The Sound of Shooting Stars (30 page)

After a couple of hours and I still haven’t fallen asleep, I climb out of bed and look to the clock. It’s twelve midnight. The house is silent, everyone is asleep, like I should be. But instead of lying there any longer I make my way out onto the balcony. The moon is a crescent, barely peeking through the clouds. The pull of Jamie is just too strong. I silently walk to his door and apprehensively knock quietly. My heart is about to beat out of my chest. After a moment of waiting I turn chastising myself for bothering him but the door slowly opens to reveal a bare chested Jamie standing before me with his hair sticking up in all directions. His brows go up, questioning me but I don’t give him a chance to ask. I walk into the room and close the door behind me. He stands there looking unsure but I tell him placing my hands on his chest, “Jamie, I’ve never wanted anything more.”

I grab his hand and lead him over to his bed and kiss him like I’ve never kissed anyone before.

***

I roll over in my bed to find the sun blaring through my window. I must have forgotten to lower my shades. I’m confused for a moment when the events of last night run through my mind. A smile lifts at the corner of my lips. I love him even more now.

I scurry out of bed to see if he might still be here. But once I enter his room, I find another note. Today is my last day of the suspension. It says:

Beckett,

My princess. I had an incredible time last night.

I’ll miss you today. Enjoy your last day of incarceration.

Love Jamie

I hold his words to my chest. Last night changed things or really it made them more real. I decide to spend the morning out in the sun before tackling the immense amounts of homework I have.

The day passes too fast. Before I realize it the door down stairs is closing signaling that someone is home. I rise from my desk where I’ve spent the last few hours doing homework. My feet glide down the hall and slowly onto each step leading into the foyer.

Marla is standing still in the middle of the room, her hand lingering on the table as she looks up. A hard pressed line crosses her features. I look around wondering if Jamie is home yet. He took my car today so he should arrive any minute now. I take the last few steps two at a time and greet her, “Hey Marla, how are you?”

She looks at me but it doesn’t seem like she sees me. Then emotion floods her face and she rambles, “Beckett, you need to go and get dressed. Hurry up. I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes.”

My heart starts to pick up and I’m confused. I look down at my sweat pants and tank top unsure what she wants me to change into.

“Mom, what is it? Where are we going?”

She angles out of the room without a word. This behavior is unlike Marla. I rush up to my room to fill her request. My legs slide into a pair of jeans and I top it with a plain black t-shirt.

When I come back down the stairs less than ten minutes later she’s waiting for me dressed in more comfortable clothing, a pair of jeans and a button down shirt.

Alarm rings through my voice as I ask, “Mom, what is it? Where are we going?”

I look at my watch and back up to the door. Jamie should be home right now.

My mom’s voice wavers as she tells me, “It’s your father. He, he got into a car accident Beckett, we have to go.”

I follow her out to the car as if everything is moving in slow motion.

And as simple as that my world spins out of control. My dad, my strong father, in a car accident. I keep saying this over and over in my head but I can’t seem to grasp it. Marla starts speaking to me but I don’t hear anything she says until she says, Jamie. My ears perk up and I ask fervently, “What, where is Jamie? Is he alright?”

I can tell she is trying so hard to keep it together. My parents are two of the strongest people I have ever met but I can tell she is cracking.

“Jamie is with your dad at the hospital. I came to get you because Jamie has your car.”

“Why didn’t you just send Jamie to get me?” After I ask it seems silly that I would ask such a question at a time like this but I would have thought that she would want to be there.

“I needed, I needed to go….”

“Mom, can you stop the car? Mom please, let me drive.” She is going into shock and I know she is about to lose it. She stops the car and stares ahead. I have to coax her into switching spots with me.

To keep her mind from going there I ask, “Did you decorate the Framson’s house yet?”

She shakes her head, staring unblinking forward. Okay that didn’t work.

“Mom, did they tell you what is wrong? Is he going to be alright?”

She is silent the rest of the way. When we get there I text Jamie asking which floor he’s on. He responds right away with the fifth. I lead her into the elevator and try to talk to her but she has gone to another place far away. I know I’ll have to let whatever doctor know that she is not dealing with things well. We approach the waiting room and Jamie rises out of a chair. His arms pull me in but I whisper, “I think my mom has lost it.” He nods and guides her to a chair. We each sit on either side of her and grab one of her hands. She holds on as tight as she can. I know my palm will be black and blue but it doesn’t matter right now.

Two hours later a doctor emerges from swinging doors at the far end of the hall. He approaches the counter, speaks to a nurse and walks over to us.

His rough voice asks, “Mrs. Chase?”

My mom doesn’t acknowledge him. Instead I stand up and tell him, “I’m his daughter. How is he?”

He looks from my mom to me, “He had a ruptured spleen, two broken ribs and a concussion. We were able to stop all of the bleeding internally. I’m afraid it’s just a waiting game right now. He hit his head pretty hard but the x-rays didn’t reveal any bleeding in his head.”

I sink back into the chair relief washing through me but also fear. What if he doesn’t wake up? I lean over to my mom and grab her hand again, “Did you hear that, Dad is going to be alright?”

The doctor looks to Jamie and asks, “Did your mom just go into shock?”

Jamie shakes his head for a minute so I answer for him, “She ah, on the way here. She hasn’t said anything in a couple of hours.”

“Okay, I’ll have someone come and talk to her. She might need something to help her get through the shock.”

