Rescue Me (Butler Island) (24 page)

Her tender heart ached, a myriad of emotions all fighting
for dominance.

Betrayal, sorrow, guilt and despair.

Embarrassment and humiliation.

Worry.

Love.

She was in love with Randall Burns. She hadn’t planned
it—God knows she’d spent many nights denying her attraction to him in the
beginning, but the magnetism and allure had been too powerful.

None of that mattered much now, though. Thanks to Jenny’s
ill-timed outburst, the entire town had condemned Lana before her feet had left
the stage. Well, maybe not the entire town—Olivia had left a very kind message
on her machine earlier. Seems Lana still had one ally…

Inhaling a shaky breath, Lana rose from the couch and
reached for the small frame that housed a picture of Jimmy and Randall, taken
two summers ago at the annual Oyster Festival. Behind the thin sheet of glass
lay the two men that’d stolen her heart. They were as different as night and
day—probably why they’d made such good friends.

And she loved them both.

She’d always cherish the years she’d spent with Jimmy.
Always. He’d given her eleven amazing years and a son she adored beyond words.
And she’d love him till her last breath for that.

But it was time to move on, time to stop living in the
past and forge a future for herself and her son. More than anything she wanted
it to be with Randall. He was trying to do the honorable thing, she knew, but
Lana didn’t need his noble gestures—she just needed his love.

Returning the small metal frame to the mantel, she
shuffled to the window, shoving the drapes aside to watch the storm’s fury. She
expected to see high winds and pounding rain—maybe even a bit of debris—but
what she hadn’t counted on was Chief Handler and Grant Womack.

Snatching her hand from the curtain, Lana quickly moved
to the door, tugging it open as the two men bounded up the porch steps. Her
gaze darted between the two forms before her, one tall and broad, one short and
round.

Both wearing wet clothes and stone-like expressions.

“Sorry to drop in like this”, Chief Handler began. “But
we couldn’t reach you by phone.”

“I…I turned it off earlier.”

Chief nodded firmly once, then shifted his weight,
removing his hat. Lana stared in disbelief, feeling as though she was reliving
that fateful night one year ago.

“It’s Randall, Lana… There’s… there’s been an accident.”

Chapter 31

A fist hurdled toward Randall at lightning speed,
striking his face with an almost supernatural-like power. A shockwave of pain
exploded behind his right eye as his head snapped back from the brutal blow.
Instinctively, he palmed the tender skin, feeling it swell beneath his bloody
fingertips. His body felt heavy, weak. Pressing the heel of his hand against
his throbbing eye he waited for his vision to clear.

Only he wasn’t quite prepared to find his dead best
friend kneeling in front of him.

“Long time no see, Brother”, Jimmy seethed. “What’s it
been, one year?”

Randall stared skeptically for a stretch. “Yeah”, he
finally managed.

“Well, I would ask what you’ve been up to these days, but
then, I already know…” Standing, Jimmy snatched him up by his shirt and slammed
him against the side of his mangled truck. “I just want to know why… Of all the
women, why did it have to be
her
?”

Randall stared into the eyes of a man he’d grown up with,
two brown eyes raw with misery and strain. “You think I haven’t asked myself
that same question every night?” Relaxing the grip on Randall’s shirt, Jimmy
turned away, running his hands through his dark blond hair. “Doesn’t matter
now, anyway—it’s over.”

Jimmy turned, resting his hands low on his hips, his
expression a mixture of rage, disbelief, and… appreciation?

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I’m talking to you, right? If I’m seeing dead
people, that must mean I’m…”

“Dead?” Jimmy finished, smiling.

Lana paced the hall outside Randall’s hospital room,
waiting for the nurse to give her the green light to rush in. Details were
still a bit fuzzy, but it seemed as though he’d skipped town after leaving her
earlier this afternoon. His mangled Ford had been found by a county sheriff
deputy on a routine patrol just before seven ‘o clock. It’d taken some time for
the Franklin County Fire Department to respond—even longer to pry Randall’s
battered and unconscious body from the wreckage.

According to Chief Handler Randall had been wedged in the
cab of his truck pretty good, and had likely lingered in that state for several
hours before the deputy stumbled upon the crushed pick-up. She cringed every
time she thought about him lying helplessly and injured on the side of the
road, while blasting wind and unrelenting rain besieged his limp, crippled
body.

Dr. Conrad hadn’t given them much to go on; only that
Randall had been slipping in and out of consciousness upon his arrival.

“Here”, Olivia offered, shoving a small Styrofoam cup at
her. “It’s gonna be a long night, sugar. Might as well start loadin’ up on the
caffeine.” Lana took the cup and swallowed a sip. “Any news yet?”

Shaking her head, she lowered the cup of sludge the
cafeteria tried to pass off as coffee. “The nurse is in with him now. She told
me I can pop in to see him for a few minutes after she has him settled.”

