A/N: Hey everyone! This is last chapter of this story. I am planning on
starting another one soon, but it will probably be more focused on Lucy and
Kevin, not Lucy's pregnancy or anything. I haven't decided if I want to
incorporate a kid into my next story. Anyways, I have gotten my story
across. Hope you enjoyed it.
Chapter 11: An Old End, A New Beginning
"Oh God," Simon whispered as he drove the rental car down his street. Caitlin reluctantly followed his gaze, catching sight of the burning house.
"Simon, that's not your..." Caitlin couldn't finish. The expression on Simon's face answered her question.
Quickly swerving the car near the curb, Simon bolted out of the driver's seat across the street, followed by Caitlin. Catching sight of a firefighter, Simon raced towards him.
"What's going on?" Simon shouted, his voice high-pitched.
"Kid, you need to get out of here," the man brushed him off rudely.
"Where'd they take my family? Is everyone ok?" Simon anxiously searched the man for answers, Caitlin standing behind him, speechless.
"I don't know, but I do know they took the people livin' here to Glen Oak Memorial Hospital," the fireman finally answered, dragging more equipment across the lawn.
"C'mon. Let's go!" Caitlin gently yanked Simon out of his daze, grasping his hand. The couple ran to the car and jumped in. Shakily, Simon stumbled the keys into the ignition.
Caitlin, meanwhile, watched him nervously. She knew his family meant everything to him.
"You want me to drive?" she offered placing her hand upon his, which still rested on the key, shaking. "No," he answered quietly, "I'll be okay." As Simon gave her a reassuring smile, Caitlin leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. Focusing his eyes on the road, Simon jerked the car into drive, placed his foot on the accelerator, and pulled the car off the curb into the street.
"Dad!?" a voice called from the emergency room entrance. "Dad, what happened?"
Simon dashed into the waiting room, an exasperated look upon his face. Slowly, Eric stood to embrace his son.
"Dad, I got to the house and there were fire trucks and firemen everywhere. They. . .they told me everybody was brought here," Simon said shakily. He quickly glanced around the room. No Lucy. No Kevin. No Ruthie. No Mom.
"Simon, calm down," Eric instructed his son, noticing Simon's questioning look at the people in the room. "Lucy's fine; Kevin's with her. We just saw Ruthie and she'll be fine."
"What about Mom?" Simon asked uneasily.
"We don't know yet," Eric answered quietly, having tried to avoid the question.
Breathing deeply, Simon bit his lip, trying to stop himself from crying.
"How'd this happen?" he asked.
"We don't know, Simon," Eric said solemnly. He then noticed a young woman standing behind his son. "Hi."
Caitlin politely smiled back.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Simon whispered to her.
"No, you were worried." She took his hand.
"Dad, this is Caitlin," Simon told his father, "my girlfriend."
Eric smiled, offering his hand, which Caitlin took gratefully.
"Nice to meet you," he said.
"Nice to meet you too," Caitlin answered, relieved to feel accepted in this loving family.
"Annie Camden?" Eric turned to see yet another doctor standing in the doorway, chart in hand.
"Yes, how is she?" Eric asked anxiously, approaching the doctor.
"She'll be fine, Rev. Camden. We suppose the cause of her passing out was the smoke. We'll have to monitor her, but she should be ready to go home in a day or two," the doctor smiled, turned, and left the room.
Eric smiled happily, but then reflected on what the doctor had said.
"Home?" Eric whispered aloud. "She has no home to go to."
Simon turned to him.
"Dad," he replied laughing, "you of all people should know. Home is where the heart is. Home is where family is. Mom's got that. We've all got that."
"I've taught you well," Eric smiled at his son.
Weeks passed. Lucy was soon released from the hospital with strict instructions to return for her monthly appointments. Ruthie was also released on crutches, but she couldn't go home. Well, not to the home the Camden's knew. The once beautiful, traditional white house was in ruins; the fire showed no mercy. All that stood was a charred, wooden frame. Together, the family had scavenged what little momentos and memories they could find.
