27 Dates_The Florida Date Read online

  27 Dates

  Volume 12: The Florida Date

  By B. N. Hale

  Text Copyright © 2018 B.N. Hale

  All Rights Reserved

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Excerpt from Volume 13

  Author Bio

  Chapter 1

  Reed watched Kate disappear into the smoke. He wanted to call her name, to call her back, to tell her he was wrong. But the words did not come. His heart felt stretched to the breaking point, like he was about to snap.

  He wanted to be angry at Melissa for the reminder of his duty, but she did not deserve his ire. She was exactly what he wanted to see, a girl who knew what she deserved. But is that what he still wanted? Bowing his head, he rubbed his neck and trudged to Jim, still waiting at the truck.

  Reed made his way to the passenger seat and climbed into the cab. Jim opened his door and joined him, inserting the key. He turned around on the grass and made his way back up the road, the truck bouncing over the ruts in the road.

  “You shouldn’t have let her go.”

  “You know my rules,” Reed said. His voice sounded distant, unable to push through the numbness in his chest.

  “Rules apply to a game,” Jim said. “But your game is over.”

  Reed sighed. “I’m grateful for your help, Jim, but you don’t understand.”

  The man grunted. “I’ve been watching the site—I’ve even voted on your dates. Don’t kid yourself. You’ve fallen—hard. I may just be an old man, but I’m not blind yet. You shouldn’t have let her go.”

  “It’s too late now,” Reed muttered. “She’s gone.”

  “Everyone does stupid things,” Jim said.

  “So what am I supposed to do?” Reed demanded.

  Jim didn’t respond to his anger. “The only sane thing. I heard your story, so go back to the beginning. Resolve that burden you carry and then come back and get the girl you want.”

  Reed shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

  “It never is,” Jim said, parking next to Reed’s car.

  “Thanks for the fireworks,” Reed said.

  “I expect an invite to the wedding,” he said.

  Reed shook his head and walked to his car. When he got in he drove up the road, but parked in a spot behind a pavilion. Kate had said she would call Ember but he wasn’t about to let her sit in the park alone.

  As he passed under a pavilion he spotted her in the empty field. His jaw tightened and he began to walk to her, intent on asking if he could drive her home. But he stopped on the threshold of the pavilion, struck by the despair about her huddled frame.

  He could not offer solace or apology, and stood under the pavilion, unable to move. The minutes bled away as he watched her cry, yearning to offer comfort that he could not provide. If he went to her, he would beg forgiveness and give up his promise, but every time he tried to step forward he heard Aura’s scream.

  Kate’s roommates arrived and spirited her away, their car disappearing into the night. Reed finally turned and trudged to his car. Then he drove home, the streets and lights blurring by until he found himself in his driveway. The light was on in the living room and he cringed at the prospect of talking to Jackson.

  Steeling himself to face Jackson, he walked to the front door. He expected Jackson to already know what had happened and was not disappointed. When he entered the expression on Jackson’s face said it all.

  “Reed,” he began.

  “Not now,” Reed said. “I’m tired, and I don’t really want to talk.”

  Reed wanted to scream and shout, to cry, but the ache in his chest wouldn’t allow it. Jackson was on his feet but Reed walked past him to his bedroom. He caught the handle and swung the door open, but before he could shut it, Jackson spoke.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Reed finally looked at him. “Me too,” he said.

  He shut the door and fell onto his bed, but the war in his mind did not abate. Abruptly his anger boiled over and he punched his pillow, growling into it as if it would dispel the rending conflict in his soul.

  Sleep finally claimed him, but when he rose in the morning he did not awake. Numb, he went to class and work, and returned home with notes he didn’t remember taking. Time passed in a blur of faces. He ate when he was hungry and slept when he was tired, but more often than not he stared at his phone, at the last text he’d gotten from Kate.

  His friends tried to talk to him but he extricated himself from conversations and escaped, leaving them wanting. After a week they stopped trying. After two they stopped talking. Only Jackson continued to make an effort.

  The night of his date with Kate came and went and she did not text or call. The next morning he stared at the date on the calendar, a disturbing realization settling in like a fall frost. It was well and truly over.

  The calendar marked dates with Kate for a couple months ahead and he ripped it from the wall. Tossing it into the trash, he dropped back in bed and pulled the covers over his head, trying to hide from the calendar.

  The door swung open and Jackson appeared. “Get dressed,” he said.

  “Why?” His question was toneless.

  “You promised to go to a game with me and Shelby,” he said.

  “I’m not feeling well,” Reed said. “I’m going to stay in bed.”

  “It’s the finals of the summer tournament,” he said. “You promised you’d go with me, and I’m not disappointing Shelby.”

  Reed closed his eyes and groaned. He wanted to refuse his roommate but he had promised. “Give me a few minutes,” he muttered.

  He pulled on whatever clothes were handy and then walked to Jackson’s car. From the passenger seat, he watched the streets slide by, the lights blending together in an endless array of bland structures until they were replaced with mountains. Then he realized they were no longer in the city.

  “Where are we?” he asked, turning to look behind them, but there was only the road stretching to the horizon.

