by Suzy Shearer
He came back a few minutes later with a tea for her and a coffee for himself. They’d just started to drink it when Stacy walked in.
“Hi all.” She kissed them both and put her handbag down. She had a large paper carry bag in her other hand. “Figured you’d want to get out of that gown, Kall.”
She opened the bag and pulled out a nightie then another. As well she pulled out a travel pack. She rattled off the contents. “Soap, toothbrush, paste, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, hand cream, brush. I’ll put this in the bathroom for you.”
When she came back she pulled out a silk dressing gown. She laid the gown across the end of the bed and put one of the nighties in the cupboard. Then put in a couple of pairs of undies. When Kallie said she wanted to put a nightie on, they called the nurse who helped her into the bathroom and changed her. It was awkward with the lines, but she managed. When the nurse left, Stacy smiled at Kall.
“If you need anything else let me know.”
Kallie burst into tears. “Oh no! I seem to be crying all the time.” She sniffled. “Thank you so much, Stace.”
“That’s what friends are for. So what’s happening?”
Alex told her all about the physio and the counsellor visits while Kallie finished crying. The three then relaxed and talked about hospital food when a woman came in and offered them all tea and coffee. She gave Kallie a piece of cake and winking, gave one to Stacy and Alex as well before leaving the room.
When the nurse came in at noon to change Kallie dressings Stacy kissed her good-bye and told her she’d be back tomorrow. Alex held her hand as she endured the pain.
After lunch the burns doctor came in and spoke with them both.
“Things are looking good, Kallista. We are very happy with the way your leg is looking. You’ve seen the physiotherapist and the counsellor?”
She nodded.
“Good. We’ve decided to leave the dressing change until tomorrow morning and see how that leg looks. If things are going as well as we expect, we’ll probably let you go home the day after. A district nurse will be assigned to you to do home visits. The nurse will come to your house and check your leg every two days for about two or three weeks. By then it should be completely covered in new skin. They will also remove the stitches in your temple. Any questions?”
Kallie ran across the stitches. She’d almost forgotten about them with all that had happened. She said she couldn’t think of anything to ask, but Alex piped up.
“Will she be on crutches?”
“No. But in saying that, Kallista, you need to be careful. It’s vital you don’t bump your leg. The new skin is very fragile, and you have a very large burn area.”
Kallie nodded to let the doctor know she understood.
“We live on the ocean, and we also have a pool with a heated spa. Would the water be good for her leg?”
“Not until the skin fully covers it. Not a good idea to go in the water with this open wound, but once there is a skin covering it, it would be okay. Check with the district nurse, and once the nurse says the skin is okay then you can. The exercise will be good for your leg.”
“Thanks.”
“Right. Well I’ll see you in the morning.”
* * * *
The next day and a half flew passed. With the drip finally removed Kallie was able to shower and wash her hair sitting down with a nurse helping her to ensure her stitches didn’t get wet.
Kallie was excited to be finally allowed to leave the hospital in the early afternoon. Alex got Charles to bring the car to the front entrance. Once Kallie had her paperwork, an orderly wheeled her down to the entrance with Alex carrying her things. Charles had tears in his eyes when she stood with Alex helping her. The two men got her settled into the car and set off.
When they arrived at the house, Marie couldn’t stop fussing. Zeus tried to get in the act but a stern word from Alex had him sitting patiently. The house seemed to be filled with flowers, and when Kallie asked Alex told her because flowers hadn’t been allowed in her hospital room people had been sending them here. Marie told her she had been collecting all the cards so Kallie could thank people. She felt moved by how many people had cared.
Once Alex got her settle on the veranda off the bedroom suite, he made her relax on the chaise lounge and told her under no circumstances was she to move without help.
Finally able to say hello to Zeus, Kallie carefully checked him all over, noticing the small bare patch on his tail. He was very well behaved and didn’t attempt to jump up on her. He sat gazing at her with adoring eyes, as if he knew she was wounded and that she had been the one who saved him.
Marie came in with fresh tea for her and homemade coffee cake. Alex remembered to give her Kallie’s meds. She had painkillers for her leg and still had a few days of antibiotics.
“She’s had everything this morning, and the painkillers at lunch, Marie, so she won’t need anything until dinner time.”
“Do you need anything else, Miss Kallie?”
“No. Thank you so much, Marie.”
“Well I’m not far away if you do. Just shout.”
Marie left them with a smile. A short while later Stacy turned up with a notepad. She and Kallie spent an hour working out what Kallie needed immediately and what she could wait to buy for herself. About two hours later Stacy came back with enough clothes until Kallie felt well enough to go shopping. Kall felt weepy when she thanked her, but Stacy hugged her and told her that was what friends did.
She laughed. “Anyway, Kall, I’m the best part of your support system.”
“Well, thank you. I seem to want to cry all the time. I don’t know why.”
Stacy smiled and then seriously said, “Honestly, it’s okay, Kall. You’ve been through a lot. Just relax and cry if you need to. Just don’t bottle it up. We don’t care if you burst into tears every five minutes as long as you talk to us, do we, Alex?”
