"Yes, really." Audrey nodded and giggled, grabbing his hands. Ray's smile was the happiest I had ever seen. He kissed Audrey with so much excitement and emotion that it was hard to look at them without being blinded by the light of their joy. I looked over at Andrew confused. He smiled and whispered into my ear.
"When Ray asked Audrey the first time to marry him during the band practice, she said no. That's when he said, 'Then I'll be here, marking time for as long as you need me to.'"
"You mean they're getting married? That's why they were fighting?" I blurted out. Audrey and Ray looked at one another and started laughing, tears rolling down their faces. I looked perplexedly at the two of them, waiting for an answer.
"Yes, Holly, we're finally getting married," Audrey finally managed to get out. She kissed Ray's cheek and stood up smiling. "But you, young lady, are going for an X-ray."
"Can I go with her?" Andrew asked, his soot-smudged face smiling. Audrey nodded and moved the curtain aside, stepping out to let the blue-scrub lady in. Ray's eyes followed her like she was the light of his world, a smile permanently carved into his face.
We left the two of them in my curtained room, holding hands and giggling. Andrew held my hand as the gurney glided silently down the hall.
"I don't get it. Why were they fighting?" I asked, my mind still jumbled by pain and medication.
"Ray asked Mom to marry him. She kind of freaked out. I asked her about it on the ride home from the amusement park. She felt like she was in high school again and like everything was going too fast and she was missing out on things. I think she just realized that by saying no, she was missing out on an even better thing," Andrew explained patiently.
"Oh. Well, that makes sense," I said matter-of-factually. Andrew laughed.
"We should put you on this medicine more often," he chuckled.
"Why? You want your mom and Ray to get married more often?" I countered. The woman in the blue scrubs snorted, and she and Andrew laughed. We had arrived at the X-ray area, so she helped me sit up and slide onto the table in the center of the room.
I lay very still, listening to the X-ray machine hum and chirp. I could see Andrew behind a plexiglass window, smiling tenderly at me. I closed my eyes and let happiness flow through me. I may be broken physically and emotionally, but I was going to get fixed.
Chapter 17
A cheer went up. The fire was retreating, forced to consume itself instead of the landscape. Tears of joy from the townspeople mixed with the ash still raining from the sky. The fire wasn't defeated, but hope glowed in the eyes of the people. A renewed energy, a promise of success gave energy where there was none before, powered the hoses and shovels. They would be victorious.
***
"Thanks, Aunt Heather, we'll be there soon," Andrew said into his phone. He turned and smiled at me, pushing the wheelchair toward the exit. "Aunt Heather is all ready for us to come stay with her. She has a bed made up for you on the ground floor so you don't have to go up the stairs."
I smiled as he pushed through the doors and out toward the car. Andrew helped me hop into the passenger's seat, gently guiding my leg into the car. The doctor had put a cast on my ankle and I had to check with an orthopedic specialist in a week, but I was able to go home with pain medication. Since I no longer had a house to go home to, Andrew's "aunt" had volunteered to take us in. She had been watching the fire on the news and had called offering a place to stay the minute she saw the evacuations.
"Mom says she is going to stay up here. The clinic is short-staffed and she wants to stay and help, so it will just be the two of us at Aunt Heather's," Andrew said conversationally as he pulled out toward the highway.
"Sounds good. I'm excited to meet this Aunt Heather. I bet she has lots of great stories about your mom," I said, relaxing into the seat. I had just taken more pain medication, but it hadn't kicked in yet. My ankle was beginning to ache, so I shifted in my seat, trying to get comfortable. "Have you heard anything more from my dad? I remember talking to him before they gave me more of that medication, but I don't remember what I said."
"Your dad is fine but he was worried about you. He said you sounded out of it, but I told him you were on some pretty serious painkillers," Andrew answered. "He said he could change his flight to come home sooner, but there really isn't anything he can do at this point. I made sure to give him Aunt Heather's phone number and address, and he said he will give you a call tonight."
"Thanks, Andrew," I said, putting my hand on Andrew's leg. He smiled. "How about Luke?"
"Luke gave me a call while you were sleeping. He had been up for twenty-four hours by that point so he was pretty tired. He said the fire is an absolute mess. They've lost over twenty houses just today, and it is getting close to the town. He doesn't think they are going to be able to contain it for a long time. He's doing all right though—wishes he could do more, but that's just Luke," Andrew said. The car hummed down the winding road, my ears popping as we came out of the mountains. The medication was finally kicking in; I could feel my eyes getting heavy
"Do you mind if I fall asleep for a little bit?"
"Sleep away. I'll wake you when we get there," Andrew said, turning the radio down. I smiled and curled up with my head against the window, confident that Andrew would take care of me. I quickly fell asleep lulled by the hum of the road.
***
Flames. Fire everywhere. There was no where left to run... I had to get out, but I couldn't walk. The heat was rising, smoke was everywhere—I couldn't breathe—
"Holly! Holly, wake up! You're having a nightmare," Andrew said, shaking my shoulders. I woke up trembling, sweat covering my body.
