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The whales, they called out to Dave, reaching out for him to go to the sea. Dave always found comfort in the whales and ocean; they were the only thing that didn’t hurt him in his nightmares.
As the new year crept around, Dave’s nightmares began to get worse again, and so, they stirred him and Katie awake every night. He felt bad lying to her about everything being fine, he just didn’t want to startle her. He figured that maybe- just maybe- if he denied it was happening, then maybe they’d go away.
That wasn’t the case.
They rattled his bones every night until he was a sobbing and sweating wreck; typically falling into Katie’s arms.
She wanted to leave.
She knew she couldn’t leave Dave; they needed each other. But at that moment, Dave was unintentionally dragging her back to the bad place.
Dave could tell it shook her as much as it was shaking him- he couldn’t stand to hurt her like this.
One night, Dave had a particularly bad nightmare.
It ended differently though; the ocean overtook the elephant, swirling it away from Dave. The whale soon came; bearing a message for Dave.
The oceanside. Go to where you belong.
When Dave awoke, he didn’t wake with a gasp or sweat drenching his back. He felt at peace, he knew what he had to do. Dave looked over to Katie sleeping peacefully next to him, pulling a strand of hair from her tired face. He kissed her forehead, then slowly crept out of bed.
Dave walked into the living room and sat on the couch, grabbing his phone from the coffee table; as he didn’t trust himself enough to keep it in the bedroom. Dave planned the vacation; it was going to be a surprise road trip where they would travel all the way up to Crescent City and stay in a beachside house.
Once he booked everything, he set his phone back down on the table and quietly tiptoed back to the bedroom where he slid back into the bed. Dave stared at the ceiling, knowing that this was going to be the best vacation ever.
A month and a half later, the date arrived for Dave and Katie to go on the road trip.
Dave told Katie about the surprise trip a month ahead of time; not the details of course, but just that they were going somewhere.
It was early morning and Katie stirred with excitement as she set the last bag into the trunk of their car and raced to the passenger seat, eagerly buckling herself in. Dave started the car, the jazz radio buzzing on quietly.
“So, where is this special place at?” Dave turned to Katie, a smile creeping upon both of their faces.
“Katie, it’s a surprise for a reason.” Dave took his attention away from Katie to focus on backing out of their parking spot.
“Awh, okay. But if this place sucks, I’m going to have to pick everything we do.” As Dave drove onto the main road, he slid his right hand into Katie's left over the center console.
”That won’t matter because I think you’ll really like it.” Dave glanced over at Katie, and she let out a loud laugh.
”Really? The last time you said that, you took me to some crappy museum- and I’m pretty sure I didn’t enjoy it.”
"Oh come on- I saw your face light up when we went to the stargazing section-"
"No it didn't! I was happy we were leaving because I finally saw the exit." Dave laughed.
"Right-"
"It was a dumb museum I didn't like-" Dave let go of Katie's hand for a moment to turn up the radio; the sound of cacophonous trumpets and saxophones filled the car. Dave slid his hand back into Katie's hand, grinning wildly at his joke. "You know, you sure are cute when you're playing around." Katie shouted over the music. Dave pretended not to hear her, tapping on his ear to signal he couldn't hear the comment. Katie scoffed, breaking out into a fit of laughter.
At this point in the road trip, Dave and Katie had already stopped for breakfast at this diner on the side of the highway, they then grabbed snacks and food at a gas station to hold them over for the weekend. Now, Katie had connected her phone to the car and was blasting her and Dave's playlist they made when preparing for the trip. Suddenly, the familiar sound of a piano played through the speakers and Katie gasped, turning to Dave.
"Come on! Sing this with me!"
"But, Katie-"
"No buts! I know you know this song." Dave smiled.
"Okay."
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady
Seamstress for the band.
Pretty-eyed, pirate smile
You'll marry a music man.
Ballerina, you must've seen her-
Dancing in the sand,
And now she's in me, always with me-
Tiny dancer in my hand.
