Page 59 of Demo
I make my way over to some firefighters who are gulping water and climbing out of their gear so I can get quotes. I even approach some of the drivers and passengers who had been instructed to sit tight on the nearby grass and wait for medical attention. It’s interesting, when people are in shock, they either clam up and shut right down, or they don’t shut up. It must be the adrenaline.
One man relays the entire accident. “... all of a sudden, the trunk of the car in front of me was under my hood, and before I knew it, ‘BAM!’ I got hit from the back, and my SUV rolled. I saw the Virgin Mother Mary right before my eyes …”
My attention is taken away from him when I see a young woman approaching various EMTs. “Excuse me!” She’s trying to get someone’s attention as they rush between vehicles and the badly injured. “Excuse me, I know I’m not badly hurt, but I just … Can someone …” She stands there, one arm flailing, trying to flag someone down, the other placed protectively over her belly, in a gesture I recognize.
It’s a gesture I made once upon a time.
Finally, she grabs the arm of an emergency worker jogging by. “Please! I’m pregnant!”
The worker comes to a stop, places his hands on her shoulders, looks down at her hand on her stomach, then up to her eyes. “OK, it’s OK, miss. Come with me, we’ll get you checked out.” I watch them make their way over to a nearby ambulance, and he helps her sit on the bumper as he tends to her.
“You get what you need, kid?” I snap my head to see Monty standing right next to me, having seemingly come out of nowhere. I look back at the young woman and EMT, then back to Monty.
“Yeah,” I say. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Chapter 18
Ten years ago …
KNOX
BeingwithLizziewaseasy. The weeks went by and before we knew it, it was fall and we were sharing hot chocolate and pumpkin flavored frothy drinks—and cookies and bread and muffins, and whatever the hell else they make in pumpkin flavor—all while holding hands, strolling down the city streets, or driving out into the suburbs.
She joined me and my family for Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house. When she told me her sister would be celebrating the holiday with her boyfriend’s family, and her mom was going to stay in Florida, I insisted. What Lizzie didn’t seem to understand was we were going to spend the holiday together no matter what, regardless of whether we were at my parents’ house, my apartment or her new place. I wasn’t going to let us be apart.
She looked adorable as she held up the apple pie she made at eye level as we walked up the porch steps to the house. She was nervous. She spent all morning picking out the perfect outfit, which ended up being a pair of black jeans and a silky pink top. I waited for her to get ready at the apartment she started renting after she graduated, standing by idly as she pummeled one shirt after another onto the bed in frustration as she cursed under her breath—something about nothing fitting right, or shirts clinging to her “jelly belly” and “child-bearing hips,” or some shit.
Of course, after that I had to prove to her she was the sexiest thing alive, which made us run a little behind schedule.
Before we went in, I pulled Lizzie aside on the porch.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
I took the pie from her hands and put it on the bench.
“Make sure it stays flat!”
I turned back to her and gently enveloped her in my arms and started to sway. Sighing, she gave into me, just the tiniest bit. “I’m not panicking,” she said, face smushed into my chest.
“Shhhh,” I cooed. “Just humor me, and stay like this with me, just for a moment.”
Conceding some more, she wrapped her arms around my midsection as I kept my arms around her shoulders and smoothed her hair over her head.
“Don’t mess up my hair.” She jerked. “I spent all morning straightening it.”
“Shhhh,” I repeated. “First of all, my family already loves you. You know they do.”
Lizzie relaxed a little in my arms. “And second?” she pressed.
“Second,” I kissed the top of her head, then with my knuckles tipped her head up so I could look into her eyes, “once we go inside, my family is going to be all over you, and I won’t get any time alone with you. So maybe this is for me. One last moment, just the two of us.”
An emotion flitted across her face before she gave me a smile. “Just the two of us,” she repeated, then leaned up on her tippy toes and gave me a chase kiss. “Now, let’s get in there before they find us necking on the front porch like a couple of teenagers.”
“Necking?” I asked as she moved past me to pick up the pie, again holding it at eye level, and heading toward the door.
As soon as I opened it, the smell of turkey and salt and something sweet hit all at once and it was an overwhelming smell of home.
My parents lived in a modest house, considering my dad’s livelihood. It was a Colonial that had a small entryway that opened into the living room, where my dad and Bram were perched on the edge of the couch, beers in hand, watching the Bills game. A formal dining room was to the left, with the kitchen further inside. A staircase almost directly across from the entry led to three rooms upstairs, one of which was my dad’s home office.
