Unbroken

by Donna K. Ford

  *

  The sun was just pushing above the horizon when Kayla pulled into her drive. The house was still and looked as it did on the day she and her grandmother had discovered it five years earlier. She’d loved it from the moment she saw it. She smiled. It was good to be home.

  The house was silent when Kayla opened the door and dropped her bag into the laundry room. She realized how quiet everything was and considered how empty the house felt. Maybe she should get a cat. It would be nice to have someone waiting to greet her at the door, someone to come home to at the end of the day.

  Kayla pushed open the bathroom door and flipped on the light. An uneasy feeling pricked at the back of her brain as she looked around the room, evaluating the small space. Nothing was out of place, but the discomfort was still there, the smell was wrong. She fumbled with her keys until she grasped the pepper spray in her hand like a grenade, her thumb poised over the trigger.

  “What is it?” Jackie asked.

  “I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.”

  She inched her way down the hall stopping to peer into the bedroom as she passed. Nothing seemed out of place, but she knew something was wrong, she could feel it. She swallowed hard and pushed on toward the living room. The first sign of trouble was the scattering of beer cans across the living room floor. Kayla’s heart lurched as she scanned the trash littering the floor, realizing they were not alone in the house. Her brain screamed for her to run, to get out of there as fast as she could, but something held her in place. She was done running.

  Jackie slid a hand around Kayla’s arm and squeezed. “Let’s get out of here and call the police,” she whispered.

  Kayla shook her head and crept around the furniture to peer over the sofa. She stifled a scream when she saw Mike sprawled on the couch. He didn’t move as she stepped closer. Considering the number of beer cans littering the room, he must be passed out.

  Jackie picked up a bookend off a shelf and held it in her hand like a shot put.

  Kayla crept to the side table and picked up the phone, her eyes landing on the pill bottles lying among the cans. A new fear crept over her. “Oh my God, no.”

  Jackie frowned and looked around to see what else there could be. She jumped when Kayla kicked the side of the sofa.

  “Mike, wake up. Mike!”

  Mike didn’t move.

  “Shit,” Kayla said as she quickly dialed 911. She had no idea how long Mike had been in her house or how long he’d been unconscious—for all she knew, he could be dead. Great. The last thing she needed was to have her best friend’s husband die on her sofa.

  She felt Mike’s wrist for a pulse. His hand was cold to the touch, but she felt the faint beat of his heart. “He’s alive.” Kayla leaned down and shook Mike. “Come on, Mike. You can be a prick if you want to, but don’t you dare die in my living room.”

  The ambulance and police arrived at her house within minutes of the call. Kayla answered the questions she could, but she didn’t know much.

  An officer picked up the pill bottles and looked at her. “Are these yours?”

  They were obviously hers—her name was printed as clear as day on the label. “Yes, it appears so. He must have found them in my medicine cabinet.”

  “I understand you have a restraining order against Mr. Harris. Can you tell me what he’s doing here?”

  Jackie stood close by, watching the EMTs hurriedly place Mike on a stretcher and wheel him out. She had a distant resolved look on her face that made Kayla’s blood chill.

  “He broke in here a few days ago. I’ve been staying with a friend since then. I had no idea he was here until I came in and found him like this,” Kayla explained.

  The officer nodded. “Pretty clever of him to hide out here while you were gone. I guess that’s why he hasn’t been picked up on the warrant. Looks like he’s pretty lucky you came home when you did.”

  Kayla nodded, but she didn’t think lucky was exactly how she would describe Mike’s situation. Things didn’t look good for him.

  “I’d like to go to the hospital with him. I know his wife and I don’t feel right leaving him alone like this.”

  The officer shrugged. “Suit yourself, but an officer will be there with him. We’ll contact his family, so there’s really no reason for you to be there.”

  “Let his family handle this, Kayla. You’ve done all you can do,” Jackie said coolly.

