Hidden Falls (9 page)

The words weren’t
registering.  All I could think about was Mom.  Was she in there? Would we be
able to get her out if she was?

“Katy! Dammit! Snap out of
it!”

I ran for the stairs
again, in a rush to get my cell phone.  I had left it upstairs, like usual.  I
could hear Brian yelling for my mom as I searched around my room for the
phone.  In my panic I couldn’t remember where I had left it.  I heard a
piercing scream just as my eyes settled on the floor where the phone lay.  I
snatched it up and ran downstairs.  My heart was pounding and my ears felt like
they were full of cotton.  The blood rushing through my body was making me
light headed. 

I made it down the stairs
again, only tripping once, and found Brian crouched down by the closed door. 
He was sweating and coughing, but my mother was not with him.

“Where is she? Brian!
Where is my mom?!” I was crying.  My stomach was screaming at me as the smoke
filled my nostrils.  I fell to the floor, my lungs seizing as I scrambled to
regain my footing. 

“Katy!” I felt his arms
wrap around my shoulders.  His clothes reeked of smoke causing me to choke up
again.  “We have to get out of here!”

“No! I have to find my
mom! She’s in there!”

I fought to get out of his
grasp, but his strength overpowered me.  I could feel him pulling me up.  My
body had gone limp.  The need to crumble was crushing me.  My heart was
shattering into a million pieces as he dragged my unwilling body out of the
house.  My eyes were glued to the flames that were now scorching the walls of
the living room.  The fire was spreading, destroying my past in a gulp of
flames. 

When I felt the dew
seeping into my pants, I was snapped back to reality.  We had made it out of
the house, but as I searched around the yard, Mom was nowhere to be found.  I
could hear Brian talking to someone, but I couldn’t concentrate on him.  My
heart was still stuck in the house.  It was being smothered and blackened with
each passing second.  She wasn’t going to make it out.  The pain was intense;
unbearable. 

When I felt hands grip my
shoulders once again, I looked up to find Brian kneeling behind me, his body
wrapped around mine.  I leaned into him, letting his body support mine.  I
wanted to let go.  Disappear.  Maybe if I closed my eyes and let the darkness
take me then I could forget what was going on around me. 

The sirens were background
noise as I watched the house I grew up in go up in flames.  The heat pouring
from the scorched structure reddened my skin.  I could feel the soot and ash
slowly cover every exposed inch of my body.  I could no longer hang on.  I
finally allowed the darkness to overtake me.  Succumbing to it, I slipped into
sleep, my body still nestled in Brian’s arms.

Chapter Sixteen

Brian

I watched as her eyes
closed.  It was for the best.  She didn’t need to watch what was going on.  I
couldn’t tear my eyes away from the tragedy occurring in front of us.  The
nightmares that were sure to ensue were enough to damage anyone for life. 
Luckily, she hadn’t been able to get to the kitchen door when the fire first
started.  If she had, I doubt she would have made it through the night.

When I first opened the
door, the smoke was too thick to see through.  Moments later it cleared
slightly, allowing me a glimpse into the hell that had overtaken her country
kitchen.  There, on the floor, was a mass of flames that resembled a human
body.  The blackened mass was no longer recognizable, but my gut instinct told
me that it had been her mother.  I wanted to keep her from seeing that.  I
had
to keep her away. 

There was no reason for
her to know that her mother had burned to death.  At least, not yet. 
Eventually she would find out.  But for now, I wanted to protect her.  As I
held her in my arms, I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.  Where
would she go? How would we tell her father?  No matter how distant they had
gotten over the years, I was sure that at least a small part of him still loved
her.  At least, I hoped so.

As the fire department put
out the blaze, the bones of the house were finally visible.   The fire had
engulfed it, swallowing up Katy’s past and present, taking her future right
along with it.  It may not have been a happy existence for her, but it was her
home.  It was her mother that had died.  I knew how it felt to lose someone that
you loved.  It was heart wrenching.  It was hard to imagine life without them
there.  Some days it was akin to denial.  But this time I wouldn’t run and
hide.

This time I would be by
her side, holding her hand, helping her deal with putting the pieces back
together.  She needed me and I needed her.  Together, we were a damaged duo
that would need to rely heavily on the other to make it.

*****

After answering questions
and dealing with the emergency personnel, we were finally able to leave.  I
didn’t want to wake her up, but I knew we needed to leave.  I knew I could take
her to my house, but there would be a million questions to answer if I took her
there.  As I looked around, I was shocked to see Roxie’s truck come screeching
to a stop in the grass.  I watched as she and Chase jumped down and ran to us. 

Roxie fell to her knees in
front of Katy and began looking her over, no doubt looking for injuries. 
“She’s fine.  Physically, at least,” I assured her.

“What the hell happened?”
she whispered, her eyes never leaving Katy’s face.

I gave her the short
version.  I couldn’t fill in all the blanks, as I wasn’t sure how it happened
to begin with.  I knew there was drinking involved because of what Katy had
told me, but that was as far as my knowledge went.  As I finished telling her
what happened, the squeal of ungreased wheels filled our ears.  Looking to the
front of the house, we all watched as a gurney was wheeled out.  On top of it
laid a black, zippered bag. 

A sob broke out of Roxie’s
body as Chase wrapped his arms around her.  She sobbed into his chest, her
heart breaking for her best friend’s loss.  I felt Katy stir and when I looked
down, tears were flowing from her now open eyes.  I hugged her to my chest as
tightly as possible.  There was nothing I could do to fix this.  No matter how
much I wanted to, there was nothing I could do.  I hated the out of control
feeling coursing through my body.  It was too much.

“Brian, can you help her
up?” Roxie asked.  I nodded.  “Help her get in the truck.  She’s coming to my
house.”

