~~~~
~~~~Ruth~~~~
~~~~
We sit, looking out at the world around us, neither saying a word. Carla is someone I can see becoming a lifelong friend. She has this way about her that makes me feel so at peace, even though we have just met. Not quite the way Luke does, but she is someone who makes me feel a little less broken. Maybe because, in some ways, she is still so broken herself.
I know after our talk that she is someone I plan to keep in my life. I just met her, but it feels like she is already a part of me, of who I am and who I am becoming, and I can tell she feels the same.
We sit and watch as the sun starts to sink behind the mountain. We look at each other, silently agreeing that it is time to head back.
As we walk, we link arms, joining ourselves and claiming each other as newfound sisters.
We giggle as we talk about random things, and betting Luke is probably going out of his mind with worry at how long we have been gone.
Sure enough, when we get back to the cabin, he is pacing back and forth on the porch, running his hands through his hair, and cussing to himself half under his breath.
We giggle as soon as we see him.
"You owe me five bucks, BabyRuth." Carla says to me as she unlinks our arms and bounds up the steps.
"I swear, I was getting ready to come looking for you. I was just trying to figure out how the fuck I was gonna fight the bear that I thought had eaten my two best girls." He says it only half-jokingly, pulling us both into an awkward hug.
"If you saw a bear attacking us, you'd tuck your tail and run like a pussy, Damon, and you know it." Carla quips, ducking under his arm and playfully punching him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, well, you punch like a pussy, Carla." He jerks back, rubbing a hand across his arm.
"That's because I have one, a nice tight one, in fact, Lucas, what's your excuse?"
She fires back.
I am rolling at them, holding my stomach, laughing as I flop down in one of the rockers.
I am exhausted from both the walk and not being used to so much exercise. My body is still healing, and a hot shower to soothe the pain is definitely in my very near future.
"I just love you two." I say as they continue their verbal assaults.
I think I have only said it to myself, but when they turn to me, I realize I haven't.
They give each other a quick glance, nod in agreement at something unspoken, and both barrel towards me, taking me completely off guard as they pull me into a huge bear hug.
They hold me tight, but not enough to hurt me; they are being too careful not to grab anywhere that is still obviously bruised.
"This is how Luke was picturing that bear grabbing us." She laughs, lifting me to my feet and off the ground. I giggle and kick my legs like a child, yelling at her to put me down.
She acts like I weigh nothing, spinning me around a couple times before righting me on my feet.
"You are going to have to hang on to her, Damon; I might just steal her away. Me and her became best friends on our walk, and she told me she liked me better." She winks at me.
"Yeah, well, that is a fight you will lose, Car, because I am never letting her go." He says snaking his arm around my waist and kissing me on top of the head.
"You better not, or I'll kick your ass, you know, like I did at Farley's bar on New Year's Eve..."
"Shut it, Carla. I was drunk off my ass. A feather, or in your case, a snippy little blonde, could have knocked me out." He says half embarrassed, making me laugh again. I will have to remember to question her about this later.
We make our way inside, and I fix us all a sandwich, grabbing a bag of chips out of one of the bags Carla brought with her. We all sit down on the couch and eat, continuing to laugh until well after dark.
If it weren't for the fact that everything is going on and that we are literally in the middle of nowhere hiding out from my psychotic husband, this whole day would have felt like three friends enjoying an evening together, you know, normal.
It gets silent for a minute, all of us seeming to come to this realization together.
"Welp, I am gonna have to be heading back." Carla says slapping her thighs and standing. We all get to our feet.
"BabyRuth, it was a pleasure to finally meet you; I feel like we have been friends forever. Keep Lucas here in line." She says slapping his chest, then pulling me in for a hug.
"Damon, walk a lady to her car, so the big, bad bear doesn't carry me off." She grabs his arm, practically dragging him to the door.
"You, my dear friend, are no damn lady, and shut the hell up about the bear; I was worried, ok?" He jokes as she pulls him along.
I run after her, grabbing her into another quick hug and whispering in her ear. "You know you didn't fail, right? Liv or yourself, I'm sure there are plenty more people out there that you have helped, but I know you have certainly helped me today." I give her a kiss on the cheek, and she doesn't say anything; she just nods, but I can see the tears that come to her eyes. With that, I turn and walk back inside.
~~~~
~~~~Luke~~~~
~~~~
"What was that about?" I ask as soon as Ruth goes back inside.
"Nothing; I told you we became BFFs; something about getting lost in the woods together bonds you."
"You were lost? ...I knew it!"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, we didn't actually get lost."
"Sure." I say as we walk to her car.
"So thanks for coming up. I think it really helped Ruth. This is the happiest I have seen her since we were kids. As much as it pains me to admit, you are pretty awesome." I say it, rolling my eyes at her and giving her a slap on the back.
"She's gonna be ok, Lucas." She has an intense look on her face, and I nod, believing her.
We stand in silence for a minute and she draws a deep breath.
