{"id":163,"date":"2013-07-21T00:15:48","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T00:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=163"},"modified":"2025-05-20T00:47:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T00:47:10","slug":"chapter-15","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 15"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 15<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I used to think I was a good father.<\/i><\/p>\n

I did everything I could to protect and provide for my family.\u00a0 I worked odd jobs to supplement my measly pastor\u2019s salary, so that the girls could be raised at home by their mother.\u00a0 I took out the best home and health insurance policies we could afford, so that none of us would have to worry about money, should disaster strike.\u00a0 I tried to prevent such disasters.\u00a0 I made sure we had safe cars and strong locks, batteries in the smoke detectors and baby gates on the stairs.<\/i><\/p>\n

I checked the backs of closets and underneath beds for monsters.\u00a0 I caught little girls who were afraid to jump into the water.\u00a0 I held onto the seats of wobbly bicycles without training wheels, reassuring their riders I wouldn\u2019t let them fall.\u00a0 I knew, even then, that I wouldn\u2019t be able to protect them from everything.\u00a0 Sooner or later, I would have to let go, and they would probably fall.\u00a0 They might even skin a knee or an elbow.\u00a0 But if they did, I would be there to kiss away their tears and put a band-aid on their scrapes.<\/i><\/p>\n

My family believed I could fix anything, and I believed I could too.\u00a0 I had God on my side; my faith in Him was strong.\u00a0 I knew my God would never punish me with a problem too big for me to solve.\u00a0 But I underestimated the power of evil.\u00a0 The monster that can\u2019t be seen, even with the lights on.\u00a0 The monster that strikes swiftly and silently.\u00a0 The monster that takes no prisoners and leaves no survivors.<\/i><\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t protect them from that.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Friday, April 13, 2012<\/b>
\n4:00 p.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cOut of state license plate! \u00a0No pinchbacks!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOwww!\u00a0 Daddy, Brooke pinched me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an out of state license plate!\u00a0 Right in front of us, look!\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it an out of state license plate, Daddy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian glanced up into the rearview mirror and saw his daughter on her knees in the center of the backseat, pointing straight ahead.\u00a0 \u201cBrooke Lynn, you get back in that seatbelt right now, you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, but Daddy, look in front of us!\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian watched until he saw her blonde head bob out of sight and heard the click of the belt; then his eyes shifted to the car in front of them in the McDonald\u2019s drive-thru line.\u00a0 \u201cYep, it is, baby.\u00a0 Can you read what state it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot now that I\u2019m buckled up again!\u201d Brooke complained.<\/p>\n

Brian heard another click and was about to scold her for unbuckling again, when Bonnie\u2019s face poked between the two front seats instead.\u00a0 She squinted ahead at the light blue plates.\u00a0 \u201cSo\u2026 Soo\u2026 ow!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Brian encouraged, before realizing the \u201cow!\u201d had come only because Brooke had unbuckled again and shoved Bonnie aside.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me try!\u201d she shouted, her head appearing where Bonnie\u2019s had been.\u00a0 \u201cS\u2026 South?\u00a0 South Cuh-\u2026 Cay-ro\u2026 Carolina!\u00a0 South Carolina, Daddy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right, baby.\u00a0 Good reading,\u201d Brian praised her.\u00a0 Brooke\u2019s first grade teacher had said she was already reading above her grade level, thanks to all the time Brian and Leighanne had spent reading stories to her and listening to Bonnie and her read to them.\u00a0 Bonnie was somewhat behind, but Brian was convinced she would catch up eventually.\u00a0 They were identical twins; their abilities couldn\u2019t be that much different, could they?<\/p>\n

If academic ability was anything like personality, he knew they very well could be.\u00a0 Despite looking alike, each just as angelically blonde and blue-eyed as the other, Brooke and Bonnie\u2019s temperaments were inherently different.\u00a0 Brooke was loud, outgoing, and bossy, while Bonnie tended to be reserved and submissive.\u00a0 Until Brooke started pushing her around too much, Brian thought with a smirk, turning around to look at her, sulking in her seat.\u00a0 Then she could whine and holler louder than her twin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could\u2019ve gotten it,\u201d Bonnie huffed, in full pout.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, baby.\u00a0 South Carolina\u2019s a big one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot too big for me, Daddy!\u201d Brooke spouted triumphantly.<\/p>\n

