I heard what sounded like the echo of hooves on asphalt and knew the two who didn’t survive the crash were on their way to the pasture. I couldn’t see them, but I felt them leave. I held the woman’s hand with my free hand and continued applying pressure to the gash on her leg. Daniel’s voice was shaking behind me, “Is she going to make it?”
I didn’t answer him. She was so young. Her dark blonde hair fell just past her shoulders; she wore a pair of gold earrings shaped like Centaurs and a bottle cap necklace. I lifted her eyelids to see if her pupils were dilated: her eyes were light green with brown halos around the iris. I squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her, “Stay with us. It’s not your time to go. Hang on.”
I could hear courage in my voice that I didn’t feel. I, too, wondered if she could hold on. We didn’t have to wait long. The first two emergency responders put a brace on her neck, lifted her onto a stretcher, checked her leg, her pupils, and were lifting her into the ambulance while a second team had brought a stretcher for me.
Through clenched teeth I motioned toward the young Centauride. “I’m fine. Take care of the girl.”
The EMT did nothing more than glance at her over his shoulder. She was already inside the ambulance. “Hi, I’m Carl. What’s your name?”
“I’m Beau, and I’m fine.” I had stayed hunched over the ground where I had knelt by the wounded Centauride. I stood up awkwardly to walk away when the paramedic held my arm.
“You’ve got third degree burns on your back; we need to get you to the burn unit.” I didn’t feel any pain but felt like I was a little disconnected from my body. Begrudgingly, I lay down face first on the gurney in the back of the ambulance as I saw the first ambulance pulling away.
I hadn’t been paying attention before, but a fire truck was on site spraying down the car, a tow truck was ready to haul the car away as soon as they got the all clear, and traffic was moving again on the far left lane. Another thirty minutes and the only proof that would remain of the two Centaurs whose lives ended here would be the scorched pavement from where the fire burned out of control.
Life was too short. We all could live for decades or days, and none of it was within our control. I made the decision, lying face down on the gurney inside the ambulance – I was done waiting. When I’d come to San Diego, it was to test the waters, to see if I could give up my Centaur life and make a life as a human. After watching what had happened on the highway, my mind was made up. I’d live my life as if every day were my last, starting today. I’d find a woman who would love me for who I am, not for my bloodline.
Daniel followed the ambulance to the hospital. After we’d been at the hospital for half an hour, he offered to call my family for me. I shook my head, “No, this is a call I need to make. Where’s my phone?”
He reached into the drawer with my personal effects and handed it to me. Mom answered. She recognized my number, “Beau, how’s your trip? Dad and the boys are missing you at the office.”
“It’s going great, actually.” If she didn’t know I was sitting in a hospital, I didn’t want to send her into orbit by telling her.
“You sound different. Is everything okay?”
“Never better, Mom. So great, in fact, I’m thinking I’m going to stay a little longer.” I saw Daniel’s expression change. What would he think of me abandoning my family back east?
“Oh, okay. When should I tell your father to expect you back?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll call in a few weeks.” I couldn’t see my mother’s expression through the phone, but Daniel cocked his head to the side as if trying to understand what he’d just heard.
“Honey, you don’t have much time. You should be. . .”
I didn’t let her finish. She was going to remind me that I should be courting all the available Centaurides. “Yeah, I think I’m going to hang it up, Mom. I’m already twenty-nine. I’m done waiting. I’m going to start living.”
Her voice cracked, “Your father is negotiating with another father now. Beau, you need to come home.”
I knew it. I’d heard a rumor that Hannah’s dad walked away with a pretty hefty payment when she and Bruce got married, but I didn’t want to believe it. Hannah was great, she and Bruce would be happy, but I didn’t want to be chosen that way. He’d tried the same thing for me before, and I’d stopped it. I couldn’t stand the thought of a Centauride choosing me for financial gain for her family; selfishly, I wanted something more.
