Falling Together (All That Remains #2) (13 page)

It’s
snowing again when we gather our few remaining supplies and carry them into the
living room of a small brick house. It smells like the former owner had too
many cats, but at least there’s a fireplace. Eric attempts to make conversation
after dinner but I’m in no mood. We missed Thanksgiving. I promised Abby I’d
return before the holidays, and my stomach knots when I think of how worried
she must be. We bed down early so we can leave at first light.

It
takes us nearly three days to make it to Terre Haute. I’m convinced we could
have walked it faster. “Quit sulking,” Eric gripes. “We’ll be on 41 tomorrow, another
day or two and we’ll be home. It’s a good thing since we’re on our last tank of
propane, and the kerosene is nearly gone as well.” I grunt an agreement and
wrap myself in a sleeping bag to wait for morning.

I’m
awakened by a gust of arctic air sweeping through the room when Eric opens the
door. Keeping the blanket around my shoulders, I join him in the doorway to
stare into the blowing snow.

“It’s
a whiteout,” he sighs.

Fuck.
We aren’t going anywhere.

Joseph

“Someone’s
screaming,” Troy cries, throwing the covers aside and leaping out of bed.

“Fuck!
I smell smoke!” We’re dressed and out the door before my eyes are fully open.

“It’s
coming from Julie’s!” Troy shouts. The relief I feel that it isn’t Abby’s house
is immediately followed by guilt, then terror as I remember Lane was supposed
to stay with Julie tonight.

Columns
of smoke drift from the windows, evanescing as they rise into the ink black
sky. The sight is staggering, and I’m paralyzed, encased in a block of ice.
Abby’s scream pierces through the panic, and I grab her before she can run into
the house. After shoving her into Troy’s arms, and calling for Carson to grab a
ladder, I dart inside.

The
first floor is hazy with smoke, and I know the second story will be worse. Heat
sucks at me, sweat springing from every pore on my body as I rip off my T-shirt
and tie it around my face before climbing the stairs. The second story is a
nightmare, and I have to fight the instinct to turn and run. Julie’s room is at
the end of the hall, but I can’t see it through the thick smoke. A second of
hesitation costs me dearly as a chunk of the hallway floor collapses, peppering
me with burning embers, and leaving a four foot gap.

Fuck.
I have to keep moving. I have to do this. Abby can’t lose Lane. She’ll never
survive it. The smoke thickens, and the only air available is near the ground.
Taking a chance the rest of the hall floor is intact, I leap over the jagged
hole. My head swims from lack of oxygen, and I’m forced to my knees, crawling
toward the sound of Lane’s cries.

Flames
lick from under the bathroom door, igniting the leg of my sweatpants, searing
my skin. A quick roll back and forth extinguishes the flames, but the pain is
indescribable. Only Lane’s cries and Julie’s voice calling for help keeps me
focused and moving. When I reach Julie’s bedroom, I gulp as much air as
possible before getting to my knees to open the door.

“Quick!
Don’t let the smoke in!” Julie screeches, pounding on the window. The room is
miraculously clear, thanks to the pillows she has tucked in the gap. I slam the
door quickly behind me.

“Get
me some sheets,” I demand before grabbing her desk chair and swinging it as
hard as I can, shattering the window. She tosses me the sheets and jerks down
the curtains, spreading them across the window sill over the broken glass.

“Give
me the baby!”

“No,
I’ve got him. Climb out. Get to the ladder.” She scrambles onto the roof. Oh,
please let it hold up until I can get them down safely. Lane screams and kicks
while I bind him in a bed sheet. He’s strong for such a little thing, and I
don’t trust myself to carry him down the ladder while he twists and fights to
escape my arms. I feel like my legs could give out at any second.

Lane
continues to struggle as I hand him out to Julie and scramble through the
window. Troy’s terrified face peeks over the edge of the roof. “Get Julie down,
and I’ll lower Lane to you! The sheet isn’t long enough to reach the ground!”
He nods and helps Julie onto the ladder, shouting when he’s ready for Lane.

He
isn’t heavy, but I’m so weak from the smoke and the burns my arms tremble as I
lower him down, and it seems an eternity before Troy shouts for me to drop the
sheet. The roof begins to crumble beneath my feet, but I have to wait until
Troy lowers him safely to Abby. I don’t want to upset the ladder and take us
all down. Just as Abby seizes her son, a small portion of the roof gives way,
sending a white hot jet of air up my arm, scorching my skin.

