After the Sky Fell Down

by Nugen Isbell, Megan

  “Not bad,” she nodded taking a whole spoonful.

  Their entrees arrived a while later and she looked nervously at the bright red pieces of chicken that were resting on a bed of lettuce and white onions. She looked over to Jace who was already devouring his lamb.

  “It’s only chicken,” he laughed and she reached down and grabbed a crispy leg. She bit into the tangy skin and realized how much she liked it.

  “You want to try some of this?” she asked, holding up a piece to him. He took it and set it on his plate and then cut her a piece of his lamb and put it on her plate. She ate the bite of lamb which was tender and spicy and her mind drifted for a second as she tried to picture Ben at a place like this. He would’ve felt like a fish out of water and she heard herself chuckle quietly at the thought. She could almost hear him making cracks that the food looked like something you’d find in a baby’s diaper and that the smell of curry was just as bad.

  “What’s so funny?” Jace asked wanting to be part of the joke.

  “Nothing,” she said, but the smile didn’t leave her face.

  “You’re laughing. What are you laughing at?”

  “I’m just thinking about how I never would’ve tried this place if it wasn’t for you. You’re so similar and yet so different than…” she said and then her voice trailed off.

  “Than Ben?” he said finishing her sentence and she nodded slowly.

  “I’m sorry,” she said knowing she shouldn’t have said anything. She should’ve made up a lie about why she was laughing. He didn’t need to know she was thinking about Ben when they were together. He just shrugged his shoulders, but didn’t say anything, although she knew he was uncomfortable.

  They were quiet for the rest of the meal and when they were done, Jace suggested they split a dessert. They agreed on malai kulfi, which he explained was Indian cashew ice cream. When the waitress set it down, they each picked up their spoons and began eating. The sweet of the ice cream and the saltiness of the cashews were surprisingly complimentary and a perfect ending to the meal.

  “So,” he said as his spoon clanked against the empty glass bowl. “How was your first experience with Indian food?”

  “Not bad. It was fun,” she said resting her spoon down too. He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her with his dark eyes and she found herself staring back at him. The waitress came by then and gave them the check. Jace went and paid it and then came back to the table.

  “Want to go back to my place and hang out for a while?” he asked as she stood up and slid her jacket on.

  “Yeah,” she agreed and followed him outside.

  “So what should our next food adventure be? Thai? German?” he asked as they drove back.

  “Hmm. I’ll have to give it some thought,” she said and then grimaced as she felt a sudden pain in her stomach, but luckily Jace didn’t seem to notice.

  “Well, let me know what you decide,” he smiled and continued driving.

  Once they were inside his apartment, she took off her coat and sat down on the couch. He joined her a moment later, sitting beside her and taking her hand in his. He began tracing the back of it with his index finger, giving her goosebumps. She reached over with her free hand and began rubbing his arm, her fingers lingering on his soft skin. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder and then he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it softly.

  “Are we going for another run tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said and then the moment was ruined when she felt her stomach cramp and she sat up, clutching her abdomen.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Um…not sure,” she said, her face turning red with embarrassment as her mouth began to water, knowing what was coming next.

  “What’s wrong? You look a little pale,” he said reaching up moving a strand of hair from her forehead. “You’re sweating.”

  “Uh…my stomach. I don’t feel so good,” she said slowly as her stomach began to churn. “I think I’m gonna be sick,” she said and then bolted from the couch and rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She cringed with embarrassment as she threw up her first Indian meal.

  “Kathryn? Are you okay?” she heard Jace’s voice call from the other side of the door, even though it was muffled over the sound of her heaving. She hadn’t thrown up since the morning sickness with Sarah, and she’d forgotten how much she hated it. She was mortified knowing Jace was just a few feet away, hearing her lose her dinner and she prayed it would end soon.

  “Kathryn?” he called again.

  “I’m fine,” she said quickly and then heaved again. After the third time, she felt her stomach settling and she flushed the toilet. She was covered in sweat and as she looked in the mirror, her face was as white as a ghost and her eyes were bloodshot and moist from the strain. She turned on the faucet and rinsed her mouth and splashed some cool water on her face.

  She heard the door open and Jace cautiously poked his head in.

  “All done?” he asked with a slight smile as he handed her a clean towel to dry her face. He walked inside the bathroom and stood next to her. She patted her face dry and then stared up at him with complete humiliation.

  “I am so sorry,” she sighed.

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault,” he said taking the towel from her and continuing to dab her face. “I guess Indian food doesn’t agree with you.”

  “I don’t know what happened. I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Stop it. You shouldn’t be embarrassed.”

  “You just heard me puking my guts out. Not exactly the most attractive sound. In fact, it’s got to be the most disgusting sound on the face of the planet, and you just heard me in all my glory. You must be so impressed,” she laughed, although her face was red from embarrassment.

  “I thought we were passed this…you know, trying to impress each other, afraid of what we think of each other. You act like I’ve never thrown up before. I don’t care that you just puked in my toilet,” he said setting the towel down on the counter. “I don’t care that I heard the most disgusting sound on the face of the planet, as you call it, coming from you because I…,” and then his voice trailed off and he was smiling warmly at her and tucking a loose hair behind her ear, looking at her as if he wanted to say something more, but said nothing.

