Spring Showers
Chapter Eight: Unraveling the Truth
"Mmph." RJ rolled his head on his chair, bringing himself out of sleep. He blinked lazily, bringing his vision into focus. "Ugh, I hate mornings." RJ groaned as he pulled himself out of his chair and walked to the mini-bar that he used to store his personal stash of food. One side was lined with sodas, juices, and energy drinks, both caffeinated and not. On the other side, a variety of assorted flavored Spuddies that he had collected from the past raids.
"Heaven bless the man who made pepperoni pizza flavored Spuddies." RJ chuckled, pulling out one of the cans of chips. From the other side, he decided on an energy drink to wash down the processed potato food stuff.
"Morning, RJ." Verne appeared, yawning, having woken up after a good night's sleep in the log. RJ chuckled at the eye mask still on Verne's head. Of all the things that had changed when the family had started to raid the suburbs, Verne was probably most happy about the additions they had made to the log, including adding the NASA approved memory foam bedding and, Verne's personal favorite, the mini sun lamp. "How was your sleep?"
"It's okay." RJ rubbed his neck, working out the kinks in his neck. He should get more of that memory foam pillowy stuff for himself, he thought. He moved back to the mini-bar and pulled out another energy drink, tossing it over to Verne.
"Thanks." Verne replied kindly, twisting the cap off and drinking up a bit of the artificially flavored salty sweet concoction. "Have you seen Hammy this morning?"
"Huh? Wasn't he sleeping with you in the log?" RJ was surprised to hear that Hammy wasn't with the rest of the family.
"No. I didn't notice him come into the log last night and this morning, I found no trace of him." Verne said with a growing sense of urgency.
"I haven't seen him since last night as well." RJ started to take deeper breaths.
"Oh geez." Verne groaned. "We better find him." Verne put aside the bottle of electrolyte solution and started to march back to the log until RJ stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.
"Come on Verne. Hammy's grown up. I'm sure he is okay." RJ tried to reassure the reptile. "Maybe he just woke up really early and went for a quick walk." RJ tried to reason, though his own tone of voice betrayed him. "You know how energetic he is."
"RJ, I know he has grown up." Verne bit back. "It's just that he hasn't been himself for the past few days. He seems to be out of it quite a bit." Verne held back any details, not wanting to share anything with RJ and hoping, in the back of his mind, RJ would trip and say something incriminating.
"Okay, okay, okay." RJ shook his head before letting out a sigh. "We'll go look for him." RJ sighed. "I bet you he's just fine." He grabbed his golf bag full of tools, slinging it over his shoulder, and turned around, beginning to walk towards the hedge.
"I don't know, I'm just worried." Verne followed him, increasing his pace to catch up and then match RJ's gait.
"You always worry about everything." RJ pointed out rather cynically. "Why can't you just stop worrying and trust our family?" RJ added.
"It's because they are my family that I worry about them." Verne snapped back.
"Oh come on Verne!" RJ said exasperatingly. "Everyone can take care of themselves!" RJ threw up his hands and stated. "We've gone though everything that has come our way and we all survived just fine!"
"I know that they can take care of themselves!" Verne growled back as best he could. "But we help each other when we can! I worry so that we'd be ready for anything that may come our way. We can't become overconfident because we've only known the world on the other side of the hedge for only a year!"
"I understand that!" RJ retorted.
"RJ, a lot of things have changed over the year, if you haven't noticed. We've all changed" Verne started up. "Hammy especially." RJ stiffened somewhat but continue to walk as best he could as if that little fact had not really bothered him.
"Verne, he's mature enough to…"
"Stop, RJ. I know that he has matured a lot." Verne stated firmly. "I've watched him grow up since he was little. I took care of him and guided him as best I could. I know how much he has matured."
"So then you should…"
"But he's still young. He's still naïve to so many things. Especially after learning about the suburbs, he still has so much to learn." Verne stated. "He's looked up to you because you know much more about the humans than anyone else in the family. You're barely a year older than him, but you know so much more because you have been exposed to all of it before."
"Verne, I'm still learning, just like he is." RJ stated. "Yeah, I know more because I've had to take care of myself for so long, but there are things I still have to learn." RJ sighed. Slowly though, a smile crept onto his lips. "I kinda envy Hammy."
"Huh, why?" Verne asked, wondering about the statement.
"Because he's had someone like you to take care of him." RJ replied. "I'm still learning about being a part a family, a family who loves me so much and a family who I love just as much."
"RJ, it took a lot for me to be convinced to let you be a part of out family." Verne stated. "A lot." Verne repeated, RJ frowning at the repetition. Verne just smirked back. "I've grown to trust you despite everything that's happened." Verne looked away for a second.
"Thanks, Verne." RJ smiled, happy at the reptile's opinion of him.
"RJ." Verne looked back to RJ, staring straight at him. "Though I do trust you, I still have doubts about a lot of the things you say sometimes."
