Hell, Fire & Freedom (Fighting for Freedom) (16 page)

I climb out of bed, covering Blaze with the blankets again. I got to nap last night before he came over, but he’s probably still exhausted from fighting the fire, and well, other things. I smile to myself at the courage I showed. I love every small change in myself that has been happening since Marie and I moved to New York.

I grab the bag of potatoes in the kitchen and peel them before thinly slicing them into the frying pan. I throw in some olive oil and let them cook. I make scrambled eggs in another pan and Canadian bacon in another. He’s a big man, in every sense of the word, and I’m betting he needs a big breakfast, too. I pop some bread into the toaster and stir and flip everything in the frying pans. I pour some orange juice into two glasses.

Blaze comes out of the bedroom just as the toast pops up and sits at the island. “Smells great. I didn’t even feel you leave this morning. I guess I really was tired,” he says with a yawn.

“Do you work today?” I ask, buttering the toast and then handing him his plate.

“Not for the fire station, but I have to go into the office,” he says, picking up his fork and trying the potatoes.

“Office?”

“Yeah, when Dad passed, he left me his company. He was just about to go into retirement, so he has everyone hired to do most of the work he used to do. I just need to go in a few times a week for important meetings and decisions. These are incredible, by the way. You’re a great cook. My lasagna definitely has competition now,” he says with a wink.

“Oh. Do you like that kind of work?” I ask. He doesn’t seem like a businessman. I guess I would think he’s more ... hands on. I also choose to ignore his compliment. Cooking is still a sore spot for me.

“Not really, but my dad started the company from the ground up. It meant a lot to him, so it means a lot to me,” he says.

“That makes sense.”

“I should head out soon, actually. I’ve got a meeting at noon. When is Marie coming home?”

“Soon, I hope. I’m going to call her in a bit. I actually have something I need to talk to her about,” I say, a little gloomy.

“What’s that?”

“I called the doctor yesterday, and he wants us to come say goodbye to Ma. She’s barely hanging on now, and it’s not looking great for a transplant. I guess addicts who don’t want to change don’t exactly get bumped to the top of the list,” I say sarcastically.

“I’m so sorry, beautiful,” he says, coming over and rubbing my back.

“I’m fine. It’s Marie that I worry about. She’s got a better heart than I do. As cruel and uncaring as Ma was toward us, Marie still loves her. I know she’s going to want to go say goodbye to her, and she deserves to do that. It’s just, even with all the help from the courts, I’m still worried about Carl. He hasn’t gone to trial yet, and even if he does, it’s not a guarantee he’ll be behind bars,” I say, beginning to worry.

“I can’t even imagine, Brynn. I wish I could tell you the right answer here. Obviously, I want you to stay here, where I can protect you, but I will never tell you how to live your life.”

“I know, and I appreciate that. I think I’m just going to leave it up to Marie. If she wants to go, I’ll be there to support her. I can’t imagine it’s going to be easy for her. I’m going to talk to Tara, and make it as safe as possible, though. He doesn’t know our new names, and we are no longer married, so he doesn’t have access to anything I do anymore. Hopefully that will help. We can fly in and fly out the same day,” I say, trying to convince myself it’s all going to be okay.

“Tara?”

“Someone from the women’s shelter here in town. Marie and I saw her right after we moved here. She helped us get this apartment, my job, a divorce, and she helped me file charges against Carl, too. She’s sort of been an angel for us.”

“Remind me to send her flowers,” he says, kissing my forehead.

“I’m going to go home, get changed, and I’ve got meetings until probably three, and then a police versus firemen charity football game at five. You and Marie should come if you’re not busy,” he says, slipping on his shoes.

“I’ll ask her after we have our talk. We’ll see how she feels.” I really hope she wants to go. I don’t know much about football, but a sweaty, dirty Blaze? Now that I do like.

“It’s at Hubley field, if you decide to go,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss so intense I forget to breathe.

“Have a great day, beautiful,” he says, before turning to leave.

I grab my cell phone and dial Marie’s number.

“Hey Brynn,” she says, and I can hear noise in the background.

“Hey Marie, where are you?”

“Jill’s just driving me home now. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“See you then. Love you, Marie.”

