Jamie idly stared at his French book. Val sat close by and kept herself
busy by finishing her Spanish homework. The station house was very quiet
besides the quiet rustling of pages, as the EMTs studied.
Caitie tossed and turned. Her brown hair fell over her face as she turned her hair back and forth.
"NO. . .no. . .no. . .." she started to scream.
Jamie rushed over to Caitie, with Val close behind.
"Caitie," he called as he gently nudged her.
She suddenly awoke breathing heavily. Caitie sat up, for a moment forgetting where she was.
"Are you okay?" Jamie asked as he tucked her hair behind her ear. Caitie flinched at his touch. He instinctually moved his hand away from her.
"I'll go fix you some tea," Val offered warmly.
Caitie nodded. She watched her best friend walk into the kitchen.
"Are you having those dreams again?" he asked softly.
Caitie got up from the couch. Without saying a word, she ran out of the station.
* * * * * * * * * *
Between classes, Val spotted Jamie in the hallway.
"Jamie, Jamie!" Val yelled out over the loud noise emitted by students scrambling to class.
Jamie turned towards Val's direction and walked over to the side, allowing the other students to pass.
"Did you speak with Caitie since yesterday?" Val asked curiously.
He shook his head. "I tried calling and only got the machine. I figure she wanted a little time alone so I gave it a rest."
Val nodded in agreement. "She gets like this. Remember when her dad left her mom? She was very . . . distant. When he got remarried, she was angry and allowed herself to vent. When she's truly shaken, it's like . . . Caitie isn't Caitie anymore."
"Hey, I'll catch you later at the station," Jamie stated as he headed towards his next class. On his way, he ran into Kenny and Brianne.
"Waite, I heard about Caitie's mom. She okay?" Kenny asked.
"As okay as she can be I guess," Jamie replied, not entirely sure if he was telling the truth.
Brianne expressed concern. "If you see her, tell her I'm around, all right?"
Jamie agreed as he left his old friends.
*
Around noon, Caitie managed to get dressed and drive over to school. She entered the building and walked over to her locker. Without registering all the commotion around her, she merely turned the dial on her lock.
Tyler, standing nearby noticed the familiar dark haired girl.
"Caitie," Tyler called. He managed to walk over to her side with ease.
Tyler found himself peering into empty hazel eyes.
"I'm sorry," Tyler began, not knowing what else to say.
"For what?" she inquired half-heartedly, not truly wanting to continue this conversation. She was sick and tired of constant apologizing, sympathizing, patronizing . . .
"For your-------"
"My . . . 'loss'?" Caitie interrupted. "For the fact that my mother is dead?" Caitie slammed her locker. She turned to look at the tall blonde boy straight in his eyes. After spending so much time at the station the past year, they have actually developed a friendship.
"Tyler, people die. It's life."
As Tyler tried to formulate a response, Kenny and Brianne joined the conversation.
"Hey Roth," Kenny greeted. "Listen, I'm sorry about your mom and all."
"That really sucks," Brianne added.
"You don't have to be 'sorry'," Caitie muttered. "I'm sick of this . . . " Caitie stated under her breath.
"Why don't we go somewhere," Kenny offered. "My brother is bartending at the bar on Oak Street."
"Yeah, it'll be fun," Brianne suggested.
Tyler didn't feel comfortable with the method Caitie's friends were offering comfort. To him, it seemed more like escape.
"Caitie doesn't drink . . . you should know that," Tyler stated coldly as he recalled the many lectures Jamie had received from Caitie.
"You know what, why not. I'm getting sick of the word 'should". Things do not always turn out, the way it should be."
With that final statement, the three bleacher junkies went off and left the school through the main gates.
*
Tyler walked into his English class. He took a seat behind Hank and next to Val. He stared straight into empty space.
"Tyler," Val whispered. He turned towards the voice. Tyler smiled at the sight of his girlfriend.
"I ran into Caitie," Tyler began. "She's hanging out with Kenny and Brianne."
Val nodded. "Maybe that's a good thing. . ." she began to reason.
"Not when they went to a bar." Tyler refocuses his attention to the front of the class.
*
Caitie sat in the dark bar room. The fact that it was still early in the afternoon did not make much of a difference on the lighting. There was no one in the bar except a man in this thirties sitting at the bar watching a game on the small TV.
Caitie, Brianne and Kenny sat at a table in the middle of the bar. Kenny ordered a pitcher of beer for the three of them although only two were drinking.
"Drink up Roth," Kenny offered for the billionth time. "Do you want shots instead?"
Caitie picked her untouched glass of beer. Initially she took a small sip. "It tastes pretty bad," she commented.
"It's an acquired taste. . .it's like caviar," Brianne stated half laughing.
"Maybe this will take your mind off your mom," Kenny stated firmly. Brianne kicked him under the table for his lack of sensitivity.
"Sorry," Brianne looked apologetically.
Kenny was never that sensitive of a person but perhaps his compromised blood alcohol level made his mouth run off.
Caitie's mind flashed back.
* * * * *
"This way," the officer directed as he escorted the young woman to see her mother. She was in a room in the ER. As Caitie walked closer and closer to her mother, she could see that her room was filled with doctors. The sight that registered in Caitie's mind was even worse than she expected.
There was so much blood.
So much blood.
On her mother, on the doctors.
A dark haired man tried to make her heart beat again. Trying. In vain.
The first thing Caitie heard as she ran into the room resonated in her mind.
"Time of death, 11:07p.m."
Caitie turned pale.
The blood.
So much blood.
Her mother's blood. . .
* * * * *
"Are you okay?" Brianne asked concerned. "You dazed off for a moment."
Caitie shook her head, as if that would bring her back to reality. "I'm fine. Let's do shots."