"There still haven't been any updates. We have someone tracking down a few potential leads, but he seems to always be a step ahead of us." Our conversation takes a serious note now that we are completely alone.
All day, we have avoided this.
"He can't hide forever, and neither can we. We will find him, and when we do, I will make sure he pays for what he has done to Ruth."
She looks at me intently, nodding her head, understanding what I mean.
"I pray he does, Luke. Take care of her; I know you will. I will call tomorrow and make sure you actually answer this time." She says shutting her door leaving. I watch as she drives out of sight, leaving me and Ruth alone together again. I turn and make my way inside.
~~~~~
"You and Carla seemed to really hit it off." I say strolling through the door, putting all thoughts of heavy talk out of my mind until I look at the bed to find Ruth sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, crying.
"Ruth, what the hell, baby? What's wrong?"
"It's all going to be taken away, Luke."
"What is Ruth? Hey, talk to me." I say pulling her to me.
"This, all of it. Today was amazing. I don't think I've ever smiled and laughed so much. Carla is awesome; she already feels like the big sister I never had, and you, you are so perfect, and it is all going to be taken away. Ron will find us, and he will take every bit of this away. You and Carla are both in danger because of me."
"We will find him, Ruth. Carla and the others are working on tracking him down now; she has a few promising leads, but he is not going to get to you. You will be safe here, safe with me. Look at me; no one is ever going to hurt you again."
She calms down after a while. I give her her new meds, but I can tell that she's starting to hurt pretty bad because every time either one of us moves the slightest bit, she winces.
I think she overdid it today. I wish I could take away her pain. All of it.
I get an idea.
"Let me up, Ruth, lay here, and I will be back in just a minute. "
"What are you doing?"
"Taking care of you."
I go to the bathroom and turn on the tub. I search through the endless bottles, packets, and tubs of stuff Carla sent and find some kind of lavender bath stuff that all women seem to love.
I twist off the cap and add some under the water. I put the cap back on, looking at the bottle. "Soothe and Relax" it says.
"Well, let's hope you work." I say to the bottle, feeling like an idiot. I light a couple of candles that are on the sink with a lighter I find in one of the drawers and flip off the light.
I go back out and scoop Ruth off the bed. She protests, but she still locks her arms around my neck.
"Luke, what are you doing? I can walk, you know? What is this?" She says looking around. "For me?" She smiles.
"For you."
I sit her down and help her out of her clothes. She is so perfect; her curves look even more enticing in this lighting. I quickly adjust myself while her back is to me, and my permanent hard on is noticed. Tonight has nothing to do with me; this is about Ruth, and after letting myself lose some of my control with her before, I have promised myself again that I won't do anything else. Not until she is a hundred percent ready, and I am willing to wait however long it takes.
I help her over into the tub, and she moans at the heat of the water, sinking down and relaxing her head on the side of the tub, closing her eyes.
I smile. I want to be able to do this for her every day. I realize this as I watch her. I can't help but love her. I honestly don't know how anyone could, she is perfect.
"Luke, this feels so good. I didn't realize how sore I was. This water feels amazing, and it smells like lavender?"
"It is supposed to help you relax." I shrug like I know what the hell I am talking about.
"Well, it's working. Thank you; this is just what I needed, but you always seem to know what I need."
"I am going to leave you to enjoy your bath, I will be back in a few min..."
"No." She says this, her eyes snapping open.
"Stay with me, please?"
"Sure." I go to sit beside the tub.
"I mean, will you get in with me?" She asks shyly.
"Oh, if that's what you want?"
She nods and gives me a small smile.
I pull off my clothes, leaving on my shorts, and climb in behind her, pulling her back to my chest.
I rub my hands over her shoulders, massaging her, and she moans lightly in approval. I keep this up for a few minutes, trying my best to keep my prominent erection from pressing into her as much as I can. I only stop when she slumps back against me.
She's asleep.
I don't know if it is the new meds, the walk, the massage, those damn bath oils, or a combination of all of them, but it worked; she is definitely relaxed.
I use my foot to flip up the stopper so that the water can drain. Slide one arm around her back and the other under her, hooking around the bend of her knees, and cradle her to me as I pick her up.
She barely stirs; she is definitely out cold.
I carefully position one arm tighter around her so that I am able to grab a towel and drape it around her, carrying her to the bed.
I don't want to prowl through her things, so I grab one of my clean t-shirts and slip it over her head. It is so big on her petite frame that it looks like a gown. I don't bother with underwear. I tuck her into the covers, grab myself some clothes, clean up the bathroom, and blow out the candles.
A few minutes later, I crawl into bed beside her, trying my best not to shake the bed and risk waking her. She must feel my presence, even in her sleep, because after turning off the light and snuggling in myself, she finds her way against me. I wrap my arm around her, kissing the top of her head.
Tonight, Ruth has no nightmares.
I do dream, however, of our future, one in which Ron has no place.