by Alexis Gold
Acting fast, she bolted into the door and screamed at what she saw. A murky fog of thick smoke spread like poison throughout the diner. The smoke immediately seeped deep into her lungs, grasping tightly at her throat and daring her to choke on the putrid fumes.
Dropping down to her hands and knees, she crawled beneath the smoke and made her way to the other end of the kitchen where she kept the fire extinguisher hidden away in a cabinet.
She swung the cabinet open and grabbed the fire extinguisher that hung lopsided in the back of the shelf and urgently searched for the flame. She coughed hard, but with each intake of breath, it only made the burning in her lungs worse.
Bright and red hot, the fire roared throughout the entire diner with an unforeseen source. Wild flames licked at the solid wooden tables and threatened to spread to the beautiful dark blue tapestries that hung lined along the windowsills. Looking up at the drapery, she realized with blunt alarm that if the fire reached the tapestries, the fire would have access to spread to the roof – which would ultimately bring the entire building to the ground.
Jasmine did not immediately know if she had enough time to diffuse the fire before it reached the tapestries. Torn between extinguishing the source of the fire at the tables and removing further ignition, she felt an ice cold wave of panic. In a split-second decision, she quickly grabbed a nearby chair – which was nearly engulfed in flames – and pushed it against the wall. Stepping up to reach the tapestries, she quickly pulled them down, as she was afraid the rapidly spreading fire would ignite the roof.
Suddenly, Jasmine felt a surge of pain slice through her hand as a flame reached out toward her extended arm. She winced and collected herself. Although her heart pumped violently with raw anxiety, she took in a deep and steady breath to remain calm. She swiftly yanked the handle of the fire extinguisher. Nothing happened. Sweat poured down the temples of her face as she pulled the handle over and over to no avail.
Screaming in anger, she slammed the fire extinguisher to the ground and jumped off the chair. Her lungs felt as though they were about to burst with the lack of oxygen. Using her remaining breaths, she yelled out for Abby and Calvin. She did not hear a response nor any signs such as coughing or wheezing. Perhaps she simply could not hear them over the loud, rattling noise coming from her own throat.
I have to get out of here, she thought to herself. Unfortunately, stars had begun to form in her eyes, dancing through the bright flames similar to the glistening stars in the night. Her knees gave out and she collapsed to the ground as her breathing quickened, yet remained shallow. Her lungs tickled with pain and she felt tears roll down her cheeks.
She made a silent wish to herself that Calvin and Abby were okay, lying flat on the ground as the flames turned dark in her vision. Suddenly, a figure appeared from the flames and lifted her up against his chest. She could not tell if she was hallucinating or truly seeing him, but before her vision went fully black, she could have sworn it was Mason.
Chapter 7
Jasmine awoke to the sound of beeping monitors and the strange combined stench of illness and disinfectant. Her blurred vision gave way to a hospital room, where she sat in an uncomfortable bed, wearing nothing but a gown. Her memory flashed with images of the roaring inferno that engulfed The Morning Bell.
She hoped the café hadn’t been damaged too much. Her heart raced as she thought of Calvin and Abby, causing her to press the button to call for a nurse so she could get some answers. Shortly after pressing the button, a short woman with blonde hair and a friendly smile arrived.
“Jasmine Fields?” the woman asked. “I’m Nicole, your nurse. How are you feeling?”
“I’m – “she cut herself off short when she felt the searing pain in her throat. “I’m sore.”
“I’ll bet you are. That was a pretty terrible situation.” Nicole strode over to her and placed a thermometer in her mouth to measure her temperature. When the thermometer beeped, she continued, “You’re vitals are getting better and your temperature looks great.”
“Thank you, but I need to know if my brother and my co-worker are both okay.”
“The fair redhead with the tall male? Yes, they were able to escape the fire before it got too bad with only minor smoke injuries and no burns. They are actually waiting for you to wake up; they’re in the hallway now if you’d like me to go grab them.”
“Yes, please,” Jasmine smiled.
“Oh,” Nicole smiled back. “Your baby is perfectly healthy as well.”
Her heart jumped, “My what?”
“Oh, no. I apologize,” she cleared her throat. “I assumed you knew. It’s early in the pregnancy – about six weeks now. You are very lucky you got out of there in time since it’s very important to keep your body healthy for the baby during the first thirteen weeks from ovulation.”
“Wait, I’m sorry. Back up a moment. How do you know I’m pregnant?” She placed her hands on her temples and realized the silliness of her question. “Well, that sounds crazy. I suppose I’m just confused because I wasn’t aware sooner.”
“It’s quite all right. Most women don’t know; you probably just assumed your period was late, right? We did a blood test and it came back positive.” Nicole smiled sympathetically. “Would you like me to go grab your friends now? They’ve been waiting a long time.”