“He awake now?”

“No, still fading in and out, last I heard.”

Olivia nodded, leaning her shoulder against the wall.
“What about you? How’re you holdin’ up?”

“I’m… I’m”—Lana quickly wiped a fleeing tear with her
free hand and flashed a weak smile—“managing. Or, at least, trying to… Thank
you for being here—it means a lot to—”

“Okay”, Kendall interrupted as she and Ty stepped from
the elevator. “I brought my entire collection of nail polish with me—not nearly
as extensive as yours, I might add—but I’m sure we can still find a shade
you’ll like.”

“Nail polish?” Lana asked, puzzled.

“That’s right”, Olivia added, nudging a damp lock of
brown hair from Lana’s face. “Instead of wearin’ a hole in the floor in front
of this room, you’re gonna sit down while we paint your nails.”

“Paint my nails?” Her response sounded more like a
statement than a question, like she was testing the words in her mouth.

“So you can pick off the polish, of course”, Kendall
explained.

This time Lana wasn’t able to stifle the sob that’d
worked its way up the back of her throat. She slapped her free hand over her
mouth, but the sound escaped anyway. In the blink of an eye, her two friends
rushed forward, wrapping their arms around her as though they were lending her
their strength.

Maybe her luck was finally turning around.

Just Maybe…

“Relax”, Jimmy uttered. “You’re not dead—just unconscious.”

The tense muscles in Randall’s shoulders eased a bit.

He wasn’t dead…

There’d been a time not so long ago he’d have been
disappointed at the news. The guilt over his best friend’s death had ruled his
worthless life in such a way that he’d come to terms with his own demise. But
now… now he had something—
someone
—to live for. “Where is she?”

Jimmy sighed, then jerked his head toward the door. “She’s
in the waiting room.”

“In the waiting room?” he asked, confused.

“Look around, Brother. You’re at the hospital.”

His eyes scanned the room. Peach pastel wallpaper,
beeping machines, and the unmistakable smell of antiseptic. Yep, he was
definitely at Mainland Hospital. “I don’t understand… How’d I get here?”

“By ambulance, of course.” Jimmy sat down next to
Randall, leaning his elbows against his lap as he leaned forward. “Look, I
don’t have a lot of time. So I’m gonna do the talkin’ and you’re gonna listen.”
He waited for Randall to nod before he continued. “I want to hate you, want to
make you feel the pain I felt when I saw you makin’ moves on Lana… But I can’t.

“I love that woman more than you’ll ever know. And I had
to watch her mourn me—crumble, day after day after day—for months, last year.
If I hadn’t already been dead, it would’ve killed me again—”

“Jimmy, I—”

Jimmy held his palm in front of him, stopping Randall
mid-sentence. “Let me finish. I’m not gonna lie, Randall; seeing you and Lana
together… Well, no man should have to witness something like that. But”, he
sighed, “you make her happy. You walk into the room and her entire aura just
lights up… That’s… that’s why I had to do it.”

Randall’s brows drew together in confusion again. “Had to
do what?”

“I had to save you.”

“Mrs. Phillips”, the elderly nurse called out as she
stepped into the waiting room.

Lana quickly jumped to her feet. “Yes?”

“You can see him, now, but only for a few minutes.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Lana glanced at Olivia and Kendall
before following the nurse into the abandoned hallway. It was almost eleven,
now. The bulk of the tropical storm had already passed, leaving intermittent
squalls of heavy rain in its wake.

Slowly, guys from the department had trickled in to show
their support for one of their own. The expressions on their faces revealed
they were none too happy about the idea of Lana and Randall. But it meant a lot
to her that they were still here. The Butler Island Fire Department were a
dysfunctional bunch, yes, but they still stuck together. She loved that about
these guys. In time, she hoped they would come to understand the choices she
and Randall had made.

“Go on in, honey. I’ll swing back by to getcha in about
five minutes.”

“Thanks”, she uttered feebly. With a fortifying breath,
she turned the knob and pressed the heavy door open.

Nothing could’ve prepared Lana for that first glimpse,
though. Her body froze mid-step. Her breath hitched.

His left leg was splinted, wrapped with myriad layers of
gauze and Ace Bandages. On his arms were legions of cuts and scrapes, likely
from shattered glass. Her eyes slowly traveled up the length of his body until
she came upon the nasty, swollen bruise that’d formed around his right eye.

Shuffling forward, she covered her mouth to muffle her
sobs, collapsing into the chair at his bedside. Her eyes skittered to the
monitors. She didn’t know what half the information meant, but the jagged line
steadily moving across one of them, coupled with a repetitive beep, assured her
he was very much alive. Reaching for his hand she brought it to her lips,
pressing a gentle kiss to one of the small cuts along the back of it.