“You too, sis,” she says, and I hear a click as the line goes dead.

Well, I’m really glad Blaze left. I can’t imagine what she would have thought coming home and finding him here. I make up some more breakfast for Marie, and she comes in a few minutes later, glowing.

“Well, I’m guessing it went well?” I ask.

“Brynn, you have no idea. It’s everything I ever imagined and more. We stayed up late watching scary movies, eating junk food, and just talking. I felt so … included. I wasn’t a charity case. I was just me,” she says with an honesty only Marie can manage to pull off.

“You were never a charity case, Marie, but I’m really glad you had a great time,” I say, handing her breakfast plate to her.

“Thanks, Brynn. I love it here.”

“Me too,” I say. I decide it’s now or never to tell her about Ma. If we want to see her alive, we’ve got to go soon. “I really don’t want to be the bearer of bad news or dampen your mood, but we do need to talk, too,” I say, taking the stool beside her.

“What’s up?” she asks nervously.

“I called Ma’s doctor, and he doesn’t think she’s going to make it much longer. He wants us to come say goodbye, Marie. I’m so sorry.” I watch as her eyes fill with tears for a woman who has done nothing to deserve them.

“But I thought she was still on the transplant list. I mean, there’s still a chance, right?”

“She’s just not willing to change Marie, she’s been like this since as long as we can remember and probably years before then too. It’s all she knows. It’s hard to give an organ to someone who’s just going to abuse it again when there are so many others on the waiting list, kids even,” I say, trying to soften the blow. Tears are now streaming down our faces, and I hate my mother for causing her this pain. I hate her for putting me in this position. My tears are not for her, they’re for Marie.

I pull her into a hug.

“Can we go back and see her? I know Carl still isn’t in prison …” she trails off. I look into her eyes that are full of hope and desperation to say goodbye to her mother. I can’t deny her that, not when she is the victim in this situation.

“If you want Marie, I’ll make it happen. We won’t be able to stay long, though. Just a few hours. We’ll be all right, though; I’ll make sure we’re safe,” I say, hoping that’s the truth.

“I know what a tough spot I’m putting you in, and I know how you feel about Ma, but I just don’t think I’d ever forgive myself if I didn’t go,” she says, eyes cast to the floor.

“I know, and I’d probably feel the same way. Regardless of how terrible of a mother she is, she still managed to give me the best sister in the world,” I say. Marie lifts her eyes from the floor, and I pull her into another hug.

“Ditto,” she manages to choke out.

“All right, I’ll book the tickets for tomorrow. I need to call into work and leave a message at the school for you. Just tell Jill you’re not feeling well. Until Carl is behind bars, I don’t want to chance anything.” She nods her head and then finishes her breakfast.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Blaze invited us to a police versus firemen football game tonight if you wanted to go. I figured it would be a safe place to be, but I understand if you’re not up for it.”

“Sounds good to me, nothing we can do until tomorrow anyway,” she says, wiping her tears away and putting on a fake smile.

I spend the afternoon doing just as I told her I would. I book our tickets, leaving at five tomorrow morning. I’m not exactly looking forward to it, but I know it’s what we both need from our ma—closure. I call Tara and let her know. She says the detective will escort us over to the hospital when we get there, and then back to the airport when we’re ready to leave. We spend the rest of the afternoon packing our day bags for tomorrow and then get ready for the football game.

~

Marie and I purchase our tickets and walk down onto the field where there has to be at least three hundred people gathered around already. We head over to the side the firemen are gathered on, and I spot Blaze chatting with a few of his teammates. He’s in a red sleeveless t-shirt, and silky black shorts, like the rest of his teammates, but he’s the only one who catches my eye. I don’t want to bother him, so we take a seat in the bottom row of the stands. I watch as he turns and notices us sitting down, a grin forming on his face. He jogs over to where we’re sitting.

“Brynn, Marie, really glad you guys could come watch us take down the entire police force,” he says playfully.

I hear a whistle blow, and look to see the referee standing in centerfield. “Well, I guess that’s me. Now how about a kiss for good luck?” he asks unabashedly.

