CHAPTER 5
"What's wrong?" Caitlin asked.
"I don't know," Le answered. " I was just watching him like I was supposed to and everything was going well until about twenty minutes ago when he woke up crying and hasn't stopped since."
Caitlin picked up the crying baby. "Hey, honey. Mommy's got you; It's ok," she said in a soothing voice.
The crying didn't stop, but it did lessen slightly.
"You stay here with him, I'll see about fixing him a bottle, maybe he's just hungry," Saint John suggested since the storm was still too strong to even attempt flying back to the cabin.
\A/
The dank cave was actually much larger than its outward appearance suggested, but in this case that wasn't necessarily a good thing. He rounded another dark corner cautiously. The last thing he needed was to trip over a snake, or to find a bats or even a bear inhabited this cave. A cool breeze blew through and the crackling noise was much louder here. 'A campfire,' he thought hopefully. A campfire meant someone was here, maybe he'd find Dom here after all. Hopeful, he continued onward.
\A/
Where they were, the storm finally died down enough for Caitlin to be able to fly back with Chance and Le to the cabin. Her mother was at her side the moment she stepped out.
"I was worried you'd gotten stuck in the storm. See, a cabin only accessible by helicopter isn't such a great idea."
"Mom, I'm fine," she said absently, her worry concentrated on Dom and String. They weren't going to have the wedding without Dom, and they certainly couldn't have it without String either. "I think the wedding's going to have to wait," she muttered.
Her mother gave shocked look. "No, it can't! We've worked so hard on it, unless," she paused, "of course, you're having second thoughts about Stringfellow," he eyes narrowed shrewdly.
"No, that's not it," Caitlin answered defiantly. "Dom never came back after his charter, and String is gone missing now as well."
"so he's waiting out the storm out in who know where and can't get back in time," her mother supplied snottily.
"That's better than the alternative!" Caitlin shot back angrily. "I don't think that's the case though; last I heard from him, he was fighting the storm above Victorville." 'Her mother could be so irritating sometimes,' she thought in frustration. 'She wasn't even sympathetic, all she was worried about was the wedding she'd work on, and figured String was just too irresponsible to get himself back home in time for his own wedding.
\A/
Beside the fire, lay an older man resting on the cool ground.
"Dom!" he'd never been so glad to say that one single word.
Dom woke and rolled over, looking up just long enough to see String standing in the cave. Hurriedly, he scrambled to his feet and engulfed the younger man in a bear hug. "String, my boy! How'd you find me? I thought I might be safer in here with the wind blowing things around like that but it isn't exactly where I'd first think to look." He grinned. " At least, I guess this means the storm finally blew over. I'd have radioed you, but it went out."
"I'm just glad I found you, but you sure didn't pick an easy spot to get to once those rocks are wet. Come on, Dom. Let's go home; we have a wedding to get to."
The storm hadn't slacked up much while they were gone. Together, they skidded down the rocks as they trudged down through the mud toward Airwolf. "You won't be able to get anywhere in the Jet Ranger, so we'll take Airwolf and pick up the Santini Air helicopter after this place has dried up a little."
"You actually flew through the storm? Even with the Lady, you're crazy."
"Maybe, but it's still not a nice thing to say."
Dom laughed heartily, "alright, let's go. It doesn't look like anything would stop you today."
\A/
By the time they reached the Lair, the weather had subsided enough fo them to fly the Jet Ranger up to the cabin again.
Caitlin stared out the window from the bedroom. She loved her mom, she really did, but sometimes she just made her crazy, and having Dom and String missing hadn't helped matters in the least.
A sound in the distance tickled her hearing. It was a helicopter-a Jet Ranger. Maybe String was back!
She ran down the stairs and out to the dock where she waited for him to finish landing.
String slid out from the pilot's seat, exhaustion evident.
She ran up to him and slipped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. "I was so worried about you. I tried to radio you, but didn't get any answer, and I was afraid something had happened to you."
"I'll be alright. A couple hours of sleep and I'll be good as new."
"Same here," Dom joined.
"Dom! He found you, I'm do glad. We were getting worried."
"Well, I have to admit, it's nice to be found," he chuckled as she hugged him.
Hawke slipped an arm around Caitlin's waist and slung the other around Dom's shoulder and the three of them walked back up to the cabin.