Broken Bonds (Unbreakable Bonds #1)

Chapter Seventeen

chapter seventeen

CELINE

I glanced around the room, looking for Oscar. A family of five was huddled in the corner—a mother, father, and three little boys no older than four. A group of six women were playing a game of cards, laughing and shoving each other playfully. I finally spotted Oscar talking to a man with long hair, who had a shopping cart full of his things. They seemed to be in an argument, and the long-haired man seemed to be shrinking into a corner, his arms flailing around.

Two women with the same caramel skin tone as Oscar, looking concerned. One was older, her twists tied up in a big bun on her head, and she was sporting a pair of hot pink sweatpants and a matching jacket. The younger woman had her hair down and was wearing navy scrubs and bright, white shoes.

Ace’s arms tightened around me in a vice grip, his attention on the other side of the room where four men were eying us, their gazes lingering on me. Their dark eyes made my skin crawl, but I wasn’t scared.

Ace would protect me.

The two Cuban women, who I assumed were Oscar’s wife and daughter, approached us first, their warm, welcoming smiles easing my nerves.

“Oscar told us about you kids—poor dears stuck outside during this chaos. You must be starving!” the lady in hot pink said.

“Yes, ma’am, it was crazy. Oscar mentioned something about soup. Can you spare two bowls?” Ace’s southern drawl thickened when he spoke to her. How could he be so nice to her and not me? It wasn’t fair… just like that hot accent wasn’t fair. That southern twang to his words made my belly heat with need.

“Oh, yes, of course, hun. I heard you want to use the phone, too. Let me get you a bowl each and show you where the phone is while Oscar deals with Danny over there. He’s one of the homeless seeking shelter here, and he won’t leave his things to eat or shower. Hopefully, Ossie can convince him it’s safe.” She walked away while still speaking, her black sneakers squeaking on the floor.

“I’m Donna,” the other woman introduced herself, smiling warmly at us, “and that was my mother, Barb. She forgets to introduce herself most of the time. Do you need any medical assistance? I’m a nurse.” Donna linked her fingers together, letting them drape in front of her body.

“Hey, Donna. I’m Celine. Do you have any pain meds? I’m suffering from some… leg cramps,” I finally settled on. She bobbed her head quickly and walked away as her mother appeared with two steaming bowls of soup. My stomach rumbled at the sight. God, I was so hungry and so desperate for something hot in my belly.

“Here; I’ll carry the bowls since your hands are tied, and I can show you where the phone is. It’s in a different room, so you’ll have some privacy to talk to your family. Follow me, dears.”

“Wait, Mom, these are for Celine.” Donna handed me two red Tylenol pills. “Just eat first, okay? I wish I could give you more or something stronger, but you can’t have more than two at a time safely, and I don’t have anything stronger. You look like you’re in a lot of pain.” She didn’t know half of it, and I didn’t even think the Tylenol would help. But it was better than nothing.

“Oh, Don, get me two water bottles and bring them to the front office,” Barb instructed. “They need to use the phone.” Then, she quickly walked out of the room, balancing the two bowls in her hands like it was nothing.

Ace followed her to where we first entered the building, and through the glass door, I could see it had gotten much worse outside. The winds had picked up, and the trees looked dangerously close to uprooting and flying into the building. I couldn’t fathom the idea of having to brave the weather again. Just the mere thought sent chills of fear running down my spine. Ace and I truly had gotten here just in time.

Barb showed us into the front office of the school, where she flicked on a light and put the steaming bowls onto the counter by the phone. There were two swivel chairs, and Ace placed me in one, then loosened the straps of our backpack and put it down next to me. He sank into the chair beside me, sighing and closing his eyes.

He looked so tired. Guilt tightened my chest. He was exhausted—just as worn out as I was—and I’d just let him carry me.

Donna appeared with two water bottles and gave them to us, lingering by the door to give us some space.

“The phone is here, hun. Take as long as you need,” Barb told us. She glanced at her watch. “It’s already after eight. I’ll get some sleeping bags out for you guys. Come back to the gym when you’re ready. Oscar and I won’t go to sleep until much later. We’re waiting for the ten P.M. storm advisory.”

Ace opened his eyes and stood, extending his hand as he walked over to Barb. “Thank you for everything, ma’am.”

“Oh, yes, thank you,” I blurted as they shook hands. “I didn’t think we would make it this far, and I didn’t know if there would be people here, and you’ve welcomed us in.” I wanted to hug her, but I couldn’t get up from the chair. Barb nodded, smiling at the two of us before she left the small room with her daughter, giving us privacy.

“You should call your mom, Celine. They must be worried.” Ace pushed my chair closer to the phone and passed me a bowl of soup. “Eat so you can take those pills.” He sat back down in his swivel chair, and our arms brushed while he ate, but he said nothing. He didn’t even glance at me, meanwhile my skin felt like lightning was coursing over it every time we touched.

