Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Law

The day was going great. Kids and parents were having tons of fun, and my brother and his woman were in their element as hosts. Being a father really suited him, and the love he had for those two ladies was evident to everyone there. It was time to sing and blow out the candles, and the crowd was finally subdued while Pia walked across the lawn with a blazing cake the size of a boogie board.

While she covered the distance between the house and the birthday girl, a deafening sound echoed through the party. It sounded eerily like a gunshot, but that was doubtful in the upscale neighborhood. There were a few older boys at the party, and my bet was that one of them pulled a prank. Some sort of harmless firecracker, most likely. But the pandemonium that ensued was catastrophic. Especially for all the attendees suffering from anxiety of one type or another.

A neighbor had brought their dog with them, and up until that gunshot-sounding bang, the animal was having the time of its life playing with all the kids. But when that shot rang through the air, the poor animal went apeshit. It took off running, dragging the leash its owner had dutifully held on to the entire afternoon.

But the sound startled everyone, and the leash was dropped, allowing the dog to take off through the crowd. The animal’s panic-driven path crossed right in front of the cake-carrying hostess, tripping her in the process. Several people dove to help break her fall but were seconds too late.

The cake hit the ground, and the blazing candles came too close to the dyed fabric and circus-themed streamers of the party decorations. Before anyone could stop it, half the backyard was engulfed in flames. People panicked and ran for safety, dragging their little ones by the hand or under arm. Half the people ran for the house while the others beelined for the gate that led to the front yard and driveway. People were knocked down and stepped on, and where the air was filled with laughter and cheers just minutes ago, it was now a haunting symphony of screams and wailing.

The birthday girl watched in horror as her magical day went up in flames. Vela was rooted to the spot at the head of the table, and even though the fire came dangerously close to her, she was frozen in place.

My brother finally realized what was happening and physically removed her from the dangerous path. My other niece was in a similar state, though not in the path of oncoming flames. My sister shouted her name several times, and it was like she was in a trance. She didn’t flinch or twitch or seem to hear the shouts to get to safety. She stood like one of the majestic King Palms dotting the landscape.

Like my brother, I ended up scooping her up in my arms and hustling her inside where my sister received her catatonic child.

Where was Shepperd?

In the melee, we were separated, and now that I’d seen both Vela and Stella freeze in panic, I feared the worst. Was she somewhere dangerous in a similar state? I raced back out to the pool area and looked frantically to the left and to the right.

“Shepperd!” I shouted, but between the sounds of fire blazing and children crying, I doubted she heard me.

Just out front of the house, car door after car door slammed in succession as parents stuffed kids into car seats and got the hell out of harm’s way. Who could blame them? Farther in the distance, the wail of sirens could be heard. Thank God someone had the sense to call the fire department.

Where was Shepperd?

I had to find her. The flames were tearing through the backyard, not sparing landscape or furniture in their wake. Fuel was abundant from the party decorations. The flames leaped from one section of the property to another. The gentle afternoon breeze became a vortex of fear as the fire became its own storm.

Finally, I spotted her. She and another woman were huddled close to the ground trying to shield themselves from the heat and debris whipping around the yard.

Elijah Banks burst through the sliding door that led from the house to the backyard with the same panicked look on his face that I suspected I wore.

“Hannah!” he bellowed and looked from side to side.

“I think they’re over there, by the playset,” I shouted, and we both took off in the same direction.

“Hannah!”

“Shepperd!” We took turns shouting the women’s names.

“Help!” one of them finally yelled back. “We’re over here!”

There was a barricade of fire between us and them. Something was fully engulfed in flames about twenty feet from where the sisters crouched and held each other. From what was left and recognizable, it looked like a picnic table.

“Get a hose!” Banks shouted, and I took off toward the house. I searched along the stucco, trying to find a hose reel or faucet. Luckily at the far side of the wall, a green garden hose sat coiled in a big clay pot. By some miracle, it was already hooked to a faucet coming out of the house. I grabbed the business end and sprinted back toward the girls, handed Elijah the nozzle, and had to double back to turn the fucking thing on. In my panic, I didn’t think of that, and now I was wasting precious time having to go back.