"Like what?" RJ replied, somewhat disturbed at Verne's admission. He noticed the turtle take a deep breath before letting out a sigh, as sign to RJ that he was going to bring up something very serious.
"RJ, do you promise to tell me the truth? Can I trust that you will tell me everything?" Verne asked.
"Verne, what is it?" RJ looked to Verne, his brow creasing, now worried about what old memory Verne wanted to bring up. Verne stopped right in front of him, his eyes still locked onto RJ's.
"RJ, please tell me what happened the night me, you, and Hammy drank that 'beer'." Verne demanded. "Please, if not for my sake, please tell me for Hammy's. I know something happened and it's affecting how Hammy has been acting since then."
"Verne." RJ started.
"Please trust me enough to tell me the truth."
RJ placed his hand over his face, breaking his gaze, covering his face to shield any sign of emotion he may unwittingly display. RJ took a few breaths, his fingers massaging the bridge between his eyes, trying to work up the nerve to respond to Verne. Opening one eye, he could still see Verne looking to him, his gaze stern and unmoving. But he could see in his eyes that Verne was pleading with him, begging to get some answers so he could help Hammy.
He always was unselfish like that.
"Can we sit down, Verne? Please?" RJ asked.
"Sure." Verne nodded, breaking eye-contact, which eased RJ's feelings bit. They sat under a tall tree, a few feet from the hedge. RJ made himself comfortable on the soft grass, placing his bag behind him, and waited until Verne seated himself next to him.
"Verne…" RJ started, pulling his hand away from his face and looked to Verne. "That night we drank that 'beer', I had decided, as best as I could, to bring Hammy with me to my pad so we can both sleep off the stuff." RJ said.
"What happened on the way there?" Verne asked, somewhat feeling a little better now that RJ was opening up and getting the answers he needed.
"I guess he really had no inhibitions at that point and he started to…" RJ stopped, trying to think of the best way to say what he wanted to say. "…express his feelings to me."
"Express his feelings in what way?" Verne continued to press for answers.
"He was fawning all over me, caressing my face and running his hands through my fur." RJ felt weird speaking about the incident, the feeling of Hammy's hands running through his fur bringing up mixed feelings in him.
"Oh, I see." Verne somewhat understood the reason why RJ did not want to mention anything about that night, embarrassing as it was.
"Verne." RJ took one more breath. "I think he likes me." RJ said. "I think he likes me more than just a friend though." RJ elaborated. "I think he likes me likes me."
"You mean?"
"I think he loves me." RJ said. Somehow, he felt as if his entire body was heavier than before for some reason.
"What happened after he 'expressed his feelings' for you?" Verne waited anxiously to know.
"I pushed him away because he was getting a little more… touchy." RJ replied. He felt heavier again, as if something was weighing him down. "And he started to cry."
"WHAT?" Verne raised his voice, reacting to the actions that RJ had done that night.
"I tried to console him!" RJ said in his defense. "But I had to tell him I didn't feel the same way about him. It wouldn't be right if I lied to him. He deserved…"
POWW!
RJ found himself on the ground, fallen back against his golf bag, his cheek tingling and swelling up. He moved his tongue inside of his mouth, tasting a bit of blood. He looked up from his position and saw Verne standing above him, breathing heavy, his hand balled up into a fist.
"You… you… stupid… you… selfish… YOU IDIOT!" Verne snarled at him. "How could you just slam him down like that and then lie to him?"
"What?" RJ didn't understand what Verne was saying, still dazed from the punch.
"He told me that you didn't remember anything from that night!" Verne screamed at him, his breathing becoming even more erratic. "Why didn't you tell him the truth?"
"Because I didn't want to hurt him!" RJ yelled back. "Because I thought that if I said that I don't remember anything, he'll think that his secret is still safe and he wouldn't feel bad anymore!"
"He told me about his feelings for you! He really wants you to know how he feels about you! You said it yourself! HE LOVES YOU!" Verne jumped onto RJ, sending the raccoon down on his back once more, his fist raised high to punch him again.
"I'm sorry!" RJ said before raising his hand, ready to defend himself from any hits coming his way. Instead, he felt Verne's weight move off of him. RJ slowly picked himself up and saw the back of Verne's shell facing him.
"When we find Hammy, tell him that you don't feel that way about him. Tell him that you can't love him the way he wants you to. Tell him what you really feel about all of this." Verne commanded RJ.
RJ opened his mouth to respond, but Verne stopped him when he continued.
"But tell him that you are still his best friend. Tell him that you will always care for him. Tell him what you really feel about him. Let him down easy." Verne looked back to RJ, his face looking calmer than a few seconds ago. "Please."
"Yeah." RJ nodded. "Yeah, I will." RJ agreed. He rubbed his cheek, still tingling from the punch Verne had landed earlier.
"Come on, let's find Hammy now." Verne turned back around and began to walk again, resuming the search. RJ stood up and silently followed the turtle.
