Posted by Kim on 2/14/2002, 9:51 pm "Yep. I'm going to give them a few more minutes to make sure that they have everything packed." Robert looked the kitchen window at the heavily falling snow and remarked, "But they really should get on their way soon. The weather will be awful for driving." Turning on the dishwasher, Janice assumed her most nonchalant tone of voice to suggest, "Maybe you can talk them into staying a bit longer, or at least until after the storm passes." She knew that initially she'd given Mac a hard time but during the last 48 hours she and Robert had sincerely enjoyed Mac and Dara's company, and she secretly hoped the snowstorm would force them to delay their departure. Moving behind Janice, Robert snaked his arms around his wife's waist and kissed her on the cheek. He knew that he pride would prevent her from coming straight out and saying that she didn't want Mac and Dara to leave yet so he voiced her feelings for both of them, "I would love for them to stay another day also but I think that Mac has plans for Dara that don't include having you or me in the room down the hall." Robert laughed out loud when Janice's jaw dropped upon hearing his knowing comment. "And short of an avalanche I don't think anything will make Mac and Dara stay another night. Don't worry. Port Charles isn't that far away, so let plan on visiting them there soon, O.K.?" Hearing the guests come down the stairs, Janice and Robert quickly left the kitchen and meet Mac and Dara in the foyer. The couple had already donned their winter coats and boots and since they were traveling with only 2 small suitcases they'd brought the luggage downstairs without any assistance. "You know," Janice said as she hugged her friend, "we did get a lot of time to talk, just the two of us. You give me a call as soon as you get back to Port Charles and we can have some time for just girl talk," and Dara agreed. "We've really enjoyed ourselves this weekend," Mac told Robert, shaking his hand. "You're must visit Port Charles soon and let Dara and me return your wonderful hospitality." Mac then looked at Janice and throwing caution to the wind he quickly embraced her. "Goodbye Janice. It was nice finally meeting you." "Goodbye Mac. Take care of Dara." Janice's parting words whispered to Mac were tinged with a slight warning tone. She had no doubt that Mac cared for Dara but she wasn't completely convinced Mac was the right person for her friend. She fervently wanted Mac would prove her wrong because Dara seemed genuinely happy with Mac and she hoped that it would always be that way. After a few more final hugs and waves of goodbye, Mac and Dara departed. The drive from Buffalo to Union Springs normally would take 3 hours, but Mac slowed his driving speed considerably due to the hazardous driving weather. The conditions were almost blizzard-like and despite the best efforts of the road cleaning crews, the highways were covered with a minimum of 3 inches of snow due to the heavily falling precipitation. About 20 miles outside of Union Springs Mac steered the SUV onto a two lane road. An approaching Honda Civic driving far too fast for the road conditions spun out of control and crossed into the lane of Mac's SUV, veering directly towards the SUV. Telling Dara to brace herself, Mac maneuvered the SUV out of the Civic's path but in the process of avoiding the Civic, the SUV plowed onto the shoulder of the road and eventually skidded into a fence post. The large amount of snow on the ground actually cushioned the SUV's impact. Shaken and unnerved, Mac and Dara sustained no injuries from the accident and though the SUV's right fender and headlight were damaged, it was still drivable. They alighted from the SUV and immediately walked several yards to the Honda Civic. Mac surmised that the driver of the car, Donald Bender from North Carolina, probably had a cracked or broken rib but on the whole he was fine, considering that the Civic was totaled after it ran into a tree. They helped him to the SUV and Mac used his cellphone to contact the Union Springs police. After dropping Bender off at the local hospital and completing a police report of the accident, the couple was almost ready to continued to Mac's cabin. "Do you have anyone you need to call Dara? There isn't a telephone at the cabin and the cellular service in the area is almost non-existent," Mac explained. When Dara replied there was no one she needed to contact, Mac used the speed-dial function on the phone to call Port Charles. Luck was with Mac in this instance; he'd hoped Felicia would not answer the phone and was rewarded when he heard Robin say hello. To his chagrin, Maxie and Georgie were not at home and Mac asked Robin to give them his love. He briefly mentioned the mishap on the road and that he planned to be back in Port Charles tomorrow night, weather permitting. It saddened Mac to hear the somewhat surly responses from Robin, who was no doubt still angry he was not spending more time with her, and Mac promised to spend as much time as he could with her before she returned to France in a few days. Noting that it was becoming dark and anxious to arrive at the cabin, Mac ended the call and proceeded to drive the last few miles to their destination for the night. "It's a shame we're arriving after dark," Mac commented as they drove along the unlit snow covered roads. "You can't see it from here in the dark but Lake Cayuga is less than 50 yards from the road. We'll be able to see it together tomorrow morning right from the window of the cabin." The quiet and serene atmosphere of the area was apparent, even in the dead of winter. "It is really peaceful and secluded up here," Dara noted, folding her arms and rubbing them from shoulders to elbows. "The forests and hills must be beautiful in the spring, summer, and fall. You don't come up here often, do you?" Mac admitted, "Not nearly as often as I would like. I bought the cabin shortly after coming to Port Charles because the area reminded me of some of the more remote locations in Australia. But other than bringing Robin up here once, I've only come up here once every year or so by myself." Within a few minutes the headlight shined on a rustic cabin. "Here we are," Mac announced. Even though Dara relished being away with Mac, no one who knew her well would describe Dara as the rugged, outdoorsy type of woman and with a tiny bit of apprehension, she entered the cabin.
"Are you going to help Mac take the bags to the car?" Janice asked her husband as she placed the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher.
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