Chapter 6 – Leon #2
The beeping rose in his ears again, except this time it was a familiar staccato beat.
He heard it in some of his milder dreams, and sometimes, when his apartment was just a little too quiet, his tinnitus would take on the steady rhythm of Hailey’s heartbeat.
He’d heard it in her hospital room, proving that she actually was okay.
That she was alive and strong and healthy, despite what every one of Leon’s fears and bad dreams would have him believe.
“Knowing that you were there for her and will continue being there for her has made it all feel a little easier,” Hailey’s mom said, and Leon met her steady gaze.
“I’m not saying I expect you to pull her out of car wrecks or save her from the multitude of horrors in the world, but even just knowing that you’re a phone call away from her…
it helps. More than I could ever fully express.
I think that’s all I or Hailey or anyone could ever ask for. ”
A clump of the label came off, sticking to Leon’s fingers as he continued to stare up at her.
“If there’s anything I can do to make things a little easier for you,” she said, gaze steady and smile patient. “Please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Words bubbled to Leon’s lips, escaping before he could think to stop them. “Do you ever have nightmares? About the stuff you see?”
She inclined her head, as if bowing under an invisible weight. “I do, yes.”
Leon nodded, breaking his gaze away to look back out at their street. “Is there…anything you’ve found that works to get rid of them?”
She hummed softly. “Talking to someone about them often helps. I have a therapist who is used to working with people in the medical field and also works with parents.”
Leon nodded again, slower this time. “That’s good. Mine isn’t necessarily an expert in, uh…car accidents.”
“Do they have any experience with PTSD?”
Leon clutched the bottle to his chest, like a child would clutch a precious stuffed animal. He wished James was here, then Leon could grab his hand and hold it to his chest, the way he’d done on countless nights these past couple months.
“I don’t…I’m not sure. I think he might, but…I guess, I haven’t asked.”
“That might be a good place to start.”
The pigeon cooed again, and this time it was answered by a second pigeon.
It seemed like he wasn’t alone out here after all.
The sound of a door opening drew Leon’s attention back over his shoulder, and Hailey’s mom peered back inside her apartment.
“You should—”
“I think that’s—”
They both fell silent, a soft smile on Hailey’s mom’s lips. “I should probably go see if she needs any help. We’ll see you tomorrow?”
Leon pulled his knee up to his chest and placed the mostly empty bottle on the grate. “Yeah, James and I will be there.”
She hesitated, her body half turned towards the window.
Laughter filtered out to them, along with a few bangs and thumps.
“It was good catching up with you, Leon. We should talk again soon.”
“Yeah…I’d like that.”
Hailey’s mom turned to step back into the window, but paused once again. “Oh, I don’t know if Hailey mentioned this, but make sure to wear comfortable shoes,” she said, then she disappeared back inside.
“I did remind you to wear comfortable shoes,” Leon murmured, and James gave a soft huff.
They were both crouched, bodies barely hidden behind the trunk of a tree. James was wearing a short sleeve button-down, khakis, and dress shoes. Meanwhile, Leon wore his usual uniform: a black T-shirt, joggers, and boots.
When Hailey had announced that everyone under the age of forty was going to play a game of capture the flag, Leon had been a little surprised but unbothered. James, on the other hand, had turned a similar shade of green as the bush providing them minimal coverage to their right.
“I didn’t want to be late, and I figured you just meant comfortable for standing in. Which they are!” James whisper-hissed.
“How about for squatting in the dirt?” Leon asked, and James bumped their shoulders together.
“I can hear you whispering!” a familiar voice called out from the clearing some ten feet ahead of them. “You’re never going to get my flag!”
“I think she might be right,” James whispered, and Leon shushed him.
They had been divided into six teams, and everyone had been given a colorful bandana to denote their team. They’d also been given a matching party balloon which would serve as their “flag” for the game.
James and Leon had been teamed up with two of Hailey’s friends from school, Zach and Jeb.
At first, Leon hadn’t recognized them, but when James whispered “Joker and Batman,” Leon had rolled his eyes to the sky.
When it became clear that none of them really wanted to separate from their partners, they decided to split up, with James and Leon going out into the woods behind the party gazebo to find some flags, while Zach and Jeb held down the fort.
