Chapter 27: Long Time No See
Kira dug in her bag to find her keys to her trailer and turned when she heard someone coming up the driveway to find that it was just one of the other riders in the small group that she'd joined right out of college.
Actually, the only reason that Kira had joined in with the stunts had been because she had needed an outlet. She spent her time angry nearly all of the time. She was angry that Ben was dead; angry that his kids had fought the fact that she had cared for the man and he her. She was angry that every time she thought that she could be happy, life would come in and pull the rug out from under her. That was when she'd decided that she needed to return to her life from before Ben. Before him she had become an individual that no one could harm. She hadn't allowed anyone close enough to affect her the way that Ben's death had.
In realizing that, Kira also understood that Jebb could end up hurting her far worse than Ben. If she wanted to protect her heart then she had to try to get him back out of it as well. A feat that was not as easy as she had initially thought. Even now she would find herself thinking of him when she'd watch the other riders cutting up with one another. It was those days that she found herself thinking of him that she tended to experiment a bit more with her stunts for the next show that was already just around the corner.
Kira had sat down to write him dozens of times but each time she ended up tossing the fully finished letter into the trash. After such a long time she had no doubt that he'd moved on, especially after their last conversation in Atlanta after a race. She had done her best to let him know that she really didn't expect to ever return to Georgia, much less Atlanta; the home of the children of Ben who detested her so much. Not mention the place that held so much pain at the mere thought of Ben being gone forever. Of course she hadn't told Jebb that. Nor the fact that she really did love him and that scared her more than anything she had ever faced before in her entire life. Still, sometimes it did help to put it on paper from time just so that she could remind herself of why she couldn't allow herself to break down and call him.
No, she was better off on her own.
Kira eyed Andrew out of the corner of her eye as she kept digging for her keys. She had an idea of what he wanted to talk about since it seemed that it was always the same thing when he took his time to come talk to her away from the other riders. "What about?"
"I heard from the insurance company about that video that we sent them with the new stunts that you wanted to add to the show," Andrew leaned against the corridor's wall and crossed his arms as he spoke. "They said that if we use them they'll have to cancel our policy. So I'm afraid that all of that time that you've been spending on those new tricks lately has been for nothing."
"So just take me off of the insurance," Kira shrugged. "It's not like I need any."
"You know we couldn't do that. The insurance isn't just for you but in case someone else gets hurt watching."
"Fine," Kira turned back to her door and wished that she could find her damned keys already. "So I won't do them at any freakin' shows."
"But you still plan to do them on your own," Andrew raised his brow as he read his answer in Kira's body language.
"Whatever I do on my time is my own business." Kira finally felt her keys at the bottom of her bag and pulled them out as she shot Andrew a dirty look to keep him from asking her any more questions.
"You know, you're lucky that you haven't killed yourself yet with all of those stunts that you've been pulling lately."
"And here I thought that the stunts that I pull were the reasons why you recruited me," Kira shot back as she pushed the door open. "Just go tell the insurance company that they won't have to worry about me doing any of the stunts on their dime, okay?"
"Kira, you want to tell me just what has caused you to have such a death wis-" Andrew was cut off by Kira swinging around on with an angry look on her face.
"Stop. I'm not going to talk about it so you can just forget it."
Andrew shook his head before he continued with what he felt the woman in front of him needed to hear. "What are you so scared of? What has you chasing death around? Because it seems to me that if you don't stop soon, you're going to catch up with it."
Kira narrowed her eyes at her boss and fellow stunt rider's assessment as her nostrils flared. Who was he to say that she was scared of anything? He didn't know her; not really. She wasn't scared! She wasn't! She was angry and she had every right to her anger! Didn't she?
Stepping into her trailer, Kira slammed the door in Andrew's face; effectively ending their conversation. Though that only told him that he'd struck a nerve that was more than just a bit tender.
Well, so much for trying to talk to her.
Jebb dodged a halfhearted swing as his friends all picked and kidded around. Blake had convinced their whole troop of riders to head out to Mobile for a racing weekend. Normally he never raced so far west from Placid but once Kevin and Charlie had joined his old friend in his prodding Jebb just couldn't refuse the trip.
After arriving in Mobile Jebb found that in addition to the races that he'd been looking forward to, there would also be a few stunt shows. Before setting up, he'd made sure that he'd gotten a good place to watch while getting his motorcycle ready for the first race. He watched as nearly a dozen bikers warmed up for the day's show. Jebb knew that he could easily do many of the stunts that he witnessed the so-called professionals doing; could even do a few that would put them to shame. Of course if his mother ever learned of him doing what she'd no doubt call risking his fool-head more than he already did just by racing his bike she'd tan his hide to the point that sitting would become more than just a bit difficult. The fact that he was now a grown man didn't matter to her one bit. He'd heard her say on more than one occasion that she didn't care how big he was; if she felt he needed a switch then that would be exactly what he'd get. And he believed that she'd at least try to do it, too.
