CRASH! CLANK! CLATTER CLATTER!
Something hit the outside of Michaela's house and made a sound so loud, that both Michaela and Elizabeth screamed, causing Colleen to scream right after and run to hug her mother.
"Shh!" Sully said, trying to calm and quiet everyone down, "We're safe in here."
Nevertheless, it was too late. Both Hanna and Brian were startled awake and that's when the crying and wailing began.
"Come and see Grandma, Colleen," Elizabeth said, holding her arms open for her young granddaughter.
Michaela picked up Brian, and Sully picked up Hanna. It almost looked like they had taken a parenting course together, because they were moving like mirror images. Both proceeded to begin pacing. They bounced and rocked the particular child that they were holding, and each parent was whispering soothing words to comfort their own child.
That's a change. Elizabeth thought as she watched them both in action. If Michaela was still married, she would be the one trying to calm Brian, and her jackass of an ex-husband would be sitting on the couch yelling, "Shut up!"
"What was that?" Michaela asked, as she continued to rock Brian. He and Hanna had both stopped crying.
"Just debris," Sully answered, still rocking Hanna, "That's why ya need storm shutters."
"Yeah," Loren added in, "It coulda been anything. Branches, toys, potted plants... The winds really got goin' one year. It took off the roof of an old gazebo on one person's property. It carried the roof a coupla blocks and it cracked the windshield of a neighbor's car."
"Oh dear," Michaela said.
"Who put up the plywood over your windows?" Loren asked, though he could have guessed the answer.
"I did," Sully replied.
"That was a smart move," Loren said, "Whatever that was out there coulda come right through the window."
"Are you sure that we're safe in here?" Michaela asked.
"We are," Sully insisted, "I promise, we are."
"The news said that the tornado was likely to stay in the F-0 range," Tim interjected, "It's unlikely that we will even get to an F-1."
"Which means?" Elizabeth questioned.
"There'll be some damage outside," Sully answered, "Like Loren said, some broken tree branches, maybe some toys that were left outside or some potted plants will go flyin'. You could get some chimney damage, but it ain't gonna take off the roof."
"And what if the tornado actually reaches an F-1?" Elizabeth asked sternly.
"We'll still be safe in here," Sully answered, "but we may need to go down to the basement."
"It's unlikely that it will reach an F-1," Tim added, and Sully and Loren nodded in agreement.
"Is your truck safe?" Michaela asked.
"It ain't gonna go nowhere," Sully said, "I might find a cracked window in the mornin' because somethin' crashed into my truck. It's happened before."
"What about your baby cows and your doggy?" Colleen squeaked, still in Elizabeth's arms, "Are they safe?"
"Yes, Sweetheart," Sully said and winked at her, "If we ever get a tornado that is higher than an F-2 on the scale, we can all go to where my animals are and be safe."
"How bad can tornadoes get here?" Elizabeth demanded to know.
"The highest is an F-5," Tim answered.
"But that ain't likely," Loren said.
"Those are the storms that ya see in the movies," Sully explained, "The Wizard of Oz style storms that carry your house away, don't happen very much."
"What would you do, in the 'unlikely' scenario that it does happen?" Elizabeth questioned, starting to think that she should scold Michaela and demand that she and the children move home to Boston immediately. Her daughter would more than likely argue that they have inclement weather in Boston too.
"I have an underground storm shelter on my property," Sully answered, "I woulda brought everyone there beforehand."
"The church has one as well, and I could have brought everyone there too," Tim interjected, not wanting to sound like a coward in front of Michaela and her mother.
"You mostly wanna stay away from windows and find a sturdy shelter," Loren said, "That's why it's a good idea to go underground, and there are tornado safe zones all over town."
"Daddy pwetty," Hanna said, when she noticed his shirt. Her innocent comment made everyone laugh during this very serious conversation.
Even though Sully was reminded how silly that he felt he looked, he couldn't help but chuckle at his little girl's compliment. He knew her and her love for everything pink, "Thank you, Baby."
