5
Bree
The next morning, I woke up with a terrible headache, which reminded me of a hangover, but even that would be better than this. I’d barely slept a few hours, tossing around all the time as the nightmares of being left with nothing and lost in the middle of nowhere kept haunting me. The hotel room had been too quiet, and I felt weird being here all by myself.
A gasp of shock left my lips when I looked myself in the mirror. I was a horrible mess. I showered and luckily the hotel shampoo did wonders to my hair and took out some of the smell. Maybe I could grab some make-up today at a drug store. Since I had nothing left.
God. Nothing left. That stung.
The Red Cross had left a bag of clothes for me, donated stuff I assumed, at my door. I chose a flowery dress that smelled nice and put some effort into making my hair look more presentable. I braided it and made it fall over my shoulder. Granny had always braided my hair during my middle school years, so braids always reminded me of her. I was so lucky to have her on my side all this time.
I sighed, feeling anxious. Being separated like this from her made everything worse. I couldn’t help but worry about her, hoping she slept well. I took two painkillers and left the hotel to visit her, buying her a basket of fruit on my way.
“My sweet Bree!” Granny greeted me when I opened the door to her small room.
“Hey.” I smiled widely and rushed to her bed, pulling her into my embrace. “I’m here.”
“I missed you,” she murmured into my hair and left a kiss on top of my head.
“I missed you too. Here is something for you.” I placed the basket on the bedside table.
Her lips curled into a big smile. “Oh, you shouldn’t have.”
“This is nothing. I know how much you love fruit. Do you feel okay?”
I inspected her face subtly and noticed the tired lines around her eyes. I hated that she had to go through all of this and be forced to be put in a rehab center. Stupid smoke. I shook my head, just focus on Granny.
“Yes. I’m okay now. The doctors and nurses here are very kind, and they are always around, so I have all I need. How about you?”
“That’s a relief. I’m completely okay.”
“Did you have a good sleep?”
I didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily, so I nodded, hoping she wouldn’t notice just how much this was far from the truth. “And you?” I glanced around the white and sterile room, which was furnished simply. There was a dresser with a TV on it, next to the chair and desk. Her bed was across from a window that overlooked the back garden. “This is kind of cozy, isn’t it?”
“It’s fine, I guess. I can’t get used to this bed. The pillow is not soft at all.” She sighed. “I guess I can’t complain when there is no other way. What is your hotel like?”
“Just like any other three star hotel. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing special. It’s clean, and that’s the most important, right?”
“Exactly. We’re alive and okay, so we shouldn’t complain at all. If it hadn’t been for the kind firefighters that had cleared the path for us and enabled us to get out of the building safely, we wouldn’t even be here.”
“You’re right.”
Last night had been crazy. All of the sudden, the whole building was on fire, and it was terrifying. I’d never experienced something like this in my whole life. I could still feel the hotness on my skin—the danger of the fiery flames crawling so close to me that I thought they were going to swallow me. We could barely breathe from all that smoke, and then Granny began coughing so hard I thought she would choke. I’d been a few seconds away from panicking.
Luckily, we managed to escape and rush out of the building before it became worse. The shock had started wearing off, so now I could think better about the whole situation and all the possibilities. The horrible possibilities.
“You should bake a pie to take to those nice young fellas that saved you,” my grandmother suddenly suggested, taking me by surprise.
“Bake them a pie?”
“Yes. I noticed them talking to you last night, and I must say they are good looking.”
It amused me that she noticed their attractiveness too. On the other hand, it would be difficult not to notice that, since they were strikingly handsome—the kind that makes all eyes in the room fall on them. And if that wasn’t enough, they did an admirable job of saving people in need. I actually looked up to them, because it took a lot of courage and strength to do what they had done. I wondered if they had girlfriends or something. Probably. Guys like that aren’t just single.
“Yes, they are.” Something tightened in my chest when I remembered how sexy their smiles had been. They were every woman’s dream come true. “They introduced themselves to me, but I was so rude. I dismissed them without even thanking them.”
She frowned. “Bree! Why would you do that?”
I shrugged my shoulders, feeling slightly ashamed. In that moment everything was happening fast, so I couldn’t even think properly.
“I know. It’s just that the Red Cross volunteer had told me that you and I were going to be separated, and I started worrying... I was stressed, so I didn’t even realize what I’d done until it was too late. Anyway, I wish I could fix that.”
“Well, this is all the more reason why you should bake a pie and give it to them. That is the least they deserve. And not only that. You should apologize to them too.”
