Save Me (Elk Creek) Read online

  BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP

  Something was dragging me from sleep. I wanted to stay asleep, it was peaceful there. I knew I didn’t want to wake up, but I couldn’t remember why.

  BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP

  It was getting louder, and more persistent. God, someone shut it up, it was driving me crazy.

  “Tare, c’mon wake up for me. Please Tare, I need you to wake up.”

  Ethan, what was Ethan doing in my room? And, what was that incessant beeping? I tried to open my eyes, but they felt like they had been glued shut. I attempted to move my right hand to my eyes, and flinched and moaned from the pain at my elbow.

  “No Tare, leave your arm, you have an IV there,” Ethan said as he clasped my hand and pulled it down. “There you go Tare, just open your eyes. I’m here.” He held my hand in his while he rubbed my palm with his thumb.

  I got my lids to crack open, and the light was so blinding, causing my eyelids to slam shut again. Ethan let go of my hand, and I heard a chair screech on the floor, stabbing my head with pain and making me flinch.

  I heard Ethan make his way back to the chair, but thankfully there wasn’t a screech again. He placed his hand over mine and gently squeezed.

  “Okay, baby girl, let’s try again. Open your eyes,” he pleaded. I cracked my eyes as little as possible to test out the light, and was relieved when it was just a dim, barely there light that entered through my lids. I took a deep breath and continued to open my eyes completely. My vision was a little blurry, so it took a few good blinks before I could make out Ethan at the side of my bed.

  He gave me a hesitant smile when I focused on him, and bent down to kiss my forehead. I let out my breath that I didn’t realize I was still holding in and squeezed his hand. I didn’t understand what was going on, and there was a sense of foreboding steeling over me. For a reason I couldn’t name or understand, my hands began to shake.

  Like a tidal wave, visions began to flash through my mind, and I squeezed my eyes shut to try to stop the assault to my brain.

  The store, the man, the gun, Dad on the ground and blood. God, so much blood. His eyes.

  The images stopped with his eyes, and I screamed in terror. I couldn’t get his dead eyes out of my head. I knew I was screaming, I could feel the ache in my dry throat as I dragged in large gulping breaths, and the pain felt raw as the terror exhaled from my body.

  Soon, I felt warmth and a feeling of lethargy ran through my body, and I seized it. I didn’t want to let it go, I wanted to let it drag me away as I escaped into oblivion.

  I heard that incessant beeping again, but I was cognizant enough to know what it was, and I remembered. I remembered what happened, and I remembered Dad. A storm of epic proportions smashed into my body and filled me with tremendous rage and pain.

  My eyes shot open—my body was tense, and my breathing was rapid. I scanned my room, and saw Ethan asleep on a chair against the wall with his legs propped on another chair. I tried to sit up and felt instant pain in my right hip. The cry of pain came before I could stop it, and Ethan was off the chair and at my side before my cry had faded.

  “TARYN, DON’T MOVE,” he ordered me as he held my shoulders to the bed. I gritted my teeth and tried to control my breathing. I focused on Ethan’s face as I warred with the pain, and noticed how tired and depleted he looked. A rough layer of stubble covered his chin, his hair was in complete disarray, and if the dark purple rings under his eyes were any indication, he hadn’t slept much. He looked so much older than his nineteen years; like he’d aged ten years overnight.

  “W-what is wr-rong with me?” I gasped out as I continued to stare into his blue eyes, which were swollen and rimmed with red. Seeing him in such a state helped keep me from concentrating on the pain, and I was thankful for anything that would give me a reprieve from it.

  “Are you going to stay still?” he asked with a stern glare and a slight squeeze to my shoulders. I nodded in acquiescence, because talking was taking a real effort at that moment.

  He released my shoulders and sat on the side of my bed, electing to hold my hand instead of restrain me. He began to lightly rub his thumb across my palm, as he ran his other hand through his hair. He was obviously agitated, and was struggling with whatever it was he needed to say.

