Read Losing You (Finding You Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Amanda Mackey
Dakota
The days passed by uneventfully, Daniel and I happy to stay near the hut and rest. Ramah had indeed found me some crutches. Old ones from the nearby hospital, but far better than the ones I’d been using. I was forever grateful to her.
My leg was healing fast on the outside, the scar still evident but fully knit. As far as the internal damage was concerned, I still didn’t fancy the idea of putting full pressure on it. I tried and failed a couple of times but the lancing pain returned each time so I decided to wait until I was seen by a medical professional and a diagnosis made before I tried again.
Nerves ate me up on the morning we were to fly to LA. I had become quite comfortable on Sapphire Island and now I had to face the unknown again. It was scary. I had three hundred dollars on me, no place to stay, no idea where Kyle lived, or his phone number, and a young boy with me who had high expectations. I was out on a limb being pushed by my feelings instead of logic, hoping my heart wouldn’t lead me astray.
It was time to head into the mysterious world I called my life.
Clad in our best attire, we locked the hut and headed out once more. Kyle was so close I could almost touch him. I sucked in a deep breath and with all the bravado I could muster, I said, “Let’s go to America, Daniel, and start our new life!”
Kyle
I stirred to the sounds of peak hour traffic. Impatient drivers, bikes revving, rumbling trucks, exhaust fumes and smog.
Tonight was the premiere of my movie and after a lot of harping from my parents, I’d finally relented and given Jodie a call. Even though she was a topless dancer in her spare time, she seemed like a nice girl who was aspiring to become a lawyer. I was comfortable with her.
I thought back to the call I’d made to her. It had been a while since she’d handed me her number.
“Hi, Jodie? It’s Kyle Rutherford! I don’t know if you remember me. We met at Kurt’s bachelor party while you were dancing there? You gave me your number.”
No hesitation at all. “Yeah, sure I remember. How are you doing?”
“Much better now, thanks. I’d like to know if you want to go to the premiere of my new movie with me tonight? I know it’s short notice and I can understand if you’re busy—”
Before I could finish, she interrupted me. “I’d love to go, and no, I don’t have any plans for tonight. It happens to be my only night off this week. Where should I meet you?”
“I’ll get the limousine to pick you up at eight o’clock, if that’s okay with you?”
“Great! My address is 1315 Hollywood Boulevard. I’ll see you at eight.”
“Okay, bye.”
It was a step forward. Small, baby steps.
Bare-chested, wearing only boxers, I rolled onto my side, propped up on one elbow. The thought of another romance scared me. Was tonight a date? Would Jodie be expecting me to kiss her? What if I did? What if I enjoyed it? Did that mean letting Dakota go, totally?
Ever so slowly, I felt like I was releasing my grip on her. She was slipping away. I ran a hand through my short, ruffled hair before letting it fall to the empty side of the bed that should have had Dakota there. I fisted the black satin sheets, punching into the never slept-in space. Would Jodie now fill that spot? Did I want her to?
“Christ, it’s all too hard.”
I’d taken all the photos of Dakota to my parent’s house and made up a shrine in my bedroom in honor of her memory. I could go over and visit when I needed to be near her. I drew strength from her memory and the thoughts of how she overcame her own hurdles and tragedies before the plane crash. I could do the same with my own life. She would want me to.
My apartment had no photos of her at all. It needed to be that way so I could move on. Tonight it was finally time to put the past to rest.
Dakota
Another teary good-bye and a hasty cab ride later, Daniel and I found ourselves sitting on the big plane waiting to taxi onto the runway. I couldn’t look out the window.
“Look how high up we are, Dakota,” squealed Daniel, pointing outside.
I nodded without turning.
Keep it together. Don’t show your fear to Daniel. Focus on something other than the plane crashing.
“Shut up! It couldn’t happen twice in one lifetime.”
“What?” requested Daniel, only half listening as he fiddled around with the earphones the stewardess was already handing to everybody.
“Nothing! Just a little nervous, that’s all. I’ll be fine in a few hours when we reach Los Angeles.” My hands gripped the hand rest tighter.
By the time the engines screamed and we lurched forward, I felt ill. Perspiration stung my eyes as it trickled from my brow. I felt Jeremiah’s hand clasping tightly and could hear the screams of the other passengers.
At take-off, all I wanted to do was get off. My heart was drumming its own tune, knees knocking.
“I can’t do this!”
My throat strangled itself as I grabbed at the neck of my dress, reefing it down. I had to get off. As I tore my seatbelt off and got up, Daniel turned from the window to see me as he never had before. The plane was still climbing so everyone was supposed to be buckled in until the “unfasten seatbelt” sign flicked off.
At war with the overhead compartment that held my crutches, I fought with the G-force of our ascent. Interested passengers followed my every move, wondering what on earth the crazy woman was up to. Turning to look at my audience, their faces twisted into the people that had been on my last flight.
