Tidal Wave 7 The Body

The storm was beginning to let up, almost magically so, she knew Darya would ask too many questions if she saw her mother dragging a limp body into the house but she couldn't just leave him out here either. The rain was stopping and the clouds began to recede slightly, just enough for her to tell Darya to run to Marty's house or something. She just needed to cover Dane's body up until she left.

Finding a tarp under the house she quickly covered him up after making sure his head and other important things were secure. Standing up quickly she walked back into the house where Darya was sitting in wait on the couch and when her mom walked into the house she rushed over to her.

"The storm is letting up, is everything okay out there?" Darya asked, concern laced in her voice.

"Actually, it was just a small boat that struck the house. If you want you can go see Marty." She quickly suggested as she walked to her room with her cell phone. She dialed Ramon's number but when the line picked up it was Michael that answered.

"Denise, what can I do you for? Did you hear that storm?" He asked while she watched Darya getting ready to head over to Marty's house.

"I actually wanted to see if we could do a trade. Darya for the two of you? I need some help with a project and Darya wants to go to your house." She asked as she bit her nails in antic.i.p.ation.

"Of course, we actually just go out from under the covers, that thunder was no joke! But yeah we can help you. What's the project?" He asked as she paced the floor. Darya was nearly ready and heading for the door when Denise jumped in front of it.

"Use the back door sweetie. It was a boat that hit the house and I don't want you stepping on a piece of the broken wood. Michael and Ramon are coming over while you're over there to help me move the debris." She hoped her quick jump didn't frighten Darya but she took the bait for the back door as she wanted.

"Okay, be careful mom. There are probably nails and stuff." She warned as she fastened her backpack and headed for the back door.

Denise let out a big, held breath and watched her leave out the back door. Remembering she was on the phone she put it back to her ear and finished her conversation.

"Sorry Mike, I just really need your help. Darya can't know what's going on. Please get here quickly." She hung up without saying another word. Putting her coat back on she walked outside and ran down the wet stairs to the tarp-covered man laying on the ground at the bottom of the stairs. She pulled it up again and stared at his almost perfectly sculpted face. Her thoughts were broken when she heard the men walking up to the house.

"Denise...You have a lot of explaining to do." Ramon said as they walked up to her where she squatted by the body.

"It was the storm, he was thrown over here by something, I don't even know how it happened! But there's something worse." She said while standing up. She looked at them both in the eyes and said the one thing that would make both their mouths drop.

"I think this is Dane." She rushed out while she looked at the two of them and their mouths that hit the floor in shock.

"You think that's your daughter's father? You THINK?!" Michael began to yell which made her jump slightly since she was used to his calm speaking tone and not this wild manner.

"How did this happen, Denise? How?" Ramon came in with a calmer tone which made Denise relax slightly. She didn't know how this happened and she didn't know how even begin explaining what happened.

"There was this big sound, we thought the storm threw a boat or something but I came out here and my flashlight landed on his unconscious body. I turned him over to see if he was still alive and then I saw his face. I know it's been fifteen years but he still looks the same, just a bit older. I need help getting him into the attic guest room so Darya doesn't see. If he wakes up then I'll tell her that he's a guest for a few nights or something." She was pulling ideas out of her a.s.s as the two men looked at her in confusion and a bit of pity.

"Do you think that you might be going a little crazy? How can this be your daughter's father? He just shows up in the middle of a storm? How does that happen?" Michael asked again trying not to sound like he was accusing her of something.

"I'm not crazy Mike, this is Dane and for some reason, he literally blew in with the storm. We need to get him upstairs. I'll take his feet, you two take the top half." She was serious and the more the two men looked at her the more they realized how serious she really was.

"Okay, but only for you. If this was anyone else, like that b.i.t.c.h Courtney from the kids' school who thinks her brownies are the best thing in the world then I would call the cops and walk away. But this is you...Our best friend Denise and we're going to help you get your baby daddy off the muddy ground and into your guest bed." Michael said with a smile and a huff.

All three of them bent down and picked him up in a quick motion. Hauling him up the outside stairs and then the inside ones, they made it all the way up to the attic guest room and before she could say anything, the three of them got him on the bed in all of his naked, mud and sand-covered body.

"c.r.a.p forgot he was dirty. Guess I'll be doing these sheets later. Thanks, guys, and please don' tell her anything yet I need to get my head straight." She stood at the end of the bed with her hands on her hips staring at the man that may or may not be dead in her guest bed.

"Did you even check his pulse?" Ramon asked. She forgot that he was a doctor sometimes and even with her small amount of medical training with her marine biology degree she would forget things at the moment.

"No, and my hands are shaking too much to do it." She said frankly.

"I've got it," Ramon said as he switched places with Michael. Laying two fingers on the side of his throat he watched the hands on his watch tick by while feeling for a pulse.

"It's there, faint, but there." Ramon stepped back to look at the unconscious man in the bed they shared only a month ago.

"What now, Denise? Are you just going to wait for him to wake up and say 'SURPRISE! You're back and you have a daughter!'" He said with a little too much enthusiasm.

"I'm not sure this is all a little too much for me. Dr. Todd, do you think he'll be okay?" She asked with a smirk.

"I think he may have hit his head, there's no blood so it may just be a b.u.mp. When he wakes up you need to bring him to my office and I'll check him out then. He's a bit cold, throw a blanket or something on him, plus he's naked and while I don't mind it but if Darya comes up here by accident that would be a different story."

"That's fair," Denise replied while grabbing a quilt from the closet and throwing it on the wet, dirty, naked man on her guest bed.

"Thank you, both for helping me. I'll keep you updated on what's going on. I think since the storm is clearing up the kids are going to go free diving so I'll keep an eye out for them from the window." She said like they didn't just help her drag a body up her stairs to her attic.

"Denise, you know we love you but you may be getting in a little over your head. But it's your choice and your family, just promise you'll be careful and call as soon as he wakes up. I seriously think he may need a CAT scan." Ramon said as he took Michael's hand in his when they headed for the door.

Denise stood there for a moment looking over Dane's body like it was the first night they spent together.

"What the h.e.l.l am I supposed to tell Darya?" She mumbled to herself then headed for the door to think about the story she was going to make up for the naked man in their house.