Timing is Everything
1
3:21 A.M.
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep
I wake up to the sound of an unfamiliar alarm beeping. As soon as I open my eyes, they begin stinging and I can hardly breathe. My eyes water as I look around my smoke filled room, trying to figure out what is happening. I stumble out of bed, wearing my hoodie and sweatpants, and open my bedroom door only to find more smoke. I tear my hoodie off of me and hold it to my mouth hoping it might help me breathe easier. Sirens wail in the distance as I sprint to my roommate Ashley’s room across the hall. Without thinking, I reach for the doorknob and immediately recoil in pain.
“FUCK!” I cry and hold my hand closely to me as it stings.
I remove the hoodie from my mouth and wrap it around the door handle, thrusting the door open. Flames erupt towards me and all of a sudden, I feel two arms grabbing me back.
“LET ME GO!” I kick and scream. “ASHLEY IS IN THERE!”
The pair of arms does not release me; instead, carry me through the smoke filled house and outside.
“There’s one more!” The man holding me yells to the others.
Immediately, they run into my house as the man sets me down on a gurney. I look at my house in horror as I see flames shoot out of Ashley’s bedroom window. Smoke pours out of the front doorway and firemen shoot water from every angle. All of a sudden, I realize there’s more than one more.
“Jasper.” I gasp. I look up at the fireman who carried me out here. “Please! My bunny Jasper is in there!”
With those words, the brown hair man sprints off back into my house and tears stream down my face. How the fuck did this happen? I clench my hands up into fists, stressed, only to get the painful reminder I burned myself.
“Shit.” I muttered.
The EMT noticed and immediately rushed to my side.
“What hurts ma’am?” He asks swiftly.
“My hand.” I reveal my now red, blistered hand to him. “I grabbed one of the doorknobs without thinking.”
“That’s going to need medical care right away.” He murmurs, examining it closely. “What is your name miss?”
“Cassie Malone.” I reply, wincing as he rubs his gloved finger over the burn.
Just then, the fireman comes running out with Jasper in hand.
“JASS!” I cry, reaching my arms out immediately.
The fireman throws me a broad grin and gently lays Jasper in my lap. “He should be okay. I think you should have him checked out by a vet though, just to make sure his lungs are okay. There was a good amount of smoke in your room.”
“What about Ashley?” I ask suddenly. “Where did this fire come from?”
I look up at him with terrified eyes, hoping for an answer. All of a sudden, the EMT steps in.
“I’m sorry but we need to get you to the hospital now. The bunny cannot come with.” He grabs Jasper out of my arms and hands him back to the fireman. “I need to hook you up to an IV now.”
“Wait, where will he go?” I ask the EMT with my voice shaking.
“I’ll take care of him.” The fireman quickly responds. “I’ll take him to a vet first thing in the morning. I can drop him by the hospital in the morning. What is your name?”
“Cassie Malone.” I reply. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” He throws me a sad smile. “It’s the least I can do.”
“Where is Ashley?” I ask, my voice trembling.
He opens his mouth to respond, but the EMT sticks the IV in my arm.
“Shit.” I gasp. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
All of a sudden, the EMT pushes my gurney in the back of the ambulance.
“What’s your name?” I call to the man holding my bunny.
“Zack.” He smiles.
The ambulance door is shut swiftly, just as I open my mouth to respond. I sigh and relax onto the gurney, exhausted and confused. All I can think about is Ashley and where she is. And what the hell was she doing to cause a fire? Tears stream down my face silently as I realize all that happened.
I glance at the EMT who is scribbling away on a paper.
“What is your name?” I ask gently.
“Trent.” He smiles. “Hey, there’s no need to cry. You’re safe.”
I sniffle softly and take a deep breath. “I know I’m okay, but is Ashley?”
Trent sighs and runs a hand through his disheveled blonde hair. “Sorry kiddo, I really don’t have a clue. Just try to remain positive. You never know.”
I nod softly and stare up at the ambulance ceiling. The sirens wail as we make our way to the hospital.
“I have just a few quick questions for you love. Birthday?” Trent asks.
“March 23, 1991.” I reply quickly. “Just had my 22nd birthday two days ago.”
“Happy late birthday.” He smiles.
He asks me a few more questions, about my address, medical history, physician’s number and whatnot. I answer all of the questions easily, grateful for the distraction. Within minutes, we are at the hospital. Trent rolls me into a room and a nurse follows closely behind.
“Alright kiddo I’m out of here. Hang in there.” He gives me a high five on his way out.
The nurse grabs my chart from him on the way out and smiles at me. “Hi sweetie. I’m Mary and I’ll be your nurse for the night. Go ahead and get some sleep, I’ll give you some medicine through the IV to relax you and take any pain you might have away.
