Forgetting You

by Casey, L. A.

The extinguisher was large, but I knew from experience that the contents of the can would run out quicker than most people would expect. I lifted it up, took a few deep breaths of clean air, then I ran. The fire hadn’t spread to the entire floor or to all the sections of the walls and ceiling. I jumped and crouched and kept my body in the fire-free zones. As soon as I reached flat 406, I didn’t hesitate; I kicked it open and instantly stumbled back when flames darted out of the doorway.

  “Fuck!” I paled as dread slammed into me with the intensity of the flames that surrounded me. The smoke was thick and overwhelming, and breathing it in caused my lungs to burn. “Noah! Noah, can you hear me?”

  I pointed the nozzle at the base of the flames and sprayed. The CO2 helped, but the fire inside Anderson’s flat was bad. The smell of petrol was heavier inside the room and I knew this piece of shit was the cause of it. I felt it in my bones. Using a now-fire-free patch of floor, I reserved the remainder of the extinguisher and hopped and weaved on to dry patches of floor. I dipped into the kitchen and quickly ran the water at the sink. I took my T-shirt off and completely soaked it, then I pulled it back on. I soaked my hair and body, and used a pot of water to douse my trousers in the liquid too.

  I dropped the pot on the floor when I heard a scream.

  “Noah!” I roared. “Noah, I’m here!”

  I grabbed the extinguisher and followed the sound of the scream, spraying CO2 on the worst of the fire in the hallway that I assumed led to a bedroom. I began to cough as oxygen around me was replaced by thick, black smoke. When I reached the end of the hallway, I kicked the door open. The second my eyes landed on what I was seeing, I dropped the can and shot forward. Anderson, that sorry excuse for a man, was on top of Noah and he was strangling her.

  “No!”

  My hands gripped his neck and arm and I forcibly yanked him off her. He hit the ground with a thud, and I unleashed my fury, and fear, upon him. I cracked my fists into his jaw, nose, chest, and any other piece of flesh I could connect to. My body was shaking with anger, and I only stopped hitting Anderson, who was so dazed that he couldn’t even fight back, to look at Noah when she moaned in obvious pain.

  She looked right at me, but then her eyes rolled back. I jumped on to the bed and gathered her up in my arms, and I almost cheered in delight when I heard the sirens of fire engines. My brothers were coming to help me.

  I shook Noah and she moaned again. I could hear the roar of the flames as they ate their way through the flat, inching closer and closer to the bedroom. The smoke had already begun to fill the room, and I knew that at that very moment, it was the immediate threat.

  “Noah.” I shook her. “Sweetheart, wake up.”

  Her eyes opened, and it took her a minute to focus on me, but when she did, she gasped.

  “It’s Anderson,” she coughed, as under her nostrils darkened with soot. “He chased me and Bailey that night, I was leaving him and he tried to kill me because of it. He forced the crash . . . he killed Bailey. I remember it, Elliot. I remember everything about that night!”

  I was stunned into silence.

  “I recorded it all,” she said as she fumbled with her dress.

  She pulled out her phone, tapped on the screen then pushed it at me.

  “Keep it safe,” she rasped. “Protect it. It’ll put him in prison.”

  I looked from Noah to the phone, then pocketed it.

  “You remember?”

  “Just that night,” she answered, groaning as her hand went to her head. “I was leaving him. I phoned Bailey and she came to pick me up, she came to help me and he chased us. Elliot, if I hadn’t phoned her—”

  “No,” I cut her off. “Don’t. This is not your fault, it’s his.”

  I looked down at Anderson. He wasn’t moving, but the rise and fall of his chest told me he was still alive.

  “He beat me,” Noah whimpered. “He broke me, Elliot. It’s why I stayed with him and cut everyone out. He controlled everything I did. I never loved him though. I thought I did, but it was always you.”

  I heard Noah as if she’d screamed every word.

  “He beat you?”

  She nodded and began to cough once more, wincing in pain as her hands touched her throat. Her already-bruised throat. I had to close my eyes for a moment and focus every ounce of my energy on getting Noah out of the building and not putting her down to kick the fucking life out of Anderson Riley. He’d killed my sister. He’d abused Noah. I wanted to hurt him, to make him feel pain he could never imagine feeling.

