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DB86#2

Edited by: Pat

A trip back home changed their lives.

****

CHAPTER 1

Michael had just raised his hand to knock on the door when a shriek rang out from the other side. The sound immediately had him dropping the flowers he carried.

He opened the door and entered the room filled with women in purple dresses, all peering at him with wide, startled eyes.

"Michael?" The query was accompanied by a rustle of silk that drew his gaze to his sister Molly as she disengaged from the small cluster of women to his right.

Michael simply stared at her as she stood before him. "You look beautiful, Sis."

"Thank you, baby brother. Every little girl dreams about wearing a beautiful dress and look like a princess." There was emotion in Molly's voice and on her face.

"You make a gorgeous bride, Sis. I heard someone scream and I thought something had happened." Michael explained.

"All is well. Thank you for the compliment. It was a happy shriek. My bridesmaids were admiring how I look in my wedding dress."

She twirled around to give her brother the full effect.

Michael hesitated and glanced to the group of women who were acting as bridesmaids, all gathered now at the far end of the room. They all looked exquisite, which was actually a problem. He was a man after all... and he didn't want to unintentionally insult any of the women with a reaction from his nether regions.

Molly's attention was on the doorway behind him. "Were those for us?"

The question drew his gaze back to the open door and the flowers that lay scattered on the hall floor. Much to his relief, none of them appeared to have been damaged by the fall.

"Yes, sorry I dropped them." Michael apologized, turning to head back to the door. Molly followed. He knelt to collect the bouquets and she asked quietly. "I want to ask you something, a small favor, Bro."

Michael kept picking up the bridesmaids bouquets.

"I'm listening."

"A friend of mine travelled from a distant town to attend the wedding and I promised her that I would make sure that she'd be back to her hometown after the reception. She said something about needing to be there to help Betsie deliver a baby. I told her you wouldn't mind driving her home."

"You told her I would drive her back," Michael said slowly, a frisson of alarm sliding through him. His older sister was well-known for her matchmaking, and she didn't do anything without a purpose. Michael suddenly wasn't feeling good about this task.

Molly rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't look so alarmed, baby brother."

He shook his head.

"Geez, Molly. Your matchmaking powers are not going to work with me," he said with irritation. "Where does she live?"

"Middletown."

He frowned, "Middletown? Where exactly is that?"

"It's a small town to the west. I don't know for sure, I've never been there. She'll give you directions. I'm pretty sure it won't take more than a day to drive there."

"A day's drive! Are you out of your mind? Are there no planes or buses? Maybe a stage coach..."

"She doesn't like planes and there is no direct bus from here." She interrupted him. "Stage couches? Ha, ha, ha! Good one."

"I'm going to waste two days driving your friend there and then getting back here. Probably more if I make a stop to get some sleep."

The bridesmaids looked at him and Molly lowered her voice.

"It's not like you have to get back to work, is it, Bro? You haven't been doing much lately, except stay at home."

"Is she here?" Michael pointed with his chin to the group of bridesmaids.

Molly gave her brother a playful smile.

"She is but I'm not telling you which one of my bridesmaids she is."

Michael looked at the women with renewed interest.

"Molly, you know I love you, but this is too much to ask. Do I need to remind you that I'm already taking care of Emma? How am I supposed to drag our niece into a drive to some backwater town?"

"I already talked with Emma. She'll be thrilled to get out of your apartment for a change. You have no social life at all. Good thing you can work from home, otherwise you would be insane by now."

"The way I live my life is none of your business." Michael protested.

"I'm your sister. Everything about you is my business. Worrying for you come in the job description." she added with soft smile. "Look, I just thought that a nice relaxing drive would be good for you and Emma. Enjoy some country air. It's been a year since Curt and his wife died in that horrible accident..."

"Stop!" Michael snapped. "You know I don't like to talk about it."

He pressed his lips together and grimaced. The wounds of losing his older brother and best friend were still fresh for him. The fact that he had to babysit their teen daughter wasn't helping. It was a continuous reminder of what had happened.

"Fine, I'll do it. I'll drive your friend to Middle-Of-Nowhere-Town. Happy?"

Molly gave her younger brother a big smile.

"Thank you, baby brother. I knew I could count on you." Molly kissed Michael's cheek. "Now please leave. I have to get ready for the ceremony." She said, pushing him out of the room.

