The Link

"We need transportation," I said, ignoring what we couldn't change, "and somehow get past the roadblocks. I would like to see Stinky grow up like a normal child."

"She's not normal," Ruth pointed out the obvious.

"They are checking every vehicle on every road," Natalie said, "trains, planes, nothing is being skipped." Stinky waved her hands up and down, excited with Natalie's play. "She sure is a happy baby."

"She hasn't complained once," Rose added, "it's almost scary. She just smiles and enjoys everyone around her, except when she's eating." Natalie raised her eyebrows, "she's very intense when she eats. Full concentration."

"She acts like she's starving," I added. Natalie nodded and continued playing, drawing more smiles from Stinky.

"A police car could get through," I said, thinking out loud.

"What?"

"A police car," I repeated, "hide in plain sight and all that. We could drive right past the checkpoints if we had a police car."

"And where would we get one of those?" Rose asked, "there's little chance of stealing one and I doubt they rent them out."

"We could borrow one," Natalie said, not looking up from Stinky's smiles. She was enamored with the grins and worked feverishly to keep them coming. Stinky bonded quickly. Such a powerful drug.

"And who would lend it?" I asked.

"A police officer, of course," Natalie added with a bit of whimsy. She looked up with a smartass grin that held no judgement. She was playing with me as well. I gave her her earned smile and waited for the explanation.

"We let in a single officer to search the house," Natalie explained, "we let him find Stinky." Let the bonding work for us. It was simple and probably our only option. I didn't like adding another bond not knowing the long term effects, but what choice did we have. Natalie was smart though I didn't want to admit it out loud.

"Wouldn't a married officer do as well?" I asked. My smartass grin was better than hers. Rose laughed, and Natalie reached out and slapped my knee. There was a sparkle in her eyes. I had a new friend.

"They wear gloves," Rose said, trying to stifle her chuckle, "how would we get an officer to touch Stinky."

"One of us can touch the cop while touching Stinky," I suggested.

"I could do that," Natalie offered, "should be easy if he's male," she smiled, "and single." I had to laugh at the puns being thrown around. Natalie smirked and we shared a look as Rose added to the grinning. Stinky thought we were playing with her and started laughing herself. It was a very pleasant cup of tea.

"We should do it before they return with a warrant," I suggested. Everyone nodded. We had a plan.

Chapter 8 - Sam

Rose and Natalie talked well into the night. I left them to it, knowing that the earlier tears were only the beginning. They needed time together, and I was the third wheel. They insisted I leave Stinky and relax. I found a radio in the guest room and located an oldies station to listen too. It wasn't long before my eyes closed and I nodded off fully clothed.

"Sam." I heard Natalie softly calling my name. I realized it wasn't the first time. I opened my eyes to see her at the foot of the bed holding Stinky. "She misses you," Natalie said with a warmth I didn't expect. Natalie's eyes looked dreamy, and her smile was more than friendly. I almost looked behind me to see if it was meant for someone else.

"Sure," I fumbled and held my arms out. She put Stinky carefully, almost lovingly, in my arms. I pulled Stinky close. Natalie laughed as she ran out of the room. The smell hit me hard. I looked down at what I thought was raw sewage to find Stinky smiling at me.

"Chicken!" I yelled. More laughter. "Damn, Stinky. What did they feed you?" I maneuvered her off the bed and grabbed her bag. I was just tricked by a lawyer in a most childish manner. It would take time, but childish revenge was my specialty. I was breathing through my nose and laughing to myself as I cleaned up sewer butt.

I returned to the kitchen with a clean baby in one arm and a filthy diaper in the other. Rose was holding back a grin and Natalie was outright laughing. I made a feint, pretending to toss the foul diaper at Natalie who panicked for a moment then returned to her laughing.

"Think you're funny?" I asked.

"I know I am," Natalie countered. Rose turned away, trying not to offend me by laughing.

"It will come when you're not looking," I said ominously, "when you least expect it." My smile weakened the threat, but I knew I had her thinking.

"It was worth it," Natalie continued, "at least she is true to her namesake." I made to throw the diaper in the waste under the sink.

"Garage," Rose said, her grin no longer covered. It was worth it to see those two smiling. I could be the butt of their joke at that price. Stinky and I traveled to the garage and disposed of the foul beast.

"We really should get some sleep," Rose said.