Brian pressed his lips together, not replying.\u00a0 He was relieved when the South Carolinians finally pulled forward, allowing him to inch the car up to the window.\u00a0 To a seven-year-old, a Happy Meal could fix any problem, including hurt feelings and an overbearing twin sister.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d he said to the drive-thru worker who handed him the two small sacks and a couple of kid-size drinks.\u00a0 He passed the drinks back to the girls and kept the sacks in the front\u2026 they could wait till they got to the church to dig into their french fries.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a nice day,\u201d muttered the drive-thru guy, sniffling.\u00a0 Taking in his appearance in a second glance, Brian noticed the paleness of his skin, the hollows in his cheeks, and the circles under his bloodshot eyes, and wondered if he was a drug user.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard about people dealing drugs through drive-thru windows before.\u00a0 The thought made him think twice about giving the girls their Happy Meals.<\/p>\n

As he pulled away, Brian regretted his unchristian thoughts.\u00a0 Maybe the poor kid was just sick.\u00a0 And anyway, he\u2019d never hear the end of it if he deprived Brooke and Bonnie of their much-anticipated McNuggets now.\u00a0 McDonald\u2019s was a rare treat in the Littrell family, one the girls had been looking forward to since they\u2019d gotten off the bus after school that afternoon.\u00a0 Leighanne didn\u2019t usually let them eat fast food, but since she was setting up for the weekend church bazaar that night, she\u2019d made an exception.<\/p>\n

Once Brian had parked in the circular drive outside Calvary Hill Baptist Church, the twins skipped ahead of him into the fellowship hall, carrying their Happy Meals.\u00a0 The normally sparse, open room was now taken up by rows of long, rectangular tables.\u00a0 Most were still empty, but a few of the vendors had already shown up to start setting up their booths for the bazaar that started tomorrow morning.<\/p>\n

The girls found Leighanne quickly, and Brian saw that she had staked out a prime spot for herself, on the end of one of the center rows.\u00a0 It would be hard for the browsers to miss her table of handbags. \u00a0\u201cLookin\u2019 good, sweetheart,\u201d he greeted her, leaning in to kiss her cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, hon,\u201d she replied, standing back to admire her handiwork.\u00a0 She\u2019d quit work to raise the twins, and in the seven years since, designing and making handbags had become her hobby.\u00a0 She was a regular at the fabric store.\u00a0 She rented a small booth at a little antiques and crafts shop downtown, and she\u2019d even started selling some of her creations on Ebay.\u00a0 She had quite the collection going, realized Brian, his eyes panning across the rows of colorful purses.\u00a0 And each one an original.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we eat now?\u201d Brooke interrupted them, rustling her McDonald\u2019s sack.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo for it,\u201d said Brian.\u00a0 He looked around.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a couple of chairs over there.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed.\u00a0 \u201cGo drag them over here so you\u2019ll have a place to sit.\u201d\u00a0 He watched the girls scramble off for the pair of folding chairs, and turned back to his wife.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you need me to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She considered this for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m about set up here, and those high school boys from the youth group got the tables up in record time.\u00a0 There are some other vendors with trucks out front, bringing in their merchandise.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you see if you can contribute a little manpower?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright.\u201d\u00a0 Brian strolled back to the front of the church, where he saw some middle-aged ladies unloading trailers and vans.\u00a0 \u201cCan I lend a hand, ladies?\u201d he offered.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been shuttling back and forth with armloads of \u201cstuff\u201d \u2013 boxes of hand-dipped candles, bags of homemade candies, piles of embroidered sweatshirts, cases of hand-crafted jewelry \u2013 for half an hour when Brooke came shuffling up.\u00a0 \u201cDaddy, I don\u2019t feel good,\u201d she whined.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you tell Mommy?\u201d was his automatic response.<\/p>\n

\u201cBonnie\u2019s with Mommy.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t feel good either.\u201d<\/p>\n

