CHAPTER THREE
I’M ARGUING WITH the police when Mark finally shows up, a black leather duffle in hand. “Excuse me a moment.” I tell the police then turn my attention to Mark as he enters the room.
Mark hands me the duffle and before he has a chance to ask anything I take off towards the tiny restroom. I can’t wait to be rid of these clothes. A shower would be preferable, but not walking in nothing but lounge pants is good enough, especially since the stink of smoke and burnt flesh cling to me like cologne.
The moment I’m inside the restroom, I lock the door behind me tossing the bag on the counter. Ignoring my reflection, knowing my chestnut hair is disheveled, I splash water on my face feeling the stubble along my jaw. As the water cascades down, the sink turns a faded gray. Was there really that much smoke? Scrubbing my hands along my face, I can almost feel a layer of grit. Turning the water on full, I dunk my head under the faucet trying to let the smoke and shambles wash away.
When I look up I feel a little more like myself, minus the appearance of heart strickening grief. The fear that something could have happened to her makes my breath catch in my throat, but I can’t focus on that. Opening the bag, I find a small towel and dark jeans, an ice blue button down, and shoes. Grateful for Mark’s foresight, I dry my hair and dress quickly, eager to get back to the police.
Mark meets me as I emerge and hands me a phone. “When you called from the hospital, I figured you didn’t have yours.”
“Thank you Mark.” I squeeze his shoulder giving him a faint smile. Scrolling through the phone, I can see that its a complete clone of my last one. Something I had asked him to start doing, just in case.
“Should we discuss—”
“Not yet. I need to talk to the police first.” I say pocketing the new phone. Mark nods, and follows me back to the waiting room.
“Please excuse me for running off.”
“It’s not a problem, sir. I’m sure you weren’t comfortable the way you were dressed.” The policeman says over the giggling girls at the nurses station.
“Thank you for understanding.” I shut the door, blocking us from the blushing nurses so we can talk. “Can you tell me anything about the fire?”
“Well, sir, we are still looking into what caused it. But form what the fire department has determined so far it started in the kitchen. We won’t know anything else for at least a day or two, if not longer.” He says looking down at his notepad.
“That doesn’t make sense. How would it start in the kitchen?” I think back to before we went to bed, trying to think if anything was left on. But I can’t think of anything.
“We will hopefully know more in the morning.”
“Has the fire been taken care of?” I ask instead of the real question I need confirmed.
“Of course. Took a while, but it’s out.”
“Did they, did they find anyone else in the house?”
The officer’s eyes finally meet mine. The dark brown color bores into me filling me with the same dread I felt earlier. He doesn’t have to say anything, but I know he will. “I am sorry, sir. They did recover four bodies. Two appear to be male, and two female. I’m not sure we will be able to identify them due to the damage they incurred. I know this is a lot to process, sir. But in the morning, would you help us identify them?”
I sink to the floor, no longer able to control my body. “Nathan and Janet, uh Autumn’s parents. The other, the other two are, were, her brother and sister, Jonah and Lena. I tried. I had hoped.”
“You did what you could. You got you and your fiancée out of the house. There is nothing wrong with that. You did the right thing, sir.”
I know the officer is trying to be comforting, but it’s just not working. I promised to protect her and her family. I failed. Her family lies among the ashes, their burned bodies scarring themselves across my mind. I focus on Autumn. I don’t know what kind of danger she could be in right now. I should have been faster. I should have smelled the smoke sooner. I should have checked the damn smoke detectors. I should have held on to her and went after her family as well.
“I know what you’re thinking, sir.” Mark says coming up next to me. “You can’t blame yourself. If the situation would have played out in any other way, you all would have been lost.”
“Thank you for your help officer. Please keep me informed with anything you find out. Mark can give you all my information.” I shake hands with the officer as the doctor appears near the nurses station.
“How is she?” I ask the moment I’m within earshot of him.
His hard light green brown connect with mine. “She will be all right. I’m not sure how long she had been inhaling the smoke but it really did some damage. Her oxygen levels are really low and she will need to remain here for observations.”
“Can I see her?”
“Soon. Right now she is still heavily sedated. She woke up in the middle of her MRI and had a panic attack. We had no choice.” He adds as if sensing my confusion. “She should be awake in just a bit and then you can see her. I just want you to be aware though that it is not uncommon for there to be severe repercussions from smoke inhalation.”
“I understand. I will do whatever is necessary to take care of her.”
I catch the faintest smirk crosses his lips before leveling back out. “That’s what we like to hear from loved ones.”
He grabs a chart from the blonde nurse and once again disappears behind the doors. A wave of unease surfaces. Something isn’t right. Turning back to where I left Mark and the officer, I’m met with an empty waiting room. The glass doors to the emergency room slide open as Mark walks back in.
“Mark,” I walk over, veering him away from the nurses station. “I need you to start looking into the fire. The officer said that it started in the kitchen. Make sure it’s true.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know. For now, start there.” I want to look into this hospital along with the staff, but I’m not sure that is justified at the moment. Something tells me there is more going on here than what’s being led on, but I have no proof.
“She will be okay.” Mark says placing his hand on my arm. “I will start looking into this, but I’m not leaving until you are ready to go.”
I nod, but stay silent. Nausea filling my belly as my mind runs through all the horrific things that have happened. Mark settles into one of the corners and gets to work. I resume my rhythmic pacing attempting to convince myself that I’m being paranoid and everything will be fine. She is safe and alive. That is all that matters to me.