I nod in understanding and relax as she switches the bag. “If you hear anything about my friend Ashley, please let me know. We were in a fire and it looked like it started in her room. I’m really worried.” I let her know.
She smiles grimly at me. “I will sweetheart. Don’t worry about it for now, just get some rest.”
I sigh and turn over on my side, facing the window. I feel the cold liquid hit my veins and within seconds, I am out like a light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10:33 A.M
More beeping. But this time, I know it’s not a fire alarm. I turn over to look at my IV and see that it says “Infusion Complete”. I groan and press the call button for a nurse. I throw my messy black hair into a bun and groan. I go to lie back down but something catches my eye.
A black converse.
I sit up and peer around my bed to find the fireman from last night asleep in one of the recliner chairs, my bunny wrapped up in his leather jacket. I can see Jaspers nose twitching, eyes looking around at the hospital room. I giggle softly and look at the fireman. I gasp a little, realizing how cute Zack actually is.
The man had long brown hair that covers his forehead and a little bit of stubble. He has a silver nose ring and a tattoo that I can’t quite make out on his forearm. He’s wearing a tight, white v-neck that is definitely accentuating his arm muscles. He has long, dark blue jeans on and black converse. I bite my lip and stare at him, completely hypnotized. I didn’t even notice the nurse that came in.
“Sweetie.” She rubs my arm. I jolt back and look at her. “You called?”
“Yes sorry, my bag needs to be changed or something.” I point up at the IV and she nods quickly.
As I pointed up, I realized my hand was wrapped tightly in a white bandage. I glance up at her, waiting for an explanation. She smiles.
“I had to dress your wound last night. I figured when you were heavily asleep from the drugs would be the best time. Otherwise, it might have hurt quite a bit.” She explains.
“Thank you.” I murmur.
She steps back, accidentally hitting Zack’s converse. She scurries out of the room as Zack stirs. He yawns and opens his warm brown eyes, looking towards me.
“Hey you.” He grins. “I got Jasper here. The vet said he’s fine. Just keep an eye on the way he breathes and everything should be okay.” He hands me my bunny and I sit up in bed.
Jasper crawls around on my hospital bed, sniffing everything in sight. He makes his way up my legs and settles himself on my lap. I stroke him softly and he buries himself deeper. I glance up at Zack.
“Thank you. He means the world to me. You can sit on the edge of my bed if you would like.” I motion for him to and he sits.
“How are you feeling?” He asks smiling at me.
“I’m okay. I just feel really worried and confused. Can you explain to me where the fire started and such?” I stroke Jasper lightly and look up at Zack.
He nods and his face grows rather serious. “It started in your roommate Ashley’s room. She had a candle stick lit and a bottle of Vodka on her bed stand.” I cringe, knowing this was true. Ashley has a tad bit of a drinking problem. “Well I suppose in her sleep, she pushed her pillow and it hit the Vodka bottle and candle and tipped them both over. The alcohol encouraged the fire to start and her pillow caught fire. From there, the fire spread to other parts of her bed and room. That was the only terribly damaged part of your house. The rest is very mild.”
“What about Ashley? Is she okay?” I ask shakily.
Zack sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. He looks at me for a moment before responding. “We tried. When we found her, she was on fire. We threw fire blankets on her body and airlifted her to the nearest hospital. Shortly thereafter, she was pronounced dead. I’m really fucking sorry Cassie.”
I sit there, frozen and bewildered. “N-no. It can’t be. Sh-she was fine yesterd-day.” I stutter. “NO.” Tears stream down my face quickly.
“I’m so sorry. We did everything we could. Cassie please understand, it will be okay. Is there anything I can do for you?” I can tell he wants to reach out, but doesn’t want it to be weird.
I burst out into tears and double over, completely torn. “Ashley was my best friend and my protector. We took care of each other. When she got too drunk, I would take care of her. When we watched a scary movie and I got too scared, she cuddled with me and helped me go to sleep. I met her when I was 6 and we clicked immediately. Everyone thought we were sisters. No one ever separated us at any point. Our birthdays were just 5 days apart. We celebrated them every year together. She was my everything. She IS my everything. She can’t be fucking dead, she just can’t.” I sob and stutter over my words.
Zack lets out a long sigh and grabs one of my hands. “I’m so sorry. Please, is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?”
I look up at him. “Bring her back. Please.”
He shakes his head slowly. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Then get me out of here and back to my house. I want to see everything. I need to see all her room.” I whimper.
Zack smiles softly. “I’ll get right on that.” He walks out of the room to find a nurse I assume.
She can’t be dead. She just can’t be.