Based on the looks the teens were shooting each other, they were probably going to disappear into the woods with their flag anyway, and Leon couldn’t really blame them. That’s what he would have done when he was eighteen.
At least they didn’t have to worry about their flag being stolen.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Hailey crowed, laughter in her voice that Leon would never tire of hearing.
Even when he was supposed to be plotting her downfall.
“What if we split up?” James whispered, and Leon nodded.
He scanned the clearing and saw a few decently sized trees on Hailey’s left.
Tapping into his limited knowledge from playing first person shooter games, he pointed at James then across to one side of the clearing. Then he pointed at himself and gestured to the other side of the clearing.
James rolled his eyes, but just as Leon had been hoping would happen, James grinned, and his dimples popped out.
Leon leaned forward, and, like they were just two lovesick teenagers in the woods, he pressed his lips to James’ before doing his best attempt at a crouching-run to the other side of the clearing.
Unfortunately, his boots were not built for stealth, so he snapped about a dozen twigs and managed to kick a rock against a tree.
“Nice try! I can hear you coming a mile away!” Hailey called.
Leon emerged into the clearing to find Hailey running towards the trees on the opposite side. Her camo print romper made a lot more sense now. Trina had also been in camo, which could explain why he couldn’t spot them amidst the trees.
Or maybe the two lovebirds had decided to split up.
Speaking of lovebirds, he didn’t have time to find James. Instead, he fixed his eyes on the bobbing red balloon and raced after her, crashing through the brush like a maniac. He could have sworn he heard a very mensch-like sigh from somewhere behind him, but he was already giving chase.
Hailey’s laugh, just as much as her red balloon, guided him deeper into the woods, over fallen trees, around rocks, and underneath dangling weeping willow branches.
He lost sight of her for only a moment, as he had to slow down to make a tight turn she’d made with ease, and he heard a loud splash and a curse from up ahead.
Leon’s pounding heart leaped into his throat, and the edges of his vision turned black. He didn’t have time to name 5 things he could smell or whatever, so he forced himself to take a few shallow breaths as he broke through the brush.
He had no idea what he’d find. Had Hailey fallen into a river? Was she currently being swept out to sea? Did they even live near the sea? Would she get caught on rocks along the way? What if they were jagged?
Leon’s vision tunneled down to a pinprick as he stumbled up to the side of a small creek.
Hailey was sprawled out on her butt in ankle deep water, a large pout on her face.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he growled as he hurried forward.
With next to no grace, he splashed into the water, quickly surveyed the ground for any particularly nasty rocks before falling to his knees at her side. Her balloon was nowhere to be seen, probably having escaped her grasp when she fell.
“What hurts? Is it your ankle? Did you roll it? How’s your head? You didn’t hit it, did you?”
Hailey shook her head, with absolutely no regard for neck injury protocol or common fucking sense. “I didn’t roll or hit anything—except my ass when I slipped on this rock.”
Hailey dunked her hand in the water to rub at the base of her spine.
Oh god, could she have spinal damage?
“Can you move your feet? What about your legs?”
Hailey gave him a look, the same look she’d been giving him for years whenever he told her to go do her homework or eat her vegetables or whatever.
Thankfully, Leon was a pro at handling this look. He stared blankly at her until she sighed dramatically. Or at least, it was supposed to be dramatic, but her breaths were coming in soft pants. To be fair, so were Leon’s from careening through the woods, but that did nothing to lessen his worry.
Slowly, Hailey sat up straight and pulled her legs into a criss-cross position. Leon’s hand, which was hovering uselessly in the air, began to tremble as some of the adrenaline left his system. He dropped it into the water and pressed his palms into the pebbles on the bottom of the creek bed.
“My legs are working, my butt will recover, and I’m sure my clothes will dry if I stand in the sun long enough,” she said, her usual petulance surprisingly missing from her voice. “I promise, I’m fine. Thank you for rushing to help, though.”
Leon sat back on his heels, effectively soaking the rest of his pants. “Okay,” he said, clutching at one of the larger rocks beneath his hands. “Yeah, alright. Okay. Yeah.”
Hailey pursed her lips in a way that looked far too adult on her as she did her own scan of Leon. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said, his voice clipped.
They stared at each other, the soft gurgling of the stream somehow sounding very disbelieving.