By the time I loaded the kids into the car, Victor seemed back to normal and was joking with the kids about catching a wave to Hawaii. Mark was quiet and withdrawn at first, but by the time we pulled into the crowded lot, he was giggling at Victor's jokes. Placing my panic about his sporadic emotions in a file to be analyzed later, I joined in with their silly bantering.
Our friends pulled in the lot shortly after us. I hugged Kate, Rachel and Melissa though I had just seen them the day before. Being away from each other wasn't something any of us liked and barely a day would pass where we did not get together for at least a little while. I helped Kate unbuckle Shawn and Krista from their car seats and loaded them up in one of the four oversized wagons we brought to the beach with us. Rachel set Sam in the wagon with Shawn and Mark clambered in next, setting himself next to Krista. Harmony waited patiently in my arms while Chris unloaded the next wagon out of the back of his and Rachel's car. Once he placed it on the ground, I sat Harmony in it next to Mason and Lynn and Robert filled in the last two spaces. The last two wagons were loaded down with our beach towels, umbrellas, sunscreen and sand toys for the kids.
I grabbed the handle of the wagon with Harmony in it, while Kate took charge of the one with Mark. Melissa and Rachel trailed behind us making sure everyone remained sitting down. The guys brought up the rear with the two remaining wagons and two oversized coolers on wheels.
Having kids has definitely changed our beach trips, I thought ruefully as we made our way down the slanted path, but we definitely had it down to a science.
"So, how's Victor this morning?" Kate asked quietly beside me.
Though I was close with everyone in our tight-knit group, Kate was my best friend and I had confided my concerns with her during our last assignment.
"He snapped at Mark this morning," I said, quietly glancing behind me to make sure no one could hear.
"What?" She asked, clearly baffled.
"I know. It was so out of the blue and over something completely ridiculous. I just don't know what to do."
"Is he still blocking you from his thoughts?"
I nodded my head miserably.
"I was thinking I would call his sister, but I know her band is on another assignment. The Middle East mess is keeping all of us on our toes," I said. I really would like to talk to Haniel the most, but he's never around anymore."
"Yeah, it is strange that Haniel is spending so much time away from us. As of right now, we're the youngest active band. I'm surprised The Light has him stationed elsewhere," she said. "Of course, the fact that we kick butt at our assignments might be a small part of it," she added, trying to lighten the mood.
I couldn't help but smile. Not that we were cocky, but she had a point. Our group had exceptional success rates in the field.
"I'm sure it's just the stress of keeping you safe," Kate said quietly as we reached the hard packed sand.
"I hope so," I said as I dragged the wagon across the sand with the help of Rachel pushing it from behind.
"I say this spot's good," Melissa said, panting at the rear of Kate's wagon.
"Sounds good to me," I said, massaging out the sore muscle in my arm.
Within fifteen minutes our beach day camp was set up and the kids were running around squealing in delight. Victor seemed completely normal as he played touch football with his friends and I began to relax. Kate was right. Being a protector was a stressful job and he just needed to recuperate from our last assignment.
After a little down time everything will go back to normal, I couldn’t help thinking already feeling relieved.