Blood trickled down their ghostly faces as they smiled ghoulish grins. A hand touched me on the shoulder and I let out a scream.
“You’ll have to sit down. You must stay buckled up until told otherwise.” The handsome steward offered me his patience.
“I need to get off. The plane is going to crash. I can’t stay here. Please tell the pilot to land the plane. I must get off.” I was over-breathing, bordering on hyperventilation.
I didn’t want his hand on my shoulder, but the steward kept it there in an effort to subdue me.
“It’s okay, we’re not going to crash. This plane has been thoroughly checked out by trained inspectors who have given it the all clear to fly today. You’re in perfectly safe hands with the pilots too, who’ve had over twenty years flying experience. Now please sit down. It won’t be long and you’ll be able to walk around. If I can bring you anything, please just ask.”
Fifty beady eyes locked on to me, probably hoping I wasn’t about to take over the plane with a pair of box cutters.
“But…”
“It’s okay miss. Just take your seat and everything will be okay. I promise.”
Feeling awkward and self-conscious, I left the steward to take his own seat and dove in beside Daniel, slinking into the seat to hide. All eyes followed me until I sank from view. Daniel didn’t utter a word, but took my hand and put a pair of earphones in them. A distraction. He knew. I took them and placed them in my ear, cranking up the volume and letting it throb in my ears until the drinks tray started doing the rounds.
When asked what I’d like, I knew it had to be something with kick. Something to calm me down. I decided to break tradition and go all out. “A bourbon and Coke, please.”
Shit, if they had cigarettes I’d take up smoking.
My hands shook as I ripped open the can and poured it into the small, clear plastic cup, sculling it all the way to the bottom, feeling it burn the back of my throat before topping up.
Daniel blissfully surrendered to his Coke.
I wondered how many he’d need to turn him into a hypo schizoid. Hell, I’d be too drunk to notice. If the old adage was true, that one drink in the air was equivalent to three on the ground, then I was already well and truly on my way.
The second cupful helped my nerves to settle. The beat of my heart couldn’t be heard in my ears anymore. Much better. In fact, technically I’d just poured the sixth bourbon down my throat, so I was kicking ass.
A mass-produced meal with the signature bread roll, a teeny top up to wash it all down with, and I felt like I could pilot the giant bird. I risked a peek sideways at Daniel. He obviously had hollow legs because he could stack away the food. His fingers tapped and his head bopped to whatever it was he was listening to.
I elbowed him as my television screen came to life in the headrest of the seat in front. His wide eyes met mine as I pointed to his own screen and the remote that was tucked into the armrest of his seat.
I showed him how to turn it on and he was lost to technology for the rest of the flight, flicking channels, interested more in how the programs changed than what was actually playing.
I nursed my bourbon like it was my best friend in the whole world, and maybe at that point it was. With each swig, I calmed down, but still never looked out the window. In hindsight, Daniel should have taken the window seat.
After what seemed like days our arrival was announced. The grog-filled flight was over and everyone had survived. My head still floated about an hour behind and I was as randy as hell after the bender, but it was now time to focus. Sex would come when I found Kyle. Oh yes, it would come, all right! That was another bender that wouldn’t leave me with a headache and foul breath.
“Look at all the buildings,” observed Daniel.
“I can’t. Not yet. When we are on the ground, I’ll take a peek.”
My stomach dropped with each plunge the plane took until with a slight jerk, the wheels hit the ground and we raced down the runway as the pilot hit the brakes.
The jet parked outside the massive airport. Looking outside finally, happy that we hadn’t crashed, I noticed two planes were already lined up ready for takeoff and another eight sat at the terminal, loading and unloading passengers. Workers busied themselves driving baggage trains and inspecting the undercarriage of the aircraft departing soon.
We didn’t have luggage, just the crutches that I’d been holding since the earlier meltdown and the small shoulder bag Ramah had given me to keep the money and tickets in.
We found a clearing in the moving line of passengers and merged into the hive of activity. The plan was to catch a cab into the center of town, where we could get our bearings, have something to eat, and find a phone.
Scores of cabs parked with engines running, ready to hit the gas and earn a buck. There was literally a sea of cars in the parking lot. Everything was busy, busy, busy! Daniel and I stayed close together so we didn’t lose each other.
“Where are we going?” He looked lost.
“Into the city. We’ll get something to eat and then I’ll make a few phone calls. I have to let Kyle know that I’m alive so he can come and pick us up and take us home.” That was in a perfect world.
The twelve-lane freeways carried mountains of cars, which wove in and out of each other, hurrying like the world was about to end. The cab driver was no different with his heavy right foot and a meter that chewed up the money as fast as I had downed the bourbons on the plane.
