by Rye Hart
Mom drove me home, and when we stepped up to the front door, it flew open, and twenty people screamed “surprise”. I looked around to see all my buddies crowded inside my tiny ass apartment. With a laugh, I let my mom lead me through the door. I said hello to everyone, accepting hugs and slaps on the back. My leg was starting to feel weak, but I pushed through, keeping myself on my crutches until they pissed me off so much that I sat down on the couch for the rest of the night.
“I’m leaving, honey,” Mom said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “Have fun but take it easy.”
“He’s in good hands,” Chief Johnson said. Mom hugged me and slipped out the door.
The chief fell onto the couch beside me, handing me a beer and sipping his own slowly.
“When can I get back in the rotation?” I asked, holding the beer in my hand without drinking it. I was still on painkillers that couldn’t be mixed with booze.
“When you’re back on your feet, Lewis,” Chief said. “Don’t rush it, kid.”
“I’m ready,” I said with determination.
“You can’t fucking walk yet,” Chief said, snorting. “Calm the hell down.”
“I can’t just sit on my ass,” I said. “I need to do something useful.”
“You are,” Chief said. “You’re healing. That’s more important than you know.”
“It’s not enough.” I groaned and threw my head back against the couch cushions.
“What you did for that family was a goddamn miracle,” Chief said. “Be grateful you’re alive.”
“It wasn’t a miracle,” I said. “It was the job.”
“Really?” Chief raised his eyebrows and nodded toward the front door.
I turned around to see a familiar face walking through the door. It was the same man from the apartment fire. He was no longer covered in ash, and his face was set in a broad smile instead of a panicked grimace. Behind him, stood his wife and little girl. They glanced around the room, smiling nervously until Greg ran up to greet them.
They all hugged Greg and whispered something to him I couldn’t hear. He glanced at me and led them over. I felt my heart pound in my chest. What would I say to them?
“Caleb!” Greg said. “Someone’s here to see you.”
I smiled and tried to stand up, but the man shook his head and put his hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t stand up,” he said. “We wanted to come by and thank you for everything you did for us.”
“It was nothing,” I mumbled.
“You saved my wife and my daughter,” he said. “It was everything.”
“I’m Grace,” the wife said. “And this is Hannah.”
“Hi Hannah,” I said kindly. The little girl smiled but hid behind her mother’s skirt. “Thank you for coming by.”
“We wanted to tell you that your medical bills are covered,” Grace said. “We’re taking care of everything. It’s our way of saying thank you. Thank you for everything.”
“You don’t need to do that,” I said quickly. “Really, it’s not necessary.”
“We just received a huge inheritance,” Grace said. “We were moving and had almost everything out of the apartment when the fire happened. We barely lost anything at all, and because of you, we’re still alive.”
“It’s the least we can do,” the man said. “Please, let us.”
I nodded and smiled, embarrassed but pleased that they were there. The Chief jumped up to let them sit down. We talked for a few more minutes. They told me all about their new home, and Hannah even warmed up enough to ask about my leg. She was adorable, and by the time they left, I felt better about my situation.
It wasn’t only the medical bills, which had been wearing on my mind. It was everything. Knowing I did a good thing, that I saved a young girl’s life, was more than enough to make me grateful. I knew Chief was right, I couldn’t get back to work anytime soon, but at least my injury wasn’t wasted.
We partied into the evening, laughing and swapping war stories. By the time Chief was six beers in, he was telling everyone who would listen all about his own injury from ten years ago. He insisted he’d damn near broken his back in a six-story fall, but we all knew the building had only been two floors high.
We laughed, and I soon forget all about my injuries. My head was buzzing from the excitement and the powerful painkillers. I hadn’t felt this good in weeks.
CHAPTER EIGHT - TARA
Music and laughter were coming from Caleb’s apartment when I walked up to the front door. I frowned and raised my fist to knock. When I did, the door flew open, and I was face to face with a man I didn’t know. I looked around to see that Caleb’s apartment was full of men and women having a good time. A few wore firemen T-shirts, so I assumed they’d thrown Caleb a welcome home party.
“Wow,” the man in front of me said. “You’re hotter than your picture.”
“My picture?” I asked.
“Caleb!” the guy screamed, turning toward the couch. “The chick from your wallet is here!”
“What?” Caleb asked, frowning. He turned to face me as I stepped inside. The door swung shut behind me. “Oh. Hey!”
I squeezed through the crowd until I reached the couch. Caleb was sitting down with his leg propped up on the coffee table. His crutches were leaning against the wall beside him, and I was glad to see he looked sober. The painkillers Dr. McGee had him on were powerful.
“Hey,” I said, sinking onto the couch beside him. “Some party.”
“Yeah.” Caleb laughed. “They surprised me when I got home.”
“Good,” I said. “You deserve it.”
“I do?” Caleb asked, raising his eyebrows.
“After what you did,” I said. “Of course you do.”
“You heard about that?” Caleb asked, his cheeks blushing slightly.
“The whole hospital heard,” I said. “Your mom made sure of that.”
“God,” Caleb said, groaning and rubbing his face. “She needs to learn to shut the hell up sometimes.”
