Disconnected

by Bethany Daniel

  He walks to her side and kisses her forehead. "Baby, I love you more than ever, but you're not allowed to scare me like that ever again, promise?"

  She smiles as she pulls him down for a quick kiss, "Promise. Now, Mr. Movie Star, think you might have some of your make-up friends come visit me? I want to be back to being all pretty and lip-glossed up."

  "I'll see what I can do, but for what it’s worth, I think you’re just as pretty minus the lip gloss."

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah....you do act for a living; you could be lying through your teeth right now. But I would greatly appreciate some of those hair and make-up people."

  The girls talk back and forth for a bit while Scott and I stand against the wall watching them. I smile to myself because this just feels so normal.

  "I think we did good, man," Scott whispers to me.

  "Yeah, we did. Makes it a lot easier we picked best friends, huh?" I laugh.

  He nods. "That it does."

  "I'll probably get to leave soon because it’s just my legs that are the issue. But I was thinking, has Scott told you about my school situation?" I hear Katy ask, and it brings my attention back to her.

  "Yes. What the hell am I supposed to do without you there?!"

  "Well, if Scott's ok with it, I was thinking maybe you could come home with me. Liam says we have a house there, and the guys are going to be in L.A doing interviews and stuff for the movie. Want to come keep me company?"

  "Honey, I'm not even asking for permission. I'm going!"

  "Well, I'm glad you want to. It makes it lots easier security-wise. I was worried I'd have to argue with you about not taking you to L.A." Scott tells her.

  "Nah, I’ve got two of L.A.’s hottest celebrities right here.” She points to the two of us. “Why would I need to go there to see more?” she teases us with a smile.

  "Besides, I promised you stories and pictures of a certain someone." Katy gets a mischievous grin on her face as she looks over at me.

  Stories about me? That is so not fair; Katy has a lot of dirt on me. I frown over at her. Krista looks at me too and starts giggling and I shake my head, these girls.

  "Whoa...wait." I put my hands up to stop them. "What stories and pictures?”

  "Oh...just my personal stash of the 'before he was a star' variety," Katy beams up at me.

  I cover my face and groan, "Oh, God." I don't even want to know what embarrassing tales she might be able to come up with. And please, God, don't let anyone else hear them.

  "Oh, man! Can I get in on this stash?” Scott asks, grinning over at me and rubbing his hands together.

  I look at him like he's lost his mind. "No!"

  Both girls start a laughing fit and yell "Yes!" over my protests.

  Chapter 21

  A little over a week later the girls have been released from the hospital, but before we all leave Georgia together Katy gets a phone call from the Austins about Lucas' service.

  "They're going to have a special ceremony down at the beach because Luke loved surfing." She smiles softly. "I want to go, Liam." She looks up at me. "I know I'm stuck in crutches because of my leg, but I need to be there."

  "You will be, I promise." I kiss her forehead. "Is it tonight?"

  She nods. "Yes, at the beach where you were filming. There are going to be some people speaking and then there's going to be a butterfly release. I figured I could at least do that."

  I pull her close and sigh. "I know you're still hurting, Katy. Just know that I'm here, ok? You can talk to me, even if it's about Lucas."

  She frowns as she looks up at me. "Are you sure?"

  I nod. "Yes. I might not be Krista, but I can at least listen. I love you Katy, and I love how big your heart is. I know Lucas holds a piece of it, and probably always will, and I'm ok with that."

  Katy sniffles as she looks down. "I miss him, a lot." She wipes her eyes. "He was just always there, you know? Someone that I could turn to for any reason; one of my best friends," She takes a deep breath. "When we became more than friends it felt good. I hadn't really felt much of a connection with anyone since you. He made me open my heart again."

  I rub her back in soothing circles and hold her tighter against me. Lucas might not have been my favorite person, but for him to love Katy and to make her open her heart and live again makes me grateful for him. I wish I had gotten the chance to know him better. Maybe over time we would have become friends, but now we'll never get the chance because of a woman out of her mind with jealousy.

