The Saint of Carleton Estates

"Ah hahaha! I can make a burning joint into shitty fireworks!" Bobby stood, wavering a little, but getting upright and actually danced a little.

It took Brett and Coy a moment, but the idea hit them. "Bobby! We can use those like a flare to signal where we are!" Both whooped with the first good news in two days!

"How many we got Coy?" Bobby's eyes were wide.

"I rolled about a dozen. We got," he counted "Seven left." He handed the baggie with them to Bobby, followed by the lighter.

"OK, we gotta get out from under the trees. Brett, you stay here. Coy and I will go see what we can do."

Bret nodded and the two of them walked off into the dark.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Sir, we got a report of flares up on the hill."

The quiet camp came alive with the report, and the search teams were reactivated. Emmy had been sleeping in a heated van, but was gently woken and given the report that the Rangers were headed back up the hill immediately. They didn't have a precise location, but the general area was known and the rescue parties could be there within a little less than two hours.

Tears again filled Emmy's eyes, this time from her prayers being answered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"How many we got left?"

"Four," Bobby said, breathing hard, and coughing. "Should we do another?" The idea had worked better than expected, with each full joint getting several hundred feet of altitude before exploding in a large starburst. The more Bobby could concentrate, the higher the burst and the larger the explosion. But each of these sapped Bobby's already limited strength.

"Can you do another?"

"I can, but we gotta hope that there's someone lookin' for us to see them."

"We gotta have that hope Bobby. Are we gonna make it another night up here?" Bobby looked at him. They both quietly knew that even if they made it another night, they wouldn't make it through the next day.

"Give it to me." Bobby's voice quavered.

Bobby held the joint in one numbed hand and the lighter in the other. He bowed his head, and squeezed his eyes shut around the tears in them. He began to whisper as the wind rose from a breeze to a howl through the clearing, before all the air was suddenly sucked back out.

Seconds later, the sky exploded over head as if the sun had come to remove the night, once and for all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Jesus, what the hell was that?" For a second, the shadows cast along the hill where the lead Rangers were hiking were as prominent as if it were daylight.

"That way, they're about half a mile that way!" The team's urgency kicked in another level as they knew they were running out of time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The explosion in the sky rocked through the entire range and was heard across miles and seen even further. Emmy looked up from her place in the camp, and gasped.

"Bobby!" She knew it was only a matter of time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Rangers found Coy crouched over Bobby's form. Coy was panting, overcome with the realization that they were getting off of that fucking hill and going home. The Rangers began examining Bobby, who was alive but unresponsive.

"The third? Where is he?" Coy raised his arm and pointed. "Show us." Coy stumbled back into the trees to find Brett shaking. They were going to make it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It took almost another two hours for the rescue party to make it back down, as both Brett and Bobby needed to be carried. Bobby remained unconscious the entire time.

Ambulances were waiting, as the Rangers had called ahead. Brett was quickly stabilized, and his boot had to be cut from his foot. "Damn! I liked those boots, too."

Bobby's exam found him in severe dehydration and a thin and irregular pulse. Emmy tried to get to see him, but the EMTs were moving around him to get him ready for transport. "Bobby!" her wail was anguished and panicked. A small twitch of his fingers was the only response. His eyes never opened.

" 'Scuse us, Miss, we gotta go." The stretcher was raised and rolled to the first ambulance. "You want to ride with us?" Emmy sobbed as she grabbed her things and climbed in the back.

Once under way, she reached into the bag. She spread the baja blanket they had wrapped themselves in the last time they had made love across Bobby, hoping to keep him warm. The EMTs looked at each other but said nothing. Bobby's eyes fluttered open. Those pale blue eyes.

"Bobby!" Her voice was now a strangled moan, but in the back of the ambulance, it was more than enough. She reached to his cold hand and held it to her wet cheeks. He looked at her with the smallest of smiles at the corners of his lips, and gave a gentle squeeze before his eyes closed again. Alarms sounded on the machines mounted in the shelves beside the gurney.

