Page 63 of Never Forget
Jamie
Missed you there today.
I stared at the screen. I hadn't meant to type that. It just came out. My fingers moved before my brain caught up. For a second I wished I could take it back, but this was 2007 and there was no unsend button for what had already been sent.
I watched the phone, waited, and tried not to panic.
His reply came a few seconds later.
Sam
Missed being there.
Jamie
We're going to bed now. Goodnight.
Sam
Goodnight, Jamie.
I set the phone on the nightstand next to Rosie's envelope and turned off the lamp. She was already half-asleep, her breathing slow and steady. I slid under the covers beside her, and she shifted closer, tucking herself against my side.
I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the way he'd saidmissed being there.
Like he'd been thinking it too.
I woke to Rosie crying.
For a second I didn't understand. Then I smelled it. Smoke. Thick and acrid, burning the back of my throat.
"Auntie Jamie." Rosie's voice was high and frightened. "Auntie Jamie, I can't breathe."
I was on my feet before I was fully awake. I scooped her up and ran for the door, but smoke was already pouring through the gap at the bottom. I touched the handle and pulled my hand back. Hot.
The window. We could go out the window.
I rushed across the room and tried to shove it open. It wouldn't budge. I tried again, throwing my whole weight against it. Nothing. The old wood had swollen in its frame and sealed itself shut.
We were three floors up. Nowhere to go.
My phone. I grabbed it from the nightstand and dialed 911.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"Fire." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "There's a fire in my house. We're trapped on the third floor. I have a child with me."
I gave her the address. She told me help was on the way. She told me to stay low, to keep Rosie's face covered, to stay on the line.
"My stories." Rosie was sobbing now, clutching at my shirt. "My stories for Mommy and Daddy."
The envelope. I grabbed it from the nightstand and pressed it into her arms. Then I backed us into the corner, as far from the door as I could get. I held her to my chest and covered her mouth and nose with my hand.
"Keep your eyes closed, sweetheart. Don't open them until I tell you."
She nodded against my chest, trembling.
The smoke was getting thicker. I could feel it filling my lungs, stealing the air. My eyes burned. I couldn't see the door anymore.
