Missouri

Missouri

by

Mandy Byrne

Copyright © 2011 Mandy Byrne

Published by Mandy Byrne at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Missouri

Chapter One

‘Mark watch these chips for me, I am going for a shower.’ Richard yelled from the kitchen.

‘Dad I’m on the computer.’

‘Forget the computer. I have a meeting to attend. Where’s your bloody mother. She’s never here when I need her.’

Mark slouched into the kitchen; a scowl marred his good looks.

‘Why is it always me that has to do everything?’ he complained but his father was already at the other end of the house stripping off his clothes.

Mark whirled the chips around in the hot fat. Annly his sister, popped her head around the door and seeing her brother otherwise engaged she darted off to the study, determined to have a turn on the computer.

‘Don’t you dare Annly Peters. I’m logged on to my friend Daisy and it’s on a tune she wants me to listen to.’ Mark flung down the spatular and chased after his sister.

Annly ignored him and quickly logged in her name. A shouting match developed.

Mark held the computer mouse over his head out of Annly’s reach. He was furious with her for breaking his contact, and now the programme was frozen.

They flung bitter words at each other before Mark got it working again. He warned her he would throw her Bratz dolls in the bin if she dared to touch it again.

‘You’re a bully Mark. I never get to use the computer.’ Annly whined.

A loud whooshing noise silenced them.

‘Oh God! The chips!’

Mark ran out into the hall as a ball of fire bounced out of the kitchen. He backed away from the heat and noise, stunned how quickly the fire had spread. Within seconds the fire licked hungrily at the doorframe of the kitchen and the carpet in the hallway melted and smouldered giving off black toxic smoke.

Mark backed away, dragging Annly with him along the passage.

Dad. Dad! Where are you?’ Smoke obscured the hallway, his father and the main bedroom was beyond the fire. The boy knew he only had minutes to get out of the house. Grabbing his sister’s arm he pushed her back into the study, already it was full of smoke. Crouching low he pulled the struggling girl down and pushed her towards the window. Feeling blindly for the wall in front of him, his trembling hands found the wooden frame. Mark flung the window open. Cool air flooded his burning lungs but the flyscreen stopped him. Frantically Mark pushed and tugged at the catches, but they were rusty and held fast. He pushed at the mesh but it resisted his efforts to break it. In desperation he picked up the computer chair and used it as a ram, he pushed the legs through the mesh.

The noise was deafening as the fire spread up into the roof, the doorway was a raging inferno.

‘Annly…Annly,’ Mark screamed, he couldn’t see her. Blindly he felt around in the smoke filled room. His foot nudged her softness. She was unconscious and lay like a rag doll. Mark grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to her feet but she slumped back as he tried to make her stand.

‘Annly for God’s sake wake up. Wake up.’ Mark screamed. In terror he hauled her up and pushed her half out of the window then lifted her legs and threw her bodily onto the garden below, luckily it was only a five foot drop.

For a second the boy hesitated, where was his father? Even as he thought it, he climbed up onto the windowsill and jumped landing beside the crumpled figure of his sister. Dragging her away from the house he felt his lungs were on fire - gasping and coughing he pulled her clear of the smoke and flames.

Richard turned the music volume up, as he shower and thought what a good idea the waterproof radio was. He let the hot water sooth his tension and angry thoughts.

Caroline never kept her word. She would say one thing then forgot if it didn’t suit her, she just did what she fancied. She'd promised to be home on time, she knew this meeting this evening was important. Richard was a freelance design engineer and it had been a lean year. He needed this contract to keep up their lifestyle.

He imagined what he would say when she came in. Arguments seemed to be their way of life but despite their bickering he would have said their marriage worked and they were happy. It wasn’t a boring marriage, he thought picturing Caroline in his minds eye.. Nothing was boring with Caroline.

He remembered the first time he had seen her. Tall, long limbed and so beautiful he hardly dare ask her for a date. He soaped under his arms, a slight smile eased the tension from his face. When she turned those large violet eyes on him, he was lost. She was nearly ten years younger than him, only he didn’t know it then and now it didn’t matter, she was the one he wanted and sixteen years later, he still wanted her. She drove him mad with her inconsistencies but she was always exciting and he loved her, even when mad at her.

