The Lost Days (Prairie Town Book 3) (43 page)

“Jesus Christ,” he murmured, stopping when he heard the glass crunch beneath his boot.  Glancing down, he realized he was standing on his parents’ wedding picture. 

As he leaned down to pick it up, something from the corner of his eyes caught his attention.

It was his father.

He wasn’t sure why he did it, and perhaps he wasn’t meant to understand, but he raced to his father’s side to help him.

“Dad!” He cried, falling to his knees beside him.

There was so much blood, everywhere.  His skin was so pale and...

There was a steel rod protruding through his chest.  The gaping wound around the entrance—or exit—caused the contents in Devin’s stomach to evacuate.

Oh, god.  He’s dead.

Coughing and sputtering, he kept his head turned away from the sight, wishing he could erase the image from his mind.

And that smell...

I fucking hate blood.

“He’s fine, see?” Mrs. Rose’s voice pulled him back into the moment, and he lifted his eyes to see her standing in the doorway.  With one arm wrapped around her thin frame protectively, she gazed at him as if nothing was wrong at all.

She must be in shock.

“You shouldn’t see this, Mother,” he said hoarsely, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.  “It’s a real mess in here.  We need to call somebody.”

“Call who, sweetheart?” She took small steps towards him, but stopped when he lifted a hand in the air.  “The towers are surely down still.  It’s no telling when they will be working again.  Who do you want to call?”

“I don’t know.  Charlie? The police?” He sniffled and blinked back the moisture in his eyes.

His father didn’t deserve any of his tears.

“Oh no, not Charlie,” she murmured, shaking her head.  “Charlie’s the worst.  We can’t call him.”

“But we have to call somebody.  He’s dead!”

“I know.” Crouching down beside him, she gazed at her husband’s pale face and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.  “It’s such a shame, isn’t it?  To be killed by Mother Nature.  He didn’t even see it coming.”

Shifting his eyes to hers again, a terrible thought struck him:

Was Mother Nature truly responsible for the death of his father? 

“We have to do something,” he repeated, willing his legs to work as he stood and rubbed the back of his neck.  “We can’t just leave him here like this; we need help.”

“Why do we need help?” She tilted her head back to stare at him, her lips thinning in a frown.  “We’re okay, aren’t we? I mean, aside from your poor face.  Are you all right?  Are you in pain?”

“I’m f-fine.” He took a step back when she reached out to touch him and he wasn’t sure why.  It wasn’t like she was an evil, wicked person.  Even if she’d done it, who was he to judge her?

She was protecting me.

But it was still murder.  It was still wrong.

The old him would have cared—he knew that now—no matter what he’d thought previously, his memories were back and he knew he would still care, either way.

I was a mean son of a bitch, but I still had a heart.

And at the moment, it was breaking.

Why?

I hated him.  He caused me so much pain,
he thought, his eyes sweeping over his father’s lifeless form. 
There’s no love lost here.

But he pushed those images from his mind.  The memories would only cause him more grief and he had too much to worry about already.

I can’t protect her from the law.  We can’t cover this up.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Devin.  Please?”

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed by.  It could have been seconds or minutes for all he knew, but hearing the fear in her voice finally dragged him back into reality and all he could do was shake his head.

“It was a dangerous situation in the first place.” His voice cracked.  “Debris was flying everywhere.  It...it must have come through the window while you were dragging me to the bathroom.  That’s when it hit him.”

He knew he was telling a lie.

There was no way a piece of metal had flown through the window and impaled his father so precisely...right?

“Must have,” she whispered, dropping her gaze to the floor.  “I’m sure he didn’t feel any pain.”

I hope he did.

God, that was wrong, wasn’t it?  There had to be something screwed up in his mind for him to think such a thing.  But on the other hand...

He destroyed my childhood.  He beat me.  He was never a good father, and he wasn’t a good husband.  Maybe he deserved this.

His eyes landed on his father again and he suddenly didn’t feel so bad about it.  There was no reason for him to mourn the loss of a monster.

“We should at least get out of here,” he said, holding his hand out for her to take.  “I’m sure there will be emergency workers coming by soon.  We can tell them about Dad.”

