Chapter 81: Guardian Angels

Jeff sat on the school bus, staring vacantly at the back of the seat in front of him. He felt literally sick from worry, wondering where his little sister could be.

He had to admit, he had been pretty much useless all morning. All he had done was sit and stare, trying to fight back the tears. Allison had broken down and cried, and only his father had managed to keep his head. Greg had immediately called the police, then the Williams house to see if she had spent the night with Crystal, then his work to tell them he wouldn't be coming in. Eventually even he broke down and began to weep though. Jeff had been shocked; except for the night Greg had discovered his children's affair, Jeff had never seen his father cry before.

Now Greg and Allison were out looking for Brit, but they had insisted that Jeff go to school because he couldn't do anything for her. He felt so helpless, but worse than that was the guilt. If only he hadn't tried to make her angry or jealous. Or if he had put on a good face for her birthday, or even just apologized last night. If he had done any of those, she would be sitting here beside him instead of lost and alone out there. The thought of never seeing her smiling face again almost made him want to scream.

Fortunately the rain had stopped and the clouds had mostly dispersed, but Brit had been out in it all night. He knew it was possible for someone to die of exposure in weather like that, especially someone small without a lot of fat to insulate them. And Brit was still kind of a skinny girl.

As soon as he arrived at school, he was greeted by the volleyball team.

"I told them all about what happened," Kari explained. "They said they want to help."

"We'll probably get detention for this," said Tracy, "but we're going to leave in a few minutes and start searching the town."

"Really?" he asked, in both surprise and gratitude.

"Absolutely. We told you we're your guardian angels, and that applies to your little sister too. We've all arranged transportation of one kind or another, and we've all got our cell phones so we'll keep in contact. Don't worry; we're going to find your sister."

"Thanks," he said with a weak smile. Tracy came over and hugged him.

When she stepped back, she glanced at Kari. "You stay here and take care of Jeff. I've arranged it so that for any class you don't share with him, one of the other girls who's in that class will come back for that time in case he needs us for anything. Oh, and Jeff, can we get the numbers of your parents' cell phones? I want to coordinate with them."

Jeff was too overcome with emotion and gratitude to speak, but he wrote the numbers down on a sheet of paper and handed it to her.

All through his first class he felt sick with worry. He tried to keep it in as much as possible, but finally broke down crying. There were a few snickers from some of his classmates, but he didn't care. Mr. Greenville stopped his lecture and asked if it was another headache, but Jeff blurted out that his little sister had gone missing and he was worried about her. A silence fell on the class then; no doubt those who had laughed at him were feeling guilty about doing so.

"Miss Williams, would you be so kind as to take Jeff to the nurse's office?" asked Mr. Greenville. "I think he needs a place where he can be alone for a while."

Kari nodded, and put a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Jeff," she said quietly.

He allowed her to lead him to the nurse's office. Kari explained the situation, and Mrs. Browning let them go into the back room. Jeff lay down on the cot, and Kari sat by him without saying a word, her eyes filled with pity.

Jeff was grateful to have someone like her to help him through his tough times. She had stuck with him after Brit and Jeff had been found out, even though he gave her no sign that he even wanted to be around her. For months she had stayed loyal without asking for a single thing in return.

"Thank you, Kari," he told her. "I don't deserve someone like you."

"Oh, hush," she replied. "Let's have no talk like that. I love you, Jeff."

"I love you too, Kari. I'm just sorry I haven't shown it lately."

"It's all right. You're just going through a hard time right now. If I were to leave you just because things aren't going so well, I'd be missing out on so much in the future."

"But what if we never find Brit? What if she's ... what if she's dead?"

"Don't say that, Jeff! Don't even think of things like that. I'm sure she's just fine, wherever she is. I'll bet your parents or my friends find her before the day is out."

"But the storm last night. She was always afraid of storms. To think of her out there, unprotected from it ... I can't stand it!"

"I know. You care for her deeply. I'd probably be the same way if it were Crystal out there. But right now there's nothing you can do, so try not to think about it."

That was easier said than done. He expected the nurse to come in at any minute and say, "They found your sister's body." Those words echoed over and over in his mind, terrifying him. What would he do if it happened? If only it were him out there alone in the cold instead of Brit. He would gladly let the storm take him, if it would mean Brit came home where it was safe. Why, Brit? he wondered. Why did it have to be you?

Half an hour later, the nurse entered the room, just like he had imagined. He could still hear those words in his head, as clearly as if she spoke them. When she opened her mouth, he dreaded what would come out.

"Good news," she said. Jeff started crying in relief even before the nurse could explain the situation to him.

"Erica Bryant found your little sister. Your father's with her right now."

