Saving Katie Baker

by H. Mattern

  Blake laid Micah down in the bed, and after he made sure that she was safe asleep, he closed the master bedroom, grabbed a light jacket and walked out of the house. Just the sight of the darkness caused fear to rise up within him. She shouldn’t be out there. How was he going to find her in the darkness? It was a daunting task that frightened him.

  Blake walked back inside, and grabbed a flashlight. He opened the bottom to check for batteries and made sure that it was working properly. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long night. Upon returning outdoors, Blake was met by drops of water falling from the sky.

  “Not now. Seriously? Why rain, now?”

  Blake locked the door to the house behind him, just in case Micah did happen to wake up and attempt an escape. He knew that he was being overprotective, but better safe than sorry.

  He walked quickly, at more of a jogging pace than actually walking. He was calling her name over and over again.

  “Katie. Katie where are you?” No answer in reply. Blake kept yelling for Katie as he walked. He debated running, in order to quicken the search, but feared he’d miss her.

  He could feel his heart beat throughout his whole body like a drumbeat reverberating in his chest at a rock concert.

  The rain was coming down harder now, the flashlight dripping, his clothing sticking to his body, and the ground muddy beneath his feet. He didn’t know which way to turn, there were so many different ways that Katie could have gone. He begged the heavens for a miracle.

  Blake remembered being a kid and walking through a corn maze in the fall. All of the kids in his town would pay to get lost and rush through, searching for a way out. He enjoyed it back then, but the game wasn’t fun anymore. He didn’t want to play. He wanted to call a time out, to scream for a hint, an answer to what he was looking for.

  “Where is she?” He shouted. “Katie, where are you?”

  Right then he saw what he thought at first was a dead animal in the distance. Something lay huddled on the ground. He was afraid. He could tell it was his race shirt. He knew that he had found her, and he feared the worst.

  “Please be okay. Katie. Katie, are you okay. Can you hear me? Katie?”

  No answer. He was bending over her, and she was lying on her side in a balled up position soaked to the bone and shaking. Blake tried to get her to wake up. When he realized that she wasn’t conscious, he lifted her head to look at her face. She wasn’t responding.

  “Katie.”

  He picked her up in his arms, her head lay against his neck, and her skin felt warm. He knew that it wasn’t supposed to be that hot. He quickly started making his way back to the house, but it seemed like it was taking forever.

  He could see the house in the distance and then, Montag came running out to him.

  “She’s in trouble boy,” he said to the dog.

  As soon as he got the door open, which was no easy task since he had locked it, he didn’t second-guess his actions. He was educated in responding to emergency situations and went into EMS mode. Blake knew he had to get her fever down. He began taking off the wet clothes; he removed her shirt and jeans, but left her underclothes on, even though they too were wet. He laid her on the couch and threw a thin blanket over her, hoping that when she woke she wouldn’t feel violated.

  Blake worried about her. He felt responsible in some odd way. Katie had to get well, she just had to. He grabbed the quilt off of the master bed and covered her in hopes that she would stay warm.

  “Katie,” he tried again to get her to wake up. “Katie, please; answer me, honey.”

  Blake felt helpless, there was nothing he could do but wait. He reached out his hand and placed it on her arm, just below the stitches.

  “Please, please be okay,” it was the best he could do at a prayer right now.

  Katie began to move, and she attempted to open her eyes. Blake thought he saw her shiver.

  “Are you cold?”

  She shook her head no. Blake felt a sense of relief that she was responding, but her eyes looked so empty and sad.

  “Thanks for coming to find me,” she said.

  Blake shifted closer, moved a wet strand of her hair from her face, and promised, “I wont ever leave you.”

  “Blake. Don’t. Don’t say that. You can’t. You can’t fall for me.” Katie lay her head back down and dozed off again.

  “I’m sorry. It’s too late. I’ve already fallen.”

  After Blake said the words, he stretched out next to her on the floor for the rest of the night.

  CHAPTER

  14

  Blake watched as Katie continued to drift in and out of sleep. She would turn her head in one direction and then turn it in the other—there was no relaxing as she lay across the couch. Blake had tried to make her as comfortable as possible. He thought about taking her to the master bedroom but feared that in moving her, she’d wake.

  Blake could tell that Katie’s hair was finally beginning to dry, which gave him great relief. She needed to get dry to stay warm, and to break the fever that had him worried most.

  It had been a long evening. They both needed their rest, but Blake didn’t want to fall asleep. He wanted to keep an eye on Katie. Blake had a feeling morning was going to be difficult. There was so much he wanted and planned to discuss as soon as Katie woke. He worried that she would be angry with him about his confession just before she fell asleep and almost hoped she wouldn’t remember what he’d said.

  “Don’t hold it against me. I didn’t mean to fall for you, it just happened.”

  Blake spoke to her, hoping that by some chance she might hear him and forgive him subconsciously. His thoughts drifted to fate and destiny. If this is what was to be, he hoped that Katie would have the grace to accept his love and that she’d stop fighting it and perhaps fall in return. Blake whispered his wishes and prayers into the world while watching Katie from across the room, where he’d moved to pace.