  Kayla sighed. There really wasn’t anything else she could do, but she didn’t feel right sending Mike off alone when she wasn’t sure he would even survive. No matter what he’d done, he didn’t deserve that. “Okay, but I have to at least call Jen and let her know.”

  “Suit yourself,” the officer repeated, then walked away speaking into a radio clipped to his shirt at the shoulder.

  Kayla sighed. “I hate this. How am I going to explain to Jen that her husband overdosed in my house?”

  “Do you need me to do it? Other than the fact that he had the nerve to break into your house again, it can’t be that big of a surprise.”

  Kayla shook her head. She didn’t miss the anger seething in Jackie’s voice. “No. It should be me, and I don’t think anyone ever expects this to happen to someone they love,” Kayla said, putting a little bite of her own in the words.

  Jen answered with her usual chipper voice. “Hey, you, what’s up?”

  “Hey, Jen. I’m sorry I don’t have good news. There’s a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?” Jen’s tone went somber.

  “I just found Mike unconscious on my couch. The ambulance just took him to the hospital. It doesn’t look good, Jen. There were beer cans all over the place and he’d taken the pain pills and muscle relaxers that were in my medicine cabinet, and God knows what else.”

  “Oh my God.”

  Kayla closed her eyes and sighed. “Is there anything I can do? Anyone I can call for him?”

  “No. I’ll call his mother. It will be hours before I can get there. I’m sorry you had to find him, but thank you, K.”

  “I’m sorry too.”

  The call disconnected and Kayla was left feeling empty.

  She watched an officer walk through her living room taking photos of the mess Mike had made of her house. She wanted to order them all to get out. She wanted her life back. She was tired of answering questions and feeling like she’d done something wrong. She hadn’t asked for any of this.

  Kayla did everything the officer asked. She was relieved when he finally had all the information he needed and was on his way out the door.

  “Thank you, Officer.”

  “No problem, ma’am. You have a good evening.”

  Kayla turned back to Jackie and the mess scattering her living room. She hoped Mike would be okay and that this would put an end to his drama. It was time to get her life back together.

  She looked at Jackie. “I can’t believe it’s really over.”

  “Is it?”

  Kayla frowned. “Of course. I just hope he pulls through this.”

  Jackie looked at her emotionless.

  Kayla held her hands out in front of her. “Don’t you see, if he does pull through this, he’ll have a chance to get the help he needs.”

  “Right,” Jackie said sarcastically.

  Kayla didn’t know what else to say.

  Jackie sighed. “Look, you obviously have a lot to do here and I need to get to work.”

  “Okay.” Kayla hesitated. “Jackie, everything’s going to be okay now.”

  “I know, I’ll see you tonight,” Jackie agreed. But somehow Kayla didn’t believe her.

  *

  The first thing Jackie noticed as she came through the door was the silence. It was well after midnight and she should have been home hours ago. She didn’t have to look through the apartment to know Kayla was gone. They hadn’t talked since their argument at Kayla’s house. She didn’t have anything to say.

  Jackie dropped her keys on the table by the door and made her way through
the apartment. Her skin grew cold as she drew nearer to her bedroom. With each step the coldness crept inside her until all the warmth was drained from her body.

  The bedroom was exactly as she always kept it, but it felt empty. There was no sign that Kayla had ever been there. She turned away and as she did she noticed a new picture frame sitting on her dresser. It was a black-and-white photograph of her at the regatta. Kayla had captured the moment of triumph as she crossed the finish line. In that moment she thought she caught a glimpse of the woman Kayla wanted—needed—her to be.

  Jackie felt something inside her break. She hadn’t come home to Kayla as promised. She’d put up a barrier between them. Through her absence and her silence she’d essentially asked Kayla to walk out of her life, and just like her mother, that was exactly what Kayla had done. Once again Jackie found herself alone, wishing someone would come and save her. But this time the only person she needed was the very person she had sent away.