They sang out the lyrics together- the windows were all the way down, the late morning sun was lighting up their tired yet excited faces, and their hair was blowing around in the wild wind. They felt happy and content being in each others company, not worrying about the nightmares or exhaustion at all. As Dave rounded a corner, the ocean came into view. Katies eyes lit up, turning down the music a little bit.
"Oh my god- it's so pretty, Davey. Wait- are we going here?"
"We've got about half an hour until we get there, so no." Katie playfully hit Dave's shoulder.
"Come on, I'm not stupid Dave! You've always loved the ocean, so of course we would go given the opportunity." Dave looked over at Katie, giving off a playful shrug with a grin and turning up the radio; he started to sing along to the music once more. Katie giggled for a moment before joining in on the singing as well.
But, oh, how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near-
Only you, and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
As Dave sang along, Katie studied Dave’s face; it was almost as if his troubles were decades away, irrelevant to his current state. It was strange seeing him so at peace, but she was happy. He was finally free, and Katie loved every minute of it.
When Dave said they were two minutes away, Katie rolled up the windows and turned down the music.
“Dave, we’re still near the beach.”
”Yeah, but that doesn’t mean any-“ Katie playfully hit Dave’s arm.
”Oh my god, just admit it! We’re staying by the beach.” Dave smiled, finally letting go of his horribly obvious lie.
“Fine- We’re staying at a beachside house. I told you that you’d like it.”
“Oh, come on now, I didn’t say anything about liking it.” Katie teased, and Dave laughed at her bluff.
“Look at who the liar is now. ” Dave made a turn onto a road, the beach house within clear view. It was a small two story house with white side paneling and a brick accent; a porch wrapped around the house sporting various chairs and plants. The water shined in the sunlight, gently splashing up against the smooth sand. Katie gasped taking in the new environment.
”Oh my god, it’s so pretty.” Dave pulled into the driveway, parking the car and turning it off.
“Told you that you would like it.” Dave and Katie unbuckled their seatbelts, opening their car doors, and walking to the back of the car to open the trunk. Dave grabbed his bag while Katie grabbed hers, they shut the trunk and made their way to the dreamy house. Suddenly, Katie halted, causing Dave to also stop.
“Race you there.” Katie took off, running and grinning wildly; Dave followed after her.
”Hey, no fair, you did track!” Dave was a little ways behind Katie at this point.
“And you’re a watchman, you should be able to run fast!” Katie arrived to the door, stopping to wait for Dave, “Slowpoke.” Dave arrived after a moment and laughed once he arrived.
“You’re giving me such a hard time today.” Katie scoffed playfully.
”Well, when you declare this will be the ‘best weekend ever’, I have to take you up on that.” Dave set down his bag on the chipped wooden porch, reaching his hands up to Katie's face to delicately hold it.
"You'll see." Dave gently kissed Katie, a soft smile morphing its way onto both of their faces; the gentle ocean breeze swirled around them as it lingered. When they pulled away from the kiss, they pressed their forehead against the other; back into their familiar spots.
”I love you, Davey.”
“I love you, Katie,” Dave pulled away, picking up the bags and motioning, “Let’s go inside and get settled in.”
After they finished unpacking, they stood in the kitchen for a moment, taking in the new environment.
“This place is really nice, where’d you find it?” Katie turned to look at Dave.
“It’s just some random Airbnb. I’m surprised it wasn’t too expensive.” Katie scoffed.
“Tell me about it- everything is so expensive nowadays.” Dave smiled.
“Speaking of, let’s take advantage of what time we do have here, come on.” Dave gently reached for Katie’s hand, pulling her to the front door. As they walked outside, Katie's soft giggles filled Dave's heart, encouraging him to lead her further to the beach.
The warmth of the early summer sun splashed onto their faces, filling their hearts with a sense of excitement that recharged their sleep deprived bodies. They stepped out onto the sand, grinning like dogs running freely for the first time. Katie held tight onto Dave's hand as they ran up to the shoreline. They came to a stop at the waters edge standing side by side with their hands glued together, the sound of the waves creating a beautiful chorus with their labored breathing.
Although Dave hated the feeling of the sand on his bare feet, he knew that it didn't matter as long as Katie was there with him.
Katie was just happy she was here with Dave at his favorite place in the world.