  He pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled deep into his chest. As he held her, she forgot that she had just been humiliated in front of him. She knew they’d moved beyond all that and their relationship had reached a deeper stage, a more meaningful stage, and as she stood in Jace’s embrace, she couldn’t deny that part of her was scared as hell at the fact that maybe she was moving on and leaving Ben behind. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she didn’t let Jace see. She couldn’t let him see.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he held her. “You feel like you’re burning up.”

  “I’ve felt better,” she said realizing her stomach was becoming unsettled again. “Maybe it wasn’t the food. I’ve been feeling a little weird all day.”

  “We should get you home then. You probably have a bug or something.”

  “Great. That’s exactly what I need right now,” she grumbled hoping it would be over quickly.

  “C’mon. Let’s go,” he said picking up her purse and leading her out to the car.

  She leaned against the window as Jace drove back to her apartment. While they drove, she called Sharon, who was watching Sarah, and explained what was going on. She agreed to keep Sarah at her house, which instantly made Kathryn feel better. The thought of trying to take care of a toddler while having a stomach virus was awful. Plus, she didn’t want to get Sarah sick.

  When they walked up to the apartment a few minutes later, Kathryn noticed the light glowing from the window. Luke was home. She was hoping he’d be gone, but obviously he wasn’t.

  She fumbled with her keys and opened the door. Inside, Luke was lying
out on the couch watching TV. He sat up when he heard the door shut and his eyes immediately focused on Kathryn and Jace in the entryway. She noticed his mouth form into a stern line as he looked between them.

  “Hey,” she said to him.

  “You don’t look so hot. What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I think I’ve got a stomach bug,” she said still holding her gut.

  “Are you okay?” Luke asked standing up from the couch and walking towards her and Jace.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said.

  “She kinda lost her dinner back at my place,” Jace said with a small laugh.

  She elbowed him in the stomach.

  “Not necessary, Jace,” she sneered.

  “I’m sorry,” he said putting his arm around her. “I figured I’d better get her home though.”

  “Yeah, good idea,” Luke agreed, but kept his eyes on Kathryn, and then he reached out and took hold of her arm gently. “You should go to bed and then I’ll go get you some ginger ale and saltines.”

  She felt him tug at her gently, urging her to follow him, but Jace didn’t remove his arm from around her shoulder. Luke stopped and stared over to Jace.

  “Why don’t you go get the ginger ale while I get her settled,” Jace said and even though she was sick, Kathryn noticed his usual soft voice was stern.

  Luke didn’t say anything right away, but she felt his grip loosen and then he removed his hand from her arm.

  “Sure,” Luke said glaring at Jace as he grabbed his keys before heading out.

  When Luke closed the door, she and Jace stood in the entryway for a few moments before Jace led her down the hallway to her room. She kicked off her shoes and then scoured her dresser for a pair of sweats.

  “I’ll wait out here,” Jace said once she’d found them and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. She changed quickly and Jace came back in.

  “You look so miserable and cute at the same time,” he said when he saw her standing pathetically in the middle of the room in her old gray sweatpants and URI t-shirt.

  “I’m sure I look ravishing,” she said sarcastically.

  “You always look ravishing,” Jace grinned and she blushed as he walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back.

  “Get in,” he said taking her hand and leading her to the mattress.

  It was only 8:30, but she knew she needed to rest and Jace was being so sweet, she couldn’t say no. She crawled under the covers and Jace tucked her in and then sat down on the edge of the bed. He smiled down at her and then brushed his fingers through her hair, which was damp along the hairline.

  “You don’t have to stay,” she said.

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  “No,” she said almost too quickly. “But, you don’t have to waste your night here just because I went and got sick.”

  “I’m not wasting my night and I’d like to stay if you want me to,” he said continuing to stroke her hair.

  “Stay,” she said quietly, closing her eyes as his fingers teased her scalp.

  Her stomach was still churning and she turned on her side, curling into the fetal position, which seemed to help a little.

  “This is awful,” she winced as she worked through another cramp. “I feel like I’m in labor again,” she said trying to laugh, but then realizing it wasn’t a very funny joke.

  “Let’s hope you’re not,” he said.

  “I’ve gotta get to the bathroom,” she said suddenly, flinging the covers off and racing to the toilet just in time. She heaved until there was nothing left. She rinsed her mouth out and stared at her bloodshot eyes and pale face. Jace must really like her if he was sticking around through all of this.

  When she walked back into her room, Jace was still sitting on the bed, but Luke was there also. They weren’t saying anything to each other, which didn’t surprise her. There was still an unspoken tension between the two, even though Luke had been relatively polite since that first encounter with Jace. She and Luke had hardly spoken since the kiss though, and that didn’t help the situation either.

  “Feel better?” Jace asked standing up and leading her back to the bed, which she crawled into gratefully.

  “For now,” she replied.