"I think I was asleep," I commented. Natalie covered her mouth trying not to add to the joke, "I can take the couch," I offered.

"No," Natalie disagreed, "you were here first. The bedroom is for you and Stinky. I can always sleep with mom." Rose agreed as she started the dishwasher.

"Goodnight," Rose told me and leaned down to kiss Stinky's forehead.

"Sorry about that," Natalie said once her mom had left. Her smile belied how sorry she was. I wasn't upset. I should have been, but I enjoyed being toyed with by her. It was done in such a sisterly manner.

"I forgive you...for now," I said with a sly grin. Natalie nodded, knowing she was in for payback somewhere along the line.

"Actually, I have never changed a diaper," Natalie said as she rose, "maybe you could show me tomorrow."

"Sure," I said, "you have to supply your own gas mask though." That got me a small chuckle as she exited the kitchen calling out a good night. I returned it as pleasant as I could. For a judgemental bitch, she sure looked good in her jeans.

The smell of coffee woke me again. Stinky was gone, probably being entertained by Rose. As I was trained, I went to the bathroom and cleaned up before I entered the kitchen for coffee. Rose and Stinky smiled at me. A steaming cup was already waiting on the table. I could get used to that.

"Good morning," I said, remembering my manners.

"Good morning, Sam," Rose replied, "Natalie will be with us soon. She sleeps late when there's no alarm clock." I nodded as I drank some coffee, warming my hands and mouth.

"You two good?" I asked, curious about how things worked out.

"As good as to be expected," Rose said, "I have Stinky to thank for that. I had no idea how I was going to tell her. Maybe, I wasn't going too - I don't know. It's better this way. I know that now."

"I thought you teachers have all the answers," I joked.

"Whoever told you that, doesn't teach," Rose snickered, "we just have to be smarter than the students. Sometimes we even fail at that."

"I wish I had met you years ago," I admitted.

"You probably did meet someone like me," Rose said, "you just weren't ready."

"Stink has a way of making a person ready," I said, "she removes all the barriers and lets you see your potential."

"We still don't know how real it is," Rose said, "there are drugs that convince people they can fly."

"True," I agreed, "and there are drugs that cure diseases."

"I sure hope she is a good drug," Rose said, and she caressed Stinky's back. Stinky smiled, enjoying the attention as she always did.

"Good Morning," Natalie said brightly. She was wearing a summer dress and looked striking. She turned around quickly, showing it off. "Think one of Flagstaff's finest can resist?"

"Not in a million years," I said with more awe than I intended. Rose choked back a laugh at my unexpected tone. I gather myself quickly. "I thought you lawyers were all suit and tie."

"Only when we take you to court and clean out your life savings," Natalie said, not missing a beat. I didn't think she noticed my brief loss of control.

"You want to do this before breakfast?" I said, my stomach growling.

"Never, it's Sunday," Natalie said. She continued when she saw my blank look. "Sunday is pancake day at the William's household." I looked to Rose, who quickly handed me Stinky. I could see she had forgotten and thought herself remiss.

"Pancakes sound good," I said. Natalie shook her head smiling.

"Then you can help," Rose announced. There was something I was missing about past pancake days. Sitting on your ass and commenting must be frowned upon. I handed Stinky to the grinning Natalie and became the kitchen helper.

I enjoyed watching Natalie play with Stinky as we ate. Stinky tried desperately to get a taste of the syrup. Natalie seemed at ease at keeping her mind off the food with simple tickling and some bouncing. It looked like she enjoyed it as much as Stinky did. After our meal, I washed dishes, and the ladies fed the human disposal. We put our plan into action after Stinky was fed.

I watched out of the corner of the window as Natalie leaned into the Police car talking to the officer who was watching our house. I assumed they had us under surveillance because we refused a search. I was telling myself I was watching to see if she succeeded. My eyes locked on the subtle gyrations of her backside. The flowered dress flowed with her movements in a beautiful way. For a moment, I wished I was the officer. I had known before the car door opened, that she would convince him.

"It took me all night to convince her," Natalie said to the cop as she entered the front door, "this Ebola thing has her scared. Is it okay if she keeps her distance?"

"That shouldn't be a problem, Natalie," the cop replied. I didn't like how he said her name. I was having new reservations about the plane, "We usually require two officers, but I think we can make an exception in this case." I could almost feel the smile that must have been on his face.

