Waiting for a Miracle - Chapter 13

Camping in spring, perhaps not surprisingly, means dealing with torrential buckets of rain. Wallace had rented a cabin, which allowed us to wait out the storm. It defeated the purpose of “roughing it,” but even with the rain pouring down, we were enjoying the chance to relax.

At the very least, we had been hoping that the storm would die down to some kind of drizzle so that we could go fishing, but for the first day and night, we saw nothing but fat, heavy drops of spattering rain.

Wallace’s son Greg was a little charmer, and he had Leona following him around the cabin the entire first day, telling stories and playing different games to pass the time.

Day two saw a change in the fickle little ten-year-old as cabin fever fried his brain to a crisp.

“I can’t take it anymore!” he shouted before rushing to the front door, already tugging off his clothes and tossing them behind him.

Leona ran to the window with Maggie a few steps behind her, and both were giggling hysterically just seconds later. By the time I got to the window, Greg was soaked through, dancing in his underwear and T-shirt this way and that.

He looked to the cabin, waving at all of us. “Come on in guys! The water’s fine!” he coaxed before going right back to doing his silly dance.

Leona grinned at me, her face telling me her intentions even before she ran to the door. I wanted to tell her to stay in her clothes, but she had stripped down to her bra and panties before she had even left the porch, laughing as she joined Greg in his dance.

Wallace came to the window then, chuckling at the sight of Leona and Greg dancing a silly waltz in the pouring rain. He remarked, “I would have thought her genetics would have made her opposed to water.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea for her to be dressed like that around your son?” I asked in a worried voice.

Maggie laughed and waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t care if it’s not. I mean, look at them.” She gestured to the two as they squealed happily.

“We’ve already found magazines tucked under his bed, so I’m sure he’s seen worse by this point,” Wallace said. He closed his arms around his wife as she leaned against him.

We all jumped as lightning struck a tree right beside the cabin, shaking every window with a huge clap of thunder.

Maggie glanced around outside, becoming anxious when she couldn’t find Leona or Greg anywhere. “Where are they?”

“Behind you,” Greg answered breathlessly.

Leona had scooped him into her arms and carried him into the cabin at top speed. She set him down once she saw the split tree through the window.

The rain was already putting out the fire.

“I guess I panicked,” Leona confessed with an embarrassed smile.

“Nonsense,” Maggie said and gave Leona a pat on her shoulder. “You did exactly what I would have done.”

At that moment, a genuine miracle occurred. The rain stopped, and the clouds parted, letting the sun stream down on the cabin in just a few seconds.

Wallace looked out the window and clapped his hands together, rubbing them excitedly. “All right, grab your swimsuits and fishing gear. We’ve got to enjoy this while it lasts.”

The clouds were burning away, and the sky continued to brighten as we hiked to the lake. By the time Wallace and I had set up our poles, we were basking in the full heat of the sun with a completely blue sky above us. Even a pessimist like me couldn’t find a speck of cloud to avoid saying there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

Wallace and I sat back on a set of folding chairs, enjoying the sunshine as we watched Greg and Maggie double team Leona in a splashing contest.

It was plain to both of us that she was holding back to let them win, and as I watched her playing, I couldn’t think of a nicer time in my entire life. For the first time ever, I was enjoying doing absolutely nothing.

No, I’m serious. I had no plot working on the back burner, nor worries for the return of my hero. I think my only real concern was whether my line would dip while I was reaching for the ice chest to grab a beer.

So of course it did.

“Got a bite,” Wallace said, handing me my pole as he took my beer with his free hand. He laughed at the trout I reeled in, our first catch of the day. “It’s a beauty, but we’ll need a few more to make a meal.”

During the next hour, I caught two, and Wallace got one. By then, the others were ready to head back up to the cabin for lunch.

Maggie looked at the three fish on the line. “We need a few more if you want me to clean and cook them.”

We heard a splash and looked around. Leona was missing.

Seconds later she emerged from the water with an armful of trout. “When do we eat?” she asked, sending all of us into fits of laughter.

While Maggie prepared dinner, Wallace and Leona began talking about how she felt with her tail back. The conversation turned to a possible race between Leona and Wallace, at which point Wallace commented that he was still wearing his collar.

In short order, Leona had convinced him to do one lap around the mountains to see if she could beat him, and one long peal of thunder later, we learned the answer was no.

Leona was good-natured about her loss, laughing as she declared herself a big loser. “I saw him the entire time though. Not just an after image either. I was only a few steps behind him, but I just couldn’t close the gap.” She shook her head in wonder. “He was still faster than me, and if I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he was keeping pace to make me feel better.”

Wallace kept the most perfect poker face as he shook his head. “That was as fast as I could go.”

He began to help Maggie pass out plates. “Now be careful. These fish have some pretty small bones.”

Leona smiled at that and picked up her fish by the tip of its tail. She tilted her head back and ate the whole fish in one swallow.

“You aren’t worried about the bones?” Greg asked, his fork frozen halfway to his mouth.

Leona held up a finger before she made a short hacking cough and spit the skeleton of the trout back onto her plate head-first.

“Wow! That was so cool!” Greg pushed his plate across the table. “Do it again!”

“Greg,” Wallace began in an “I’m the daddy” tone of voice. “Eat your fish. There’s plenty more for Leona, so take your plate back.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry.” Greg’s face was apologetic, but his brown eyes were still twinkling mischievously at Leona.

I had to hand one thing to the kid, as he did have at least one natural power. He could charm the pants off of Leona, and her shirt too, if you wanted to get technical.

That kid had her tail waving lazily from side to side, and her ears twitching every time he smiled at her. It would have been funny, except I was feeling a tug of jealousy as I watched them making small talk.