Richard turned the radio off. A strange noise made him pause. A dull roar sounded and smoke teased his senses. Wrapping the towel around his hips he darted across the bedroom and opened the door.

Flames were roaring down the hallway from the kitchen. Thick smoke pushed him back making him gasp for air.

‘Mark… Annly,’ smoke was sucked down into his lungs and he coughed, choking as he stumbled towards the flames. All he could think of was his children's safety.

The ceiling collapsed and the wall beside him fell away. Richard could see nothing but smoke; he felt he was drowning in it. The noise was terrifying and timbers crashed as the roof partially gave way.

A space opened in front of him and he ran forward hoping to see his children. Instead he saw a man with a large mask covering his face. For a split second Richard wondered why he was in his house, someone must have called the fire brigade, how long had this fire been raging.

The man shook his head and waved at him to go back. Richard turned, his feet already blistered from the burning carpet, he fell as he staggered back. As he turned, he heard a sharp cracking noise and something hit his right shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Richard felt the smouldering carpet burn his back but his shoulder, for a moment, felt numb. He turned his head and saw a large beam was pinning him by his shoulder to the ground. His right arm was lying in the fire but for a moment the pain didn’t register.. Suddenly the pain struck like a bolt of lightening and exploded into his brain. He could hear screams that seemed to come from someone else. He knew he was in mortal danger then darkness claimed him.

Chapter Two

The bus pulled away as Caroline rounded the corner.

‘Dam, that’s all I need.’ she muttered under her breath. The bus disappeared as Caroline turned on her heel and set off to walk to the station. Sweat dripped down her neck and her heel was developing a blister. New, three inch heels were not the best thing for wearing on hot city pavements.

By the time she sunk onto the train seat, she was in agony and her blouse was a limp damp rag. She dare not remove her shoe and inspect the damage; she knew it would be impossible to get the damn thing back on again. It was always the same she thought, you could never get a taxi when you needed one. The darkened window reflected only her head and shoulders Blonde hair pulled back into a clip at the base of her neck, large violet eyes were enhanced by her smooth clear skin, a generous mouth, momentarily turned down didn’t distract from her good looks.

Caroline grimaced at her reflection; she was hot, tired and feeling guilty. She knew Richard would see to the kids but she also remembered her promise to return home straight after her shift at the library finished, now it weighed on her conscience.

She'd forgotten about his meeting, only now did she recall her promise. Too late, she pondered. She had gone for a drink with her work colleagues, causing her to miss the last bus to the station. For Caroline it was important to keep up her friendships and Richard often went for drinks with his friends, so why shouldn’t she? Richard would be furious at having to cook tea he hated cooking. Too bad she thought, I work hard and am entitled to a few hours of pleasure. She planned her responses to the argument she knew would eventuate.

Her car was parked at the railway station, the darkness made her nervous as she crossed the empty space. As she approached it her heart sunk, one of the front tyres was flat. Changing a tyre was not the easiest job and she looked hopefully around the empty car park. At nine thirty most of the commuters were long gone.

Cursing her bad luck she dug into the boot and hauled the spare tyre out. The nuts were a sod to undo and after jacking the car up, then down while she loosened the nuts, then back up again she managed to remove the flat tyre only to find the spare was soft but at least had some air in it. Driving slowly, she reached a near by garage with a sigh of relief.

A young boy willingly filled the tyre with air for her, the one good thing that had happened all evening, she thought. With a smile that made the boy blush, she pressed a five dollar note into his hand. In the distance she heard fire engines wailing and shivered, the sound always made her skin develop goose bumps.

The wailing grew louder as she turned into the estate where she lived and she wondered where the fire was. With apprehension prickling her skin she turned the corner to her own home. Flames were leaping ten metres high, her house was ablaze. A policeman stepped in front of the car.

‘Sorry madam, you can’t go this way, you will have to reverse back.’

‘My house! It’s my house.’ She screamed and tried to push past.