I’d heard humans were exactly the opposite; it was okay for a man to approach a woman, to ask her out on a date, to call her on the phone and talk. “Tell him not to do it for me. I’m not carrying the bloodline. I love you, Mom.”
I disconnected quickly, not wanting to drag the discussion on. They’d come to accept my decision, or they wouldn’t. I’d made up my mind, and for the first time – I felt free. The doctor checked me out shortly after I hung up the phone, “Must have had a rookie admitting you. Your chart says you have third degree burns on sixty percent of your back. I see one blister in the center of your back that is worrisome at a second degree, but the rest are just mild first degree burns. Looks to me like you got pretty lucky today, son.”
“You’re right, Doc. This was my lucky day. So, can I go?”
He seemed pleased to be delivering such a simple diagnosis, “A nurse will be in to go over discharge instructions with you. You should be fine in a week.” The doctor scribbled something on a chart and left Daniel and me in the room.
Daniel walked over to my bed and looked at my back. He hadn’t believed the doctor’s words until he saw it for himself. “Beau, he’s right. Your back’s almost completely healed.”
“Figured it would be. You ready?”
“He said you should wait for the nurse.”
I took a look at myself; I couldn’t leave the hospital like this. “All right. Hey, can you run down to the gift shop and get me a t-shirt?”
“What kind?”
“Anything loose. The last of the burn should be healed in the next hour or so, but I don’t want the nurse to be suspicious if she comes in and I’m completely healed before she gets around to discharging me.”
“What are you, genetically engineered?”
“No, a warrior, same as you.” Daniel stopped and looked at me like he was going to argue. Three-quarters Centaur, I was sure he could heal almost as fast as I could, and when he turned away without arguing with me, I knew I was right.
Chapter 12
(Beau Strayer – San Diego, CA)
Daniel must have sprinted down and back up, because he was gone less than ten minutes. A very attractive, very bleached-blonde, very petite nurse wearing pink scrubs came through the door the same time Daniel did. “Hi, Mr. Strayer, I’m here to go over your discharge instructions with you.” Daniel tossed me the t-shirt, and I slipped it on quickly before she could get a good look.
As I listened to her telling me how to treat my back, I realized this was it. I was free: for the first time in my life, I was seriously free. She sat down next to me on the bed and was going through a rather long checklist of how to care for the burns on my back. I did my best to pretend to listen to her, but her voice sounded like music to my ears. I looked into her eyes: were they blue or gray? Definitely blue.
I took my hand and pointed at something on the page, and as I withdrew my hand, I allowed my arm to graze the top of hers. Her skin felt soft, inviting. She didn’t react the way I expected. She didn’t lurch away from me; she didn’t even seem to notice that I had touched her. I did it a second time, this time pressing my forearm a little heavier against hers as I pulled it across: still no reaction from her at my touch.
I tried to remember if I’d ever had casual contact with a woman before. Maybe in high school during gym, but touching her skin without her reacting to me felt liberating. I thought of going on a date with a human, all the movie scenes where the couple held hands or had a kiss good night. I felt a warm glow inside. I’d made the right decision.
The nurse finished my discharge instructions with the same bubbly voice she had begun with and asked, “So, do you have any questions, Mr. Strayer?” She stood up from where she’d been seated.
I was scared, but decided there was no time like the present. “Just one. Any chance you’d want to go to the cafeteria and get some coffee?”
Her brows furrowed and her voice lost some of its vibrancy. “Mr. Strayer. . . do you have any questions on your discharge instructions?”
“No. They seem pretty straight forward.”
“Okay, sign here.” She was all business, not even acknowledging that I had extended an invitation.
I handed her the pen back, took a deep breath to steady myself, “Now that that’s out of the way, how about some coffee?” She looked annoyed, so I threw in, “Maybe tea?”
In a tone I guessed she saved for people she really didn’t care for, she said, “This isn’t speed dating, Mr. Strayer. Take care of your injuries. I don’t want to see you back here.”