“Stay there until this is out,” he was shouting when I returned.

The women were watching with wide, horrified eyes as Elijah doused the flames between us and them. As soon as they were low enough to leap over, I took the chance. I landed on the other side of the fire and hit the ground with a thud. The tuck and roll I attempted did little to absorb the shock to my body, but I wasn’t feeling pain at the moment.

“It’s okay!” I shouted to the women. “He’ll have it out in a second, and we’ll run out of here. Okay?” I looked from one to the other, but they were both unmoving with fear.

“Shep! Answer me! We’re heading to the front of the house. Are you ready?” I shouted but still, nothing. I’d throw her over my shoulder if I had to, but our opportunity was coming up, and we had to be ready.

Elijah positioned the hose on the ground at the base of the fire and joined me and the girls.

“Beauty!” he called as he grabbed his wife. He wasn’t wasting time with negotiations, and it seemed like the smartest route for me to take as well. He hefted his wife into his arms and frantically looked from side to side.

“Just pick her up, man. We have to get out of here before that tree falls,” he said and motioned to a huge pepper tree behind me with his chin.

I hadn’t noticed the state of the old tree until he pointed it out, but he wasn’t exaggerating. The trunk of the thing had been badly compromised, and it looked like it was moments from toppling over.

I leaned into Shepperd and told her, “I’m picking you up, baby. We have to get out of here.”

She gave a slight nod, or at least I thought she had, but I couldn’t wait for her agreement. I just prayed my seizing her body didn’t freak her out more.

When I scooped her up, I was thankful she wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her face into my shoulder.

We hustled across the lawn toward the house as the old tree creaked one last time and fell to the ground in a shower of sparks and ash. Half the leaves landed in the pool with a loud hiss as the flames were extinguished.

Firefighters passed us as we reached the sliding glass door and one yelled in our direction, “Get inside. Is anyone else out here?”

“Not that I know of. I wasn’t looking past these two, though,” Elijah responded.

“EMTs are on their way. If the women need to be looked at, just let someone know,” he advised and then dashed off to join his team fight the blaze on the lawn.

Inside the house, far fewer people lingered than I expected. Families probably wanted to get out of harm’s way and left for home. Who could blame them?

“Holy shit, Law,” my brother gasped as he approached, “Are you two okay?”

“Yeah, man, I think so. Physically at least,” I replied with a pointed look at the woman tucked under my arm beside me on the sofa. “How’s your crew?”

“Pia’s with Cecile and the girls in Vela’s room. They needed a quiet space to calm down,” he answered while scanning the backyard disaster from the sliding glass door. “Christ, this is like a bad YouTube prank,” he muttered to no one in particular.

I turned my attention to Shepperd. Her entire body was shaking, and holding her close wasn’t fixing it. I pressed a kiss into the side of her head. The poor thing’s beautiful hair smelled of smoke, and her palms were scraped with dried blood. I took her lifeless hand in mine and turned it over to inspect if she needed medical attention. They needed to be cleaned, but none of the cuts were deep enough to need stitches.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I asked gently.

She didn’t react in any way. She just kept staring at the ground and trembling.

“Jake?” I said a bit louder to get my brother’s attention. “Do you have a blanket?”

He turned from watching the fire department make quick work of extinguishing the blaze. “Huh?”

“Blanket? I think she’s in shock,” I said as calmly as possible.

“Oh, yeah, one sec,” he said and dashed off toward the bedrooms. He was back with two fuzzy blankets—one with cartoon unicorns and the other striped in rainbow colors. He helped drape them over Shepperd’s shoulders while I cradled her on my lap.

“Where did Elijah go with her sister?” I asked my brother. “Did you see?”

“Yeah, they’re in our room at the end of the hall. She looks a lot like this.” He motioned to Shepperd with his chin while standing over us. “What the hell happened to them?”

“They were trapped on the other side of the playset. They both had childhood trauma, so they completely locked up in the face of danger. Elijah and I used the garden hose to cut the flames down low enough to get them to safety. Where the hell are the EMTs? The one firefighter said they were on their way, and that was at least ten minutes ago.”