  He walked over to Katie and stood directly over her, gazing down upon her, checking to make sure that she was still breathing. He wondered if she would be frustrated if she woke to find him sleeping so close beside her, even if it were on the floor. He debated going to his own bed, she looked fine right now but she also looked so fragile. He just didn’t feel he could leave her alone; he had to keep an eye on her. He didn’t care what she said when she woke or how mad she’d be, he determined that he wouldn’t leave her throughout the night.

  Besides, what if Katie woke up frightened and in her underclothes, unsure of what had happened? She wasn’t herself last night. No, he wouldn’t leave her alone. He had promised her earlier he would never leave her, and now was his chance to begin sticking to that promise.

  Blake walked quietly into the master bedroom, attempting to tiptoe as to not wake Micah. He peeked in on her. She lay flat on her belly with her fingers still in her mouth.

  “Oh, to sleep as soundly as you, little one,” he whispered.

  He leaned down and kissed Micah on the forehead before he grabbed a pillow off of the bed and brought it into the living room.

  He tried to position Katie’s head on the pillow in a manner that would be comfortable. He made sure that the blanket was tucked all around her then went to grab the items he would need. He grabbed the quilt from off of his bed, and the other extra pillow.

  Blake stood and considered the recliner, wondering whether or not he should try sleeping in it. It would allow Katie more space from him once she woke. No, the floor was where he needed to be, and at least with the floor he could roll around and lay any direction he pleased. He threw the other quilt on the rug, just beneath where he had laid Katie on the couch. He then lay down on the floor next to her, covering his body with some of Katie’s quilt that was draping down—one of the benefits to having king size bedding.

  Blake looked up a
t Katie on the couch, her face now directly above him. It felt right to be here next to her. He only hoped that when Katie woke up the next morning she would understand, and maybe even enjoy his closeness.

  Would she remember their conversation? Would she remember that he told her he was falling for her? Why was she so opposed to the idea of them together? Would she consider this “too close?” He pondered the meaning behind her words as he settled into his spot.

  It didn’t take long for Blake to doze off. He rarely ever had dreams, but these past few days had thrown “normal” and “rarely” out the window. Anything was possible. His thoughts drifted to Katie and Micah even in his sleep. He never remembered the dreams when he woke up, he just knew that they existed and the feeling that threaded through them.

  This particular night, his dreams began with Micah, who was standing next to a large tree, alone; her short blonde curls kissed by the autumn sunlight. She wore a yellow dress that matched the leaves that had started to fall around her to the ground. Her face instantly changed from delight to uncertainty. Something had frightened her in the distance; Blake could see the look of fear on the little girl’s face as she began running as fast as her little legs would take her.

  She came to another tree, one covered in knots and holes that made Blake think of wild animals, potentially housed by them. The little girl leaned down and grabbed a suitcase. It was the same vintage suitcase that Blake had retrieved from the remains of the little girl’s cottage. She looked behind her to make sure nobody was following and she began to run again, this time with the suitcase in hand.

  Blake thought that he must stop her—he had to keep her from roaming too far into the woods. The sky started to grow dark causing his vision to blur, he screamed out her name.

  “Micah!”

  Upon hearing his own voice, he woke. Thankful that Katie hadn’t heard or roused from sleep, he tried to close his eyes again but was afraid to fall back asleep and have the nightmare continue, whatever it meant.

  Blake quietly stood up and walked into the kitchen to grab something to drink. He looked inside the fridge, but nothing he saw seemed to be what his body craved. He grabbed a mason jar from the cupboard and filled it with water. At least his thirst would be quenched.

  He heard movement in the living room and glanced through the space. It was too dark to see if Katie was awake. He walked back over to the couch to check on her and realized that she was tossing and turning violently in her sleep.

  Peace seemed to have left Katie completely. She was convulsing, and Blake wasn’t sure if this was a nightmare or a seizure. Blake had heard of people having night terrors and wondered if that was what Katie was experiencing at this very moment.

  He debated whether or not he should attempt to wake her, but the sight of her, panicking and struggling, was just too much for him. He had to rescue her from this nightmare.

  “Katie, Katie, wake up; you’re having a bad dream.”

  Blake continued in his attempt to rouse Katie from sleep. His hand touched her face gently and it was then that she began to come to. It wasn’t pretty though.

  Katie screamed. It was so loud Blake fell back onto the pallet that he had made up for his bed. Katie shot straight up on the couch; she realized her blanket was down to her waste and her bra was out in full view, so she quickly covered herself with her hands, and looked down at Blake who was now attempting to stand back to his feet.

  “Where are my clothes?” she asked.

  Blake, still shocked by the outburst, looked at her in surprise.

  “Your clothes? Don’t you remember what happened last night? Don’t you remember getting lost in the woods? The rain?”

  Katie just stared at him.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t remember much from last night, evidently. Where’s Micah?” Katie stood up with the blanket in front of her ready to go searching for the little girl. “Where is she, is she okay? Was she with me?”

