Chapter XXI: One More Time With Feeling
Edward's confused, hurt expression, as he sadly turned away from her, pained her more than her wounds. She hated that she didn't have time to explain that she was trying to protect him. She refused to let anything happen to him; if that meant his feelings would be temporarily hurt, so be it. She was willing to risk anything for his ultimate safety.
Vee watched Edward's form become engulfed in shadow, and waited a few seconds just to be sure he was a safe distance away. She then slowly and painfully stood up, wincing again. A new wave of warmth hit her hip, and she looked down to see blood soaking the top of her jeans. She knew Edward was probably feeling pretty awful about causing that, but it was unnecessary for him to. Having her life saved from the fire by him was all that really mattered; the cuts were inconsequential.
The sirens stopped as the firetruck and police cars reached her house. She hobbled out to meet them, Poe limp in her arms. One of the firemen got off the truck, and rushed toward her. "Are you ok? Is everyone out?" He had to shout to be heard over the roar behind them.
She shouted her response. "Yes, we're all out. Please, I need to bring my cat to the vet."
He looked her up and down, disbelief coloring his features. "No, ma'am. You need to go to the hospital. An ambulance is on the way." He looked over his shoulder at the rest of the guys getting the equipment ready. "Alright fellas, you know what to do, give the place a shower." The rest of the men ran the hose to her house and opened the valve. A formidable stream of water sprayed out, knocking the men back a step. He looked back at Vee. "Listen, we'll take care of your cat for ya."
She wasn't about to let this guy tell her what to do. "No! I need to do that, I'm not letting him out of my arms until I know he's ok. I refuse to go in the ambulance."
He furrowed his brow in annoyance, as one of the cops approached them. He looked over to the newcomer. "Adam, this lady is a wreck, and she refuses to be taken to the ER over her cat. I mean seriously, it's just some animal."
She sobbed in response to his uncaring words. Adam looked at her with concern. He yelled, "Listen, I'll make a deal with you. I drive you to the vet, and immediately after you let me take you to a doctor."
She didn't even have to think about it. "Deal," she blurted out. Looking past him at his car, she sprinted toward it. It seemed easier for her to move now. The increased endorphins must have been allowing her to not feel her wounds, or they weren't as bad as she had thought.
Adam had to run to catch up so he could open her door. She slid into the passenger side, and he helped her with her seat belt. She shifted Poe slightly, and he let out a quiet cry. Relief washed through her that he was at least still alive.
Adam actually put the lights on to get her there quicker. "This is completely off protocol," he said as he sped around a corner, "but, if my wife Barbara, who loves cats, found out I didn't help you with this, I'd be in the dog house."
With a trembling blood encrusted hand, she brushed the hair away from her face, and looked at him. "I really appreciate it."
During the short drive she told him an abbreviated version of the story, and who was responsible. He made the call on his radio, alerting the police force who to be on the lookout for. He also told her she would be under protective custody until Jack was found.
He showed her that he meant it when he followed her into the animal hospital. Luckily, for her and Poe, there was an overnight emergency service. Also, having a cop accompany her was advantageous; she didn't have to really wait at all.
The veterinarian cleaned Poe's wounds, and suspiciously looked at her blood soaked clothes. "All that blood couldn't have come from this cat. He barely has a scratch." She demonstrated the fact by pointing to what used to be a gaping wound. It was now barely a mark. Just a thin pink line, but with an impossible amount of blood to accompany it. Looks like Edward was able to save him after all. Sighing in relief, she swallowed hard, and closed her eyes; holding back tears.
Vee opened her eyes to see Adam glaring at her. He folded his arms over his chest. "She refuses medical attention until her cat has had it." Assuming that all the blood covering the cat and her shirt was her own.
The vet raised her eyebrows and further examined the cat, who kept opening his eyes to slits before closing them again. "He should be fine. I'll need X-rays of this leg. We will most likely need to cast it, and keep him a day or two."
"Alright," she agreed, and leaned down to kiss the top of Poe's head. She whispered to him. "I'll see you soon, be strong." And then let Adam escort her to the emergency room.
She caught her reflection in the glass on the way in, and deliriously laughed. Her reflection looked like some crazed creature from a horror movie. Her hair was straggled, ratty, and frizzed. There were sooty smudge marks all over her clothes and face. Dried blood was clinging to her chin and all over her cheek, as well as her hands and clothes. There were pinkish bruises covering her neck, and wrists. No wonder she got rushed right in.
A couple hours ago she was positive that she would need stitches. From the amount of blood and pain, it seemed like she had some serious wounds. However, they only used antibiotic salve covered bandages. Must be the cuts weren't nearly as deep as she thought.