“Don’t be a dick,” I said. “She loves you.”
Caleb grinned and settled back against the couch cushions. Someone I didn’t know pressed a beer into my hand, and I nodded my gratitude, suddenly remembering the guy’s comment when I first arrived. Something about my picture?
“Hey,” I said. “What was that guy talking about before? When he said the girl from your wallet was here.”
“Oh,” Caleb said, reaching into his pocket without hesitation. He pulled out my senior picture and handed it to me. “I’ve had it forever.”
“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “I remember when I gave it to you. I can’t believe you kept this.”
Caleb shrugged and took it back. He tucked it inside his wallet. I stared at him while he put it back in his pocket. My mind was racing, but I didn’t know what to say. After ten years, Caleb still kept a picture of me in his wallet. What did that mean? Did it mean anything at all, or had he just forgotten to take it out?
“Hey there,” the guy from the front door said, sliding onto the couch beside me. “Need a drink?”
“I have one,” I said, raising my beer. “Thanks.”
“God, you really are hotter than your picture,” he said, licking his lips. “Wanna get out of here?”
“Fuck off, Tyler,” Caleb growled and leaned forward, glaring around me at Tyler.
“What?” Tyler asked.
“You’re drunk as shit,” Caleb said. “Get the fuck out of here before I kick your ass.”
“The lady can make up her own mind,” Tyler said, wrapping his arm around me and grinning. I could smell the booze on his breath, and it made my stomach roll.
“The lady says to get your hands off her before she’s forced to do something you’ll regret,” I said, glaring at him.
“Don’t be like that, darlin’,” Tyler said.
“Leave.” Caleb’s voice was deep and dangerous. “Now.”
“All right, all right,” Tyler said, sighing and dro
pping his hand from my shoulders and stumbling away from us.
When I turned back to face Caleb, his face was red with rage. I frowned but didn’t speak. I had no idea where Caleb’s anger came from. We hadn’t been together in ten years and yet, watching his buddy hit on me, made him downright murderous. That, plus my picture in his wallet, had my head spinning.
Did he still have feelings for me? He hit on me in the hospital, but that didn’t mean anything. Caleb was a flirt. He always had been. He could blink and have any woman he wanted. It wasn’t anything new for him to proposition someone, that much I knew. Still, why would he keep my picture for ten years if he didn’t care about me? And, why would he get so angry with Tyler for hitting on me? And, how exactly did I feel about all of that?
The party slowly began to thin, and soon, Caleb and I were the only ones left. I finished my beer and sat closer to him on the couch, the evening air fueling my attraction to him. It was hard to resist when I had alcohol coursing through my veins and Caleb’s jealous streak was still fresh in my mind.
The only thing that kept me somewhat focused was my building headache. It started in my temples five minutes after Tyler left, but it had grown in strength as the night wore on. I sat beside Caleb, talking and laughing and trying to ignore the pain.
“I still can’t believe we did that,” I said, laughing as Caleb reminded me of the time we snuck into our high school gym at midnight. “We were idiots.”
“That wasn’t even the worst thing I ever did,” Caleb said. “That was so fucking tame compared to everything else.”
“It was a big deal for me,” I said. “That was the first time I ever broke the rules.”
“You were such a good girl back then,” Caleb said smirking. “What the hell happened to you?”
“You.” I laughed. “You were a terrible influence.”
“I just taught you how to live,” Caleb said. “Got you out of your shell a little bit.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, my eyes locking on his. Caleb’s face was inches from my own. I could smell his sweet breath, and it was more intoxicating than the beer.
“God, I missed you,” Caleb said his voice low.
I leaned forward without thinking. Caleb cupped my cheek and kissed me. His lips were magical as they danced over mine. Everything faded. My headache disappeared. The only thing that existed was that one kiss. I moved closer, sliding my body against his and sighing against his lips.
When his tongue traced my bottom lip, I moaned and shivered, my entire body silently begging him to take me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.
Then, I came back to my senses, and I pulled away quickly. My head swam, and soon, my headache was back in full force. I stared at Caleb, shock and disappointment on his face. I sighed and shook my head.
“Tara,” Caleb said.
“I should go.” I jumped to my feet and flew out the door before Caleb could say another word. My head was pounding as I ran toward my car.
I cranked the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, desperate to put as much distance between Caleb and me as possible. While I drove, I knew I needed advice. Being around Caleb again was fucking with my mind. I had no idea how to handle this, so I called my best friend and hoped she would know what to tell me.
“Stephanie,” I said when she answered. “I just kissed Caleb.”
“What the fuck, Tara?” Stephanie said, frustration in her voice. “Are you kidding?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t know how it happened. I went to his apartment to go over his at-home treatment, and there was a party, and then everyone left, and it happened.”
Stephanie groaned into the phone. She and I had been best friends most of our lives. She was around when I first met Caleb, so she knew everything about our relationship. More than anyone, Stephanie knew how badly Caleb had broken my heart.
“I thought you were going to keep your distance,” Stephanie said. “Isn’t that what you told me?”
“That was the plan,” I said weakly. “I don’t know what happened, Steph.”
