The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (106 page)

What a sight the two of us must be.

I must have fallen asleep again, because when I wake, my mother and Jill are gone and there’s an empty spot in the bed next to me.  I rub the sleep from my eyes and scan the room looking for Evan.  I know he can’t be far. 

I hear him before I see him.  I hear his laugh just outside my door and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.  He’s not alone.  There’s someone with him.  It’s a male voice and I wonder who it might be. 

When Evan steps back into my room, I see the face of someone I was hoping to see.  It’s Adam.  He lifts an arm to pat Evan on the back and I see bandages wrapped tightly around both arms. 

Evan smiles when he sees me, “I found someone who wants to check in on you.  Are you up for a visitor?”

Adam looks at me cautiously.

“You better believe it,” I answer.  Adam takes a few tentative steps into my room and sits in the empty chair at the foot of my bed.  “Get your ass over here,” I demand, my voice not as strong as I would like, but the attitude is unmistakable.  “I need to give you a proper thank you.”

He leans over me for a friendly hug, and I reciprocate without letting go.  Rocking back and forth and muttering in his ear over and over again, I thank him.  If I hadn’t gotten out when I did, the smoke would surely have ended it all.  If I hadn’t wrapped myself in that blanket, the flames would have attached themselves to me.  If he wasn’t there to encourage me, I would have been paralyzed with fear and indecision.

He offers a quiet, “I know,” and no more words are needed.  His past actions.  Our cross words.  The river of regret that flows between us is gone, replaced by a bond stronger than I could have ever imagined.

When I finally allow Adam to move away from me, I can’t help but stare at the bandages covering both his arms.  My throat is still scratchy from the acidic smoke and my lungs still ache from the flu, but I need to know.  I struggle to get the words out.

“Adam, what happened to your arms?” I ask softly.

He hesitates, but explains.  “Well, when the front door opened and you jumped out, it created a billowing effect and the flames shot out in all directions.”  A few tears fall from my eyes.  I’m so sorry this happened to him.  I’m so sorry it happened to both of us.  But I’m so glad he was there for me.  “Don’t feel bad.  I didn’t feel a thing.  I didn’t even realize it happened until the EMT’s started cleaning me up.  I guess it was the adrenaline.”

“Is it bad?” I whisper.

“No, not too bad.  Mostly first and some second degree burns.  Should heal pretty quickly, especially if Emmy keeps changing my bandages every hour around the clock.”

I can’t help but wonder.  “Adam, speaking of clocks, why were you at our house so late at night?  I’m not even sure what time the fire started but I know it was after dark.”

Adam clarifies.  “I couldn’t leave the office until kick-off.  As player liaison, my job doesn’t end until the last member of the team gets to the stadium.  I stayed until Mac made the first TD, and then I left and drove straight to the beach house to return Mac’s personal belongings.  I figure I got to your place sometime around nine thirty or ten o’clock.” 

“Oh, yeah.  The game.”  I turn to Evan and ask, “Did you win?”

“Yes.  We won.  28 to 10.  Juliette, it kills me to know that while I was celebrating on the field, you were fighting for your life.  How could I have not known?  It never should have happened.  If someone was there with you or if more people knew you were home, this never would have . . .” his voice trails off. 

“How did you . . . find out?” I ask Evan.

“When I couldn’t get you on the phone after the game, I got scared and called Emmy.  She wouldn’t tell me anything, and I could tell something was wrong.  No one would take my calls or tell me anything.  The whole flight home was pure torture.  When I got off the plane, Marcus and Derek were waiting for me.  Derek took the Kia home and Marcus drove me straight to the hospital.  The doctors wouldn’t let me see you until you were stable.”  I can see the pain in his eyes.

“When is the last time you slept?” I wonder.

“I’ve taken a few naps on and off right there.”  He points to a lumpy looking chair in the corner of the room.  There’s a pillow and a blanket tossed behind it.

“I’ve been trying to convince Mac to get some sleep, but he wouldn’t leave your side,” Adam explains.

“It’s nice to see the two of you bickering again,” I happily observe.

Adam smiles and admits, “I deserved what I got.  Mac had every right to freak out.  I thought I was helping him.  All he ever wanted was to play football.  Nothing else mattered.  That all changed when you arrived.  Now that I have Emmy, I understand what that’s like.  I screwed up.  And Jette, I didn’t mean what I said.  Emmy and I were having some problems and I took it out on you.  I hope you’ll forgive me, too.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” I tell him, smiling broadly.

It takes some convincing, but Adam persuades Evan to go back to his place for a shower, some clean clothes, and a little sleep. 

T
he next two days are a flurry of activity.  I am never without company for very long.  Flowers of every imaginable color and type fill my room.  Friends and family take turns visiting. 

On Monday, Emmy, Reese, and Camilla arrive with bags full of clothes.  Each of them was given the task of getting one week’s worth of clothing for me.  Everything Evan and I own smells like smoke. 

Reese was put in charge of choosing clothes for socializing in.  Her bag is filled with jeans, dresses, skirts, and sweaters.  And of course, there’s a different pair of shoes to go with each outfit.

Camilla was given the task of buying me some comfy clothes to hang around the house in.  Her bag has shorts, yoga pants, t-shirts, and hoodies.  I think this bag is my favorite. 

Then there’s Emmy.  She put herself in charge of all my unmentionables – thongs, panties, bras, and lingerie.  I’ve been to Victoria’s Secret with Emmy before, and I know her taste.  I’ll look through her bag later, when I’m alone.

