by Amber Lacie
“Drop the fucking gun!” Evan screams at Thomas, as he comes around the front of the car. His feet must twist because he trips, either that, or karma is truly a bitch because his body twists, as he holds me in his aim. Thomas turns his head to Evan. Someone screams my name, and I hear the sound of two simultaneous clicks.
I am told that if someone experiences something so horrific, they can block it out. It is as if your brain is trying to protect you, keep you from living in the hellish reality surrounding you. Everything blurs around me. I feel hands pulling me from the ground. A voice looms around me, trying to pull me back to reality, but I can’t get rid of the loud ringing in my ears. Then it hits me. Two clicks. I frantically pull at the hands trying to carry me away. I am desperate to see what has happened. Where is Evan? Why can’t I see Evan? Someone is screaming, crying. I can’t hear over the noise. It is so loud that I can feel it rumble in my chest. Fuck. It is me and I am the one frantically screaming. Why isn’t anyone listening to me? I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t do this again.
“Evelyn!”
My name registers somewhere in my consciousness, turning I find the face that belongs to the voice. Theron is kneeling beside me on the steps, trying his best to calm me. Our eyes meet, my heart thumps in my chest, and I know. I know someone is dead.
“Beautiful, stop. It is over. It is all over. The police and an ambulance are on their way over.” He pulls me into his lap, rocking me back and forth. “It’s over. It’s all over.” He clings to me. I am not sure if his words are for me, or more for him. No words escape me. I can’t even begin to put together everything that has unleashed here today. I am not sure if God exists, but I know with everything in my being that the devil does and he was here tonight.
Red and blue lights flash among the trees, accompanied by loud whirring sirens. Theron doesn’t let me go. The scene becomes a chaotic mess of people, as both police and paramedics rush onto the scene. Words are spoken, but in low hushed tones. All I hear is, “he didn’t make it.” My heart drops, tears sting my already hot cheeks, and anger boils beneath my skin. I watch as the paramedics push someone into the back of the ambulance, but I can’t quite make out as to who. Theron won’t let go of me. I honestly believe that he is panicking. We are still rocking back and forth when someone walks over, asking if we are all right. He briefly lets go of me, so that they can look me over to make sure that I am alright. He pulls me back into his arms when he is satisfied with their assumption of my wellbeing. I wrap my arms around him, and he buries his head in my neck. I am not prepared for his words. They catch me off guard, stabbing me through my heart in one swift motion. “He’s dead.”
My eyes scan the chaos of lights, and people moving around us. I still can’t find Evan. The ambulance pulls away and that is when I notice the black shoes laying so still on the ground. This can’t be real. Someone covers the figure with a blanket. I close my eyes and bury myself into the man holding so desperately onto me. My awful feeling has come to fruition, and I can’t help but wonder if I am not to blame. If I hadn’t spoke up, what would have been the outcome? Theron stands and carries me back to the car. Where are we going?
Maybe he just needs to get away, and perhaps this has finally all been too much for him. I don’t ask him what his intentions are, I just accept them. It doesn’t matter where we are going, as long as I am with him, nothing else matters. Tears blur my vision, as I watch the trees pass by outside the window. Nothing has really ever happened to me. I have never had any huge surprises, catastrophes, or excitement of any kind until these past couple of months. It is odd how quickly things can change.
I am sitting in a hard vinyl chair. My right knee is pulled up to my chest with my arms wrapped tightly around my waist. Theron keeps trying to get me to eat, but I can’t. Hot and clammy sweats keep taking over my body. Panic is hiding just below the surface, and it is boiling just under my skin, waiting to claim me. I watch him pacing back and forth before sitting in the chair across from me, then standing to do it all again. I wonder who is more broken. Is it me, Theron, or the man lying beside me in a hospital bed? All of us are shattered into to so many pieces that I wonder if someone could even possess enough glue to make one whole person out of us.