“Good idea.”  I nodded
again, unable to tear my eyes away from the girl I loved.  I helped her up and
we all walked to Roxie’s truck.  Betty’s truck.  Shit.  Yet another reminder of
how unfair life seemed to be.

Chapter Seventeen

Katy

I opened my eyes to find
myself in an unfamiliar bed.  Sunlight was pouring in, cascading over the room,
and wrapping me in gentle warmth.  I fought to get my bearings as I sat up and
looked around.  When the events of the night before surfaced, I felt my body
seize up.  I let out an ear piercing scream and wrapped my arms around my
body.  I was shaking by the time I heard the door open.  I looked up to see
Roxie running over to me.  She sat down beside me and enveloped me in a warm
hug.  

“Shhh. It’s okay. I’m
here.” She rubbed my hair, smoothing it down my back with gentle caresses.  The
sobs escaping my lips were loud and uncontrollable.  I felt every piece of my
soul shatter again. 

“She’s gone.  Oh my God. 
She’s gone,” I choked out. 

“I’m sorry. So damn
sorry.” She pulled me tighter as she broke down with me.  My world was
shattered and I had no idea where to go from here.  How could I make it through
this? What would I do now?  She may not have been very motherly most of my life,
but she was the reason I was alive.  She had given me life, taken care of me
the best way she could.  I couldn’t imagine life without her there.

“I need to call Dad. 
Where’s my phone?”

“I already called him. 
He’ll be here within the hour.”

“I should have called
him.  It should have been me.” I was muttering, my words running together.  My
brain was on autopilot, making its own decisions.  I couldn’t stop the train
even if I had wanted to.

“You’ll be able to see him
soon.” She pulled back to look at me.  “Come on. Let’s get you in the shower. 
You’re filthy.”

I nodded, barely able to
comprehend what I was doing or where I was.  I followed her to the bathroom and
she helped strip me down.  I was left to my own devices afterwards, and as the
hot water cascaded down my body, I fell apart again.  At least there I could
fall apart without pitying eyes watching my every move. 

I curled up in a ball and
let the water pour over me, washing away the tears as soon as they surfaced.  I
lost track of time, but when the water turned cold, I knew it was time to get
out.  I shut the water off and climbed out, wrapping a soft towel around my
body.  I found a pile of clothes on the sink and I gave a silent thank you for
Roxie helping me.  As I slipped them on I began to wonder what would happen
next.

What would I do now? Where
would I live? Dad was sure to run as soon as he could, but where would I go? 
Could I go with him?  I didn’t want to leave, but my options were extremely
limited.  I threw my hair into a messy ponytail and left the bathroom.  I
stumbled through the house, searching out Roxie.  I could hear talking coming
from downstairs. 

I made my way down,
listening carefully.  I could hear other voices, but they were all muffled.  I
walked into the living room and found Roxie, Chase, Brian, and my dad, all
sitting around the room.  As soon as my dad and I made eye contact, I rushed to
him.  He jumped up to reach me and I threw myself into his arms. We hugged and
cried, both of us hanging on to the other for dear life.

I’m not sure how long we
stayed that way, but by the time we pulled apart, we were alone.

“Baby, I am so sorry.  I
should have been there.  I never should have left you to take care of her by
yourself.” He was shaking.  I wanted to reassure him, but I couldn’t.  I didn’t
blame him for what happened, but telling him that he had nothing to feel guilty
about would have been a lie.  Both of us had something to feel guilty about. 

“What do we do now? I
mean, the house...it’s gone, right?” I looked up at him through bloodshot eyes.

“It’s gone, yes.  I
have...news, I guess.”  He ran his hands through his hair, a nervous habit that
he had always possessed.  “I was going to tell you both when I got
home...but...”

“Tell me, please.”

“I was offered a job.  In
Houston.” I stared at him, waiting for him to continue.  When I didn’t respond,
he finally told me the rest.  “I said yes.  That’s what I was going to tell you
both about.  I was supposed to start in two weeks.”

Leave? He had made the
choice to move halfway across the country without even discussing it with me or
Mom?  I was in shock, which considering the past 24 hours, was enough to end
the stability in my legs.  I dropped down to the nearest couch and buried my
hands in my hair.

“I’m sorry.  It was too
good of an opportunity to pass up.  I can’t back out.  But I want you to come
with me.  We can start over.  Leave this all behind.”

I looked up at him,
shocked.  “Start over? Are you kidding me?” My voice was rising with each
word.  “I don’t want to leave!  This is still my home...just...without an
actual home.”

“It would be good for both
of us, sweetie.  Think about it. Please?”

I shook my head and leaned
back.  “No, I don’t want to.  I won’t. If you want to leave, fine.  But I’m
staying.”

It was his turn to lose
his temper.  “Where will you live? Have you even thought about that?” The sound
of his voice must have caught Roxie’s attention because moments later she was
back in the room, her hands on her hips.

“I wasn’t trying to
overhear, but since it was unavoidable, can I say something?” She turned to
address me, her body relaxing as we looked at each other.  “My home is your
home, Katy.  You can stay with me.  In fact, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I stared at her for a
moment, completely dumbstruck.  When I was finally able to tear my eyes away, I
looked at my dad.  He didn’t seem happy, but there was a look of relief on his
face as well.  Maybe he hadn’t wanted me to come along, after all.  These days,
it was hard to tell where his heart was anymore.

“Are you sure? I mean,
that’s so sweet of you to offer, but I don’t want you to feel obligated.” I
stood up, my legs still shaky.

“Hell yes I’m sure.  It
will be like a 24 hour sleepover.  Please, say yes.  Besides, my parents will
be leaving soon, and I’ll be all alone.  It would be a favor to me if you
stayed.”

I glanced back and forth
between her and Dad, watching both of them.  “Dad?”