been able to sleep the night before. Certainly, somebody had done the wild thing on the porch last night, and Dave didn't think Carter and Randi had devised some weird fantasy where they called each other " Doug " and " Kerry ".
The important thing was that he thought he knew what it was. A physical thing that happened between two friends, not destined to be repeated, not even something they could speak comfortably about without giving up their long standing cherished "hatred". They enjoyed their dislike. It was immature, it was the equivalent of two little toddlers pulling each other's hair in a desperate attempt to prove how much they disliked each other, but all the while secretly wanting the other as a friend. There was nothing to be threatened with there. In fact, he had told himself, there was no way they could be together on a full time basis. They had too much invested in standing at opposite ends.
Kerry eyed him. She was clearly pondering his words. He thought it was funny that someone who seemed so together didn't seem to have enough self awareness to see why she was acting the way she was. Finally she said, " I suppose, in a way, you might be right. In maybe a brother/sister way. We get a little too angry with each other for anything more. But that's not why I sent Lucy after him. I would have done that if any one of you had taken off like that. It just happened to be Doug this time. I don't think I could live with myself if one of you was that upset and made such a bad decision and I didn't try to stop it. And trust me, I'm worried about Lucy and I care about Lucy but I think everyone has been assuming that she's completely incapable. I don't think its the case and I don't want her thinking that." Despite her forceful words, Dave caught her underlying worry. Kerry was going to feel very guilty indeed if anything did happen to Lucy.
As it happened, he agreed with Kerry on a few points. He believed that it didn't matter who had left. If she had been able, Kerry would have gone after Doug herself, and she would have done the same for any of them. He also didn't think that Lucy was completely incapable of being by herself. Lucy was a rational person. If nothing else, her experience with the bikers was just going to make her a lot more suspicious of strangers. That wasn't a bad thing. " She'll be fine. So will Doug." As he said it, he knew it was true. There was something coming, he could feel that, but he had no doubt suddenly that everyone was, at that moment, just fine. He didn't know how he knew, but he did, and he trusted the feeling.
Kerry sipped her coffee again. She felt it too, he realized, but she didn't trust the feeling and it was eating her up with worry. " I'm really more worried about Carter and Luka," she said after a moment. She smiled slightly. " I think Jeanie and Randi will kill me if anything happens to them."
And that thought wasn't very far from the truth, Dave realized. Jeanie had been pretty pissed off about Luka going and he knew more than a few harsh words had been exchanged between Kerry and Jeanie. It was made worse by the fact that Jeanie had started coughing and sniffling that evening. He felt bad for her. The drug cocktail was going to lose potency over time. She was going to die in a slow painful fashion and she knew it. He was surprised at how cheerful she generally was.
Randi was a different story. She wasn't pissed at Kerry, no. She was pissed at Carter for running off on a fool's errand. She had actually called it a fool's errand. In a lot of ways, it disappointed Dave to know that she was quite thoroughly attached to Carter, because she intrigued him on a number of levels, and they had a common background. In a different situation, a different world, he would have made some moves on her. He had a few too many scruples for that though, and he was worried about a number of things. Getting to Boulder was one of them. It was the third of September, in a place known for early snow storms. There was a chance, a good chance, that they might get snowed in for the winter and he didn't need to add to the potential cabin fever by horning in.
Finally he said, " I think they'll get over it. I'm sure Carter and Luka are both fine. You know, chief, you worry too much. You're going to give yourself a heart attack if you don't let go of some of the stress. " Again, she started glaring at him as if it was none of his business but for once he decided to stand his ground. She was a burbling mass of repressed emotions and even a self admitted insensitive clod like himself could see it. " It's not like we have any rat race to worry about now. Kick back and enjoy the ride. It's not healthy being so tense."
After a moment, her angry look faded. No doubt she realized his words weren't some sort of slam on her mental status. Even Jeanie had taken a few shots the day before, very uncharacteristic for the young black woman. He suspected Kerry was feeling more than a little sensitive and it wasn't going to be long before someone's well aimed barb was hurled back at them at light speed. He just wanted to prevent it, or at least not be the poor sucker directly in the line of fire. Kerry looked into her cup, obviously thinking hard. " You know, " she said after a long moment, " I miss having things to do. I was thinking about it all night. I had things to do all of the time. I didn't have time to do anything but work and I liked it because I didn't have to think. Now... it seems like the only activity I have." She sighed. " I have too much to think about."
" You need a hobby." Dave said. " Aside from cooking and killing things." He smirked at her. Not only did she need a hobby, she needed to lighten up. " We'll go into town today and get you some yarn and knitting needles. I need mittens and maybe a matching scarf."
She rolled her eyes. " I don't think so."
" Hey, I know how to knit. " That got her to smile, so he considered it a win. " My mother taught me to knit. You shouldn't knock it. It's very relaxing. Seriously though, you can find something to do other than get yourself depressed. You're right that we have a lot of time on our hands. Maybe you should try something new. You've got plenty of time and we certainly don't have to pay for anything. I was thinking of trying one of those big ship models with all the riggings and sails. You know, the kind that costs like five hundred dollars." He leaned back in his chair. " I know this sounds kind of bad, but it's kind of nice to be able to have stuff. I wasn't exactly raised in Carter style opulence."
" Well, join the club." She sipped her coffee again. " I lived on those cheap packages of noodles for years. You know, the plus side to this whole plague business is that I'm no longer over one hundred thousand dollars in debt. Tell me, just how much does a medical degree from the University of Grenada cost? A handful of shiny beads? Some American pornography?"
" I paid in sexual favors." Dave grinned.
Kerry grinned back. " It's not every man that is secure enough with themselves to admit to getting through school on their knees."
" I was the favorite of all the female professors." They both started laughing at the same moment.