Broken Dreams (51 page)

“We can’t live on ‘what if’s’, Elaina. And, besides, if I get completely pissed, then I won’t think, feel, or hear!” He took another long pull from the bottle.

“Henry, please listen to me. Damn it, give me that bottle!” I snatched it right out of his hands as he was bringing it to his lips again. “This isn’t going to help you. When you wake up, everything will still be here. All your feelings, all your emotions, all your pain! It will still be here! Plus a hangover.”

“She’s right.” Claire whispered, startling us. “My parents died in an accident because of my father’s alcoholism.” I was stunned. That was new to me. Wait, was she saying that Henry was an alcoholic?

“Claire… I had no idea.” I was still thinking about whether or not Henry was an alcoholic.

“No one did. He hid it well. Very well. My father was drunk while driving home, my mother was stupid for letting him drive. They crashed into a tree at around eighty miles an hour.” Besides the small obituary that was on the newspaper’s website, that was the first time I had heard anything about Claire’s parent’s death.

“Claire… I’m so sorry.” I grabbed her, pulling her into a hug.

“It’s okay, really. I have been trying to come to terms with it. I haven’t wanted to talk about it because I was too embarrassed. Dr. James, one of the best around, couldn’t even control his drinking.” She pulled away from me. “Henry, I don’t want anything to happen to you. You see, no matter what kind of shit you pulled or shit you are in, Elaina’s love for you is so strong. We can’t sit here and watch you drink yourself into a coma. I love you like family. I want to keep what family I have left around me. I know Elaina wants the same. She would be lost without you.” I saw Henry’s face go from angry to sorrow.

“Elaina… She’s gone. She’s gone.” He fell to his knees.

“Henry.” I rushed to him and knelt down in front of him, grabbing his face and looking him in the eyes. “I’m so sorry you lost her…the only person that could completely understand you.”

“I can’t even give her a proper burial. She deserves one. I was all she had.” He fell into my arms. Henry was in a million pieces, scattered before me. Putting him back together would prove to be the largest task ever. My mind was working at a feverish pace, trying to find a way to piece him back together. I wasn’t sure if I was the one for the job.

“You’re right. She absolutely does. But…listen.” I grabbed his face again. “Look at me.” His beautiful eyes met mine. “Once we find a place to settle down, we’ll have a proper memorial for her. Okay?” His tears were pooling in my hands. “We will honor her.”

“Her kids… They will never know her.”

“We will find them and tell them all about how amazing their mom was. They will know the truth about Sophie, how much she wanted to be there for them, how strong and resilient she was.”

“I have to get them for her.”

“We will. If it’s the last thing we do.” He nodded and wrapped his arms around me.

I don’t know how long I held him while he cried, but it seemed like hours. He needed it. As much as I hated to admit it, Sophie was the only one who truly understood Henry. And, goddammit, that hurt.

Chapter 32

laire woke up with the sun shining on her face. She rolled over, realizing that Nick wasn’t there. Immediately, she stood up, forgetting she was naked. Then she smiled, thinking about how Nick took her to places that no one ever had. She thought about their encounter the night before, and how amazing it was.

Then fear rushed over her. With amazing agility, she ran around all the blankets and supplies, putting her clothes on. She had to find him. Claire whipped open the bedroom door. “Nick! Nick! Where are you?” Her body prickled with panic. “Nick!” she screamed.

***

“It’s alright, Claire,” I yelled up the stairs. “He and Thomas went scavenging for gas.” She bolted down the stairs, pulling her shirt over her head.

“Gas?”

“Yeah, there are a few cars around so they went to get as much gas as they could.” Claire took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down.

“How’s Henry?”

“A wreck doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s still sleeping, and I didn’t want to disturb him yet. The sun was coming up before I could talk him into going to lie down…” My voice trailed off. “I haven’t even slept yet.”

“Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“Claire, he’ll never be okay. He cried himself to sleep like a child. I’m so worried about him. It kills me to see him like this. There are moments when he’s so strong and amazing, but then there are moments, like now, when he’s like a lost boy. His toughness is just a front to hide that scared little boy that resides inside of him.”

“He’s gone through some pretty awful shit.”

“Yeah.” I looked away from Claire. “I can’t wait to get my hands on that fucker. I’m going to torture the bastard. He’ll pay for what he did to Henry.” My body surged with hatred. Claire put her hand on my shoulder and lovingly rubbed it, smiling sadly.

“Well…shall we try to organize this atrocity?” She waved her arm at the disarray of boxes and bags. I was dreading it, but it had to be done. We knelt down on the floor and emptied everything, repacking it as orderly and as neat as we could.

There were a couple gunshots off in the distance. Claire and I both stood up and ran to the windows. We saw Nick and Thomas in a full sprint, running toward us. I opened the door, and they launched into the house. They were both bent over, trying to catch their breath.

“What happened?!” Claire grabbed Nick.

“Survivors…” He was breathless. Thomas reached around and locked the doors. “Shooting at us.”

“What’s going on? I heard gunshots.” Henry was running down the stairs while buttoning his jeans. Claire and I went to look out the grimy window.