I nod still not believing that all of this is happening. Time passes slowly. A psychiatrist comes to talk to my mom. She prescribes something for her and suggests that I take her home to rest but that prospect seems to wake her up. She comes out of the trance demanding to see my dad. The walk down the hall to the hospital room reminds me of those movies that show the hall going on forever. I don’t want to see him like I know he’ll be. I want to keep the strong stable picture of him in my head but as we turn the corner my breath catches. He looks helpless lying there with tubes snaking out around him. His breathing is steady but it seems like it’s being controlled by a machine. I look over to the nurse behind me panicked, “I thought the doctor said he would be alright. Why is he attached to a machine?”

I know from the movies I’ve seen that having a machine breathe for you is not a good thing.

“Sweetie, he needed the machine because we almost lost him. The doctor wants to remove him from the ventilator tomorrow.”

The weight of my mom on my arm seems more pronounced. She looks like she’s going to be sick.

“Mom, are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the bathroom?”

She shakes her head and stands upright straightening her shirt. She lets go of my arm carefully and slowly steps up to his bedside. Her hand darts out to rest over his. I spot a chair in the corner of the room and slide it across the floor to rest behind my mom. She slinks back as if those few steps took everything out of her. A glance in my direction and her voice grows stronger, “Beckett, can I have some time with your father?’

I nod backing out quietly. The nurse has already vacated the room. I stop to push on the door and look back over my shoulder. She is leaning forward whispering to him as the air is pushed into his lungs. A weight settles in my chest at the sight. In a split second this can happen, everything can be lost.

I make my way down the hall to find Jamie leaning forward his head in his hands, staring at the white tiles underfoot. He looks up and meets my gaze as my flip flops squeak across the floor. He stands immediately and pulls me into his chest. As if a switch is pulled, tears stroll silently down my face. He holds me for a long time. When he does pull away a part of me is constantly touching him. We sit close and he asks, “How is he?”

I shake my head, “I don’t really know. He’s hooked up to a ventilator. I don’t know what that means.”

He pulls me close again and we let the silence spread because no words are necessary.

Chapter Forty-Three

Jamie Grey

Caelum – The Chisel

The sculptor’s chisel used to create.

~*~

I try to hold it all together for Beckett but my head is screaming at me. I want to run away and not face this all over again. When Steve, Sam’s dad was in the car accident, we all went to the hospital and waited just like this but he never woke up. I want to assure Beckett that everything will be alright like I always do. This time though, everything might not turn out alright. I know better than anyone.

Holding her here in my arms as close as I can get is the only thing keeping me from breaking out of my skin and screaming that I don’t want to go through this again. I don’t want Beckett to have to go through it.

In the early morning hours a soft hand on my shoulder shakes me awake. My neck is killing me. As I look around I realize where I am. My arms are still around a sleeping Beckett. Her face is nuzzled into my chest. My eyes meet Marla’s. Her hand is still resting on my shoulder. Her eyes look tired with purple blotches underneath. Her short hair is sticking up in stray spots.

“Jamie, can you take Beckett home?”

I sit up unintentionally moving Beckett’s face causing her to stir against me. She slides to my arm and rubs her eyes before lifting her face to see Marla.

Her groggy voice asks, “Mom, is he, how is he?”

Marla reaches out to run her hand through Beckett’s tangled hair.

“Hey sweetie, no change. I think Jamie needs to take you home so you can get some rest.”

She sits up taller, “But, I want to be here when they take out the tube. They are taking the tube out today, aren’t they?”

“They are going to try later today. I’ll call you so you can come back. Just go home right now.”

Beckett gives in and nods. Her eyes are red and I can tell she didn’t sleep very well. Actually I didn’t sleep well either. I stand up pulling her with me. She leans into my side and squeezes my hand tightly.

The drive home is quiet. I’m afraid to say anything for fear that my emotion over all of this will give me away. Last night after Beckett fell asleep my mind started to wander remembering the rejection I felt when Elizabeth sent me back all those years ago. As selfish as it is I couldn’t help but wonder if the same thing will happen if David doesn’t make it. I curse myself for even going there but it’s impossible not to think about it.

When we get home we climb the stairs to the hall. Beckett pulls me into her room and crawls into her bed. I look at her peaceful face already almost back asleep. She peeks up with one eye open and pleads, “Jamie, will you just hold me? Please don’t leave.”

I crawl in behind her and drift off to a fitful sleep.

***

A high pitched sound wakes me. The sun has changed positions in the sky. I can tell because the light shining through the window is dull almost as if it’s twilight. I look over and find Beckett still asleep. The ringing I realize continues. I lift my head to see Beckett’s phone resting on the table beside the bed. When I reach over and see Marla’s name across the screen I debate putting it back. I don’t want to know if this isn’t going to end well. Beckett starts to squirm at the noise. I take a deep breath and press the answer button lifting it slowly to my ear.

“Beckett?” Marla’s voice.

“No, it’s Jamie.”

“Oh, well Jamie, I have good news, the tubes are out and David is awake.”

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Beckett rolls over and her wide awake stare asks the same question I was silently asking a moment ago. I assure her, “It’s your mom, he’s awake.”

Relief floods her face. I smile apprehensively as Marla fills my ear, “Jamie, can you two bring me some clothes and some real food? Beckett will know what to get.”

“Um, yeah. We’ll be there shortly.”

I hang up and meet Beckett’s eyes that have been staring at me the whole time. She sits up and grabs her phone placing it back on the table. She puts her hand on my chest pushing me back down to my back. Her face moves closer and she states, “I know what you were afraid of. Jamie, they wouldn’t do that to you no matter what. I know that you will always have a place in this house and in here.” She places her hand over her heart. I move my hands around to the back of her head and pull her down to me. Our lips move together softly in unison. I kiss every inch of those silky lips.