Born into a completely dysfunctional family with a mentally challenged younger sister, Gale found life particularly hard. The Navy a good place to hide and to grow despite his guilt over leaving his sister unsupported by other family members.<br><br>Nine years later, he returns to civilian life to find the old home abandoned, his family gone, and his sister missing from the group home her special education teacher Dave had arranged for her. Dave was Abigail’s only constant during the time Gale was away.<br><br>Worse, a major storm is on the way, promising flash flooding and damaging winds. Gale reaches out to Dave only to discover he doesn’t know where Abigail is, either. The two team up to find her, and in weathering the storm, they find solace in one another. But what will happen when the storm is over?

Number Nine on the Beaufort Scale

Gingerly I opened one eye and ginger is what I saw, a big, fat furry ginger butt. Why wasn’t Ringo upstairs with Abigail? Would she be hurt that the cat liked me better? Had I even done right coming back here? I had needed to reach out to her, and to Dave, but whether it was for their sakes or mine, well, I just didn’t know. What if I hadn’t come back and found her in time? What if the storm had ripped that old house apart completely, or enough to injure her?


What if I hadn’t stayed away so long?


I had no answers, and I was probably just scaring myself for no reason. Well, there’s always a reason, and it’s probably insecurity. But just then Ringo crawled off me and stepped on Dave’s stomach, causing him to, um, pass a wee bit of gas, which cracked me up. Our first fart. How romantic can life get?


Chapter 6