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I had been pacing the living room, wondering where Liam was up until then. It had been a while since I’d finished lighting the candles and putting the wood next to the stove, and I wondered what was taking him so long.
Our phones had also died while I was waiting, so I now had no idea what time it was or how many minutes had passed.
At one point, I looked outside and saw his flashlight moving in the dark, so I knew he was still out there. But that had been some time ago.
And my fear of a stranger being outside had returned, especially now with the added pings of the rain hitting the windows.
I cautiously went to the sliding glass door and looked outside, scared a creepy face was going to pop up in my view.
But there was no one.
Instead, I saw a beam of light on the floor of the deck.
Is that Liam’s flashlight?I scanned the area.Where is Liam?
My heart started pounding, as I knew something was wrong.
Bracing myself for the cold, I opened the door.
“Liam?” I called out.
I turned my head slowly from side to side, trying to listen for him to answer.
When I didn’t hear anything, I stepped out farther and yelled his name louder.
Suddenly, I heard a noise. I wasn’t sure if it was my name or what, but it was coming from below.
I ran to the flashlight, picked it up, and shone it down below.
“Liam,” I screamed when I saw him.
He was at the bottom of the stairs. His face was pale, and his hair looked wet.
I scrambled down to the bottom of the stairs, almost forgetting how cold it was, worried that he had injured himself somehow.
“Oh my God, are you okay?”
“Cold,” he said. “Fell. In the. Creek.”
“Oh God.”Poor Liam.
I looked up the stairs and back at Liam. He had several inches on me and who knew how many pounds.
“I can’t carry you up there. If I help, can you walk?”
He seemed to think about it, and then he nodded.
After what felt like forever, he finally made it to his feet. He wrapped an arm around me and clasped the other to the railing.
“Ooh,” I couldn’t help saying.
He was wet and freezing against me, which was a surprise because it was already cold outside.
“Okay. One foot at a time. I’ll go as slow as you need me to.” Inside, I prayed he would be able to go fast. I worried there would be two of us outside, dying from hypothermia.
Liam nodded and took his first step.
“Good job. Keep going.”