"See, Jeff?" Kari said. "I knew my friends would come through for you." Then she turned back to the nurse. "Is she all right?" she asked for him, as he was too emotional even to speak.

"She's fine. A little cold and scared, but nothing that a hot bath won't cure. The only problem is, she refuses to come home. Jeff, your stepmother's on the way over here to pick you up and take you to her. She seems to think that you might be able to convince her."

"Thank you," he managed to say between his sobs.

"It's all right," she smiled, then left the room.

Kari hugged him then, whispering comforting words in his ears. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't know what she said, only that it felt nice to hear them.

A couple of minutes later Kari's cell phone rang. She put it to her ear. "Hello?" she said. "Yes, I heard. Erica found her. Are you coming back? Yeah, he's fine. Just a little shaken up right now. We're in the nurse's office. What's that? Yes, his stepmom's coming to pick him up. You guys should get back to school. If you hurry it'll only be first period and part of second period that you miss. Okay, bye." She hung up.

"That was Tracy," she explained. "She's just calling everyone to make sure we know Brit was found."

Jeff suddenly threw his arms around Kari and hugged her tightly. "This is for you and all of your friends. Especially Erica." Kari held him to her, not saying a word.

They were still sitting there like that twenty minutes later when Allison opened the door and stepped through.

She immediately hurried over and threw her arms around him. Kari stepped back, letting him cry on her shoulder. Right now he just needed a mother to comfort him.

Once they broke apart, Allison took his hand. "Brit's all right, but we need your help. Kari, thanks for staying with Jeff. Why don't you go back to class? We'll call you tonight and let you know how it works out."

Kari hugged her, then the three of them left the room.

Allison and Jeff made their way out to her car. She started it up, and then they drove in the direction of the city. Jeff was shocked at just how far Brit had traveled. She must have been walking all night! They followed the road until Jeff spied their father's car on the side of the road near an open field by a large billboard. Allison pulled over behind the car, and they hurried toward the billboard.

The first thing Jeff saw was Greg standing there, staring down at something on the ground. Then he realized that that something was Brit! She lay there in the dirt, facing away from them with her arms wrapped around one of the poles suspending the billboard.

"As soon as I tried to pick her up, she grabbed hold of that pole and wouldn't let go," Greg explained as soon as they arrived. He looked tired and haggard, even a little frightened. "We could force her, but Allison says if she doesn't come home willingly, she'll just resent what we've done, and she'll run away again. I think..." He sighed in resignation. "I think you're the only one who can convince her."

Jeff nodded, then knelt down beside her. He ran his hand through her hair, but she pulled away. Then he leaned over, brought his head down, and nibbled on her earlobe.

Brit burst out laughing. Greg and Allison stared in surprise. "I don't believe it," Greg breathed.

"Let's go home, Brit," said Jeff.

"No!" she insisted.

"Come on. You must be freezing."

"I don't care."

Jeff lay down on the cold, hard ground behind her, put an arm around her and hugged her to him. Greg took a step forward, but Allison placed a hand on his, giving him a look warning him not to interfere. He hesitated, then stepped back.

"You're soaking wet," said Jeff, "and you're shivering like crazy. You're going to catch pneumonia out here."

"I'm not going back," she stubbornly insisted.

Allison suddenly turned around and jogged back to the car. When she returned, she had the blanket that they kept in the trunk for emergencies. She knelt down and spread this over the two children. Brit sighed.

"Won't you at least tell us why you ran away?" asked Jeff.

"It's your fault!"

"Mine?" he asked, taken aback.

"Yesterday at my party, you just stayed in your room the whole time and wouldn't come down. It was my birthday, Jeff! But you didn't even say happy birthday to me!" She began to sob again.

Jeff's eyes filled with tears as well. "Oh, Brit, I'm so sorry!" he said. "If I had realized it would hurt you this much, I wouldn't have done it. I was just sulking because ... because I've seen how affectionate you are with Dad, and I got jealous. I miss how you used to be that way with me. Please come home, Brit. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"How? Everything you could do to make me feel better, you're not allowed to do, remember?"

"I know, but I'll find a way. I love you, Brit. Please come home."

"I can't go home. Things are just going to be the same, and I hate it there. Even though I know you love me, I can't just keep going on like that. I can't stand being near you and not being able to touch you, Jeff. Please don't make me go back to that."

"Okay," he said soothingly. "If you'll be happier running away, then that's fine. Just tell me one thing."

"What?"

"Where are we going?"

Brit's eyes went wide. "What did you say?" she asked.

"You've made up your mind not to come home, and I don't want to either if you're not there. So there's only one thing to do. I'm coming with you. Wherever you go, I'm going too."

