20. Maverick

20

Maverick

I looked around in disbelief—everything was underwater. The Amish had taken refuge in the few motels in town. Spotting Daniel, I ran over to him.

"I can't find a vehicle, and Rebecca and the baby are still at home," I said, my anguish clear in my voice.

"Why are they still there? There's nothing but water! Let's get a boat and go as far as we can. I can't believe she stayed behind. She told Kevin she'd leave if the rain got worse."

"It's my fault. I thought I'd be back in a couple of hours. I told Rebecca to go up into the attic with food and water. I really believed I'd make it in time. It took forever to get here."

We managed to find a boat, took it to the point where the water was too deep to drive, and climbed in. I scanned the horizon. "Where did all this rain come from?"

"The skies opened up and didn't stop," Daniel replied. "It's never been like this in this part of Ohio. I hope Rebecca and the baby are safe," he added, his brow furrowed.

Daniel took the helm as we navigated through the flooded landscape. My mind could only focus on one thing: Rebecca and Matthew.

"How much farther?" I asked, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

"We're still an hour out," he replied, just as we heard barking.

"Rhonda!" I shouted, looking around. "Rhonda! Chewy!" I called again, my voice straining until I finally spotted them running along the mountain ridge. How did they get up there?

"They must be looking for help," Daniel said.

Rhonda jumped into the water, swimming a short distance before returning to the mountain and barking frantically. She wanted me to follow.

"I'll go with Rhonda. You stay with the boat," I said urgently.

"Let me get you closer to land," Daniel agreed.

I ran alongside Rhonda and Chewy, my lungs burning, but I kept pushing forward. "Rebecca! Rebecca, where are you? Please answer me!"

"Maverick!" Daniel called, pointing to the barn's roof, now visible in the distance. We were on our property.

"Rebecca!" I yelled again. Rhonda barked, guiding me toward a large tree, its branches barely above the water. "That must be the tree near our house. Oh God, please let them be okay," I whispered.

"Rebecca, are you in the tree?"

"Yes, but hurry! This tree's about to give way—I keep hearing it crack!"

"Daniel, can you get the boat closer?" I shouted.

"There are too many branches!" he yelled back.

"I'm going to jump and make my way over to you," I called to Rebecca.

"When you're close enough, I'll pass the baby to you," she said. "You can get him to Daniel and then come back for me."

I finally reached her, leaning down to kiss her quickly. "I love you," I whispered. Taking the bag from her, I opened it to find the baby fast asleep, perfectly dry. I secured the bag over my head and shoulder, then leaped back to the mountain.

Daniel wasted no time moving toward me. As soon as I handed him the bag, we heard the sound of the tree cracking.

"Maverick!" Rebecca screamed as the tree began to collapse. I dove into the water, searching for her as she went under, tangled in the branches.

I reached for the tree, trying to find her, but something slammed into my side, nearly knocking me off.

"Maverick, I love you. Go back to the baby," she pleaded.

"Not a chance!" I shouted, ignoring her. I wouldn't leave until she was safe in my arms.

I climbed through the branches, almost reaching her when the tree flipped, and she disappeared underwater again. I held on tight, refusing to let go as I dove under, frantically feeling around. The water was murky—impossible to see through—but then I saw her hand shoot up, grasping a nearby limb.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She gasped for air, coughing and choking as I held her close.

"We have to get out of here, sweetheart. The tree won't hold much longer. It's going to flip again. Hold my hand. Can you swim?"

"Yes," she said, her voice steady despite the situation. "I'll follow you. Don't worry—I'm right behind you."

"No, you'll be right ahead of me," I said. She was wearing that long dress, which must have been tangled around her legs. I untied her Kapp, loosening it from where it was tied under her chin, but I didn't remove it. Then I lifted her dress and used her apron to tie it around her waist so she could move more freely.

"Thank you. This is much better. I love you so much," she cried.

"Let's get our baby," I replied, kissing her. "I love you too, sweetheart."

We pushed away from the tree, and I heard the boat approaching. As soon as I saw Daniel holding a crying Matthew, a surge of adrenaline powered me forward. I quickly lifted a sobbing Rebecca into the boat. She wasted no time taking Matthew into her arms.

I pulled myself into the boat as Rebecca moved to the back to feed Matthew. I untied her dress so she wouldn't feel embarrassed. Then I wrapped my arms around my wife and son as she fed him. Matthew glanced up at me, a smile forming as milk trickled down the side of his mouth.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I wiped them away, while Rebecca let her own tears flow freely down her cheeks.

"We almost didn't make it," she whispered, her voice trembling. "We were moments from dying. I was trying to figure out where I could leave Matthew so someone might find him floating down the river." She broke down, crying into my shoulder, and I held her tightly.

"We're all together now, sweetheart," I reassured her. "I couldn't find a plane until I ran into some storm chasers I knew, and they brought me here. From now on, we'll be together. No more jobs. I'll take care of the schedules, and I'll stay with you and the baby."

When we got back to the truck, we loaded the boat and headed to town. My brother Shane Sarra's husband Reaper were waiting there. Rebecca saw them and started crying again. I knew she was afraid they had come to take me away for another job.

"You left some pretty worrying messages, and then we heard nothing. What the hell happened?" Shane asked. "Let's get into dry clothes and a room before you explain." He pointed to my suitcase sitting nearby.

"There are no rooms," Shane said, glancing at us. "Do you have dry clothes, Rebecca?"

"If we still have the bag Matthew was in, I put a few things in there. I tried to pad it as much as I could in case he got jostled."

"I can't wait to hear this story," Reaper added. "We've got a room closer to the airport."

"Here's your bag, Rebecca," Daniel said, handing it over.

"Daniel, thank you for helping me save Rebecca and Matthew. I couldn't have done it alone. I'll owe you forever."

"You don't owe me anything," Daniel replied. "I'm just glad I could help. Rebecca, I'm so sorry about your property. You were smart to climb to the top of the tree. Your family would be proud of you."

"Thank you, Daniel," Rebecca said softly. She still looked heartbroken. "Were all the homes in the community destroyed?"

"A few only got a few feet of water, but most are underwater."

"I don't understand," Rebecca said, shaking her head. "Nothing like this has ever happened here—not in the hundred and fifty years my family has owned the property. I'm just so relieved Matthew wasn't hurt."

"Yes, we were lucky to get some warning about the flood," Daniel said. "I wish I had checked on you earlier. We could have had you leave with us."

"Thank you," Rebecca said, her voice still heavy with sorrow.

"Why don't we all go to the mountain until the water recedes?" Shane suggested. "Daniel can let you know when it's safe, and we can get a cleaning crew in to help."

"That's a great idea," I said quickly, before Rebecca could refuse. I knew she wanted to stay until the water went down, but that could take months.

She didn't respond. "Let's just find a place to change our clothes," she finally said.

"You can use the room we got," Shane offered. "There's a shower too. I'm sure you'll want to wash your hair."

"Yes, I do. Thank you, Shane," Rebecca replied, glancing at me with a look of quiet devastation. I knew losing everything passed down through her family was weighing heavily on her.

I pulled her close. "Maybe we can save some of your family's furniture and belongings."

"Maybe," she said, her voice unsure. "But I don't know if I ever want to go back there."

"Why not?"

"Because that place has brought me nothing but heartache. First, my parents were murdered because of that property. Then I stayed too long, trying to save family heirlooms by moving them to the attic. My baby would have died if you hadn't come when you did. We'd both be dead right now."

"Sweetheart, I know how scared you were. I was scared too. Let's talk about this when you've had time to calm down."

"All right."