James couldn't believe what he'd heard. The words still echoed in his mind, and it was already a day after the event happened. He and Katie had been dating for two years, he even had intentions of asking her to marry him, but out of the blue, Katie called it quits saying he was too old for her. Six years wasn't old when you were twenty-two, was it?
Closing his eyes for a long time, he leaned against the door frame and stared at the photograph on the wall. The one and only that she'd let him take, and it was by far his favorite because it featured a smile he'd never seen before. Katie smiled a lot, but never like she did in that picture. It was two months ago when he took it, presumably around the time she'd been promoted to head assistant of a law firm.
Brushing his hair back, he bit his lip and opened his eyes to focus on that image across from him. He had to find her. Katie confessed she loved him two years before they started dating, she was only eighteen at the time, and her stepfather had abused him over it. Her "dad" wasn't going to have any ragtag older kid ruining his daughter's life…even if that "kid" was her brother's best friend.
He went to his room and dug around, looking for his keys. He'd go looking for her, convince her to come back. There's no reason why she should have left so suddenly; not when she was so happy just hours before this startling revelation. Biting down on his lip, he went out to the garage and climbed behind the seat of his Mustang. It was actually Katie's car, but she gave it to him when they broke up, saying she didn't want to come back and get it.
There she was, sitting like a mystery, staring blankly ahead of her. The road was coming at them fast, he was going well over the speed limit. Katie looked over at James and raised a brow questioningly; "James, shouldn't you slow down?"
"Not until I see you again." He turned to her quickly, shaking his head. "You're not here. You're mocking me. Staring at me from where you are, laughing at me, telling me with those caramel eyes that I made a mistake loving you…but I won't believe it, Katie Knight, I won't ever believe that you betrayed me."
"Because my history speaks so well otherwise. James, You've always known that I would have left, you just didn't know when. I told you from day one not to get attached because my job comes first." She stole another glance at him. "Didn't I?"
"That doesn't mean that I couldn't have changed your mind," He countered, arguing back with the ghost of a girl he loved. She wasn't there, he was hallucinating from the fatigue of not having slept in a day. "I wanted to marry you, Katie. I wanted to be with you. You were my life."
"But you weren't mine, James. And how could I have forced you to stay in a loveless marriage?" She looked back to the road, he was still hours away from her mom's house, wondering why he didn't just fly – at least then he couldn't get arrested for intoxication. She couldn't see much in the way of scenery, she just went by how long they'd been on the road. "James Diamond, why are you so reckless?"
"Because if I wasn't reckless, you would have never said yes when I asked you to date me. If I wasn't reckless, you would have stayed…" He paused and thought about it, briefly taking his foot off the accelerator. He was well over 90 miles now. He turned and stole a quick glance at Katie one more time. "I'm going to find you again."
"I know." She replied, staring at the road in front of her.
"And when I do, you're going to marry me."
"Am I?" Katie asked, looking up in awe. "What makes you so sure?"
"You can't turn down someone willing to die for you," James whispered casually. Her form was no longer there when he glanced back. He wondered if he'd put together the puzzle of why she left finally. When he turned back to the road, he saw the flashing lights of an oncoming car, then darkness, followed by nothing else.
The paramedics arrived on scene moments after the accident, moments that seemed like an eternity. The truck that hit him was idling in the distance, the driver trying desperately to explain that the driver of the car hit him. Police stood in the back trying to figure out what caused the accident.
When Logan Henderson arrived on the scene, his heart nearly stopped. It looked grim, the driver wasn't likely to make it, and the car was familiar. Then the thought crossed his mind; if it was Katie's car, how was he going to break it to James and Kendall? But before the question found an answer, he climbed out of the car and inspected the body. More importantly, how was he going to tell Katie?
Logan had decided after their stint with BTR, that he was going to follow his dream of being a doctor. Working his way up to that, he'd gone with paramedic. Kneeling onto the ground beside the body, Logan began to check for signs of a concussion, shining his pen light into James' eyes. No reaction. Logan's mind began to assume the worst. He asked the other medic what the victim's stats were before he showed up. Too low for a survival, he thought when they told him. He felt for a pulse, but it was way too low to hear. No one had done CPR for fear of breaking his ribs further.
He pulled out the paddles and got them charged, proceeding with what he had to do.
"Where did you go?" James asked, wandering around in the darkness. It was a shock to see the world around him; to see the people working on fixing his lifeless body. Logan, of all people, was trying the hardest to bring him back – knowing it would kill Katie to know he didn't try. Then he saw it. Logan pulled the paddles away one last time, counting the minutes that passed. "Katie, where did you go?"
There was no answer for a long time, but then she materialized before him, her brunette hair perfect as always. "James, I never left, I was always with you. Why were you so damn foolish?"