Sully threw more pieces of junk mail on the fire to keep it going. A few more hours had gone by, and the winds sounded like they had slowed down, but the power was still out. Sully felt thankful that at least his shirt was dry, so he could put it back on. He appreciated Michaela's efforts to keep him warm, but he was eager to change, especially because he knew he had competition for his special lady's affections. Though the more he listened to Tim's cluelessness in regard to romancing a woman, the more he felt confident in himself, pink shirt and all.
The hair towel that she'd put on his head was having the opposite effect that she had intended. It was completely soaked now and making him cold, so he took it off and arranged her chaise so he could relax on it and warm his scalp by the fire at the same time.
The children were sound asleep. Using one of the iPads as a flashlight, Sully accompanied Michaela upstairs and helped her retrieve Brian's pack-and-play. It served as a nice, though slightly snug, bed for both Hanna and Brian. Colleen was tucked in on the sofa, and when Matthew got too tired to continue to stay awake, he asked if he and Zachary could go upstairs to his room or downstairs to the basement to sleep on the pull-out sofa. Michaela didn't feel comfortable with Matthew or Zachary being out of close range while the storm was still raging outside, despite the fact that it sounded like the winds had slowed down. She made the decision, with Sully's input, to get the mattress that was folded inside her pull-out sofa and put it on the living room floor so the older boys could sleep on it and not on the hardwood.
Since the power was out, Michaela couldn't make anything with her Keurig Machine. Luckily, she had a few boxes of instant coffee packets that were sent to her from one of her former colleagues from Boston. She had never opened them, so they were still fresh. Sully helped her make coffee for everyone by filling a pot with some bottled water and boiling it in the fireplace. Each of the adults were able to have a cup of coffee with powdered creamer that some of the instant coffee boxes came with. Michaela even had a box of sugar packets that were also sent to her as a gift to share with everyone.
Currently, the adults, except Sully, occupied their time by playing Bridge at Michaela's dining room table by candlelight. Though Sully was in the other room, warming his scalp, the door between the dining and living room was open, and he could hear the conversation. Mostly, he heard Tim attempting to flirt with Michaela and her trying to be polite about it.
"Sometimes I do think about shaving my beard and mustache," Tim said, "Do you think I'd look good clean shaven?"
"Certainly," Michaela answered, not knowing what else to say.
"Do you think I would look good with sideburns?" he asked with a besotted and dopey smirk on his face.
"Reverend, nobody cares about your face right now. Can ya go ahead and deal?" Loren requested, growing irritated.
Elizabeth didn't say a word. Like Sully, she could hear the reverend's efforts to engage Michaela and attempt to flirt with her, but Michaela didn't seem to be receptive to his advances. She could be unreceptive to his advances because she wasn't interested, or it was possible his advances were going over her head. Elizabeth wasn't sure which in this case.
Tim dealt the cards, but then returned to the mission that he was set on accomplishing, "How do you feel about children, Dr. Mike?"
Elizabeth nearly groaned aloud as she gathered her cards.
"I love children," Michaela answered, letting out an almost painful sounding giggle, "mine especially."
"I've been thinking about children a lot lately," he explained, "I've been thinking that it's time to follow the bible's advice and have some."
"Don't you need a wife for that?" Loren asked, understanding that the reverend was trying and failing to ask the doctor out, but assuming that since Tim was willing to have this conversation in front of everyone, that anyone at the table could answer. Additionally, Loren was also wondering why the hell wasn't Sully in here punching Tim out for openly going after his woman.
"I think I need a girlfriend first," Tim said and awkwardly turned his attention back to Michaela, "I was thinking that she and I could date for about three months. Then I would propose marriage, and after a short engagement, we would marry, and then children would follow nine months later."
"Subtle, Tim," Sully whispered to himself from the other room.
Now Loren understood why Sully wasn't punching him. The reverend was doing a good job hanging himself, all by himself, by being that forward. Sully didn't need to do anything.