  “Okay, first I want you to know that you are going to be fine, and I am here with you. You and me, Sis, nothing will ever change that.” He cleared his throat. “Do you remember what happened at the store?” he choked out, and I noticed tears started to gather in his eyes. I nodded again, as I struggled to contain my own tears. If I let loose now, I didn’t think they would ever stop.

  “You were shot too,” he continued. “The bullet went into your hip. You had to have surgery to get it out, but you are going to be fine, Tare. Um…” he paused for a moment in an effort to maintain his composure. “I’m so sorry, Tare. If I had seen what was happening sooner, if I hadn’t been on the fucking phone, I could have called sooner. Then maybe you wouldn’t have been hurt, and God, Dad, Tare… I’m so fucking sorry.” Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and his hold on my hand was nearly crushing. “I am just so sorry, Tare,” he sobbed.

  I couldn’t hold the tears at bay any longer. They fell in a steady stream down the side of my face and neck. A sob escaped my throat, and the ache in my chest burned with a force equal to nothing I had ever experienced in my life. He leaned into me and buried his face in the crook of my neck and together we sobbed for the loss, pain, and anger that were consuming every cell of my body.

  I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but at some point we separated enough for Ethan to gather some tissue, so we could try to wipe away the damage we wrought on each other. Seeing him try to wipe the snot and tear tracks from my chest did something to me, and a laugh erupted from my mouth, and another, then another. I couldn’t seem to stop the hysterical, almost maniacal booming laughter coming out of me. Ethan was just looking at me dumbfounded, then a smile cracked his face, and he was laughing just as hard as I was. This was how our grandfather walked in on us, and judging by the look on his face, we were not too far from a permanent stay at the loony bin.

  Chapter 1- Carter

  I could hear the bass of the music and feel the vibration through the handle of the bar’s door as I opened it. I had only been home for two days, and even though I loved my mom, I was so ready to get out from under her constant caretaking. A night with the guys, beer, and maybe a girl was just what I wanted.

  The lights were dim and swirling on the dance floor; it was pretty packed. Being six foot four, it was easy to spot the guys at a table over the heads of all the patrons. I made my way across the dance floor, brushing through grinding bodies, and the inviting coy smiles from some of the women dancing. I wanted to join in their fun.

  Blaine spotted me first. He stood up and gave me a bear hug. “Hey Carter, good to see you. I missed the fuck out you man.”

  I gave him a couple of hard thumps to the back. “Hey Blaine, good to be back,” I replied as he released me.

  Matt was already standing up, and held his fist out to me. “Shit man, can you get any bigger. I mean, really, anyone ever tell you steroids are bad? I think I heard they make your dick limp, too.”

  I chuckled at his question. “Dude, there is nothing limp about my dick. You better watch it, I think you forgot how quickly I can kick your ass, since I’ve been gone,” I said as I stepped forward to bump his fist.

  Matt barked out a laugh. “You only wish you could take me, Belmont. When are you going to finally admit defeat? I totally lambasted your ass the last time you were home.”

  “Dude, I was drunk and had just fallen off your roof. You can’t count that as kicking my ass,” I said dismissively and turned back to the table. That’s when I noticed the other guy. He looked a little familiar, but I couldn’t place him anywhere. I held out my hand, and he stood up to take it.

  “Hi, Carter Belmont,” I greeted him while noting he was maybe an inch or two sh
orter than me, a little leaner, but seemed somewhat formidable.

  “Ethan Dalton, we used to hang out during the summer when we were kids.”

  Ah, now I remembered him. Before I started to spend the summers with Dad in Florida, when I was fourteen. If I remembered right, he and his sister would visit their grandpa, Mr. Dalton, who lived down the road from my mom.

  “Okay, yeah I remember now. Been a long time, you visiting your grandpa?” I asked as I sat down.

  “No, I live here now. Actually, we’ve lived here with my grandpa for the last three years,” he said, taking his seat.

  “We? Did your sister move with you, too?” I asked, remembering the little girl with curly blonde hair and bossy attitude.

  Some emotion flashed in his eyes, but it was gone before I could name it. “Yeah, we both live here,” was all he said, and then took a pull of his beer.