As Jebb finished tuning his bike up for the upcoming race he was just finishing up when he could have sworn that he'd seen a familiar face in the crowd. One that he'd tried not to think about in quite a while. Standing up, Jebb looked in the direction that he'd thought that she'd gone only to not see Kira after all. His mind was playing tricks on him. It must be because he was the only one of his friends who hadn't brought a girlfriend to the race. As much as he tried, he knew he still wasn't over her. He wasn't sure if he ever would be. Something that he just couldn't understand. After all, they hadn't even slept together. She had walked away from him and hadn't looked back. Yet he still loved her.
After shaking his head, Jebb joined his friends as they watched the various stunts as they progressively became more complicated. When the warm ups were completed, Jebb began to see more and more stunts that he was impressed with. He even saw some that he considered to be a bit on the daring side. As the stunt riders brought the first show of the weekend toward a close, Jebb hopped onto his bike and prepared to focus on the one thing that he did best; race.
After winning the first race of the weekend, Jebb joined his friends for a night of fun. The alcohol poured like water as each of them joked and picked around with one another. Jebb volunteered to go to get another pitcher of beer since the bar was so full that he knew it would be a while before a waitress would be able to get around to their table. Around him he could catch glimpses of conversations above the country music that was playing loudly from the jukebox. As he turned with the pitcher in hand he heard a familiar voice. Looking across the bar, Jebb caught sight of a redhead that he'd not seen in far too long.
There she was, not more than fifty feet away looking just as how he remembered. In fact, it was almost like she was playing out a scene very similar from when he'd first spotted her at an old roadhouse after a race. She appeared to have been sitting alone while drinking a scotch only to be interrupted by some unknown man trying to make a pass at her. When the man made the mistake of reaching for Kira's arm, she twisted the man's own arm behind his back and the pushed him up against the bar. She then muttered something to him before pushing the guy back away from the bar. She then downed the last of her drink before disappearing toward the door.
Behind Jebb he heard the two bartenders chuckling to one another.
"You owe me ten bucks."
"He got further than most. I figured that with the way he was carrying on she'd have given him a broken nose, for sure. Especially after all that she's drunk tonight."
Jebb turned back to the two men and asked, "She come here often?"
The two men laughed at Jebb's question before one answered. "Why? You a glutton for punishment?"
"I just used to know her. I hadn't expected to see her here. So does she come around a lot?"
"A couple times a week. Drinks a few glasses of scotch, cocks a bad attitude with anyone who has the misfortune of taking a shine to her, then leaves."
"To go where?" Jebb asked as he noticed his friends at the table waving him over since they were anxious for their beer.
"Don't know. If you really know her then you know that it'd be best to stay away. That one just ain't worth the trouble."
Jebb eyed the door but knew that even if he headed outside, Kira was likely long gone by now. He was going to be in town for a couple of days for the race. He just hoped that he'd get to see her again. But if he does, then what?
Kira woke up with a monster of a headache. She glanced around her bedroom and briefly wondered just how she'd gotten back to her place the night before. To be honest, she couldn't remember much past getting to the bar just down the road after the stunt show. She knew that there was a race afterwards but she hadn't stayed for it. She hadn't raced on the Motocross Circuit in two years. Not since Ben had died. First she had spent her last season dealing with his will and his children's fight to disinherit her and then she'd gone back to college to finish up her law degree. Now with another season starting up, she was instead involved with the stunt riding group. It now offered her the adrenaline that racing once offered her.
After the show, Kira had kept her word and called to speak with Ben's old law partner for their once a month check in. Being the executor of the will, Tom was tasked with giving her an allowance and with helping her manage her inheritance that had been put into a trust fund for her until he felt that she was ready to take control of it for herself. As far as Kira was concerned, she didn't care if she was ever given the money. She didn't need it. She did just fine on her own.
As always after her conversations with Tom, she felt the need to block out the pain that always came when thoughts of her time in Atlanta. Going to the bar to drown that pain helped but only until the next morning. Then she once again felt alone in the world.
Kira got up from her small single bed and made her way to the kitchen of her small one bedroom house that she'd rented when she moved to Alabama. It was old and the floorboards creaked when she walked but it was all that she needed. Kira grabbed a bowl out of a cabinet while being careful so that the door wouldn't fall off of its hinges. She then poured herself some cereal and ate her breakfast. She knew that it would be a mistake to leave for the day without eating so she sat at her table with its lone chair to eat her cereal before heading out. She'll have to just suffer through the headache.