“No. Anything that makes you feel better is right, sweetheart.”
After dinner that night, Alex helped her shower and then put her into his bed around nine thirty. Exhausted Kallie looked up at him as he lay her between the sheets.
“Are you sure, Alex?”
“Never been surer of anything in my life.”
He climbed in alongside of her and, carefully avoiding her leg, pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest.
“Kallie, you’ll have to help me. I don’t know how to do this.” He murmured into her hair. “I don’t want you to leave me ever again.”
“We’ll work it out together. This is a start.”
“I wish I could make love to you but you need rest. We’ve waited this long. Another few days isn’t going to kill us.”
She giggled. “I’m sure we can work around it although I have to admit my leg hurts like crazy.”
Alex quickly sat up. “Did you take your painkillers? You haven’t knocked it have you? Have I?”
“Oh, Alex! Yes, I took my tablets, and no, I didn’t knock it, and neither did you. The doctors told me it was going to hurt like crazy until the new skin grew completely over it. And before you ask, no— it isn’t red or inflamed.”
He smiled at her in such an endearing way that Kallie felt her stomach flip. She reached up with one finger and ran it across his lips. He caught it with his hand and kissed it before lowering his head to hers and kissing her. It started as a soft good-night kiss, but the emotions of the past week, the past few months, overrode it.
Instead, it turned into something that had them both almost crying. Kallie tried to pour every feeling of love she felt for Alex into it and it felt as if Alex was doing the same. When they finally broke apart Alex looked down at her. His eyes were glistening in the soft moonlight, and she knew hers were as well.
“Kallie,” he moaned, his voice so low she could barely hear it.
She pulled his head down, he settled, and she cradled his head against her breasts. They fell asleep with him being held by Kallie, but sometime th
rough the night he’d moved, and she ended up safe within the circle of his arms and her head nestled against his chest.
Chapter Twenty-three
The next few weeks passed quickly.
The nurse arrived and changed the dressing on Kallie’s leg a few times, assuring both her and Alex that it was healing very well. Then she removed the dressing completely and told them the new skin had formed and the wound needed fresh air. She thought it would only be another week before she would be able to say good-bye to them. The nurse told Kallie she would be able to swim, but she had to make sure she didn’t get the leg sunburned.
Alex had Kallie taking vitamins E and C because he’d read a few reports that they were beneficial in healing. He made sure she ate well and drank plenty of water, made sure she did all the strengthening exercises. He had her in the pool exercising. Once the new skin formed he began rubbing aloe vera into it, having read it promoted healing and helped reduce scarring.
Kallie took it all in good humour. She actually discovered she enjoyed being cosseted by him. Stacy and Dan took great delight in teasing him, and it surprised Kallie how well he took it. He seemed to be laughing more and proudly declaring his love for her regardless of who heard.
A few times she started crying for no reason, but each time Alex held her and let her sob. They’d talked about that awful day a few times. Kallie told him what she’d done and how frightened she’d been when the fire burned through the door.
“I could hear it roaring. See it coming toward me! I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.” She sobbed. “I honestly thought Zeus and I were going to die. I thought we were dead! I just prayed I would die quickly.”
Alex held her tight and rocked her through her pain. In turn, Alex told her what he had done. Kallie realised that Alex really did love her as much as he said when he told her about kneeling in the pouring rain and crying. He told her about the fireman who had been with him most of the time. For both of them being able to talk about it all was healing.
Kallie wanted to go to see her house, but Alex refused to take her until her leg had fully healed. He worried continually about infection and wouldn’t allow her to do anything that involved risk. When at last the nurse gave the all clear, bidding them good-bye, Kallie put her foot down and insisted he take her. They set off in the Cherokee, Zeus harnessed in the backseat. Alex told her that he hadn’t been to the ruins either. Only Dan and Stacy had seen it.
Kallie had been in contact with her insurance providers and everything had been finally settled. Alex had rung the firemen who had saved Kallie and had arranged to meet with them on their way up to the house. He and Kallie called into the brigade station, and Kallie was overwhelmed by their caring. Alex couldn’t stop thanking them, and he handed over a cheque that had the crew stunned. He spent extra time with the fireman who been at the roadblock. It was an emotional visit for everyone.
One of the men who had found Kallie told them both he’d been amazed she survived. Apparently they worked out that the only reason was because that last part of the studio was virtually underground. When the ceiling had collapse in the main part and broken through the glass it had still given her some degree of protection when the flames raced up the mountain and through the house.
“We couldn’t find you, and then your dog barked. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we lifted the roof and saw you both. You stopped breathing. I thought you wouldn’t make it. I’m so glad to see you.”
They both thanked the crew once more and left. As they drove down the track toward the house Kallie could feel tension building up. The entire mountain seemed to have been burned. Everywhere they looked was black, although here and there tiny green shoots of new growth were poking up wherever she looked.
They turned a bend. Normally she would have a view of the house but now all they could see was destruction. Kallie couldn’t hold back a choke. Alex pulled off the gravelled track, and they both sat staring at the ruins in shocked silence.