Theron hasn’t slept in two days. He is insistent on staying at the hospital. I can’t blame him, if it was Kayla, I would never leave her side. The doctors were able to remove the bullet with minimal damage. It turns out that Evan has great aim, but Thomas didn’t. He moved at the last second and aimed his gun at Evan. The bullet hit its victim, but it was the left shoulder that took the bullet. Evan had a clear shot. His bullet didn’t miss its target, and it slipped through Thomas just above the bridge of his nose, killing him instantly. We are hoping that Evan will be released tomorrow if he wakes up, otherwise it may be a few more days, yet.
Bridgette has shown up twice at the hospital now, demanding to see Theron. I had her removed by security. I will deal with that crazy psycho once we are back at home. One panic attack at a time seems to be easier to handle. My mom is here with me. She keeps bringing me hot tea to sip. She has tried to mother Theron as well. He is so unfamiliar with being taken care of that he just gives her looks of confusion when she tries to comfort him. My heart breaks knowing his confusion is all because his father, the man that was supposed to love him and raise him, but instead held Theron accountable for the death of his mother and the destruction of the world Thomas was so clearly accustomed to. I can’t fathom how someone could hate their own child. I don’t think that my mind will ever be able to wrap around it. Perhaps, it is because all I have known in my life is the love of my family and friends. Never before, have I ever been so grateful for everyone in my life, especially Theron. Even if he doesn’t see it all the time, he is my everything.
“Hey girl, are you planning on staying here all day again?”
I turn to see Kayla peeking in through the door. Her tight blonde curls are piled on the top of her head in a crazy mass. For some reason, I find this to be absolutely, hilarious. I am not sure if it is from the lack of sleep, or if I have gone mad. It is probably both. A giggle escapes me, catching both Kayla and Theron off guard. Their expressions of shock, only add to the hilarity I am finding in this situation. Doing my best to stifle my laughter, I bury my face against my knee. What ensues after is a not a sound most humans make. I am laughing silently, my face growing hotter from the breath that I am holding. I breathe in at the same time that a laugh like sound escapes me. I sound like a braying donkey.
“What the hell was that?” I look to Theron, but he shakes his head letting me know that it wasn’t him asking.
“Jesus Christ, you sound like a fucking mule being murdered.” Kayla is now laughing with me. I try to catch my breath, but I am failing epically. The sound escapes me again, this time followed by a snort. White little spots appear outside the corner of my eyes. If I don’t calm down, I am going to faint from not breathing.
“What the hell was that? Did you just fucking snort?” The voice is groggy, cracking as it questions the horrible sounds coming from my mouth.
“She did, Evan. She fucking brayed like a damn donkey and now the crazy cow is snorting. Jesus, Theron get your woman under control. We are in a hospital of all places.” At the sound of Kayla’s words, I pull my shirt just over my head and breathe deeply. I am now hiding like a turtle inside its shell.
“I can’t control that, I’ve tried and it only gets worse. Last time she fell out of the chair she was sitting in. I am not risking it. Just let her calm down. As for you, how are you feeling?”
“Like shit. God, damn my shoulder is on fire. What happened?” Evan’s voice is rough, but it brings me back from the psychotic break that I was starting to edge over.
“Thomas shot you. Evan, you saved us.” It is my voice that answers him. It is soft and muffled from inside my shirt, but I know that he hears me because of his sharp intake of breath. I peek out from my hiding place, not making eye contact with any
one. Laughing now would be completely rude to the gravity of the situation we now find ourselves.
“Have you regained your sanity now?”
“Yes, mother.” I scrunch my nose up at Kayla. She is so bossy sometimes.
“Ladies, although your concern for me is more than I could have asked for, could you let me talk to my man for just a minute?”
I am a little put off by Evan’s request, but I comply. He is Theron’s right hand man. I am sure there are things they need to discuss. I follow Kayla out of the room and down the hall. She stops in front of the Family Waiting Room. My eyes focus on the door. I have encountered so much loss in that room. Seeing my hesitation, she follows me, as I continue to walk through the ending hallways, making my way to a bench outside the main doors.