"I need you in my life, Katie, without you it's so dull and lifeless."
She snickered and looked at the body; "Seems familiar, huh?"
"You promised me you would be there…at the house…when I came to talk to you. Where are you now?" James inquired, staring at her. "You're not at the house. I just watched Logan try to call you…you didn't answer. Where are you, Katie?"
"I can't tell you that." She replied, staring down at the scene before them.
She could hear Logan's whispered words, and wondered if they'd gotten to James, too. James, she was pregnant. She left because she was afraid you wouldn't want it, so she was going to a clinic. I told her not to do it, I told her there was no way you'd turn away your own child, but she wouldn't listen to me. James…don't leave her like this.
James looked at her sharply; "Is he telling the truth?"
No answer.
"Katie…" He grabbed her arms, but his hands passed through. "Katie…"
And then she faded into the darkness again.
Logan would never be able to explain what exactly happened that day, but three minutes had passed. James Diamond was now officially dead by the state's standards. Three long agonizing minutes had gone by, and finally, brown eyes opened to the world and groggily began to search. He tried to sit up, but Logan pushed him down by his shoulder. "Don't do anything drastic. You've got four broken ribs, and a concussion from the impact. If that's all you have, you'd be lucky."
"Where is she? I just saw her." James asked.
"Who?" Logan inquired.
James tried again, his words slurred. "Katie, where is she?"
"…in New Jersey." Logan replied. "She's on her way here…you two need to talk, James. You really need to talk to her."
"I know…" They wheeled him into the back of the ambulance, Logan following. "She didn't go because she didn't love me…she left because she was scared."
"If only you knew," Logan whispered.
"Knew what?" James inquired, fighting to stay conscious. "That she was pregnant?"
"No, that she was at a clinic." Logan saw James' look of horror, likely from the shock of hearing it first hand, and frowned. "Katie went this morning. She was still waiting when I called. She said the moment she heard you were in a fatal accident, she knew what she needed to do. She said she was coming home."
James sat in the bed, staring at the door for hours. He wove in and out of consciousness, but he wouldn't let himself go to the medication until he saw her and knew she was safe. He was about to give up when he heard footsteps moving fast through the hallway. When she opened the door, he knew he could rest easy.
"You're alive…" she whispered astonished.
"You make it sound like a bad thing." James whispered back.
"No, Logan said it was a fatal accident." She took a hesitant step forward. "Did I hear him wrong?"
"No. There was severe damage to my spinal column, so there's a possibility I won't be able to walk again…but we won't know for another month, when my ribs heal." He stared down at his hands, fidgeting uncomfortably with the sheets. "Katie, are you back to stay?"
"Yes. I won't leave again. You were right, I can't walk away from someone willing to die for me." She sat carefully on the edge of the bed, looking up at him, touching the long mark on his cheek where the glass had cut through. "James, why did you stop me?"
"Stop you?" He inquired, as if he didn't know what she was doing. "From what?"
"Leaving."
"Because I had to. Katie, you're my life." James whispered.
"Logan told you, didn't he?"
"Yes." He coughed and grimaced, but she took his hand and held it tight. "You really wanted to do it?"
"I wanted to. I didn't know how I was going to take care of a baby. Then I realized it wasn't just about me, it's about you, too. And if there was a chance you wouldn't make it, I wanted you to know that you left a legacy behind." She brushed back some of his hair and smiled. "It's only two months, but I'm sure it's going to be a boy that looks just like you."
"You mean…you kept it…?" James asked, tears filling his eyes.
She nodded, smiling softly. "I knew that if I had this baby, and you didn't make it, at least I had something to remember you by. And if you did make it, you'd have something to live for other than me. James, I never meant to leave."
"I know."
She could tell he was fighting off fatigue, so she stared down at him and kissed his forehead. "Get some sleep. You're going to need it."
"Are you going to be here when I wake up?"
"I promise. Knights never go back on their promises." She smiled and pulled up a chair beside him, so she could watch him sleep. "Goodnight, James Diamond."
James yawned and succumbed to the darkness the medication put him to. "Goodnight, Katie. I love you."
"I love you too, James Diamond."
It switches point of few a few times; and I think it's pretty obvious whose it is, considering at one point it says "staring at the scene below" and "watching Logan work on his body". This isn't a oneshot, though originally it was. It was inspired heavily by the song "Angel" by Belinda, and a book called "True Colors"...which will be the general theme for the story. I'll be updating Step Two shortly, once I get my inspiration back...and figure out where I want to go with it, but for right now, sit tight so I can update.
I recently started working, and 40 hour weeks leave me with little time to actually do any updates, so it's a slow process. Add to that planning for my wedding (I'm engaged!), and you got a hell of a mess to deal with. Please read and review!