“I’m sure they’ll be here any minute,” my sibling reassured. “Let’s lay her down and raise her feet. That should help blood flow get back to normal.”

I eased my body away from Shep and spoke quietly to her. “Baby, can you lie down here on the sofa? I’ll stay right here, but I think your body is in shock.”

She allowed me to maneuver her into a supine position. Jacob stuffed a throw pillow under her legs while I covered her with both blankets.

When she was settled, I asked my brother, “When did you become the house doctor?”

“Dude, we’ve been through so much shit since Vela was abducted. On top of that, my soon-to-be-wife is diabetic. It made sense for me to learn some basic first aid.” He shrugged like these were common problems in every household.

“Man.” I shook my head. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” he snapped.

“You’ve been through so much, obviously still going through so much shit, and I’ve been so wrapped up in myself and my own life, I didn’t even know. I’m shit for a brother.” I studied the ground, feeling ashamed of how little I’d been there to support my brother while he no doubt needed it.

“Law, shut up. There’s no way you would’ve known unless I told you. And I didn’t. On top of all that, there’s not much anyone can do to help us anyway. We just get through one day at a time.”

“Are you guys going to therapy at least?” I asked. I might have been prying into his home life too deeply, but I was genuinely concerned.

“Oh, hell yes we are. We all go separately, as a family, and as a couple. I think I pay more to that damn office each month than our mortgage payment,” he said with a laugh.

It reassured me that he was being so open about the care they were getting and was still grounded enough to joke about it.

“Well, if you ever need anything, just say the word,” I offered, not really knowing what more to say.

Finally, a guest ushered the paramedics through the house, and Jake flagged one down. “We’ve got two little ones with PTSD in a bedroom in the back and two females in the same condition. This young lady here, who I’m pretty sure is in shock, and her sister in another bedroom who is presenting much the same way right now.”

“Okay, thanks. You are?” the first responder questioned.

“Jacob Cole. Masterson.” He added our family name almost as an afterthought, but we’d all experienced the power of being from a prominent family. There were times you just used it to your advantage.

“My name is Logan, and I’m the scene captain. I need to sweep the property and see if there are any other injuries. Since these ladies are stable and in safe conditions, I need to triage all identified patients and then we’ll decide to treat here or transport. Sound good?”

“Sure,” Jake answered. “Let me show you the little ones and the other woman before you head outside.” My brother didn’t wait for Logan to agree. He just started off toward the bedrooms, and the EMT followed.

I knelt on the floor beside her and stroked the sooty hair back from her face. “How are you doing?” I asked gently.

The vacant stare I got in response should’ve alarmed me but didn’t. This was the first time she turned in my direction—however slight it might have been—when I spoke to her. She didn’t say anything, though. Just blankly fixed on some point on my face. Still, it was better than no response at all.

“Are you warming up? Looks like the tremors have eased up a bit,” I said and kissed her forehead. “The paramedic is checking the kids first, then is going to have a look at you. Your hands are pretty torn up,” I rambled, hoping she was hearing me despite the empty gaze I was getting in return.

She was scaring the shit out of me, but I tried to stay calm. There was a voice in the back of my mind sounding a lot like what I assumed a past version of me sounded like. Asking questions I didn’t want to examine at the moment but could still hear them.

Is this what life would always be like with this woman? Will she always be one step away from a breakdown? Is a relationship with her worth all the drama?

Present day me was annoyed with that voice. Was I really that shallow before meeting Shepperd? Or was I that selfish? Just because a person struggled with some mental health issues didn’t make them unworthy of love and companionship. There were a lot of personal growth points in there to dig deeper into, but this wasn’t the time or place.

There were things I was sure about. If I wasn’t before this afternoon’s pandemonium, I certainly was now. Not being able to find Shepperd when the fire broke out terrified me. In those few short moments that she was missing, a sense of fear and panic completely took over. I didn’t want to lose her. I was sure of that.

Seeing her frozen in panic broke my heart. She ended up in a much more dangerous situation because she lacked the ability to function in crisis because of what some asshole predator did to her when she was a girl.

She deserved to live a safer, happier life than that. And I wanted to be a part of that life. I was completely sure of that too.