Chapter 20

Mike woke to a darkened room with Beans pawing at him. Knowing her training, he threw the sheet and covers off himself and sprang out of bed, clicking on the light on his night stand next to the bed as he noticed the time. 12:38. As he pulled his slightly closed door open, he saw Jake in his boxers and t-shirt getting up off the couch in the little den/rec area the boys had off their bedrooms. Mike signed to Jake, "What's going on?"

Jake signed back. "Storm sirens; get Matt up." He could hear his parents already waking up, as he pulled on a pair of sport shorts. "I'll get Sean and Leslie," he added. Mike hustled into Matt's room and rousted him out of bed. Beans was standing in the den area, on high alert, ready to check on all of her charges upstairs. Mike smiled at the sight and went to put on his own shorts.

Jake gently knocked on Sean and Leslie's door and then opened it slightly. "We're up," Sean said, pulling his own running shorts on. Jake turned to the den area to see his folks coming out of Jack's room in their bathrobes.

Jarrod wiped the sleep out of his eyes as he asked Jake, "Got everyone?"

"Yes dad. Sean and Leslie are on their way." They appeared less than a minute later and the group started to head downstairs.

Maggie said, "Just be quiet. Dave's sleeping at the bottom of the steps in the study." She too, along with her husband, knew how important Dave was to this family. As they all got to the bottom, Mudg came out of the study, also on full alert.

They all walked into the living room to see Aaron with the TV remote in his hand, bare-chested, with a pair of running shorts on. "Head count," he looked at Jarrod.

"We're all here. What's going on?"

Aaron pointed to the TV screen. "That; and it doesn't look good." Cait, the moment she saw Mudg went into their bedroom. She emerged a few moments later with a sleepy Jack in her arms. She carried him into the study.

Dave, even with the mild pain killer, was awake, lying on his left side. "What's going on?"

"We're about to get hit with a nasty storm." Cait sat on the edge of the bed to get Jack in with him as Dave opened the covers.

"I don't like being in the dark Cait."

"I know." She walked over to her desk and grabbed her laptop. She took a few seconds to get it to the right site for Dave to monitor the weather, as he snuggled Jack up to him. She set the laptop down on top of the bed.

Dave took one look. "That's a bow echo. Straight lying winds."

"We know. Dave just try and get him back to sleep while we ride this out."

Dave looked at her. "Go," he simply said.

Cait walked out in the great room and did a silent head count as well. She pulled the two dogs aside, rubbed their backs, and pointed to the study. They ran in, Beans jumping up on the foot of the bed to be near Jack, while Mudg stood almost motionless next to his master's bed.

Cait walked back into the great room with Aaron explaining to his northern California in-laws what a "bow echo" meant.

"A usual severe thunderstorm, the kind that can produce tornadoes, is in mostly a straight line on the radar, from southwest to northeast. If you really know this weather stuff and have their kind of equipment, you can pick out some of the areas where a 'hook echo' is. That's where a tornado rotates out of. But sometimes, because the upper winds with a severe storm are so strong, it bows the thunderstorm line out like this," he said, pointing to the radar image on the TV.

"That's a bow echo, which means there are no tornadoes, but the winds in it are so strong, it bends the front out like that, and it can be just as damaging."

"Aaron, my hanging flower plants," Cait said. She had their home decorated with various hanging flower pots, that she had planted herself. They lined the front porch to the driveway as well as the pool area in the back.

Matt hit Mike in the arm and grabbed Jake. "Dad, we've got the ones in the front."

"Matt they're too tall for you to reach and you don't get a metal ladder out in this…."

"Dad, we've got it. Grandpa, can you help us?" Jarrod nodded. "You and Uncle Sean get the ones in the back. You can reach them. Mom, get the garage doors open," he finished as his team headed for the porch. Aaron handed the remote to Maggie, shut down the alarm and flew out the nook doors, with Sean on his heels. Cait ran for the garage.

As they got on the porch, Matt looked at Jake and signed to Mike, "We'll lift you up. You get them down and hand them to grandpa." While Jarrod knew the severity of the situation, he had to smile at his oldest grandson taking charge. Jake nodded his approval of the plan and they went to work. Aaron and Sean quickly got the back porch ones into the garage and shut the door. They raced to the front and helped the crew get the last of theirs in as well, with the "team" following them into the garage. Aaron and Sean chased them all inside as Aaron hit the button to lower the garage door.

Sean looked at Aaron. "What was that 'whoosh' I just heard?"

"Us about ready to get pounded," Aaron said looking at his brother.

Cait coming in the great room heard Dave whistling softly like he did for Mudg. She went to the study. "What's going on?" Dave whispered. Jack was sound asleep.

She smiled at the sight. "The men in my life just saved my hanging plants," she whispered back as she crossed to the bed. "And the last one of the group did his job as well," she smiled, gently rubbing Jack's head. "Thanks."

Dave smiled and then looked at her. "How bad?"

"Aaron and Sean heard the whoosh. We're about to get pounded." She sat down on the bed, next to Dave's shoulder so she could watch the radar image on the laptop. Dave quietly rubbed her back. They, as well as the rest in the great room, heard the wind kick up.