  “Elliot,” Noah whimpered. “The fire.”

  “Fuck,” I snapped.

  My thoughts of revenge had distracted me from the danger at hand.

  “I’m gonna get ye outta here, sasanach,” I vowed. “You and me, we’re going to get out of this place and go home, okay?”

  “We might have to go to the hospital,” she mumbled. “My head.”

  She tensed and went completely rigid as her eyes rolled back. I held her as pain consumed her body, then I nearly collapsed with fear when she went lax. I pressed my head to her chest and heard her heartbeat. Relief smacked into me like a tidal wave.

  “Hello!” a voice roared. “Anyone in here? Hello?”

  I recognised the muffled voice instantly.

  “Texas!” I shouted. “Tex, in here!”

  “Irish?” I heard his bewildered reply. “AJ, Irish is here!”

  I put one arm under Noah’s legs and another under her back and lifted her from the bed. I adjusted my grip on her and held her close to my body as I approached the bedroom door. The flames were everywhere, but I had no other choice. I had to get us out of there. I ran forward, heat licking all around me. When I entered the main room of the flat, I almost ran smack into one of my friends.

  “Fuck,” AJ’s voice shouted through his apparatus. “Noah? Is she breathing?”

  Flames had caught on to her hair and AJ was quickly patting them out with his gloved hands.

  “Yeah, she’s knocked out.” I choked on smoke as I looked around. “I need to get her outta here!”

  “The fire is out of containment on this floor; it’ll reach higher floors soon so we need to move now. The others are sweeping floors five to eight.”

  “Help!”

  I paused and looked over my shoulder; through the flames and thick veil of smoke I saw Anderson was crawling towards me, crying and choking as he tried to draw in a breath.

  “I can’t breathe!” he shouted. “Help me!”

  He was crawling over the burning floor as if he didn’t feel pain. His trousers had caught alight, and the longer I stared at him, the more he began to burn. I made a decision in that moment.

  “Elliot!” AJ bellowed. “We’ve got to go!”

  I turned and passed Noah off to AJ and Pretty; they both had to carry her because the weight and mass of their equipment meant she couldn’t simply be thrown over their shoulder. Both of them instantly backed out of the flat and made their way to safety with her. I turned back for Anderson. I wasn’t like this piece of shite; I was ten times the man he was. He wasn’t getting a quick death, he was going to pay for what he did to my sister, to Noah – behind bars, where he’d have no control over anyone, or anything, ever again.

  I’d make sure of it.

  I rushed towards him, grabbed his arms and pulled him into the main room. I removed my wet T-shirt and smacked it over his trousers until the fire was out. Anderson screamed in pain the entire time, and I couldn’t find a fuck to give. I was going to save his life, but I was happy he was suffering.

  I could see the fabric of his clothing that wasn’t burned away was binding into his scorched, melting skin and I was glad.

  So fucking glad.

  I bent down, hoisted him up and put him over my shoulder. I steadied myself, then I took off at a run out of the burning heat of the flat and the thick choking smoke. I held my breath as I ran down the corridor, and didn’t suck in a breath until I was in the stairwell. I heard talking, lots
of talking, and familiar voices. I left my brothers to their duty – this was their watch, and my responsibility was currently being carried down the stairs by my friends.

  “AJ!” I shouted, my voice echoing. “Is she still breathin’?”

  A moment passed by then he said, “Yeah! She’s just out, man.”

  No further words were exchanged until we were outside. People were everywhere, and so were ambulances, police and the three fire engines from our station. But I paid no one any attention – my focus was on Noah, who AJ and Texas were placing on a stretcher that the paramedics had ready. I put a sobbing Anderson on another stretcher and called the police over to me.

  “This piece of shit started the fire,” I told them. “He tried to murder me girlfriend, and he also caused the death of my little sister on the nineteenth of March.”

  The policemen shared a look then looked back at me.

  “I have the proof on a recording my girlfriend took,” I continued. “But once an investigation is carried out, it’ll show clearly that the fire was established in his flat. It reeked of petrol inside it and on the corridor of his floor.”