"C'mon, buddy. Stay with us!" The EMT nudged Emmy out of the way, moving with practiced purpose and precision. She sat back down and felt the last bit of hope leave her. She bowed her head and prayed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bobby had left a will which had left all of his rather substantial savings to Coy, Brett and Emmy, allowing them to purchase their own units in the Estates, with Emmy taking over Bobby's place. Bobby had lived such a lean existence, saving all of his money and living off the bare minimum. There really was no limit to the surprises behind Bobby O'Malley, making this yet another of his small miracles.

It had taken a long time before Emmy had the strength to move into the unit, as the memories of Bobby and his sacrifice were initially too much of a burden to overcome. But the boys, and Benny, had helped her through. She felt there was a purpose to moving in, even if it were just carrying on his memory. But it didn't hurt that both Coy and Brett said they would help babysit after her child was born.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following spring, Brett hosted a barbecue to honor Bobby. His cast had finally come off a month earlier and his was still taking physical therapy sessions to restore mobility in his ankle. Both Coy and Brett did the planning, and had made sure that there were enough food and drink for everyone.

Far from a somber event, the party opened the warmer season at the Estates and word of the cause brought out hundreds of people, to honor the memory of someone who was just about average in all things, except where it counted.

Late in the afternoon, Brett unfolded a small beach chair and sat it near the small fire that had been lit. A blue baja blanket was unfolded and laid across the chair, covering the arms of the chair. It went unspoken that no one was to touch the chair, as it was occupied by the guest of honor. People just walked around the chair and the party continued on, as if the chair wasn't even there.

As the sun went down, Brett and Emmy were talking near the fire, when he noticed a fluttering in the blanket.

"What the ..."

"Brett?" Emmy turned, gasped and dropped her glass of juice. Both hands covered her mouth before she could scream.

The blanket over Bobby's chair was draped over someone sitting in the chair. But there was no one actually in the chair. But the shape under the blanket was clearly a figure, reclining as if asleep in the chair after an exhausting day. Clear outlines of two legs, a torso and two arms yet the phantom could not be seen.

The distress of Brett and Emmy had not spread yet; this must have just happened. Brett quickly but carefully went to the chair and looked around at the crowd and then at the chair. From above and all angles around the chair, it was the same - someone was in the chair with the blanket over them; he could look right down to the seat of the chair, which was indented as if it were carrying some kind of weight, about that of an adult. Looking around, and feeling as if he were losing his mind, Brett looked in the party goers around him to see if this was a sick prank and the jokers were laughing at him. But around him all he saw was only fun times and happy people telling stories, eating and listening to music.

He waved his hand through the space where the phantom's head would be. Nothing there.

A chill raced through his spine, as he looked at Emmy. She hadn't moved. Her eyes were saucers, white all around the edges.

Slowly Brett reached down and lifted the blanket off. It came away easily. It was just a blanket, after all. The chair itself was just a chair. There was no one sitting in it.

Brett walked over to Emmy. She was barely holding herself together. The two of them stood together, cheeks wet and they held each other, the blanket in between them.

After a moment, Emmy took the blanket and put it back inside her unit. She came back out to find Brett had a drink in hand for her.

"What the hell was that, Emmy?"

"I - I can't ... I don't ... Brett? What's wrong with us?"

"Jesus!" Brett cried.

Emmy turned and this time, she wasn't able to stay quiet.

The blanket was again draped over the form of a sleeping man, reclined in Bobby's beach chair. Yet there was no one under the blanket. All conversation stopped as the crowd looked at Brett and Emmy, and read their expressions. All their heads turned to see what they were looking at.

It was as if the entire party could now see what Brett and Emmy saw.

Cries of shock and fear rippled through the crowd. People recoiled away as if the chair would strike at them, like a wild animal. Others came to the perimeter to get a look at what the commotion was about.

"Who's doing this?" Brett shouted. "Who did this?" He turned, surveying the crowd. No one spoke. He walked to the chair, and again, took the blanket. This time, he took it to his unit. By the time he marched back to find Emmy, no one was paying any attention to him.