Kenny grinned. "All right, now you're talking!"
A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! I MISSED YOU GUYS!!!
Caitie tossed and turned. Her brown hair fell over her face as she turned her hair back and forth.
"NO. . .no. . .no. . .." she started to scream.
Jamie rushed over to Caitie, with Val close behind.
"Caitie," he called as he gently nudged her.
She suddenly awoke breathing heavily. Caitie sat up, for a moment forgetting where she was.
"Are you okay?" Jamie asked as he tucked her hair behind her ear. Caitie flinched at his touch. He instinctually moved his hand away from her.
"I'll go fix you some tea," Val offered warmly.
Caitie nodded. She watched her best friend walk into the kitchen.
"Are you having those dreams again?" he asked softly.
Caitie got up from the couch. Without saying a word, she ran out of the station.
* * * * * * * * * *
Between classes, Val spotted Jamie in the hallway.
"Jamie, Jamie!" Val yelled out over the loud noise emitted by students scrambling to class.
Jamie turned towards Val's direction and walked over to the side, allowing the other students to pass.
"Did you speak with Caitie since yesterday?" Val asked curiously.
He shook his head. "I tried calling and only got the machine. I figure she wanted a little time alone so I gave it a rest."
Val nodded in agreement. "She gets like this. Remember when her dad left her mom? She was very . . . distant. When he got remarried, she was angry and allowed herself to vent. When she's truly shaken, it's like . . . Caitie isn't Caitie anymore."
"Hey, I'll catch you later at the station," Jamie stated as he headed towards his next class. On his way, he ran into Kenny and Brianne.
"Waite, I heard about Caitie's mom. She okay?" Kenny asked.
"As okay as she can be I guess," Jamie replied, not entirely sure if he was telling the truth.
Brianne expressed concern. "If you see her, tell her I'm around, all right?"
Jamie agreed as he left his old friends.
*
Around noon, Caitie managed to get dressed and drive over to school. She entered the building and walked over to her locker. Without registering all the commotion around her, she merely turned the dial on her lock.
Tyler, standing nearby noticed the familiar dark haired girl.
"Caitie," Tyler called. He managed to walk over to her side with ease.
Tyler found himself peering into empty hazel eyes.
"I'm sorry," Tyler began, not knowing what else to say.
"For what?" she inquired half-heartedly, not truly wanting to continue this conversation. She was sick and tired of constant apologizing, sympathizing, patronizing . . .
"For your-------"
"My . . . 'loss'?" Caitie interrupted. "For the fact that my mother is dead?" Caitie slammed her locker. She turned to look at the tall blonde boy straight in his eyes. After spending so much time at the station the past year, they have actually developed a friendship.
"Tyler, people die. It's life."
As Tyler tried to formulate a response, Kenny and Brianne joined the conversation.
"Hey Roth," Kenny greeted. "Listen, I'm sorry about your mom and all."
"That really sucks," Brianne added.
"You don't have to be 'sorry'," Caitie muttered. "I'm sick of this . . . " Caitie stated under her breath.
"Why don't we go somewhere," Kenny offered. "My brother is bartending at the bar on Oak Street."
"Yeah, it'll be fun," Brianne suggested.
Tyler didn't feel comfortable with the method Caitie's friends were offering comfort. To him, it seemed more like escape.
"Caitie doesn't drink . . . you should know that," Tyler stated coldly as he recalled the many lectures Jamie had received from Caitie.
"You know what, why not. I'm getting sick of the word 'should". Things do not always turn out, the way it should be."
With that final statement, the three bleacher junkies went off and left the school through the main gates.
*
Tyler walked into his English class. He took a seat behind Hank and next to Val. He stared straight into empty space.
"Tyler," Val whispered. He turned towards the voice. Tyler smiled at the sight of his girlfriend.
"I ran into Caitie," Tyler began. "She's hanging out with Kenny and Brianne."
Val nodded. "Maybe that's a good thing. . ." she began to reason.
"Not when they went to a bar." Tyler refocuses his attention to the front of the class.
*
Caitie sat in the dark bar room. The fact that it was still early in the afternoon did not make much of a difference on the lighting. There was no one in the bar except a man in this thirties sitting at the bar watching a game on the small TV.
Caitie, Brianne and Kenny sat at a table in the middle of the bar. Kenny ordered a pitcher of beer for the three of them although only two were drinking.
"Drink up Roth," Kenny offered for the billionth time. "Do you want shots instead?"
Caitie picked her untouched glass of beer. Initially she took a small sip. "It tastes pretty bad," she commented.
"It's an acquired taste. . .it's like caviar," Brianne stated half laughing.
"Maybe this will take your mind off your mom," Kenny stated firmly. Brianne kicked him under the table for his lack of sensitivity.
"Sorry," Brianne looked apologetically.
Kenny was never that sensitive of a person but perhaps his compromised blood alcohol level made his mouth run off.
Caitie's mind flashed back.
* * * * *
"This way," the officer directed as he escorted the young woman to see her mother. She was in a room in the ER. As Caitie walked closer and closer to her mother, she could see that her room was filled with doctors. The sight that registered in Caitie's mind was even worse than she expected.
There was so much blood.
So much blood.
On her mother, on the doctors.
A dark haired man tried to make her heart beat again. Trying. In vain.
The first thing Caitie heard as she ran into the room resonated in her mind.
"Time of death, 11:07p.m."
Caitie turned pale.
The blood.
So much blood.
Her mother's blood. . .
* * * * *
"Are you okay?" Brianne asked concerned. "You dazed off for a moment."
Caitie shook her head, as if that would bring her back to reality. "I'm fine. Let's do shots."
Kenny grinned. "All right, now you're talking!"
A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! I MISSED YOU GUYS!!!