A Fire That Burns

by Kirsty-Anne Still

  “Maybe if you just told everyone the truth the-” Tom began, but was immediately cut off.

  “No one is ever going to know! I mean that Tom, no one will ever know!” Austin bellowed at him, anger beseeching her tone, “I made you promise back before I left and I want you to promise me again that you will never tell a soul.”

  He knew he had to respect her wishes and hope that one day she would just cave and admit everything. “I won’t tell,” Tom vowed to her again. “Just look at it from my angle as I look in at this whole situation.”

  “I do and she’s got it all,” Austin admitted and looked to Tom as she sniffed. Uncharacteristically she used her sleeve to wipe her nose to try and stop her tears, “Got the guy, got the life, got the baby.” She threw her arms up in the air in defeat, “So you know what? There is no reason to have this conversation anymore, or to look into this situation. We’re done having this conversation for good.”

  “So what are you going to do with the rest of your life?” Tom asked her, “Be a lonely millionaire?”

  “I’m going to build that house up to how I always wished it was going to look and then I am going to get on with life and if that means leaving Point Arena again, then it means leaving Point Arena for good.”

  With her piece said, Austin left her brother and jumped into her own car and drove home knowing Tom would be right behind her.

  Life would resume just how it always should have done – With or without Tyler.

  Chapter Twelve

  May 2006

  “HEY Baby,” Tyler’s voice sang to her from the voicemail, the sweet octaves dancing in her ears causing her to smile. “I’ve been called out to the bar again to meet our newest recruit. Apparently, I could be the sheriff over him in the next year. How great would that be, Aussie, Baby? Me, sheriff! This does mean I will be an hour or so late home, but when I get back I will be showing you just who the daddy is in our household.”

  When she had first heard that message she grinned from ear to ear, especially seeing as she had just taken a pregnancy test and would have shown him exactly how he was already the daddy. She had put the phone down and stared at the white stick clutched inside her palm and she knew she couldn’t just spring this onto him, not now, not with the job prospect and his excitement.

  That was three days ago and still no one knew about her being with child and she was losing her mind. She had to tell someone, she had to share this news and be able to get excited with someone and that someone had to be Tyler.

  Grabbing her phone, she decided to call Tyler once more to get him to come home after he failed again to come back to her. They had barely had two minutes together these days and she needed to tell him now or be eaten alive. Selecting his number she pressed the phone to her ear and as each ring rang out she got more and more excited about telling him how perfect their life was going to be.

  “Hey, Babe! Sorry I haven’t called, it’s gotten manic down at the station and now old man Brandon has me at the bar once again!” Tyler shouted over the loud cheers, “You should come down, Sunny. They miss seeing you.”

  Austin felt a burst of unease wash through her, jealousy rupturing through every part of her. “Let me guess, Natasha will be there?” It wasn’t what she wanted to say, but usually when he was at the bar, Natasha was too.

  “Of course she will be, it’s her father who helps run the police department,” Tyler commented and his tone became taunt all of a sudden and huffed in irritation. “We are not having this argument again.”

  “What argument?” Austin asked dumbstruck, “Oh, you mean the one where she gets to see you more than I do? How about you have fun with her and have equal fun sleeping on the couch, Ty, because I am sick and tired of feeling like all I do in our relationship is act like the jealous one and am here to keep your bed warm.”

  “Oh well look at that, you went there again,” Tyler stated. He knew he was tired and stressed with the demand of being the best in the local PD, but he hated arguing with Austin. It just caused him even more stress. Arguing with her was one of his biggest hates.

  “Yeah, well I miss you, Tyler, and I think that says more about you than me,” she told him and hung up. She refused to cry over this but it appeared that baby hormones took over and killed her ability to keep a latch on sobbing her heart out.

  With tears still streaming, Austin got up, grabbed her keys, and walked to her brother’s house. She wrapped her knuckles upon the wooden door and wiped her face clear of the tears and took in a deep breath.

  Tom answered the door and his face illuminated, “Well, what did I do to be graced with my little sister’s appearance tonight?”

  “I have some news,” she stated and found herself drawn into the house, she couldn’t wait for him to probe for answers. “I’m pregnant,” Austin finally told someone and she began to grin like any other excited expectant mother.

  “Oh my God!” Tom exclaimed back gobsmacked. “Does Ty know?”

  Austin shook her head, “He’s been busy and every time I try, I’ve failed. I needed to tell someone.” She saw her brother’s look of skepticism over not telling Tyler. “He’s been busy, Tom, and I need him to not be distracted over this!”

  “True, but he needs to know before me,” Tom scolded gently trying to make her see the reasoning in this decision.

  “He’s at the bar again,” she sighed nonchalantly and knew not to dwell on this. “It’s not Tyler I need your help with though,” she paused and took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to tell mom and dad,” Austin fretted horribly and felt her eyes water. “I can’t tell them. Dad will disown me. Tom, we know what he said, he literally drilled it into our brains since childhood. No children before marriage.”