That very Christmas Day, the Camden's entire church community stepped up to help. After much insisting on Eric and Annie's part, Matt, Sarah, Mary, Carlos, Simon, and Caitlin agreed to go home. Lou and Chandler found Eric, Annie, Ruthie, and the boys another house in the community. They all knew it would never be the same as their old house, but it was nice, a small brick house, red shudders, and a huge yard. Lucy and Kevin had decided that it was time to get their own house and start their own life now that Lucy was pregnant. The two had bought a house about 10 minutes from their family, but were not allowed to more in for another week. Deciding not to intrude on their family while Annie and Ruthie recovered, Lucy and Kevin remained in the garage apartment, which had been unharmed by the fire.
Every night since the fire, Lucy had been having problems sleeping. She could still see the flames, the inside of her house. It haunted her to no end.
"This is hopeless," she mumbled to herself one night after her many unsuccessful attempts to fall asleep. Lucy silently turned to her sleeping husband and gently kissed him on the forehead, not wanting to wake him. Slowly pushing the warm covers off her body, she snatched her robe off the chair beside her and put it on.
Lucy snuck to the refrigerator and opened the door, the bright, illuminating light surprising her eyes. On the door shelf was a carton of rich chocolate milk.
Every since she was little, chocolate milk had been her favorite drink. It was rich and chocolatey, but she could still say she was drinking healthy. It was milk, right?
Every morning, Lucy would wake up before dawn and venture into the kitchen to find Eric working on a sermon or some other church business. As soon as she descended the stairs, Eric would pour her a glass of chocolate milk and Lucy would join him at the table, sometimes to talk, or sometimes just to enjoy the silence.
She shuck the remainder of the carton's contents into a cup and tossed the empty carton into the sink. Trying to keep quiet, Lucy slowly descended sown the garage apartment steps, chocolate milk in hand. She soon found herself in the backyard and took a seat on the picnic table, the stars glistening about her. It was cold, but her fuzzy robe kept her warm.
She slowly sipped her drink, thinking about life, her family, and the baby growing inside of her. Her main concern was being a good parent. This was what she had always wanted, but once it happened, Lucy wasn't so sure she was ready.
And the fire. . .
It was a slap back to reality, a brutal slap. Lately, she had been living in a fairy tale. She was finally happy with every aspect of her life; now she was scared out of her mind.
Lucy stared helplessly at the destruction before her, smoke slowly simmering from beneath the rubble. Still soaked in her thoughts, Lucy was unaware of the person that had silently taken a seat beside her. He wrapped a blanket across her shoulders and pushed her hair behind her ear so her could see her face.
"Hi," she turned to face her husband, giving him a small smile. She pulled the blanket more tightly against her body.
"Hi," Kevin replied. "What are you thinking about?"
"Everything," she sighed. "I couldn't sleep."
"Again?" he asked worriedly. Lucy nodded looking up at the stars. "How's our little girl?"
Lucy smiled, pulling her robe back to reveal her pj's tightly stretched across her bulging belly.
The previous week, the couple had discovered that they were expecting a baby girl in three months: Jacqueline Rainne Kinkirk.
"Doctor Peterson said that everything was great and going as planned," Lucy stated proudly.
"Great," Kevin smiled, allowing Lucy to rest her head on his shoulder. "So talk to me."
"I don't know," she admitted, sighing deeply. "I just feel like I'm always worrying about everyone all the time. Mom, Dad, you, Jackie."
"I know," he comforted her, kissing her forehead. "I know."
"I'll be fine," Lucy told him, not wanting him to worry about her. "It just takes time. That's what they always say, right?"
"Yeah . . .time," he agreed.
"So what did Ben want?" Lucy asked changing the subject. Kevin's brother had called early that evening.
Lucy heard Kevin smirk under his breath.
"What?" he asked turning to him.
"Ben is going to 'pop the question' tomorrow night," Kevin answered still amused that his little brother was finally growing up.
"Aww," Lucy smiled. "Good for him. Isabelle's a lucky girl."
"Yeah, he wanted some tips, considering I'm the master in that department," Kevin smiled down at his wife.
"Oh really?" she laughed, remembering that romantic Valentine's Day when Kevin asked her to be his wife. "You must feel special."
"Oh yes," he replied laughing.
The couple sat in silence, the sweet April air surrounding them. They didn't need words to express what they were feeling or thinking.
Being held in the arms by a man I love
And a man who loves me
A simple equation with a powerful meaning
Ok, I'm done! Hope you liked! And the chocolate milk thing was a thing my dad and I did when I was younger. I mean come on! Everyone loves chocolate milk! Anyways I would like to again thank BebopQueen for posting for me. I want to have another story out soon. Thanks to all my reviewers. You are the reason I write! LOVE YA!!!