Later that day Kira was doing a once over on her bike while preparing for the stunt show that would take place in between races for the day. As she was just finishing up she heard her name from just a few feet behind her. When she turned she saw him. Jebb looked just the way she remembered him. He was leaning up against her truck just like he used to when they were dating. As if he'd been watching her for a few moments before finally letting her know that he was there.
"Jebb." Kira was surprised to see him but she did her best to not show it. She didn't know why but it was important to not allow him to see that there was nothing that she'd rather do than go back to the way things were; back before her world came crashing down around her.
Jebb had so many things that he wanted to say. Things that he wanted to ask. He wasn't sure just how to start. "It's been a long time. I was surprised to see you here. You racing?"
Kira glanced down at her bike before simply telling him no and turned back toward the bike. She didn't have anything else to do to it but she just couldn't bear to look at Jebb and all that he represented. As she fiddled with the bike, she hoped that Jebb would take the hint and leave her alone. But he always was the stubborn one, wasn't he? Jebb walked around to stand in front of her once more.
"You never answered any of my letters? Why?" Jebb waited for Kira to answer only to see her shrug. "Don't you think that I deserve to know why you just fell out of my life?"
"It wasn't like I was really in it, anyway. So why do you care?" Kira lifted the kickstand up and started to walk her motorcycle toward the staging area of the stunt riders without looking at Jebb.
"Why do I care? Kira, I've always cared. I was worried about you after Ben died-" Jebb thought about Ben for a second before he, perhaps for the first time, put together Ben's death with the timing of Kira's withdrawal. Even before she'd gone back to Cambridge that fall. "Is that the reason why you dropped out of sight?"
"I'd rather not discuss it. I have to go."
"Kira, we need to talk about this."
"No, we don't."
Kira briskly walked toward the staging area while leaving Jebb behind to wonder just how he was going to get her to talk to him. He saw the look on her face when he'd mentioned Ben. The look in her eyes could break his heart. Even after all of this time, she was still hurting. And if there was one thing he remembered from when they were dating was that she hated to show any kind of weakness.
Jebb watched as Kira disappeared from sight while wondering what she was doing in Mobile if she wasn't racing. Of course he didn't have much time to speculate since he needed to get to the starting line for the beginning of the first race. He hopped onto his bike and just as soon as the signal was given he sent the bike forward in a flurry of speed. He couldn't help it but while he knew he needed his full focus on the track, he kept eyeing the area that he'd last seen Kira each time that he passed it. That had to have been why not only Kevin but Blake and Charlie each passed him on the way to the finished line.
After the end of the race Jebb glanced around at all of the other racers and those waiting for them at the end of the race hoping to see Kira in the crowd. As the racers began to clear out, the stunt riders began to do their warm-ups for their show. Jebb joined his friends in the stands to get a better view of the riders as they moved from warming up to performing various stunts. As the show progressed the riders began to increase the difficulty level of the jumps. Soon, nearly a dozen riders were crisscrossing one another in mid-air; sometimes barely missing one another by mere inches. Some of the stunts Jebb thought were more careless than difficult. Still, the fans in the stands were enjoying the show.
The energy of the fans was contagious and soon Jebb was on his feet along with the rest of the onlookers as the stunt riders changed up their routine. As the riders continued to jump in their crisscrossing pattern some of the riders began to rotate and flip in midair. After only a few moments Jebb watched as two riders looked to be crossing too closely. Just a split second before it was too late, he realized that the two riders were going to collide about twenty feet above the ground.
Jebb, as well as every single person in the arena looked on in horror as the two riders fell to the ground. One of the riders was able to roll away just before his motorcycle came crashing down right where he had fallen only a second before. The other rider wasn't so lucky. The bike rolled onto the rider's lower half of the fallen rider's body before coming to rest several yards away after several more tumbles. The first rider rolled onto his back and waited for the medics to examine him. As he was put onto the backboard, the stunt rider raised a hand to indicate that he was alright and waved to the crowd as, Jebb assumed, a family member or friend went to walk with him toward the ambulance waiting to take him off to the hospital.
The second rider, however, hadn't moved after the fall. Out on the field, the medic tending to second rider raised the visor so that he could check for breathing. With that done a team moved to transfer the injured rider onto the backboard. Jebb had seen enough wrecks to know when surgery was in the near future of a fellow rider.
What caught Jebb's attention the most, however, was that no one moved forward to check on the rider. There was no concerned friend or family member fretting over the unconscious rider. No one other than the other riders of the troop who stood off to the side while watching their associate being carried off by the medics. That is when he took another look at the rider's motorcycle. It looked eerily familiar.
"Oh my God!"