“Yes, please,” Jasmine said, then rested her head back on the pillow. She rested her hand on her stomach as thoughts swirled through her mind at a million miles per hour. Of course the day Mason left, she found out she was pregnant. She sighed and rubbed her hand on her stomach back and forth gently. As much as the situation was not the greatest with her boyfriend suddenly disappearing, she felt oddly at peace. Deep in her heart, she knew she was always meant to be a mother and now she had her wish – just with the wrong man.
Maybe that’s what I get for going with the quintessential “bad boy” type, she thought. The sex was great and the love was deep, but when she needed him the most, he wasn’t there to comfort her. She closed her eyes and recalled a moment she shared with Mason a couple weeks prior to her sitting in a hospital bed.
“My sweetheart,” Mason whispered as he placed his hands on her cheeks. His thumb circled her cheekbone. Their bodies were as close as could be, with her legs intertwined in his and her stomach pressed to his stomach – feeling his heartbeat pump against her chest. He brushed his nose to hers, then gave her a gentle peck on the lips. Returning his gaze to her own, his eyebrows furrowed when he saw that her face was quizzical.
“I want to know more about you,” she said, then bit her lip – hesitant to continue. “I just feel like I don’t know very much about your past.”
“Because the past is the past and the present is here, so why would we dwell on what has already passed?”
“The past shapes who we are. I want to know why you are the way you are.”
“I’m just me. Nothing exciting.” He smiled and kissed her again. She sensed that he was attempting to switch topics, but she wasn’t going to let him off that easily.
“All I know is that you are Mason Graham, a chef who moved here recently from somewhere in the world. I know you like birds because they fly freely. You like them because you consistently feel trapped in places, and I want to know why. I know you’re hiding something because whenever I ask you a question about your past, your eyes flicker and reveal that you are nervous about a particular aspect of what I am asking you.
“I know some things about you, but I want to fill in the blanks. Let me in.” She took a deep breath and darted her eyes back and forth between his, wishing to read his mind. He pulled her in even closer than she believed possible and kissed her nose.
“I don’t know what to tell you, love.”
“Start by answering just one question. What does your tattoo mean? You have a small tattoo on your bicep. It looks like a strange, intertwined symbol. What is it? Can’t you tell me anything at all?” she said, visibly upset.
“I know y
ou have questions. There are just some things in my life that I can’t tell you because I want to keep you safe from all harm.”
“What kind of secret do you have that would do me harm?”
“Jas, do you trust me?”
She stared at him for a moment and offered a small smile. “Always.”
“Always,” he repeated – and that was the last the two ever spoke of the topic again.
The door opened to her hospital room and Abby came flying in with a distressed-looking Calvin following directly behind. She flew her arms around Jasmine and gave her a big hug. Her cheeks looked tear-stained and her eyes were wide with anxiety.
“Jasmine, I’m so sorry. The place just started burning and before we knew it, the fire was everywhere. We couldn’t find you and we had to leave to call the fire department if we had any chance of saving you.”
“Hey, Abby. Shh, it’s all okay.” She stroked her hair gently. “I understand. I am so happy you guys got out. Plus, see! I’m fine.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Abby squeezed her hand and looked back at Calvin, who came up to the bed and kissed Jasmine’s forehead. He looked worried and sat on the bed next to her. She felt a lump rise in her throat as she watched his face turn increasingly more upset, knowing that he was about to tell her some bad news. As she listened to his explanation of how The Morning Bell was reduced to ashes and soot, she dropped her head into her hands and sobbed.
Fat, choking tears rolled down her face, threatening to drown her in sadness. She had worked so hard to keep the café perfect – it was the place she grew up and where she wanted to work for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, like most situations in life, great beginnings don’t often come without hardships in between that end in a brutal ending. She cried and allowed Calvin to pat her back and Abby to hold her hand until her tears subsided. She sniffled and looked up at the only two people in the whole world who she could count on, deciding to tell them her own news right away.
“I’m pregnant,” she announced suddenly.
Abby gasped and Calvin blinked, shocked. After a lengthy explanation, she told them that she was happy to become a mother and would keep the child whether or not Mason ever returned. After spending about an hour talking about what the next steps were – such as doctor’s appointments, savings accounts, and living space – Jasmine knew that she was nowhere near ready, but would certainly make it work regardless.
Shortly after sharing the information and venting her heart out, she shooed the two out of the room and urged them to go grab dinner for themselves while she rested. Although she knew she wouldn’t be able to get any sleep, she felt happy to pretend if it would make them leave for a bit to have time together.
Almost instantly as they walked out of the room, she heard her phone notification ring go off – the sound of an instant message coming through. The last time she heard that, it was several weeks ago on her computer as she chatted with the anonymous sender. Sure enough, as she unlocked her phone and opened the message, she found a note from “Anonymous” and decided to talk back with the person. What else did she have to lose?
ANONYMOUS: Are you okay? The fire was set by the same gang who set off the fire at The Italian Grill, if you had not already put that together.
Fieldsofjasmine92: Yes. How do you know about the fire?