  She ground her teeth and punched her fist against the wall. The old emptiness crept through her like a poison. She had to get out of this room. On the way to the balcony she grabbed a beer from the fridge and fell into her favorite lounge chair. She watched the nightlife slowly emerge from the growing darkness that mirrored her soul.

  It was the chill that finally drew her from sleep. She shivered and pulled her arms and legs close to her chest. Despite the cold, she couldn’t bring herself to go inside. She shivered again. She craved the feel of Kayla’s body against hers. She missed her. But how could she go on like this? She couldn’t deal with the fear and worry of someone lurking in the shadows to hurt Kayla. She’d finally broken free of that life. It was just too much.

  Jackie shifted on the chair and felt something hard burrow into her thigh. She reached beneath her and retrieved her cell phone. It was six in the morning. She had two hours to decide what to do before Kayla boarded a plane.

  Jackie pushed herself up. On her way to the door she grabbed her keys. She wanted to push the pain and the memories out of her head. The past was roaring through her mind like a speeding train filled with faded images from a nightmare. Jackie ran until sweat mingled with the tears streaming down her cheeks and she had to stop to throw up. She gasped for air, desperate to regain control. She looked at her watch. Damn it. She might have just enough time to catch Kayla if she hustled.

  Jackie raced into the airport and searched the lines of people and rows of ticket counters. She pushed through the crowd toward the security check. Kayla stood in line, anxiously checking her phone each time she took a step closer to the counter.

  All Jackie had to do was call her name. It was so simple. Kayla was within reach. Jackie stood silent and watched Kayla, trying to sort through the cyclone of emotions tearing her apart. Her heart melted when Kayla looked up and smiled at the attendant. Her smile was warm to anyone who didn’t know her, but the smile didn’t reach Kayla’s eyes, as if it was being weighed down.

  “Kayla,” Jen called from the other side of the security barrier.

  Jackie looked past Kayla and saw Jen waving on the other side. When Kayla reached her, Jen pulled Kayla into a warm hug.

  Jackie swallowed. Mike must have pulled through. Would he come after Kayla again? Kayla had known the risks she was taking with Mike, and here she was, throwing her life in the air as if it didn’t matter. Jackie clenched her teeth against the bile boiling in her stomach as her past and present collided. She closed her eyes and tried to put everything in its place. But her nerves were raw with fear, and the anger from her past blinded her to what was right in front of her.

  *

  “Oh my God, it’s good to see you.” Jen squealed, wrapping her arms around Kayla.

  Kayla hugged her. She was surprised Jen had decided to attend the conference with everything that had happened, but she was glad she was there.

  “It’s good to see you too. Are you sure about this?”

  Jen sighed. “There isn’t anything I can do sitting around here. He’s going to be fine. They were able to wake him up. I’m happy to say the process of doing so was not a pleasant one, and I hope Mike remembers every second of it, though I doubt it. He’s stable and once the hospital releases him, I’m sure he’s headed to jail.”

  Kayla took Jen’s arm as they walked to their gate. “How are you doing with all of this?”

  Jen sighed. “I’m mad as hell.” Jen glanced at Kayla apologetically. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m very relieved he’s okay, but I’m still mad at him for doing all of this to both of us. And I can’t forgive him for what he’s put you through, K.”

  “What are you going to do?” Kayla asked.

  “I don’t know yet. I thought this week would give me time to figure that out. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to getting away from everything.”

  Kayla nodded.

  “What about you? How are you doing? I know all of this has been hard on you too.”

  Kayla looked away, remembering the cold tone in Jackie’s voice and the distance between them the day before.

  “Kayla. What is it?”

  “This has been pretty hard on Jackie. I don’t know if we’re going to see each other anymore.”

  “This wasn’t your fault. She’ll understand that.”

  Kayla shook her head. “No. This whole thing has brought up some pretty nasty stuff from her past. I don’t think she can handle it. I don’t think she wants to.”