It is almost two o’clock, the sun is shining brightly, high in the sky. Yesterday was unbearably hot and humid, while today has a slight chill to the air. Mother Nature is such a tease. Once you get comfortable accepting the idea of one season, she changes her mind, just to mix things up a bit. Kayla sits beside me, neither of us say a word. It is not that we need to, there is just no reason to fill the silence. I take comfort in the little warmth the sun is offering, the birds singing in the trees, and the knowledge that no matter what is in store for all of us in the future, we will face it together.
A yawn escapes me, as I lay my head on Kayla’s shoulder. “I’m suddenly very tired and very hungry.”
“That’s probably because you’ve finally let go of the stress that you’ve been carrying around for way too long. Why don’t you let me take you home? I can help you get everything ready for everyone to finally come home. We can order pizza, rock out to some Pandora, and just let everything go. A stress free night.”
“Is that a good idea? I mean, what will they think of me just leaving them here? I should be with them.”
“You were. Now you need a break. You need to take care of yourself, too.”
“I know.”
“Then it’s settled. Stay here, you don’t need to gimp around so much. I’ll get Theron.” She kisses the top of my head and heads back inside with a little bounce in her step. As I sit outside waiting for them, I can’t help but take notice of the elderly couple walking out of the building and into the parking lot. He is using his cane to help support both of them. She has both of her arms wrapped around his free arm, and their steps are short but balanced. You can see the concentration on his face, as he makes sure that his wife is safely following him. A soft sweet smile is on her face. She has complete faith in him. I wonder what it will be like when Theron and I are older. Will we still love each other so desperately and passionately as we do now? I believe that we will, and I hope that it is so much more.
“I hear my beautiful girl wishes to go home and put her leg up.” Looking at Theron, tears well up in my eyes. Grasping my face with his palm, he wipes away the stray tear that has escaped and is now rolling down my cheek. “Hey, what’s this for?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, but why the tears?”
“It’s just because I love you so much.”
He leans in and ever so softly places a kiss gently on my lips. It is just a feather of a kiss, but it resonates throughout my entire body, electricity courses through my veins, searing the fireworks from his touch to memory. “Go get some rest, beautiful. I’ve got this.” I nod my head, turning my lips to place a kiss against his palm. He helps me to stand, as Kayla pulls her car around.
Opening my door, he helps me slide into the car. He shuts my door once he is satisfied with my seatbelt. I place a kiss on the tip of my fingers and place them on the window as we drive away. My shoulders feel incredibly light. Closing my eyes, I rest my head against the window and drift to sleep during the short drive home.
Kayla helps me into the house. I am so tired that I head straight to bed. I promise Kayla that it will only be a short nap, but I know that is a lie. She wakes me around six, when the pizza arrives. We eat our meal in silence on the balcony, mainly because my mouth is so full of food, talking would basically lead to choking at this point. I gulp down my lemonade, the glass clinks, as I set it back on the table.
“Feel better?”
“Much.”
“I would hope so. Jesus, Eve. I’ve never seen someone scarf a pizza down so quickly in my life and I have brothers!” I shrug my shoulders. What did she expect? I said I was hungry. The evening fades into the night, as we sit on the balcony talking and laughing at just about anything we can think of. It feels so good to be able to relax like this. No worries, no drama, it is just us. It is just like it used to be when all three of us lived together. My thoughts stray to Matt, but I don’t encounter sadness this time around. Instead, my thoughts of him bring a smile to my lips.
“Kayla, do you remember when we convinced Matt that there was a monster in the lake?”
“Oh my God, that was great. He wouldn’t go near the water for the rest of the summer.”
“I know. I can’t believe that he fell for it. It took us forever to get him back in the water and that guy was snorkeling, and he popped up in the water right in front of him. That was hilarious. He was scared shitless.”
“Right? Who snorkels in Lake Michigan anyway? The odds of that happening was slim to none, but it worked out for us!” We continue telling stories, laughing through the night until my eyes can barely stay open any longer.
