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HOME'S WHERE THE HEART IS written by Multi-Facets 0xxxx)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>j>
This was all Tigrr Wildcat's idea. I just ran with it.
The Guthrie family in order of age:
Mrs. Guthrie (natch)
Sam
Paige
Joshua
Elizabeth
Jeb
Mary
Samantha and Isiah (pronounced Eye-say-ah) the twins.
As of now, a Gen Xer is flying the friendly skies....
After the airplane leveled out at 20,000 feet, the Generation X member Paige Guthrie, aka Husk, furiously smacked the strawberry-flavored gum she had purchased at the airport snack bar, hoping to make her ears "pop" back to normal. When they didn't, Paige heaved a sigh and decided to ignore the problem. Besides, she had more pressing problems than ear trouble. Oh Momma, I wish I knew how sick you really are, she fretted. This is the last time I rely on Sam for information I can count on. As if I didn't have enough worries now, what with barely understanding my power, worrying about you and feeling homesick, even when I'm going home!
And Jonothon.....
Paige recalled the piece of paper Jonothon Starsmore -a fellow mutant and teammate called Chamber- had used to communicate what he had been thinking to her. Oh, Jono. I'm a fool, she thought. I thought you were just demonstrating your control over your power for me, but.... now I know better: You were trying to say "I love you". Why didn't you try to tell me before, instead of always pushing me away?
Or.... maybe you did try to tell me.....
Paige recalled how, in Los Angelos, Jonothon had said, *Er, Paige? Maybe you and me could-* as if he wanted to talk to her privately. Then after they had gotten home and gone to the circus, he had said *You and me have gotta pop off for a private chat.*
There was also a very dim memory; something that had occurred after Omega Red had attacked the team and infected them with a minute dose of the Death Spore virus. She had fallen into a semiconscious state, and then Jonothon had pulled her into his lap, cradled her in his arms and held her hand, saying, *Please, Sunshine..... don't be dead,* as if his heart (if one could pardon the expression) had been broken.
But both times Paige had blown him off, and had never really thanked him for his concern.
I am such an idiot. Why didn't I tell him at the airport I love him? I-
-Don't need to think about this! Not now! Paige thought, firmly shoving the thoughts to the back of her mind. She dug a book from her duffel bag and began reading, determined to keep her mind off Jonothon.
Yet she couldn't keep her mind from drifting back to how much better she had felt when Jonothon had touched her hand in the snack bar, and how secure she had felt when he had hugged her so tightly, and yet so carefully.... or how the rich smell of his leather jacket had mingled so well with his natural scent and stirred her fancy....
Later....
Paige bit into the BLT on wheat provided by the airline and grimaced, losing her appetite even as she forced the bite down. "Not much B, the L is wilted, and the T is soggy," she complained under her breath.
"What, doesn't quite taste like Mom's?" a stewardess asked teasingly as she passed by.
"Mom's? It doesn't even taste like Dad's!" Paige retorted, putting the sandwich down. With a sigh, she satisfied herself with the small bag of pretzels, the RC Cola and the pudding cup. After that, she wearily leaned her head back on the seat and tried to get some sleep.
"I wouldn't advise that," the same stewardess commented a few minutes later. Paige opened her eyes and gave her a puzzled glance. "We're going to be landing in about an hour. Wouldn't want to miss your stop, would you?" the stewardess said.
"No," Paige answered after a short pause. "No, I wouldn't." This is too important to miss.
True to the stewardess' word, the plane landed an hour later and Paige deboarded, not sure whether the cold hand clutching her gut was excitement at being home or dread.
Suddenly someone yelled, "Paige! Hey, Paige! Over heah!" She shot a startled look in the direction of the call.
A tall, well-muscled, golden-blonde man with shockingly blue eyes was waving his arm over the crowd, trying to get Paige's attention.
Paige recognized him immediately and her heart soared. "Sam!" she cried, shoving her way through the crowd and throwing her arms around her oldest brother, Samuel Guthrie. How truly homesick she had been, how much she had missed her family, hit her forcefully just then, and Paige had to cling to Sam for support until the emotional storm passed. Then, she gently pulled away and stared adoringly into her brother's face. "I missed you a lot, Sam," she said simply.