  “I’m sure she just needs some time, like we need some time.”

  Kayla forced a weak smile. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. But we were supposed to have dinner last night and she didn’t show and she didn’t call. I haven’t heard from her since she left my house after Mike was taken to the hospital. She didn’t want me to go today. Maybe I should have listened.”

  Jen squeezed Kayla’s arm. “I’m really sorry, K.”

  “It isn’t your fault.”

  “Thanks for saying that, but if I hadn’t enabled Mike for so long, none of this would have happened.”

  “Well, there’s no need to beat ourselves up over this. It is what it is, and we can’t change any of it.” Kayla didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She’d already spent the night waiting for Jackie to call, feeling the thread between them fray with each passing hour. She hugged Jen’s arm against her side, trying to believe her own words.

  *

  Kayla fell into her chair, exhaustion propelling her into gravity’s embrace. She had been going from session to session all day and felt as if her brain would explode.

  Jen sat down across the table in front of her and handed her a drink.

  “Here, try this, it makes everything better.”

  “I doubt that,” Kayla said, taking a sip. She groaned as the cool liquid coated her tongue and sent the soothing flavor of coconut cascading across her taste buds. “Hmm. You might be onto something here.”

  Jen giggled. “You know it.” She waved off the glass as Kayla offered it back to her. “No, go ahead. You need it more than I do.”

  Kayla didn’t respond, but took another sip of the tantalizing drink. She didn’t know what was in it, but it was delicious.

  “So, how are you doing?”

  Kayla licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. “I’m okay. Any news about Mike?”

  Jen shrugged. “He’s going to be fine. Of course as soon as he was stable at the hospital, they took him to jail. He agreed to a yearlong drug rehab program somewhere in Texas so he wouldn’t have to do his time in jail. I hope it works.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to file for the divorce. I love him. I will always love him. But we are broken, and I don’t think I can ever trust him again.”

  Kayla placed her hand over Jen’s. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.” Jen picked up the drink she’d handed Kayla earlier. “Maybe we both need another one of these.”

  Kayla smiled. “You might be right.”

  “Have you talked to Ja
ckie?” Jen asked.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I think I need to give her some time. She’s been through a lot and I’m not sure she’ll want to see me again once I get back.”

  “All the more reason you should call. You don’t want her to think you don’t care.”

  “I know. Maybe tomorrow.”

  Kayla stared into her drink, musing about her life and Jackie. What had it been like for her parents, always living one thrill to the next, chasing whatever adventure they could find?

  “Hey, where’d you go?” Jen asked.

  Kayla blinked to clear the tears that pricked at her eyes, unsettled by a sudden rush of emotion. “Sorry. I was thinking about my parents. I know what happened to them. I spent most of my life resenting them for not being there for me growing up. I didn’t want to be anything like them. But now I’m not so sure about things.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. Jackie was everything my grandmother warned me about, but she made me feel alive. I miss her so bad it hurts to breathe, but I don’t regret anything with her.”

  “That’s good, right?” Jen leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Maybe it’s time to do things your way and stop trying to live by someone else’s rules.”

  Kayla pushed away from the table. “Thanks.” She had spent her life analyzing her parents. Jackie had called her a hypocrite. Maybe she was right. “It’s another long day tomorrow. I think I’ll turn in early. Will you be okay?”

  Jen smiled. “I’m fine. Go on and do what you need to do. I’ll be up later.”

  Kayla was grateful Jen let the issue drop. “Thanks.”

  Kayla stepped onto the elevator, warring with her conflicted emotions. Maybe the thing that drew her and Jackie together was their shared abandonment issues. At least she’d had her grandmother. Kayla sighed. Her heart ached for all that Jackie had lost, all she had endured. It was more than just the pain she knew Jackie’s father had inflicted. There was the self-imposed guilt about her mother that Jackie shouldn’t have to shoulder.