Torn

by Druga, Jacqueline

  Bret kept her eyes forward. Her words fast. Hyperventilating. “The train. The train. The train.”

  “Stop.” He ordered. “Get a hold. Grab the door. Get ready.”

  “Darius.…”

  “Listen to me. When I say, ‘now’, you jump. Hands over your head, leap sideways, not feet first. Got it?”

  “I can’t . . .”

  “Yeah, you can. You have to.” He grabbed her hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it. “Ready?”

  “No.”

  He eyed the approaching train, then the trees. “We’ll beat it. We’ll beat it.”

  “Darius,” her voice inched up.

  “Grab the door. Open it some.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Oh my God.”

  Darius, reached for his door, one hand on the wheel. “Almost . . .”

  Bret watched the train as the air rushed through her open door.

  The train neared.

  Faster.

  The trees wilted less. Darius’ sign, he hit the brakes.

  “What are you doing!” She blasted.

  “Slowing us.”

  The wheels screeched loudly, the train blasted its warning whistle, along with diligently trying to stop. Sparks seared up on all ends of the vehicle.

  “Now!” Darius ordered. Bret screamed and opened the door wider. Darius heard and felt the ‘whoosh’ of air. He saw, through the corner of his eyes, Bret leaping from the car, and then he, too, jumped.

  It was close.

  He landed and rolled at the same time the whistle of the train screamed out, seconds before the ‘smash’ of the locomotive into the SUV.

  The grass was brownish-green, but not dead and burning. The momentum of the roll carried him down the grade, and Darius stopped with a grunt. He was dizzy and off balance as he tried to stand. He coughed out a mouthful of dirt and dropped to his knees, watching the train roll by.

  “Bret!” he called out, standing. “Bret!”

  The train noise was too loud. Aside from moving, the conductor was trying to stop it. The air brakes cried out louder than Darius ever could. There was no way she’d hear him. Up in the distance, on his side of the tracks, the smashed SUV had rolled off the tracks as well.

  He stumbled to a stand, moved toward the tracks and closer to the train. “Come on, come on,” he beckoned, watching to his left for the end of the train. It moved slowly, too slowly. “Bret!”

  Darius grew antsy. Almost there. Tired of waiting, Darius raced toward the end of the train, and as soon as it cleared him he ran over the tracks, calling out for Bret as he did.

  He lost sense of distance.

  How far had he rolled? Which way? They had slowed down some.

  “Bret!”

  After crossing, he headed back in the other direction, his mind still racing. It couldn’t have been that far. A hundred feet, maybe?

  Had it not been for the diaper bag, he would have called out again. But he spotted the bag Bret had not been without since they jumped from the plane.

  He saw the diaper bag and then he saw Bret, lying in the grass thirty feet from the tracks.

  The train finally came to a halt as Darius ran as fast as his feet would carry him.

  He slid down the small grade, landing by Bret.

  She wasn’t moving.

  “You guys okay!” a male voice called out in the distance. “Anyone hurt!”

  Hands shaking, Darius reached down to Bret. She was on her side. “Bret.” He called out. Bret didn’t respond. His hand slid to her throat.

  A pulse.

  Darius sighed out.

  He could see the blood trickle from her nose, an abrasion, along with a deep gash on her head. “Bret, answer me.”

  Nothing.

  “Do you need help!” the man hollered again.

  Scooting closer to Bret, Darius cocked his head to find the direction of the man. He was a speck in his vision, but making his way closer. ‘Yes!” Darius yelled. “Call for 911! Hurry!” He watched the man turn, and then Darius focused again on Bret.

  Still non-responsive and bleeding.

  He huddled as close to her as he could, whispering to her to just hang on, while waiting for what would seem like an eternity for help to arrive.

  22. Memories

  She woke up twice. But nothing coherent came from her, nor did she respond. But after ten hours the doctors said that there was no sign of swelling, and that was a good sign.

  Just before midnight, Bret began to stir again, mumbling words. And when she woke up asking for water and an aspirin, Darius placed a call to Colin.