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep
I wake up to the sound of an unfamiliar alarm beeping. As soon as I open my eyes, they begin stinging and I can hardly breathe. My eyes water as I look around my smoke filled room, trying to figure out what is happening. I stumble out of bed, wearing my hoodie and sweatpants, and open my bedroom door only to find more smoke. I tear my hoodie off of me and hold it to my mouth hoping it might help me breathe easier. Sirens wail in the distance as I sprint to my roommate Ashley’s room across the hall. Without thinking, I reach for the doorknob and immediately recoil in pain.
“FUCK!” I cry and hold my hand closely to me as it stings.
I remove the hoodie from my mouth and wrap it around the door handle, thrusting the door open. Flames erupt towards me and all of a sudden, I feel two arms grabbing me back.
“LET ME GO!” I kick and scream. “ASHLEY IS IN THERE!”
The pair of arms does not release me; instead, carry me through the smoke filled house and outside.
“There’s one more!” The man holding me yells to the others.
Immediately, they run into my house as the man sets me down on a gurney. I look at my house in horror as I see flames shoot out of Ashley’s bedroom window. Smoke pours out of the front doorway and firemen shoot water from every angle. All of a sudden, I realize there’s more than one more.
“Jasper.” I gasp. I look up at the fireman who carried me out here. “Please! My bunny Jasper is in there!”
With those words, the brown hair man sprints off back into my house and tears stream down my face. How the fuck did this happen? I clench my hands up into fists, stressed, only to get the painful reminder I burned myself.
“Shit.” I muttered.
The EMT noticed and immediately rushed to my side.
“What hurts ma’am?” He asks swiftly.
“My hand.” I reveal my now red, blistered hand to him. “I grabbed one of the doorknobs without thinking.”
“That’s going to need medical care right away.” He murmurs, examining it closely. “What is your name miss?”
“Cassie Malone.” I reply, wincing as he rubs his gloved finger over the burn.
Just then, the fireman comes running out with Jasper in hand.
“JASS!” I cry, reaching my arms out immediately.
The fireman throws me a broad grin and gently lays Jasper in my lap. “He should be okay. I think you should have him checked out by a vet though, just to make sure his lungs are okay. There was a good amount of smoke in your room.”
“What about Ashley?” I ask suddenly. “Where did this fire come from?”
I look up at him with terrified eyes, hoping for an answer. All of a sudden, the EMT steps in.
“I’m sorry but we need to get you to the hospital now. The bunny cannot come with.” He grabs Jasper out of my arms and hands him back to the fireman. “I need to hook you up to an IV now.”
“Wait, where will he go?” I ask the EMT with my voice shaking.
“I’ll take care of him.” The fireman quickly responds. “I’ll take him to a vet first thing in the morning. I can drop him by the hospital in the morning. What is your name?”
“Cassie Malone.” I reply. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” He throws me a sad smile. “It’s the least I can do.”
“Where is Ashley?” I ask, my voice trembling.
He opens his mouth to respond, but the EMT sticks the IV in my arm.
“Shit.” I gasp. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
All of a sudden, the EMT pushes my gurney in the back of the ambulance.
“What’s your name?” I call to the man holding my bunny.
“Zack.” He smiles.
The ambulance door is shut swiftly, just as I open my mouth to respond. I sigh and relax onto the gurney, exhausted and confused. All I can think about is Ashley and where she is. And what the hell was she doing to cause a fire? Tears stream down my face silently as I realize all that happened.
I glance at the EMT who is scribbling away on a paper.
“What is your name?” I ask gently.
“Trent.” He smiles. “Hey, there’s no need to cry. You’re safe.”
I sniffle softly and take a deep breath. “I know I’m okay, but is Ashley?”
Trent sighs and runs a hand through his disheveled blonde hair. “Sorry kiddo, I really don’t have a clue. Just try to remain positive. You never know.”
I nod softly and stare up at the ambulance ceiling. The sirens wail as we make our way to the hospital.
“I have just a few quick questions for you love. Birthday?” Trent asks.
“March 23, 1991.” I reply quickly. “Just had my 22nd birthday two days ago.”
“Happy late birthday.” He smiles.
He asks me a few more questions, about my address, medical history, physician’s number and whatnot. I answer all of the questions easily, grateful for the distraction. Within minutes, we are at the hospital. Trent rolls me into a room and a nurse follows closely behind.
“Alright kiddo I’m out of here. Hang in there.” He gives me a high five on his way out.
The nurse grabs my chart from him on the way out and smiles at me. “Hi sweetie. I’m Mary and I’ll be your nurse for the night. Go ahead and get some sleep, I’ll give you some medicine through the IV to relax you and take any pain you might have away.