Aaron crossed to the windows off the nook and took a look to the west. He turned to face the group. "Matt, you and Jake get Dave out of bed," he calmly commanded. "Mike," he signed, "get the flashlights from the drawer in the kitchen and laundry room. The rest of you, head downstairs." They all knew by the sound of his voice that wasn't an invitation.

Matt and Jake hustled into the study. "Sis, shut down the laptop and grab Jack." Cait grabbed the laptop, walked past the chair with Dave's jogging pants and tossed them to Matt. She quickly shut the laptop down and put it on her desk, as the two gently pulled Dave out of bed on the other side, Dave having already rolled there. Matt got him into his pants and he and Jake started to head out. The dogs bolted out the door, both on guard.

"Whoa guys, not before Cait and Jack," Dave said. Cait gently lifted Jack off the bed and settled him into her arms. Dave made them wait so Cait could go ahead. Aaron, getting the rest downstairs with Sean and Mike and the dogs leading the way, appeared outside the door. He took Jack from Cait's arms and got Matt and Jake going. He and Cait were the last to get to the basement as the power went off. Dave's old recliner he had contributed to the home theater area Aaron and Cait had built next to the work out area, welcomed him. Maggie calmly sat down on the couch in the area and Aaron put the still soundly sleeping Jack in her arms. Aaron and Jarrod try to watch as much of the storm as they could through the basement egress window that faced the south. They all safely rode out the storm for twenty minutes.

As they started to head back to the stairs, Dave looked at his two dear friends as Aaron pulled the sleeping Jack off of Maggie's lap. "You know he can bunk in with me the rest of the night," he smirked. Cait and Aaron just glared at him. The rest silently laughed. With no power, there was nothing more they could do but go back to bed.

-00CM00-

Aaron woke to his father-in-law in the great room. He eased out of bed, pulled his running shorts back on, grabbed a clean t-shirt out of the drawer, and walked out. "Jarrod," he simply asked, as he noticed Jarrod, although not showered, was dressed.

"Storm damage; Aaron, I'm a dad. And as much as love and respect the family you've gave my daughter, I can't shut it off."

Aaron smiled. "Neither can I."

Jarrod rubbed his arm. "I know that son. And why I love you so much. But I need to check."

"Thank you Jarrod. But we do have home owner's insurance."

Jarrod smiled at his son-in-law that he was so greatly proud of. "Humor the old man, OK?" Aaron just smiled. He waved at Jarrod to wait a minute and got the dogs rounded up. They went out the nook door into the pool area. The power was still out. Having seen the early weather watch yesterday, Aaron had the boys move the furniture into the garage after they finished last night. "Damn good thing you did Aaron. They would have flown around here like missiles."

"Cait said she learned the hard way."

"I remember that. It was the summer before you two started dating. We flew back to help her out. It was a mess around here." While pool would take some extra work in getting cleaned, the area looked in pretty good shape. The boys after getting the pool furniture in the garage had put bungee cords around the pool blanket to keep it secure. They looked out to the backside of the property when the family tobogganed every winter. The tree line at the top of the hill had taken a beating.

He smiled at Jarrod. "When I saw two of those trees snap like a toothpick, I knew it was time to get all of you downstairs. Thanks for backing me," he smiled.

"Aaron, you haven't figured it out by now? I will back you son come hell or high water. You have made our only daughter the happiest person in the world, and gave her another son as well. We love you," he smiled.

"Thank you," Aaron smiled sincerely. "I'm not going to worry about getting that cleaned up before tomorrow. That's a project the boys and I can work on. I'm sure once Dave gets on his feet, he'll want to dive into it as well," Aaron said. "At least we won't have to cut so many trees at Dave's to get firewood for the winter."

"Do we need to check Dave's?"

Aaron shook his head. "His house is a little deeper into the valley. They usually miss the worst. Besides, he has a lawn service that I'm sure by now already has the yard cleaned up." Jarrod smiled and just shook his head.

As they started to walk around the house, they noticed Jamaal next door doing the same. They waved to each other as a signal that both families were fine. Jamal pointed to his eyes and then his watch. Aaron got the message and gave him a thumbs up. "Aaron," Jarrod questioned.

"See you later. He and Lisa will be over to help with the open house." Jarrod smiled again. Living on the complete opposite side of the country from his only daughter was tough on him. But Cait, much like his own mother, had forged her way through it all, rarely asking for help. And along the way, she made some special friends; and Thank God Jarrod thought, finally found the right man.

They walked around the house and noticed relatively little damage. "In the last one, Cait had to replace so many shingles on the roof she just had them do the whole thing. She hired a local guy who came highly recommended. Since you didn't lose one last night, I say he did a damn fine job," Jarrod observed. Other than the expected leaves, twigs and small branches around the yard from the trees, they noted they had ridden out the storm largely unscathed.

"And we're all safe," Aaron sighed.

"Amen to that son."

Aaron put his hand on Jarrod's shoulder. "Amen dad; and thanks."

Jarrod smiled at him and rubbed his back.

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