Daniel was laughing in the corner, not even trying to maintain any amount of decorum. “Crash an’ burn, Beau! I guess she told you. You catch on fire again, you better find another hospital.” Initially his sarcasm reminded me of Cami, and I thought it was a charming trait. Now it was seriously pissing me off.
I caught the nurse’s elbow just before she stepped through the doorway. “Hey, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I’m new in town, and I don’t know anybody. I thought you might like just to talk for a minute.”
“Nice line. Has that ever worked?”
“Line? It’s not a line. I just wanted to get to know you.”
“Sorry, I don’t mix with patients.”
“Well, that works great. You just discharged me. I’m not a patient anymore.”
Her smile warmed, marginally, “Have a good day, Mr. Strayer. You can get your prescription filled at the pharmacy downstairs.” She put her back to me and began walking down the hallway.
I sprinted the few steps to get in front of her in the hallway, “Will you be there?”
“In the pharmacy? Mr. Strayer, you seem like a nice enough man. I’m not meeting you for coffee, or tea, or down in the pharmacy.” Her voice was stern. I shouldn’t have pressed her, but I did anyway.
“Would you believe me if I told you I’ve never been on a date in my whole life? Today I caught fire trying to help someone in a car accident, and my life flashed before my eyes. I don’t want to die not knowing what it’s like to sit across the table from a beautiful woman and to have a normal conversation. C’mon, say yes.”
Her voice suddenly took on the attributes of a drill sergeant when she said, “Mr. Strayer, for the last time, no. If you ask me one more time, I’ll call security.”
Daniel had caught up to me in the hallway, and this latest exchange made him double over with laughter, “Daaaaaamn, Beau, you need to quit while you’re ahead. She’s going to have your ass in jail.” I decided that I was glad she didn’t try to look under my new t-shirt. I was sure the burns had completely healed by now, and given this exchange, the nurse would probably turn me in for insurance fraud if she saw that I was completely healed.
Daniel was still laughing at the elevator, “What would have possessed you to try to pick up a nurse, while she was working?”
“Why not?”
“Chicks don’t like it when they’re working, Bra. At least not the ones I know. They think it’s demeaning.”
“Really? That’s stupid. She was pretty. I just wanted to get to know her. I thought that humans didn’t have dating rules?”
“This is California, Beau. All the girls are pretty here. You want a babe to hang out with, look for the one wearing the smallest bikini on the beach – there’s someone who wants to be picked up. Not here.”
“Thanks for the tip.”
The last several hours had blurred together, but it occurred to me that Daniel had been driving me to Cami’s apartment because he had to get to work. “Hey, man, are you late for work?”
Daniel looked at his watch, “If I left right now, I’d only make it in for three hours. It’d be better not to go in at this point. I already called my boss.”
I nodded. I felt uncomfortable bringing it up, but I asked anyway, “Daniel, do you think it would be okay if I met your dad?”
“My dad? Why would you want to meet him?” Daniel eyed me suspiciously.
From things Daniel had told me, their relationship had been past strained since he returned from Florida. I didn’t want to strain their relationship further, but his father might be the only person on the planet who I could talk to about my decision right now. “I’ve kind of decided I want to stay here. I’m ready to, you know, to be normal. . . if that’s possible.”
“What about Cami?”
Daniel’s question threw me for a loop. “What do you mean? I’ll move out of her apartment if she comes back.”
“I mean, I don’t trust any Centaur but you. If you aren’t looking out for her, what’s going to happen to her?”
“I already told you, she’s got a Centaur who she’s either already chosen or is going to choose soon. She’s safe.”
Daniel wasn’t happy when he accused, “So, you’re just turning your back on her?”
I couldn’t understand Daniel’s anger. Why did he think something bad was going to happen to Cami? I had to admit that when she was at her grandmother’s house, I’d been worried, but she was okay now. Dad was hiding her, and she had Drake with her. “No, Daniel. Cami is. . . well, she’s fine.”