"That sounds like quite a plan," Michaela said with another uneasy giggle. She thought that the reverend was thinking too many steps ahead but was blissfully unaware that he was trying to tell her about his intentions for the relationship that he wanted for the two of them.
"Have you had any luck finding any women to go along with that plan?" Elizabeth asked, she was dying to know.
"I haven't been on a date in quite some time, so I haven't had a chance to find out," Tim admitted.
"May I suggest that you first focus on finding a date, and once you do that, see if it turns into a second date," Elizabeth coached, "Having a child is a life changing decision. A woman may become frightened by a man who has her entire life planned out without even going on a first date."
"That may be a better plan," Tim said, laughing awkwardly.
Michaela entered the living room to check on Sully and the kids. Tim, Loren and her mother continued to play cards. She closed the door behind her, so whatever she said to Sully would remain private. The children were still asleep, and it looked as though Sully was peacefully dozing. As she looked down at him, her eyes caught a glimpse of his hair that he had fanned out over the back of the chaise.
Ever so gently, she caressed the top of his head and could feel that his still slightly damp hair was tangled.
"Hi," Sully greeted her groggily.
"Hello," Michaela replied, her hand resting on the top of his head.
"You alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine, I just…" she said and paused.
"You just what?" he asked, his eyes still closed.
"May I brush your hair?" Michaela whispered, "It was so nice when you brushed mine the other day."
"I'd like that," Sully said in a low voice, a small smile forming on his face. He enjoyed brushing her long, silky tresses very much, yet he never thought about asking her to brush his hair.
Michaela quickly retrieved her purse, opting not to go upstairs in the dark to her bathroom. She removed her hairbrush and looked at Sully, trying to figure the best way to position herself.
"Ya want me to sit up?" he asked, with a yawn. He sat up as the question left his lips.
Michaela didn't answer him aloud, she simply stood behind him and started running the brush through his hair. Gently, slowly, she focused on untangling the strands.
"That feels nice," Sully whispered, his eyes closed while she brushed. Though he was tired, he still felt goosebumps rising on his back and a little shock of electricity going through his spine.
"I knew it would," Michaela commented as she continued to glide the brush through his hair. The bristles got caught a few times, but she softly worked out the knots, wanting to make this a relaxing experience for Sully.
"Mmm," Sully let out a small and low moan of contentment as she brushed.
Pleased that she was making him feel good, she continued slowly pulling the brush through his long and now tangle free mane. She brushed it so it laid nice and flat along his shoulders. She studied the ends of his hair. She could see clearly that he had a few problems, despite the low lighting in the room.
"Your hair is a little jagged at the ends. When is the last time you've had it cut?" she asked.
"I don't remember," he admitted, "I hack it off whenever it starts becomin' a hassle."
"You do that yourself?" she asked.
"Yeah, I chop it myself," he confirmed, "It all looks the same when it's dry."
Michaela couldn't imagine cutting her hair herself. She left that job to the professionals. Since Sully didn't seem to care, she asked, using his words, "May I chop it for you?"
Sully flinched and sat up straight. Straight as a board. He had been sleepy, but now he was wide awake.
Michaela smiled. Perhaps he cared more about his hair than she thought. Maybe more than he thought.
"You wanna cut my hair off?" he questioned. Michaela swore she could detect a slight panicked tone in his voice, "I thought you liked it long."
"I do," Michaela said, the smile on her face stretching wide, "I just want to even it out a bit."
"It won't look stupid, will it?" he had to ask the question.
"It'll look handsome," she promised, "Right now, instead of a straight line, your hair is cut at a diagonal to the left. Over here," Michaela placed her hand on the far-left side of his head, "You have about an inch of hair that is shorter than the rest, and that inch wide chunk is directly next to the longest part of your hair that is cut diagonally."
Before he knew it, Michaela had her pink t-shirt tucked into the back of his collar, and she was cutting his hair with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors.