  “On the 36,” Jackson said, “about an hour from Denver.”

  “What?” he asked, straightening in his seat. “Aren’t we going to the game?”

  “The game was last week,” he said. “You missed it. I’m sorry I lied, but it was the only way I could get you into the car.”

  Confusion cut through Reed’s regret. “Where are we going?”

  “Florida. Tallahassee to be exact.”

  “What?” he demanded. “That’s two thousand miles away.”

  “I know,” he said. “So I get credit for this forever.”

  “What are you talking about,” Reed demanded. “Why do you want to drive across the country?”

  “Because you need it,” Jackson said. “And I’m a really good friend.”

  “Why do I need to go to Florida?” Reed asked.

  “To see Aura,” he replied.

  Reed stared at him, his confusion spinning to a halt. “Turn around,” he finally said.

  “No.”

  “Now.”

  “No.”

  “If you don’t turn around I’ll . . .”

  “What?” Jackson asked, incredulous. “Hit me? Unless you have a secret karate skill I don’t know about, you’d better make yourself comfortable.”

  “When you stop for gas I’ll just get out,” he replied. “I’ll take a bus back.”

  “Why?” Jackson asked. “What do you have to return to? Classes? A life? You sacrificed all your other dates because of Kate, your calendar is empty, and you just finished your summer semester. You got a B, by the way, because Ember talked to
your professor.”

  “What?” he asked. “Why?”

  “Because she’s intimidating,” Jackson said like it was obvious. “And we needed you not to flunk out.”

  Reed folded his arms. “I need to finish my degree.”

  Jackson glanced his way. “If you do your fall semester like you did the last two weeks, you’ll be kicked out of school faster than I drive for a layup. Until you fix this, you’ve got nothing to go back to.”

  Reed wanted to argue but found he couldn’t. Glaring at his roommate, he gestured to his clothes. “What are we supposed to do? Wear these clothes for two weeks?”

  “Of course not,” Jackson said with a snort. “Shelby and I packed your stuff when you were in class. Our bags are in the back.”

  Reed stared at his roommate, seeing him for the first time. “Who’s the evil mastermind of this scheme?”

  “I am,” Jackson replied with a smirk. “Kate told them why you broke things off—.”

  “We weren’t together—”

  “—and everything about Aura. Since I was the first to know the truth I figured it was time to step up.”

  “And visiting her is going to fix things?”

  “Yes,” Jackson said.

  Reed sighed. “Then there’s a problem. She’s not in Tallahassee.”

  Jackson raised an eyebrow. “That’s where you grew up. I assumed she was buried there.”

  Reed sighed. “She’s in southern Florida.”

  “They moved her body?”

  “She’s in a hospital outside of Miami,” Reed said. “She’s in a coma.”

  Chapter 2

  Jackson stared at him until Reed reminded him he was driving. Then he jerked his head and returned his gaze to the road. “You said she was dead.”

  “I said she lost her life,” Reed said, “not that she was dead.”

  “It’s the same thing.”

  “But she could wake up—”

  “No,” Reed said flatly. “The doctors in Tallahassee and Miami were very clear. Aura is not waking up.”

  Jackson frowned. “You said it was your fault.”

  “She lost her life,” Reed insisted. “And she lost it because of me.”

  “Don’t you think you’re blaming yourself a little too harshly?”

  “No,” he said, looking away. “And if you could still hear someone screaming as they died, you’d probably think the same thing.”

  “True,” Jackson said. “But I’m not turning around. The destination may have changed but the trip hasn’t.”

  “I don’t want to see her,” Reed said quietly.

  “When’s the last time you did?”

  “Not since it happened,” he said.

  “You never visited?” he asked.

  “No,” Reed said. “So we’ll drive for a week just so you can watch her parents throw me out.”

  “They’re not going to throw us out,” Jackson said.

  “You don’t know what her dad said,” Reed said, looking out the window.

  He lapsed into silence and Jackson eventually plugged in his phone and turned up the music. It seemed he made a point of avoiding love songs, but Reed didn’t pay much attention. His thoughts drifted to Aura and he wondered how her family would feel when he walked in the door. He even considered calling but the thought of dialing the number was too daunting, so he didn’t suggest it.

  They drove throughout the day and into the night, only stopping for gas and food. At the first stop Jackson watched him like a hawk, but now that they were going, Reed sensed an inexorable pull to see Aura. Perhaps if he saw the girl he’d pledged years of his life to, he could recommit himself and try to forget Kate. If he even could.

  They stopped for the night when they were tired and found a cheap hotel somewhere in Iowa. The next night they stopped in St. Louis. Reed frequently caught his roommate texting updates whenever they stopped. He offered to drive, but Jackson refused, claiming he didn’t want to go back to Colorado.

  “I’m not going to turn us around,” Reed protested. “We’ve been driving for days. It would be pointless to try.”

  Jackson refused to relinquish the wheel, even when the sun set and they continued to drive. Reed kept to himself but occasionally allowed himself to be drawn into conversation that didn’t relate to Aura or Kate.

