When I'm Gone (3 page)

Chapter 4-August 17, 2001 (Michael)

It wasn’t until after we pulled up, that we heard the screaming. It was hoarse and hard to hear over the sirens of the truck. I looked up at the top of the building, where a hand was trying to wave for attention.
“Help!
I’m trapped!” She screamed again and her hand disappeared. There were frightened whispers in the crowd around us. I watched them point up at the now empty window and give each other a scared look.
“Save her,” somebody commanded us. “She is trapped up there and you guys are just standing around here.”
There were murmurs of agreement while the other men tried to desperately put out the raging fire.
Within minutes, Andrew had me on the lift, with my helmet fit snuggly around my head and the oxygen tank strapped to my back. It felt like years before I finally reached the window where the girl was. When we reached it, Andrew called my name from below. I looked down at him, trying not to think about the height.
“Go and do your thing,” he told me and gave thumbs up. I grinned and nodded before turning back to the window.
Carefully, I peered inside and a body to my right. I scrambled in, almost coughing because of the smoke
.
“God,” I muttered and bent down to see better. When my eyes adjusted to the smoky room, I practically gasped. Lying before me was this beautiful girl who looked to be in her mid-twenty’s.
Her tanned skin stood out on the pale floor and I could see the soot clinging to her, making her look a tad darker than she really was. Her long arms and legs were both lithe and motionless.
Please, no, I thought as I bent lower towards her. I grabbed her
wrist,
barely noticing the music notes inked into her skin, and checked her pulse. It was there, shallow and slowing. I dug my fingers into my palm, stopping myself from reaching out to tuck a strand of her cinnamon-colored hair behind her ear.
Suddenly, when I was about to run a finger against her cheek, her eyes opened and I was staring into the most beautiful, unsettling pair of grey eyes I had ever seen. They watched me curiously, burying secrets deep beneath the surface. I knew then that I had to save that girl.
Thinking quickly, I placed my mask over her chapped lips and heard her suck in a breath. Relief washed through me and I smiled.
“Don’t give up,” I yelled to her over the sirens. “Stay awake for me.”
She opened her mouth as if to say something but then closed it, realizing she couldn’t. Her eyes closed slowly and red lights flashed before my eyes. Oh no.
God, no.
“No! You will not leave!” I shouted mostly to myself and bent down to slide my arms under her lean, but tall body. “Hold on.”
I picked her up, surprised at her light weight, and cradled her against my chest. When I glanced at her face again, her eyes were locked intently on my helmet. I watched confusion turn to
nervousness and back again.
Those grey eyes.
It took me another minute to tear my eyes away from hers. When she closed them again, all common sense rushed back to me. I had to get her out of there. Letting out a gruff sigh, I climbed back outside and into the metal box. As we were lowered to the ground, the crowd applauded me and I smiled.
After getting out of the box and back onto solid ground, I heard someone call out from the crowd
.
“Claire! Oh, God! Claire!” A tall, lean boy emerged from the group of people, a blonde in tow behind him. He ran to the girl in my arms and tried not to cry. I removed the mask from her mouth, trying to let her breath normally. The boy ran a hand through his dark brown mop of hair and uttered a harsh sound. “Claire.”
The boy looked up at me with panic in his dark green eyes. I handed the girl to one of the paramedics and turned back to the boy.
“Is my sister....is she going....going...,” he broke off, trying to control his tears. For a minute, I wondered how those two could be related at all. Except for the tall and lean body, everything about them was different, even their skin tone. I placed a strong hand on his shoulder and lowered my eyes.
“She is going to be just fine,” I reassured him. He turned back to me and surprisingly, tears weren’t streaking his cheeks. “They are going to take her to the hospital for smoke inhalation. She passed out in the building.”
He nodded as if he understood and stumbled towards the ambulance. The blonde who was with him placed a tentative hand on his arm, but he pushed her away forcefully. Turning on her heel, she ran away from him, her hand wiping tears off her face.
I watched the ambulance drive away, Claire and her brother inside, when I started at a touch against my shoulder.
“Great job today, Michael,” Andrew congratulated me. I forced a smile and nodded my thanks.