“There are a couple…survivors down there. We were getting gas…and they shot at us.” I peeked out the window.

“Uh, guys. They’re here.” An older man was beating the shit out of Sophie’s truck with a huge wrench, screaming for us to come out. “And there’s one pointing a gun right at the door.”

“Alright. Be right back.” Henry ran upstairs. He came back down in seconds with his vest on over a shirt with several weapons stashed in it. He quickly put on a hoodie and his ball cap.

He glanced at me. “They have no idea who they’re fucking with.” Henry was back. “Everyone stand back. Nick, get the sniper rifle and go upstairs. I’m going to go out there. If anything happens, put some lead in them.” That was a little blunt. I didn’t like the plan one bit because it wasn’t well thought out…not that any of our other plans were ever well thought out. He was being a bit too much of a loose cannon for me right now, though.

“You got it, boss.” Nick grabbed the sniper rifle and extra ammo, and ran upstairs to the front bedroom.

“Henry, you can’t go out there! He’s aiming right at the door.”

“Elaina… I’ve got this. Trust me.” “Crazy Henry” had arrived, and I knew not to fuck with
that
Henry. I backed off because there was no way that I could change his mind, and if I tried, he would just explode. We didn’t need any more of that for the time being.

“I love you.” I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“As well.” He kissed me on the forehead. I grabbed Claire, and she pulled me into the kitchen so we could watch out the window. Thomas ran upstairs with Nick.

We heard the door slowly open, then Henry’s booming voice. “Is there an issue, gentlemen?”

“Oh, god…” I covered my eyes.

“An issue? Of course there’s a fucking issue,” said the mangy-looking guy holding the gun. “Two of your people stole gas from vehicles we have already claimed.”

“Ah, I see. A simple misunderstanding.” Henry smiled. The mangy man with the gun didn’t return the gesture.

“It’s more than a simple misunderstanding. You see, this is our neighborhood. And it was fine until you waltzed in here and thought you were going to move on in.”

“Actually, we were only staying the night. We can be out of your hair in the next hour, and you can have your precious, rundown neighborhood back.” The older grubby man with the wrench smashed the passenger side window of Sophie’s truck. I saw the muscles in Henry’s jaw twitch.

“Oh shit, Claire. Oh shit. This is going to end badly.” I could almost hear Henry’s teeth grinding together.

“Please. Stop doing that.” Henry was doing his best to be calm. “I’ll give you back your gas, and we will leave.”

The man with the gun shook his head and laughed maniacally. “Nope. You will give us
everything
you have, including that truck.” He pointed at Henry’s truck.

Henry looked surprised by this man’s brazenness. Then his face shifted, and just like that, “Program Henry” took over. “I don’t think so, mate,” he said in a low, gruff voice.

“What makes you think that we’ll let you go alive?” The guy with the wrench began laughing like a lunatic. “What makes you think that you’re the only one who has attempted this, then attempted to walk away?”

“You have no clue who you’re fucking with,” Henry growled. The two men laughed. Henry wasn’t laughing. He gaze was strong and icy. He was ready to strike, like a waiting rattlesnake. One more jab and it was on.

“Do you have the queen on speed dial?” said the mangy younger man, mocking Henry’s accent. They laughed again. Henry’s face was unreadable.

“Claire…,” I whispered. My entire body was trembling.

“I know. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing.” Then the older man with the wrench continued smashing Sophie’s truck. We heard a whistle, and the man with the gun looked around.

Henry saw his opportunity and jumped him, putting him in a headlock. Then he wrestled the gun out of his hands, tossing it behind him, and pulled out a knife. He pressed the knife to his throat. He struggled, but Henry was far too strong for him.

“Now. Let’s renegotiate, shall we?” He glared at the older man.

“Let him go, or I’ll fuck you up.” The older man seemed a little nervous, even though he spoke as if he wasn’t. I assumed the one in the headlock was his son. After all, they both seemed to have a similar mangy look about them.

“We can’t let him do this!” I grabbed Claire before she ran out.

“What happened to ‘he knows what he’s doing, and we have to trust him’, Claire?”

“We can’t go around killing people!” she yelled.

“Lower your voice! He hasn’t killed anyone yet.” I focused back on outside.

“With what? Your plumber’s tool?” Henry chuckled. He stopped in a snap and focused on the father. “You have fucked with the wrong people. I have a highly-trained band of individuals in the house that, with one signal, will come out in full force. I have a sniper up top, and one in each window. If you try anything, it will be your last day in this cruel world. Do you understand? Or do I need to speak slower?”

The one that Henry had in a headlock was on the brink of unconsciousness. He stopped struggling.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Oh, fuck.” I saw it coming before it happened. I closed my eyes. Claire struggled against me, while I held her.

“Shoulder!” Henry yelled. We heard a single gunshot, and the father fell to the ground, writhing in pain. “Now, I suggest you get your ass away from my people and our belongings, or you will have a leg injury, as well.”

Henry let go of the son and pushed him away. He bent over, coughing, and rubbed his throat, checking for blood. He grabbed his father, who was on the ground bleeding like a stuck pig, and they ran off. Henry turned around, grabbed the gun that the man dropped, and stormed back inside, slamming the door.