"Ah missed yah too, Grits," Sam replied affectionately with a smile, using his pet name for his little sister. Well, not so little anymore, he reminded himself.
"How are all the kids? And how's Momma, really?" Paige asked, becoming serious.
Sam's face fell. "The kids are fine, but Momma's bad," he said quietly. "She's gonna have t' be hospitalized and treated in Lexington, Paige. We'll have t' move there."
Paige's hand flew to her mouth in horror. Sam hastened to reassure her. "Hold it! Don't get all bent outta shape just yet." To change the subject, he hurriedly added, "Is that all yoah luggage?" and pointed to Paige's duffel. She numbly shook her head.
After gathering the rest of her luggage, Sam guided Paige out of the airport to the parking lot, where the family Jeep sat waiting. Sam tossed Paige's bag into the back as she climbed into the front. Sam pulled the keys from his pocket and plopped himself in the driver's seat, started up the car and motered out of there.
"So.... how were things goin' at the Academy?" Sam questioned, not sure what else to say.
Paige brightened a little. "Oh, it's wonderful," she said. "I think I'm about to get a breakthrough with my powers, and I've been on a lot of adventures, and I'm getting along pretty well with my friends-"
"Any boyfriends?" Sam asked, teasing somewhat.
"Sam!" Paige squawked indignantly. "That's personal."
"Ah'm yoah brother! Ah should know stuff like this," Sam countered.
"Why? So you can threaten the unfortunate guy with the older brother 'Be-good-my-sister-or-the-whole-Guthrie Clan-will-hunt-you-down-like-an-animal speech?" Paige grumbled.
"That, and the 'If-yah-hurt-mah-sister-I've-gotta-shotgun-and-a-shovel-I-don'-think-anyone-will-miss-yah' speech," Sam replied glibly.
Paige didn't know whether to smack her sibling or laugh out loud, so she settled for snorting, rolling her eyes in exasperation and staring out the window. "I have friends who are boys, but not the romantic type," she said finally. But I wish I did.
They talked off and on during the drive back to the rural area of Kentucky. The sun was setting in a great burst of flaming gold when Sam pulled up the long Guthrie driveway.
Paige stared up at the cozy house she had grown up in; the house she hadn't seen since that disastrous Thanksgiving. "I'm finally home," she murmured.
If only the circumstances were happier.
Sam parked the Jeep, got out and pulled Paige's luggage from the back. "'Lizabeth better have supper on the table. I'm starved!" he announced, striding toward the house. Paige had to hurry to keep up.
As soon as they stepped in the front door, Sam yelled, "Ah'm home! And guess what this cat dragged in!"
Instantly, Mary and the twins -Samantha and Isiah- scrambled toward them, cheering, "Sammy! Sammy!" They attached themselves to his legs and waist and gazed up at him as if worshipping him.
"Hey! What about me?" Paige interjected.
Isiah, Samantha and Mary glanced over at her, and their eyes lit up like a thousand Christmas light as they recognized her. "PAIGE!" they squealed, and ran over to her as she knelt to their level with her arms open wide. They collided with her and hugged her tightly, saying simultaneously, "We missed yah!"
"Paige!" Elizabeth's voice rang out, and she and Paige's other brothers Jeb and Joshua can streaking out of the kitchen. One by one they threw their arms about their sister.
"C'mon! Momma will want to see yah," Josh said, grabbing Paige's arm and leading her away when the hugs were over. "Sam, put Paige's bag in her old room," he added over his shoulder.
Josh stopped in front of their mom's room and knocked. "Come in," a sweet, breathy, but weary voice called. Josh opened the door and shoved Paige in. "See if yah can get her ta touch the food we gave her," he whispered after her.
Paige paused, uncertain. But then her eyes fell on her mother.