  I looked down at Anderson, and before the paramedics had even got a chance to check him over, I swung my foot and made contact with his ribs. His screech of pain told me I’d broken something and it pleased me greatly. The policemen did nothing; one of them even appeared to grunt in agreement.

  “I hope it hurts, ye rotten scumbag.”

  The policemen moved forward to stand watch over Anderson, and I assured them that I would give a statement afterwards. Once I told them that Noah’s life was in danger, they didn’t question me, they just gave me a simple nod.

  I hurried over to the ambulance that Noah was being loaded into the back of.

  The female paramedic tried to stop me. “Sir, you can’t—”

  “She’s my girlfriend!” I interrupted. “She has a traumatic brain injury, she was in the ICU a few weeks ago. She only got out of hospital three fuckin’ days ago. Her left leg should be in a boot cast, it was severely fractured and had to be surgically repaired. She inhaled a lot of smoke, and the bastard who started this fire tried to kill her and beat her badly. I’m comin’ with her, missus. God ’imself couldn’t make me stay away. She’s me whole heart.”

  The woman blinked up at me, then wordlessly stepped aside so I could get in the ambulance.

  “Irish!”

  I looked over my shoulder at AJ.

  “Take care of her,” he called. “We’ll take care of things here.”

  I nodded. “Thanks, brother.”

  He gave me a thumbs up, then got back to work just as the doors to the ambulance closed. I moved to Noah’s side and took hold of her open hand. She still had darkened soot under her nostrils and her face was bruised and swollen. Her throat was a mess of red and blue, and I could almost see finger marks imprinted on to her skin. I clenched my free hand into a fist.

  “Noah?” I called. “Come on, sasanach, show me those pretty green eyes.” I kissed her face as she moaned. “Come on, gorgeous. Look at me.”

  Her eyelids fluttered open, and for a long moment she stared at me like she had never seen me before, and my heart just about stopped in my chest.

  “Elliot,” she suddenly rasped. “Anderson did it, he caused the crash.”

  Relief that she hadn’t forgotten any more of her life – forgotten me – washed over me.

  “I know, honey.” I stroked my thumb over her cheek. “I know. Look at me, okay?”

  “I can’t,” she whimpered. “I can’t see your face, everything is blurry.”

  My gut twisted.

  “I’m right here, Noah,” I assured her. “Right here, beauty. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

  “Elliot,” she cried softly, her voice a rasp. “I love you, I’ve always loved you. Please, tell me you know that? It’s always been you, paddy.”

  I laughed in disbelief. I knew this woman loved me; I felt it radiate from her in waves.

  “Yeah, sasanach, I know. I love you too.”

  “I recorded everything,” she coughed. “The police have to hear it!”

  “They will,” I assured her as I took the oxygen mask the paramedic was trying to put over Noah’s face and fixed it in place. “Nice deep breaths. Slow everythin’ right down for me, green eyes.”

  “Elliot,” she whispered. “Everything hurts.”

  My heart ached.

  “I know, beauty. It’s gonna be okay.”

  “Please,” she said as her eyes closed. “Don’t leave me. I’m not scared of the silence when I have you.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about, but I squeezed her hand.

  “I’m not goin’ anywhere, Noah.”

  “My head . . . my head.”

  Her head lolled to the side, and my body tensed as the woman I loved with every fibre of my being was lost to darkness. I sat next to her, ignoring everything around me but her. Then I bowed my head and I prayed. Noah’s fate was out of my hands . . . I just pleaded with all that was divine in the universe to show mercy on her because she, more than anyone, deserved it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  NOAH

  When I came back to awareness, a familiar off-white ceiling came into view. I could hear a steady, repetitive beep that drew a long groan from me. That fucking sound killed my head. As a matter of fact, that groan I’d just released hurt my head too.

  “Noah?” his voice said. “Noah?”

  “Elliot?” I lifted my heavy eyelids. “Is that you?”

  “Yes, it’s me, sasanach.” His voice cracked. “I’m right here.”

  When my vision came into focus, I blinked against the light in the room – but it didn’t bother me once I rested my eyes on his face. I looked straight into the ocean blues I loved, and widened my own eyes when I saw they were filled with tears. When Elliot blinked, those tears fell.

