Nick could feel the butterflies in his stomach as he followed Jo towards the house, his hand firmly around hers. After a quick shirt change, he joined Jo waiting outside the barn door. While part of him was nervous to see everyone again, worried about their reaction to his reappearance, there was a calm that filled him. He was back where he belonged, and he had been dreaming of this moment for months. He looked over at Jo, a smile lighting up her eyes as she gazed back at him. His heart had longed for her, the ache at times painful, and he wanted nothing more than to fulfill the vow he had made to her before he had left. Soon, he thought… very soon.
They made their way up the back steps and Jo opened the kitchen door, finding only Asia hunched over the stove, the sound of Plumfield's usual chaos echoing from the dining room. It was like he had never left - the same smells and busy noise hit Nick hard; his emotions forming a lump in his throat - he had missed this so much.
Asia's back was to the couple as she was harried between potatoes and turkey and she sighed when she heard the back door close. "Mrs. Jo?" Asia huffed, annoyance in her voice, "That turkey's gotta cook for at least 'nother half hour and I don't know what those kids did with my baster but there ain't gonna be any gravy without it."
Jo smiled at Nick as they stood in the doorway, his presence still unknown to the housekeeper. "There's no rush, Asia," Jo said, giving Nick's hand a squeeze, pushing him into the room. "Besides, we'll need time to set another place at the table."
Nick noticed Asia's shoulders slump forward in defeat. "Another place? I don't know how we're gonna fit everyone as it is… that table is only so big."
Jo rolled her eyes as Nick stepped forward, chuckling softly. "Aww, that's all right Asia," he said, watching her pause at the sound of his voice. "I can eat in the kitchen…"
The housekeeper whirled around, a shocked look on her face and the spoon she held dropped to the floor. "What on God's green…" she exclaimed, stepping towards Nick. "How?"
He pulled her into a hug, her head shaking as she wrapped her arms around him. "Your biscuits are just too good… nothin' could keep me away from your cookin'."
As he pulled away, he noticed Asia's eyes filled with tears, her hands coming up to frame his face. "You are a sight…" she started, too overcome with emotion and surprise. Nick smiled at her as she patted his cheek and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "Look at me… blubberin' over here." She released him from her grasp and turned to Jo. "Well, now… I need to get that gravy goin'... or else we're never gonna eat." She stepped away from Nick, picking up the discarded spoon and then reached out to squeeze his hand. "It's good to have you home."
"Jo?" Laurie's voice interrupted the group as he walked in from the dining room. "Do you want me to grab a few chairs from…" He stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed the teary trio. "Nick?" His voice rose in disbelief.
Nick stepped around Asia; his hand reached out to shake Laurie's. "Happy Thanksgivin' Laurie," he said, grinning at the shocked expression.
"Nick!" Laurie exclaimed, pulling him into another hug. Head shaking, Laurie stepped back. "Welcome back!" The initial shock within the room turned into joy as Nick heard other cries from the dining room.
"Nick's back!" Tommy's voiced echoed through the house soon followed by a stampede of children coming through the door.
Quickly, Nick was consumed by all of the students, the noise and space within the kitchen growing to overwhelming levels. Nick even noticed Jo's parents hovering in the background, Ben grinning with satisfaction as the family reunited. Question after question flew around the room as everyone tried to get his attention.
"Okay! All right… that's enough!" Jo hollered, after several moments of bedlam. "We will all have a chance to welcome Nick home. Let him at least sit down first!"
"Besides, we still need to get this dinner finished," Asia agreed, looking around the room. "Now – who has my turkey baster?"
With some last pats on the back, the children slowly dispersed as preparation for Thanksgiving continued. When he could finally breathe, Nick flashed Jo a grin as he felt a small tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Rob at his side, a look of expectation on his face. Nick knelt down to reach Rob's height, putting a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "Hiya Buddy," he said through the continuing commotion. "How's it goin'?"
"You're home!" the young boy exclaimed, trying to be heard over the usual clamour of Plumfield.