“Henry!” When I got to him, I saw his eyes were graying before my eyes. “Henry?”

“I need a fix. The blood he poured out is making me have a craving.”

“Okay. Okay. I’ll have Claire hook me up.” I pulled out the box that had the draw supplies and found what I needed to fill a bag. Nick and Thomas rushed downstairs.

“Nice work, Nick.” Henry smirked.

“It was Thomas’ idea to whistle. I was just going to pick them both off.” Thomas shifted uncomfortably. He probably wasn’t used to getting compliments.

Henry patted him on the shoulder. “Brilliant. No sense in killing the stupid. They’ll end up killing themselves before long,” Henry said, seemingly amused by his own statement.

“Henry, Nick. Stop. They’re just scared. After all, they said it was their neighborhood.” Claire jammed the needle into my arm.

“OW! What the fuck, Claire!” I yelled.

“Sorry,” she whispered to me. Then she finished her thought, “They’re just protecting what they feel is rightfully theirs.” Claire lectured on. “We can’t behave like animals. We need to try to act proper.”

“Proper?” Henry and Nick said in unison.

“Yes. Proper. We have to treat people like we would like to be treated.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “We can’t just rush into a neighborhood and think that no one will be upset with us.”

She turned and stood in front of both Henry and Nick, hands on her hips. Thomas, as always, stayed silent and watched from a far.

“Alright, Claire.” I became nervous about what may come out of Henry’s mouth. He was craving and cranky. “If you think you can handle these situations better, then the next time someone comes knocking on the door with a gun, wanting to kill your boyfriend for stealing what was supposedly their gas, then…have…at…it!”

Henry pulled off his hoodie and vest. He picked up the gun that he took from the moron. After he removed the magazine, he laughed.

“What?” Nick said. He tossed the gun at Nick.

“Empty.”

“See! You have to control yourself a little more. Maybe we should have given them some supplies, or their gas back. Now that guy could bleed to death or get a nasty infection because you shot him!”

Henry sighed in disbelief. Maybe she missed it, but he had
tried
giving them back their gas. They weren’t in the negotiating mood. He gave up and sat down, drumming his fingers on his knee, waiting patiently for his half of the bag.

Then Nick took the stage. “You seem to have forgotten they shot at us first!” Nick was angry. She decided not to say anything else. She seemed a little upset that Nick yelled at her. I figured it was probably because he was craving, too.

***

After our lovely, rather uneventful morning, we readied ourselves to continue our journey. Henry was standing in front of the grimy window, contemplating something.

“Hey,” I murmured, and rubbed my hand up and down his muscular back. He sighed. I saw his brilliant, emerald eyes filled with agony. “Is it Sophie’s truck?”

He nodded. “What do you think we should do with it?” I was surprised he asked for my opinion. He was more of a “his way or the highway” kind of guy. I was hesitant to answer, but he needed help with this decision.

“I think we should leave it. It’s not safe with the side window smashed out.”

He nodded again. “I think you’re right.” He turned and looked at me. “Can you help me clean it out? I want to make sure everything of hers is out of there.”

“Of course.” When he smiled at me, it was so sad. I could see he was fighting the sorrow that was near the surface. “Claire?” I yelled.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to go help Henry clean out the truck. Thomas, can you stand guard? And Nick, help Claire consolidate our supplies even more than we already have. We’ll all be riding in Henry’s truck.”

I put on my big girl panties, and stepped up to the plate. Henry needed help, and I was going to be his rock for a change. Thomas grabbed a gun, and the three of us headed outside.

***

Nick stood, looking at Claire. “Little bossy, isn’t she?”

She looked at him. She was still a little upset that he yelled at her. Then she sighed. “Well…someone has to fulfill the role of Sophie. I guess, naturally, it would be Elaina. Besides, Henry needs some extra support right now. He still loved Sophie. It was obvious.”

“I hate to even think that. Does that make him not fully committed to Elaina?”

“No. I don’t think so. I think his love for Sophie was, more or less, situational. They developed a bond because they understood each other’s issues. He’s very much in love with Elaina. I don’t doubt that.” Claire was talking and reorganizing, while Nick admired his newfound love.

“If he breaks her heart…,” Nick growled.

Claire looked up at him. “He has broken her heart many times during this insanity. And I’m sure it won’t be the last time, either.” She stood up and walked over to him. “We all have had our hearts broken in one way or another.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” He pulled Claire close and kissed her. “But sometimes they can be mended.” Claire smiled at his effort, but pulled away. “What? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just hard. I still have feelings for Marc, and I know you still have feelings for Jenna.” Nick looked down. “It’s true. You know that.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “But, like we discussed before, they would want us to move forward. I know it’s quick, but I can’t help the way I feel. Don’t question us.”

“Can I be completely honest?” Claire was nervous.

“Yeah. I would hope you would be.”

“How do I know that you aren’t just sweet-talking me and looking for sex?” Nick put his hand over his heart and rubbed for a moment with a grimace on his face. “This was always your M.O. You always moved on quickly, and I don’t even want to guess how many women you have hooked up with.” She was embarrassed to even say that, but she felt it had to be brought up at some point.