“Let me feel,” Angus said, scooting closer and putting a hand on Ben’s belly. Nothing happened for a few moments, and then I felt the roll underneath my palm.
“Did you feel that?” I asked Angus excitedly.
“Yes! Yes, I did! Can you feel it, Ben?”
“Yeah. Finally, you felt it, too,” Ben said, a happy smile on his face. “It always stops when you try.”
Lifting Ben off me, Angus hugged him tightly. “You’ve made me a happy man, Ben. Don’t ever doubt it.”
Ben suddenly looked like he was going to burst into tears, so Angus and I pulled him down between us and snuggled into him.
“You’ve made me a happy man, too,” I whispered into the darkness.
***
I was deep into a dream about a panther attacking our best hog and me going after it with a pitchfork when I was abruptly awakened by someone shaking my shoulder.
“Colt, wake up!”
“Ben?” I murmured. “Bad dream?”
“Something’s wrong at Trey’s house. We need to go!” Ben turned and started shaking Angus awake.
“Huh?” I said, trying to wake up. How would Ben know something was wrong at Trey’s house? I looked at the clock. Not quite midnight—we hadn’t been asleep for long.
On the other side of Ben, Angus stirred.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice hoarse with sleep.
“Something’s wrong at Trey and Bert’s house, Angus. We have to go,” Ben said urgently.
Raising himself onto his elbows to look at our mate, Angus said, “Ben, you’re dreaming.”
“No, something’s wrong! We have to go over there.”
Ben climbed out of bed, picking up his jeans from the chair and pulling them on.
Sitting up, Angus rubbed his hands over his face. “Benny. Did you dream about Trey?”
“We have to go over there, Angus. I’m telling you, I wasn’t dreaming. I woke up knowing something was wrong!”
He was so agitated, I didn’t see what we could do except for to humor him.
“I can take him by there, Angus. Show him everything’s all right, and then we’ll come right back.” I got up and began pulling on my clothes.
“Angus has to come, too. And Maddox. We’ll need them,” Ben said, pulling his shirt over his head.
Grudgingly, Angus rolled out of bed and looked for his clothes.
We were silent in the old truck as we drove to Bert’s house. When we’d woken up Maddox, he’d been confused and doubtful, but he’d come with us without too many questions. David wanted to go, too, but he didn’t want to drag Ollie out in the cold September night.
We piled into my car, shivering, and I immediately turned up the heat in the truck.. Bertram and Trey lived several miles down the main road and off a long, winding country lane. Clouds covered the moon and the night was very dark, so I drove carefully.
When we rounded the first bend in the lane, Ben shouted, “Look!”
In the distance, a faint, red glow lit the sky over the tree line.
“Fuck,” Angus cursed.