I nod in understanding and relax as she switches the bag. “If you hear anything about my friend Ashley, please let me know. We were in a fire and it looked like it started in her room. I’m really worried.” I let her know.
She smiles grimly at me. “I will sweetheart. Don’t worry about it for now, just get some rest.”
I sigh and turn over on my side, facing the window. I feel the cold liquid hit my veins and within seconds, I am out like a light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10:33 A.M
More beeping. But this time, I know it’s not a fire alarm. I turn over to look at my IV and see that it says “Infusion Complete”. I groan and press the call button for a nurse. I throw my messy black hair into a bun and groan. I go to lie back down but something catches my eye.
A black converse.
I sit up and peer around my bed to find the fireman from last night asleep in one of the recliner chairs, my bunny wrapped up in his leather jacket. I can see Jaspers nose twitching, eyes looking around at the hospital room. I giggle softly and look at the fireman. I gasp a little, realizing how cute Zack actually is.
The man had long brown hair that covers his forehead and a little bit of stubble. He has a silver nose ring and a tattoo that I can’t quite make out on his forearm. He’s wearing a tight, white v-neck that is definitely accentuating his arm muscles. He has long, dark blue jeans on and black converse. I bite my lip and stare at him, completely hypnotized. I didn’t even notice the nurse that came in.
“Sweetie.” She rubs my arm. I jolt back and look at her. “You called?”
“Yes sorry, my bag needs to be changed or something.” I point up at the IV and she nods quickly.
As I pointed up, I realized my hand was wrapped tightly in a white bandage. I glance up at her, waiting for an explanation. She smiles.
“I had to dress your wound last night. I figured when you were heavily asleep from the drugs would be the best time. Otherwise, it might have hurt quite a bit.” She explains.
“Thank you.” I murmur.
She steps back, accidentally hitting Zack’s converse. She scurries out of the room as Zack stirs. He yawns and opens his warm brown eyes, looking towards me.
“Hey you.” He grins. “I got Jasper here. The vet said he’s fine. Just keep an eye on the way he breathes and everything should be okay.” He hands me my bunny and I sit up in bed.
Jasper crawls around on my hospital bed, sniffing everything in sight. He makes his way up my legs and settles himself on my lap. I stroke him softly and he buries himself deeper. I glance up at Zack.
“Thank you. He means the world to me. You can sit on the edge of my bed if you would like.” I motion for him to and he sits.
“How are you feeling?” He asks smiling at me.
“I’m okay. I just feel really worried and confused. Can you explain to me where the fire started and such?” I stroke Jasper lightly and look up at Zack.
He nods and his face grows rather serious. “It started in your roommate Ashley’s room. She had a candle stick lit and a bottle of Vodka on her bed stand.” I cringe, knowing this was true. Ashley has a tad bit of a drinking problem. “Well I suppose in her sleep, she pushed her pillow and it hit the Vodka bottle and candle and tipped them both over. The alcohol encouraged the fire to start and her pillow caught fire. From there, the fire spread to other parts of her bed and room. That was the only terribly damaged part of your house. The rest is very mild.”
“What about Ashley? Is she okay?” I ask shakily.
Zack sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. He looks at me for a moment before responding. “We tried. When we found her, she was on fire. We threw fire blankets on her body and airlifted her to the nearest hospital. Shortly thereafter, she was pronounced dead. I’m really fucking sorry Cassie.”
I sit there, frozen and bewildered. “N-no. It can’t be. Sh-she was fine yesterd-day.” I stutter. “NO.” Tears stream down my face quickly.
“I’m so sorry. We did everything we could. Cassie please understand, it will be okay. Is there anything I can do for you?” I can tell he wants to reach out, but doesn’t want it to be weird.
I burst out into tears and double over, completely torn. “Ashley was my best friend and my protector. We took care of each other. When she got too drunk, I would take care of her. When we watched a scary movie and I got too scared, she cuddled with me and helped me go to sleep. I met her when I was 6 and we clicked immediately. Everyone thought we were sisters. No one ever separated us at any point. Our birthdays were just 5 days apart. We celebrated them every year together. She was my everything. She IS my everything. She can’t be fucking dead, she just can’t.” I sob and stutter over my words.
Zack lets out a long sigh and grabs one of my hands. “I’m so sorry. Please, is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?”
I look up at him. “Bring her back. Please.”
He shakes his head slowly. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Then get me out of here and back to my house. I want to see everything. I need to see all her room.” I whimper.
Zack smiles softly. “I’ll get right on that.” He walks out of the room to find a nurse I assume.
She can’t be dead. She just can’t be.
Notes
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12/7/13