Ember

  The ambulance came sliding into the ER parking lot with its sirens on and lights flashing. Both men jumped from the vehicle in a panic, calling for assistance. They were covered in sweat and their faces were as white as ghosts.

  “It’s not possible! I checked him myself,” Mike said dazed. More of the hospital staff rushed to help them and another paramedic threw the back doors to the ambulance open. A cloud of steam billowed out from the back and everyone gasped.

  “This cannot be happening…”

  “I thought you two said he was dead?” a nurse accused.

  “He was!” they fired back.

  Sam was lying across my body and she felt extremely hot. I prayed that I had not lost control and hurt her. I couldn’t see anything but I could feel her and I could smell her sweet scent of strawberry conditioner. Her embrace felt comforting in this weird darkness. I couldn’t figure out where I was; only that it hurt like hell to breathe. A thousand tiny daggers would greet me every time I inhaled.

  I pushed for my eyes to open as I felt Sam’s weight leave my body, scaring me in this darkness. I could feel hands touching me all over and then nothing but a blinding pain. It felt like a million exposed nerves and I thought I was screaming in agony. I wasn’t out loud, only in my head. I felt a shock of electric fire pulse through my body, slicing every vein and making my muscles feel like jelly. Then I felt another pulse and another. My mind fell into a dark fuzz as the silence came back.

  “We’ve got a pulse!” the nurse screamed. They rushed both Sam and me into the ER. The two paramedics stared at each other, one of them clutching the cut Sam had given him. When he looked down to check it he fell backwards to the concrete. The wound was gone now. He passed out and his partner pulled him into the hospital speechless.

  Rising_33

  ~Say (All I Need): OneRepublic~

  Tuesday morning – 10:01 a.m. – September 5th.

  The softest of rain woke me as it tapped against the glass of my hospital room window but it wasn’t the rain I had come to know and love. It was quiet and soft and didn’t call to me whatsoever. It didn’t even smell right.

  A fuzzy white light filled my blurry eyes as I tried to focus them and that’s when I felt my hand being squeezed tightly. My eyes set themselves to the biggest smile I have ever seen and the glowing green eyes above it. Sam was at my side and she looked glorious. She quickly moved the hair from my eyes and tucked it behind my warm ear.

  “Hey there hero,” she whispered.

  “Sam…are you okay?” I asked finally waking up fully.

  “Max, don’t worry about me…”

  “Sam,” I caressed her cheek.

  “I’m fine…just had a bad case of shock and dehydration. I can thank you for that!” she smiled.

  “The last thing I remember is you leaving me,” I said worried. Her hand tightened around mine as she leaned into my face.

  “I’m all right.” She kissed me softly. “Now.”

  “Good,” I said tired. She saw this and stood up quickly.

  “I should probably go find your nurse,” she said but I pulled her closer to me. I sat up in bed and pushed her hand to my chest, sliding it along the places that I had been shot. Now there was only fresh new warm skin that heated her fingers. I smiled as she understood.

  “Good as new but it might be hard to explain,” I kissed her softly.

  “They had already written you off as a miracle,” she slid next to me on the bed. “You were gone only ten hours ago,” she said cautious.

  “Gone huh?” I felt speechless. Had I come back from the dead? Was this just a sick dream? Was I some kind of zombie? Suddenly I felt her lips on mine and I didn’t care if I was dreaming or not. That’s when the hospital door flew open and Kai, Marcus and Frank rushed in.

  “See! I told you I heard him talking!” Marcus yelled. Frank’s eyes were huge and filled with tears.

  “Shhh! We’re interrupting the love birds,” Kai laughed and Sam blushed.

  “You big dummy,” I shot back. Kai shook my hand and patted Sam on the shoulder.

  “What did I tell you, you can’t keep a good man down,” he said into her ear.

  “How are you holding up son?” Frank asked quietly. He pushed through Kai and Marcus and stood next to me with a smile.