I’m
afraid to look, afraid I’ll see the flesh dripping from the bone. Somehow my
feet find the ladder, my body trembling violently with the effort to climb
down. Almost there. Fuck, I just want to lie in the snow, put out the fire
burning its way up my leg and arm. Almost there.

* * * *

I’m
burning. Oh fuck, the pain is enormous. I thought I made it out of the fire. I
was on the roof. Lane! I have to get Lane!

“The
baby!” I cry, jerking upright.

“He’s
fine, Angel. Everyone’s fine,” Troy croons, his hand in mine. “Lie back.” He
can’t fool me. If no one was hurt his face wouldn’t be so lined with worry.
Tears stand in his eyes. For me, I realize. He’s crying for me.

“How
bad is it?” I croak.

“You
have second degree burns on your right thigh and your upper arm,” Julie
explains. “You’ll be okay, dear.”

“It
hurts…so bad,” I gasp, tears running down my temples onto the pillow.

“I
know. I’m going to give you a shot of Demerol to help with the pain, but I have
to clean the burns. It’s going to hurt like hell, I’m sorry. Turn on your side
so I can give you a shot.” I realize I’m lying on my bed in only my underwear,
but I’m in too much pain to be embarrassed. The cold towel Julie has placed
over my thigh slips off as I roll onto my side, and excruciating heat surges
through the burned skin.

“Hold
on,” Troy whispers when my fingers dig into his biceps. I feel a pinch from the
needle before my mind begins to fog. The drug doesn’t exactly stop the pain,
but it makes me less aware of it. I don’t care as much.

“Thank
you,” I murmur. Drugs or not, the next few minutes are an agonizing blur while
Julie cleans and treats the burns. Troy lies beside me with his forehead
pressed to mine, gripping my hands tightly.

“Almost
done, babe. You’re doing so well.”

“I’m
finished, Joseph. I’m not going to bandage the burned areas just yet. I want to
keep an eye on them.” Julie turns to Troy. “Don’t let him touch them. Keep the
arm and leg elevated on the pillows, and let me know if the blisters begin to
burst.”

Troy
nods. “You’re going to be fine.”

“Then
stop crying.” My grin is half hearted, but it’s the best I can do under the
circumstances.

Deep
brown eyes full of sympathy stare into mine. “I’m sorry. I can’t stand to see
you hurting like this.” His soft lips graze my forehead gently before he curls
up against my side.

“The
shot helped. I just need about three more.”

“I’ll
give you another dose in a few hours. You should try to sleep,” Julie advises.

“Walker?”
I ask.

“Slept
through it all. I’ll talk to him in the morning,” Troy assures me.

“I’m
sorry about your house,” I mumble to Julie, fighting to keep my eyes open.

“It
was just a house. You saved us, Joseph. Lane and I would never have made it out
without you.” Julies voice cracks. “Now be quiet and get some sleep,” she
orders, leaving before I can respond.

Troy
lies beside me, caressing my chest. “You were so brave, running into that
house. I couldn’t have done that.”

“It
wasn’t brave. I didn’t have time to think. It was a knee jerk reaction.”

“It
was also incredibly stupid. You could’ve died. You’re lucky you’re hurt or I’d
be kicking your ass all over this room. You scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m
sorry. I couldn’t let Abby lose Lane too.”

He
regards me closely. “You don’t expect Airen to return, do you?”

I
can’t deal with that devastating thought at the moment. It’s too much. “I need
to sleep, honey.”

He
kisses my cheek. “I’ll be right here.” I slip into a peaceful sleep, comforted
by his words.

Julie
keeps me doped up through the worst of the pain. I’m wandering around in a haze,
flirting with the edge of consciousness, not really awake or asleep. Abby and
Troy’s voices float to me in the twilight.

“He’s
healing. It looks worse than it is.”

“He
saved my baby. You both did, Troy. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Joseph’s
the hero here.”

“Tell
him I was here?”

“Of
course I will. I’ll radio you when he’s awake.”

“Or
if you need anything, Troy. I mean it.”

“I
promise. Tell Walker not to worry.”

Finally,
I can pry my eyes open for more than a few moments. Troy’s warm smile greets
me. “Welcome back, babe.”