“Kayla, I think it’s time to call it a night. I’m exhausted and my bed is taunting me with its amazingly soft pillows.”
“Okay. Let me help you up, and get you to bed.”
“The help up I’ll take, but I’m just going to throw on one of Theron’s t-shirts, so I’ll be fine. Could you stay here tonight? It’s a big house, and with everything that’s happened, I’d rather not be alone.”
“No problem, sweets. I’ll raid your clothes for something to sleep in. Where am I bunking?”
“You may pick any room you want on the other side of the parlor. Rebecca keeps them clean, and ready to use, just in case.”
Kayla nudges my shoulder with hers, as we walk back into the bedroom. “You know, I’m jealous of you. You have someone to cook and clean for you, your fiancé is loaded, you have a beautiful house…You have a lot, Eve.” I am not sure what to say to any of that, so I just watch her, as she digs through my stuff. She grabs some clothes and places her hand on my forearm. “But you’ve been through so much. You deserve every bit of this sweetie. This house isn’t too big for you.” She gives me a wink then heads out the door to find herself a room. She knew exactly what I meant when I said the house was too big. I don’t feel like I belong here or deserve any of this, but Kayla is right. Taking comfort in that thought, I make myself comfortable in my huge bed and drift off to sleep. I am hoping that tomorrow goes pleasantly and that there won’t be any drama.
The sudden jolt to my core brings me from my slumber, my body stirs from the sensation between my legs. My eyes open to the sight of a naked Theron slowly kissing his way up my body. I am now wide awake and completely alert to his every move. If I could, I would choose to wake up every day like this. His grin is contagious, as he crawls up towards my face, causing my smile to match his.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning. What is this? Not that I’m complaining, but why aren’t you at the hospital?”
“Evan’s sister is there. She suggested that I take a break, plus I know I’ve neglected you.”
“Oh.” My voice is a breathy whisper. “Wait. Kayla will hear us.” I would never hear the end of it if she heard us.
“I sent her home.” Theron places a soft kiss on my lips and I close my eyes, enjoying the sweetness of it. “No more neglecting.” His lips skate along my jaw to my neck, his tongue sweeping across my skin, as he nips just below my ear. I shiver from the electricity of his touch. His hands slide under my shirt, cupping my breasts, his rough fingers teasing my nipples. I arch my back pushing my breasts i
nto his hands. I could come just from this alone. My nerves are knotted and explosive to the touch. Pulling my shirt over my head, his mouth finds my breasts. My nipples are teased and pulled into hard peaks, as his mouth assaults my body.
“Oh, God!” Moans escape me as his hands drift between my legs, slipping between my wet folds. My hands grip his shoulders, my nails digging at his skin. I am desperate for him, for his touch. “Theron, please. I need to feel you.”
“You are so wet. Do you know how much you turn me on like this? Just knowing that I’m the reason your body comes alive, is enough.” I need more, not just his hands. I need his hard cock slamming me into oblivion.
“Please. Fuck me, Theron. Please!” He coaxes my words from me, along with moans, as my body heats into a roaring inferno of lust. No amount of finger play is going to take me where I need to go. “Theron, now!”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. I need you, baby, please.” His fingers slip from me, his hands moving to my hips. He lifts my right leg over his shoulder, spreads my pussy open for him.
“I love your slick cunt. Who am I to deny you of what you need? You ready for this?”
“Yes!” He positions the steel head of his cock before slowly pushing into me. My body stretches to accommodate his size, a burning sensation takes over me and I revel in it. His pace is slow and steady. I clench my walls around him, as he drives me towards my orgasm. I am just on the brink, but I can’t get there. I need it rough. Using the heel of my foot, I push onto his ass forcing him to pound into me.
“Baby, no. I won’t be able to hold back.”
“Fuck holding back.” His eyes darken, and I know that I am going to be rewarded for my smart mouth. His fingers dig into my hip, his other hand wraps around my thigh, as he thrusts into my pussy pushing me farther into the mattress. “Theron! Like that. Don’t stop.”