Mrs. Guthrie lay on the large bed, ignoring the dinner tray on her bedside table and staring out the big window, watching the sun go down. She seemed so pale and weak!
"Momma?" Paige ventured.
Mrs. Guthrie looked in Paige's direction and her eyes glowed. "Paige?" she questioned in wonder. "Ah can't believe yoah really heah."
"Well, believe it," Paige said, walking over and sitting next to her mother, fighting back memories of when Mrs. Guthrie would sit with her or any of the children when they had gotten sick.
"Oh, honey, Ah've missed you," Mrs. Guthrie sighed, pulling her daughter in for a long hug. "Ah'm so glad you've come home."
"I missed you too, Momma," Paige whispered, sniffling. "Please tell why you're so sick. I need to know," she begged.
"It's...." Mrs. Guthrie began, then hesitated. "I don't want to make yah worry too much," she said.
"I'm going crazy not knowing," Paige replied.
"It's..... a disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome. It means Ah'm losing control of mah nervous system. It's not fatal, but....."
Paige cringed. "Oh, Momma," she said helplessly.
Mrs. Guthrie caressed her cheek. "Please don't worry, Paige," she entreated. "Ah'm fine, except for bein' tired right now, and Ah feel better knowin' that you kids are takin' care of everything. And it feels so good to have you home."
Paige had to smile, despite everything. Even though her mom was so sick, she was still a bottomless wellspring of comfort, love, and strength.
Her stomach suddenly rumbled. Mrs. Guthrie laughed. "Go get dinner, sweetie. Ah've kept you long enough," she said, gently pushing Paige off the bed. Willingly, Paige walked out the door, notcing that her mom sat up, pulled the dinner tray over and slowly started to eat.
After dinner, Paige wandered out onto the porch to do a little firefly watching.
Samantha, Mary and Isiah were running around with Jeb, trying to catch the luminescent insects. Elizabeth was sitting on the tire swing hung in a nearby tree, lazily playing with a flower while Josh sat nearby, playing his clarinet.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? The scene is so innocuous and enchanting," Sam intoned from beside Paige.
She turned her head and beamed at him. "Yea. It is," she replied. But then her lips curved down at the corners. "Sam," she said softly, "how is Momma going to manage to keep putting the kids through school and pay all the bills, and all that?"
Sam sighed heavily. "Josh has been helpin' around at some other farms, and 'Lizabeth's been doing a lot of babysittin' and selling some artwork of hers at craft fairs. And Ah...." he sighed again. "Ah've been tryin' t' get a job. Any job."
Paige mulled that over. "Maybe I could get a job in town, if that would help any," she mused.
Sam grunted noncommitally. "There's more. Momma's told me her cousin Bonnie will let us move in with her while Momma gets treatment. Then.... she's gonna try to find a job."
"B-but that means moving to Lexington permanently!" Paige cried.
"Ah didn't like the idea either, Grits. But Momma says that the schools are better, job market's is more expansive and Josh can go to a music conservatory there, if his application gets accepted," Sam said. "We've all been packin' as fast as we can."
Paige lowered her head, feeling like she was going to cry. "But our home is here in Cumberland, Sam. How can Momma just leave it and drag all of us along?" she whispered.
"Ah don't know." Sam took a quick look at his Indiglo watch and called, "Samantha! Isiah! Mary! Time for bed!"
"Awwwww!" they complained loudly, but they trudged up to the porch anyway.
Paige shoved aside her sadness for the time being and said temptingly, "If you three get ready for bed real quick, I'll read you a bedtime story."
"YAAAAAAAY!" they cheered, racing inside. Paige grinned, enjoying their delight over such a simple pleasure, and followed. <[>"C'mon, you three," Sam said to Elizabeth, Josh and Jeb. "Y'all have a long day tomorrow. 'Liz, you gotta babysit the Harrison kids, and Josh, you promised you'd help out at the Garrett's place. And Jeb, you've got extra homework t' finish."
"Oh, right," the three said in resignation, coming inside. Sam went after them and locked the door behind them.