“How
long was I out?”

“You’ve
been in and out for the last two days. How do you feel?”

“I’m
starving.”

He
laughs. “I’ll bet. Julie wants you up and around today.” My arm is wrapped in a
bandage and I can feel the weight of another wrapped around my thigh.

“How
bad does it look?”

“It’s
nothing that would cost you your contract with GQ.” He grins and kisses me.
Smart ass. I snort and sit up, wincing at the pain that radiates through the
damaged areas. “It’ll be two or three weeks before the burns heal completely,”
he warns.

He
helps me clean up and slip on a pair of oversized sweats and a T-shirt before
escorting me to the living room. After a bowl of soup and a few crackers, I
feel stronger.

“Do
you feel up to having visitors? I’ve practically had to barricade the door to
keep Abby from camping beside our bed. You should radio her and let her know
you’re okay.” His hand is soft when I catch it in mine and pull him to sit
beside me.

“Thank
you for taking care of me.” I kiss him on his cheek before pressing my lips to
his firmly.

“You’re
welcome. Now don’t get me all worked up when I can’t do anything about it,” he
quips.

“I’m
sure you can think of a remedy later.”

“You
expect dinner and a show? I knew you were greedy.” He kisses me again, handing
me a radio. “Call Abby and Walker. Let them see you’re okay.”

Airen

Eric
closes the door before all of our heat can escape. “It looks like a blizzard. I
can’t even see across the street.” He runs his hands through his hair and plops
onto the couch. “We’re screwed.”

“We
need to find another house, one with a fireplace. We’re nearly out of fuel,” I
warn.

After
a few minutes of staring out of the plate glass window that faces the street,
he speaks up reluctantly. “I have an idea. When we were driving in I noticed a
sign for a Superstore distribution center. It’s just across the street, set
back behind the row of fast food joints. We’d be able to see it if the snow
would lighten up. Anyway, there should be fuel and food there.”

“We’d
have to walk.”

“I’m
aware.”

“You’re
barely off the crutches. You wait here, and I’ll go.”

“No,
I’m going,” he insists stubbornly. “We should eat something warm first and take
our packs with us in case we can’t make it back.”

“Let’s
do it.” I try to shake the image of Abby pacing the floor, waiting on us to
return. Today is the second of December, and we should have been home days ago,
but I don’t have the time to dwell on it or feel guilty. We have to keep
ourselves warm and fed. I’m comforted by the thought that they aren’t
struggling with the same issues. I know they have heat and food enough to last
two winters.

An
hour later, we venture into the storm. The wind is brutal, slicing through my
layered clothes as if they’re made of paper. Even when the snow lets up for a
few minutes, the wind whips it up from the drifts and swirls it around our
heads, hindering the visibility.

“See
that red sign?” Eric shouts over the constant roar in our ears. “Aim for that.”

I
nod. It turns out to be a small deli. Most of the windows are broken, but the
walls at least provide protection from the icy wind. We duck inside to get our
bearings.

“How’s
your leg?”

“Why?
You want to give me a piggy back ride?”

“I’m
barely keeping myself upright,” I snort.

“I’m
okay. You see the gray building with the dark roof? That’s it.” It’s not as far
as I feared it would be. “Ready?” he asks.

“They
better have whiskey.”

Our
first problem when we reach the warehouse is finding a way in. It appears to be
locked up tight, the dock doors won’t budge. By the time we find a window we
can fit through, we’re frozen to the bone. “Let me go first,” I warn, after
breaking the window and sweeping away the shards. “It’s a six foot drop.” Eric
nods wearily, looking unsteady on his feet.

I
scoot through the hole and manage to drop to the floor without falling on my
ass. After helping Eric down, we flip on our flashlights and start down the
darkened aisle. We’re in a hallway lined with grubby little offices, a
breakroom, restrooms, and a lobby. It’s eerily quiet after the roar of the
storm.

“Let’s
try this way,” Eric suggests, making a right.

“Okay.”
We’re both whispering when we come to a large set of rubber flaps at the end of
the hall and cautiously step through. Identical grins line our faces as our
lights fall on aisle after aisle of unopened merchandise. We just hit the damn
lottery.

“First
things first. Propane and kerosene,” Eric declares. “Then we see what else we
want.”