"But Jeff--"

"Do you think I'd just leave you alone? If you're going to run away, then I'm going to run away with you. I promised I would protect you. I even said I would give my life for you, don't you remember?"

"I remember."

"So how can I look after you if you leave me home?"

Greg had to look away. His emotions were too conflicted right now. He hadn't seen before just how good Jeff was for Brit. If not for the fact that they were related, Greg would have been overjoyed to have Jeff date his daughter. Here was a boy who was strong, and gentle, and kind to her. On the other hand, that kind of relationship between them was impossible.

"So you never answered my question. Where are we going?" asked Jeff.

"I don't know," Brit replied. "Some place warm."

"How about Hawaii?" asked Jeff. "We could lie out on the beach all day soaking up the sun, then at night we could rest in a hot tub. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"I like hot tubs," Brit commented.

"Me too. It's too bad we can't go home and get into the tub right now."

"You're trying to trick me," she said.

"Yes I am. Is it working?"

Brit actually giggled at that.

"So you're off to Hawaii?" asked Greg. "Okay, I'll call for the plane tickets right now."

Brit turned her head to stare at him. "You mean ... you mean you don't want me to come home?"

"Of course I do," Greg replied. "I'll probably cry the whole time you're gone, but I'd rather see you happy. If you think running away to Hawaii will make you happy, then I'm willing to give you up. But only if you have Jeff to look after you."

"You would really cry for me?"

"I started crying all this morning after you turned up missing, and I don't think I stopped until we found you."

"I'm so sorry, Daddy. I didn't know."

"It's all right, Angel, now that I know you're safe."

"We all cried for you," said Allison.

"Even Jeff?" asked Brit.

"Absolutely," said Jeff. "I was so worried that I had to go to the nurse's office."

"Really?"

"Really. Remember how scared you were when I hit my head on the stairs and knocked myself unconscious?"

"Yes."

"Well, I was ten times as scared for you this morning. You're my little sister, and I don't think I could survive if anything ever happened to you."

"I'm so sorry, Jeff."

"It's okay. As long as I can be with you to look after you, I don't care where we go. I don't know how we'll get money to eat or pay for a place to stay, but just being with you so I can protect you is enough for me."

Brit hesitated for a minute, just lying there with her brother's arm around her. "Jeff?" she asked.

"Yes, Brit?"

"I want to go home now."

Jeff rose up to a kneeling position, then slid his hands under her and lifted her into his arms. He stood then, letting her rest against his chest. He followed Greg and Allison back to the car, and by the time they reached it Brit was asleep. She probably hadn't slept all night because of the storm.

"Greg, if you don't mind, I'd like to ride home with you," said Allison. "We can come back and pick up my car later."

Greg nodded.

"Is it all right if I ride in the back with you two?" asked Allison, and Jeff nodded. He managed to slide into the seat with Brit still in his arms, and Allison went around and climbed in the other door. Jeff let Brit spread out on top of both of them, her head resting in Allison's lap and the blanket still covering her. Greg started the car and they began the drive home.

For a while nobody said anything. This had been an emotional experience for all of them. It was Greg who finally broke the silence.

"Jeff, I'm very proud of you," he said. "This is the third time you've saved Brit's life."

"Actually it's only the second," Jeff replied. "The first one Brit just made up. You know what kind of imagination she has."

Greg laughed. "Okay, so it's the second time. Still, I'm in your debt. I don't think I can ever repay you fully for what you've done."

Jeff glanced down at the girl sleeping in his arms. "I'll be honest. There's only one thing I want, and I know it's something I can never have."

"I know," said Greg. "It's hard for you both. Just so you understand, I think you're wonderful for her. I hope some day she finds someone just like you to marry. If you weren't her brother, I'd give your relationship my blessing. But you understand, this can never be."

Jeff nodded.

"Tell you what. She's been through a lot, and I think she needs you right now. It's okay with me if she wants to sleep in your bed tonight. Just make sure you keep your clothes on, and don't ... you know."

"Thanks, Dad. I think she'll appreciate that."

As soon as they reached the house, Jeff climbed out of the car and carried Brit to the door. She woke up and glanced around.

Allison hurried and unlocked it, and Jeff carried her inside. Instead of heading over to the living room or even up to her bedroom though, he started down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Brit asked.

"You'll see," he told her.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, he crossed the rec room toward the bathroom at the far end. He slipped inside it, then out the other door into the alcove. There he slipped off his shoes and pulled the blanket off of Brit. As he ascended the steps to the hot tub, Brit gasped, "You wouldn't dare!" She managed to kick off her shoes at the last minute, realizing that he was serious.

"Oh wouldn't I?" he asked, then plunged into the water with her. She squealed and laughed and struggled to get away, then finally gave up and let him hold her there in the water.