"Don't flinch every time you hear a cut," Michaela scolded him, "I will never get it straight if you do that."
Sully tried to stay still as he heard the cuts, but he wasn't comfortable. He still didn't know how she got him to agree to this. She shouldn't be cutting his hair when she could barely see. She swore she had plenty of light, but to Sully, it was way too dark for this in the living room.
"There," she said when she finished, "It's all even and it's still as long as it was. If you don't want to see a barber the next time it becomes a hassle, let me do it."
"Thank you," Sully said as he felt the back of his hair. His previously elevated heart rate had returned to normal when he felt that most of his hair was still there, and it did feel like she cut it straighter. He turned to face her and said, "You did a nice job."
Michaela did her best to clean up Sully's hair cuttings in the dimly lit living room. Unbeknownst to everyone, including Sully, she placed the longest lock of his cut hair in a Ziplock bag, and hid it in her purse. Afterward, she checked on everyone in the dining room and then returned to Sully in the living room, again making sure to shut the door behind her.
"Are you warm enough?" she asked Sully, who was still relaxed on the chaise.
"I could be warmer," he said, scooting over as much as he could, "and there's enough room for two."
Michaela accepted his invitation, not caring that her mother was in the next room. She was an adult, and this was her home. Besides, Elizabeth already knew how she felt about Sully.
She lied down next to him on the chaise, she crossed her legs into his and snuggled against his chest.
"I'm real warm now," Sully whispered, holding her close and smiling. He shut his eyes and hoped to get a little more sleep. He'd love to get eight hours but would settle for a few minutes if that was all that he could get.
Michaela placed a small kiss on his jaw and shut her eyes as well.
Sully felt like he'd never been warmer, and he didn't want to let this moment or the woman in his arms go. Yet, for all intents and purposes, as it stood right now, Michaela was free to date whomever she wanted. Though they spent time together and had kissed a few times, he wasn't clear about his wants and needs for this budding relationship. Sure, Tim was a goofball when it came to women, but if he learned to be savvier? What if another man, who wanted to vie for her affection, came along? Just the thought of it made him feel so cold. He knew what he wanted, he just hoped she felt the same way. He was fairly certain she did, but he wouldn't know with absolute certainty until he asked the question.
"Michaela," he said in a low voice.
"Yes," she answered. Her voice was clear, signaling that she was still awake and could hear him.
"I know we ain't in high school," Sully said, not knowing any other way to ask, "Um..." he felt like a little kid who was getting nervous, not wanting to face rejection, "Would...um...would you go steady with me?"
Michaela thought about his question and then replied, "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"
"Yes," he answered, anxiety present in his voice. He kept his eyes clamped shut.
Michaela smiled to herself. She felt like a silly schoolgirl now. She wanted to jump up and down and cheer because the boy she liked admitted that he liked her back. She wanted to doodle his name on her notebook in pink highlighter and draw little hearts around it.
Michaela was an adult and would do none of those things, but she still felt them in her heart. Truth be told, if Sully would have proposed marriage instead of asking her to "go steady," she would have said yes. One step at a time, she told herself.
"Yes," Michaela answered quietly.
"You said yes?" Sully questioned, finding her eyes in the dark room. The light from the fireplace was creating dancing shadows on her face.
"I'll be your girlfriend, if you'll be my boyfriend," she answered sweetly.
"You got it," Sully said, his anxiety washing away as he kissed her to seal the deal. As they kissed, the power clicked back on, along with all of the lights.
"Thank goodness," Michaela said.
"Looks like you made it through your first storm in Colorado Springs," Sully told her.
"I couldn't have done it without you," Michaela said and pressed her lips against his again, dying to kiss her new boyfriend.
Sully held Michaela close and kissed her back, neither of them noticing when Tim walked in to check on them, saw what was going on, and then walked out.
To be continued. Please review. =)
They made it through the storm. Thank goodness! Tim's feelings may be a little hurt, but he'll be fine.