Chapter Text
The trailer in Snakewater, Montana
September 1992
Ellie checked and rechecked her mental list as she stared at the assorted equipment under the awning, before finally caving and pulling a folded piece of paper from the back pocket of her jeans.
The postcard!
As she checked, for the third time, that it was safely tucked into the zippered pocket of her backpack, she wondered what was holding Alan up. She cracked the door to the trailer open. “Hey hon? You about ready to go?” She was practically vibrating with nervous energy - eager to get this little adventure underway. “Alan?”
He practically dropped the cup he was holding as he spun round. “Yeah.”
Only the way he left his hand dangling in the sink behind him made her antennae twitch.
“You okay?” she asked as she stepped inside.
“Yeah yeah. Tell me again what’s happening?”
That, too, was odd, and now she was sure he was keeping something from her.
“We’ve got a couple of hours to kill, so I thought we could hike somewhere nice. Maybe have some lunch?” She played along, but her senses were on high alert. “Then we’re going to make our way to Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. We’ll set up camp and do a candlelight tour of the limestone cave. In the morning we’ll head out early.” She edged closer towards him as she spoke. “When we find the box we’ll swap the postcard inside for our own self-addressed one, and mail the one we find in there.” She reached into the sink and took hold of his hand. “What’s going on?” He cleared his throat as she gently forced his palm open. “Why are you taking aspirin? ”
“I - uh - I’m having stabby pains.”
“Stabby pains? ” she said as she watched him toss the tab into his mouth and wash it down. “Define Stabby pains.”
“It hurts .. here.” He made a sweeping motion around his heart area.
Ellie groaned inwardly.
Ask him a technical question and he could talk for hours, barely pausing to take a breath.
Ask him about a medical symptom and he regressed into a kindergartner.
“How long have you had this pain?”
“Since last night.”
Ellie suddenly remembered that she’d seen him at the sink late in the evening, and that he’d also left the bed in the middle of the night.
“What have you been doing?" she asked incredulously. "Popping aspirin like skittles? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Alan shrugged. “Didn’t want to worry you.”
Ellie took a deep breath and rubbed his forearm. “You do realise this is probably gas, right?”
“What if it’s not gas?”
She rubbed a hand over her mouth in an attempt to hide her smile. “Honey, you’re as strong as an ox. So unless you're having other symptoms too, this is gas.”
“Do you think we should go to the ER?” He massaged his chest and Ellie could feel laughter start to bubble up in her own.
“No. I think you should do some exercises to release the trapped gas.”
“What? Now?”
“Better now than in the truck later.” When Alan looked horrified, Ellie rolled her eyes. “This trailer has paper thin walls. Do you think I don’t occasionally hear you ?" As he resisted her tug, Ellie placed her hands on her hips. “You know, I’m actually kinda disappointed you haven’t started trapping me under the duvet yet, Grant. Starting to think you don’t love me as much as you say you do."
Alan coloured. “Why would you a have death wish ?”
"Let's go. Get. Your. Ass. On. The. Bed .” She poked him in the middle of the chest until he started to move. “Or lie down on the floor, I don't care.”
“Ellie ..”
“For God’s sake, Alan, we exchange bodily fluids on a regular basis. What’s a bit of gas between partners?”
“You’re sure about this ..”
“I’m sure.”
“And what if it’s not gas?”
“You’d prefer to go straight to the ER? Because that’s where we’re going if you don’t try this first. I’m not running the risk of you having a cardiac incident in the middle of nowhere. And you won’t be getting any sex either.”
“When you put it that way ..”
“Yeah. On the bed. Move! ”
“Should I remove my jeans?”
“Definitely” She propped herself up on an elbow and watched as he undressed. “Okay, now .. bend both knees and bring them up to your abdomen. Knees and ankles together. Bring your arms around your legs and hold your elbows together. Pull in ..” She guided him gently. “Try and reach your knees with your chin. Hold for twenty seconds and .. release. ”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“You know me, I’d rather be pro-active.” She laughed and ran a finger down the back of his thigh as he went for another rep. “Besides, this is kinda giving me ideas.”
“Plug that, even in jest , and you’ll be the one getting no sex,” he growled at her.
“Spoilsport,” Ellie said as she pulled her finger away.
“How about you load the truck and I’ll join you after I’ve done a few more of these, huh?”
“Oh okay.” Ellie stuck her tongue out at hims as she rolled off the bed. “But for the record, this is ridiculous. My parents used the bathroom in front of each other.”
“They did?”
“Didn’t yours?”
“How should I know?”
“Weren’t farts a running joke in your house?”
“No.”
“That’s what you get for having no brothers, Alan,” she threw over her shoulder as she headed back outside.
“That wasn’t exactly my doing ..” he called after her.
When he joined her outside twenty minutes later, he was looking less peaky and she was looking very pleased with herself.
“Feeling better?”
“Yep.”
“Definitely gas then ..”
“Yeah." Alan gave a distinct flare of his nostrils as he placed his fedora on his head. "Where d’you want to hike?” he added as he caught the truck keys mid-air.
“Oh I don't know," Ellie said with a snort as she hoisted herself onto the passenger seat. "Wherever the wind blows.”