"Thank you, Tom," Natalie said. I disliked how she said his name. I took a slow breath and let the emotion pass. I didn't like what I was feeling. I had no idea where it was coming from. Natalie was a lawyer and way out of my league. A brief necessary friendship was all that would ever come of it. "Where would you like to start?"

"Is there a basement?"

"No, just a crawl space you can only access from outside," Natalie answered.

"Then I just need to look in each room starting with this one," Tom instructed, "then the bedrooms." Natalie giggled when he said bedrooms. My anger flared. More slow deep breaths and self-admonishment for being an idiot cooled me back down. I sat quietly on the bed knowing if he got to this room the gig was up. I listened as footsteps walked around the living room, presumably behind the couch and other possible hiding places.

"Oh!" I heard Rose exclaim from the kitchen. I knew she was peeking from behind the kitchen door, Stinky still behind the wall.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry about this," Tom said, his tone changing from confident man to sympathetic, "I will only be inside for a moment. Once your house is cleared, you won't be bothered again."

"He's not wearing a mask," Rose said with desperation, "he can cough it all over us."

"I assure you I'm not infected," the cop said calmly.

"I'm sorry, mom. I forgot to ask." Natalie said. There was a short pause as Natalie pulled out the scarf I knew she had. "Would you mind if I put this on you?" she asked the cop. I could hear the smile in her voice. Unless the cop was gay, he would allow it.

"Of course, Natalie," Tom answered. I closed my eyes and prayed for divine intervention. I knew Rose was moving up, behind the cop as Natalie reached around his neck to tie the scarf around his mouth. I tried not to imagine her hands gracing the back of his neck as Stinky was secretly brought within Natalie's reach. There was a long paused filled with way too many pounding heartbeats.

"Who is she?" I heard Tom ask calmly.

"We don't know," Rose said, no longer acting the senile woman, "we only know the government wants her enough to dream up the Ebola scare." I walked out of the bedroom and joined everyone in the living room. I was gratified to find Tom a little out of shape, maybe carrying an extra fifty pounds. He was untying the scarf.

"You must be Samuel Donaldson," Tom said, shaking his head.

"Sam," I said, holding out my hand. I wasn't surprised when he didn't take it.

"Is this some kind of trick?" Tom asked Natalie.

"Only to get you in the house," Natalie said, "I'm sorry about that, but we need help." She looked over to Stinky, "she is for real."

"I knew something was wrong," Tom said, "they were letting people leave, in fact encouraging it."

"I think they figured it would be easier to catch us in a car," I surmised, "we need to get past the roadblocks."

"Why shouldn't the government have her?" Tom asked. I looked between Rose and Natalie. It wasn't a question I was prepared to answer. Everyone else who bonded just naturally wanted to protect her from everyone.

"I think they plan to use her as a weapon," I replied, "spying and interrogation. Things like that. We believe she needs a childhood." Sam reached out and grabbed Stinky's barefoot. Stinky gave him one of her laughs, and he smiled as the bond took hold again.

"Damn, she's powerful," Tom said, "somehow I know you're not lying," he turned to Natalie with a friendly smile, "and I know you're not interested...in me."

"Sorry," Natalie said. I thought I saw her cheeks redden. I guess leading a man on embarrassed her.

"Sam," Tom said, holding out his hand, "how can I help?" I smiled and shook his hand. We all sat down and spent the next ten minutes filling him in on what has happened and our observations and reservations about Stinky.

"So, we need you to drive us through a road block," I said when the explanations were through.

"I better make a call," Tom said, ignoring the radio clipped to his breast and using his mobile phone.

"Hey, Gabby," Tom greeted when his call was answered, "I'm at 23 Madison. The owner is pretty freaked out, but the daughter got me in, and I searched the place."

"I know, but the Feds will have to be satisfied," Tom continued after a short pause, "the lady is senile and near a nervous breakdown." He smiled at Ruth, "you bring in anyone else, you'll need an ambulance as well."

"Yea," Tom continued, "I just need to use your name on the write up so the Feds won't go postal on me for doing it alone."

"Yes," Tom laughed as he spoke, "she is a nine. Would be a ten, but I couldn't get a phone number." There were a few more jibes that made Natalie blush. The call ended to Tom's satisfaction.