  “Strong like bull,” I teased and pounded on my chest. He laughed lightly but his eyes didn’t. They were filled with uneasiness. He exchanged a quick look with Sam that confused me a little.

  “Here my boy, I brought you a change of clothes,” he said as he dropped a brown duffle bag at the end of the bed.

  “A change of clothes?”

  “I figured you might need them if we needed to get you out of here in a hurry.” Frank winked at Sam. I was lost.

  “What do you mean?” I felt a little scared.

  “The police are here Max,” he said quietly. “They are very eager to talk to you and Samantha.” She squeezed my hand tighter.

  “None of this is making much sense to the authorities. They have been here for the last two hours waiting to talk to either one of you.”

  “About last night,” Sam added.

  “They brought you in as a D.O.A. but as we can all see, you are anything but,” he laughed.

  “Dead on arrival...” I mumbled.

  “So they need to be told something and I figured if you were in your street clothes and not that hospital jump suit, you could explain that this was all a mistake.”

  “Why didn’t any of you tell them that?” I asked.

  “We did but they wanted to hear it from the source. Besides the hospital staff didn’t want them poking around in here until they could figure out what was going on,” Frank smiled at me.

  “Max the doctors have been going crazy about your…um…condition,” Sam added.

  “Yeah, they’re calling you some kind of miracle,” Marcus said.

  “Well, what are you two calling it?” I asked Kai and Marcus worried.

  “Uncle Frank has filled us in on all the gory details about your little secret brother,” Kai said softly. “I know Marcus and I don’t look it but we’re smart enough to put the pieces together. We love you bro.”

  “Your secrets safe with us,” Marcus chimed in.

  “Thank you. So what are our options?”

  “Frank and I have discussed our options too and we think it would be best if I went out and talked to the police first…by myself,” Sam whispered knowing I wouldn’t like the idea. “It’ll buy you some time to change and get our stories straight.”

  “What’s the story?” I asked anxious.

  “We’ll fill you in son,” Frank said and pulled Sam from the bed. “Go ahead, we’ll be right out,” he assured her. She kissed me again and left slowly, closing the door behind her.

  “What’s the story?” I asked again.

  “This was all a silly prank that Devon had made up to get back at you and Samantha.” I looked at him with doubt. “He came and made a scene, causing you two to come to blows. Then he ran and you were reported as being hurt, but you weren’t and the hospital was just being extra cautious.”

  “Cautious?” I thought this was a pretty thin story. There was no way anyone would believe it but the look in my uncle’s eyes made my nerves calm.

  “Yes, cautious on behalf of my wishes,” he smiled.

  “Basically, you’re saving my butt. Again.” I smiled back.

  “Always.” We all laughed except Kai; he was distracted by the rain against the hospital window.

  “Kai, what is it?” I asked. He looked at me and then back at Frank. They were hiding something from me.

  “Tell me,” I ordered. Though, I think I knew the answer before he said it.

  “She’s gone Max.” Kai’s eyes watched me carefully. I said nothing and glanced out at the drops on the glass.

  “Asia left, nowhere to be found my brother,” Marcus added seriously. I felt cold. I didn’t want to believe it.

  “It’s true so
n,” Frank said. “I even went by her place this morning.”

  “And?” I couldn’t even look at him.

  “She’s gone.”

  “Gone…” I whispered to myself.

  As I stood at the window pulling my shirt over my head, I couldn’t help but feel scared. Scared of what I was about to do. I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do but I knew that it had to be done. They would all probably think I was crazy but they would all just have to accept it. Frank wouldn’t take too much convincing, that I was sure of. But the little angel outside my hospital room door was a different story all together.

  “Thank you Frank.” I turned to shake his hand. “For everything.” I tried to smile without looking sad.

  “You’ve always been like a father to me…but…” my voice cracked.

  “But you’re leaving,” he said sharply. He always knew me better than I did myself.

  “I have to go,” I continued.

  “You’re leaving?” Marcus asked worried. I looked at him and Kai.

