Earth Man by Richard Paul Evans Read Free Book Online Page A

clumps of curly red hair flopping about. The blonde streaks were more noticeable when her hair was wet and Danny adored the almost platinum blonde streak that ran down the center of her hair.
    “ Daddy!” Morgan shouted.
    Danny scooped his daughter up in his arms and looked around for his son.
    “ Where’s Ray?” Danny asked Helen as soon as she appeared, towel flung over one shoulder.
    “ Hi. He’s in his room.”
    Helen seemed relieved that he was home, which surprised him because he ’d spent more time with Phil than he’d intended to. His wife was still wet from taking Morgan out of the bath and she wore only a pair of black shorts and a white tank top. Helen smiled at him and he smiled back, still madly in love with her. He ignored the wrinkles that were appearing at the corners of her eyes. It made him feel guilty whenever he thought of her aging; he always felt like a burden to her whenever he saw her tired or weary. His masculinity could handle the fact she was a carpenter, working with tools he couldn’t even name. It was the children he felt guilt over; no matter how much he tried it always seemed they relied on their mother the most.
    Danny carried Morgan upstairs to her room, his wife trailing behind. As she climbed quietly under the covers he sat down next to her and read Morgan her favourite book, Where the Wild Things Are . Helen left to get ready for bed and Danny read his daughter the story as she curled up under the blanket.
    “And they were frightened and called him the most wild thing of all and made him king of all wild things.”
    By the time he finished reading Morgan was fast asleep, her tiny chest rising and falling with each little breath. Danny placed a hand over his daughter’s heart and then leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
    As he crept quietly out of Morgan’s room, he looked down the hall. He knew his wife was waiting in their room and he walked with his head down in shame. More than anything else that had happened, this was what he been dreading the most. If the choice was offered to him, he’d fight three more of those mutated monsters if it meant he would not have to hear the disappointment in his wife’s voice. Helen had asked him not to go hunting in the first place; there was too much that needed to be done around the house for him to take off for the night on a camping trip.
    After everything he had been through the last three days Danny did not have the energy for a fight even though he knew he deserved what was coming. How many times was she going to have to tolerate his stupidity? For how much lo nger could she carry the responsibilities of their family alone? Things were changing all around them and during the brief walk down the hall Danny swore to himself that this was going to be the last time she had to yell at him. The universe had opened itself and revealed to him a small fragment of something amazing and terrible, how could he possibly go back to being the same irresponsible ass he’d been? It was his job to keep them safe, all of them. 
    As he touched the bedroom door he could almost feel th e anxiety and concern flowing out from his wife, through the wood and into his chest. When he stepped into the room he was prepared for anything. Instead Helen ran to him and threw her arms around him, tears bursting out as she sobbed heavily. Somehow seeing her cry was worse than the anger, this was out of character for her and it shocked him. Of all the strange things he’d recently experienced, the tears streaming down Helen’s face and her sobs against his chest made him feel the worst. Even the pain of losing a limb, of watching it regrow in front of him, did not damage him the way his wife’s tears did. To see Helen, who was always so strong and confident, suddenly reduced to a sobbing mess hurt him more than anything he’d ever known. In the back of his mind he could not help but wonder if she too was changing, just as he was. The idea that something