The bitter acrid smoke stung her throat. The roof was ablaze and she stared in fascinated terror as it collapsed inward.

Screams rented the air. She was convinced it was one of her children and she struggled to get past two burly policemen.

‘Let me go. It’s my family!’

‘You can’t go in. Now be sensible come on now, be sensible. ’The policeman struggled to hold her back.

‘Mum. Mum where’s Dad?’ Her son’s voice came from the right making her desist in her struggles .she turned to find Annly and Mark wrapped in blankets, sitting on the steps of an ambulance.

Their blackened faces were streaked with tears and eyes wide with shock as they clung to her, fears abated till she realised Richard was missing. Over the children's heads she could see the front of the house. A yellow and black clad figure literally walked out of the flames. Over his shoulder was the naked body of her husband.

Hands held her back, as others rushed to assist the fireman as he staggered onto the lawn. They gently eased the unconscious Richard onto a waiting gurney.

Richard slumped and appeared lifeless, like a crumbled charred log, he lay very still. His face was streaked with soot and the skin looked smudged and blistered but in contrast to his shoulder and right arm it looked normal. Caroline looked away from the sight of his burnt arm. His hand was like a claw on the end of a stick.

His silence was unnerving, after the screaming. Caroline was convinced he was dead. The tears ran down her face as the paramedics loaded him into a waiting ambulance. Gentle hands guided the three of them to another vehicle.

‘Where are they taking him, Mum?’ Mark asked. His voice was hoarse and came out in a grating whisper.

‘What? I don’t know, hospital…’ Caroline tried to collect her thoughts, shocked and frightened she saw the same fear on her sons face. ‘He has to go to the hospital darling. Come on I want you and Annly checked over.’ Her mind began to work again and she even managed a little smile. Thank God the children got out, if they hadn’t… she pushed the thought away it was too horrible to contemplate.

Richard was taken to the burns unit at Concorde while the children went to Westmead, to the children’s hospital. The doctor kept both children in for the night. They were suffering from shock and Annly severe smoke inhalation.

Caroline felt alone and frightened. Guilt weighed heavy on her mind. She sat in the waiting room waiting for her mother, her mind going over the nightmare she had witnessed.

The falling beam pinned Richard down and without the fireman, he would have died in the flames. Before the firemen left Caroline asked his rescuer, if he thought Richard would be alright. He looked very serious and said he didn't know, it was in God's hands now. He patted her arm; his look gave her little hope.

Why had she gone for that drink? If only she had come straight home. Why was she such a selfish bitch? These thoughts churned through her mind as she sat alone in the hospital corridor. Looking up she saw the worried face of her mother coming towards her and fell sobbing into her arms.

‘Oh Mum Richard is badly burnt, I can’t bear to lose him.’

Sheila Tompkins held her distraught daughter and her calm voice brought Caroline some degree of comfort.

She inquired about her grandchildren and once she knew they were safe, she drove her daughter out to Concord, to check on Richard. She listened to her daughter’s wild self recriminations, it was better for her to get it all out. she surmised and by the time they arrived at the ward Caroline was pale but calm.

The hospital appeared empty; their footsteps intrusive as they walked to the intensive care unit. A lone nurse and a doctor greeted them soberly. The doctor led her to where Richard lay in a side room.

‘Your husband is seriously ill Mrs Peters. He is in a deep medically induced coma. We have to do this to stop his organs from shutting down, from the shock of his burns. You can view him but he is in a sterile environment so you can’t touch him.’

The doctor was a tall thin man, with dark skin and quietly spoken. His professional manner gave Caroline confidence, Richard was in good hands she thought and hoped the doctor was as competent as he sounded.

The four of them gazed through the plastic tent that surrounded his hospital bed. His left arm lay on the outside and looked clean and wholesome apart from a gauze dressing.

It hit Caroline like a blow, his right arm was missing. Even thought the fireman had warned her he might lose his life, to face the reality that they had already amputated his arm was something else.

‘We had to remove his right arm at the shoulder. It was so deeply burnt and the bone was shattered no one