Nick grinned, a slight shake to his head as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small figure wrapped in cloth. "He got a little banged up, but I tried to take good care of 'im," he explained as Rob uncovered the wooden turtle.
The boy's smile grew as he was reunited with more than just his toy turtle. "I knew you'd keep your promise," he said, suddenly throwing his arms around Nick's neck. He was taken aback by the affection and stood with Rob held tightly in his embrace. It felt so good to be among the people who loved him. He glanced back at Jo, knowing he would always try to keep his promises - he'd never leave them again.
XXXXX
"How did you get home?" Nat asked, before taking another bite of bread. The family had eventually assembled around the dining room table, a feast laid out before them. Dan glanced around at the group; everyone's eyes glued to Nick seated at Mrs. Jo's right. There was a wholeness that could be felt in the room, as if a missing puzzle piece were finally found.
"Well," Nick started, wiping his face with a napkin, "eventually, a fishin' boat passed by. Turns out they got swept off course by another storm and found us. We managed ta reach shore in North Carolina after a couple more weeks. Then I caught the cargo rail in Wilmington – definitely not the fanciest way to travel…"
"I bet it was pretty scary on that island," Tommy exclaimed, his eyes wide as he shoved a spoon full of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"Nah…" Nick replied, an uncertain smile on his lips. "It wasn't so bad." Dan could tell that Nick was a bit uneasy with the conversation. A few saddened emotions flashed over him and he shook his head, trying to put on a brave face. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a couple of cloth parcels. From his place across the table, Dan could see the yellow stained cotton was covering small wooden figures and Nick grinned as he handed them over to Rob.
"I had some time on my hands, so I figured your turtle needed some friends," Nick explained as Rob pulled away the cloth to find a couple of other roughly carved creatures. Dan could make out another turtle, a large fish and what looked like an eight-legged monster. "They're made from coconuts," Nick said, shooting Ben a knowing glance. "Basically the only thing you can find in a deserted place." He pointed at the fish, "That one's a whale and the other one's an octopus. We saw a bunch of them after the storm and at night, there were some that'd glow in the water, just like stars." Nick smiled gently at Jo, her hand reaching out to claim his.
Dan noticed the blisters covering Nick's fingers, the red marking his face, left behind by the sun's unrelentless rays. Even though the adventure sounded exciting and enticing, Dan could see the hardships that had to be endured, the pain of everything so apparent in Nick's eyes.
After dinner was finished and the tabled quickly cleared, Dan managed to find Nick alone in the front foyer, trying to haul in a load of firewood.
"Can I help ya?" Dan asked sheepishly, stepping forward to take part of the bundle.
Nick gave him a huge smile while handing over several of the wooden blocks. "I saw the treehouse out there – looks real good."
"Ben helped us finish it – Tommy wanted to put a stove inside, but we talked him out of it." Dan replied as they walked through the parlour. Setting the firewood on the hearth, he looked up at Nick, his shoulders slouching with remorse. "Look… Nick… I just wanna…"
"Dan, you don't gotta say anything," Nick replied, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm just proud of ya - everythin' you've done around here. You've kept this place goin'. I don't think I coulda done any better."
"But I said some things…" Dan cried, his head shaking as he stood up. "I wasn't thinkin'…"
"I know," Nick answered quietly, his eyes softening at the young man.
"I just wanna say… I wanna say that I'm sorry for everythin'. When you said you were leavin', I never stopped to think of the real reason why." Dan stopped, taking a deep breath. "But I think I understand now."
Nick nodded. "I've gotta apologize too," he said, throwing the rest of the wood into the fireplace. "I never wanted to leave any of ya. I just felt I had to, ya know? So I could…" His voice trailed off.
"So you could keep your promises?" Dan finished as several of the students flooded back into the parlour, the dinner chores seemingly finished.
Nick gave him a definite nod, a grin breaking out on his lips. He patted Dan's back in agreement as the room filled more questions and chaos. "It's good to be home."