Page 26 of Their Little Foursome

Squatting down, Lori looked under the leaves piled up at the base of the tree. She didn’t find Blake, but when she started to stand, a broken twig caught her eye and then another. Clutching the stuffies, she followed the trail, slipping on fallen leaves as theground began to slope downward. Dropping to her bottom, she put the stuffies in her lap and used her hands to brace herself as she scooted down the hill. With both stuffies under one arm, she used her free hand to brush off the back of her dress. She bent down to pick a twig out of her shoe and suddenly froze.

She heard a low humming sound. Instantly thinking of bees, she cautiously looked up, praying she’d not discover a nest of hornets above her, annoyed she’d disturbed their day. Nothing but leaves stirred in the trees, but she knew she’d heard it.

“Blake?”

The next sound she heard was not one of bees but was the whimper of a wounded animal… or of a frightened Little.

Please, please, please, let me find you.

Moving slowly and as quietly as she could, Lori walked in the direction she’d heard the sound. When she saw him, she yelled, “Blake!” as she pushed her way through a clump of bushes. She gave a sharp yelp as a pigtail her Daddy had so carefully plaited caught on the branch. Yanking it free, she left the pink ribbon to blow in the breeze as she continued to push deeper in order to reach him. He was curled up on his side, his head between his arms as if warding off a blow. Soft mutters she couldn’t understand came from him.

“Blake?” This time she whispered, not wanting to frighten him, yet he flinched and her heart lurched. What had scared him so badly?

Lori knew about being scared, knew about wishing she were invisible. But also remembered praying that someone would come, the emptiness she’d felt when realizing she was truly alone. “You don’t have to be scared. You’re not alone. I’m here.” When she heard his moan, she leaned closer and as carefully as she could, tucked the Power Ranger under his arm. “You dropped your stuffy, but he was brave and found me and brought me to find you.”

She held her breath, watching as his arms loosened their grip around his head. A hand dropped, fingers searching. Leaning forward, Lori pushed the stuffy a bit closer and when Blake’s fingers found it, watched as he pulled it to his cheek. Tears burned in her eyes, recognizing the comfort he desperately sought. Words she’d heard that night came back to her without hesitation.

“I promise, you’re going to be okay. Don’t move. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” She kept repeating them, remembering the disbelief she’d felt when she’d heard them, the hope she’d felt when he’d gently brushed a hand against her arm.

“That night you?—”

“I tried, I swear. I’m so sorry.” His words were soft but tore at her heart as if he’d shouted them. “Couldn’t… I-I didn’t keep my promise.”

Tears dropped on her fingers as she reached down, brushing against the stuffy but not trying to move it as she laid her palm against Blake’s cheek. “You did, Blake. You came for me when no one else did. You saved me. You did keep your promise. Please, Blake, please open your eyes.”

Blue fur absorbed falling tears as Lori kept repeating that he’d kept his promise, that she was okay, that he’d saved her, that it was all over, that the bad guys were gone, it was safe to come out.

Wiping her dripping nose with her sleeve, she gasped at the realization that his eyes had opened.

“Emerald… how? How are you here?” Long eyelashes dampened by his own tears closed to rest on his cheeks.

“No! Don’t go. Wake up, Blake!” This time when she shook his shoulders, she wasn’t so gentle. “You can’t do this to me. You have to talk to me. Damn it, Blake, you have to wake up!”

His eyes opened again. “You’re really real? I’m not… not dead? Not dreaming?”

Dead?

Taking a bit of his arm between her fingers, she pinched him.

“Ow! Why did you pinch me? That hurt!”

Lori shrugged and smiled. “Quickest way to convince you you’re not dead. Or dreaming!”

Blake moved to rub at the spot and seemed to realize he was holding a stuffy. “Scott?”

“Is that his name? He helped me find you, you know. Well, he and Fauna.” She held up the pink doll. “She’s a Powerpuff.”

Confusion clouded Blake’s eyes, but at least he was awake and seemed to be coming back from wherever he’d gone.

“I’m sorry I pinched you.”

“It’s okay,” Blake said as he began to unfurl his legs. “I thought you were an angel.”

“Me?” Her pigtails swung as she shook her head. “Nope, not even close.” Looking down at him, she smiled. “The only angel here is you.”

“I’m no angel.”

The sadness in his voice hung between them until Lori flung herself against him the moment he sat up. “Yes, you are.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him as hard as she could. “I’ve been waiting forever to find you, to thank you.”

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