by Catori, Ava
Barbara started to come around with the fresh air finally getting to her head. "The crazy woman—she left me to die," she said, before passing out.
An EMT worked on Barbara, getting her oxygen and checking her pulse and blood pressure. They placed me beside her and put a mask on me. The oxygen cleared my lungs. I coughed as the toxic fumes left my body. I was stunned. Somebody—Annabelle? not only set the building on fire, but was out to murder Barbara. The police needed to find out who was responsible and now. As soon as she was feeling better, I'd see if she remembered anything, or if she recognized the person who did this to her. I needed her to feel safe, before I started prying.
I'd never wanted to hurt somebody more. God help the person when I find out...if I'd lost her...
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
For most of the day I dozed in and out. It was a good thing actually since I felt horrible. My head was killing me. The good news was I hadn't cracked my skull when the chair toppled over. The bad news was I had a huge throbbing lump on the back of my head.
Because I had never taken a sleeping pill, I didn’t recognize the effects of the mixture that Annabelle prepared for me. I was still groggy. In rare moments of clarity I wondered what would have happened if I hadn't poured half of it in the trash! And what if Ryder hadn't come looking for me? I shuddered in retrospect and went teary eyed every time I thought about it.
In my half daze, I also wondered how much damage the fire had done. One thing was certain, we wouldn't reopen. I needed to call my boss. I needed to call the clients to let them know delivery would not be made at all.
A nurse came in and silenced me before I had a chance to speak, "What you need is to rest and save your breath and then maybe we'll let you out of here tomorrow." Pulling the oxygen mask from my face, she invited me to get up. "In the meantime, what do you think about taking a shower?"
"Yes!” The enthusiasm in my voice made her laugh. “I would love a shower, the smell of smoke and gasoline are making me sick," I croaked.
Despite the fact she was much older than me and looked like a frail little thing, she had an iron grasp when she helped me up. She walked with me to the cubicle that served as a bathroom. It was a minuscule molded plastic cabin. A place where one could sit on the toilet with legs in the shower while brushing one's teeth over the sink. Nevertheless I had never been so happy to step in a shower, that is until the water made me realize I had dozens of tiny cuts along the back of my arms and on my shoulders.
Through the door left ajar, the nurse called out when I yelped. I reassured her and thank her for staying around while I did this. I was feeling woozy but so happy to be clean and no longer smothered by the smell of smoke. When I was done she took care of my cuts. Instead of the sting I expected, it was a soothing cream.
When she handed me one of my extra large T-shirts to replace the traditional hospital gown, I did a double take. "How did that get here?"
"Oh, your hubby. He brought stuff from home an hour ago," she explained and then with a conspiratorial tone she whispered, "You're a lucky woman. Handsome and attentive, what a great combination! When they brought you in, he wouldn't get checked on until he knew you were fine."
Her description of Ryder melted my heart. The man was my hero; he walked into a building on fire to save me!
"I am very lucky," I confessed as she helped me into bed and strapped the oxygen mask on my face. Just a shower, a few steps, and I was ready for another nap.
When I woke again it was night and I was in Ryder's arms. He squeezed himself next to me on my hospital bed. Two peas in a very tiny pod. It was tight but I adored the closeness.
"Hey, you," he said when I stirred. "How are you feeling?"
I looked up at him and drowned in his eyes. If tenderness had a color, this was it. I pulled the mask away and whispered, "Thank you." My voice was hoarse but he didn't seem to notice.
Smiling at me he brushed the hair from my face, I caught his heavily bandaged hand and brought it to my lips. "Is it bad?"
"Just a cut," he said and then shaking his head, he added, "Don't you ever do that again! You almost gave me a heart attack."
I frowned at him as if his request was unreasonable. Despite the fact my voice sounded like a bad imitation of Donald Duck, I managed a complete sentence. "Only if you promise that no matter how mad you are at me, you won't ever throw me in a dumpster again."
"Deal," he said and then he looked away, seeming so sad I instinctively reached out to cup his face with a hand and made me look at me.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"Nothing." He shrugged and held me tighter. The cuts stung but the closeness was worth it.
"Come on," I urged. "You know you can tell me anything."
He looked at me and squinted. "I don't want you to leave."
Tears in my eyes, I hid my face in his neck. "Then I won't."
The silence was absolute.
So perfect I heard the sound of a clock ticking away the seconds. I hadn't even noticed there was a clock on the wall. Time passed ever so slowly. I waited and he didn't say a thing.
Doubting myself, I wondered if I had said it aloud. Had my voice not been loud enough? Had it been said in jest and now he was regretting it? I lifted my head not bothering to hide the tears anymore. His eyes were as shiny as mine and when he finally said something I understood he was just as overwhelmed by emotion as I was.
"Good. Now that's settled, go back to sleep."
I mocked punched him and protested. "Not if I don't get my goodnight kiss, I won't."
And kiss me he did.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
I curled in next to Barbara as she slept. The hospital bed was barely wide enough to hold us both, but I made it work. I needed to be closer to her. I was almost afraid to let go. The reality of what we'd been through replayed in my mind. I could have lost her. She could have died. A lump grew in my throat. My eyes were on the verge of watering, but I forced myself to hold back. It wouldn't do either of us any favors if I broke. She needed my inner strength more than ever. She'd been through enough.