When I finally turned to face him, I saw a curious look plastered onto his face. He studied me for a minute before the corners of his mouth lifted
.
“What?” I asked, blush already climbing up my neck. Embarrassed, I cast my eyes down and looked at the street.
“I think somebody has a little crush,” Andrew sang in my ear. I coughed out a laugh and glanced at him.
“You wish,” I said under my breath.
“Michael, you don’t even know a thing about that woman,” Andrew reminded me. I nodded, thinking about his statement.
“True, but I want to get to know her,” I told him. We were quiet for a few minutes while I remembered Claire’s short hair, her small tattoo, and her stormy grey eyes.
“Do you think she could be the one?” Andrew asked, breaking the silence around us. Distantly, I could hear the hose being wrapped up, and the crowd dispersing.
“Honestly? I don’t know,” I admitted. “I mean, she was beautiful, Andrew. Right when I saw her, my heart dropped and I had trouble breathing. I have never seen anyone this beautiful in my life.”
“Okay,” Andrew pronounced the word slowly and studied me again. He contemplated my answer and nodded. “I can see what you mean.”
“Isn’t that what you felt when you saw Anna?” I wondered, referring to his wife.
“Actually, I hated her with a passion when we met. We always argued about something. But, she was pretty and I guess it’s true when they say opposites attract.”
“Then, all I have to do is go and talk to her, right?” I smiled wide.
“Well, I would be careful, Michael. I mean, you just rescued the girl. She could be in the hospital for a few weeks. Wait a few days, then go in and check on her.” Andrew scratched his head, leaving a black streak in his blonde hair from the soot.
“Thanks man,” I gave him a slap on the back and smiled again.
“Before you go all
googly
-eyed again, let’s check for a fire escape first, to make sure this building is safe.”
We walked around the building, until we found a small fire escape on the right. I pulled the ladder down and climbed up. Andrew followed behind me and we climbed to the third floor where Claire was.
“Would you look at that,” I murmured and nudged Andrew. The fire escape was next to the bathroom window and was hardly noticeable. I tried the window; it was unlocked. I threw it open, coughing when smoke streamed out.
When the smoke cleared, we climbed inside the window and decided to check her apartment.
Everything looked pretty good; it was just gray and smelled like smoke.
“It looks like all of her stuff is just fine. Nothing was burned,” Andrew said aloud to himself. “Michael?”
I found myself walking towards an open door to the left. I noticed a large ‘C’ painted on the wood and I ran a finger over the perfect calligraphy. Trying to stay quiet, I pushed open the door and smiled.
Claire’s room.
It was about medium-sized, not too big and not too small. Her bed was covered in a plain black comforter and had a small, ragged bear propped up against the pillows. I almost laughed when I saw her bookshelf, filled from top to bottom with books. As I ran my finger across some of them, I noticed that they were mostly mysteries and romances.
There was barely any room for anything else.
But, on the top shelf, sat dozens of pictures, all in simple black frames.
I picked up one of the pictures, intrigued by the girls in it. One of them was in a short sleeve tee and had long black hair that was in curls around her face. Her dark skin shone in the sunlight that was warming their faces.
The other girl was Claire. I noticed her grey eyes right away. Her smile lit up the picture and her eyes shone with, not happiness, but sadness. I frowned, but continued looking at the picture. Claire’s cinnamon hair was longer and had blue streaks in it. I could see three piercings in her
ears and a diamond stud on her nose. She was wearing a tight vintage tee, showing off her curves. I longed to reach in and touch the skin around her hips. In the picture, she looked ten years younger and still beautiful all the same.
“What are you doing?” I spun
around,
the picture clutched to my chest and saw Andrew watching from the door. I set the picture on the shelf again and turned back to him
.
“How long were you standing there?” I countered. He smiled softly and I relaxed
.
“Long enough,” he answered and motioned with his hand for me to come. “We need to go.”
I followed him out of the door, catching a glimpse of a can of blue hair dye on her dresser top as we passed by.