Hollywood announced our arrival in the form of the landmark sign on the hill. If it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have known we’d entered into the famous town. The fictional image was far different than the reality.
Tall buildings grew into overhead towers, blocking the sunlight altogether, rising out of the ground on their journey into the sky. The streets narrowed and the traffic slowed again.
“I think this is as close as you’re going get. The main street is only a few blocks away but you have everything you need right here. There’s a café a few doors down where they serve pretty good food. If you need somewhere to stay, there’s a hotel across the road. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t have a cell and need to make some calls. Is there a pay phone handy?”
“Across the road in the hotel,” the driver pointed hurriedly, impatient to get moving.
The forty-dollar fare signaled the end of our ride, and then of course there was the tip. We had to be frugal with money, because once it was gone we’d be on the street, and that was a road I didn’t want to travel.
I paid the cab driver and we stepped out onto the crowded sidewalk.
Greasy food called. The oil would help soak up some of the alcohol and give me some energy. My mouth was already watering, even after the meal on the plane.
I made the café our first stop.
“Are you hungry yet, Daniel?”
“Yeah. I guess so.” I’m sure he was thinking that all anyone did away from his island was eat. That’s all we’d pretty much done.
What do you want to eat?” It was a pretty dumb question to a kid in an alien world.
He opted for safe and went with a salad sandwich.
“Are you sure you want that? I’m going to have a burger with the lot and a side order of fries. You’ll love it if you want to change your mind.”
Eager to forge into modern society he changed to the burger with the lot. I needed the calories. Daniel needed the conditioning.
The only available table rested outside near the curb. The lunchtime rush had the staff peaked. Needing to rest my aching leg, we made a quick beeline for the vacant spot before someone else nabbed it.
Across the road, I noticed the hotel the cab driver had mentioned. It was a pink, low set building in need of some TLC. A bright neon sign flashed on and off, the word “HOTEL” in red writing. A smaller sign reading, “VACANCY,” hung underneath, except the bulbs in the V had blown, changing the word to “ACANCY.” The missing V turned the hotel from budget to seedy. There was no way we would be staying there.
The burgers took ten minutes. Quick, considering. I had also ordered a double-shot cappuccino because I had a lot of making up to do on the coffee front, so when the waiter sat that down in front of me, I nearly knocked my burger to the floor reaching for it.
Ahhh. That first mouthful I could have died for. Whilst I loved the ones Ramah made on the island, this one had more bite. Extra strong and robust, just the way I liked it.
“You mean you actually eat this stuff?” Daniel must have had second thoughts after lifting a limp fry and removing the top of his burger.
“Go on. You’ll like it.”
I didn’t wait to find out. Sauce drizzled down my fingers laced with beet juice and mayo. Cooked onions oozed out the side. It was burger heaven. I was officially back in the land of the living and I was going to relish every second. Not to mention my surroundings. The noise. The fumes. Heaps of people. I soaked it all up. My city dry spell had officially been broken.
Daniel had soon tucked into his burger, surprising me with his appetite. It appeared he was enjoying it as we both sat in silence while we ate.
I left a couple of fries, too full to fit them in, although making sure I got every last drop of my coffee out of the cup. It was time to try and find Kyle.
“We need to go across to the hotel to try and get in contact with Kyle. Come on!” I said, I would only try to reach Jacob Edwards as a very last resort.
Once in the foyer of the hotel, I spotted a pay phone against the wall and a phone book on a shelf underneath. I told Daniel to wait on a chair in the lobby.
I was a bundle of nerves. What would I say? Hello, it’s your fiancé back from the dead! My rehearsed speech had been lost to bourbon along with a few thousand brain cells. I’d have to wing it.
I stalled and turned to Daniel, who waved with an “I’m still here” gesture.
Propping a crutch up against the wall, I sifted through the phone book pages until I found the name, “RUTHERFORD.”
One full page of Rutherfords. Three rows per page. The undertaking was discouraging. It was going to take me a month of Sundays. My eyes scanned down the list, settling on the initial K. There was half a page of Rutherfords with the letter K beside them.
“I guess I’ll just have to start at the top and work my way down.”
Putting in some coins I dialed the first number.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
“Hello?”
“Hello, I was wondering if Kyle Rutherford lives there?”
“No sorry, you’ve got the wrong number.”
Oh, well, one down, another fifty to go.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring Ring. No answer!
The next number had an answering machine message. Kym Rutherford. Wrong one.
The next four were unsuccessful too, either the wrong number or the resident wasn’t home, making me wonder if one of them was Kyle. That was a risk I’d have to take.
Replacing the receiver, I traipsed back to Daniel.
“I’m sorry, Daniel. I haven’t been able to locate Kyle yet, but I’m not giving up. I have a few more to call but I need some change first. I won’t be too long.”