That struck Brian as strange.\u00a0 It was common for the twins to get sick one right after the other, but not at the exact same time.\u00a0 He suspected this might be a conspiracy to go home early; they were likely bored, now that they\u2019d finished their dinner.\u00a0 But he had to humor Brooke before he could call her on this.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u00a0 What hurts, baby?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy tummy\u2026 and my head\u2026 and all over.\u201d\u00a0 Brooke sniffled, on the verge of tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Brian had to hide his smirk as he reached out to feel her forehead, prepared to tell her she felt perfectly normal and that, surely, she and Bonnie would live until Mommy and Daddy were done at the church.\u00a0 So he was surprised when he felt the heat radiating from his daughter\u2019s forehead before his hand even touched it.\u00a0 Disturbed, he pressed his palm quickly to her head; her skin felt like the inside of an oven.\u00a0 \u201cBaby, you\u2019re burning up!\u201d he exclaimed, kneeling down to her level and gazing into her eyes with concerned.\u00a0 For the first time, he noticed the flush in her cheeks, the paleness everywhere else.\u00a0 \u201cDid you feel sick at school today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026 just since now,\u201d Brooke replied miserably.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2026 come on\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Brian scooped her up and carried her on his hip back into the church, where he found Leighanne sitting with Bonnie on her lap.\u00a0 She had made the same discovery as Brian; a look of mutual understanding passed between them as he approached.\u00a0 \u201cThink we oughta get these girls home?\u201d he asked her.<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHome and into bed,\u201d she said, tweaking the tip of Bonnie\u2019s nose.\u00a0 \u201cWe might need to find a sitter for tomorrow, unless you want to stay home with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd miss the bazaar?\u201d asked Brian, hope blossoming in his chest.\u00a0 He felt obligated to oversee the thing, since it was sponsored annually by his church, but the prospect of having a valid excuse to skip it this year was a thrilling one.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d hate to do that, but if they\u2019re contagious, we also don\u2019t want to subject a babysitter to getting sick, do we?\u00a0 I may have to take one for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was a horrible actor; he knew Leighanne didn\u2019t buy it for one minute, but she played along.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I guess you\u2019re right\u2026\u00a0 Maybe you will have to stay home just this once.\u00a0 I know what a disappointment that will be for you.\u201d\u00a0 She winked, her blue eyes twinkling, and he offered a sheepish smile.<\/p>\n

They piled the twins into the car and drove home.\u00a0 Leighanne tucked the girls into bed, while Brian filled two cups with ginger ale and brought them upstairs.\u00a0 Leighanne had already fetched the thermometer from the bathroom and was taking temperatures.<\/p>\n

\u201c102.3,\u201d she frowned, shooting Brian a look of concern as she rested her hand on Bonnie\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe we should have taken them straight to the doctor instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Friday evening, babe.\u00a0 Not even those doc-in-a-box places are gonna be open now.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just get through the night and see how they feel in the morning,\u201d Brian said, reassuringly.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t overly worried.\u00a0 He knew kids\u2026 they ran fevers at the drop of a hat, especially when it was late in the day.\u00a0 It was probably just a stomach bug.\u00a0 They\u2019d spend Saturday lying in bed, and by Sunday, they\u2019d be up and on the move again.<\/p>\n

Leighanne agreed.\u00a0 She pulled \u201cCurious George Goes to the Hospital\u201d off the bookshelves \u2013 the girls\u2019 favorite when they were sick and feeling sorry for themselves \u2013 but when she sat down to read it, Brooke howled, \u201cNo, Daddy, you read it!!\u201d\u00a0 Leighanne looked slightly wounded, but managed a smile as she handed the book over to Brian, who was preferred by the twins because he did funny voices and sound effects when he read.<\/p>\n

So Brian read the story, and the girls settled down.\u00a0 Halfway through, Brooke sat up and vomited up her Happy Meal, and Leighanne cleaned up.\u00a0 Brian finished reading the story to a whimpering Brooke and a whining Bonnie, and they finally settled down again, drifting off into a feverish sleep.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Leighanne started a load of laundry downstairs.<\/p>\n

By the time all of this was done, it was getting dark, and Brian and Leighanne had missed both the five o\u2019clock and the six o\u2019clock news.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know it yet, but they would miss the eleven o\u2019clock news, too.<\/p>\n

By then, it would be too late.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 15 I used to think I was a good father. I did everything I could to protect and provide for my family.\u00a0 I worked odd jobs to supplement my measly pastor\u2019s salary, so that the girls could be raised … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":15,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163\/revisions\/164"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}