They were all silently looking at the blanket, draped across the sleeping man in Bobby's chair. The man who wasn't there.

"It just reappeared," Emmy whispered. Her eyes were wet, but she was no longer crying. She was smiling. "There was a gentle breeze, a pop, a charge in the air and then it was here." Brett's jaw hung open. Emmy sniffed, her nose running. "Oh Brett, I can smell him!" She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. "Oh, he's here with us!" Brett arms came up, holding her as the slow shock of Bobby O'Malley's final miracle came to him.

By now, Coy had made his way front and center from whatever girl he was trying to score with. It took a few second to have it explained to him, but he began to laugh. "Dammit Bobby, I'm never gonna get laid if you keep this up."

The three held each other, crying and laughing, their joy slowly filling the space around them, the rest of the crowd began to breathe and celebrate the loving gift of the Saint of Carleton Estates.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

People in the Estates were a humble bunch and they kept to themselves. In a way like, "things that happen in the Estates stay in the Estates". But that first party had a number of folks from outside the Estates who were a bit more ... chatty. Chatty about things that happened at that party. Things like miracles.

A few weeks later, the Estates hosted another party. Coy, Brett or Emmy weren't hosting; it was one of their neighbors. But since the boys and Emmy were now at the center of both the history and the spirit of the barbecues, they were recruited to be co-organizers. The chatty people had spread the word and this barbecue almost tripled the number of people attending. The festivities spilled over into multiple yards in the Estates and the parked cars of guests lined the street outside for hundreds of yards.

Two remarkable things happened. The first was that the party was a success. No one planned for such a crowd, so there was no kind of crowd control or extra sanitation or anything. The original hosts never intended to provide food and drinks for so many guests. But the people that came brought supplies. It just happened, as if they were compelled to provide. All those people behaved, despite being overcrowded and in some tight quarters. There was an air of politeness and camaraderie that everyone felt. There were no fights, no ill will, maybe a few hurt feelings here or there which were quickly repaired with honest apologies and kind words. It was as if there was a spirit of kindness watching over those who entered the Estates. Homes were opened to those who needed the restroom or just to lie down away from all the celebrating people. It happened as if it were planned, but everyone agreed that there was no plan.

The second remarkable thing was, of course, the blanket. The chair was put out near the barbecue and overlooking a firepit which had been made for the barbecue. There was no fanfare, no ceremony. Emmy just brought out the chair and blanket a little bit before sundown. And everyone just knew. There was a ripple through the crowd, unspoken and unannounced. Emmy and the boys raised their respective cans of cheap beer and saluted the empty chair, before putting their arms around each other. When they turned back, the blanket was sitting on top of a sleeping man whom no one could see. They could sense there was someone there. They could see the outline. The blanket, where the chest would be, rose and fell with a slow breathing cadence, as if someone were sleeping there.

But there was no one in the chair.

Attendees would later say that they knew that there would be a miracle at sundown and were compelled to witness it. Despite the party being held on one of the outer units in the Estates, the firepit, or more specifically the chair and blanket, became the center of the party. Every single attendee cycled through quietly and in a randomly organized manner to observe for themselves the shroud of the Saint of Carleton Estates. The vibe of the party and the good will among all was a testament to Bobby O'Malley, so he decided to appear and pay his respects to those folks who paid their respects to him. Or, at least that's what some folks said later on.

The party continued on in a happy and joyful manner, and all attending recalled it as one of the better and happier events of their lives. But it was just a party. There would be more over the summer, and to everyone there, it just seemed ... natural. Nothing to get too worried about.

However, someone attending was chatty and their talk got to places where people cared and worried about such things.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Five days later, serious looking men wearing anonymous looking suits and driving anonymous looking sedans appeared at the Estates. They knew exactly where to go. Emmy had not yet gone into Nell's for her shift, and there were few people back from work yet. So, the Estates were about as empty and as quiet as one would expect for a weekday early afternoon.