  “It’s not like you and Tyler are a stupid summer fling,” Tom quickly jumped in as the voice of reason. “Mom and dad will love this and you and Tyler are not far off getting married now. It’s all in the making. It’s happening next month, Aus.”

  “Maybe I can wait the month out to tell them,” Austin told her brother and tried not to be a mad clash of excitement and nerves.

  “No, let’s go and tell Tyler first and then we’ll look at telling everyone else,” Tom retorted with a matter of fact tone. “I’ll even drag him out of that bar if need be.”

  Austin beamed at her brother, really excited about this baby news, “Let’s do this and then I will think about telling mom and dad.”

  It wasn’t until she was walking down the street talking away with her brother that she realized she had a decidedly prevalent spring in her step and she was literally grinning so wide she could feel her muscles beginning to ache. She and Tyler had discussed a future together and they both wanted this. Even though they were caught in the throes of growing up and finding a career that they loved, she knew he would be over the moon with the news.

  “How do you feel about being an uncle?” she suddenly asked her brother and saw him grin.

  Tom smirked, “I’m going to be the best. I’m not even going to give the others a chance to beat me.” He wanted her to be happy and he couldn’t wait to see her grow into this new stage of life. “I honestly can’t tell you how happy I am you’re pregnant, Aus,” he exclaimed with such elation he felt his eyes tear up.

  “Pregnant? You’re pregnant?” Natasha’s cold voice came from behind them and they both stopped to turn and look at her. “Well that is big news.”

  Turning on her heels, Austin looked at Natasha and knew she couldn’t break her mood quite so easily. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes I am.”

  “Wow, Tyler is just going to hate the fact that you’ve now killed his career aspects!” Natasha chided sarcastically with that same bitchy tone she had developed since high school. She saw the expression that hit Austin’s face and she knew the woman before her was panicking that she was really destroying Tyler’s life. “Anyway, I’ve been wanting to see you because I thought I should show you something,” Natasha suddenly changed the subject. />
  “What’s that?” Austin asked, curious to what this woman would strike up next.

  Natasha smirked, “He gave me this yesterday,” she mentioned and pulled a necklace from her pocket and hung it in the air. It was identical to one Austin had been given by Tyler years ago and Natasha took merriment in watching Austin’s face fall. “He told me it was special like me and that I had to wear it at all times.”

  Clutching the identical one around her own neck, Austin lost her cool – Something she refused to ever do as a result of Natasha Truman. “You liar!” Austin snapped as she went to grab the pendant that Natasha was waving in front of her. Natasha immediately lashed out and pushed Austin backwards with immense force. She shouldn’t have gotten a sense of glee from seeing Austin slam into the bench on the sidewalk, but it seemed she still had the upper hand over Austin like she had in high school.

  Austin felt the impact of the back of the bench on her stomach and immediately she was winded. She fell to the floor only just aware of her brother fighting in her corner before being by her side. She could feel where her stomach had taken the brunt force of the fall and she began to feel positive when the pain began to subside, but she was still terrified to move.

  Ignoring Tom, Natasha went straight for Austin again, “It’s not real by the way. I bought the necklace myself, but I do still love winding you up, Aussie!” Natasha exclaimed and looked at Austin’s downtrodden expression. “Want me to let Tyler in on the big news?”

  “Don’t you fucking dare!” Tom glowered at Natasha. “You ruin anything I will make sure he knows once and for all what type of bitch he’s been friends with. I think your friendship is long overdue for being over.”

  “He’ll never listen to you and you won’t do that,” Natasha challenged Tom. “Not when I can just tell my daddy that Tyler doesn’t deserve the promotion they have in line for him.” She spoke that last line with an exaggerated tone and then smirked as Tom looked on in defeat. “That’s what I thought.”

  She then said nothing more and left the pair and continued walking to the bar.

  Feeling he was beginning to shake from the anger in him, Tom knew one day he would tell everyone what a mega bitch they had ignored and he would get the same amount of glee out of it that Natasha got from being it. “You okay?” Tom turned to his sister, immediately worried about her welfare and hated that she refused his help as she got herself up.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Austin tried to speak clearly, but her tone was still strained from the impact. Pushing through it, she got to her feet, using the bench for support. She saw Natasha going off and she felt her knees go weak at her going to Tyler.

  “We can go to him now if you want,” Tom tried to cause some sort of damage control of the situation. “We can beat Natasha there if I drive.”

  Austin looked up with teary eyes, “Can we just go back to your house?”

  “Sure we can,” he told her and took her hand and led her straight back to his place where she seemed to settle down and forget about Natasha. Just how he had hoped she would.

  Hours later he never expected to be in the hospital, watching his little sister receive the most devastating news possible. He had been helping Austin find the perfect way to tell Tyler the news and now there was no baby to share the news of.

  She hadn’t said a word since the doctor had left. All they were waiting on were the discharge papers, important information to make sure Austin physically recovered from this quickly and that she had relevant information on support groups and counselors to help her mental state.