  “Do you want some ginger ale or some crackers?” Luke asked stepping towards the bed too, but then stopping when Jace looked over to him and Kathryn noticed it was more like a glare than a look.

  “Sure Luke,” she said and then he left the room and she curled into the fetal position again.

  Jace began stroking her hair again and a few moments later, Luke returned with a glass of ginger ale and crackers.

  “Maybe this’ll help settle your stomach,” Luke said handing it to her as she sat up. “And here are some crackers in case you need something else.” He laid the saltines on the end table next to the picture of Ben.

  “Thanks Luke,” she said reaching for the glass and taking a sip.

  “Feel better Kate,” he said, smiling softly down at her as if they hadn’t been ignoring each other for the past week and she found herself smiling back as she watched Luke walk out of the room.

  “I hope this helps,” she said taking another sip and then snuggling back into the covers.

  “Me too,” Jace said.

  “You can’t just sit there all night watching me run back and forth to the bathroom,” she said suddenly feeling self-conscious.

  “Who says? I’m perfectly content sitting here with you and making sure you’re okay.”

  “You should at least watch some TV or something,” she said.

  “Good idea,” he said reaching over and flicking on the TV with the remote and then kicking off his shoes and scooting further onto the bed.

  He continued running his hands through her hair and while her stomach was still queasy, she thought she might be able to avoid the bathroom again, for a little while at least. She found herself wanting to be closer to Jace. She’d always been a baby when she was sick. And even though she was certain Ben got annoyed with her neediness when she wasn’t feeling well, he’d always taken care of her, which was something she’d missed since he’d died. She liked the fact that Jace wanted to take care of her. She inched closer to him cautiously, hoping he wouldn’t mind. It was obvious he didn’t when he laid down beside her and put his arm around her. She rested her head on his chest and he held her tighter until she fell asleep.

  Chapter 38

  Jace stayed with her all night. She hadn’t expected him to, but she was happy he had. She loved the feeling of someone next to her while she slept, especially when she didn’t feel good.

  Her stomach felt much better when she woke up the next morning and Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief assuming the worst had passed and it had only been a 24-hour bug. This was great news because she didn’t have time to be sick.

  “I’m sorry I have to go,” he said around 7:30. “I have to get to work soon though.”

  He stood up from the bed and put his shoes and coat on. She smiled up at him as his dark eyes stared down at her. His black hair was messy and he ran a hand through it trying to tame it and his chin had a light shadow on it. She thought how cute he looked in the morning and then she felt her cheeks flush and looked away.

  “It’s okay,” she said, still looking away. “I didn’t expect you to stay all night. You went above and beyond the call of duty, but thanks,” she said sincerely, meeting his eyes again.

  “You’re welcome,” he said leaning down and kissing her on the cheek, causing her to tingle. “How’re you feeling anyway?”

  “Much better. I think I’m on the mend.”

  “Good. You looked to be on death’s door for a while,” he laughed and then stopped suddenly. Kathryn felt herself stiffen too and was reminded of her date with Trevor briefly, but then knew she was overreacting. He’d just used a figure of speech, something people said all the time, and yet she tensed at the words and so had he. She felt like the bowl in the china shop again and kn
ew she was being ridiculous.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly. “That was really…insensitive of me,” he stumbled.

  “You’re fine. Please don’t apologize,” she said and she meant it. “Seriously, please don’t worry about it. I’m way too sensitive sometimes.”

  He looked at her doubtfully, but then walked over and took her hand.

  “I’m just glad you’re feeling better,” he said.

  “Thanks. Now get to work before you’re late and you get fired and then can’t afford to take me on our next food adventure.”

  “I’ll call you later,” he said smiling at her and then kissing her cheek once more. He squeezed her hand and then he left.

  She hated that he had to leave, but she couldn’t expect him to drop everything in his life to hang out with her, even if she wanted him to. Rather than dwell on this though, she got up and took a shower. She wanted to get Sarah from the Bradley’s. She missed her daughter.

  She sat on the bed, drying her hair with a towel, when her eyes caught the picture of Ben on her nightstand. Her body froze and she set the towel down next to her. Slowly, she picked up the picture and held it in her lap, her finger tracing over his perfect features. The sparking hazel eyes, strong cheekbones, soft lips that she wished could kiss her just one more time, but knowing it was just a foolish dream. Her stomach felt sick again, but not from the virus this time, but from guilt. The guilt of having spent the night with Jace, the guilt of letting him take care of her the way Ben used to, the guilt of kissing him and the guilt of liking it.

  Her eyes grew warm and she whispered, “I’m sorry,” as she hugged the picture and then before she knew what she was doing, she opened the nightstand drawer and put the picture inside, slamming it shut quickly so she didn’t have to look at it anymore, so she didn’t have to hurt anymore whenever she caught his eyes watching her.

  She fixated on the drawer for a few moments and then glanced to the naked spot on the nightstand where his picture had been since he died. She felt the nauseous pit in her stomach form again and her heartbeat began to quicken. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t shut him away. She wouldn’t shut him away.