  “Yes.”

  “But…” Marcus trailed off defeated.

  “I have to brother, for my own sanity. Things have gotten way out of hand. It is time for me to grow up and make things right,” I took a deep breath.

  “This is about Asia,” Marcus accused with a hurt tone.

  “You don’t have to explain son,” Frank said as he stepped toward me. “We understand. I understand. You need to find your answers.” His smile returned.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “You will always have a home waiting for you son,” he said choking on his words. “But I’m afraid a handshake’s not gonna do.” He pulled me toward him and embraced me tightly. I hugged him back not sure what to say but then I saw the look on his face and I knew I didn’t need to say anything.

  “What about the band?” Kai asked nervously. “And school?” I knew he didn’t care about my schooling but he was genuinely hurt about the band.

  “I won’t be gone long Kai…I promise you that.” I grabbed his hand and shook it hard and he pulled me in for a hug. Marcus wiped his eyes and ran his hands through his bright red Mohawk.

  “Ah what the heck…” he grunted and closed his arms around both of us. Frank rolled his eyes at us with a sigh. I pulled myself away from my brothers and found Frank’s weary stare.

  “And I will finish school,” I assured him. He said nothing but nodded as if he wasn’t worried.

  “I promise.”

  Sam’s faint voice bled through the door and caught me off guard. I listened carefully before turning to Kai.

  “My brother…you helped me find my music again. Our music,” I said smiling. “I will forever be in your debt for that but I need one more favor from you.”

  “Anything, just name it,” he said standing up a little straighter with a proud smirk on his face.

  “Take care of her for me,” I was serious. He didn’t seem to understand at first. I nodded to the sound of Sam’s voice outside the door and his eyes filled with fear.

  “Oh,” he cringed.

  “Don’t let anything happen to her. Please,” I sounded like I was begging now.

  “Okay,” he agreed but I could hear the uncertainty in his tone. My eyes caught Frank’s again and he knew exactly what I was thinking.

  “She’s going to hate me.” I felt my chest burn at the words and I found it harder to breathe. “That’s okay, just keep her safe.”

  “I won’t let her hate you,” Kai promised. I nodded and turned to my uncle again.

  “Thanks,” I said. He smiled as he tossed the duffle bag to me and gave me a wink. I slowly made my way out the door.

  Sam’s eyes fell on me immediately as I walked through the door and her eyes filled with happiness. Her hand found mine and I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to do what I was about to. It felt right standing next to her yet I was still being pulled in another direction. I ran my hand through my messy hair as the two police officers stared at me in amazement.

  “I guess you were telling the truth Ms. Summers,” one of them said. The other officer grunted with disapproval as he looked me up and down. I cleared my throat and shook both of their hands.

  “I’ve heard that there were some crazy, outrageous rumors going around and I’d like to cooperate in the fullest to get to the truth,” I was laying it on pretty thick and to my surprise it seemed to be working.

  “Well, since there doesn’t appear to be any victims in this case anymore, I guess we just have a few follow up questions,” he paused. His partner looked on irritated. He obviously knew we weren’t telling the truth.

  The two police officers asked me about the whereabouts of Devon and Lucy. They also asked about the report of shots being fired. I stuck to Uncle Frank’s story and Sam squeezed my hand so hard it hurt. Their questioning only lasted for a few minutes and when I thought they were done, they asked me the last question I wanted to hear.

  “Just one more thing Mr.Valentin, Asia Michaels was reported to be at the disturbance but now she has seemed to left town.” Sam leaned into me and her hands began to sweat. “Do you know where she might have gone?”

  The seconds ticked away as I struggled with my answer. I didn’t want to hurt Sam any more than I had to and she waited patiently silent, not even breathing.

  “Sorry, I have no idea.” I felt a wave of nervous dizziness but it passed quickly. The officers searched my face before giving up.

  “Well, Mr. Valentine, Ms. Summers, thank you for your time.” He folded up his note pad and slid it inside his shirt pocket. He shook both of our hands.