Later, when everyone else had gone to bed, Sam walked as quietly as possible through the house, locking windows and doors, making sure everything was in their place. Then he wandered into his daddy's old den, closing the door behind him. Closing his eyes, he felt his way to the overstuffed leather-covered chair sitting in front of the worn-down oak desk; the same desk his father would sit at late at night and figure out finances with his wife. Sam sat and leaned his head back, trying to relax. "It's so hard, Dad," he whispered to the empty air. "It's so hard bein' the head of the household while tryin' to leave all you love behind. Mah job as a mutant globe-hoppin' hero-like crusador was easier than bein' responsible for all the people Ah'm related to and Ah love so deeply.... Now Ah know how yah felt all those years."
The next morning Paige woke up early, got dressed and went out to help everyone take care of the animals. Sam was nowhere to be found, she noticed, but the truck was still in the garage.
"Josh? Where's Sam?" she asked as the two of them were feeding the horses.
"He went to town," Josh answered, patting the neck of his favorite mare, a gorgeous black-and-white Appaloosa.
"So why didn't he take the truck?" Paige questioned.
"He flew," Josh replied, mimicking a flying motion with a grubby hand. "Sam flies to save gas, so we don't havta pay for it. It's gettin' pricey."
"Oh," Paige said.
Josh smiled slightly. "Not quite used t' the cutbacks, are yah?" he inquired, feeding a big bay Quarter horse.
"Yea," Paige said. "At Xavier's, Ms. Frost and Mr. Cassidy would buy us kids almost anything." Then she blushed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to brag," she stated quietly, busying herself with a rangy roan gelding.
"Yah weren't bragging; yah were stating truth," Josh said matter-of-factly. "C'mon, it's time foh breakfast."
Breakfast was simple and quick. Nobody had time to talk. Elizabeth handed out lunches and hustled everyone off to school, including herself. Paige stood at the front door and waved until she couldn't see her siblings anymore. Then she wandered back inside and sat at the kitchen table for a little longer, wondering what she could do.
Well, for one thing, she could get the breakfast tray back from Momma. She stood and walked very quietly to her mom's room, knocking softly and then peeking in.
Mrs. Guthrie was sitting in the window seat, doing some mending. The tray was at the bedside, its breakfast cutlery devoid of food. Paige opened the door wider. "Good morning, Momma," she said, coming in.
Mrs. Guthrie pulled off her glasses and looked at her daughter. "Good morning, darlin'," she answered. "How are yah feeling?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Paige replied, lifting the tray. "I'm going to take this back to the kitchen, okay?"
"Okay. Come back when you're done, will yah please?" Mrs. Guthrie asked. "Ah'd like to talk to you; catch up on the things Ah've missed. And Ah could use some help packin' a few things."
Paige nodded assent and left.
The next month was filled with packing possessions, selling what couldn't be taken to Lexington (like the animals) and at last, the house was sold.
The week after that, the Guthries found themselves helping the moving crew load all those packages into a large truck. Soon, the last of the boxes were loaded into the moving truck and a moving man slammed the door shut, locking it. Then the whole moving crew piled into the truck and cruised away, leaving the Guthries to stand alone in front of the empty house.
The younger ones got bored and ran to wait in the Jeep. Elizabeth chewed her lower lip, tears forming in her eyes. Then she turned and walked over to the truck, climbing in. Josh lowered his head and followed. Mrs. Guthrie turned away and went to sit shotgun. Sam prepared to depart and claim the driver's seat, then noticed that Paige wasn't coming. "Yah comin', Grits?" he asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Yea. In a minute. Just give me a second," Paige answered tightly, still staring at the house.
Sam patted her shoulder in understanding and left.
Paige stood unmoving, feeling her roots pull at her. I may never see this place again, she realized with deep sadness. I may never come back to Cumberland.
Tears welled in her eyes. No. I will come back, she vowed. I'll return someday. Home's where the heart is, and part of my heart resides here.
Resolve solidified, Paige imprinted the image of the house deeply into her mind and walked over to the truck, not daring to look back.