Chapter 5-August 21, 2001 (Claire)

I could feel my body convulsing violently. I opened my mouth to let out a scream but nothing came out. Suddenly, there were strong, tan arms constricting my own. I looked up into the handsome face of a man’s and drew in a breath. He smiled and I wanted to scream again. Frantically, I gazed into the man’s hazel eyes and watched as they shone with excitement.
“
Shh
,” he whispered, putting a finger to my lips. My eyes widened and I thrashed, trying to get free. His arms were iron fetters, making it impossible for me to move. His head bent down and he pressed his lips to my throat. I let out a cry and he looked up. His face was covered in soot
.
“
Agh
!”
I shouted as I sat up in bed. Sweat poured down my body and I took in deep breaths. A rapid beeping caught my attention and I looked to my left. Machines were lined up against the wall and lines showed my heartbeat and my breathing. I let out another breath and tried to slow my frantic heart.
It was just a dream, Claire. Just a dream, I told myself.
A slight movement made me turn
my head towards the chair in the corner of the room. A lanky body was curled up in what looked to be an uncomfortable position, sleeping. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see Alex’s black hair, newly cut, at the top of the chair.
Smiling, I
laid
back down and closed my eyes. The man’s face came back and branded itself in my mind.
I flicked my eyes open and saw that it was now light outside. I could hear the sounds of the city outside of the window. Panicked, I looked back to the chair, but nobody occupied it anymore. I cleared my throat and winced at the pain it brought me.
To my right, the door opened and a doctor walked in. She saw my eyes and smiled warmly. I shrunk back, wondering where I was.
“Well, look who’s awake this morning,” she greeted me. “Good morning, Claire.”
“Who are you?” I
asked,
my voice direct and demanding. The doctor laughed and walked to my side.
“I’m Dr. King,” she said. “Claire, you are in the hospital. Do you know why?”
“There was a fire in my apartment and I passed out,” I stated as if it was obvious. Dr. King smiled and nodded
.
“Good job. Now, you inhaled a lot of smoke, so we took you in to treat your lungs. How is your throat?” she asked, changing the subject
.
“It hurts,” I croaked, rubbing my neck.
“How much hurt?”
“It feels like I can’t swallow and it hurts to talk,” I answered. She nodded again and scribbled something on her clipboard she had brought with her. “Why is that?”
“Well, the smoke had dangerous chemicals in it and so your lungs reacted to it. Your throat will feel like this for a few days, but your lungs are all clean and ready to be used again.”
I stared at her, wondering if she was telling the truth, when Alex came in with a food tray. When he saw me, his eyes widened and his lips broke into a grin. He set the tray down, and ran over to
me.
“Claire,” he murmured and hugged me. I laughed and hugged him back
.
“I will leave you two alone,” Dr. King said and left quietly. I smiled at Alex and ran a hand through his hair.
“You got your hair cut,” I commented and he nodded.
“I went straight to the house after that. That’s when I saw you in the fire fighter’s arms. You scared me half to death, Claire,” he reprimanded me.
“I’m sorry,” I choked out. He smiled sadly and placed a hand on my shoulder
.
“Don’t scare me like that ever again,” he told me.
“I promise,” I said and sat up a little more. I wanted to change the subject. “So, tell me about Emily. Did she like you?”
“Well,” he started. Instantly, I saw the hurt in his eyes and my heart dropped. “I couldn’t be with her. I told her to leave me alone.”
“What?” I asked, surprised. Usually, the girl was the one dumping him. “Why?”
“She was way too clingy,” he grimaced, “and she whined a lot. I had to push her away when she followed me all the way home.”
“Aw,” I said. “Well, if it makes you feel better, I won’t ask to borrow that fedora from her.”
Alex laughed and shook his head. He grabbed the food tray and set it in front of me. He opened it up and I could smell fried chicken, my favorite
.
“God, you must be so hungry. You need to eat, sis,” he complained. I glanced at him
.
“Why?” I was utterly confused. “I ate yesterday morning. I had cereal and a banana.”
“Claire, you have been out for three days now,” he said softly. I’m pretty sure my eyes widened as he said that.
“Are you serious?”
“No joke,” he said and placed his hand on his heart. “I promise you.”
