A Warrior's Return by Guy Stanton III

better?” He asked and I nodded
yes.
    “Good!”
    He disappeared again and I waited for him to
come back. I noticed something then. The pillows, except for the
ones under my head, were all gone. Maybe he had used them for
Rafael’s bed in the other room.
    Talaric came back into the room with a
blanket and I looked up at him curiously. The room was warm, why
the blanket?
    He spread it out over me and then simply
said, “I’m leaving.”
    My heart stopped. I felt one arm slide under
the back of my thighs and the other the middle of my back as he
gently picked me up.
    “And you’re coming with me.”
    My eyes flew up to his and I started to
breathe again. I had died on his first statement and come back to
life on his second one. He stepped into the other room with me and
there was Rafael. He was practically jumping up and down in
excitement, which was how I felt inside.
    “We’re going to ride in an SUV!” Rafael
said, practically shouting it out in his ecstatic state.
    I didn’t care what we rode in. My joy was
that we were leaving this dump of a city and that we were leaving
it with Talaric.
    “Is there anything you want to bring with
you Evangelina?” Talaric asked.
    I looked around, but there was nothing.
Anything I had of value I had sold long ago.
    Absently I said, “Other than some clothes,
no.”
    “I packed you and Rafael some clothes and
I’ll buy new ones along the way.”
    Along the way to where I wondered, but I
didn’t ask the question. I really didn’t care.
    “You’re not a drug runner are you?” I asked
hurriedly upon seeing the shiny SUV parked along the street.
    “No!” He said chuckling.
    “I assure you all of my business dealings
are above board, from my perspective anyway. Others might have a
differing opinion depending on who you asked.”
    I didn’t understand what he meant, but I
trusted him and that was enough. Rafael opened the back door of the
SUV and I saw where all my pillows had gotten too. He had lined the
seat with them and piled the one side up with them as a back
support. Twisting he lifted me up and onto the seat. I lay
comfortably back against the built up pillows.
    “I know it’s going to be uncomfortable for
you, but I’ll try to avoid the bumps.” Talaric said sounding
apologetic.
    “I’ll be fine!” I hurriedly said.
    Rafael insisted on riding in the passenger
seat across from Talaric. We started out into the busy traffic of
the city.
    It was slow going as we had to wait for
people to clear out of the way. Vehicles were scarce these days and
many people stared at us curiously as we passed by. Talaric would
glance back at me from time to time and I would always smile back
at him. I think my smile got even brighter when the outskirts of
the city fell behind us completely. I was never going back!
    I could tell from Rafael’s vocal sounds and
the way his seat moved energetically that every moment was his next
best moment in life. It was the same way for me.
    Talaric gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Not because the road conditions demanded it, but rather it was an
attempt on his part to keep from turning and looking back at his
alluring backseat occupant.
    The first time he had glanced back to check
up on her she had given him a smile. A real smile. A beautiful
smile. The kind that he had wanted to inspire her to have, but it
was hard to prepare for their effect upon him and even harder to
look away from them. He’d swerved off the road several times
distracted by her smiling face.
    Oh what the heck! He glanced back again, but
she was asleep. The look of complete peace written all over her
sleeping features was almost as good as a smile though.
    He glanced over at Rafael and grinned. It
had all been too much for the little boy, who was fast asleep,
slumped against the side of his door. He studied them both for a
moment and had the distinct feeling that he was doing and being
used to accomplish something very special, but instead of feeling a
healthy burst of