Alexander (9 page)

Alex nodded. He was going to ask him about why he’d hurt her, why he’d made her go to the hospital. Alex’s mind was spinning out of control when he realized this child was hers.

“
She said that somebody kissed her yesterday. And that he wanted to do it again.” Jack played with the paper on his plate and didn’t look up. “Why would someone kiss a girl? I mean, without having to do it. She said she didn’t like it, but she said that she’d not been out for a long time so maybe…I don’t know maybe she forgot how.”

Alex didn’t think she’d forgotten how. He started to say something else when he realized what else he’d said. “What do you mean she didn’t like it? How could…what did she say about the kiss that she didn’t like?”

“
Gee, Mr. Alex, she just said she didn’t like it. I don’t know why anyone would do it in the first place. And tongues?” Jack shuddered. “That has got to be the grossest thing I’ve ever heard of.”

Alex laughed. “You’ll change your mind when you get older. What’s your mom’s name anyway?”

“
Heather. Heather Laird. And she said the same thing to me.”

Alex walked Jack to the bus stop again. Neither of them saw the man from yesterday, but they were both so lost in thought that Alex wasn’t sure he’d see his mother if she walked right up to him. Heather, his Heather, had a son. A grown son, and she didn’t want anyone to know about him. He decided to do a little research when he got back to his house.

Something wasn’t right. Something he didn’t understand was happening and he wanted answers. He called his mom on the way back to his house after leaving the bakery. He thought it best if he didn’t see Heather Laird right now.

~Chapter
9~

Heather hurt. Her arm hurt, her head hurt, even her hair hurt she was so tired. She was sure she was going to die soon and wondered if she would welcome it. She lifted the tray of six breakfasts over onto her shoulder and nearly cried out in pain. She was going to have to put it down again, but hoped she’d make it to the table first. Smiling as she went through the door, she was nearly in tears by the time she got there. She was putting the plate in front of the six businessmen when she heard the news behind her. Turning slowly, she looked at the screen.

“…
total loss. There were no fatalities in this morning’s blaze, but the place is a total loss. The Fire Chief is saying it looks like faulty wiring, but until further tests are made, they are marking it as suspicious.”

When the camera pulled back, Heather dropped the plate in her hand. The air around her head seemed to be sucked away and she grabbed for the first thing she could touch. She felt someone push her down and before she knew it, she was sitting in a chair with her head between her knees.

“
Deep breaths, miss. Take deep breaths. That’s it. Come on now, don’t faint on me. Deep breaths.” She tried to sit up, but was shoved back down. “Not yet. You have to wait until I get my heart to beat properly first. Scared the shit outta me just now when I saw you falling.”

“
I’m okay now. I have to…please let me up. I’m fine now.” She stood up and made the mistake of looking at the television again.

Her home. Her home was burning out of control. Blindly, she made her way to the door and out. She had to get there. She had to see if it really was true or some kind of cruel joke. She knew that it wasn’t as she made her way to her block. She didn’t even remember getting there only that she was there and watching along with several hundred other people as it burned.

She didn’t know how long she stood there, but someone put something around her shoulders and was speaking to her. She looked at him and it took her several seconds to realize it was her grandda.

“
Jack! Where’s my baby? I have to find—”

“
He’s at school. I called, he’s there. I spoke to him myself. One of the teachers, they’re going to bring him to you. Said they’d be here soon. He’s safe. We’re all safe.”

He held her while they watched the upper floors crumble down onto the lower ones. Then they watched as the whole structure came down. The police held everyone back as the fire department kept the building next to it under continuous spray.

Frozen water filled the street. Cars were covered in it, grimy now from the ash and soot. The air smelled of burned wood and plastic. Twisted pipes and other things, things that were so badly burned she could no longer tell what they were. They had lived there for eight years and now…now they had nothing.

“
We’ll be fine, love. You’ll see. We’ll be fine.” Heather didn’t realize she’d spoken out loud until he answered her, but she could tell by the look on his face that he knew they weren’t going to be fine.

Jack arrived ten minutes later. He ran from the car he’d been brought in and leapt into her arms. She kept kissing him and holding him to her. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened had he been home instead of school. He kept telling her he loved her and that he was happy to see her. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling and felt them freeze on her cheeks.

The Red Cross showed up a few hours later. Heather was freezing by then and couldn’t seem to get warm. She was trying to figure out where they were going to stay tonight when the offer of the shelter seemed their only hope. It was well after ten o’clock when she realized she’d have to find clean clothes to go to work.

Her grandda was arguing with her about it, but she told him that now they needed the money more than ever. She didn’t want to leave them. She wanted to stay with them both and hold them until she felt better, but she knew that it was impractical and just a little insane. She needed to provide for them; she was all they had. She walked to the bakery and slipped into the back door.

Without speaking to anyone, Heather began pulling out the ingredients to make her first batch of cookies. She looked at the list in front of her, the one that had been left for her every day since she’d been working there, and began to divide up her tasks. As soon as she got the batter started, she would start the bread. After that, it would be the pies.

She heard someone come in and speak, but she didn’t say anything to them. She wasn’t sure what she might have said anyway. She just kept working. When she heard her name, she didn’t turn around.

“
If you need anything else today, I think I can get to it. I don’t have anywhere to be right now.” The small giggle escaped. “Boy, is that true.”

“
Heather, turn around and look at me, sweetheart.” Caroline’s voice was gentle, but she didn’t turn. “I knew where you lived, but I didn’t know it was your home until Lisa said you smelled of smoke. Did you lose everything?”

Not what was important, she wanted to say, but didn’t. “Yes, ma’am. The entire building was a loss.”