***

The wedding ceremony itself was beautiful.

Michael watched his father walking his sister down the aisle and give her away, then stand there, a picture of fatherly pride and joy. His father's eyes were bright with emotion. His mother got all teary-eyed as Molly and Matt exchanged their vows.

Molly and Matt made a beautiful couple and they were clearly devoted to one another. They were so sweet together that people joked by calling them M&M.

"They seem so happy. They're obviously deeply in love." Michael heard his niece Emma whisper. He merely grunted and hoped the ceremony wouldn't be long.

Fortunately, the minister wasn't long-winded.

After the ceremony, they had a nice wedding dinner not far from the church where family members and close friends ate together, danced and hung out. Since her brother's death had been just a year ago, Molly and Matt had opted for a very simple event. It was a bittersweet moment and everyone did their best not to mention the elephant in the room.

Molly and her father had the first dance and then he reluctantly handed her over to Michael. Finally Matt cut in to claim Molly so they could dance their first dance as husband and wife.

Michael looked at the happy couple as they waltzed around the dance floor. They both glowed with joy. Sharing this moment with them had woken up some feelings he had fought to send to the back of his mind. However, it was hard not to yearn for that kind of connection and happiness too.

CHAPTER 2

Sabrina descended the stairs raising the long skirt of her bridesmaid's gown a little higher with one hand, and carefully holding the handrail with the other.

The last thing she wanted was to slip on the rain-wet steps. She was not used to walking in high-heels.

It was raining like there'd be no tomorrow. Molly had told Sabrina that her brother Michael and her niece would be waiting for her at the entrance.

"In some cultures, rain on your wedding day is considered good luck, symbolizing fertility and cleansing," a female voice told her.

Sabrina glanced at the teen girl standing in the doorway. She was smiling tentatively at her.

"I love fun facts." Sabrina said.

"Hello, you must be Sabrina. I am Emma, Molly's niece."

"That's me. Nice to meet you, Emma. Molly told me about you."

"Nice to meet you too, Sabrina."

"How did you recognize me?"

"My aunt told me look for the most beautiful of the bridesmaids."

"Why thank you, Emma! You do know how to boost my self-esteem."

Emma smiled at Sabrina.

"My uncle went to fetch the car. He'll be here any minute."

"Okay. There is no rush. He's very generous offering to drive a total stranger home."

This time Emma laughed.

"Uncle Michael is grumpy because Aunt Molly made him. He's okay when he's not sulking."

"Molly said you've been staying with him."

"Yeah, I was staying with Aunt Molly, but she didn't need me around during the wedding preparations, and they certainly don't want me around on their honeymoon. My parents died in an accident a year ago."

Sadness etched across her face.

"I know, Sweetie. Molly told me a bit about your parent's accident. I'm truly sorry." Sabrina squeezed Emma's arm gently.

The girl shrugged as if she didn't care. "Thank you. They are passing me from hand to hand as if I were a torch in an Olympic relay. I fit nowhere. I don't have a home of my own anymore."

"Molly loves you with all her heart, Emma. I'm sure your uncle loves you too."

"Uncle Michael and Dad were very close. His death crushed him. Add to that his girlfriend broke up with him around the same time. He has built up a lot of protective walls not to suffer." Emma explained.

Emma was quite mature for her age, which Sabrina believed was her cry for help. She knew it firsthand. Sabrina had heard the story from Molly's lips. She had talked a lot about her brother during the past two days.

The teen broke the uncomfortable silence.

"You should let me take the front seat." She suggested.

"Sure. I used to call shotgun when I was your age." Sabrina said with a smile.

"No, silly. If you sit in the front, Uncle Michael might think you're after him."

"What?" Sabrina shouted.

Emma laughed at her surprised expression.

"Why do you think Aunt Molly asked Uncle Michael to drive you home? She's playing matchmaker."

Sabrina shook her head. She was going to have a long talk with Molly after she returned from her honeymoon.

"Listen, Emma. I don't mind sitting in the back, but I assure you I have no intention to date your uncle or any other man for now."

Emma nodded as if she was expecting that reaction from her.

"And you should sit right behind him, not behind the passenger seat," Emma went on.

"Why?" Sabrina asked out of curiosity.

"That way, every time he looks in the rearview mirror, he'll see you," she pointed out.

Sabrina peered at the young teen with surprise. The kid was smart, she thought, and she seemed determined to hook her up with her uncle.