  “No,” I whispered. “No, I’m okay. Please, don’t cry, honey.”

  This was the first time in the many years I’d known Elliot that I had seen him cry. I had never seen him look so scared and yet so relieved in my life.

  “I’m okay,” I repeated. “I promise.”

  He held me for a long time, and after he’d wiped his eyes, he kissed me.

  “Ye scared the absolute life outta me, green eyes,” he said, leaning back and exhaling. “I’ve aged twenty years. You’re awake, thank God.”

  I ran my eyes over his face. “You’re looking like a peng ting from where I’m lying.”

  “My God,” he laughed, tears still sliding down his cheeks, and shook his head. “I’ve never heard ye say those words in all the years I’ve known ye.”

  “Never had a reason to say it . . . until now.”

  He kissed me again and held me for a long time.

  “Am I in the ICU?”

  “Yes,” he answered, wiping his face as he sat back. “Doctor Abara was on shift when the ambulance brought you in, and you were brought straight up.”

  “And when was that?”

  “Ten days ago.”

  I widened my eyes. “Ten days?”

  “Ye were in another coma – this time it was a medicated one,” Elliot explained. “They’ve done a bunch of tests. Scans show ye have some swellin’ on your brain that ye didn’t have the first time so keepin’ ye under helped it reduce. It’s not severe any more but it’s not good either. They took ye off of the drugs last night so ye could slowly come out of your coma.”

  I digested this information, but suddenly another thought popped into my head.

  “Anderson.”

  “Calm,” Elliot urged. “He’s been arrested. He’s still in the hospital, he had third-degree burns to fifteen per cent of his body. He has a broken jaw, nose and six broken ribs. He’ll be here for a while but he’s under twenty-four-seven police watch. He’s cuffed to his hospital bed.”

  My heart slammed in my chest.

  “My phone.” I swallowed. “Did you give it to th
e police?”

  “I did. It’s evidence. He’s goin’ to be charged with a lot of things, Noah. Arson, kidnappin’, attempted murder, physical assault, and he’s goin’ to be landed with a charge for Bailey’s death too. Accordin’ to the voice memo you recorded, he didn’t mean for the car to crash, but he caused it by pursuin’ you both. Me sister . . . she’s goin’ to get justice thanks to you, Noah.”

  Relief hit me, as well as pain.

  “I forgot she was dead.” I burst into tears. “For a minute, I forgot.”

  Elliot leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine.

  “I know,” he whispered. “There are times when I wake up in the mornin’ and for a few seconds I forget, and when I remember it’s like a kick in the teeth.”

  I nodded. “That’s exactly how I feel.”

  Elliot kissed away my tears. “D’ye want the good news?” Sniffing, I nodded. “No one was harmed in Anderson’s flat building. Me friends managed to keep the fire contained to the fourth floor before they extinguished it. Everyone was safely evacuated, right down to an old man’s goldfish.”

  I laughed but then winced in pain.

  “Yeah.” He frowned. “No laughin’. Your head is worse off than before. This time, you’re doin’ every bloody thing that Doctor Abara says or so help me God, I’ll never kiss ye again.”

  I closed my eyes and smiled. “Like you could manage that.”

  Elliot playfully growled. “Behave.”

  I opened my eyes and lifted my hands to his handsome face.

  “I love you,” I told him. “I never stopped loving you, I was just so scared of him that I couldn’t leave . . . I got so lost, and I made a mistake when I left you. I’m so sorry, Elliot. I’ll always be sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I pushed ye away because of a fear that I couldn’t get over at the time. Ye’ve always been me girl, Noah, even when ye were his.”

  “I was never his,” I assured him. “Not really. I was broken when I met him; it’s the only way he was able to manipulate me the way he did. I was vulnerable and he took advantage of me.”

  “I should’ve killed him,” Elliot growled. “I should’ve—”

  “I’m glad you didn’t,” I interrupted. “I’m glad you don’t have to live with knowing you took someone’s life, no matter how much we believe he deserved it. You save lives, you don’t take them. That’s the man you are – you’re incredible.”