  "I'm sorry, Katy," I whisper into her hair. "You don't have to be strong in front of me. Cry if you need to, you're allowed to miss him."

  Her sniffles turn into gasps as she cries into my chest. I hate that she's been holding all this in for my sake.

  I rock her back and forth as her tears continue falling down her cheeks. I wish I could just take this all away for her.

  "I just...feel so...guilty," she whispers between cries. "It's not fair. He was supposed to graduate, go be this amazing architect and find a great wife, have a couple kids." Katy shakes her head. "Now he's just gone. Now he doesn't have a future. Why did he have to die, Liam?" She looks up at me with red puffy eyes and I reach out to rub some tears away.

  "Sometimes there are no answers. Sometimes things just suck and all you can do is yell and scream and be pissed off. You can be mad, you can try and make sense of it all, but in the end the why of it doesn't matter, Katy. In the end you're left to just deal with it and keep living."

  "I know," she whispers, taking a deep breath. "But it really sucks."

  I smile softly and wipe the last of her tears away. "I know it does, but you have me to help you through it, ok? If you need me, I'm right here."

  Katy pulls me down to her for a kiss and leans her forehead against mine. "Thank you for loving me even when I'm broken."

  I kiss her again and hold her tightly against my chest, "Always."

  A few hours later we arrive at the beach with a full security detail.

  "Isn't this a bit much?" Katy asks, frowning when the car door is open and one of the bodyguards hands her the crutches.

  I shake my head, letting her lean her weight on me as she adjusts the crutches. "No, its better to make it obvious that they're here so people know we're protected."

  She sighs and starts making her way down the sidewalk towards the main part of the beach, where there is a little tent with black folding chairs and a podium set up.

  Katy makes her way towards Mr. and Mrs. Austin and I notice her take a deep breath and square her shoulders as we get nearer.

  "Mr. and Mrs. Austin," She bites her lip and looks down. "I don't even know what to say...just that I'm so, so sorry." Katy looks up and I squeeze her hand, seeing her eyes brimming with tears.

  "Kate, you have nothing to be sorry for." Mrs. Austin reaches out and squeezes her shoulders. "I'm just glad that he wasn't alone. Luke loved you so much. I'm glad you were at least there when it happened."

  Katy cries as she leans into her hug, and I stand back feeling helpless. I almost want to take her away from here, away from the sadness I know will overtake her through this.

  Once Katy calms down a bit, Mr. Austin takes her crutches and I carry her over to the tent and into a chair. "Are you ok?" I whisper to her as I push some hair out of her face.

  She nods and grabs my hand, holding it against her cheek. "I am. Thank you for being here. Are Scott and Krista still coming?"

  I nod, looking down at my watch. "They are, they should be getting here soon."

  She nods, leaning her head on my shoulder and watching the ocean in front of us. I hold onto her, scanning the crowd of people now congregating in the tent.

  "Oh, there they are!" I hear a familiar voice say, and look over Katy's head to see Krista tugging Scott towards us.

  "I'm sorry we're late, sweetie," Krista says as she hugs Katy. "The bodyguards had to figure out a parking place that was in a quick escape area or something." She waves her hand in the air. "I don't think
I'll ever get used to stuff like that."

  Katy smiles at her and squeezes her hand. "Don't worry, I won't either."

  Lucas' dad walks up to the front and draws everyone's attention.

  "Hello everyone, friends, family," He smiles sadly, looking around at everyone. "I wish we were all together like this on better terms. But I would like for us to celebrate Luke tonight. He loved coming to this beach and surfing, swimming, or just relaxing on his off days. So today, I want us to do those same things in honor of him." He smiles and points to where there are some surf boards stacked to the side. "Feel free to get in the water with a board and just let loose. If you don't want to do that or just can't right now," he looks over at Katy, "then Della will be doing a butterfly release from here inside the tent after she says a few words." He nods and steps back as Mrs. Austin steps onto the platform.

  "Like Mark said, tonight isn't to mourn, because we have done plenty of that these last few weeks." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Tonight we celebrate my Lucas and all he did during his life. If he were here right now, he would tell us to smile, that he hates seeing people sad, especially because of him. So today is about life, not death."