Finally Alex got out, opened the door for Zeus and helped Kallie out. They walked slowly to where her front door should have been. Nothing was recognisable—the place was totally destroyed. She couldn’t even make out the wreckage of her car.
The large water tank was all that they could see. Although blackened, it stood starkly against the burned trees. Alex helped her walk across the rubble toward where the studio had been.
“I can’t believe you survived! Look!”
Alex stood looking in stunned amazement at where she and Zeus had sheltered, trembling from the approaching fire. Only a tiny area about one metre square wasn’t completely burned—the very end of the soundproof booth where she and the dog had cowered in terror. She turned away, and Alex pulled her against him as she began to sob.
It hit her hard as the sight of that tiny unburned patch pushed the enormity of the horror into her head. He tightly held her, offering her the protection she needed as she grieved. When she finally stopped crying, he took her hand, and they walked back toward the car.
“You can build it again, sweetheart. We can live here if you want.”
She shook her head. “No.” Looking around she shook her head again. “I can’t. I loved this house. I loved living here, but I don’t think I could ever get over the fear if we lived here.”
“I understand.”
She looked back at him and smiled.
“I love your house anyway.”
“Our house.”
She stood of tippy-toes and pulled his head down toward her so she could kiss him. Zeus came bounding back to them, barking in delight as he capered around them.
“Oh no, Alex, look at his feet, his legs!”
They were black from the soot. She and Alex glanced down and saw their own feet were filthy as well.
“I’ve got a towel in the back and an old sheet. I wonder if the tap on the water tank still works.”
“I don’t even know if there’s water left in it, Alex.”
Alex walked over to the tank as he did he found a small burned pot. He picked it up, managed to get the tap to work, and filled the pot with water. He carried it back to where Kallie was standing, Zeus still running crazily through the burned trees.
“If you sit on the seat and take off your shoes I’ll clean your legs. Make sure there’s nothing on your burn.”
Kallie followed his instructions and he cleaned the ends of her jeans as best he could. He called Zeus and spent the next ten minutes trying to clean him enough to let him back into the car. He put the old sheet across the seat before harnessing Zeus back in. Then he cleaned his own legs. He threw their shoes onto the backseat.
“Do you want to stay here for a while?”
Kallie looked at the house. “No. No, I’ve seen enough. Crazy I know, but I thought something might have survived.” Tears began trickling down her face. “I’ve lost my hammock!” She sobbed and Alex laughed at her.
“Your house is gone, and you’re crying about your hammock?”
“But you bought it for me,” she whined, “and my bowl.”
He took her hand. “Oh my dearest, I can buy them again.”
She tried to smile through her tears. Maybe it was silly, and it was probably just a reaction to seeing the house, but she really hoped they would have survived. It was crazy considering Alex had slung the fabric hammock between two trees.
Alex drove them back home. Charles wasn’t quick enough when Zeus took a running leap and planted his dirty paws on his shoulders.
“Sorry, Charlie. I was going to say we need to ring the dog groomers and the car would need a clean, but now it looks like you do, too.”
He and Kallie went inside to shower and change. When Alex came out of the shower and walked into the dressing room Kallie still had the towel wrapped around her. She had been looking at the meagre amount of clothes she had in the walk-in. As he walked toward his side she glanced at him.
“I think I need to buy some more clothes. I’ve only got a few pairs of jea
ns and T-shirts, but I’ll need a new wardrobe to replace what I’ve lost.”
He reached her side. “I’ll take you shopping but in the meantime...”
He looked at her and then pulled the towel from around her body. Kallie looked up him. The Dom took over.
“Into the playroom. As I’ve said you don’t have to kneel, just stand with your arms behind and legs apart, face the windows.”
Kallie turned and walked to the door, she opened it and entered, standing as he requested. She waited—and waited. It felt like an eternity before she heard a drawer slide open and then close. She felt his breath on her neck and closed her eyes in delight.
“Bend forward, legs apart slightly, and hold your ankles.”
Kallie quickly complied, and then she felt the sting of a flogger across the cheeks of her behind. It felt so good and Kallie felt a sudden rush of moisture between her legs. Three more strikes quickly followed, and then she felt Alex rubbing each cheek with his hand.
“Tell me honestly. Is your leg sore?”
Kallie hesitated. The muscles of her leg were almost burning. The skin was still tight despite all her exercising. Bending over was pulling on the muscles, but she didn’t want Alex to stop.
“No, Sir.”
The harsh whip of the flogger actually hurt, and Kallie couldn’t help shouting “Ouch,” because of the pain.
“Stand up. Face me.”
She faced Alex, and he looked furious.
“We’ll stop now and go back inside if you can’t answer me honestly, Kallista.”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“Your leg is hurting.”
It was a statement, not a question, and Kallie nodded as her eyes filled with tears. It was further proof that Alex had changed for the better when he held her close and whispered in her ear, “We don’t have to stop, my darling, but I refuse to do anything to aggravate your leg.” He lifted her chin. “Do you understand?”
She nodded and murmured, “Yes.”
“So tell me.”