  He and the girls returned to the hospital where Darius and Luke hadn’t left Bret’s side.

  She looked better than when he had left, and Colin conveyed that to Darius as they stood outside her hospital room. He peeked in; the girls were on one side of the bed.

  “I have to tell you, Dare-Dare. I’ve never seen you so worried about anything. Hell, when we couldn’t find your mother you weren’t this worried.”

  “I am worried. Or was,” Darius said. “I really am into her, Colin. I am. This past week . . . it did a lot for me. I didn’t realize our connection, but it’s there. I don’t want to lose that.”

  “I’m glad for you. And , , . she seems fine. Actually . . . happy.” He took another peek inside.

  “Since there was no brain damage,” Darius said, “they have her looped up on pain killers for the headache.”

  “A loopy Bret.” Colin smiled. “This should be fun. Let’s go speak to her.” Laying a leading hand on Darius’ back, Colin brought them in the room.

  “We’re back,” Colin announced.

  Darius took his seat next to the bed and reclaimed Bret’s hand.

  Bret snickered.

  “What’s so funny?” Darius asked.

  Almost giggly, she answered. “You’re holding my hand.”

  “I want to.”

  “That is so nice.” She groggily smiled.

  “Yeah, well, right now I want to be nice. I feel like this is all my fault.”

  “Oh, my God, no,” Bret’s words were slurred. “Dare-Dare, if it wasn’t for your quick thinking and plotting, I’d be dead. I’m fine. Just a bump.”

  Colin asked. “How is that bump?”

  “Good. I don’t feel really bad now. They gave me drugs. How long was I out?”

  Darius replied, “About ten hours.”

  “Wow, they got here fast,” Bret said.

  It took Colin a moment, then with an ‘up’ of his chin and facial revelation of what she meant, he said, “No. No. You’re in Pittsburgh. When Winslow found out about the accident he had you flown up here.”

  “That was nice of him,” Bret said.

  “Yes it was,” said Colin. “We need you here. Need you to recover, because we have a lot of work to do.”

  Darius brought her hand to his lips. “But you get well first. I’m gonna help with whatever you need, okay?”

  The corner of Bret’s mouth raised in a smile. “Man, you are being way nice. You won’t mind if I take the help?”

  Darius shook his head.

  Bret snickered. “You kissed my hand. Did you see that, Colin?”

  “Yes, you’ll have that with him,” Colin said. “Anyway. Get well. You’ll stay at my house. That asshole of an ex-husband of yours is hounding us, but we’ll take care of that. Then it’s stocking, planning, and getting our shelter list together.”

  Bret nodded. “But we have to get the shelter. Plan another trip down there, maybe?”

  Colin smiled. “What . . .” he paused. “It’s done. Bought.”

  “In ten hours?” Bret asked surprised. “Wow, you guys work fast. Fly me up here, buy the shelter . . . .”

  “Bret.” Colin held up a finger halting her. “What is the last thing you remember?”

  “Right before the accident,” she replied. “I remember. . . ” she inhaled. “The rush of the wind. Staring ou
t into the open space and jumping.”

  Colin nodded.

  Bret continued, “From the plane. Boy, I’ll tell you I was afraid that chute wouldn’t open. But . . .” She shrugged. “It obviously did, I just landed wrong.”

  “The last thing you remember is jumping from the plane?” Colin asked.

  “Yes, that was how I hurt my head, right?” Bret asked then looked at Darius. “Why did you loosen your grip on my hand?”

  “Sorry,” Darius grabbed held again. “Bret, are you sure that’s the last thing you remember?”

  “Yes.”

  “Think.”

  Bret closed her eyes. “Yeah, that’s it. Why?”

  “Because . . .” Darius looked up to Colin, the girls, Luke, and back to Bret. “That was . . . that was a week ago.”

  “I . . . I . . . lost a week?” Bret asked. “How?”

  Colin shrugged slightly then shook his head. “I’m sure the doctor will tell you. And I’m sure what you lost will come back. It’s the head injury. Then again . . .” he looked at Darius. “There’s a chance it may never come back.”