I must seem silly, confessing to having envious feelings over a little boy. Still, I had been taking Leona’s advice, treating this trip as a preview of our other option. Kind of like a beta test of retirement, if you will.

But while Leona normally paid attention to me, I had become chopped liver compared to Greg. So yes, I was jealous that he was spoiling my preview of retirement.

The day off had been quite fun, with God being the only one to blow something up. Just as the sun set, clouds piled back up in the sky, and it began to rain again.

Wallace and I set up a game of chess while Maggie and Greg talked Leona into playing card games. Wallace often caught me sneaking a glance at them sitting around the square wooden dinner table whenever Leona laughed loud at another of Greg’s jokes.

“Would it be so bad to quit now?” he asked as I looked back from the sound of Leona’s laughter.

I shook my head, taking a deep breath. “It’s not about me anymore, Wallace. It’s about my city. I never thought it was possible, but my heart is broken over what I did. If I leave now, I’m leaving City without an overlord, and without a hero. I can’t do it.

“We have to get Miracle Man back on his feet, and I think I’ve got a plan that we can use to do it without killing anyone.” I glanced up, and Wallace staring at me, nervous by my revelation. “I wasn’t going to say anything until after the trip, but I will need your help. You won’t need any super powers, just your talents as a shrink, so this should be a piece of cake, right?”

“What’s the plan?”

“We’ll find Vicky, Miracle Man’s ex-girlfriend, and we’ll convince her to take back her man.”

Wallace smiled as he gave a short nod. “You’re going to use the nanite search again, aren’t you?”

“Well, yes, but I’m afraid there’s a minor complication. I don’t know Vicky’s exact dimensions—”

“But you did know Miracle Man’s,” Wallace teased.

“Ahem...” I dropped my head, pretending to examine the board to avoid staring at his smile. “Anyway, the problem is only minor. The search will take around two weeks instead of three days. Once we’ve located her, Leona and I will kidnap her. We’ll take her back to Leona’s apartment and give you a chance to talk her into going back to double M.”

“Kidnap, huh?” Wallace said, rubbing his chin. “In that case, I’ll tag along as backup to make sure Vicky isn’t harmed.”

This comment wounded me, and my voice was softer as I said, “I saved her from a burning wreck, Wallace. You know I wouldn’t hurt her.”

Wallace nodded. “I know, and I know that Leona wouldn’t have any malice in her intentions either. Still, the police could show up and start shooting. She could be hit in the crossfire, and the two of you need me there to remind you that this is a zero casualty plan.”

“All right, you can tag along,” I said.

“There is something else,” Wallace said. “I won’t be wearing this.” He took off his collar, handing it to me before I could protest.

I stared at him, fearful that this was the end of our game together. “While we were waiting for the search, I was hoping we could still stage some fake crimes, to help wean me off of my old life. I promise that if a plan involves a bomb, it will be a hollow decoy that you can crush up before you defeat me.”

I held out the collar, pleading with him. “I know it sounds silly, but I still need you for this, even if it isn’t real anymore.”

Wallace sighed, taking the collar back. “I’ll play the hero for just two more weeks, Duggan. After that, I’m afraid you’ll have to find a new hero, even if you haven’t got Miracle Man back.”

“All right, Wallace,” I agreed.

“You can still be my friend,” Wallace said. He reached out to move his queen. “I think that’s a checkmate.”

I smiled as it occurred to me that I never would have been able to beat Wallace if he was a real hero and our fights hadn’t been staged.

I couldn’t sleep that night, and I kept looking out the window from where I lie on the floor. I rolled over in my sleeping bag to find Leona’s eyes open too.

“He’s quitting, isn’t he?” she whispered.

“Yes. He essentially gave me a two weeks notice.”

“It’s just as well,” Leona said as she rolled onto her side to face me. “I don’t think I can keep kissing him after getting to know his wife and son.”

“I think Wallace has given you a conscience,” I said.

Leona pouted for a second, but her eyes betrayed her. She breathed a soft laugh and nodded her agreement. “Don’t get me wrong. I still feel like I want to steal things and blow stuff up, but still…”

I said, “Killing for pleasure has lost some of its luster, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” A brief silence followed before she asked, “We’ve killed enough, haven’t we?”

“I will never again make a plan that involves killing anyone,” I said. “I can’t promise that people won’t die, but I’ll do my best to limit how many of them get killed.”

“Duggan, if we don’t get double M back, why can’t we just retire from the game with Wallace?” Leona pleaded with me, “What would be so wrong with the two of us living in a cabin like this?”

Even in the dark, I could see that she was on the verge of tears, and I swallowed a lump in my throat before nodding. “I’ll think about it.”

I stared at the ceiling to avoid her gaze. I closed my eyes to fake sleep, and I didn’t say anything else. But after a long time, I felt Leona’s hand on my chest.

I opened my eyes and saw the desperate longing in her expression. Heaving a sigh, I got up, and at first she misunderstood what I was doing.

Her look of sadness melted as I unzipped her sleeping bag and then joined it to mine. I slipped back into the bags and opened the top to let Leona slip in. She was settling herself on her pillow when I patted my chest as an invitation.

Leona lay her head on my chest and squeezed me in a one-armed hug. I closed my arms around her, and as I patted down her hair, I looked down to find that she had already fallen asleep.

I turned my head to stare out the window again, wondering if Wallace and Leona were right. After all, what would be the harm in moving away to a cabin in the woods?

Still, I closed my eyes and saw those screaming faces, and I knew that I could not leave City undefended. I was truly afraid for the people, and now I dreaded the moment that I would have to walk away from them without giving back their hero.

Leona snuggled closer to me in her sleep, laying her leg across both of mine. She began to purr in her sleep, and by the light of the moon, I watched her peaceful expression.

As it always did, the sound and low vibration lulled me into sleep, taking with it all worries and fears.