“Tell them what, exactly?” Her eyes grew wide and she stepped back, as if she was suddenly paranoid.

Could he blame her?

“I’m not going to tell them...anything you don’t want me to,” he said softly, giving her a reassuring nod.  “It was the tornado, right?  He died because of the tornado.”

“Right.” She answered quietly, hesitantly placing her hand in his.  “Okay.  Let’s go outside.”

With Josie on their heels and meowing loudly, they exited the house and were greeted by a grim sight.

The tornado had demolished everything in its path, and their tiny part of the city was barely left standing.

“Oh, my,” she gasped, releasing his hand and descending the steps.  “Oh, Devin, look at it.  This is awful.”

“Yeah, it is,” he murmured, feeling an odd tug in his chest.  It was probably just sympathy for the other residents.  He did feel bad for anyone who got caught in it, especially anyone who didn’t have proper shelter.

We didn’t have proper shelter and we survived just fine.

Well...almost.

“Oh, look at the Hungerbuhler’s place!” She cried, pointing in the direction of their nearest neighbor’s home.  “There’s nothing left!”

And she was right.  Mr. and Mrs. Hungerbuhler’s house was always visible from their front porch.  Even when the trees were at their greenest and fullest, their roof still stood majestically above the treetops. 

But there was nothing to be seen now.

“We should go check on them,” she whimpered, pressing a palm to her cheek.  “Devin, they might be hurt.”

“They have a basement, Mother,” he replied, happy to remember such a small detail.  “Mr. Hungerbuhler has a pool table down there.  Remember?”

“Oh.  Oh, yes.  I suppose you’re right.” She seemed satisfied with the answer as she returned to the porch and eased down on the top step, sighing heavily.  “What a mess.  This is all a terrible mess.”

“But we’ll fix it in time,” he promised, seating himself beside her.  Reaching his hand out to touch her arm comfortingly, he lifted his eyes to the calm, clear sky.  “Everything’s going to be okay now.”

And he tried to take comfort in that.  His dad couldn’t hurt her anymore, and his memories were right where they belonged.  Everything would eventually sort itself out and he could finally move on with his life.

He was finally free.

What will Nick and Kelly think about it?

Oh, God.  Nick and Kelly!  How had he forgotten about them?  Were they okay?  Had they been affected by the tornado?

His pulse quickened as he jumped up from the porch, scaring his mom in the process.

“Devin, sweetie.  What’s wrong?”

“I have to call Nick,” he replied, tugging his phone free from his pocket.  “And Kelly.  I need to make sure they’re all right.”

“Of course, sweetheart.  I want them to be safe, too,” she whispered, wiping at her eyes.  “I hope no one else died.”

I hope no one else died, either.

He tugged his cellphone free from his pocket and glanced at the screen, his heart immediately plummeting into his stomach.

No service.

“We still have a house phone, don’t we?” He asked, turning to glance at her.  “In the kitchen?”

“Of course, we still have a house phone, Devin.  You—oh!” Her eyes widened and she leapt up from where she’d been sitting, her arms flailing about.  “You remember the house phone in the kitchen.”

He couldn’t help but smile.  “Yes, I—”

“OH!” She squealed, hopping up and down excitedly.  “You remembered the Hungerbuhler’s have a pool table in their basement!  Devin! 
Devin,
do you
know
what this means?”

“Yes, Mother,” he replied, laughing.  “I do know what it means—I remember everything.”

She ran into his arms and nearly knocked him to the ground, her joyful sobs muffled against his chest.

“You remember, baby.  You remember!” She laughed and cried and kissed at his cheeks.  “Oh, sweetie.  I’m so happy for you.  Oh, God.  I don’t know why I’m crying like this.”

“It’s okay, Mama.”  He was crying, too.

“Oh, my sweet boy.  My sweet, sweet boy.” Pulling him into her arms, she cradled him back and forth as she did when he was a small boy.  So many times he ran into the comfort of her arms; he always felt safe with her.

And he finally understood why she did what she’d done, even if she never admitted to doing it.