  Tom had barely seen her move either but when she suddenly did, he was terrified at how vacant Austin’s eyes were becoming of emotion.

  “I can’t face him,” she whispered to him and her tone was just as void as her eyes. “How can I?” She asked nonchalantly and attempted to redeem some composure. “I don’t want to be alone, Tom, and I don’t want to go home.”

  He hated hearing his sister so lost and knew it was up to him to protect her and look after her until she was able to face Tyler. “Then you come home with me, Aussie,” Tom told his sister, willing to stick by her regardless. “You stay with me, and tomorrow you have to tell him everything. Especially what she did. He needs to know everything. You cannot lie to him about this.”

  “Tomorrow I will tell him,” Austin told her brother and felt herself beginning to unravel again. The grief she felt clawing its way up her throat, burning away within her.

  Tom accepted that meek comment, “I will be with you through this all.”

  Nodding she accepted and knew he would look after her.

  Apparently a few hours changed everything again as Austin ran, unable to face up to the truths of reality.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Present Day

  “I can’t stop it!” Tyler exclaimed as he used his hands to shield him from the burst water pipe. “Shit, Austin!” he cried out again in the hope she would come in before the room completely flooded. “Help me!”

  Running into the room to find Tyler reduced to the floor by water, Austin had to laugh. The man that was the high school heart throb and quarterback, who worked out daily and was one of the finest police officers in the local department. She couldn’t resist laughing at him.

  “Don’t laugh! I need you to come and help me,” he tried to get her to stop but she didn’t, so he moved slightly and moved his hands and got her soaked immediately. “Now will you help me?”

  Gasping at him for the sudden burst of cold water, she looked at him, “Tyler, you are so dead!”

  He smirked and gave her another burst of water, laughing himself now. “Can you go and turn the water valve off please? I couldn’t get to it while trying to stop water from ruining the entire room.”

  Springing to action, she went under the sink and found the valve. Pushing it off, she heard the whooshing of water silenced and she pulled back out to see the soaking wet Tyler looking absolutely exasperated and elated by the peace.

  He laughed again and looked to her. “I’ll go and grab us some dry cloths,” Tyler remarked as they stood drenched from the water. He watched her laugh at the sight of the pair of them and then rushed to find cloths to get them dry and sort out the mess. Coming back, he half expected her to be making use of the moment to start cleaning up but she hadn’t moved and if he had to say she looked pale and half asleep. “You look exhausted, Aus,” Tyler commented as he came back in and found her still sitting on the wet floor, staring at the flooded flooring.

  “My mom still won’t speak to me and is taking it out on the others that’s all,” she told him with a smile. “It’s weighing on my mind and I don’t sleep well when I can’t switch it off.” Her eyes began to stream tears and she shook her head, “I have no right to cry over this!” She started berating herself for how easily she cried and it was only since coming back she had done that. For years she had been an ice queen to strangers, and she only cried in private.

  “Why not?” Tyler asked as he sat back on the floor with her.

  Austin looked up with wide eyes, “I deserve the cold shoulder treatment and everyone leaving me to get on with it on my own. Everyone should be doing that. You especially.”

  “We’ve been over this. I don’t want to hold grudges,” he responded honestly and he knew he could hate her and loathe the mere sight of her but he never wanted to lose her from his life again. “Your mom is just adjusting. We know she doesn’t deal well at the best of time and you coming back,” he laughed nervously, “It was a shock to the system.”

  “You know I like shocking people,” she teased and attempted to pull herself together and began to stand up. “It’s a forte.”

  “Oh yeah, it definitely is,” Tyler commented and shook his head as memories burst into mind of how she shocked him from even a young age. He should have known it wouldn’t change. Standing up with her, he decided to get on with the newest plans of the house now that the kitchen and part of the dining room were flooded. “We�
�re going to have to rip all of this up,” he remarked as he looked at the water making its damage prevalent.

  “Minor setback that’s all,” she quipped at him optimistically as she tried to dry off some and as she looked to Tyler she caught him just staring at her. “What?” she asked shyly and felt exposed by his gaze.

  She knew this look; he used to give it to her all the time. It held so many notes of emotions and it was so full with seduction it made her immediately turned on. However, they weren’t teenagers in love or youngsters planning a future together anymore. He had moved on from her and was now making that life with someone else. She couldn’t get lost in a moment of lust.

  Apparently Tyler had other ideas.

  “You’re beautiful you know that right?” he asked her as he approached and pressed his face along her still wet jaw line and forced her to look up at him. “Even after six years you still have that same smile and a way with words that renders me a weak man. I can’t deny that it’s always going to be you that fills my heart.”

  “Ty,” she tried to stop this, her eyes beginning to water heavily. Her emotions were shot after being confronted with the wild truth of Natasha’s pregnancy and what she had lost.

  “You left me,” he told her and his tone was sad and quiet all at once. “You were here one day and gone the next. You don’t know how much of me you took with you. I am not that man you knew back when we were nineteen.”