  “If we have any other questions, we’ll call,” he said smiling politely but his partner only glared at us. One of the officers handed Sam a card with their contact information. As they turned and made their way down the hospital hallway, a relieved sigh escaped from my mouth. Sam threw herself into my arms, squeezing so hard that it hurt. My arms fell around her and I lowered my head, inhaling the smell of her hair.

  In her arms I remembered everything about our time together. The honesty we shared in her bedroom. The laughs we had in school together. The night we had spent together on the beach. We had shared a closeness that I would never forget and maybe one day I would find again…but for now…

  “I have to leave Sam,” I said quietly.

  “Alright,” she smiled. “Let’s go.”

  “No…I...have to leave,” I was forceful and her smile faded. Her eyes fell to the floor.

  “Why?”

  “For my own selfish reasons.” I was telling the truth, just not the whole truth. She looked up at me angrily.

  “I need to figure some things out and this island is making it impossible. Things I should have figured out before I ever moved here,” I said.

  “You’re going after her,” she scolded.

  “I don’t know,” I paused and swallowed my tongue a little.

  “Then why does it feel like I’m stuck in second place again?” she whispered. Ouch, that one hurt.

  “All I seem to do is hurt the ones I love the most and now I am hurting you. Again,” I said with my hands burning. “I don’t want to do that anymore.”

  Her arms surrounded me with tears welling up in her eyes.

  “Don’t leave me Max,” she pleaded. “Please.”

  “I have to Sam,” I said trying not to break under the weight of her stare. My hands held her face and she blushed from the heat they were generating.

  “No, you don’t,” she whimpered.

  “I still haven’t opened the envelope yet. I don’t think I’m there yet.” Her head tilted and she seemed to understand.

  “Oh,” she looked away.

  “I want to get there. I want to forgive myself.” I ran my hands down the lines of her neck. “But I can’t do it here.”

  “I love you with all my heart,” she sobbed.

  “I love you too,” I whispered.

  “Take me with you.”

  She kissed me softly, send
ing a slow burning across my body and my hands began to shake. I pulled her as close as possible and kissed her long and passionately. Her embrace felt as strong as steel. If I stayed in her heaven any longer I wouldn’t be able to leave. She knew that and used it to her advantage. I had said it was so easy to fall in love with her and I was right. It took a moment but I found the strength to pull my mouth away from hers and brought my lips to her ears.

  “I’ll be back,” I promised in a whisper. She stared at me upset but with understanding breaking through. It was comforting to see but I still felt like a big jerk.

  “Promise?” she asked wilting.

  “Hand on heart,” I said as I lifted her hand to my chest. She kissed the tops of my hands and found my brooding brown eyes for a moment.

  I took a deep breath and turned quickly from her. I could still taste her lips on mine as I walked away. The sound of her crying made it feel as if I was walking in slow motion. Just before the hospital entrance I turned to look at her one last time. She hadn’t moved an inch as her tears fell like rain down her flushed cheeks. Her devastated face would be burned into my dreams for the rest of my days. Just like my little Mia had been before her.

  With a final sigh I turned and walked out the hospital with my bag around my right shoulder.

  “Goodbye Sam,” I said to the passing wind.

  Hope_34

  ~Starlight: Muse~

  Back at my uncle’s house Oz greeted me with an extra giddy up in his step. I let him jump on me continuously and I tickled the fur on his belly making him crazy. After a few minutes of hellos and a quick game of fetch with his favorite stuffed animal I realized just how much I would miss him.

  “I’m gonna need you to look after the old man. You up for the challenge?” I teased him. He barked with confidence and I patted his head.

  Inside my bedroom I gathered a handful of clothes and my mp3 player. Oz watched curiously with his tongue half hanging from his mouth. When I was done I looked around my room, studying every inch of the place I had called home, even though it wasn’t for very long. When my eyes finally made it to the picture frame faced down on my dresser, my heart skipped.