They knocked on the door to Emmy's unit, and when she answered, her belly prominent, they flashed serious looking badges and a written order from a judge located several states away. They were there for the baja blanket and there better not be any trouble.

A pregnant Emmy was hardly any trouble. She cried and protested that they couldn't take Bobby's blanket. But really, what was she going to do? They had latex gloves and specimen bags ready when they walked into Emmy's as if they owned the place. Minutes later, the serious men in the anonymous sedans were speeding on their way, away from the Estates, carrying a blue baja blanket sealed in an air-tight container, and leaving a crying and very shaken Emmeline Brown. Emmy called Coy and Brett.

The serious men took the container with the blanket to a private airport a few towns over. From there it was flown to small, very secure airfield just outside of Rachel, Nevada. The container was escorted by heavily armed soldiers into a very deep hole in the ground where there were a lot of metal, a lot of doors with big locks on them, and many scientists walking around doing research on other things that may or may not have been miraculous. Their work was a part of a project called GOLDEN HALO. They were very, very interested in the blanket.

At about the time the plane was landing in Nevada, the boys came by Emmy's place immediately after they returned from work. There was much discussion about "They can't do that!" and "Who do they think they are?" but the more they talked, the more they realized, they had no idea where they could even get the blanket back from.

All three mourned again, this time for the loss of their own personal miracle, Bobby's last.

Word spread through the Estates about the taking of the blanket, and for the first time in weeks, there was a somber mood throughout the trailer park.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That Saturday, Coy knocked on Brett's door at around lunch time, greeting him with a "Fuck this. Let's have a party anyways." So, after making a few calls they met at Emmy's. Benny joined them, along with some neighbors and a few guys from the construction crew and a nice, informal barbecue was held outside Emmy's. Despite what had happened, and what had been taken from them, there was laughter, fun, music and food. A small crowd, together and united in the face of loss but always grateful for the company of each other.

Towards dusk, Emmy got a little emotional. She blamed the pregnancy hormones, but everyone knew exactly what she was upset about. Brett looked around and realized what was missing. He walked into Emmy's and came out with a small beach chair. He set it up near the small fire that they had. This was a bit of normalcy after an abnormal week, and everyone felt a bit better when Emmy started laughing about how that couldn't be taken away by anyone.

At sundown, there was a puff of wind blowing through the Estates and all the folks around the fire felt a little tickling in their ears. Brett gasped and Emmy outright screamed as there was a blue baja blanket draped over the chair Brett had put out, covering someone sleeping in the chair. Someone who wasn't actually there.

Well, let's just say that there was some wild celebrating at the Estates that went well into the night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few days later, serious men in anonymous cars appeared again at the Estates. Again, they knew right where to go. They still had badges and signed papers again. They also had some threatening words for Emmy as to how she stole back the item they had come for.

She let them into her place with a smirk, saying "I have no idea where you clowns even took it, so how could I take my own property back?" The serious man didn't have an answer. Answering that wasn't his job.

They were on their way in minutes, and Emmy called Coy and Brett.

"Party on Saturday?"

"Yup."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The serious men were back again the next week. Emmy laughed at them as she handed them the blanket. They were extremely upset and were making threats to arrest everyone in the Estates and bulldoze the entire lot. Emmy laughed harder at them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the serious men came back the following week, they brought a very serious man in a military uniform with a whole bunch of ribbons and gold stars on it, and another man, much kinder looking and wearing glasses. Emmy asked them in for coffee before they took the blanket. The kind man said "Thank you" and brought the military man in with him. None of the other serious men came inside.

The kind man introduced himself as Dr. Paul Romano and asked about Emmy's baby. He was very polite and seemed to be happy to speak with Emmy. After the polite talk, Dr. Romano ("Please call me Paul") asked Emmy if she knew why he was there. She said that he was there for the blanket.

"No, I'd like to talk to you about Bobby O'Malley." Emmy smiled. She could talk about the man she loved. So, she did.

"Emmy, what do you know about the blanket." She told Paul what she knew, and described it at the last thing to touch Bobby when he died.