Bejewelled

Ch 9

Cinda sat staring at the phone which she’d been quick to hang up and slide across the floor away from her. Though it only went as far as a foot away, was still plugged into the wall socket.

She knew that her reaction to just hearing Gabe’s voice come down the line was completely ridiculous. But Cinda had not been expecting him to be there with Grey at all, completely caught her off guard. It was pretty late and she’d figured he’d be working and Grey would be at home.

But now that she knew he was there and that he had obviously snatched Grey’s phone out of the man’s own hand to yell at her, and he had yelled at her, Gabe didn’t care that she had been upset, just obviously unhappy about her calling his friend. Though why he was unhappy about it, who knew.

He didn’t want anything to do with her, she knew that much, couldn’t even be in the same room with her for more than a minute. Was just mad at her like he always was. Never even cared to ask why she was upset. Or ask if she was okay? No. just demanded to know what was going on. Explain yourself, was what he meant, explain why she had the hide to call Grey. Well, she could call anyone she wanted to, did not need to explain herself to him.

Cinda was half expecting it to ring and his number to pop up on that screen, seeing that she had ended the call so quickly. Cinda also knew that Gabe would expect her to answer it, if his name came up. Would get royally pissed off if she ignored it on purpose and she knew it, but she didn’t want to speak with him right now.

Her life here away from him was just that. Away from him, private and he knew nothing about it, unless his friends had told him, and she now knew they had not. Lori herself knew nothing, which meant Gabe knew nothing.

It didn’t ring right back, no-one called her back, not in her time of need. This was her life now, alone. There was no return call from Grey’s phone number and not from Gabe himself, and why would there be? Gabe had been glad to see her go, whatever was going on with her, wouldn’t matter to him.

She also doubted that Grey would tell him anything even close to the truth, that man would probably make something up, if he’d not told him about James he wasn’t likely to tell Gabe about Peter, now was he.

Smokey her cat strolled down the hall and wound itself around her before climbing up onto her lap and smooched her wet tear-stained face, “Hey.” She sobbed and hugged her. James had brought the cat home a week before he’d been killed.

She was a pretty little grey and white kitten, smoky they had named her, seeing as he’d rescued her from a burning house where an old woman had died, and with no family, there was no one to look after the kitten.

They’d called her smoky because she’d smelled like smoke. It had seemed fitting at the time. Cinda pushed herself up off the floor and headed to the kitchen to feed her. She had left out plenty of dry food for her, but no wet food, tore open a satchel of food for smoky and fed her, before going to shower and then lying down in her big empty bed.

Cinda hated how empty it was, hated being alone here in this apartment where she and James had lived, but couldn’t bring herself to move out of it either. It had been their home, all her memories of him were tied to this ground floor apartment, it was small and cheap, but they’d been wanting to save for a house of their own, so didn’t mind, at all.

Now she lived here alone and right this minute truly felt alone. Cinda stared at the gold band on her bedside table. It was James’s, and she couldn’t bear to bury it with him. She needed something personal of his to keep forever, for she had loved him. Still missed him every day. The way he would smile at her, how he never got mad at her. He sighed heavily but never truly got mad at her. She would always love him.

It was not the same as what she felt about blue eyes, but still it was love and she knew it, just different was all. He’d been such a good husband, he’d loved her, not once said anything to hurt her. James had been a good guy and that was why she had married him. He was kind and sweet.

He’d proposed a year after they’d started dating and she’d said yes without hesitation, he’d been so happy, had gone and gotten the process for their wedding license started the very next day, come home and told her because he’d been so happy, he didn’t want to wait. She’d just laughed and told him he was crazy. He’d just grinned right at her and murmured for you, launched himself at her and pulled her into their bedroom.

When he’d brought up the wedding date and guest list a little over a month later, as he’d waved their license at her, it’d finally arrived in the mail. Cinda had stared at him, almost horrified at the thought of having to invite Gabriel, and she knew that she would have to. If she invited Lori and Dan, they would tell him, hell they would both have asked her why she’d not invited Gabe. He would have found out about her upcoming wedding the moment after Lori had heard about it, and hung up the phone, Lori would have dialled Gabe’s number to impart the news to him.

She’d sat staring at James that day, knew she didn’t want Gabe anywhere near her with James around, so she had said let’s get married tomorrow, though he had been shocked by her statement. The license was in his hand and so they could just go and get married anytime they liked, down at the local courthouse.

Cinda had convinced him easily that eloping would also save them a butt ass load of money, which they could put towards the deposit for their home. He was excited to be getting married to her and so just nodded and called his father to tell him the good news.

They’d gone down to the courthouse the very next day and gotten married. His father and a few of his friends had been there as witnesses, and that had been that. Married and happily so, they had a two-day get away in a cabin down in Kangaroo Valley for their honeymoon and then returned to work.