Could have lost him
…

The suddenness of that possibility rushed over her as she
stared at his motionless body, the expanding ache pressing in on her lungs.

She could have lost him.

Lana interlocked their fingers, giving his hand a light
squeeze. She needed to feel his warmth, needed the constant reminder that he
was alive. Through a steady stream of tears she studied the even movement of
his chest as he breathed.

Life was precious. Life was often unpredictable. Losing
Jimmy had taught her that. The dirty looks and malicious whispers weren’t going
to deter her. She wanted a life—a future—with Randall.

But first, she had to say goodbye to a piece of her past.

“All right, time’s up, Mrs. Phillips.”

Lana head snapped toward the nurse, then back to Randall.
“I love you”, she uttered softly. Brushing her lips over the back of his hand
one last time, she gently placed it back on the bed, then stood, following the
nurse into the abandoned hallway.

“When can I see him again?” She inquired as the nurse led
her to the waiting area.

“Probably not until after his surgery tomorrow—”

“Surgery?”

“Just his ankle, honey. A few screws and he’ll be as good
as new.”

Lana halted. “What about the rest of his injuries?”

The kind, elderly nurse stopped just outside the door
that led to the waiting room. Hugging a stack of charts against her chest, she
turned, eyeing Lana for a stretch before answering. “You know, I’m not really
supposed to be discussing any of this with you. But… He’s gonna be just fine.
Aside from the ankle, he has a few broken ribs, lacerations from the shattered
glass, and one heck of a nasty bruise on his hand-some face. Rollover crashes
don’t always have happy endings, you know. So I’d say he was pretty darn lucky.
Must’ve had an angel watching over him.”

Lana smiled as a lone tear slid down her cheek. “Yeah, I
think he did.”

Chapter 32

Vigorous whispers faded to uncomfortable silence as Lana
reentered the small, packed waiting room. More than a dozen pairs of eyes
settled on her, the weight of their gazes stimulating her fight or flight
mechanism.

Stay
.
Hold your ground
.

Fight
.

“How is he?” Grant probed. “He awake yet?”

“No, but the nurse says he’s gonna be fine.” Lana explained
the depth of his injuries, including the surgery required to realign the
displaced bones in his ankle. The room fell quiet again, tense air swirling,
suffocating.

Stay
.
Hold your ground
.

Fight
.

It was time to address the elephant in the room, time for
everyone to know where her head and heart were at. Sucking air into her starved
lungs, Lana forced the words over her dry throat.

“I love him—Randall. I know you all probably think it’s
crazy, sudden,
wrong
… But I do.”

Tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear with
quivering hands, she continued. “I’ve learned a lot about life over the last
year. I’ve learned that careful plans and good intentions can sometimes spell
disaster. I’ve learned that life is meant to be valued and treasured. And I’ve
learned that every bad outcome garners a silver lining… Randall is my silver
lining”, she reiterated, placing her palm over her heart.

Lana scanned the room, allowing her gaze to land on every
face as she spoke. “Some of you are angry—I get that. Jimmy meant something to
everyone in this room. We can sit here all night and play the
what-would-you-do
game, but until you’ve walked a day in my shoes, you don’t get to judge me or
the choices I’ve made.

“I watched Jimmy’s casket while it was lowered into the
ground”, she uttered softly, wiping the river of tears now cascading down her
sodden cheeks. “I watched every hope—every dream—slowly fade away… For me, that
was rock bottom. That was the moment when everything inside me broke into a
million little pieces.

“I’ll never be whole again. There will always be a
missing piece. Always. But, Randall… Well, he’s the glue that put me back
together…
He rescued me
…”

Randall ran his hand through his dark hair. “
You
saved me?”

“For the second time, yes—but who’s counting?” Jimmy
remarked sarcastically. Leaning back in his chair he smirked, his hands coming
to rest behind his head.

Randall felt a smile spread across his lips too. Jimmy
had always been a comedian of sorts. It was good to know his sense of humor was
still intact. Good to know that after everything that’d happened over the last
year, he wasn’t jaded. Much.

After all, the man had thoroughly enjoyed ramming his
fist into Randall’s eye.

Jimmy’s easy expression suddenly turned serious, his
brows drawing together. “You love her.”

Not a question—a statement. Because Jimmy’s brilliant
gaze could see through the bumps and bruises and broken bones, penetrating the
layer of fibrous tissue surrounding Randall’s scarred heart.

“Yes.”

Jimmy sighed. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows
against his lap. “Then tell her”, he advised. “She needs to hear it. She
deserves
to hear it… God knows she didn’t hear it from me as often as she should have.”

“You make it sound so… simple.”