"The fire—the fire was going to get me!" I wanted to scream.
"Shh, shh, it's okay. It was just a dream, you're okay." Andrew's voice was soft and soothing as he held me in his arms. I held onto him like I was drowning, like he was the only stable thing in my world. It was the third night in a row I had woken up screaming about fire. After the first night, Aunt Heather put an air mattress in my room so Andrew could sleep near me. She didn't want us sleeping in the same bed, but she didn't want me to be alone with my nightmares.
"It was so real," I sobbed, burying my face into his shoulder. He hugged me tighter and gently rubbed my back.
"It's all right, I'm here. I won't let the fire get you," he whispered. I sniffed and wiped my face with the back of my hand.
"Thank you for saving me," I said, looking up at him. He smiled.
"You know I will always save you," he whispered back, kissing me softly on my forehead. "Do you need more meds?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I think they are giving me the nightmares."
"Can I get you anything?" he asked, his hand still rubbing my back.
"Just stay with me. I don't want to go to sleep again. Not yet," I said. I could hear the fear in my voice despite my best effort to hide it.
"I'll stay here with you as long as you want," he said. I leaned into his strong arms, feeling his body wrap around me. I reached up and touched his face, tracing the curve of his jaw. His two day stubble felt rough beneath my fingers, but I liked it. I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss.
His lips were soft and inviting. He kissed me back, deeper this time, a passion stirring within me.
"Your aunt is working tonight, right?" I whispered, a naughty grin spreading across my face.
"She isn't supposed to be home until eight," he answered slowly, mirroring my grin.
"Then kiss me again," I whispered.
"Gladly," he replied, his voice gaining a husky quality. He kissed me, our lips meeting and merging, tasting one another. He gently bit my lower lip, making me moan softly. His kisses flowed down my neck, stopping to nibble on the curve of my shoulder. My body temperature was rising, a primitive need beginning to take control.
I grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt, pulling it up over his head. He wiggled out of it, tossing it to the side as I ran my fingers down his front. His muscles hardened under my hand as he kissed my shoulders and neck. He nuzzled the strap of my tank top, pushing it until my shoulder lay exposed in the moonlight. He bit it gently, sending a thrill through me. His hand crept up the soft fabric, cupping my breast in his palm through the thin material. My nipple beaded into a tight point as his fingertips caught it, and he let out a chuckle.
With his opposite hand he pushed the other strap of my shoulder, his thumb gently rubbing against my nipple. A low moan escaped my lips, and I could feel him smile. He let go of me for just an instant, pulling my tank top up over my head. Moonlight caught the curves of his shoulders and highlighted the grin on his face. I lay back slowly, feeling his eyes absorbing me.
With touches lighter than feathers, he slowly traced his fingers across my collarbone and along the curves of my br**sts. My breath caught in my throat as he traced gentle designs across my skin. He chuckled again, a sound that made me dampen with excitement. Keeping his fingers gently caressing the tender edge of my far breast, he bent down and took the other in his mouth.
I arched my back as he flicked his tongue against my nipple, waves of heat rolling through me. He suckled gently, still teasing me with his fingers as his hand crept lower and lower. His fingertips brushed my bellybutton and crept down to the elastic waistband of my pajama shorts. I tensed for a moment as he slid under the band and pushed his fingers against me.
He pushed lightly at my panties, his fingers navigating to find me pleasure. In less than a heartbeat, he began stroking across the fabric, teasing the part of me that was throbbing with need. He made slow, constant circles with his thumb, his tongue still flicking against my nipple. I could feel my legs begin to twitch, my core vibrating with desire.
He stopped and sat up, pulling his hand up and out. I groaned with want, which he answered with a short laugh. "Just wait a second," he said, his voice husky. He tugged gently on my shorts, pulling them low on my hips. I happily raised them, allowing him to slide them off. He was gentle as he maneuvered them across the bulky cast. I bit my lip, watching the way his muscles rippled in the moonlight. He grinned impishly and pulled on my panties, tossing them on top of my shorts.
I lay bare in the moonlight, ready for his touch. He put his thumb against my cl*t again, slowly starting his circles. A gentle finger parted my folds and navigated toward my opening. With wonderful slowness, he pushed it inside, and the slowly out again. I arched my hips, begging him silently to fill me again. He rocked his fingers in and out, his thumb never stopping its slow circles. My entire being began to quake, desire and pleasure threatening to overwhelm me. Bliss rolled through me like a wave crashing into the shore. For a glorious moment, I was floating on a sea of joy and sensation; colors washed through me and I forgot to breathe.
He slowly withdrew his hand as my lungs began to work again. A wonderful sense of relief filled me, but an ache for more replaced it. I opened my eyes and looked up into Andrew's. He could see the desire within me, his eyes shining with need of his own. He stood and slipped out of his shorts and boxers, his member already hard and erect.