They turned to look at each other, their other empty hand locking with the others free hand.
"You deserve this break." Katie reassured while staring into Dave's wide chocolate eyes as she stepped closer to him, nuzzling her head into Dave's neck and wrapping her arms around Dave’s shoulders. In an almost routine fashion, Dave buried his face in Katie's neck. The smell of her minty lavender infused shampoo filled his nose; a comforting scent, one that never failed to calm Dave after an especially bad nightmare.
"You know, you do too," They untangled from the position, with Katie still resting her arms on Dave's shoulders while looking into his eyes with a confused look on her face, "You've had to put up with me for these past two years. Nobody else has been able to do that before." Katie's eyes softened.
"I don't have to 'put up' with anything, I'm here because I love you, Dave Torres." Dave pressed his forehead against Katie's, looking up into her crystal blue eyes.
"I love you, Katie Dowd." Katie planted a soft lingering kiss on Dave's lips. In this moment, they were content with just each other and nobody else, even if it meant they would have to fight bad things. As long as they had the other, they didn't care what happened.
Eventually, they returned back to the nooked hugging position from before. Dave slowly rocked Katie back and forth to the slow rhythmic movement of the ocean waves, their breathing syncing with the motion.
As the Earth moved around them, Dave and Katie were in their own world of peace; for once in both of their lives.
At some point, they slowly disconnected from the hug and Katie just stared at Dave. A thought crossed her mind, and she grinned to herself. Dave saw this newfound grin, cocking his head in confusion at what she was thinking about.
"What?" Katie started to laugh, folding over herself, "No, really, what? I don't get it." Dave took a hold of her hands to try and ground her.
"It's just-" She started before looking up at Dave with a scheming smile. Katie suddenly dragged Dave over to the ocean with such a force that Dave lurched forward, following suit after her.
Katie threw the two of them into the ocean, splashing Dave with water in the process. Katie was on her back in the water with Dave on his knees next to her. He had suddenly realized what her thought process had been, and sighed while smiling.
"Oh, so you want to play like that." Dave turned over, reaching over to grab Katie. He pulled her in close to give her a kiss; a motion that shocked Katie despite his previous threat. Suddenly, Dave splashed water all over Katie's face. She backed away from Dave, giving a dramatic gasp of hurt.
"How dare you! I thought you had forgiven me." Katie let out a hearty laugh, one that filled Dave's heart with a joy unlike any other. In her laughter, she playfully shoved Dave. He took this as a sign to continue to splash her- and Katie took that as her signal to continue to splash Dave with even more water. They continued to laugh while splashing water at each other until they were drenched and could hardly breathe. Katie fell into Dave, her laughter subsiding into a sore smile as she was being cradled by Dave in the water. As he was holding Katie, Dave's stomach grumbled with hunger. Katie sat up, looking at him with a teasing grin.
"Really? I thought we just ate." Dave stood up, reaching out his hand for Katie to grab.
"In my defense, we just had a very serious water splash battle." He grinned at his joke as Katie used him as her support to stand up.
"You, Dave, are a nerd." Dave led Katie back to the house, the sand sticking to their wet feet.
"If I'm a nerd, then what does that make you?" Katie scoffed as they reached the yard of the house.
"Oh come on. It makes me in love with a nerd," Dave went to say something but Katie cut him off, "Which, I know, makes me a nerd. I wouldn't have it any other way." Dave looked back at Katie, smiling that she finished his rhetoric. He looked back toward the house, stepping up onto the porch and letting go of Katie's hand to hold the door open for her. Katie stepped inside, wiping off her sandy feet on the entrance mat; Dave followed suit, closing the door behind him. Katie waited for Dave, water dripping off of her onto the dark plank floors. Once Dave finished wiping his feet off, he looked up at Katie.
”You didn’t have to wait for me.”
“I did, I always do. Come on, let’s find the towels.” Dave walked with Katie as they went to the bathroom.
“Okay, they have to be in here somewhere,” Dave said as he opened up a cabinet, immediately finding a stack of fresh towels, “Oh- good.” He grabbed one for Katie, handing it to her, and then one for himself.