Liam's Best

by Grace Kagni

  He called her on her phone but she didn’t answer. He kept trying until he felt nausea and decided he needed to go out to look for her. It wasn’t good. Her basement apartment was in the center where the flash flood hit so he needed to get to her to make sure she was safe.

  He walked out the lobby and was stopped by the hotel Director.

  “Sir, I can’ let you leave the hotel. It’s not save out there and I am responsible for my guests.”

  Liam looked at the Director’s face and explained to him that he didn’t need to worry about him because he’d been part of the army special forces so he would be doing his duty by providing assistance during natural disaster.

  The Director agreed but asked him to contact the emergency services where he was going to let them know he was out there.

  Liam acknowledged and got into the Land Rover to make his way slowly through the traffic. Most of the traffic was leaving the center but some of the cars had invaded his lane, making it difficult to move forward. When he was close enough to the town, he left his car on the side of the road and continued on foot. Many people were walking away to get to safely and as he continued forward, he saw anger and fear in the faces of crying people.

  Once he reached the center, the emergency services blocked him from moving forward.

  “Sir, the center is off limits. Please turn around and go back,” the policeman said to Liam.

  Liam pulled out his military id showing he was an army officer experienced in Special Forces and told the policeman he was there to provide assistance. He wasn’t going to get into detail about what he did in the army since it was nobody’s business and the id should be sufficient to tell them he was qualified to help in an emergency.

  The policeman looked at Liam’s height and build before letting him pass. “Sir, I hope you know what you are doing.”

  Liam made his way forward through the flooding on the streets as debris passed him until he reached the fire department. He stopped to tell them he was there to help, showing his army credentials and was there to search for a friend whom he wasn’t able to contact by phone. The fire chief told Liam he was free to look for his friend and assist if he was there to do so, allowing him to pass to the critical area where emergency services were hard at work getting people out of their flooded homes.

  As Liam moved forward, he assisted the fire and police department in a few rescues before moving further down the road, closer to Milania’s apartment. When he finally reached her building there was no sign of her but the fire department was evacuating the building.

  Liam went to them and introduced himself before asking if they’d found anybody inside. They said they were still looking and then he offered to look through the lower floors where the flood hit hard. He needed to start with Milania’s apartment so he took some rope, an axe and a pair of gloves from the fire truck and found his way through the rising water, mud and debris to the front door.

  Milania was inside her tiny basement apartment and the water level was rising quickly. She felt nauseous and was afraid the water would suffocate her before she could be rescued. She looked around at the paintings on the wall, memories of her parents and her childhood. The walls were caving in on her and her sight became fuzzy. She felt tears running down her cheeks as fear gripped her throat. She knew it wouldn’t be long before the water level would engulf her up.

  As soon as he got inside the building, he saw the level of the water was at his hip, making Milania’s basement apartment nearly under water. Grabbing the axe, he swung the rope over his arm and went underwater to Milania’s door, which was closed. He hit the door with the axe a couple of times, enough to kick a passage to get through and when he appeared inside, he saw the apartment wasn’t completely flooded. The water reached the middle of the window frames so he swam up to the top and saw Milania’s eyes staring back in shock.

  He went to her and pulled her close. “Baby, I’m here. You’re going to be fine now.”

  She started to cry when she realized she wasn’t alone and as soon as she realized Liam was there, she grabbed on tight to his neck.

  “Darling, I need you to hold your breath when I count to three. Can you do that?”

  She nodded, not letting go of his neck.

  “Okay, I’m going to put you on my back and when I count to three, hold your breath and don’t let go of me. Do you understand?” He looked into her eyes as she nodded and knew she understood.

  He placed her on his back and counted to three. They held their breath as he swam under water to the door, then he pushed her through before passing through the passage to the other side. He grabbed Milania and took her quickly to the top where firemen stood waiting to get them.

  “Brilliant rescue, Sir.”

  Liam looked up at the team and asked if there was another apartment underwater. They said there was a second apartment but the water was too high, making it was too dangerous to get through.

  Liam asked if they could take Milania outside to safety and he would try to get into the other basement apartment.

  Milania’s eyes were wide with fear as she heard him say he would go into the other apartment.

  “Baby, I’ll be okay. I’ve done this plenty of other times so go outside and wait for me. Can you do that?”

  She nodded and followed the fireman outside.

  Chapter Three

  Milania waited outside anxiously for Liam to return. What did he mean by he had done it plenty of times? She thought he’d always lived a comfortable life and now he said he’s rescued people under water before? Her eyes were fixed on the door of the building and at one point she realized she’d been holding her breath.

  Firemen went in and out of the building with people crying and screaming but it wasn’t until she saw a fireman help Liam out that she realized he was safe. She ran to him, wanting to make sure he was okay but he was coughing uncontrollably while two firefighters held him up. They brought him to where Milania had been sitting and put him down by the truck to give him some oxygen.

  “Liam? Are you okay?” Milania asked, worried as he kept his eyes closed.

