The Season of Falling

2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Kasey

I glanced at the clock on the microwave and started shoveling my omelet into my mouth even faster. Grandpa was trying to talk me down from the ledge of annoyance at my dad, but I didn’t want to hear it. The text I’d received that morning had simply been a list of information from the pharmacy that needed to be filed away for Grandpa, and that had been it. No greeting, no asking after me or Grandpa. Simply cold, unfeeling facts.

“He’s in another country, Kasey,” Grandpa reminded me. “It’s not that he doesn’t care about how you or I are doing.”

I sighed and propped my chin in my hand. “It’s not like it takes much longer to text out a ‘Hi, how are you daughter that I’m fully relying on to take care of my father while I’m away on some big trip.’”

Grandpa chuckled and my shoulders relaxed slightly. Yes, I was annoyed, but it wasn’t the end of the world. And I had plenty of other things to fill my brain. As our call ended my mind wandered back to the place it had been semi-permanently glued to since yesterday.

I don’t want to force anything.

My heart had sunk. Like I’d tied a boulder to it and then thrown it into the sea. Down, down, down. Taking all my hopes with it. I’d avoided the conversation for years, hoping that Dean would wake up and realize that we were perfect together. Honestly, we were basically already dating. We did everything together, had inside jokes, made each other laugh, and knew everything about one another. But apparently he didn’t see it like that.

And now I was running even more behind than usual and I had the biggest meeting of my career this morning. I chugged my glass of water, winced at the clatter as I dropped my dishes in the sink, and grabbed my keys off the counter as I practically ran out the door. I wasted another minute and a half scrolling through my phone to find the perfect song for the drive. The office was only five minutes away, but driving music is no joke.

I decided I was in an old-fashioned, upbeat love song kind of mood, needing to get myself out of my funk. Maybe I was a glutton for punishment, though, because all love songs made me think of Dean. I settled on “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole on repeat before putting the car in drive and zooming out of my apartment complex.

I drove down the tree-lined streets of Burlington, loving the green but so ready for the glorious change of color and the crisp air that would be coming soon, signaling the start of my favorite time of year in Vermont. The town was small and friendly, and there were pedestrians and cyclists all over. Generally, I didn’t mind, but when I was in a hurry, I became a bit more impatient.

I was checking the clock every thirty seconds, willing it to slow down so that I wouldn’t be more than 5 minutes late. I moved into the left lane and pulled to a stop at a red light, tapping my fingers anxiously on the steering wheel in time with my turn signal. My breath hissed through my teeth when I saw the clock change to 7:28. I had a 7:30 meeting to prepare for the Stubbs Dental pitch, and I was not going to make it. My head fell back against the headrest, and I groaned. Linda was a great boss, but she wasn’t going to be happy about this.

The sun was still working on its morning ascent, and the rays shining through the trees were a tad blinding. I squinted at the stoplight and sighed in relief when the turn arrow changed to flashing yellow. I pulled into the intersection to wait for an oncoming car and cyclist beginning to make their way across the street. Suddenly, without signaling, the oncoming car started to turn.

You know in movies when everything goes in slow motion and you can see every horrible detail playing out right in front of you? I always thought that was a Hollywood dramatization. But that is exactly what happened. I gasped and slammed on my brakes in some vain hope of controlling the other car that obviously did not see the guy on the bike. I heard the sickening thud as the cyclist collided with the front corner of the other car.

My breaths came fast, and I had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. I just sat there for a moment, eyes wide, completely in shock as Natalie Cole’s voice reached my brain as if through a fog, singing something about having the thrill of a lifetime. As she got back to the chorus, I jolted as if waking up before putting the car in park, throwing the door open, and racing over to the scene sprawled out before me.

The driver of the other car was already there and seemed to be on the phone with 911 as I approached the man on the ground. I could feel my heart beating wildly as I scanned the scene. For a moment, my mind refused to grasp what I was seeing. But when it did, I fell to my knees at his side. Dean. It was Dean lying there on the road. Dean who had been riding his bike to work like he did every day until snow started to pile up. Dean who was—I choked back a sob and leaned over him, trying to see if he was breathing. I caught the slow rise and fall of his chest, and the fear in my own chest lessened but only the slightest bit.

I could see a bruise already forming on the side of his face, and his arm was tucked under him at a weird angle. I glanced to the left and saw his bike. It was mangled and probably not repairable. Dean was going to be so upset. He loved that bike. I still felt like my brain was in a fog, and as I looked back at his still body I began to cry. I didn’t know CPR, first aid, or anything else useful. So I grabbed Dean’s hand and simply cried, willing his beautiful blue eyes to open and look at me.