I looked at the old, gray phone and clicked on the old keys, remembering my mom’s phone number from when she drummed it into my head as a child in case of an emergency. And to think I had always told her I wouldn’t need to know it. Turned out, I had. Mom had always known best.

Holding the phone to my ear, I waited as it rang. “Hello?” she answered.

“Mom, it’s me!” I nearly cried with relief upon hearing her voice. Tears burned in my eyes, and I had to squeeze them shut to keep them from spilling over.

“Oh, my God! Rick, it’s Celine! She’s okay! My baby is okay!” My mom was crying. “Where are you, baby? I’ve been so worried.”

“Oh, Mom, it was so awful.” Tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t swallow, a lump forming in my throat, and the flood gates opened. Sobbing, talking became impossible. I couldn’t make my mouth work.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m here. I’m here, my love,” my mom tried to reassure me through the phone, but it wasn’t enough. I needed her here . I shouldn’t have had to go through any of this.

The tears were flowing freely down my cheeks in a never-ending stream. Putting a hand to my chest, I clutched at the sweater. My heart was beating too fast, and it hurt . I tried breathing through my nose and not my mouth, but it didn’t help. I was losing control of my breathing, of myself, and I could hear my mother trying to calm me through the phone, but she was physically so far away. She couldn’t help me here.

All I could seem to hear was the drumming of my heart in my ears.

And then, there were two large hands holding my face. Ace’s face was in front of mine—so close. He was talking, but I couldn’t hear him. The drumming in my ears was so loud. I clutched my chest tighter. It hurt so much. I couldn’t breathe. He was still looking into my eyes, his face blurring as more tears fell and sobs tore themselves through my aching throat.

He didn’t let go of my face when I started to shake. “Celine, princess, listen to me.” I could finally hear his voice through the loud drumming in my ears. and it was like a balm to my bleeding, figurative wounds. “I’m here. Breathe. Breathe, princess. Through your mouth, out your nose. Inhale and exhale.” He opened his mouth and inhaled, and I copied him. And then, he closed his mouth and exhaled through his nose. He repeated it with me again.

When my breaths came easier and I didn’t feel like I was drowning once again, Ace let go of my face, sitting back in his seat again. Instantly, I missed his touch. I felt… empty without it.

He took the phone from my shaking hand to speak to my mom. “Hi, yes, she’s alright. I think she was having a panic attack.” He paused, looking at me. “We made it to the shelter. There’s food and water.” He grabbed my trembling hand in his, squeezing gently, his warmth seeping into my veins through our connected palms.

“We did have some trouble getting here—lots of flooding. She’s having trouble walking…. There’s a nurse here who gave her some pain medicine, and she’s eating soup now.” At his words, I picked up the spoon and almost started crying again when the warm soup burst over my tongue. Ace listened to whatever my mom was saying and nodded his head, looking at my legs and then at my face again. “I’ll take care of her. The man in charge here, Oscar, said the outer bands have just passed. I’m not sure how much longer this will last… No, they didn’t mention anything about a generator, but I’ll ask… Do you want to speak to her again?” When my mom obviously said yes, he handed the phone to me again.

“My love, listen to me; you are going to be okay,” Mom urged. My chin wobbled. I set my spoon down, the shaking coming back to my hands. “You’re strong and brave. This will be over soon. Eat your soup and take those pain pills. Take them every six hours. I already told Ace to make sure you keep taking them. I’ll make an appointment with Dr. Alex when this is over to check out your legs. I don’t want you to worry anymore.” Dr. Alex was the surgeon in Germany, who had since moved to the states. And I saw him each year on a regular basis for my legs after the surgery. The fact that mom wanted me to see him before my next appointment filled me with terror—terror I tried so hard to hide from both her and Ace. “I love you, baby.”

“Okay. I love you, too.” A tear ran down my cheek, and Ace squeezed my hand.

“Don’t cry anymore. You’re safe. You aren’t alone. Ace isn’t Aiden—remember that. He will protect you.” I nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see me. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just be grateful you still have power so we can talk. I love you so much, baby. No more crying.”

“I’ll see you soon. I love you, Mom.” She disconnected the call, and I was left cradling the phone to my ear with tears running down my cheeks.

Ace took the phone from my hand and put it back on its perch before pulling me into his arms, holding me as I shook with uncontrollable sobs. He didn’t tell me to stop crying. Instead, he stroked my back with one hand and held my head with the other, surrounding me in his warmth and safety where my fears, the outside world, and the uncertainty of my future couldn’t touch me.

When my cries finally turned to sniffles, Ace pulled away, looked into my eyes, and smiled. The smile was small and warm and took my breath away. “You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen, princess,” he rasped.

And there went my fucking heart.