“You two just can’t be trusted together.” Stephanie sighed. “How do you feel about it? Do you want it to happen again?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “He’s my patient. It can’t happen again.”
“Patient my ass,” Stephanie said. “You didn’t care that he was your step brother, so why should patient matter?”
“This is my job,” I said. “It’s serious.”
“I know,” Stephanie said. “Which is why you need to pull yourself together and get a fucking grip. You can’t do this, Tara. You can’t lose yourself in this boy all over again. You just can’t.”
“I know,” I said. She was right. Her advice was harsh but also exactly what I needed to hear. No matter what happened with Caleb, I’d worked hard to get where I was. My career was just getting started, and I couldn’t let my feelings for Caleb cloud my judgment.
“It’s going to be okay,” Stephanie said. “I know how much he means to you. If things keep going like this, maybe you should have someone else take over his case.”
“I tried that,” I said.
“Try again,” Stephanie insisted.
“I will,” I said.
We hung up, and my head was pounding worse than ever. As I pulled up to my apartment, my phone rang sharply. It hurt my ears, so I answered quickly to quiet the ringing.
“Hello?” I asked, my voice soft.
“Are you okay?” My dad’s voice sounded through the phone. “You don’t sound good.”
“My head hurts,” I said.
“Again?” Dad asked. “How bad this time?”
“Pretty bad,” I said honestly. “I just got home, so I’m going to lie down for a while.”
“Have you made an appointment yet?” he asked. “You need to get that checked out, Tara. Headaches like that shouldn’t keep happening.”
“It’s probably just stress.”
“You don’t know that,” Dad said. “I’m serious, Tara. Call and make an appointment.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I’ll call first thing in the morning.”
My dad was relieved. We hung up, and I hurried inside, shutting all the blinds and falling into bed. I told myself the headaches were nothing. Despite my dad’s worries, I was sure they didn’t mean anything. I decided to call in the morning, just to be sure.
CHAPTER NINE - CALEB
I thought my mom was a fucking idiot for suggesting this family dinner. After all these years, Darren and I still weren’t on good terms, and now that Tara was back in town, it made even less sense to try to be a regular family. Mom knew how strong my feelings for Tara were when we were kids. She watched us fall in love, and she played a huge part in keeping us away from each other. How the hell could she possibly think a family dinner was a good idea?
Still, she insisted, and I wasn’t in the position to argue. Saturday night rolled around, and at exactly six o’clock, there was a loud knock on my door. I sighed and stumbled over, not bothering with my crutches. I pulled open the door and did my best to smile while Mom, Darren, and Tara all stepped inside.
Tara looked just as uncomfortable as I felt. Our parents had been married for eleven years and still, our family time was sorely limited. She smiled at me weakly when she walked in. Her eyes found mine, and I knew she was thinking about the kiss we shared. I could practically feel her lips pressed against mine all over again.
Clearing my throat, I looked away and stumbled over to the kitchen.
“Where the hell are your crutches?” Tara snapped.
“I’m not using them,” I said. “I hate those damn things.”
“You can’t not use them!” Tara said, her eyes wide with frustration. “You’re going to screw up your leg even more, Caleb.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I have a great PT then, isn’t it?”
I grinned at her mischievously, and she rolled her eyes. Darren glared at me openly, his blue eyes narrowed with disgust.<
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“Tara’s right,” Mom said quickly. She glanced nervously at Darren and then back at me. “You can’t ignore medical advice. You would think, having been raised by a nurse, you would know that.”
“She’s right,” Darren said. “You’re an idiot if you don’t use them.”
Tara smiled at me triumphantly, and I rolled my eyes. I grabbed my crutches off the couch and shoved them under my arms. They were uncomfortable, but my leg did feel better with the extra support.
“Happy?” I demanded.
“Very,” Tara said with a nod.
“Let’s eat,” Mom said, clapping her hands together.
She led the way toward the kitchen table where the food was already set out and ready to go. She’d brought all of it over earlier and asked me to warm it before everyone arrived. I could tell how excited she was to have all of us together, but I didn’t share her enthusiasm. Even as dinner progressed, I felt uneasy.
Darren’s anger finally faded, and we all fell into a simple rhythm. Mom and Darren took turns asking Tara and me questions about our lives. We answered but didn’t speak to each other much. I knew Tara was still thinking about our kiss, and so was I. It was impossible not to when our feet kept brushing against each other under the table.
We finished dinner and Mom cleared the table. Darren sat awkwardly, looking between Tara and me as if he was trying to catch us in a lie. I recognized the look on his face from ten years ago, and just like then, I wanted to slap it away. Instead, I sat back and closed my eyes, relaxing my leg and enjoying the rare moment of silence.
“Cards?” Mom asked when she came back to the table.
I groaned, but she shot me a look. I quickly smiled and pretended to be excited. The game helped ease the tension, and soon, we were all laughing and having a fun time. By the time Mom and Darren were ready to leave, things felt somewhat normal again. That is until Darren eyed Tara dangerously as he left through the front door.
“He doesn’t want us alone,” I said with a chuckle. “After all these years, he still doesn’t trust us.”
“Can you blame him?” Tara asked. “How many times did you sneak into my room when we were teenagers?”