She was trying her best to pay attention to the aftercare instructions, but her focus kept faltering. How's Edward doing? Most likely wondering why I haven't shown up yet. I wish I could see him, but it will be tricky if I'm being babysat by the cops. I also can't risk going to him with my psycho stalker on the loose. I won't risk it.
The next few days were excruciating for her. Just sitting around a hotel, not doing anything, and waiting for the cops to find Jack was like torture. She wasn't even allowed to return to work; Vincent had come shining through again, and was covering for her. He had come to visit her a couple of times with a much needed good cup of coffee.
It was nice to be able to visit with Vincent again, but all she wanted to do was see Edward. Tell him her thanks, and explain why she had to send him away that night. To actually show him how she felt about him. Instead, she was sitting in a hotel room watching crappy tv.
Grumbling, she turned it off, and grabbed her book. The phone rang before she could open it, and she answered it in lightning speed. Expecting a phone call on the status of her situation, she had kept her cell phone right next to her 24/7.
It was Adam with some good news. They had finally caught Jack, and told her he was in custody. He had been apprehended back in her hometown, trying to return to his house. He admitted to everything, but wouldn't believe that Vee had survived. He was confident that he had silenced a 'demon', and that he had done 'good work'. He obviously was showing signs of his mental break, and would most likely be put in a mental asylum.
Vee thanked Adam profusely, and hung up. She threw on her coat (something that Sally had sent with Vincent. It was in a care package along with several changes of clothes and food), and went barreling out the door without turning any lights off.
On her way to her car, she waived to the current cop on duty as he pulled away, no longer needed. Vee jumped in her car, and started to drive away while simultaneously buckling her seat belt. Glancing at the backseat to make sure the bag full of cat accoutrements was there, she raced to the vet. She had to have Poe kenneled there after he was well enough to be released, because (much to her dismay) she couldn't keep him in the hotel.
She reached her destination, and kept the car running while she dashed inside. She reappeared after a couple minutes with a cat carrier, and a big grin on her face. She got in the car, and leaned over to place Poe on the passenger seat. "Here we go," she said out loud to him. "Won't Edward be happy to see us." It was more of a statement, than a question.
She smiled with excitement through the whole drive. Even when she reached her once beloved home, that was now a charred skeleton of what it used to be, she continued to smile. Sure she lost a lot of stuff, but that's just what it was, stuff. What really mattered is that the living beings that she loved had survived; that she had survived. Besides, she hadn't lost every possession that she owned. Her cello remained safe at Edward's castle. And all of her photographs were saved digitally; she could easily get a copy from Vincent.
Vee opened the car door, picked up the carrier, put her backpack on, and then grabbed the oversized bag from the back. She slammed both doors, and trudged up the hill. A couple times she needed to stop, put both armloads down, and then switch the weight between her arms. She got a nice adrenaline rush when she pushed open the gate to the garden, and saw the castle. Her bags suddenly didn't seem so heavy anymore. She sprinted to the door, and walked through.
Setting everything down, she excitedly yelled his name through the cavernous house. "Edward!" When there was no answer, just her own voice echoing back, she ran up the stairs until she reached his room. She looked around the empty room, searching for him. "Edward?"
A strong gust of cold wind hit her back, making her hair twirl around her head, and the fine hairs on her arms and neck to stand on end. She turned and walked into the wind, scanning the attic for him. He wasn't there, but something caught her eye. The room looked different than she remembered it. She wandered over to the far side, to where the wind was howling the fiercest, and paused at the opening. It was far larger than it had been previously, the entire right side of the hole was brighter than the rest. The splintered wood was a fresh white color, not the dull aged look the rest of it had, and it was reflecting the dusky sunlight.
She turned to look at the heap on the floor that used to be the roof and wall. Just then, she noticed something else reflecting light. Something that was partially buried. Taking a couple steps closer, she brushed some debris away from it, and gasped; it was a blade from Edward's hand.
Frantically, she pulled chunks of wood and roof tile off of him. When she had freed his torso and face, she knelt down and cradled his head. "Edward, I can't lose you," she cried.
Tears splashed down on his face; one hit his eyelid causing it to flutter and open. He looked up at her, his voice weak. "Vee? Are you alright?"
She laughed in relief, and kissed him a few times on his cheek and lips. "I thought I lost you! I've never been so scared."
He viewed her with shock, and then looked at her as if he could sympathize. "I also thought I lost you, but you came back." His voice was raspy, and just barely over a whisper. He smiled and tried to sit up, only to weakly fall back down into her arms.