  A waitress appeared at my side, propping her hip against the table. “What can I get you?” she asked as she looked me over, and gave me a knowing smile. I knew that kind of look, and she looked like a type I would totally go for: Slender, large breasts, too much make-up, tight clothes, and absolutely no commitment.

  “A beer would be great, whatever you have on tap will be fine,” I said returning her smile.

  “So, Carter, how does it feel to be back?” asked Blaine.

  “It’s good, I missed the snow, can’t wait to go boarding,” I answered, not really wanting to delve into why I was so happy to be back. No one needed to know what my reasons were, or the shit that I left behind.

  “Yeah, because the chicks in Oregon are far superior to all the Florida babes in bikinis,” Matt said dryly. I just laughed in response—what could I say to that? I did enjoy a few of those girls. Not that Blaine and Matt hadn’t had their share of women, too.

  The three of us had been friends since we were in grade school. Everything we did, we always did together. I would hang out at Blaine’s house the most, only because of my mom’s travelling for work. Blaine’s parents were always great, and were happy to have me stay with them.

  When I turned fourteen, Mom thought it would be best if I went to stay with my dad in Florida for the summer, since she was out of town so much for work as a travelling nurse. Honestly, I think it was more that she didn’t trust me in the house alone for long periods of time. It wasn’t like I was a hellion or anything, a couple of fires from failed experiments, and I was labeled a liability.

  After that first summer at my dad’s, he and my mom thought it worked out so well, I went every summer. I didn’t mind it; I got along with my dad and all, but I missed the guys. I would always consider this my home, and after the Felicia fiasco I couldn’t be happier to be home.

  “So, how were the European chicks?” Matt asked while eyeballing two girls that were showing more than they were covering.

  I chuckled. “You know, not so much different than the chicks here,” I replied.

  After I graduated from college with a degree in biology, I decided I wanted to travel across Europe and Central America. My grandmother had left me an inheritance when she died, and it became mine when I turned twenty-one. The trip was the first time I had touched any of it.

  “Well, if you will excuse me, I think I’m going to go introduce myself.” Matt didn’t wait for any response; he was up and on the two girls like a grizzly bear pouncing on a honeycomb. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Is he really going to take on the two of them?” Ethan asked, looking in awe of Matt as he walked toward the dance floor with a girl on each arm.

  “Yeah, he has a serious fear of blue balls. I swear, he could do it five times a day, and still be a horny bastard,” Blaine told him with a grin on his face.

  “Well, that was fast work. Impressive,” Ethan replied, grinning back.

  The waitress sauntered over and set the beer on the table, then looked at me with another smile and hooded eyes. “I get off at eleven,” she whispered while handing me a small square of paper. I just smiled back, and thanked her for the beer. I already knew it was her phone number, and I put it away in my pocket, then took a drink.

  Blaine, Ethan and I stayed at the table talking, drinking our beer, and blowing off a few girls for about an hour. Although Ethan was impressed with Matt, he certainly didn’t seem to be lacking in any skill. I knew at least three girls had given him their phone numbers just while we’d been sitting there. Matt and his two new friends were nowhere to be found, and I had to piss.

  “I gotta take a leak,” I said as I stood up and started my way to the bathroom. I twisted myself through the other people, and after what felt like forever, I finally made my way to the men’s room. After I took care of my business, I stepped out of the bathroom only to hear a lot of shouting and commotion coming from the area of our table. I picked up the pace, and saw Ethan and Blaine in the thick of a brawl with three other guys.

  I reached the mass of bodies hovering to watch the excitement, and pushed my way through until I reached Ethan. His face already looked battered, his eyes scrunched tightly together to brace himself against the next blow. One guy reared back his fist while another asshole held Ethan stationary, gripping both of his arms from behind to render him defenseless. I took a step forward quickly, and before the guy could get out a hit, I thrust my fist forward, punching him in the kidney. Knowing that it would drop him, I watched as he crumpled to the floor, holding his side and groaning.