“
Heather, honey, where will you stay now? Do you have family? Someone you can stay with?”

“
I…I don’t really want to talk about it right now, please. I have to get this done. I have to get finished because I have another job. I hope. I guess I might be fired.” She just realized that she’d left without telling anyone. “I need to figure that out.”

She heard him before she saw him. He was shouting her name so loud it felt as if he was in her head. When he whipped her around, she felt dizzy, but before she could get her bearings, he was crushing her to him. Alex.

He was saying something. She didn’t think she’d heard him correctly so she pulled back and looked up at him. He repeated himself twice more before she pulled away from him.

“
I said, where’s Jack and your grandfather? Are they all right? The news said no one was hurt, but I couldn’t be sure. Heather?”

She started backing away from him and bumped into the wall before she stopped. “How? How did you find them? Who told you about Jack?”

“
You should have, but I found out on my own. I talked to them both this morning. Your son came here the other morning and then again today.” His voice sounded harsh like he was pissed about something. “You didn’t answer me, are they all right?”

“
You have a son, Heather?” She looked over at Miss Caroline. “Is he with you or his dad?”

Heather looked at Alex. She knew in that moment that he knew about Jack’s birth and his dad. She turned back to the table. “They’re fine. He lives with me…me and my grandfather. He’s…they’re fine.”

“
Where are they? The news reporter said that all the people in the building were finding other places to live. Where are Jack and Mr. Laird?” She heard the coldness in his voice.

“
The shelter on Fifth Avenue. They said we can stay there until we get back on our feet. I’m going to have to find another job soon. We won’t be able to—”

“
I’m going to go and get them and take them to my house. Do you need anything right now?” She shook her head and didn’t say anything. “All right then.”

She heard him leave, heard the front door bell jingle a happy tune when the door closed behind him. She started to knead the bread, but found she just didn’t have it in her to try. They were going to be safe with him. Jack would be all right and he wouldn’t have to live in the shelter. She waited until she thought Caroline was gone then looked around the kitchen.

She loved working here. She looked forward to coming to this job more than any of the others. She was going to miss it. She didn’t have a coat, but she didn’t think she’d need it so she slipped out the door she’d entered not so long ago and started walking. The only thought that kept her going was they were safe, Jack was safe.

~~~

Alex was sick to his stomach. The file still lay on his desk at home. He’d only just gotten off the phone with Heather’s mom when the news came on. He glanced down at the familiar address before bolting out the door to find her. He’d searched everywhere and when his phone rang and it was Lisa telling him that Heather was at work, he saw red.

It hadn’t occurred to him until he saw her that she might not have known about the fire until he could see that she’d been there; dirt and soot were on her clothes. He pulled up in front of the shelter when his phone rang. It was Wills.

“
I don’t have time to talk right now. Something has happened and I need to take care of it.”

He heard her sigh. “Then you know. I’m so sorry, Alex. More than you know. He was such a wonderful man.”

“
Something happened to Mr. Laird? Oh shit, this is going to kill Heather. And Ja—”

“
No. Who? Never mind. I was talking about Brick.” Alex leaned against his car, trying to understand what she was talking about.

“
What about Brick?” Alex nodded to the woman at the front desk, glad he’d called to have the Lairds ready and waiting. Both of them were waiting by the door.

“
He’s dead. It must have happened last night sometime. It was on the news…” Alex didn’t hear anything else. Brick was dead? She must have made a mistake. Then he heard her shout his name.

“
I’m here. Are you sure? I mean, what happened? Where at? Oh God, Amy. Is she all right?”

His first thought was Mik. He’d killed Brick for some reason. But Alex didn’t want to contemplate that right now. He was opening the door for Jack when Wills spoke again.

“
Amy is in the hospital. They’d been out, the two of them having dinner. When they got home, they must have startled a robber. The police are looking, but according to the six o’clock news, they have nothing as of yet.”

Alex looked at Mr. Laird. He could see the curiosity on his face, along with sorrow and compassion. “I have to go, Wills. I want to make a few calls. If you hear anything, please let me know.” He hung up and leaned heavily against his car.

“
You friend?” Mr. Laird asked as he patted Alex on the back. Alex nodded. “I’m so sorry, son. Truly I am.”

Alex drove on auto pilot going back to the bakery. He found that despite what he’d heard about Heather, he wanted to take her home and gather her in his arms and hold her. He wanted to keep her close.

“
Mr. Alex, are you all right?”

Alex looked in the rear view mirror in the back seat at Jack. Again, he saw the same compassion he’d seen in the older man’s eyes.

“
I just found out a good friend of mine died. I was…we were partners in our own company until recently.”

“
I’m sorry, sir. Maybe you should take us back to the shelter. Mom will come back there and we can stay there.” Jack patted him on the shoulder as he continued. “They don’t care if we do. Maybe you don’t need company right now.”

Alex felt the tears well in his eyes. He couldn’t speak for several moments because of the lump in his throat. Before he could form the words to answer the boy, Mr. Laird spoke.

“
I think he might need the company, son. I know I did when I lost my Colleen.” He turned in the seat and looked at the boy in the back. “Now there was a woman. Big, gray, soulful eyes that made a man think.”

“
Think about what, Grandpa Tom?”

Alex felt the laugh burst from his mouth as Jack’s innocent question.

“'
Bout kisses and long walks in the moonlight. 'Bout holding her hand and telling her that I love her.”

Alex looked again in the mirror at Jack when he began making gagging noises. Alex was ready to pull over when he realized the kid wasn’t sick, but making a comment on his grandda’s wanting to be with a woman. He laughed again.