  “A whole week?” Bret closed her eyes and exhaled. “Well, I can look at it this way. Aside from getting the shelter, it’s only a week, right? I mean, I couldn’t have missed that much, right?”

  No answer.

  “Right?”

  “Excuse me.” Darius stood up.

  “Colin?” Bret asked.

  After holding up a finger, Colin stepped outside where Darius was waiting in the hallway.

  “Dare-Dare.”

  “She doesn’t remember. She doesn’t know about Blain. She doesn’t . . . she doesn’t remember.”

  “Maybe she will,” Colin said.

  “What if she doesn’t?”

  “Then you tell her.”

  “Ha,” Darius released an emotional chuckle. “Oh, sure, I’ll just go tell her. Hey, Bret, in that week, Blain died from meningitis and you and I became lovers.”

  Colin cringed. “You’re right, that won’t be easy to tell her. But if you do, and she doesn’t remember you can tell her it was incredible and she called you a stallion.”

  “This isn’t funny.”

  “It’s not that big of a deal,” Colin said “Don’t worry about it. Just tell her when the time is right. Give her time for it all to come back and if it doesn’t, tell her. Dare-Dare, she’s already excited about the prospect of you holding her hand. Something is inside of her, trust me.”

  Darius nodded.

  “If not, and she’s what you want, you have to win her back.”

  Another nod from Darius.

  “But for now. We just need to concentrate on her getting better, and us getting everything in order and on track. Because the way things are looking with this Earth,” Colin said. “It’s not going to be long before everything goes to shit.”

  23. Happenings

  July 22nd

  “I feel like Laverne and Shirley,” Bret made the off-the-wall comment, causing Darius to glance up at her with a half-smile.

  They sat on Colin’s living room floor, stacks upon stacks of books surrounding them.

  She continued, “You know the one episode where they won the shopping spree?”

  “No,” Darius said.

  “Yeah, and they tried so hard the only thing they ended up getting for free was a box of Moon Pies, or something like that. Remember?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Really? Wow.”

  “Actually, I never saw Laverne and Shirley.”

  “Oh, my God, not even in reruns? Didn’t you have a television?”

  “Oh, sure.” Darius examined a book. “I just wasn’t a TV watcher. Where are you putting the useful fiction?”

  “What genre?”

  “Science.”

  “Here.” Bret took the book and set it aside to a stack. “I started a new stack for sex books.”

  Darius laughed. “Really.”

  “Oh, sure, we may need them. Especially this one.” She held up a title.

  Darius looked. “Sex in the Senior Years.”

  She nodded. “It’s good to know I may finally get to enjoy sex when I’m older.”

  “As opposed to now.”

  “Is that a dig about my ex-husband cheating?”

  “No.” he shook his head. “I was just gonna say, you seem to enjoy it now.”

  Bret laughed.

  “What is so funny?”

  “You.” She shook her head. “You know you almost had me with that ‘we slept together’ tale you told me.”

  “We did, Bret. We committed to each other.”

  She giggled. “Sure. Chuck said that next thing you’ll tell me is I peed in the woods.”

  “You did.”

  Again, she laughed.

  Darius tossed up his hands. “Why is it so hard to believe?”

  “Because . . . I don’t remember it and . . . it’s you.”

  “Okay.” Darius brought his knees up.

  “You’re hot. Why would you want me?”

  After a nod of his head Darius leaned to Bret. “You know, I think you’re a fantastic woman,” he whispered. “And even more so over this past month as I got to know you and like even more who you are. Plus . . .” He bit his bottom lip, leaning closer. “I can’t wait until you break down, give back in to me. Cause I think you’re pretty hot.”

  Another giggle. “Stop,”

  “Nope.” He leaned in for a kiss.

  The clearing of the throat caused them to jolt apart in surprise.

  Darius looked up to Colin. “This close, Colin. I was this close to finally getting her to kiss me again.”