Several minutes later the ambulance pulled up and a few paramedics hopped out and ran over to us. They immediately began to examine Dean, but I refused to release my hold on his hand until they brought over a stretcher and one of them gently, but forcefully, pushed me aside so they could work. A kind-looking woman in uniform came over and started asking me questions.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but do you know this man?”

I nodded, unable to find my voice.

“What is the nature of your relationship, and what can you tell me about him?”

I stared at her, and the way the sun glinted off her blonde curls.

My eyes wandered back to her when she cleared her throat. “Ma’am, come this way please.” She led me to a police car and pulled out a blanket which she wrapped around my shoulders before gesturing for me to sit on the curb. I did so and felt the adrenaline start to wear off, leaving me shaking and shivering.

“Now, ma’am, I realize you’ve been through quite the ordeal, but we really do need any information you can give us about the man or the accident. We only want to help.”

I sucked in a deep breath and nodded, trying to gather my thoughts and keep the threatening tears at bay.

“His name is Dean Ellis. He’s an art teacher at the high school, and he likes to ride his bike whenever he can.” My voice caught, but I continued on. “He’s been living here for about a year, and his only family is his sister, Sarah. But she lives back in New York, and is a single mother supporting her two kids.” Once I started the words just kept pouring out of my mouth. “We have a good group of friends here, and we all look out for each other since most of them don’t live close to family. But Dean is the best of us all. He’s so kind and thoughtful and artistic, of course. His students love him, and his classes are always full.”

I took a breath to continue but the woman started talking before I could. “Can you give me his address and sister’s name and number?” I shakily gave her the information while she scribbled it down in a little notebook. “Thank you so much for your time and help.”

I had been staring at my hands but looked up as she spoke. The ambulance had driven off and a panicked feeling clawed its way up my throat. I reached up and grabbed her arm. “Is Dean okay? Is he going to be okay?”

Her eyes were filled with sympathy. “The doctors will do all they can to help him.”

Even in my state of fogginess and fear I recognized her words for what they were. A reassurance without a promise. I struggled to my feet, handing her the blanket and starting back toward my car.

“Ma’am, where are you going?” she called after me. “You may still be experiencing the symptoms of shock.”

I probably was, but I needed to call Sarah, and I needed to see Dean.

As if in a haze, I called Linda and told her about what had happened and let her know that I wouldn’t be at work. She told me to at least take a couple of days off if not the whole week. I promised to keep her updated before hanging up, preparing myself to make the next call.

“Hey, Kasey! Good to hear from you! But it’s a little early. Shouldn’t you be at work?” Sarah sounded like she was smiling, and I wasn’t happy about being the one to change that. I liked Dean’s older sister a lot, and her twins, Noah and Ivy, had stolen my heart the first moment I met them. She was only a little older than Dean and me, but was already dealing with so much in her life.

I climbed into the car and rested my head on the steering wheel. How was I going to tell her? “I have some bad news.” My voice cracked, and I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears from my vision before continuing. “Dean was in an accident this morning and had to be taken to the hospital.”

Sarah was quiet for a few long seconds, and I could hear the shock and disbelief in her voice when she spoke. “Is he okay? What happened?”

I took a shaky breath before sitting up in my seat and telling her everything that had happened that morning.

“I’m in the hospital parking lot now, but I wanted to call you before I went in. I gave them your information, and I’m sure they’ll call you soon, but I just—” I swallowed past the thickness in my throat— “I wanted you to hear it from me first.”

Sarah thanked me for thinking to call and asked me to update her whenever I could. I promised I would, and we hung up, unsure what else to say to one another.

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back against the seat. What had started out as a perfectly normal morning had quickly become a disaster. That officer had been right. I probably was still in shock. But who wouldn’t be after seeing their best friend get hit by a car? Seeing them lying unconscious on the road? Once the hot tears started streaming down my face, I couldn’t stop them. Sobs shook my body as I allowed myself to feel the pain and terror the morning had caused. I had no idea how Dean was doing or even what injuries he’d gotten, and I needed to go in and find out.

I checked my reflection in the mirror and cringed. I looked awful. Luckily my mascara was waterproof and heavy duty, but my eyes were puffy and my nose could have given Rudolph a run for his money. I grabbed a tissue and dipped the corner in my water bottle before dabbing it on my face. After a few minutes of cool water on my eyes and several very deep breaths, I felt ready to go in and face whatever the doctors had to tell me about Dean and his situation.