“That’s crazy,” I admitted and took a bite of the roll. I grimaced as I tried to swallow it. “And you stayed here every day?”
“Well, I had to go and get us clothes from the apartment. They are in the closet,” he added glancing at my hospital gown. I scowled and he looked away
.
“
The apartment?
How is it?” I asked nervously. Alex looked back at me, his eyes saddened.
“We have to move again, Claire.”
“No!” I interjected. “But, you brought us clothes. So it must be fine.”
“Oh, all of our possessions are fine. Great, even. It’s just that the bottom floors of the building are in ruins. Everything is burnt and they are going to have to remodel. I talked to the owner on the phone, yesterday. He was the one who suggested we move,” he explained. My heart started to sink lower and lower, until I thought it couldn’t drop anymore.
“Where are we going to go?” I cried, wiping a hand across my cheeks, streaking the tears. Alex sat down in the chair and put his head in his hands. Once again, I wondered if he was going to cry. Of course, he didn’t.
“I honestly don’t know, Claire,” he whispered in agony. “It took us over a month to just find that
apartment for our budget. We start school in a week and a half. We need to find a place before that.”
“I know,” I said and held back a sob.
We sat in silence for an hour; me, eating my food, and him, staring at the floor. Finally, Alex looked over at me with anguish in his eyes
.
“I guess we should start looking,” he stated and walked out of the door. I struggled, listening to his footsteps until I couldn’t hear them anymore. I collapsed back onto my pillow and saw a button to page a nurse. I pressed it, hoping that it worked.
A few minutes later, a sweet looking nurse came in and smiled at me. I took in her blonde hair pulled up in a pony tail and her light make-up that looked as if it was just applied, before looking back into her blue eyes.
“Do you need something Claire?” she asked in a light voice. I smiled
.
“Could you help me get my bag? I want to change into some actual clothes,” I asked, pulling at the collar of my hospital gown. The nurse laughed and walked over to me.
“Sure,” she said and pulled one of the machines around the bed, towards me. I noticed the tubes hooked up to my wrist, where a large bruise was starting to form
.
“The bag should be in the closet,” I told her, hoping I was right. She opened the door and I saw my blood red canvas tote on a shelf.
“The red one.”
She gave it to me and I grabbed a pair of sweats and a black tank top. I stood up with the nurse’s arms around me, helping me balance. After a few steps, I was able to walk by myself and the nurse showed me the bathroom. She snapped a part of the tube off, so I could put my shirt on and I thanked her.
When I returned, the nurse was still there and she snapped the tub back on. She saw my grimace and shrugged
.
“It sucks, but you need it,” she apologized and I smiled to let her know I was fine. I climbed back in my bed.
“Thanks,” I said and she smiled at me. After she left, Alex reentered and smiled when he noticed my new clothes
.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay in that gown for too long,” he said. I laughed and he handed me two of the five books he had brought in. They were realty magazines. When I looked up, he smiled sadly. “I thought we needed to get a head start.”
He went to sit back down in the chair and opened a magazine. I did the same and for the next few hours, we marked pages for possible apartments and even houses. When I was done, I leaned my head back on the pillows. I rang the button for the nurse and the same one reappeared, a smile softly gracing her lips.
“Yes?”
“Could you get my brother a pillow and blanket please?” I questioned and ignored my brother who was shaking his head in denial.
“He said he doesn’t want one,” she said quietly. I laughed and shot a look at my brother. He glared at me.
“I’m the patient right?” I asked the nurse. She nodded carefully and I continued. “
Than
, I want him to have a pillow and blanket.”
“Okay,” she said and I smiled in victory. When she left, I turned to Alex
.
“I hate you,” he said under his breath
.
“You will love me when that pillow stops you from hurting your neck,” I giggled and smiled as the nurse brought in a pillow and blanket. She handed them to Alex, who took them politely and unfolded them.
“I love you,” he spat out sarcastically. Still giggling, I laid back down.
“I’m going to take a nap and I think you should too,” I stated pointedly. He glared at me from underneath his blanket, but within minutes, I heard him snoring softly. I settled into my own blankets and soon enough, I was drifting into a deep sleep.