  “Yes, Doll. I just need a little oxygen in my lungs,” he said, opening his eyes.

  She hugged him tight, not wanting to let go.

  “Miss, give him a few minutes to get some oxygen,” the firefighter said.

  She moved away and sat down on the wet and muddy road, hugging her knees. Then she put her head down and began to cry. She’d lost track of time and didn’t know the time but not long after, she felt Liam’s arms wrapping around her. “Come on, Sweet Pea. It’s time I take you home.”

  “Sir, you should both be seen by a doctor.”

  “We’ll see one tomorrow but in the meantime I need to take this little lady home to rest,” he said picking her up in his arms before walking in the direction of the car.

  She turned her head toward his chest and cried the entire time he walked in silence. When he finally reached his car, he put her in the passenger seat and walked around to get in. The drive back to the hotel was a nightmare. He had to drive off road in order to move forward but in the end, they got there safely.

  As soon as he walked into his suite, he put her down on the sofa and made a phone call to Serena and James, telling them he was here in Vernazza and that Milania was safe with him. They didn’t ask any questions as to why he was there and he told them he would call back the next day with more details. In the meantime, he needed to deal with Milania’s emotional state. She was wet, cold and full of mud so the first thing he did was fill the bathtub with water and then lead her to the tub.

  “Do you need help?” he asked, seeing her confused state.

  She shook her head so he left, telling her not to lock the door. Then he went to the other bathroom to have a shower. He stayed underneath the hot water for a long time, warding off demons from the past. It had taken him a long time to get over his army days and now with one night, his demons came back. Luckily his experience served to rescue
Milania and the family next door.

  After he’d put on his pajama, he pulled out another clean one for Milania and went to see if she needed help getting out of the tub. She was still in the water and he could hear her crying.

  “Milania, do you need help getting out?”

  When she didn’t answer he asked again.

  “Doll, can I come in?”

  No answer. He could hear her softly crying so he opened the door a crack to peep his head through. She was sitting on the bathtub wrapped in the bathrobe. Her arms were hanging to her side and her head was down as she cried.

  “Sweet Pea, come into the bedroom where you’ll be more comfortable. I’ve put a pair of my pajamas on the bed for you. I know they will be gigantic for you but they will do for tonight.” He took her hand and led her to the bedroom before sitting her down on the bed. She was really quiet. “Baby, look at me,” he said as he crouched down to speak to her. “You’re not alone. I won’t leave you.”

  “What am I going to do? I don’t have a place to stay anymore and my job…,” she burst out crying again uncontrollably.

  He sat on the bed beside her, holding her in his arms as she cried. She cried for hours and at a certain point he placed her down on the bed, hoping she would rest but she grabbed hold of him, not wanting to be left alone so he laid down with her and tried to get some sleep. She cried on and off most of the morning. The few times she had fallen asleep for a few minutes, she’d woken up gasping for air. He knew exactly how it felt and he knew only time would heal her pain. He held her close, giving her the time she needed.

  It was early afternoon when his phone rang and he got up to get it. Milania had finally dozed off so he slipped away to the living room to answer the call. It was his brother, James.

  “How is she?” James asked.

  “She’s sleeping now.”

  “So are you going to tell me what happened and why you didn’t tell me you were there?” James asked, anger clearly in his voice.

  “Look, I came to spend some time with Milania to get to know her and thankfully the flood happened while I was still here.” Liam told James the entire story from the moment he’d arrived.

  “Serena told me she’s really special so I’m relieved to know you are there to help her. It seems like her life has been completely erased from time in Vernazza so what now?” James asked.

  “It’s still too soon to figure things out but I was thinking of bringing her back to the US with me and give her a job in our marketing division,” Liam thought while he spoke.

  “Sure you could do that but are you sure you want to tie yourself down to a woman like that? I know she’s Serena’s good friend but are you sure about what you’re doing?” James questioned.

  “James, the only thing I’m certain about is that I can’t seem to function without her. Is that crazy?”

  James laughed. “No, it’s not crazy. It was how I felt when I first met Serena.”

  “I’m happy to know I’m not the first to feel this way.”

  “Okay, well just let us know if you need anything. We’re only a phone call away.”

  “Thanks.”

  He hung up and then went to see if Milania was still sleeping. She was on her side with her eyes wide open so he walked to the side of the bed and crouched down to speak to her.

  “Hey, Sweet Pea, how about you get up and we go look for some clothing for you. There’s a store in the lobby which I’m sure you’ll find something,” he said, brushing a strand of hair out of the way. When she didn’t move, he continued. “Do you need help getting up?”

  When she didn’t answer, he picked her up and flung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She protested which was the reaction he wanted, giving him the opportunity to pull her out of her shell.

  “Put me down you big bully.” She slapped him on his back but he didn’t put her down so she continued to shout.

