In A Heartbeat

Ch. 7

A few minutes later all the house lights were on and the lights from police cars were making their way down the street. I waited in the car like Kyle asked me to until a policeman finally came back out of the house and knocked on my window waving at me to get out. I cautiously opened the car door.

"It's okay ma'am. The scene is clear. You can go in now. No one is in there except your boyfriend."

I thought about telling him he wasn't my boyfriend, but it probably wasn't relative to what was happening and truth be told, I didn't mind someone saying I had one, it was a first. Slowly I edged myself away from the truck and followed the police inside where I stood frozen in the doorway. The house was ransacked. The couch was split and stuffing was thrown everywhere. Books were thrown from the shelves, and even the garbage was tipped over and scattered into piles.

Kyle immediately made his way over to me and put his arm around my shaking shoulders. The police officer whistled and shook his head as if I needed confirmation that this was a mess. "Can you identify anything missing?"

I looked at him in my dazed state, still reminding myself that normal hearts beat faster when terrified. "What?"

He spoke slower and kept scanning the room back and forth like he was trying to picture how it would look without a tornado of debris inside. "Can you see anything missing off the top of your head?"

For some reason I wanted to say 'a hat' but I refrained. Instead, I walked around the room. I'd only been back a few days, and before that, I hadn't been downstairs in a very long time. I wasn't even sure if I'd notice. I felt violated, someone had come into my cocoon and destroyed a part of my past I was struggling so hard to hold on to. This house was my connection to my parents, and my breath came in short bursts as my skin tingled with a mix of fear, panic, and anger.

I walked up the stairs and cringed when I saw that the wreckage didn't end. My parent's room, the room I hadn't been in since I got back was an even bigger mess than the downstairs. My mom's jewelry was thrown on the carpet, her clothes drawers emptied and strewn about in tangled wads. Worse, my father's things were destroyed. Broken and damaged and a mess I couldn't make my brain comprehend.

I jumped when the policeman spoke. "Looks like it wasn't a robbery. Someone wanted to either just completely trash the place, or they were looking for something. Maybe they found it and moved on. Any idea what that would be? His eyes focused on the room, and I felt angry. I had been saving this room, for that moment when I needed it, and someone had stolen that from me.

I ignored his question, anger and hurt bubbling below the surface as I walked across to my own room, it was in perfect shape. The hospital bed still center stage and all my things untouched. I heard a thump and screamed, the policeman pushed me out in the hallway, gun drawn.

Buster crawled army style out from under the bed and made a mad dash to me. I wrapped my arms around him and felt him trembling beneath my touch. His back left leg was bloody and he yelped when I touched it.

"Get out! Everyone, get out. No one's here! Nothing is missing and if it is, I wouldn't even know it. Please, just leave."

The policeman swaggered over, his eyes glaring "Now listen here, ma'am. We've got an obvious break in. The wheels been started. We can't just....."

Kyle motioned to the policeman to follow him into my parent's bedroom. I could hear him whispering and words like transplant and fragile dropped from the silence into my ears piercing the already fragile state of my sanity.

When they came out of the bedroom, the officer looked at me without the suspicious glare and used a quiet, kind voice.

"I'm sorry about my gruffness. It's been a long night and I understand you've already had a whopper of a month. If you just let my boys and I finish we can be out of here in an hour."

I nodded and walked downstairs with Buster to the main bathroom. I washed his leg and was thankful it was just a small cut. He was jumpy and whining so I gave him extra treats and we walked together on the back porch waiting for the madness inside the house to end.

Kyle came out and sat next to me. "I feel like this is my fault." His hands absently running across his front thighs again.  I scooted closer trying to be connected to something to tether me.

"You were with me the whole time Kyle, and you certainly wouldn't break into my house and destroy my parent's things. Would you?"

"Of course not Cassie, I'd never hurt you. When we were younger and our families got together we went on a hike remember? "

I giggled. "I remember. Only I was in a wheelchair that summer. And you did all the hiking, pushing me up the path panting and sweating."

He chuckled as he pushed a clump of loose hair behind my ear. "True. You weren't much help in the walking department. But you were beautiful. And your personality was so dynamic I just kept going. But I remember telling your dad I would protect you and keep you safe. I would have done anything just to spend time alone with you."

I sat watching Buster stake out his territory, his head snapping every so often my way like a child keeping sight of a parent. I didn't know quite what to say so I just let the silence sit between us.

"Cassie. There's something I should....."

The same policeman opened the door just a crack. " We're just about finished here. There's a form on the table to list any missing items you find. A detective will be checking in with you tomorrow. Until then, be safe. And I'm sorry, we don't put anything back together."

I stood up and quietly thanked him. Buster immediately at my side bumped my leg. His presence noted as he took up space between myself and Kyle.

After the events of the day, I felt exhaustion beating down on me. The house seemed bigger with everyone filtering out and Kyle bent down to start picking up the trash around the bin.

"You don't have to do that Kyle, I'll take care of it tomorrow. I'm honestly too tired to care anymore about a mess tonight."

He eyed me suspiciously and in an almost whisper asked "Do you want me to stay tonight? "

I would have laughed except the look on his face was so serious. I barely knew him. But I appreciated it.

"I'm fine. I've got Buster here. And whatever it was they were looking for, either it was stolen, or they know it isn't here now. I'm not afraid, but thank you."

He walked to the door and Buster and I followed. He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, his expression almost sad.

"I'll call you tomorrow. I have your number. Give me your phone and I'll put mine in there in case you need me."

He handed me back the phone complete with his number and disappeared down the porch, I felt a small surge of hope that he would walk back, refuse to leave and keep me company. But a bigger voice told me it was time to grow up. I was no longer the girl with the bad heart that had to sit on the sidelines. It was time to use my strength for something other than living another day.

Buster whined as I turned off the porch light and locked the door. "I hear ya, buddy. Let's get you some dinner." He sprang to the kitchen, his tail thumping the cupboard as he ate, as I picked up pieces of garbage that someone had scattered along with my sense of security.

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Cassie seems to have woken up to a new life and stumbled into a mystery.  Is it coincidence that she was out with Kyle, or a really lucky break that she wasn't there?  I have no idea what they were looking for, but in my book they're lucky they didn't hurt Buster!