ANONYMOUS: I carried you out.
Jasmine raised an eyebrow at her screen and bit her lip nervously. She knew someone had carried her out. She had wished that it was Mason, but she later assumed that it was most likely just a firefighter. Perhaps this person was a firefighter – she had no idea. Although the situation was strange, she still felt like this person, whoever they may be, deserved her gratitude.
Fieldsofjasmine92: I don’t know who you are or how I can repay you, but thank you.
ANONYMOUS: Do not thank me. It is simply my job.
Fieldsofjasmine92: You didn’t only save me, though. I’m pregnant and you saved my baby too.
ANONYMOUS: You are pregnant?
Fieldsofjasmine92: Yes, so thank you. I am forever in your debt.
ANONYMOUS has logged offline.
She stared at her screen, wishing that her anonymous savior would log back on and give her more details. Maybe she shouldn’t have shared that much information, but she couldn’t help it – she felt thankful and wanted to share her emotions. Her heart felt broken into a million pieces, but she was safe. Her family was safe; her baby was safe. Everything was all right, and for some unknown reason, she felt as though the only reason why the world was still spinning was due to the help of her anonymous chatter.
She set her phone on the table next to her and rested her head back down on the pillow, watching the clock tick forward on the wall. The sinking feeling in her stomach appeared again when she remembered her beautiful anchor clock at The Morning Bell, which most likely burned with the rest of the café. She sighed and closed her eyes, attempting to get a small amount of sleep.
An hour passed and she still had not been able to sleep. Thankfully, Abby and Calvin returned from dinner to keep her company – and brought her something to eat as well. The two sat in chairs next to her bed and talked with her as she ate her dinner. She watched, yet pretended not to notice, when Calvin grasped Abby’s hand. She loved that they were happy together.
If any two people deserved it, they definitely did. Calvin had been through so much after losing his leg in the military. He went through hell and back, struggling with PTSD and losing job after job. She was proud that he had finally gotten his life back on track. She realized that his nightmares had mostly faded, he had a great job that he loved, and was finally dating for the first time in his life. Everything was going well. She just wished she knew where Mason was at that moment so she could feel happy too.
It was as if the universe heard her wish because, in that same moment as her thoughts collected to him, Mason entered the hospital room. His eyebrows were heavy and he looked riddled with anxiety. He made his way toward her and smiled, yet when he caught a glance at Calvin, he stopped dead in his tracks.
The shock that overcame his face was as if he had seen a ghost. His complexion went pale and he looked back, contemplating whether or not to sprint in the other direction. Jasmine raised an eyebrow at him, looking back at her brother, then raised both eyebrows when she saw that he was acting the same way. Calvin stood up and walked toward Mason. He started to speak, hesitated, and then continued.
“Matthew?”
“Matthew?” Jasmine repeated, confused.
“What are you doing here?” Calvin asked. He sounded breathless and looked visibly upset. Mason looked back and forth between the faces looking up toward him, unable to speak.
“Calvin,” she explained, “this is my boyfriend, Mason. What’s going on?”
“What?” Calvin backed up and looked directly at Jasmine. “No, this is Matthew. He was my friend in the military. He helped save me when the enemy attacked. I could have lost a lot more than my leg if it weren’t for him. I’m just not sure what is happening right now.”
“Excuse me? Mason is your friend from the military?” Her head began spinning and she placed her hands to her temples. “Explain to me what is going on, Mason.”
“All right, all right,” Mason walked over, avoiding Calvin’s glance as he sat down on the bed next to Jasmine. He took a deep breath. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone about this, but my cover has been compromised since someone has recognized me, so I’ll be pulled off of the case anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“My name is Matthew Graham. I was a soldier in the army and I worked alongside Calvin, who became one of my best friends.” He looked less and less pale, as if he were happy to finally get everything off of his chest. “When he was shot by the hidden attackers, I was so angry that I took all of them out. My actions gained the attention of the Central Intelligence Agency – the CIA. I was recruited to become an agent in training with the CIA. I trained for many m
onths until I received my first mission. Here, in Rootsville.”
“Why here?” she choked out. He grabbed her hand and kissed it gently.
“There is a very dangerous gang here who is setting fire to places, as you have seen. We’ve managed to keep some of the violence away from the media, but the events at The Italian Grill slipped through. Of course, The Morning Bell did as well. The gang is comprised of ex-military members who have committed treason by using military grade weapons to cause massive fires. We have been attempting to find the leader of the gang, hidden here in Rootsville. As far as why they chose this small town? I’m not sure. It’s probably a very easy and shocking target.”
“So…” Jasmine sighed. “You are an agent with the CIA? All my chefs are insane!”
Calvin laughed loudly, then caught himself. “Sorry, that was funny and true.”
Abby remained silent, but alert, allowing everyone to speak and resolve the unbelievable situation. Mason – whose name turned out to actually be Matthew – shot a mischievous look at Calvin.