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"Any sign of him?" Verne asked, looking behind a tree, hoping that he might find Hammy in a place similar to where he had found him last time.
"No, I don't see him anywhere." RJ sighed, pulling the binoculars off of his eyes and blinking, restoring his focus. "Where could he have gone?" He wondered. He looked up and saw the sun hanging high in the sky. They had been searching for hours and yet they found no hide or hair of the squirrel.
"I don't know, but we have to find him." Verne pushed aside the branches of another bush before turning around to RJ. "I have a very bad feeling about this."
"We'll find him, I'm sure of it." RJ pressed the binoculars onto his eyes and continued to scan the area, high and low, for any sign of their friend. "We have to." RJ said to himself silently and prayed that Verne was wrong.
"Maybe he might be back at the log." Verne thought. "We should…"
"VERNE!" RJ yelled out. He put down his binoculars and pulled Verne. "Hammy's there!" RJ pointed towards a tree in the distance. "I can see the bandage on his arm!"
"What is he doing up there?" Verne squinted, trying to see Hammy where RJ had pointed to.
"Come on Verne, let's go." RJ threw his binoculars into his bag and started to sprint to the tree. Verne followed as best he could.
They came to stop at the base of a rather large oak tree. Looking up, they could see the white bandage that was still wrapped around a now more noticeable orange furred arm.
"HAMMY!" RJ yelled, hoping to catch the attention of his friend.
"HAMMY, ARE YOU OKAY?" Verne yelled out as well. They waited for an answer, looking to see any movement, but heard and saw nothing. "HAMMY, ARE YOU HURT?" Verne added, growing more worried with each passing moment.
"I'm going up there." RJ said, tossing his bag off of his back.
"Be careful RJ." Verne said. "Check to see if he is okay."
"I will." RJ nodded to Verne before running towards the trunk of the tree. Looking up, he was a bit intimidated by the height of the plant, but he dug his claws into the bark and started to scale the behemoth oak.
Verne watched as RJ made his way up the tree slowly, grasping RJ's bag, hoping that he didn't fall. He let out a sigh of relief when RJ made it to the large branch where Hammy was.
"Hammy!" RJ gasped.
Hammy lay stretched out over the length of the branch, his arms, legs, and tail hanging off to the side. Just looking at Hammy's matted fur he could tell that he had been exposed to the thunderstorm that had passed through last night. He slowly made his way up to Hammy, taking great care not to throw off his balance and fall. Upon coming to him, he reached out to Hammy, touching his fur and feeling the moisture on his fingers, confirming his suspicions. He gently reached out his arms once more and took Hammy into his arms.
"You're cold." RJ noted as he held Hammy's limp body, looking to his face. He put his head to Hammy's chest, feeling a little relief that he could still hear Hammy's heartbeat. But he could barely hear it, beating slow and weak. "What happened to you?" He asked Hammy as if expecting an answer. A frown seemed set into the face of the squirrel, making RJ cringe. A pang of guilt struck his heart, feeling responsible for causing Hammy to be like this.
"RJ, is Hammy okay?" Verne yelled up to him.
"I don't know." RJ yelled back. "His body is cold and he doesn't look so good." RJ replied. He looked back to Hammy and shook him a bit, trying to see if he could get him conscious. However, Hammy just remained limp in his arms. "We've got to get you back home."
"What are you going to do?" Verne called to RJ.
"I'm coming down with Hammy! We have to get him back to the log!" RJ screamed back, a sense of worry apparent in his tone. He looked to Hammy again and looked to the tree, trying to figure how to bring the squirrel down. He could only figure one way to bring him down.
Verne watched nervously as RJ moved Hammy over his shoulder and started make his way down the tree. RJ moved real slowly, moving one paw at a time. He struggled to keep switching arms with every step down, one to hold Hammy secure to him, the other gripping the bark of the tree to ensure that they didn't go tumbling down. He strained to keep on moving, his muscles becoming sore trying to get down. But he kept on moving. With his head right under Hammy's arm, he could hear the beating of Hammy's heart, as weak as it was. Somehow, it motivated him, forcing him to ignore the pain in his arms and keep on moving.
"Hammy!" Verne ran to RJ as soon as he touched the ground, coming to inspect Hammy for himself. "He's icy cold!" Verne declared as his hand came to Hammy's forehead.
"Get a towel from my bag!" RJ commanded Verne. "We have to dry Hammy's fur out. He must have been out when that thunderstorm came through last night."
"Yeah, okay." Verne ran back and grabbed RJ's golf bag. Setting it down in front of RJ, they began to search through the pockets for some kind of towel. Finding two small towels, they quickly began to wipe off the water on Hammy's fur.
"We have to get him back home!" RJ said, panting.
"Okay, I'll get the bag, you carry him." Verne agreed and picked up the bag as RJ scooped Hammy into his arms. They sprinted back to the log as fast as they could.
"Please hold on, Hammy."
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If you have any advice or suggestions, please feel free to review me. All flames will be ignored.
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