I only left the hospital long enough to get a few of her things, and refused treatment until I knew she'd be okay. There was no denying the feelings that rushed through my body. I was protective, concerned, and in love with the woman I wrapped myself around.
She stirred and then spoke softly, her voice still hoarse from the fumes. "Is it bad?"
We both held back tears that wanted to fall, but there was no hiding the fact my eyes glistened. I had been so scared.
When she stared into my eyes, she asked, "What's the matter?" I wasn't sure I could answer.
"Nothing." I wrapped her in my arms tightly.
"Come on," she said. "You know you can tell me anything."
She was going away soon, it was inevitable. Her work was done here. I croaked out the words, my eyes getting desperately close to shedding a tear. "I don't want you to leave."
It seemed to touch a nerve. She burrowed her face against me, trying to hide the fact she was crying. Soon, she lifted her chin slowly, she had small cuts all over her.
Barbara swallowed hard. "Then I won't."
The moment stood still. I lifted her oxygen mask off only enough to give her a small, tender kiss.
The moment was so sweet I wanted to make it last but she needed rest.
"Go to sleep," I whispered.
"I'm afraid to close my eyes. I'm afraid you'll be gone when I wake up." She looked into my eyes, seeking the truth.
I soothed her worries the best I was able. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not letting you out of my sight. I love you too much to take any chances."
She stared at me, almost as stunned as I was that those very words had been spoken. This time she reached up. She wiped the single tear that slid down my cheek. She held her words close, contemplating what to say. The last twenty-four hours had been overwhelming, and now this. Barbara trembled and then reached for my lips. She traced them as she whispered
her very own version of I love you.
I'm not sure how or when it happened, but there was no going back. And I had no desire to backpedal and take my words back. It was true. I'd somehow fallen in love with her and knew she was my future...if we had any future in a rundown town with a lack of business.
Our moment was interrupted when my brother showed up. I wasn't expecting him. He knocked softly on the door of her hospital room before entering. "Hey, Dad said I'd find you here."
"Hunter," I said, not bothering to upright myself. I wasn't letting her out of my embrace. "What brings you here?"
"I'm heading out. I wanted to see you before I left. I almost dread going back, to be honest. Corporate life doesn't suit me, and I haven't been happy,” Hunter said.
“Then don’t go,” Barbara told him through her mask.
“I can’t stay, I've got to get home. I've got to pay my bills,” he confessed sadly. “It was great to see you and Dad. I need to get home more often, and you need to come out and visit me."
She lifted her mask, so he could hear her better. "We've got to figure out something together. I hadn't planned on staying either." She started to cough.
He came closer and stood at the edge of the bed. "I hope you're feeling better soon, Barbara."
She was about to say something more when I shushed her and put her mask back on her face.
"Shh, you shouldn't be talking that much." I turned my attention to my brother. "It was good to see you, man. I'm not going to lie; I miss you more than I thought I would. If you reconsider and want to come home, give me a shout and I'll put the word out, see about finding you work."
Barbara lifted her mask again. "The building is a loss. And if I'm going to stay, I'm going to need to find a way to get by. Would you consider taking on a real estate project with me?" She started to cough again.
"Lady," I said sternly, and put her mask back on. "Oxygen for you, and we'll discuss these ideas another day. Hunter, safe travels."
He'd grown up. He was never that much younger than me, but I still treated him like a kid for way too long. We both took losing Mom hard, but for him there were too many memories here. He thought if he was somewhere else, it would be easier to get on with his life. Me, I was afraid if I left, I'd lose the memories. Neither of our plans worked. We'd talked last night, sharing the select memories we had left of our mother. Dad smiled while reminiscing, and then got sad. We changed the topic before it got painful.
As he walked out of Barbara’s room, I jumped up and chased him. "I'll be back!"
Hunter turned as soon as he heard me and gave me a giant bear hug.
"Don't go," I said. "Barbara is right. We'll figure something out. There's so much potential here. If you have to leave, do it to give your two weeks' notice. I can't promise we'll be stinking rich, but we'll keep afloat long enough that you'll be able to decide if you want to stick around longer or leave. You said you flip homes on the side. Why can't we do that here? Between the three of us, we can make it work. Maybe even Dad can join in when he's feeling better. At least toss the idea around. Think about it. We'll hash it out and see if we can make it a reality."
"You love her, don't you?" He looked me squarely in the eyes.
"I do," I answered. "I'm going to ask her to be my wife. When I thought I'd lose her, I knew. It hit me harder than anything I'd ever felt. I can protect her, and she makes me happy."
"That's great, Ryder. I'm glad you're happy." He shook my hand and then turned to leave.
"Think about it," I called out and then went back to climb into Barbara's bed. Only, she was trying to climb out. "No, get back in bed."
"I wanted to add something, tell him I've got the capital to get us started," she croaked.
"We'll talk later. It's time for you to rest. Get back in bed, now," I ordered, and then climbed in behind her, spooning her soft, curvy figure.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“And what do we have here?"