Evan’s team has been amazing through it all.  The wives all got together and sent me perfume, hair products, the most expensive make-up I’ve ever owned, and all the lotions, scrubs, and gels a girl could ever need.  They even thought to replace hairbrushes, my blow dryer and flatiron.

The minute the girls leave, I scurry into the shower and change into normal clothes.  No more hospital gowns and slipper socks for this girl.  The minute I’m done, I begin to feel human again.

Each day I’m feeling better and stronger.  At my insistence, Evan returns to practice on Tuesday in order to gear up for Saturday’s home game against Jacksonville.  At this rate, I should be well enough to go to the game.

With Adam recuperating from his own injuries and back on Evan’s payroll, he’s able to oversee and manage the repairs and cleaning going on at the beach house.  He called the designer that decorated the home, and she’s working with a restoration company to save what can be cleaned and replace everything that can’t. 

Wednesday is my discharge day.  I get to leave, but I won’t be going home.  The estimates are that we may be able to return around Labor Day.  Meanwhile, Auggie has located a furnished home on the Manasquan River for us to rent for a month.  It’s not the same as an ocean view, but I don’t care.  I cannot wait to sleep in the same bed with my fiancé.  It doesn’t matter where we sleep.  A house is just a house.  A family makes it a home.

Evan stayed home from practice to take me to our temporary home.  Once all the papers are signed and the hospital band is cut from my wrist, I begin to get excited.  Evan walks me to the hospital entrance and Adam is waiting for us in his black Lexus SUV.  There are two photographers camped out on the off chance that they will catch Evan and me leaving the hospital.  It’s their lucky day.  They shoot questions at both of us, hoping to get a statement, but my chivalrous fiancé simply wraps a protective arm around me and ushers me to the back seat of the SUV.

On the way home, I beg Evan and Adam to bring me to the beach house.  I need to see it in its current state.  Adam pulls up and it’s worse than I had imagined.  The property is surrounded by death and destruction.  Trees, bushes, flowers, all burned to a crisp.  The front window is missing and it’s temporarily replaced by plastic.  None of us makes a move to get out of the car.

“Do you want to go look around?” Evan asks.  I shrug my shoulders, again torn with indecisiveness.

“I see the interior designer’s car is here,” Adam adds.  “I could introduce you if you like.”

Reluctantly, I accept the offer and the three of us trudge wearily towards the house.  Evan opens the door, which is charred and burned.

The moment I see the devastation, I’m immediately regretting my decision.  The ceilings are soot-filled, completely black and buckled.  As bad as things look, the smell is even worse.  Any sense can trigger a memory, an image, a sound, a taste, but the most powerful trigger for me is smell.  Taking in the smell of smoke and ash transports me right back to the night of the fire.  My heart speeds up and it’s difficult for me to calm myself down.  Evan senses my discomfort and puts a tender arm around me.  Its calming effect is immediate.

We make our way to the bedroom where Evan and I collect a few personal items like wallets and jewelry.  Nearly everything in this room will need to be replaced, hopelessly enveloped in the pungent stench of smoke and fire.

As we make our way around the home, a young woman in her early thirties approaches.  Her skin is a beautiful dark-tone and her hair is long and straight.  She has a bright engaging smile and she’s full of energy.  Adam introduces her as Tanya and I immediately like her. 

“So, I finally get to meet the woman who captured the heart of my favorite client.”  She puts her hand out and we shake hands.  She’s got a confident handshake.  “So tell me, Ms. Fletcher, what do you have in mind?”

“I loved everything about the house.  It’s the place where Evan and I met and fell in love.  I really don’t want to make any major changes.  Maybe just a few small touches to show that a woman lives here, too?”

“Okay, that’s easy enough to do.  We’ll stick with the plan on the major pieces and add a few accent pieces and artwork to soften the edges.  How does that sound?” I’m so glad she gets me.

“Perfect.  There is one change I’d like to make outside to the deck if it’s not too much trouble,” I ask.

“Oh, good, a challenge.  I love a design challenge.  What do you have in mind?” Tanya asks.

“I’ve always wanted to have a hot tub spa.  You know, a Jacuzzi.  Now that Evan’s playing in more games, I think it would really help his sore muscles.  Besides,” I squeeze his hand, “it’s very romantic.”  I turn to Evan to seek his approval.  “What do you say, chief?”

“I think if we’re going to have a hot tub on the deck, you better design some sort of privacy enclosure because I can think of a dozen things I’d like to do in my new hot tub, and none of them are for public viewing.”

As we’re pulling away, I find myself smiling.  I’m glad I found the courage to go in.

A
dam pulls into the circular driveway of a beautiful Craftsman style home.  There is a two-car garage on the side of the house with the Kia and Porsche parked in the driveway. He hands Evan the keys and helps carry my bags inside.  After placing them on the floor in the foyer, he gives me a hug, Evan gets a handshake, and off he goes.  For the first time in nearly a week, Evan and I are alone.  No nosy (but well-meaning) nurses.  No visitors.  Just us.

Evan brings my bags to the master bedroom and shows me around.  There’s a sliding glass door leading from the bedroom directly onto the veranda.  It’s been a long day and we’re both exhausted.  At the beach, we only got the see the sunrise.  Here, on the river, we get to see the sunset.  Evan leaves me to enjoy the view as he goes in to get us drinks.  He returns with two tall glasses of iced tea with fresh lemon.

As we sit together in quiet solitude, I ask, “Evan, can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” he replies.

“Can you tell me what happened?  I think I’m ready to hear it now.”