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Everything Your Heart Desires Chapter 54 Brian watched his cousin as he packed a small duffel bag. "Kev, are you sure this is safe? They've been talking about the hurricane all week. Most people are booking it out of Florida and you want to go back there?" "I'm going," Kevin said defiantly, barely glancing up from his chore. "Tell me honestly that if Leighanne or Amanda weren't on tour with us right now that you and A.J. wouldn't be headed home too." Brian sighed, knowing his cousin was right. "Why not get them to come here? Come on, this is insane." "D and I have been planning for weeks to go home to see them." Kevin hadn't seen Kristy since they'd left Portland, and it had been even longer for Howie and Cheryl. "We have our tickets. The airline has yet to cancel the flights. It could just blow over or change direction." "You're determined to do this?" "Bri, Kris has never had to deal with a hurricane before. I'm not letting her go through this alone. End of story." The younger cousin rested a hand on the elder's shoulder. "Just be careful, okay?" "I will." Kevin opened the door to his room and saw Howie - a small duffel bag slung over his shoulder - and A.J. approach them. A.J. caught the glance from Brian and sadly shook his head, indicating that he didn't have any luck convincing Howie to stay either. The group waited until the elevator arrived, then after saying a quick goodbye and listening to a few warnings, Howie and Kevin rode down to the lobby and hailed a cab to the airport. Howie pulled his cellphone from his bag and dialed a number as they waited for their plane to board. "Hey, John� Yeah, Kevin and I are on our way� Don't start. I already went through the same thing with A.J� Just do me a favor, give the girls a call to check on them and run by my house� Taken care of? Wow thanks� I knew I was related to you for a reason� I guess I'll head straight to the condos then� I will� Yeah� Bye." He clicked the off button. "Oh, damn, I should have had him go by your house too." "It's okay, D. There's something there I needed to pick up anyway. I'll go by and then meet you at the girls' place."On the plane, Kevin and Howie talked about their plans for the weekend. Howie knew too well that he and Cheryl would still be making up for their numerous weeks apart. Maybe a nice candlelit dinner. He supposed the candlelight would still be within reason but they might be eating cold pork and beans if the power went out, a thought which reminded Howie to stop and buy extra gas for Cheryl's grill. When the plane arrived in Orlando a few hours later, the two men were told that their flight had been one of the last cleared to land there. "We don't want an overabundance of planes here that can't get out because of the storm," an airline representative explained. The duo wandered out to the garage and found their cars waiting side-by-side just as John and Kristy said they had left them 24 hours before. "I'll see you in a couple of hours, Train. Be careful out there." "I will. You too."Howie pulled his purple Corvette into a parking space along side Cheryl's Volkswagen and exhaled a sigh of relief. The winds were upward of 60 miles per hour and the light drizzle had transformed into a pounding rain when he hit the East-West Highway. He grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and fought the forces of nature as he walked to the condo. When Cheryl opened the door, she automatically threw her arms around him in a hug � ignoring her boyfriend's drenched clothes. "I'm so glad you're okay. John said you had decided to come." She retreated from his wet embrace. "Do you realize how worried I was?" "I'm sorry. I had to be with you." "Hey, Howie," Kristy greeted as she descended the stairs from her room. "Where's Kev? Still outside?" "He went home to get a few things before he drove over. Now let's get you guys hurricane-protected."Kristy held the plywood as Cheryl tapped two nails into the window-frame to anchor it into place. With that window secured, they'd finished boarding up all of the upstairs windows. They gathered a few more candles from their extensive collections to draw on if � or rather, when � the power went out. "It is getting really nasty out there," Cheryl commented as they heard the wind and rain pound against the building. Kristy shivered unconsciously and pulled one of Kevin's big knit sweaters around her tighter. She paused as they heard the phone ring � then stop � as Howie answered it. Cheryl piled a couple of blankets from the linen closet into her friend's arms, turned her, and gently pushed her towards the stairs. "Go on... I'll be right down. I'm just gonna grab a few more things." Kristy headed down the stairs, a smile touching her lips as she heard Howie talk to Kevin over the phone."I don't think it's such a good idea, Kevin. They've just issued a warning to stay off the roads." "This isn't up for discussion, D. I'm coming over." "Kev... Stay where you are. The girls will be fine... I'm here. Everything is secured around here and we've got plenty of supplies. You're safer at your place." "D," Howie heard the fear and pain in his friend's voice, "If you weren't already there with Cher, wouldn't you do exactly the same thing?" Howie sighed, "Yeah... Just be careful, okay?" Howie hung up the phone and turned to the living room, pausing as he saw Kristy standing on the bottom step, her face filled with concern. "D... why'd you tell Kev to be careful?" "Ah... He's coming over." Kristy's eyes widened. "But no one's supposed to leave their houses, unless it's an emergency!" Howie recognized the fear creeping into her voice. "Hey, this is Kev we're talking about here... He'll be fine. He's too stubborn to let a little hurricane slow him down." Kristy tried to smile, knowing Howie was doing his best to cheer her up, but she'd seen the look in his eyes as he'd turned from the phone. He was scared � and so was she.The storm had intensified to the point of really being intimidating � even for a native like Howie. He could tell Cheryl was scared as he squeezed her hand reassuringly, but at the moment he wasn't focussed on his beautiful girlfriend. The panic in Kristy's eyes currently had his attention. They'd continued to prepare for the storm to hit with its full force and eventually they had lost power. Kristy had kept herself busy � lighting candles, checking the boarded windows, grabbing extra blankets... anything to make the time go by faster. That was over two hours ago. Now Howie and Cheryl sat on the living room floor playing Scrabble, trying to keep the mood light. Kristy had started the game with them, but had excused herself, as she wasn't able to concentrate. She now sat alone in her snuggle chair, hugging her knees to her, her eyes staring at the door... the slightest sound or movement making her heart pound. Cheryl stood and, catching Howie's eye, led him to the kitchen. In the back of her mind, Kristy heard the hushed voices from the other room, but only trained her ears for the sound of a car or person coming to her in the night. Cheryl re-entered the living room with some bottled water they'd stocked up on. "Kris? Want some?" Cheryl paused as Kristy turned tear-filled eyes to her. "Cher, where is he? He should have been here so long ago..." Kristy's voice quivered and then broke with a sob. Cheryl wrapped her arms around her best friend as Howie stood by, a single tear running down his own cheek as his heart sank. Despite the pounding wind and rain, the sobs from Kristy were the only things the occupants of Building 5 heard. Howie shook his head as Cheryl looked up at him, her own eyes brimming with tears. "I love you," she mouthed, her heart screaming at the thought of ever losing him. Howie turned to go back to the kitchen. He wanted to call the police � again � to see if there was any new news. He stopped in his tracks as the front door to the condo blew open and wind and rain entered the room. Kristy lifted her tear-stained face to see the outline of a man in the doorframe. Several of the candles had been extinguished from the wind, but even in the relative darkness of the room she recognized his silhouette. Kevin � soaked to the skin and a little battered � stepped into the room and forced the door shut behind him. He'd no more than locked it when Kristy launched herself into his arms. Kevin held onto her as tightly as she held on to him � as if for dear life. Tears flowed from both of their eyes. "Oh God, Kevin, I was so scared I'd lost you." A new wave of sobs wracked her body as she verbalized the fear in her heart. Kevin stroked her hair and back � both now wet from his soaked clothes and skin � and whispered soothing words. "Shhh... It's okay. I'm safe." He pulled his head back to look into her teary eyes. "God was protecting me... He knew I had to get to you."Next: Chapter 55 |