The question of the nurse startled me awake. Ryder spent the night next to me. We probably didn't stir at all. Poor baby, he probably didn't have any blood circulation left in his arms. When he mumbled something and attempted to stretch, I laughed. Why I had bothered to get a new king size bed and a warm quilt? A single bed and Ryder's arms were all I needed for my nights to be perfect.
Early in the morning, I was given a green light for checking out. Looking into the bag Ryder brought for me from home while he went down to get coffee at the hospital cafeteria, I found the sweat suit I usually wore when I was alone around the house and another T-shirt. Oh, well, underwear was over rated, and anyway, the bra straps would probably have pressed on the cuts.
I got ready and Ryder was back before I had a chance to finish signing the release papers. He waited and walked by my side as an orderly wheeled me out of the place. The sun was shining; it was a beautiful day. I was happy to be alive, and climbing into Ryder's truck to go home.
Throwing side glances at me after I clasped on my safety belt, Ryder stayed silent for the entire trip. Was he having regrets about asking me to stay? Maybe. His offer had been made in the heat of the moment. If he did, it would break my heart, but still, I wouldn't blame him for reconsidering. After all we barely knew each other.
The silence was getting to me and if this was over I would rather know it sooner than later so, keeping my tone as nonchalant as I could manage, I asked, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." He shook his head as someone annoyed would without moving his eyes from the road.
Yes, he was having second thoughts. I bit my lips and swallowed back the tears prickling under my eyelids. Life would go on and I would get over it. It was all a matter of organization.
"Would you mind if we made a stop on the way?" I asked.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Anyplace I can buy a phone," I answered. He shook his head and didn't say another word before we reached the nearest mall.
Using the credit card recovered by a nurse in the back pocket of my gasoline drenched clothes before the police took them away as evidence, I purchased a new phone, got it connected and reloaded my address book from the cloud. While I was there, I also purchased a new laptop.
Simply knowing I would be able to reconnect to the rest of the world, especially if indeed Ryder had changed his mind, made me feel a bit better.
After traveling for so long, I had the habit of living out of my very large handbag. This made the list of what I had to replace daunting. All my credit cards except the one I’d tucked in my pocket when Annabelle had come to see me. Was it only yesterday night? My driver's license, my passport, my makeup and... I would have to make a list.
Only when we reached my house and he came around to help me down from the truck did Ryder explain his silence. Keeping me in his arms a bit longer than necessary and pressing me against him, he said looking down in my cleavage, "You can be sure that next time I pack for you, I won't forget the bra. Those two are too distracting when allowed to move freely. I had to make myself focus on the road."
"You crazy man." I laughed and surprised myself. My voice was coming back to normal. "You know, you had me scared."
"What do you mean?"
"You looked so sullen, I thought--" I hesitated to continue.
Putting a knuckle under my chin he lifted my face to look into my eyes. "What did you think?"
"That you were, you know ..." he shook his head no, "reconsidering," I whispered.
He frowned clearly not understanding where my thoughts had gone. "Reconsidering what?"
"You wanting me to stay."
The hurt in his eyes was like a stab in my heart. He took a step back and asked, "Don't you trust me at all?"
I held on to him and tried to explain. "I'm sorry, Ryder, this is not about you, it's about me. I mean look at you and look at me. You're perfect and I'm--"
"Going to do some serious work on your self esteem!" he barked back. This was the second time I was seeing him angry and strangely, the f
ire in his eyes made him even sexier. "This has to stop right now. Barbara! I’ve never told another woman I loved her. You're the first and there won't be another. You're my one and only."
He was about to say something more when my phone rang. Looking at the screen, I realized it was my boss and so I put a finger on Ryder's lips and took the call.
"Barbara," he said. "I heard about the fire. Are you okay?"
Walking toward the house with Ryder, I answered him, "Yes, Daniel. I'm fine. I haven't evaluated the damage yet, but I should be able to have a look later on and report to you by the end of the day."
Ryder unlocked the door and made a face at me. If the man thought I was staying home to rest all day, he didn't know me as well as he thought. I would change and ask him to drive me to the factory to get my car.
"Well, that's what I was calling about," my boss said. "I wanted to tell you not to worry about it. The insurance company will take it over as of now and human resources is handling the final pay stubs so it's all good. You're done there."
"No, I'm not," I answered. My heart raced as I said the words.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean I'm not coming back to work for you. I'm resigning." Saying the words out loud were the scariest thing I had ever done in my life. I felt as if I was skydiving but without a parachute.
"Now, Barbara, I understand you're in shock because you were attacked and all. So if you need a vacation before you take on your next job, I'll understand. Do you think one week is enough?"
"No, Daniel. It won't. One week won't cut it at all. Even the four weeks of vacation time DCD owes me won't be enough."
My answer was received by total silence. Daniel was probably as stunned as I was by my decision to quit. I had fought so hard for this position. No one would have believed two weeks ago I wouldn't fight tooth and nail to keep it.
"It was great working with you, Daniel," I said. "But I'll be sending HR my letter of resignation later today."