  As she steps away, some guys strip down to swim trunks and grab a board before running out into the ocean.

  Katy slips her hand into mine. "Will you help me to get down to where Mrs. Austin is going?"

  "Of course, hey Scott, can you get her crutches, please?"

  "You bet." He grabs them as I lift Katy from her seat and start following the small group of people a few feet away from the ocean.

  Krista takes some of Katy's weight when I put her down to get the crutches back from Scott. "Are you ok, sweetie?" I hear her ask.

  "I am." Katy nods. "Like Mrs. Austin said, this is about his life. Not his death." She smiles and squeezes her best friend's hand before getting adjusted to her crutches.

  "I know this might seem like something silly to do because butterflies really aren't manly." Mrs. Austin smiles a real smile and looks out at the group. "But when Luke was little we would sit out on our porch and watch big groups of butterflies through our trees; to us, butterflies are about memories and time spent together. So tonight, we're releasing these in hopes that maybe there will be another little boy just as mesmerized by them as Luke was."

  Katy and Krista sniffle beside me and I slip my arm around Katy's waist while Scott does the same to Krista.

  Some of Lucas' family members gather around Della, and each of them come away with little see-through cages with tissue paper inside them. They go through the crowds handing little tissue papers to everyone, and when they reach Katy and hand her one I see there's a butterfly inside it.

  "Now, I want everyone to think of your best memory or favorite moment with Lucas. Once it's clear in your head, send your butterfly out and send that memory to Lucas." She smiles, closing her eyes, and I see Katy and Krista close theirs before opening the little papers and setting their butterflies free.

  "Goodbye, Lucas," Katy whispers. "I'll never forget you..."

  Krista lets out a soft sigh, wiping tears from her eyes. "Goodbye Luke. Thank you for always being with my girl, even at the end." She squeezes Katy's hand before Scott pulls her away, and they start making their way back toward their car with a few bodyguards following behind them.

  I kiss Katy's forehead and tilt her head up to me. "Are you ok?" I whisper, tucking some of her long brown hair behind her ears.

  She nods, wrapping my arms around her middle. "Yeah, I feel ok. Lucas is gone, but I'll always have all the memories."

  I nod, squeezing her for a second. "I love you, Katy." I stare over her head at the ocean. "I'm going to do my best to make the rest of our lives better then they've been."

  "I love you, too." She pulls me down to kiss her. "And I'm ready to go home."

  A bodyguard comes up close to us and clears his throat. "Mr. Warren, are you ready to depart?"

  I nod and scoop Katy up, leaving him to grab her crutches. "We're ready."

  We follow behind him with four other bodyguards surrounding us, and as I hold Katy close to me I think, at this point, we're ready for anything.

  Chapter 22

  Once we're back in Nevada, I feel much more relaxed about Katy's safety. Things have been quiet since we got here a few days ago, but already I have to go back to L.A to promote the movie and I'm dreading it. When we first got back I had Katy stay at her parent's house while I renovated our home a bit, but it didn't take long before she was chomping at the bit to come and settle in herself. When I first brought her to the house I was scared she was going to hate it. But to my relief, she loved that it was just a few blocks over from both of our parents' homes and she quickly claimed the little garden as her next project, once she's healed enough to plant flowers and things again.

  Now we've been in our own home for a little more than a week and I'm getting ready to leave again. Mrs. Parker has volunteered to come and sit with Katy and Krista to help with anything that may come up, and I'm very thankful for it. I hate that I have to leave for LA so soon and that Katy will be in this house with just Krista and the bodyguards to keep her company.

  "Mom, really, I'm ok. Liam's not even two feet away from me, I'm not going to hurt myself," Katy says with a shake of her head as her mom once again starts fussing over her, and I can't help but smile. Katy hates being the center of attention, and all of this is driving her crazy.

  "Katelyn Marie, I've told you before, I'm your mother and it's my job to take care of you, even when you’re 24."