Cinda picked up his wedding band and slipped it on to her thumb. It was still loose, he’d had very large hands, she just curled her hand into a fist and lay down on the bed, whispered “You’re not alone up there anymore James.” And promptly burst into tears and cried herself to sleep. She was the only one to be alone now. 26 and widowed. Not even a baby to remember him by. They’d wanted to wait till they had a house of their own.

The pounding on her door woke her. She sat up bleary eyed and immediately started coughing, the room was filled with smoke, and she could hear the soft pops and crackling noise of what she thought could be a fire, but it couldn’t be. She had smoke alarms, her lungs were stinging, and her eyes started to water instantly.

“Cinda?” her name was being called anxiously over and over again, and she was so tired, and her lungs were burning so much that she couldn’t call out to let whoever it was, know she was okay, couldn’t call out for help when she tried, it just made her cough more.

“Cinda, where are you?”

The door finally gave in with a loud crash, she had dead bolted it, before going to bed. Always did now, was an automatic reflex since the break into her apartment a few months ago. Not that they had taken anything. It was weird. Only knew she’d been broken into because the door had been unlocked and the place had been a mess.

“Here.” She choked, coughing more as it finally dawned on her that the apartment was actually on fire, she rolled off the bed and hit the floor, saw James’s ring roll away from her as it slipped off her thumb and scurried after it, needed it, grabbed it just as a pair of hands landed on her, she was swung up over a shoulder and then they were headed for the door.

“No wait.” She tried to scream but it came out more of a strangled gurgle, grabbing at the door frame “Smoky is still in there, I can’t leave her.” She half sobbed, half choked, she couldn’t lose anyone else tonight, it would be too much to bear.

“Hugh’s got her, now let go girl.”

Cinda let go of the door frame and watched as she was hauled away. The flames were licking the walls in not just her living area but also the kitchen, five more minutes and she’d never have made it out alive.

People were milling around, others in the apartment building had been evacuated, it seemed. It was only a 2-story building and had 4 apartments on each floor. She hoped everyone was okay.

A cold shiver ran down her spine, she was placed on the ground, a blanket thrown around her and smoky handed to her, she hugged her cat and sent up a thank you, that not everything had been taking from her tonight. Had no idea what time it was, but it was still dark outside.

She looked up as an oxygen mask was shoved at her and saw Hugh and Jack, two of James’s old unit, standing before her looking worriedly down at her. “Go help” she waved them away. There was nothing they could do for her, but they could save the rest of the building, they needed to.

Christ, her lungs hurt terribly, and her eyes were grainy and burning and she knew that she was once again crying but couldn’t stop, everything of James’s was in there, and everything about their life together was in that apartment burning to ashes.

She’d seen the flames as she’d been carried to safety, it was just a one-bedroom apartment and if her living area and kitchen were on fire like that it was unlikely her bedroom and bathroom wouldn't survive. She was going to lose it all and she knew it.

She just sat there hugging her cat. There was nothing she could do but let the men do their job, which they were. But why hadn’t the smoke detectors gone off? James had been a stickler about having them, he’d installed two, in fact, just to be certain that if one didn’t work the other would. Not at all necessary in such a tiny apartment.

Overkill she’d told him, but he’d simply smiled at her and said “I ain’t taking any risks in loosing you.” Then he’d grinned and chased her around their lounge and picked her up tossed her on their bed laughing to have his way with her. He’d always been fun like that.

More tears spilled down her cheeks, he’d always told her that he was the luckiest man in the world, to be the one to have her for the rest of his life, but she knew that it had been her to be the lucky one, not him, he’d loved her regardless of her flaws.

It was still dark out, and Cinda had no idea what time it was, a paramedic was taking her blood pressure, when she heard her name shouted, actually sighed heavily “Great, just what I need.” She muttered, she would know that rich deep voice anywhere, it was Gabe, he had not called her, to see if she was alright, but had come himself.

Gabe hunkered down next to her. “Good God Cinda, are you alright?” He asked, sounding somewhat relieved to see her.

Smoky hissed and lashed out at him ‘good kitty’ she thought, but stated to him “I’m Fine.” She nodded, too tired to ask why he was actually here? She had a fair idea anyway, Grey had obviously told him why she’d called, or perhaps some of it, maybe just told him a friend had died she didn’t know.

He tilted her chin up to make her look at him, not that she wanted to, didn’t even want him here, had kept this part of her life very separate from him. It's likely he was just looking at her from a police officer’s point of view. A second later she knew that was all it was, when he stood and looked around.

“I’ll be back.” He said and walked away to find out who was in charge she suspected.

“Boyfriend?” the paramedic asked with a chuckle.

“No, off duty cop.” She said, he was already talking to another police officer and one of the firemen, Hugh she thought, but her eyesight wasn’t so good, a little fuzzy on the edges. “Oh, I don’t feel so good.” She sighed as darkness closed in on her and then swallowed her up.