"There he is," Emma said waving her hand at a blue SUV.

Michael waved back to them from the driver's seat.

Her parked in front of them and opened the doors.

Chuckling, Sabrina slid her arm around the girl and used it to steer her toward the car.

"You can sit in the front if you like," Sabrina said with amusement, steering her that way, and then breaking off to move up the driver's side of the car herself.

"You're sure you don't mind?" Emma asked with feigned concern, pausing beside the passenger door.

"Not at all," Sabrina said dryly and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing when the girl grinned at her out of Michael's view.

Shaking her head, Sabrina opened the back door and slid in behind him.

"Thank you, Sabrina. This is really sweet of you," Emma said as she slid into the front seat. "Isn't she sweet, Uncle?"

Michael's response was to heave a long-suffering sigh as he slammed the door closed.

He met Sabrina's gaze in the rearview mirror.

"Uncle Michael, meet Sabrina."

Michael's eyebrows rose at the name. It was one he had heard a lot from Molly since the wedding rehearsal.

"Sabrina, he's my Uncle Michael. He is okay, even when he acts like Grouchy Smurf."

"Nice to meet you, Michael." Sabrina greeted politely.

"Same," grunted the man from behind the steering wheel. "You'll have to give me directions. I have no idea where Middletown is."

"Take the I-80 West and I'll guide you from there." Sabrina indicated.

He acknowledged her words with another grunt.

They drove in silence for a few blocks. "This is going to be a very long trip," Sabrina thought.

She started some small talk with Emma. They chatted mainly about the wedding.

"Do you speak at all, Michael?" Sabrina asked him.

He turned an arched eyebrow in her direction. "Why bother? You and my niece are doing well enough on your own."

"So, rude, not mute," Sabrina thought. Molly had probably told him about her plan and he was sulking. Sabrina decided to test her theory.

"Obviously, all those tales Molly told me about her charming brother were something of an exaggeration."

"She told you about me?" Michael asked in an alarmed voice.

"He speaks!" Sabrina mocked.

"Of course, I speak, but I only do it when necessary."

"Dear God, he speaks again," she laughed and Emma joined her. "Be still my beating heart. I don't know if I'll survive the excitement."

They drove in silence again for a few miles till they entered the interstate and drove west.

Emma, who had been playing Candy Crush in her phone, raised her head and asked, "Uncle, did you remember to move our suitcases from auntie's car to yours? Auntie told me she told you to do so." Emma asked.

Michael hit the steering wheel with both hands.

"Shit! I completely forgot!"

Molly had actually told Michael about it, but he had completely forgotten.

"I'll take the next exit and go back." Michael didn't want to drive back, but he didn't see any other solution. He had his own suitcase in the trunk, but Sabrina and Emma didn't have any other clothes than the ones they were wearing.

"There's no need. I have my purse with me, which means I have my phone, my credit cards and some pocket money. I'll be okay. We can buy some clothes at a Wal-mart if needed. You don't need to drive back all that way only to start again."

"I'm truly sorry. I was in a hurry to leave. It was raining hard and..." he lifted his hands in surrender and sighed.

"You were sulking." Emma completed the sentence for him.

"Yeah, that too." Michael admitted in defeat.

Sabrina placed her hand on Michael's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"People make mistakes, Michael. I'll text Molly and let her know our suitcases are still in her trunk. She can ask someone to send them home. Please, keep driving Michael. I already feel bad enough for putting you in this situation. We'll go shopping tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Michael frowned.

"I suppose you're not planning to drive all the way to Middletown without resting. It can be dangerous. There is a nice hotel in the next town 80 miles ahead. I'm tired and you must be tired too."

Emma pouted.

"Aunt Molly told me there is a lake and a beach in Middletown. I can't go swimming or play in this wedding gown!" she crossed her arms.

"My sister Maggie is about the same size as you. I'm sure she'll be happy to lend you some clothes, Emma." Sabrina said, calming her concerns.

"Really? She wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all. Maggie's really cool. She'll be thrilled to have a friend to play with."

"That would be great. I haven't made any new friends since I moved in with Aunt Molly. Now she's gotten married and she'll want to start a family of her own. She won't need me anymore. So I'm stuck with Grouchy Smurf."

She stuck her tongue out at her uncle. Michael shook his head, twisting his mouth. He felt bad. He didn't realize he had been so difficult to live with.

