The Moose, the Tree, and the Irish Writer

Tabby crawled into the shower and pressed her back against the tile wall. It was cold but she could barely feel it for the heat in her own blood. She had never been this attracted to a man this quickly in her life. If he had initiated anything she knows she would have been moaning his name right there in the dark room. She closed her eyes at that thought and sighed. It's been so long, three years since I last had sex...that has to be why I am so attracted to him...but then of course there is more. It is more than just lust...I really like him...maybe even starting to fall in love with him. He is a stranger yet she was in his home, she had talked to his friends, even met some of them. She had spent the last two days with him and she was quickly loosing her heart to him. Hero worship she thought...that's it he was there to rescue me from the wreck...that's why. At least that was what her brain wanted to say, but her heart was saying other things. Vig Viggo bounced up the stairs happily. Sean had called said he would be getting away earlier than Monday he would arrive on Sunday morning instead with Orlando in tow of course. He missed his friends.

When he got to the top of the steps he knocked on Tabby's door. "You leave me any hot water?" He ca...t...though he doubted he would take a hot shower anyway.

"I think so!" She called back. He went to his room and got into his shower. Cold...very cold...though he barely felt it his blood was so hot and most of it rushing to parts of his body he hadn't thought about in a long time before Tabby came into his life.

He got out of the shower and wrapped up in a towel trying to keep his teeth from chattering. He stepped into his bedroom and Tabby was standing there looking at him. Her hair was wet looking almost black as it hung down around her face. She had the phone in her hand.

"Tabby?" He asked curiously she had a peculiar look on her face.

"Umm I think you should take this call." Tabby said handing the phone to him.

Viggo knew something was wrong by the look on Tabby's face.

"Hello, yes this is Viggo...Melanie...what???" He asked collapsing down onto his bed.

"Yeah, I can get on the next flight out of Boise...yes." Viggo said hanging up the phone then he let out a guttural howl and threw it across the room as it shattered against the wall.

Tabby flinched and then ran to to him and dropped to her knees in front of him.

"I am so sorry, Viggo." She whispered taking his .
.

"I...I need to pack." Viggo said standing up. His best friend from high school that he had always kept in touch with was in the hospital in New York. His wife had called...she said she didn't think Mike would make it much longer and that Viggo should hurry. He had been at the wrong place at the wrong time...he was in a convenience store that some punk kid tried to rob...and the kid got scared and started shooting people. Mike was shot three times.

Viggo threw a suitcase on the bed and she went over and opened it...as he threw clothes on the bed, she folded them and put them in. He looked up at her at one point and she could see the darkness clouding his eyes. Once his bag was packed Viggo finished dressing. Tabby didn't leave the room she just kept arranging his clothes in the luggage. She never even looked up when he dropped the towel and pulled his boxers on and then a pair of slacks. She did finally look up whensat sat down on the bed and started trying to button his shirt. He wasn't able to do it because his hands were shaking so hard.

She came to him and dropped to the floor in front of him again and started buttoning it. Then he slid off the bed into the floor in front of her and she wrapped her arms around him. He was shaking so hard trying to hold in the tears that finally she said, "Viggo I am here for you...whatever you need of me I will do, mo chroí. Just let it out please...please."

He heard her and when she called him ‘my heart’ in Gaelic he began sobbing against her shoulder. He hadn't cried like this since he was a kid. "I will be here when you get back...now we have to get you off to the airport." She said getting up and helping him up. He looked down at her and closed his eyes slowly. She reached up and touched his cheek gently still wet with tears.

She ran to her room and dressed so fast she didn't realize until they were half way to Boise that she had her shirt on wrong side out.

Viggo looked at her tugging at her shirt. "What?" He asked...his eyes were still red rimmed but didn't have that same darkness they had before.

"I dressed so bloody fast I put my shirt on wrong side out." She said tugging at it.

Viggo laughed. "Thank you."

"What?"

"Thank you for being here, for being in my life these last few days...thank you for making me laugh, even when you don't quite mean to." He said quickly...he had to get the words out.

She smiled at him and patted his hand. "I meant it when I said I would be here when you got back."

"Come with me." Viggo said softly.

"No I think it would be better if I stay here, Viggo...someone has to stay and take care of the horses. Also you might not be back by Sunday...if you aren't someone will need to be at the house to greet Sean and Orlando unless you want to ask them to cancel their visit." Tabby asked.

"You are so sensible you know that." He said pulling her hand up to his mouth and kissing it. "No I think I need Sean and Orlando to be there when I get ...t...the more friends and family around the better I think. Mike and I did drift apart as we got older. He got married I moved to L.A. to become an actor and we did drift but I always stayed in touch with him and whenever I came home to visit my folks he and I would go fishing. God how could this happen to such a good guy...he was just standing there waiting to pay for a tank of gas for Gods sake?!" Viggo said starting to get angry again.

He shook his head and tried to focus on the road and the feel of Tabby's soft hand in his.

"I have never understood these things either Viggo...the randomness of it. I suppose though that there is a reason at least I have to trust in that.\e sae said softly squeezing his hand.

They arrived at the airport and she saw him to his gate. "See you when you get back ok?" She said softly rubbing her hand down the front of his shirt.

"Ok...I'll call when I arrive." Viggo told her and then for a second they both weren't sure what to do. They weren't a couple really...a kiss goodbye...they had kisa fea few times...but this was a little more awkward.

She looked so sad at that moment then she said, “Go n-éirí an bóthar leat!” She bid him a good journey, which made Viggo smile.

He grabbed her hands pulling them to his lips he kissed them. "See you in a few days, mo chroí."

With that he disappeared among the other people boarding. She wanted to cry...but she didn't. She went back to the Land Rover and drove back to the ranch.

It was dark when she arrived back at Viggo’s and she just slid down the door and sat in the floor...then she cried. Cried for a mother she didn't even know, cried for a man and his wife and two small children, people Viggo loved, people she had never met, but people she wished she could make things right for. She cried for Viggo...and she cried for herself. Then she sat there in the floor and began to pray Our Father in Gaelic.

Ár nAthair atá ar neamh,
go naofar d'ainm;
go dtaga do ríocht;
go ndéantar do thoil ar an talamh
mar a dhéantar ar neamh.
Ár n-arán laethúil tabhair dúinn inniu;
agus maith dúinn ár bhfiacha
mar a mhaithimidne dár bhféichiúna féin;
agus ná lig sinn i gcathú,
ach saor sinn ó olc. Amen.