  Katy gives me a look and mouths, "Help me", but I just smile before turning on the charm to Mrs. Parker. "Thanks again for helping out, Mrs. Parker. We really appreciate it.”

  Katy's mouth drops and she whispers, "Suck up!", to me, but I just laugh.

  Mrs. Parker squeezes my shoulder as she leaves the room, and Katy groans, covering her face with a pillow. "I feel like a little kid! I'm doing a lot better at getting around with these things, you're right there, Krista's just down the hall. Can't I tell her to go back home now, please?” she pouts at me.

  "You’re adorable when you pout," I smirk, wrapping my arms around her. "But she is your Mama, and you've always been very independent. It’s her only chance to be hands-on, and it's for your own good."

  She sighs as she scoots closer and lays her head on my shoulder. "When's your flight?"

  "Seven. And Mitchell has already called and told me like 3 different places I need to show my face as soon as I land there. People everywhere want to know about the accident and about Alexia's role in it. At least I can just do the whole 'no comment' thing.” I shrug and turn so I can look her in the eyes. "I'm going to ask everyone to keep a lookout for her though. People know her face just as much as mine. But still, I don't want you-"

  She puts her hand up to stop me. "Going out alone, being without a bodyguard at any time. I know.” She rolls her eyes at me, but I'm glad she gets it. I might be acting over protective, but I don't trust anyone anymore. I'm especialy edgy since I can't be here with her to make sure she stays safe. The bodyguards are my next line of defense against anything Alexia could do.

  "I'm sorry I'm being annoying about it," I tell her as I twist a piece of her hair around my finger. "But I refuse to take any chances with your safety."

  "I don't think my safety is in any danger with Mike and Rick around, have you seen them?"

  I laugh and lean down to kiss her, and just as our lips touch we hear someone clearing their throat and see Krista standing there with her hands on her hips. "Ok, none of the kissy kissy in front of me when I can't have any from my guy.” She plops down on the couch across from us.

  "Hey, I'm just getting them while I can. He leaves in a few hours," Katy tells her with a frown, squeezing me tightly.

  "Hasn't Scott called since he got into L.A.?" Katy asks.

  "He has. He has an interview with some network or other in an hour. Then he's doing a photo shoot with Aria for mo
vie posters, and who knows what else.” She sighs, twisting her curls around. "I just miss him. He’s been with me like 24/7 for over a month, I'm kind of attached."

  "Well, for the next week you have me to keep you company while the boys are busy working. We'll see what trouble we can get into," Katy tells her with a smile.

  Krista laughs, folding her legs under her. "Oh, I'm sure there are all kinds of trouble to get into around here."

  I shake my head before narrowing my eyes at them. "Please, don't get into too much trouble for my own peace of mind?"

  Krista gasps, putting her hand to her chest. "You don't trust me?"

  I give her a look. "I happen to have heard some stories about you girls getting into trouble."

  "We were younger then. Besides, we have celebrities for boyfriends now. We aren't going to be flirting it up anymore. And in case you missed it, Kate's got crutches; we can't do a whole lot of anything right now," she says with a roll of her eyes.

  "Trust me, that is something I haven't missed." I sigh, looking down at Katy's injured leg.

  "Well, since we can't do much out and about, we can just stay in and watch some of those home movies I told you about, Kris." Katy grins, looking at me out of the corner of her eye.

  "Oh, goody! Those are going to be so much fun!” Krista claps her hands with delight and I groan before pushing to my feet.

  "I think that's my cue to get my last minute things packed." I lean down to kiss Katy's cheek. "Try not to embarrass me too much, ok?"

  "Me? Never,” She waves and I walk out of the room and up the stairs to our bedroom, where my luggage is waiting in the corner.

  I sigh, going into the attached bathroom and throwing all my toiletries into a little bag, and look at myself in the mirror. My dark blond hair is styled with high-end gel to make it stay looking like I ran my hands through it just as I woke up, which I basically did. I wish I didn't have to leave here. This place is so much more me than that mini-mansion Scott and I share in L.A will ever be.