  He walked to his bedroom to pull out a tracksuit for her. With the tracksuit in his hand, he brought her back to her bedroom and set her down on the sofa. “Now get dressed. We’re going to buy you new clothing. Be ready in ten minutes.” With that, he walked back to his room to get dressed. When he walked into living room dressed in a sweater and jeans, his heart went out to Milania as he saw her there standing in his large tracksuit and barefooted.

  He knelt by her feet to turn up the long tracksuit pants and then did the same on the sleeves. Then he went to his bedroom and returned with a pair of sport socks. “These will have to do for now.” He took one foot at a time and fitted his large sport socks over her tiny feet.

  “I look ridiculous,” she said laughing for the first time in hours.

  “Doll, it’s just to go downstairs to the store. Let’s go,” he said, taking her hand to lead her out.

  There were two stores with women’s clothing and considering they both sold expensive designer clothing, they found a selection of things from undergarments and other clothing to shoes and handbags.

  “I don’t need all this stuff. I won’t have anywhere to keep it.” She looked pensive at the things being shown to her.

  “We’ll take it all and please have it delivered to my suite,” Liam said, giving his credit card for payment.

  “Liam, I really don’t need all this. Something for the next couple of days would be enough,” she tried to tell him but he went ahead to pay for everything.

  “Now we need to get you suitcases to travel,” he said, leading her to another store.

  He bought her a full set of Louis Vuitton travel luggage.

  “Liam, please don’t waste your money on me. All this isn’t necessary.” She tried to stop him but he gave his credit card again for payment and asked for the purchases to be delivered to his suite.

  “Sweet Pea, there’s no way I’m leaving you out on the street barefoot and homeless,” he whispered as he led her to the elevator. “Now we’re going to have something to eat and rest before we venture out to see what is left in your apartment.”

  “I don’t want to go back,” she said as they stepped onto the elevator.

  “Baby, don’t you want to salvage what hasn’t been completely damaged?”

  “I don’t want to go back there.”

  “Okay, I can go on my own,” he said, running his fingers through his hair.

  “No, I don’t want you to risk your life again for me.”

  They walked into his suite and he led her to the sofa in the living room. “Doll, I won’t risk my life so you don’t need to worry. The water will have gone so I’ll only be knee high in mud.” He waited for her to respond but when she didn’t, he crouched down to see her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to pick up what is still there?”

  “What for? It’s not like I have a place to store it.”

  “Okay, then how about we rest here today and then tomorrow we drive to Rome. I know Serena is worried about you and she would really like to see that you are safe.”

  “Sure, we can go to Rome. It’s not like I have anything else to do.” Her attitude toward life changed. She didn’t care about anything anymore and he felt he needed to do something.

  “Listen, Sweet Pea, I don’t know why this has happened but I’ve already told you I won’t abandon you.”

  “I’m not a dog that can be abandoned. I’ll find my way eventually. You don’t need to worry about me.” There was sadness along with the confusion in her eyes that ate him up inside.

  How could he make her understand that he wasn’t going to abandon her? He knew he had his work cut out and it wasn’t going to be easy. They ordered something to eat and stayed inside the rest of the day. The clothing was delivered as well as the suitcases so Liam asked the hotel housekeeping to send a maid to help Milania pack the clothing into the bags. When all that was done, they had an early night knowing they would be leaving for Rome in the morning.

  ~~~

  They packed all the suitcases in the Land Rover and started their drive to Rome. It was a pleasant dri
ve where they talked about nothing important but everything that was under the sun. They stopped for lunch where Milania picked at her food and then they got back into the car to continue their journey. When they finally arrived in Rome, they were both happy to see James and Serena. Serena went off with Milania as Liam went off with James to talk.

  “How is she?” James asked. He noticed the spark she’d always had in her eyes was gone but that was understandable.

  “I really don’t know. There are moments that she’s quiet and other moments that she talks about nonsense. She hasn’t shed a tear since the flood and now I’m worried she’s keeping it all inside.”

  They walked to the kitchen and sat down at the breakfast bar.

  “Give her time, Liam. She’s just been through a horrific moment in her life.” James pulled two beers from the fridge and gave one to his brother.

  “I know. That’s what I plan on doing.” He took a sip from the bottle before placing it down on the counter.

  Serena walked in to get two glasses of water. “She’s gone to the bathroom a moment. She doesn’t want to talk about the flood. Thank you Liam for what you did. I can’t bear to think what would have happened if you weren’t there.” She squeezed Liam’s shoulder and then went back to the living room with the glasses of water.

  “Pregnancy hormones have made her worry for Milania day and night so it’s good you came to see us. I don’t think I could have kept her away much longer. She was ready to get into the car and drive up to Vernazza.”

  “Yes, well it obviously wouldn’t have been the best idea but I can understand hormones must be interfering with logic.”

  “I’ll agree to that,” James smiled.

  Liam and Milania stayed for dinner and then went to sleep at Serena’s apartment, which was vacant since she’d moved into James’ penthouse after the honeymoon.