  It felt good to talk, but doing so was also strangely painful. Jackson had a way of finding amusement in the mundane, and several times Reed caught himself smiling. They reached Miami five days after departing and Jackson pulled into a Fairfield Inn. He paid for the room and dragged their luggage down the hall. Exhausted, Reed fell asleep in his clothes.

  He awoke when Jackson flung open the drapes. “Time to go,” he said.

  Reed groaned. “I can’t believe you dragged me down here.”

  “I’m your date for the weekend, remember?”

  Reed lifted his head to look at Jackson, who was already dressed, lacing his shoes. “You’re not as pretty as my last date.” His jaw tightened as he thought of Kate but Jackson didn't notice.

  “The breakfast ends in twenty minutes,” Jackson said. “If you want to eat, you’d better hurry.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Then I’ll bring you back a waffle.”

  The prospect of waffles pulled Reed from the bed and he dressed. The bag had been hastily packed but at least the clothes were his. He found shorts, pants, and a variety of shirts, some of which were absurd.

  “My orange jersey?” he asked, holding it aloft.

  “Never know when you’re going to need to play,” Jackson reasoned.

  “So Shelby picked out most and you added a few?” Then he noticed a bright green shirt and held it aloft. “What’s this?”

  Jackson grinned and stood. “Kate’s roommates also helped us pack. The blondes wanted to pick an outfit that was properly somber but would remind you of Kate.”

  “You regret telling them your plan to kidnap me,” Reed guessed.

  “So much,” Jackson said fervently.

  Reed pulled on his shoes and joined him at the door. They grabbed breakfast and returned to their room. Once they had everything packed, they checked out and loaded the car. As they left the parking lot Reed began to feel nervous.

  “What if her parents throw me out?” Reed asked.

  “You were her friend for what, ten years? They’re not going to throw you out. They might not even be there.”

  “It’s Wednesday,” Reed said. “They’ll be here.”

  “My apologies,” Jackson said. “Next time I kidnap you I’ll do it on a different day.”

  Reed chuckled in amusement but it came out nervous. He took a breath to steady himself and looked out the window, watching the cityscape of Miami gradually scroll by. He’d thought about what he would do if he ever came to see Aura, but now that the moment was upon him he couldn’t think of what he would say.

  Jackson followed the GPS to the hospital and found a parking spot. When he turned off the car they both sat in silence while Jackson waited expectantly. Reed realized Jackson had taken him as far as was going to and steeled himself for facing Aura.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  He got out of the car and walked to the front doors of the hospital. A quick inquiry led them to the sixth floor. The elevator doors closed and Reed fidgeted in place, folding his arms and then putting them at his side repeatedly.

  “Relax,” Jackson said. “They’ll be happy to see you.”

  “Her father told me if I had been faster calling 911 Aura would still be with them. He said it’s my fault she’s gone.”

  Jackson raised his eyebrow. “He really said that?”

  “In the hospital three weeks after the accident,” Reed said. “The doctors had just informed them that there was very little brain activity and to prepare for her passing.”

  “It’s been three years,” Jackson said uncertainly. “I’m sure he’s forgiven you by now.”

  “We’re about to fi
nd out,” he said.

  They exited the elevator into a small foyer. Chairs sat around a window, behind which a nurse worked at a computer. Hallways extended away, broken by beds and stands holding IV bags. A pair of nurses talked next to a drinking fountain while a handful of family members moved about. Everything about the floor was lethargic, reflecting the placard on the wall.

  Long-Term Care

  They stood outside the elevator until Reed realized Jackson was waiting for him, and a glance revealed Jackson’s nervousness. He tried to hide it, but there was a stillness about his expression, about his stance, that betrayed his worry. He looked the same before a tip-off of a big game, except then he was also excited. At least then he knew what to do when the whistle blew.

  Reed stepped to the receptionist and inquired where to go, and then walked down the hallway towards room 406. Thirty steps felt like an eternity, the hallway stretching away like a race track without a finish line.

  He reached the door and slowed, listening for any sounds inside, but only heard the soft whirring of machines keeping someone alive. He swallowed, struggling to keep his emotions in check. Then he stepped through the door.

  His shoe squeaked against the floor and he winced as if he would wake someone. A chair scraped against the floor and then Reed stepped around the curtain to see a man rising from a chair. Their eyes met, but Reed’s gaze slid off his rigid features and settled on the woman in the bed.

  Aura.

  Chapter 3

  She lay in bed with her arms at her side. She’d been in a coma for three years but looked good. Her features were a bit gaunt, but she was just as attractive as she’d always been. His gut tightened at seeing her in such a state.

  “What are you doing here?” her father asked, his voice hard.

  “I’m sorry,” Reed said. “I just . . .”

  “You should go,” he said, coming around the bed and tossing his book onto the table. “You don’t belong here.”

  “Who doesn’t belong here?” a woman said, entering the room with a bottle of water.

  She caught sight of Reed and Jackson and came to a halt. Short and sporting short white hair, she looked up at Reed in surprise, and then abruptly she smiled. She put the water down and pulled Reed into a crushing hug.