My eyes grow wide. I can’t kiss him here, in front of everyone, especially not the people he works with! I sit there awkwardly, but Blaze doesn’t do awkward. He bends down and crushes his mouth to mine, gathering me around the waist, pulling me up, and spinning us in a circle. I hear hoots and hollers from the crowd and wish I could just disappear. He sets me back down, looking proud of himself.

“Thanks, beautiful, we’re sure to win now,” he says, running onto the field.

I look up into the bleachers and catch a few evil glares from women I’m guessing were hoping to snag him up today. I give a coy smile and sit back down beside Marie.

“I’m sorry, Marie. He’s kind of … affectionate,” I say, trying to keep it as PG as possible after making out in front of my sister.

“Yeah, yeah, just don’t get mad when you catch me making out,” she says jokingly.

“You wouldn’t dare,” I challenge.

We hear the whistle blow again, and the game begins. It has to be said that I know nothing at all about football. I know there’s a funny shaped brown ball involved and a whole lot of men jump into piles. Other than that, I’m pretty clueless.

I watch the game, trying to get a sense of the rules. I think it’s a little like hockey. You’ve got to score in the other person’s zone … maybe … I’m not entirely sure, but it sure is fun to watch. I cheer when the others cheer, or whenever Blaze gets the football, which to my delight, is quite often.

Marie knows about as much about football as I do, so neither of us have a clue what the score is. I think the firemen might be winning, though, when Blaze gets tackled by a heavy set cop with thick blonde hair. I grab Marie’s hand, even though it’s not very likely he’s hurt.

Blaze and the cop start wrestling, and before long, Blaze gains the upper hand, punching the cop in the chest. I can’t hear what they’re yelling at each other, but this has to be the most interesting part of the game. I wonder if this happens every half time. Is that what this is called?

One of the other firemen pulls him off the cop, and it’s then I get a good look at Blaze’s face. He’s absolutely furious. He must have lost a point or something. He heads over and sits on the sidelines for the rest of the game, never glancing my way. I must be missing something here.

The game ends about forty minutes later, when the firemen take it home—or so the incredibly loud lady behind me yells out. The crowd starts to disperse, and we make our way over to where Blaze is sitting.

“Everything all right? You did so well,” I say, attempting to cheer him up.

“Are you kidding? I got in a fight with a grease ball cop and wasn’t allowed to play the rest of the game. There’s just something off with that guy,” he says, looking around for who I’m guessing is the cop.

“I didn’t know you were fighting; everyone else was running into each other, knocking each other over. What constitutes as a fight? Is punching not allowed?” He looks at me incredulously, and then starts to laugh.

“Thanks, Brynn, you just made my day,” he says, pulling me into a hug. He’s sweaty, and sticky, and I pull back quickly.

“Seriously, yuck!” I say, laughing and wiping the sweat off my arms.

“Sorry, beautiful, I guess you need a shower now, don’t you?” he whispers into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

“Anyway …” I say, attempting to act as unaffected by his words as possible. “Marie and I were going to go grab a bite to eat if you wanted to join us.”

“Nah, I’m heading out to pizza with the guys, you know, celebration dinner,” he says, pumping his fist into the air.

“Ahh, testosterone fest.”
Lovely
. “Well, I just wanted to let you know, Marie and I are going back to Oregon to say goodbye to our ma tomorrow morning. We’re only staying a few hours, and we have police escorts, so I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“What time do you fly out?” he asks, looking worried. I wish he wouldn’t in front of Marie, though.

“Five in the morning, and it’s a six hour flight. We stay for three hours and fly back, so we should be back around eight tomorrow night,” I say, looking to Marie to make sure she’s all right.

“If you’re feeling up to it, why don’t you guys come over after? I could pick you up from the airport and cook you a real meal, because I’m sure the airline food isn’t going to be edible,” he generously offers. I look over at Marie, who seems excited by the idea, but after seeing ma tomorrow, I’m just not sure she’ll feel the same way.

“How about I call you when we land and let you know?” I offer.

“Sounds good to me. Have a safe trip, and text me tonight.”

“Will do. Now go have fun.”

He leans in and gives me a kiss that’s a little too indecent for Marie to watch, but my head is spinning, and I’m not thinking clearly.
Sorry Marie
! We part ways, and Marie and I start walking toward the little Mediterranean restaurant she wants to try.