“I’d do anything for you,” she whispered quietly, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck—it was as high as she could reach at the moment.  “You’re my heart, Devin.  I should have done more for you.  I should have done better for all of you.  I’m sorry I failed.”

“You didn’t fail, Mama.  Please don’t say that,” he murmured, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms more tightly around her.  “You have always been an amazing mother.  You did the best you could in a terrible situation.  You’ve been so strong, for so many years.  I only hope I can be as strong as you have.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” She pulled away to gaze up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.  For the first time since waking up, he saw the real her.  The shock must have worn off, or maybe she was just so overwhelmed with the discovery of his recovery that she finally snapped back to reality, but either way, it was so nice to see her again.  “Devin, you’re stronger than you realize.  But no little boy, or even a grown man, should’ve endured the things your father put you through.

“He wasn’t good to any of us.  I should have left him when it all started, but I was frightened.  I was so afraid of what he’d do to me...to you...but then today, God, today of all days, he tried to rip you away from me.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat, overwhelmed by the emotions running through him. 

“I may have failed to protect you from him when you were little, and I know I failed to protect you from him after you were grown, honey, but when he put his fingers around your throat and you started begging for him to stop...I just...I just...”

She choked on a sob and he immediately cradled her to his chest.  It was time for the son to comfort the mother, and in that moment he realized he would go to whatever lengths necessary to protect her.

He owed her that, and so much more.

“It’s okay, Mama.  It’s all going to be okay.  I promise.”

The soft squeak of brakes caught his attention and he pulled away from her to gaze towards the driveway. Recognizing the vehicle as it came to a stop where gravel met grass, all of his fears, doubts, and worries vanished instantaneously.

It was Nick and Kelly.

A small breath escaped his lips, and he turned to stare at his mother again.

“Go to them,” she said, smiling.  “They cared enough about you to come out here, so meet them halfway.”

He wasn’t even sure his feet hit the steps as he ran to them.  They were out within seconds and it was Nick who made it to him first. 

Those strong, wonderful arms wrapped around him and it was all he could do to keep from breaking down again.

“You’re okay,” Nick whispered, finding his mouth.  He kissed him passionately, right then and there.

With his mother watching.

“I’m fine.” He half laughed, half sobbed.  “We’re both fine.”

There was more he could have added to the statement, but he decided now was not the time.  All he wanted to do was stay in Nick’s arms and kiss him until they had no choice but to come up for air.

“I’m glad.” Nick loosened his grip on him, but it was only so Kelly could get her arms around him, too.

They stood there holding each other for what seemed to be an eternity.  Kisses were shared between the three of them, sweet and tender, and their tears mixed together in the process.

“Where are the kids?” He asked, glancing over Kelly’s head to stare at the car.  “Are they okay?”

“They’re fine,” she replied, wiping at her eyes.  “They’re staying with Mrs. H. at the house.  We had to come check on you.  I was so worried...”

“You were?” His eyes sparkled and a shy grin spread across his lips.  “About me?”

“Of course, silly.  You don’t think I’d worry about you?” She searched his eyes, her own still glittering with tears.  “God, Devin.  Anything could have happened to you.  You could have died, and...and...”

“The point is, we’re not fans of that idea, so we came to check on you.” Nick’s hand found its way to the back of his neck and he pulled him in for another kiss, lingering there for several long seconds.  “I love you, Dev-o.”

Tiny bursts of electric heat tingled inside him and his heart pounded harder than ever before as those words sank into his mind.

Had anyone, aside from his mother, said that to him?

“We both love you,” Kelly chimed as she nuzzled her nose against his neck.  “And we’re grateful you’re all right.  Oh, if something had happened to you, I’m not sure I could handle it.  I’ve already lost one man I loved.  I couldn’t go through that again.”

He closed his eyes and allowed their declarations to reverberate in his soul.  He had often wondered if he’d ever be worthy of a love like this – never did he dream of the possibility of receiving such love times two.

I am not worthy of this.  I don’t deserve them.

“Please don’t cry, Devin.  I didn’t say that to make you cry.” Gentle, warm fingertips caressed just beneath his eyes and he sniffed quickly.  “Oh, please.  I’m sorry.  Don’t cry.  Please?”