Chapter 11: An Old End, A New Beginning
"Oh God," Simon whispered as he drove the rental car down his street. Caitlin reluctantly followed his gaze, catching sight of the burning house.
"Simon, that's not your..." Caitlin couldn't finish. The expression on Simon's face answered her question.
Quickly swerving the car near the curb, Simon bolted out of the driver's seat across the street, followed by Caitlin. Catching sight of a firefighter, Simon raced towards him.
"What's going on?" Simon shouted, his voice high-pitched.
"Kid, you need to get out of here," the man brushed him off rudely.
"Where'd they take my family? Is everyone ok?" Simon anxiously searched the man for answers, Caitlin standing behind him, speechless.
"I don't know, but I do know they took the people livin' here to Glen Oak Memorial Hospital," the fireman finally answered, dragging more equipment across the lawn.
"C'mon. Let's go!" Caitlin gently yanked Simon out of his daze, grasping his hand. The couple ran to the car and jumped in. Shakily, Simon stumbled the keys into the ignition.
Caitlin, meanwhile, watched him nervously. She knew his family meant everything to him.
"You want me to drive?" she offered placing her hand upon his, which still rested on the key, shaking. "No," he answered quietly, "I'll be okay." As Simon gave her a reassuring smile, Caitlin leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. Focusing his eyes on the road, Simon jerked the car into drive, placed his foot on the accelerator, and pulled the car off the curb into the street.
"Dad!?" a voice called from the emergency room entrance. "Dad, what happened?"
Simon dashed into the waiting room, an exasperated look upon his face. Slowly, Eric stood to embrace his son.
"Dad, I got to the house and there were fire trucks and firemen everywhere. They. . .they told me everybody was brought here," Simon said shakily. He quickly glanced around the room. No Lucy. No Kevin. No Ruthie. No Mom.
"Simon, calm down," Eric instructed his son, noticing Simon's questioning look at the people in the room. "Lucy's fine; Kevin's with her. We just saw Ruthie and she'll be fine."
"What about Mom?" Simon asked uneasily.
"We don't know yet," Eric answered quietly, having tried to avoid the question.
Breathing deeply, Simon bit his lip, trying to stop himself from crying.
"How'd this happen?" he asked.
"We don't know, Simon," Eric said solemnly. He then noticed a young woman standing behind his son. "Hi."
Caitlin politely smiled back.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Simon whispered to her.
"No, you were worried." She took his hand.
"Dad, this is Caitlin," Simon told his father, "my girlfriend."
Eric smiled, offering his hand, which Caitlin took gratefully.
"Nice to meet you," he said.
"Nice to meet you too," Caitlin answered, relieved to feel accepted in this loving family.
"Annie Camden?" Eric turned to see yet another doctor standing in the doorway, chart in hand.
"Yes, how is she?" Eric asked anxiously, approaching the doctor.
"She'll be fine, Rev. Camden. We suppose the cause of her passing out was the smoke. We'll have to monitor her, but she should be ready to go home in a day or two," the doctor smiled, turned, and left the room.
Eric smiled happily, but then reflected on what the doctor had said.
"Home?" Eric whispered aloud. "She has no home to go to."
Simon turned to him.
"Dad," he replied laughing, "you of all people should know. Home is where the heart is. Home is where family is. Mom's got that. We've all got that."
"I've taught you well," Eric smiled at his son.
Weeks passed. Lucy was soon released from the hospital with strict instructions to return for her monthly appointments. Ruthie was also released on crutches, but she couldn't go home. Well, not to the home the Camden's knew. The once beautiful, traditional white house was in ruins; the fire showed no mercy. All that stood was a charred, wooden frame. Together, the family had scavenged what little momentos and memories they could find.
That very Christmas Day, the Camden's entire church community stepped up to help. After much insisting on Eric and Annie's part, Matt, Sarah, Mary, Carlos, Simon, and Caitlin agreed to go home. Lou and Chandler found Eric, Annie, Ruthie, and the boys another house in the community. They all knew it would never be the same as their old house, but it was nice, a small brick house, red shudders, and a huge yard. Lucy and Kevin had decided that it was time to get their own house and start their own life now that Lucy was pregnant. The two had bought a house about 10 minutes from their family, but were not allowed to more in for another week. Deciding not to intrude on their family while Annie and Ruthie recovered, Lucy and Kevin remained in the garage apartment, which had been unharmed by the fire.