  “It’s okay Katie.”

  Blake grabbed one of the new shirts he had bought Katie from Target, still sitting with its tags on in the bag at the kitchen table. He ran over and brought it to her.

  “Here, put this on. Micah’s fine, she’s still sleeping.”

  Their hands touched with the exchange, and Blake could tell her temperature was less that it had been. Her fever must have come down a bit during the night. He would still prefer to know for sure, but for now, that little bit of skin-on-skin gave him relief as to the status of her health. Blake glanced out the window and realized that it was still the middle of the night. Neither of them had gotten much sleep.

  “Would you like to try to go back to sleep? Or maybe some coffee?” Blake asked Katie, who appeared to be wide-awake now. “I have decaf,” he said with a smile.

  “You wouldn’t have any tea by any chance, would you?” she asked.

  Blake knew the night had been rough for Katie, and if she had any hopes of falling back to sleep, tea would be better than coffee. “Let me go check.”

  Blake walked back into the kitchen and looked in the cabinet where he kept the sugar, powdered creamer, and other beverage ingredients. There was a box hiding in the back; the label on the tea was called Sleepy Time.

  “How’s Sleepy Time tea? Maybe it will help us fall back to sleep,” he said, smiling at her.

  “Perfect,” she responded as she pushed her arms through the sleeves of the new t-shirt.

  The shirt was grey and had a bear with a heart around it on the front. Blake wasn’t sure what drew him to the specific items that he picked out for them, but he knew whatever it was, it was something special. The shirt appeared to fit her body perfectly; he hoped that it felt soft against her skin. He had to admit, as much as he adored seeing her in his clothing, she looked amazing in the items made specifically for women.

  Blake filled the teakettle with water and put it on the stove to heat before coming back to sit near Katie.

  “That was a pretty intense dream you had. Care to talk about it?”

  Katie looked at him, and paused as if unsure what to say, as if debating whether or not she could go into her story with him? Blake knew it would be like re-living your worst nightmare while being awake.

  “I was just remembering.”

  Blake had a feeling that she was talking about that night—the one that led to him no longer seeing Katie’s husband come home with her. Did he dare ask her to go there—to go to that sensitive, painful place? They were friends, though, right? Friends share their life with one another. Blake felt that this was his opportunity, the one that he had waited for to go deeper with her. He knew what he had to do; he knew that he must be brave.

  “I would love to know what happened, if you don’t mind telling me. You know, I remember that night too. You looked like you were heading out to a party.”

  Blake waited to see what Katie’s response was going to be. He had hoped that he wouldn’t make her angry or upset. She put her hands up and rubbed the back of her neck.

  “I didn’t see him after that.” Blake added, quietly.

  “It’s not easy to talk about, especially when it comes to you. Actually, I’ve never talked about it to anyone. It’s one of those experiences you want to erase from your memory, but you just can’t, no matter how hard you try. You can’t forget because the images continue to haunt your dreams.”

  Katie had tears in her eyes; Blake could tell this was hard for her to talk about.

  “You’re right, we were heading to a party,” Katie began. She closed her eyes as if trying to recall the details.

  “It was a surprise party for Jill, a friend of mine from work. We were headed to eat Mexican and celebrate. We were both excited. It was Micah—my husband’s—favorite place to eat. We were craving the crispy chips and salsa. He had a soft spot for tortilla chips. You know, now
that I think about it, I’ve not had Mexican since the accident.”

  Blake listened earnestly and smiled at her details. He remembered seeing them that night. He had watched Katie and her husband load up their car. He vaguely recalled that they both seemed so happy, as if anticipating a fun evening together. He now remembered they also had balloons with them.

  “I remember balloons,” Blake said.

  “Yes. We had a huge bouquet of balloons with us; it was hard to get them in his little Nissan Altima. You know, he really loved that car. We often joked that it was his ‘other girlfriend.’ She even had a name: Anna. The balloons had nothing to do with the accident, though; they floated around in the back seat, but surprisingly stayed out of the way. It was raining that night. It was raining really hard. He was driving carefully. He knew how much I hated driving in the rain.”

  Katie paused. Blake wanted to tell her she didn’t have to keep going on. He wanted to tell her she could stop, but he wanted to hear the story. He wanted her to continue. He felt he needed to hear it because he was falling in love with this woman and needed to know how to help get her through this. He wanted to help her awaken from the nightmare in which she was stuck.

  “We started fighting. After talking to you, he decided he wanted a motorcycle. He always pushed, usually it was cute. But that time, he didn’t laugh off my hesitation. I yelled, he yelled. We didn’t see the other car ahead of us.”

  As Katie recounted the story, she hesitated, looking as if she was struggling to keep her breath steady. Blake was concerned about having a repeat of her earlier collapse.

  “Katie, I’m sorry. I never meant to cause you guys distress over bikes. You blamed me after that—it all makes sense now. You don’t still think I killed him though, do you?”