"Molly loves you, Emma. You'll be part of their family too when she comes back from her honeymoon." Michael assured her.

"I know Aunt Molly loves me, but she's kind of wrapped up in Matt right now. Sometimes it feels like I lost her too." Emma said letting out a long sigh.

"She will always love you and need you in her life, Emma. She was busy with the wedding, the honeymoon and all, but it's just temporary." Sabrina added with a smile.

Michael frowned. Emma's situation was rather difficult. She knew Molly was doing her best, but now that she was starting her own family and he didn't doubt his sister would have trouble fulfilling Emma's need for attention.

He cleared his throat, and said, "You have me, Emma. I might be grumpy and moody, but I'm family too. I'm single and not planning to get married in the near future."

"Much to Molly's dismay," he thought.

"Thank you, Uncle. You're actually cool when you're not brooding."

"What do you do for a living, Michael?" Sabrina asked.

"I'm a writer."

"Come on, Uncle Michael! Tell her!" Emma's voice was full of excitement.

"Tell me what?" Sabrina asked looking from Emma to Michael.

"He writes the 'Werewolf Vigilante' novels. Have you heard of them? He's famous!"

Sabrina's eyes were filled with surprise.

"Oh my God! Of course, I've heard of them! My sister Maggie loves them!" Sabrina looked at Michael, "Are you H.W.L. Moon?"

Michael twisted his mouth and wriggled unconformably in his seat.

"That's my pen name so I don't get crazies at the door." Michael looked embarrassed. "They are just teen fantasy books. Not exactly The Booker Prize material."

"Well, you get teens to read. Maggie is really hooked on them. You should be proud of yourself." Sabrina expressed sincerely.

"I'm proud of you, Uncle, even when I can't tell anyone you are famous." Emma added.

Sabrina could tell Michael was uncomfortable with all the attention he was getting.

"He was in a book-signing tour before the wedding," Emma said to Sabrina.

"Worse three weeks of my life." He muttered. "I have no idea why I let my editor talk me into doing it."

"And Grouchy Smurf is back!" Emma joked.

Both girls laughed.

"What do you do for a living, Sabrina?" Michael asked in a not very subtle effort to change subject.

"I'm what we call a big animal vet."

"Wow! Do you work with elephants and giraffes?" Emma's eyes opened big.

Sabrina just laughed.

"I get that question a lot. I actually work with livestock. My patients include cattle, sheep, pigs and horses. My clinic in Middletown also sees small animals like cats and dogs."

"So you treat them when they get sick."

"I do, but my main job is keeping those creatures healthy to ensure the resulting meat and milk is safe for people to consume."

"That's so cool, isn't it, Uncle?"

"Yes, Emma. Very cool." He looked at Sabrina through the rear mirror. "I thought you were an obstetrician not a vet. Molly said something about helping Betsie giving birth."

Sabrina laughed her head off.

"Betsie is a cow." She finally explained.

They all laughed hard.

"Most cows need little assistance with delivery. However, birth complications are more likely with first-time heifers." She explained.

"We're reaching to the next exit, Sabrina," Michael said.

"Great. Take it and I'll give you direction to reach a nice hotel I know."

"What is the plan, Aunt Sabrina?" Emma asked.

"The plan," Sabrina said quietly, because she didn't miss the fact that somehow she had become part of the family, "Is to get out of this car, check into a hotel, shower and get some sleep.

"Yay!" Emma squealed happily and did a little dance on her seat.

"Sounds good to me," Michael approved.

CHAPTER 3

"There it is," exclaimed Sabrina pointing at the bright neon sign.

Michael parked the SUV in the small rig parking area next to the motel. It was still raining hard and they all rushed to the entrance, but a passing car splashed water and mud on them. Sabrina tripped backwards and fell onto Michael who dragged Emma with him. They all landed in a puddle.

Michael stood up quickly, hooked his hands under Emma's arms and hefted her quickly to her feet. Then he did the same with Sabrina. He waited to be sure she had her footing, then let his hands drop and took a quick step away from her.

"Thank you," she muttered, the sound a sort of breathless growl as she got her feet under her. "I hate high-heels."

Michael was about to offer to sacrifice his suit jacket for her to wipe her hands on when she managed to find a small patch on the front of her skirt that had escaped the soaking.