Every night since the fire, Lucy had been having problems sleeping. She could still see the flames, the inside of her house. It haunted her to no end.
"This is hopeless," she mumbled to herself one night after her many unsuccessful attempts to fall asleep. Lucy silently turned to her sleeping husband and gently kissed him on the forehead, not wanting to wake him. Slowly pushing the warm covers off her body, she snatched her robe off the chair beside her and put it on.
Lucy snuck to the refrigerator and opened the door, the bright, illuminating light surprising her eyes. On the door shelf was a carton of rich chocolate milk.
Every since she was little, chocolate milk had been her favorite drink. It was rich and chocolatey, but she could still say she was drinking healthy. It was milk, right?
Every morning, Lucy would wake up before dawn and venture into the kitchen to find Eric working on a sermon or some other church business. As soon as she descended the stairs, Eric would pour her a glass of chocolate milk and Lucy would join him at the table, sometimes to talk, or sometimes just to enjoy the silence.
She shuck the remainder of the carton's contents into a cup and tossed the empty carton into the sink. Trying to keep quiet, Lucy slowly descended sown the garage apartment steps, chocolate milk in hand. She soon found herself in the backyard and took a seat on the picnic table, the stars glistening about her. It was cold, but her fuzzy robe kept her warm.
She slowly sipped her drink, thinking about life, her family, and the baby growing inside of her. Her main concern was being a good parent. This was what she had always wanted, but once it happened, Lucy wasn't so sure she was ready.
And the fire. . .
It was a slap back to reality, a brutal slap. Lately, she had been living in a fairy tale. She was finally happy with every aspect of her life; now she was scared out of her mind.
Lucy stared helplessly at the destruction before her, smoke slowly simmering from beneath the rubble. Still soaked in her thoughts, Lucy was unaware of the person that had silently taken a seat beside her. He wrapped a blanket across her shoulders and pushed her hair behind her ear so her could see her face.
"Hi," she turned to face her husband, giving him a small smile. She pulled the blanket more tightly against her body.
"Hi," Kevin replied. "What are you thinking about?"
"Everything," she sighed. "I couldn't sleep."
"Again?" he asked worriedly. Lucy nodded looking up at the stars. "How's our little girl?"
Lucy smiled, pulling her robe back to reveal her pj's tightly stretched across her bulging belly.
The previous week, the couple had discovered that they were expecting a baby girl in three months: Jacqueline Rainne Kinkirk.
"Doctor Peterson said that everything was great and going as planned," Lucy stated proudly.
"Great," Kevin smiled, allowing Lucy to rest her head on his shoulder. "So talk to me."
"I don't know," she admitted, sighing deeply. "I just feel like I'm always worrying about everyone all the time. Mom, Dad, you, Jackie."
"I know," he comforted her, kissing her forehead. "I know."
"I'll be fine," Lucy told him, not wanting him to worry about her. "It just takes time. That's what they always say, right?"
"Yeah . . .time," he agreed.
"So what did Ben want?" Lucy asked changing the subject. Kevin's brother had called early that evening.
Lucy heard Kevin smirk under his breath.
"What?" he asked turning to him.
"Ben is going to 'pop the question' tomorrow night," Kevin answered still amused that his little brother was finally growing up.
"Aww," Lucy smiled. "Good for him. Isabelle's a lucky girl."
"Yeah, he wanted some tips, considering I'm the master in that department," Kevin smiled down at his wife.
"Oh really?" she laughed, remembering that romantic Valentine's Day when Kevin asked her to be his wife. "You must feel special."
"Oh yes," he replied laughing.
The couple sat in silence, the sweet April air surrounding them. They didn't need words to express what they were feeling or thinking.
Being held in the arms by a man I love
And a man who loves me
A simple equation with a powerful meaning
Ok, I'm done! Hope you liked! And the chocolate milk thing was a thing my dad and I did when I was younger. I mean come on! Everyone loves chocolate milk! Anyways I would like to again thank BebopQueen for posting for me. I want to have another story out soon. Thanks to all my reviewers. You are the reason I write! LOVE YA!!!