  Ethan elbowed the other asshole in the gut, turned and plowed his fist to his face, and then again to his gut. Okay, obviously Ethan could fight, too. I turned to see that the smallest of the three was fighting with Blaine, who was laughing while the guy was bouncing from side to side and striking at the air.

  “Seriously, what the fuck is that, man? If you want to dance, you need to ask someone else. I don’t swing that way,” Blaine taunted him as he side stepped another jab.

  By this time, a bouncer came up behind Asshole Number Three, grabbed him by the back of his neck and turned him toward the door, while I helped Ethan off of Asshole Number Two. Looking at the wreck Ethan left, I was surprisingly impressed. The dude was totally KO’d and was going to have a bad couple of days from the mess Ethan made of his face.

  “What the fuck happened?” I panted as Blaine stepped over to us. “I go piss and come back to a Chuck Norris movie remake?”

  “That stupid fucker was smacking around some girl in front of everyone!” Ethan said as he stepped towards Asshole Number One, who was still lying on the floor holding his side. Ethan kicked him in the stomach, and spit blood from his split lip into the asshole’s face.

  “I ever see you touch a woman like that again, I will finish you,” Ethan glowered, bending low to speak close to the guy’s face. “If you ever look my way again, I will make sure you won’t be able to so much as touch your dick again. You dumb motherfucker.” Ethan’s artificial calm was again impressive.

  “I think we should go,” Blaine said in my ear. I nodded, because seriously, that had been fun and all, but we really didn’t need to spend the night in jail. Ethan looked over to us as he stood up and I gave a nod toward the door. He nodded back and the three of us made our way outside.

  Once out of the bar, I looked to Blaine. “You know where Matt is?”

  “I’ll text him and have him meet me at the truck, he’ll finish whatever it is he’s doing and come out,” Blaine answered.

  “Ethan, did you drive?” I asked him. I didn’t think it would be the greatest idea to have him drive himself. He turned back to me, and I could tell his body was still in the fight. He was tense, and his eyes had almost a feral quality to them. This had really set him off.

  “No, I rode with Blaine.”

  “I’ll give you a ride home,” I offered.

  “Thanks,” is all he said.

  The door to the bar slammed open and Matt came out looking pissed.

  “What the fuck man, what’s so fucking important you had to cock block me? Whoa, what the hel
l happened to you?” he asked when he noticed Ethan’s cut lip and swollen eye.

  “There were some assholes who started some shit,” Blaine said with a shrug. He looked to me with a look that said to leave it. I did.

  “Yeah, well you can tell him later. We really need to go, like now!” I said to everyone as I started walking to my truck, which was parked next to Blaine’s.

  “Okay, all of you owe me. And I mean owe me BIG! Did you see those girls? I have a massive boner, and my balls are swelling. You know blue balls is a serious medical condition, I could get a blockage or some shit,” he sulked.

  “SHUT UP!” all three of us yelled at the same time. God, he was pathetic.

  We made it to my truck. I still had the 1985 Chevy Silverado that my mom bought me when I was sixteen. The doors let out loud squeaks as Ethan and I opened them and hopped in. I started the truck, and gave a wave to Blaine as I pulled out of the parking lot. I rolled down my window to let some of the night air in the cab. It was July and hot, even at ten o’clock at night.

  “You okay?” I asked Ethan.

  “Yeah, sorry, I lost my cool. I just can’t stand bullies, more specifically abusive dickheads,” he said as he pushed at his fat lip.

  I snorted. “Uh, yeah I kinda got that. Where did you learn to fight?”

  He shrugged. “Here and there, I guess. In college, I fought a lot. What about you?”

  “Classes mostly, and I think my size intimidates people. I don’t really have to do much, most of the time,” I replied. “I really like all martial arts, and competed some.”

  “Yeah? Thanks for the heads up,” he smirked

  As we turned down our road, I asked hesitantly, “Do you still get in a lot of fights?”

  “Nah, not anymore. I just really don’t tolerate that shit at all, and if some asshole needs an ass kicking, who am I to deny him?” he said, grinning at me.

  I started laughing. Couldn’t really disagree with that.

  As I turned into his driveway, he pulled down the visor to look in the mirror.