Her smile vanished, and was replaced with concern. "Are you hurt? What's wrong? Is something broken? Can you move?"
With a weak smile he told her, "I'm afraid I've been buried here for a few days, and have lost my strength. If-"
She cut him off by gently releasing his head, and standing up. "I'll go get you your tonic," she said while running away from him. Within moments she reappeared, out of breath. She resumed her previous position, and helped him drink the greenish-red fluid from the glass bottle she held. She wouldn't relent until he had finished the very last drop. She tossed the glass to the side. "There. That will get you well in no time. I'm sorry I yelled at you to go that night, I just didn't want to risk what might happen if those cops saw you."
He thanked her for the tonic as she moved slightly away from his head, to push the rest of the rubble off of his legs. Her cheeks were wet again from tears; she couldn't help but think that she very easily could have lost him. A few months ago he wasn't in her life at all, and now she couldn't imagine how awful her life would be without him.
Edward started to struggle to sit up again, distracting her from her lamentation. She immediately put an arm around his shoulders, and helped him. Once sitting upright, he turned to her. With a saddened look about his eyes, he asked, "Did Poe survive?"
"He's fine. You were right; you saved his life." She started to brush the dust off of him. "You also saved mine. I'm so sorry to have involved you with that." She paused with her dust removal, and looked at his beautiful eyes. "We both owe you our lives, and I will be eternally grateful. Thank you so much, Edward. You were my knight in shining armor."
His eyebrows raised, and a small smile played upon his lips. He most likely had never been compared to a knight before. His smile faltered as he remembered something. "I hurt you; are you okay?"
"They were just a couple of scratches. I'm completely fine." She shrugged off his concern.
He looked at her with confusion. "They were not scratches. They were deep cuts. You bled so much."
She lifted her shirt, exposing a few silver-pink shiny lines. "Look, I don't even need the bandages anymore. Who knows; I must have thin blood, and am a bleeder or something."
He suspiciously looked at the shiny lines of tightly pulled skin, and then examined her cheek. The same type of faint silver-pink line crossed it. He sadly stated, "I scarred you."
"Pffft," she scoffed. "I'm not worried about it. Besides, scars are like tattoos, but with better stories." She grinned and winked at him. "And now I have plenty of interesting stories, thanks to you." Her smile vanished as she got serious. "If anyone really scarred me; it was Jack."
His eyes bugged and darkened as he remembered Jack. "Where is he?!"
She watched Edward visibly get angry. Having never seen this side of him before, she was mesmerized. She almost wasn't able to talk, but focused her attention. "They arrested him, he won't be bothering anyone anymore."
He glared out the makeshift 'window' of the attic and motioned toward it with his head. "I was so enraged by what he did, and by what I could not do, that I am afraid it was me that caused the cave in."
She looked at the large portion of what used to be the ceiling, and shivered from a chill. "I'm just thankful that you aren't hurt. Let's see if we can't get you up." She stood behind him, scooped him up under his armpits, and assisted him in standing. At first, he was a little wobbly, but then took a couple small steps away from the mess.
"I think I am okay," he said to her, while they exchanged a smile.
She picked his arm up, and ducked her head under it. With her other arm she held him by the waist. "I should help you...Just in case."
He leaned his head against hers. "Thank you. I would enjoy that."
She couldn't help but giggle at the statement. Enjoy, huh? Well, I said I wanted to show him how I felt. I'm sure he will enjoy this even more. She dropped his arm, and turned her body to his. With her newly freed arm, she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him. It was much like the kiss they shared on Halloween, yet with much more intention (rather than accident) on her part. It also lasted longer than that one. The wind howled around them, but they didn't seem to mind.
Breathlessly, they pulled away, and gazed at each other with love drenched expressions. He gave her an inquisitive look, acting as if he was doubting her intentions. She wasn't about to let him doubt himself, or her. She leaned in and again kissed him. Pulling away slightly, she smoothed his hair back, and caressed his face. "I'm glad you're ok." She gave him another quick kiss, before continuing, "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you. You mean so much to me."
With shining eyes he said, "I feel the same. I love you, Vee. I have ever since I first saw you." He looked off to the side regretfully. "I'm sorry...I left the gloves you made me inside your house. They are nothing but ash now."
She laughed his apology off. "That's ok. What matters is that we are all safe."
"I suppose," he said, while making some snipping sounds. "But now I can't hold you."
She glanced at his hands. "That's just a temporary problem. We were going to go on an adventure in order to get you your hands, were we not?" His eyes got big as he grinned, and nodded his head. "Well, as long as you feel up to it; let's go."