~Chapter 2 ~
“De… would you come in here a sec?”
Delana put the dish back in the soapy water and grabbed a towel to dry her hands. She made her way into the living room. When she got there she found the floor covered in small car parts.
“Alright… did the box throw up?” She said with a smile as she put her hands on her hips.
“Funny! No I just cant get this damn thing together right! It’s definitely the hardest one I’ve done.”
“So your admitting you finally met your match?”
“I did no such thing! I’ll get it!”
“Well why did you call me in here?”
“Uh… see the thing is… umm…”
“Spill it Harvick!”
“I need your help.”
Delana grabbed her heart in pretend shock.
“I don’t believe it! Kevin Harvick needs my help! Someone call the pope!” Her head whipped from side to side, pretending to actually be talking to people in the room.
“Well fine then… if you are gonna be like that….”
Kevin picked up the directions to his remote control car and stuck his nose in the booklet shutting her out of view.
“No no! What do you want?!
“Nope its too late.’ Kevin said from behind his booklet.
“KEVIN!!!” She marched around the small car parts and stood over him. “Come on!”
“No its ok.”
A second later Kevin had a wet towel thrown at his head. He couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled the lemon dish soap smelling rag off his head.
“Don’t laugh at me!! Tell me!?”
Kevin reached up and grabbed her by the waist, making Delana land into his lap.
“I don’t want to” he whispered while leaning closer to her. She could feel his warm breath on her neck.
“You are gonna get it! Ya know that?!”
Kevin’s eyebrows flew up. “What exactly am I getting?” he asked with a sly smile plastered on his face.
Delana smacked him in the arm after he playfully tangled it around her waist.
“Look don’t worry about what I was gonna say. Its not important. Don’t worry about it.” He gave her a soft kiss in hopes it would end the conversation.
“Don’t change the subject! It’s important if you care about it!”
“It’s ok! Your right… I’ve met my match…” Kevin’s lips again moved closer to her again and she shut her eyes in anticipation.
“… And its you.” He breathed before kissing her again. This time it was longer and harder, leaving Delana a tad breathless as they pulled away. It was obviously a way to shut her up and it did!
As they sat in each other’s arms, a loud sound shocked the couple.
“What the hell?” Kevin said while slipping out from underneath Delana. He stood up quickly. He grabbed for the closest “Weapon” he could find and headed out into the hallway. The glass Vase in his hand was poised high above his head.
“Kevin, be careful.” Delana yelled after him while lifting the cordless phone off the couch to be ready to call for help.
“Just stay back there.” He whispered back before turning the corner and disappearing from her view.
The rest of the house was dark as he made his way to the open front door. He peered out onto the silent street.
“What the hell is going on?” he said to himself while walking to the hallway light switch. As the hallway lit up he became aware that he wasn’t alone as two hands grabbed him from behind.
~~~
Delana heard the sound of the glass vase break into pieces and she shut her eyes as she let out a scream.
“Kevin?”
There was no answer, only the sound of footsteps getting closer. She swore under her breath and wished she never left the dogs out back.
The sound of footsteps got louder and louder as they got closer. Realizing she still had the phone in her hand, she could only think of one thing to do. Call someone. She dialed the first number that came to mind… But there wasn’t enough time.
As the phone started to ring, Delana dropped it in shock when she saw some on fall to the floor in the living room doorway.
“Oh my god! Kevin?!” she lunged forward to the body on the floor when someone stepped in front of her. She almost ran into the large chest but stopped her self just in time. The man in front of her was big and intimidating and she took a step back. He was wearing a ski mask but she could still see his brown eyes squint at her.
She looked back down at Kevin who was very much unconscious. He had glad fragments in his hair and tiny cuts on his face from the Vase.
She checked to make sure he was breathing and got her answer as she saw his chest rise and fall.
“You bastard!” She yelled at the masked man.
“What did you do to him?!?! Kevin?” She rushed forward and started punching the man in the chest and stomach but it had no effect. He grabbed her hands to stop her and threw her back a few steps. Then he slowly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope.
The masked man tossed it to her feet before spinning around and scooping up Kevin’s limp body.
“No! Where are you taking him?”
The man pointed to the letter and proceeded out the front door as a black van sped up.
“Kevin!!!! NO!!! You BASTARD!” She screamed out the door as she watched helplessly as the van took off with her husband inside.
Tears streamed from her eyes as she staggered back to the living room. Her knees hit the floor and she scrawled slowly to the letter. She ripped it open. As she read it her tears turned to sobs till she heard a voice in the room. It was faint but still there and she hushed herself enough to listen.
“D? Hello? Are you ok? Kevin? What the hell is going on!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delana crawled over to the phone she had dropped earlier and with trembling hands, lifted it up to her ear. The person on the other end heard the rustling in the phone.
“Hello??? Kevin? DELANA?!?! What the Fuck! Are you there?”
“D…Dale? She mustered a squeak.
“Delana!!! Jesus what the fuck is going on over there?! Are you two ok?”
“He’s gone…”
“Who is gone?”
“He’s gone.” She repeated herself.
“Kevin’s gone?”
“Y... yeah…”
“What happened Delana… you two have a fight?”
“NO! Jr. they TOOK HIM!”
“Who?!?!!”
“I don’t know…” Delana started crying again.
She heard a loud sigh on the other end and then some rustling.
“I’m on my way!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delana shook her head of the memories of that horrible night. She was back in Dale Jr’s car following the ambulance carrying her husband. They wouldn’t let her ride with him and it broke her heart. She wanted to be near him, to hold his hand. But by the look of him there was s small part of her that wanted to stay away. The sight of him scared her.
“He’ll be alright…” Jr’s voice broke into her thoughts.
She turned to the young Earnhardt who took his eyes off the road to look her in the eye.
“He will… “ He assured her again.
De just shrugged her shoulders and looked away. The car was silent the rest of the way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Let me in with him!” she screamed at the nurse who was blocking the entrance to the trauma room.
“Ma’am you cant be in there now! Please wait ok?”
“I’ve been waiting for two weeks!”
“De come on…” Dale said grabbing her by the arm.
“Don’t touch me!” she seethed at Jr. and immediately he let go putting his hands in the air in surrender and took a few steps back.
“I want to go in! I have a right!”
“FINE Ma’am! I’ll talk to the doctor!”
The nurse walked back through the door frustrated. Delana leaned her forehead into the glass of the ER doors. Her eyes watched her husband as he twitched and shook uncontrollably. Saliva came out of his mouth with every labored breath. The whites of his eyes were still visible through tiny slits. Suddenly Delana felt sick and she grabbed hermouth as she turned to run into the ladies room.
~~~
What little food she had consumed in the past 48 hours was now looking at her. She quickly flushed and sat down on the cool bathroom floor.
“Ya ok?” That familiar voice that had been her shadow since that day said to her from the stall doorway.
“Yeah.” She whispered. She curled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly.
“I was gonna hold your hair back but I was afraid you’d bite my hands off or something.”
She turned her head to look at the Bud driver to find a slight Earnhardt smirk. She couldn’t help her self and the corners of her mouth curled into a small smile.
“Thanks for the thought.”
“No problem. Now lets get you off the floor and get something in ya huh?” His hand extended to her but she just started at it.
“Come on…”
“I don’t think I can eat.”
“Yes you can and you will! Even if I have to feed it to you like a baby! Now lets go.”
“Yes dad” she replied and she took his hand.
Once she was standing she was taken aback when arms wrapped around her body and slowly rocked her. She couldn’t help it… She buried her head into his shoulder and to no ones surprise they both cried.