“I know, but I’m in a hotel, Granny. How can I bake a pie in a hotel? I would like to do that, but I obviously can’t.”
She shook her head with disapproval. “Then go to a store and buy it. You have to take a pie to them. We have to repay them somehow, and this would be a right thing to do. Besides, men love food, and I’m sure they would appreciate it.” She winked at me.
I laughed, knowing she was right. There was no man who would say no to a delicious pie.
“Alright, if you say so. I’ll buy it and take it to them. But I’m also telling them it’s from you.”
“That’s my girl. I wish I could make it myself, but...” Her lips went into a thin line, and I could easily read the sadness on her face.
I wrapped my fingers around her warm hand. “Hey. You’ll get out of here soon. We’ll find some new place and I’ll take care of you.”
“I know, honey. I believe in you. I just don’t want you to feel stressed about this. We’ll take the insurance money, and it will cover all the costs.”
“I still have to find that job. Now that my laptop is gone, I will have to find some other way to search for job. Maybe the library or a friend. I’m sure I can call someone.”
My heart squeezed painfully when I remembered that all our things had been ruined. We had nothing anymore, and it hurt me just to think that we had to start from zero and solve this mess we’d fallen into...
No. I had to stop these terrible thoughts, because if I thought about everything we’d lost... No. Enough. That wouldn’t solve anything.
I refused to think about it and joked with my grandmother for the remainder of my visit. I was glad she was in a good mood. I’d been worried they would place her in some facility where she wouldn’t be looked after well, but luckily that wasn’t the case.
She caressed my cheek, which was something she always did whenever she wanted to make me relax and feel better. “You can do this, Bree. You’re the strongest girl I know. If there is anyone who can find the solution, it’s you.”
“Thanks, Granny. I needed this.”
“Don’t you worry about all this mess. This will pass, and you’ll come out of this stronger than ever. Now, I think you should go and give those fellas a pie.” She winked at me again, making me laugh, and I shook my head. She was persistent, no matter what state she was in.
I stayed for a couple more minutes before I headed to the store. I made a call to the Red Cross volunteer who had given me her number and asked her to tell me which fire station responded to the call last night. She told me it was Firehouse 149, which was a mile away from the bakery.
I chose an apple pie to take to the station and walked there from the bakery. I felt slightly nervous because I had no idea how Caleb and Trent were going to react when they saw me. I had to apologize to them and explain why I waved them off like that. Hopefully, they would understand that I was just trying my best to handle everything.
I crossed the street, feeling a crushing wave of guilt in my chest. I felt terrible about the fire that had displaced so many people. It was horrifying knowing that in just one second everything could be lost, and I was grateful beyond words that no one died. If that happened, I didn’t know how I would have felt.
What if it had all been my fault? At least I thought it could be. That pot I left on the stove while I watched TV. I fell asleep. What if that was the beginning?
Was I to blame?
Granny was sleeping when I smelled smoke, which was my first clue that something awful was happening. Just as I jumped from the couch, I heard the cracking sounds that chilled me to the bone, and I ran into the kitchen immediately. A scream left my lungs when I saw the fire that raged all over our cabinets and electrical devices. There was no way for me to douse the flames by myself, especially when the fire escalated in a matter of seconds, reaching the hallway and other rooms.
I barely had time to reach my grandmother, whose room was in flames too, and I supported her on our way out of the place, her coughs and the sickening sounds of fire ringing in my ears. There was no time to pick anything to bring with us, so we just rushed out of the building in our pajamas, joining the crowd that had already gathered on the street.
I’d been so stupid. If I hadn’t left that pot... If I hadn’t forgotten about it...
Maybe none of this would have happened.
I clenched my jaw, refusing to cry. No. Tears wouldn’t do me any good now. It would just make me feel worse, and I blamed myself enough already. At least no one was hurt, which was the most important thing. Hopefully, all residents would find new homes, and everything would be okay, in the end. Jesus, I prayed it would be. I couldn’t imagine it otherwise.
I’d do everything I could to help the other people. Anything I could offer them, I would. I’d make this right.
I had to.
After almost half an hour, I reached Firehouse 149, and I clutched onto the handles of the bag I carried. Once more, I felt flutters in my stomach from the excitement, and I wondered what their reaction would be. I was glad that I’d been gifted this dress, because it was a confidence booster, and I needed all the confidence I could get next to those two heartthrobs.
I took a deep breath and crossed the street in front the station. Time to start making amends.