“It is”, Jimmy conceded, rising to his feet. “Living
beings tend to overcomplicate things. Doesn’t have to be that way, though. The
secret to life really is simple. It all comes down to love: the love you give
and the love others give you.” His silhouette flickered a few times, warning
his time was almost up. “Promise me something?”

Randall’s throat suddenly felt tight. “Anything.”

“Take care of Lana and Connor. Be the husband and the
father I wasn’t.”

The backs of Randall’s eyes burned as moisture spilled
over his lashes. “I… I will, man. I promise.”

“Oh, and uh, you might wanna ask the nurse for an
icepack.” Gesturing toward Randall’s eye, Jimmy’s mouth spread into a wide
grin. “Guess I can still pack one hell of a punch.”

The apparition faded then, just as quickly as it’d
suddenly appeared. Muffled whispers echoed in Randall’s head, swirling into a
crescendo of nearly perceptible chatter. His chest hurt, every breath bitter
and strained. The voices became louder—one male, one female. Sharp pain
traveled up his left leg, so intense his lids fluttered open.

“Welcome back, Mr. Burns.”

The beaming sun climbed the cloudless blue sky, its
earnest rays warming the flesh on Lana’s bare arms. The atmosphere looked
completely different today: calm, bright, tranquil. Small twigs and scattered
leaves appeared to be the only evidence left behind by yesterday’s tropical
storm. Chirping birds harmonized in the distance, filling the dead silence with
whispers of life.

The air was thick and muggy and still as she navigated
through the small cemetery, her hazy memory guiding her apprehensive gait. The
soles of her sandals pressed into the spongy earth as she stepped off the
winding brick path, her eyes scanning the row of headstones until her gaze
landed on the third slab of granite from the end.

Clutching the small bouquet of blue perennials she’d
clipped from the backyard, Lana willed her jittery legs to persevere, each step
exponentially harder than the one before. Within moments she was close enough
to read the engraved stone.

James Phillips, Jr.

September 1, 1982 – May 28, 2012

Loving husband, father, and hero

Falling to her knees six-feet above her husband’s
remains, she gently set the flowers on the ground as the first wave of agony
and sadness rippled through her. Somehow seeing Jimmy’s life reduced to three
simple lines carved into sleek stone made the tears fall faster. Resting her
head against the smooth granite, she ran her fingertips over the etched
surface.

One year. Three-hundred-sixty-five sunrises and sunsets.

Jimmy had been gone one year…

“God, I miss you”, she whispered, wiping the moisture
from her cheeks. Lana drew in a shaky breath, forcing the air through her
pursed lips as she exhaled.

“Sorry it’s taken me so long to visit. I wanted to, but…I
was afraid…. I guess I thought if I stayed away, I wouldn’t have to accept that
you’re really gone. Crazy, huh…?

“Connor’s getting big—grew nearly three inches in the
span of a few months. He’s playing football this fall. I’m scared to death,
but… I know you’ll keep him safe.” Her palm muffled a fleeing sob.

Losing Jimmy hurt. But the thought of Connor growing up,
never fully grasping the kind, loving man that created him, hurt far worse.

Lana tilted her face skyward for a few beats, letting the
sun shower her with warmth. “I have a confession to make”, she began again,
returning her gaze to the etched granite. “I…I’ve been seeing someone. He’s a
good man, Jimmy; I know this because you admired him, too. In fact, you cared
about him so much you didn’t think twice before shoving him from the path of
that falling limb.

“I know the fact that it’s Randall is probably maddening.
Sort of took me by surprise, too, if I’m being honest. But…” Lana clenched her
eyes shut. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but what she was about to say somehow
seemed easier that way. “
I-I love him
…”

She paused for a stretch, waiting for lightening to leap
from the clear blue sky, the earth to rattle and shake, or the ground beneath
her to open up and swallow her whole. But all remained still and quiet.

And she wasn’t quite sure what to think about that
either. Because in order to move forward, she needed to make peace with her
past. 

“Please don’t hate me, Jimmy”, she whispered. “Please
don’t—”

Lana opened her eyes and sat motionless, paralyzed, her
blurry gaze focusing on the butterfly perched on the top of Jimmy’s headstone.
Its brilliant blue wings fluttered a few times, almost as if it was trying to
snag her attention. Completely transfixed on its vivid beauty, a lick of
awareness whispered over her skin, and although the sultry air was thick and
muggy, she shivered.

The butterfly lodged on its perch while Lana wept,
watching as grief, sorrow, and guilt spilled from her lashes. And when the
small creature fluttered its wings a few minutes later to take flight, a
mysterious wave of harmony and peace swaddled her body.

She couldn’t explain it—lord knows, it didn’t make a lick
of sense—but for the first time since that fateful day one year ago, Lana felt
her equilibrium return.

Jimmy was sending her a sign.

It’s okay
.
It’s time to move on
.

It’s time to let me go
…