Daniel and I didn’t know each other very well, so confessing my plan to him felt awkward. Unfortunately, unless he understood, my refusal to return to South Carolina would look like a betrayal of some kind. I didn’t know if he thought I was betraying him or Cami. “Look, I’m twenty-nine. You know at thirty I’m no longer eligible to be chosen by a Centauride. I’ve seen guys like me my whole life – we’re pathetic. You don’t know what it’s like to see the disappointment in your own father’s eyes. I just don’t want to do it anymore. I figure if I make the decision, maybe it won’t eat at me so badly. I’m okay if I don’t carry on my family’s bloodline. I’m willing to give up my place in my family, not because I don’t care about them, but because I wouldn’t be able to survive their rejection a year from now.”
Daniel didn’t say anything. It felt good to finally say it out loud, so I just kept talking. “You wanna’ know what scares the shit out of me? I don’t know how to start a new life. We both just saw me strike out with a girl when all I wanted was a cup of coffee and conversation. I don’t know how to be a human. I can’t even pretend. You’re the only human I know, and you’re three-quarters Centaur.”
“That’s funny, Beau. Here I’m hangin’ out with you, hoping you’ll magically show me how to be a Centaur, and you’re with me thinking I’ll somehow turn you human. We’re a couple of losers.” Daniel cocked his head, then added, “But one of us is bound to come out happy.”
“And the other is going to fail miserably.”
“No offense, Bra, but I hope you fail.”
“Me too, Daniel. Me too.”
“I guess we could go see Pops. He’s a little easier to get along with than your father.”
I laughed at Daniel, “Dad’s not so bad, unless you come unannounced at 1 a.m. after he’s had the most stressful day of his life, then punch him in the face for good measure.”
“What kind of an idiot would do that?”
I couldn’t contain the laughter and neither could Daniel. I nearly buckled over remembering the night Daniel flew to our house looking for Cami. He didn’t get the answers he wanted from my dad, so he hauled off and punched him. Mom and I watched the whole thing from the living room window. It was like watching a car accident – you know you shouldn’t watch, but you can’t turn your attention away from it.
Daniel led the way to the exit when a nurse in green scrubs caught us in the hallway and said, “Excuse me.”
We both looked at her, a little confused because she wasn’t familiar. She asked, “Are you the two who helped with the car accident on PCH?” I nodded; the road we’d been on was called the Pacific Coast Highway, but everyone shortened the name to PCH. “Lacey Perish was the girl you pulled from the car. She asked if she could speak with you. I went up to the burn unit, but they said you weren’t admitted.”
“Uh, yeah. They checked me out. I’ve already been discharged.”
“If you have a minute to say hello, she’s in room two twenty-nine. She’d like to say thank-you.”
I looked at Daniel, and he shrugged his shoulders. She was a Centauride, so neither of us should be in her room without an escort. I started to decline when Daniel said, “C’mon, Beau.”
I shook my head, “Naw, you go ahead, Daniel. I’ll meet you outside.”
The nurse gave me a strange look, “Mr. Strayer, it’ll only take a second. She just lost her brother and her fiancé. She’s very upset. Allowing her to thank you will help her grieving process.”
I didn’t want to be a jerk. I’d been so wrapped up in my own drama, I had nearly forgotten that I’d heard the two Centaurs ascend to the pasture after the explosion.
We followed the nurse into her room. “Lacey, I found a couple visitors for you.”
Lacey was younger than I: she was really young. She looked like a sweet kid, probably no older than twenty. She’d been crying: her face was red and her eyes still shiny with tears. I saw her trying to sit up a little straighter and adjust her blanket to better cover herself.
Daniel was the first to speak, “Hi, Lacey, I’m Daniel.” He motioned to me, “This is Beau.”
She pursed her lips together. I recognized the look. She was trying to hold in a fresh wave of tears. After everything she’d gone through today, you’d think she’d know it was fine to be a little vulnerable. Her voice was strong when she cleared her throat and said, “I just wanted to say thank-you.”
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