"Sorry," Tom apologized to Natalie, "he knew why I went in alone in the first place. We don't usually break protocol." Natalie just nodded with her speechless blush. "Luckily, a lot of homes refused the initial search so it doesn't look that suspicious." Tom grabbed his radio and reported that Rose's house had been cleared using Gabby as his second. He was rather efficient for a police officer who was essentially breaking the law. Stinky was an incredibly powerful drug.

"So," Tom said when he was through, "you guys got a plan."

"Not really," I said, shrugging my shoulders, "I just figured you would drive us past the checkpoint, and we would handle it from there."

"What? Drop you in the desert and you hitchhike or something," Tom said, shaking his head, "I can't go too far past the checkpoint without raising suspicion. All our cars are tracked by GPS. Dispatch will be checking up as soon as I leave my jurisdiction."

"What if I drive out first," Natalie offered, "after they search my car, I can drive ahead and wait for you to catch up." I liked how she thought, always a devious second before me. Simple solutions for simple problems.

"I can find another car," I added, "and be out of your hair in no time." Natalie gave me a look I wasn't expecting, almost angry. I looked away, toward Tom, trying to give myself some time to figure it out. Rose shifted Stinky in her lap. I saw curiosity in her eyes. She was perplexed by Natalie's reaction as well.

"You know, you and her," Tom continued, pointing at Stinky," will have to ride in the trunk. They won't search my car, but they will look inside as I go through." I just became the drugs I used to carry. I was contraband.

"Will need some pillows or something," I said, looking at Rose, "I think Stinky will be alright as long as I'm holding her." Rose nodded her agreement.

"We can do it tonight," Tom said, "I'll pull into the garage and load where no one can see us. Where are you headed?"

"I guess west on 40," I replied, figuring it was the quickest way to Portland.

"There's a Pilot Travel Center about 15 minutes outside of the city," Tom said, "we could meet there, near the Day's Inn. At night, we should be able to get you out of the trunk without anyone noticing." I nodded. No one would look twice at an open trunk near a motel.

"You're taking a big risk," Rose said to Tom, "I hope you don't lose your job over this, or worse."

"My real love is the sax," Tom said, his smile growing, "police work was my low-risk alternative. I'm beginning to think I might change professions."

"Stinky does make you rethink things," I said.

"She does at that." Tom laughed. "I know I'd be damn good at it too."

Chapter 9 - Sam

Natalie and Rose spent a long time talking before Natalie headed out to the Travel Center. I heard some tears though I stayed away not wanting to intrude. It was a good time to give Stinky a bath since I had no idea when she would get another. I intentionally avoided bonding with Stinky. Rose and Natalie wouldn't want me interfering though I could only imagine what they were discussing. I assumed it was Rose's unwillingness to fight the cancer aggressively. Stinky had shown me her determination not to spend her last days sick in a hospital. She had done that with her husband and wished not to go through it again. I guessed it was the real reason she hadn't told Natalie.

I was relieved she now had her daughter at her side. It would be trying, but loneliness shouldn't be part of anyone's last days. I had suspected it would encompass my end in the past, but Stinky had shown me another way. In time, I too might have a family that would see me through. A dream of a legacy, though it would most likely require a name change. I doubted the Feds would stop looking for Samuel Donaldson.

There were more tears and hugs when Natalie left for the Travel Center. It affected me more than it should or, at least, more than it would have pre-Stinky. I wanted to say something to make it go away. What that something would be eluded me. I stood back and let it run its course.

"Natalie acts like she won't see you again," I said as Rose relieved me of Stinky. Rose ignored my statement and began tickling Stinky, making her smile and then laugh. It's hard to pry into a personal conversation when there is a laughing baby. I let it go and moved to the kitchen. Rose wanted to feed me one more time, and I wasn't going to miss it.

"I'm sorry I'm leaving you," I said as dinner wound down, "I don't see any way of staying without risking Stinky." The realization of my leaving was coming home to roost. It was most likely the last time I would ever see Rose. She would become a memory. A memory that would drive my future decisions.

"Stinky needs a new name," Rose laughed.

"She likes it," I said, knowing that Rose was changing the subject.

"Even Smelly would be better," Rose continued.

"She'll always be Stinky to me," I countered her control, "I don't want to leave." Rose sighed. She shifted Stinky on her lap and pushed her plate away.