  “Just like you, Dare-Dare.” Colin said. “She is barely well and you are taking advantage of her vulnerable state. Like last time.”

  “Thanks, you’re not helping,” Darius said.

  Colin laughed.

  So did Bert. “You guys are funny.”

  “So is this,” Colin handed her an envelope. “The attorney dropped these off. Signed, sealed, and filed. Divorce papers.”

  “Sweet.” Bret smiled. “Hey, Dare-Dare, thanks for paying for these. You didn’t have to.”

  “I want you divorced,” Darius said. “We’re committed.” He dropped his voice to a mumble. “Whether you remember or not.”

  Colin said, “I don’t see the point. He’ll probably die anyhow when the world ends.”

  “Just in case,” Darius shrugged.

  “I heard from Virginia,” Colin said. “All settled in the shelter. Kids are loving it. They started the seedlings and her husband installed the fake light for sunlight.”

  Darius gave a ‘thumbs up’. “Ironically….” He showed a book. “Getting the Most out of the Sun.”

  Colin scoffed. “The sun is our enemy right now; it started the war. Bret, good to see you moving about. How’s the head?”

  Bret nodded. “Good. I feel good. We were at the warehouse this morning doing inventory for the trucks that are moving out to the shelter tomorrow. I feel so guilty that you guys were busy and I was sick.”

  “I was worried,” Colin pointed out, “after the head injury and then last week you had that stomach flu.”

  “That was weird. One minute I’m sick, the next I’m fine. I haven’t thrown up like that since . . . since . . . .” Bret paused.

  “Another memory lapse?” Darius asked.

  “No, no.” She quickly correctly. “Since I had food poisoning. Which was another episode of Laverne and Shirley.”

  “I loved that show,” Colin said. “How about the one where they won the shopping spree?”

  Bret peeped a shriek. “Yes! I was just talking about that. Darius didn’t know.”

  “Darius didn’t watch television.”

  Darius winked. “See, I told you.”

  Bret’s hand paused as she grabbed another book. She lifted it and slowly gazed at the title.

  “You all right?” Colin asked.

  “Um, yeah
. Yeah.” Bret nodded, cradling the book to her chest. “Just thinking.”

  “Well, can I steal that thinking phase and put both of you on pause from sorting books?” Colin asked. “I want to go over the invitee list, tweak it so it’s ready to send out when the news breaks.”

  “Are we sure it’s gonna happen?” Bret asked. “I mean, nothing has happened in some time.”

  Darius nodded. “Calm before the storm.”

  “The big storm,” Colin added. “Kitchen? Ready?” he pointed.

  Darius stood up. “Yep.” He held his hand down to Bret. “Coming?”

  “In . . . in a second. I want to do something first.”

  “Okay.” Darius ran his hand over her head as he followed Colin.

  Bret watched over her shoulder until they were out of sight. Slowly she pulled the book from her chest. She glanced at the title once more, exhaled slowly through her parted lips, and closed her eyes. “Oh, boy.”

  ***

  On both sides of Colin’s front door were two windows, both narrow and floor length. A white curtain graced both windows for privacy.

  When Andi heard the ‘clunk’ from outside, she peered out her window and raced out. First she knocked on the bathroom door stating to her mother, ‘we have trouble’, then she ran down the steps, pulled one curtain to the side and peeked out the window.

  “We have trouble,” she said and ran to the kitchen. “We have trouble.”

  Darius was seated at the counter with Colin. He turned around. “Is that why you're running?”

  “We have trouble.” She pointed backwards.

  Colin nodded to Darius. “We have trouble.”

  The door bell rang.

  “Is that the trouble?” Darius asked.

  Andi nodded and her eyes widened when there was a pounding at the door.

  Darius stood up and walked by her. “Who is it?”

  “Jesse.”

  Darius picked up speed.

  “Where is she?” Jesse demanded.

  What he didn’t see was Bret sneaking back up the stairs, nor Colin sneaking in to watch the events.

  It took Darius a moment to respond; his eyes shifted to the Japanese girl who stood ten paces behind the man.