Page 107 of Avoidance

“Yeah. Sorry about that.”

His eyebrows lifted. “You did that?”

“She’s one badass bitch.” Dave gave me a wink.

“We’re going back to New York today,” Chase informed him. “We need to grab our things upstairs.”

Donnie nodded. “Be careful. I don’t know what’s stable in this place.”

“Stay down here,” I told Dave. “You don’t need to be climbing the stairs with one arm.”

Donnie uprighted a nearby stool. “Take a seat, Dee.”

Chase shook his head as he stared at the mangled door leading to our apartment. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you.”

“All I care about is that you’re alive.” I stepped over the pile of wood, and entered the stairwell. The beam that blocked the entrance at the top of the stairs had tumbled to the bottom. I climbed over it, and held out my hand for Chase. Slowly and carefully, we ascended up to the apartment.

“Oh, God,” Chase murmured once inside. His eyes became watery, and I knew he was imagining me being alone in the midst of this destruction.

I touched his arm. “Don’t think about it. Let’s just get our things and get out of here.”

He wiped his eyes quickly.

The bedroom was as big of a mess as the rest of the apartment. The television had fallen off of the wall, and the curtain rod had fallen off the window; the lamp on each nightstand had broken on the floor, and glass was everywhere. I gathered my things, shoving them into my suitcase, and helped Chase pack up his clothes from the dresser and closet. I tossed everything from the bathroom into my luggage, and zippered it shut. Chase and I changed into clean clothes, and then rolled our suitcases to the door.

Chase stopped to look around one last time. “I’m going to miss this place,” he said aloud.

“Donnie will fix everything up. I’m sure it will be ready sooner than you think.”

The wheels were turning in his head, and he did not respond.

Chase sleptmost of the plane ride home. I, on the other hand, remained awake. I had struggled to sleep after my accident last year, and was used to getting only a couple of broken hours of shut eye. Now having been through yet another traumatic experience, I was prepared for the long, sleepless nights I had ahead of me. Towards the end of the flight I had finally drifted off, but awoke in a panic when we hit the landing strip. I gasped, gripping the armrest between me and Chase.

“It’s okay, baby,” Chase whispered. “We just landed.”

I nodded as I steadied my breath. The shaking was something I never wanted to feel again. Seeing Chase on the ground clinging to life was another. I looked into his tired green eyes, and felt so grateful that he had made it out of the earthquake in one piece.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked, one corner of his mouth slightly turned up.

“There’s so much I need to say to you. We never got the chance to talk.”

He kissed my forehead. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk once we are settled at home.”

Home. I had a newfound appreciation for Staten Island. I resisted the urge to kiss the ground when we stepped off the plane.

Shelly and Brody were waiting outside to take us back to Chase’s house. She burst into tears as soon as she saw me.

“Be gentle,” I warned, holding my arms out to embrace her.

“It’s all over the news,” she sobbed as she hugged me. “I can’t believe you were in that!”

“I can’t either,” I said, reaching out for Brody.

“You’re like a cat,” he said with a grin. “What’s left, seven lives now?”

“That is so not funny,” Shelly scolded.

I watched Chase try not to wince as Shelly squeezed his midsection.