~Part Six~


Jacqueline winced at the pain that was coursing through her legs. With every serge of blood that pumped through them, the surface felt like pin pricks.  She bit at her bottom lip, tasting the salty sweat, as the nurse finished applying silver sulfadiazine cream to her wounds.

For the last week and a half a nurse had come in twice a day to torture her burnt legs. They were always as gentle as possible and offered her stronger pain medication, but she couldn’t stand the feeling of clouded ness she received when she would take them. It reminded her too much of the day of the fire. So she endured through the pain, never showing any signs of the stinging sensation she felt, with only the silent tears trickling down her face to betray her.

Jacqueline’s mother sat next to her, talking on and on about the wonderful sights and sounds of London, trying to keep Jacqueline’s attention away from the pain. Her mother paused a moment as the nurse finisher re-wrapping her legs. “You know what you need?” she asked standing up, walking to grab the wheel chair from the wall.

“Oh, no Mom, please.” Jacqueline replied, shaking her head in refusal.

“Come on, it’ll make me feel better.” she said, tilting her head and batting her eyelashes.

“Fine.” Jacqueline said as the nurse walked around, helping her into the chair. “How do I let you talk me into these things?”

. . .

Hamilton stared at the patches of fresh lawn flying by through the window of his mother’s car. He fidgeted nervously in his seat, counting down the minutes until he could leave the confined space.

“Hamilton, I need us to be able to talk about things,” his mother said, glancing over at him. She knew he wasn’t paying attention to her, stuck in his own thoughts. He had been like that the entire trip without one word, just staring out into the street. Hamilton began rubbing his right shoulder, glad that he finally had mobility in his arm. The sling had been taken off two day ago and he had never been more grateful for the full use of it.

“You won’t be getting an allowance for the next three weeks from all of this.” his mother said to him jokingly.

He finally turned his face to meet her glare “Fine.”

 . . .

Jacqueline and her mother had taken practically a complete tour of the building, stopping a few times along the way for Monica to answer her cell phone. She never took very long, but it still bothered Jacqueline to be simply sitting there, waiting on an outing she never wanted to take.

They had just reached the lobby outside of the hospital ward when her mother stopped again. “Do you want anything to snack on honey?” her mother asked.

“No mom, I’m fine.” she answered exasperated.

“Oh...well, let me just grab a cup of coffee really quick, okay?” she asked, and then headed towards the table it was sitting on before Jacqueline could answer.

She had just begun to pour the coffee when her phone rang again. “Hello?  Okay...w - I’ll be right there,” she said, hanging up the phone and leaving her cup sitting on the table. “Well, it looks like Dean Fleming needs to talk to me, so I have to go meet with him.” she stated, pushing Jacqueline back towards her room. “I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

Jacqueline blew a deep breath out, relieved to finally be heading back to her room. She closed her eyes letting them rest from the tired view. A sweet floral fragrance encircled her, wrapping her up in its warm solace.

She opened her eyes to find them dancing with delight. Her room had been filled with beautiful assortments of flowers, covering the walls. There were at least five dozen roses scattered on her bed, and balloons lined the ceiling.

The door slowly closed behind her as a body walked up and crouched down at her side. “I thought you might need a little cheering up,” a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

Jake turned her head and smiled warmly at Hamilton. “So this is why my mother was suddenly so interested about the many unexplored aspects of this hospital.”

“How else was she suppose to stall for me?” he asked smiling at her. He leaned forward giving her a soft, slow kiss. “Besides, you know you liked it,” he said, cracking a half smile and wiggling his eyebrows up and down. She couldn’t help laughing quietly at his gesture.

Hamilton walked over to the bed, clearing off the roses on top, placing them neatly on his coat. Sticking one playfully in his teeth, he strolled towards her making a large bowing motion. “A rose for you.” he said taking it out of his mouth and handing it to her.

She couldn’t contain the laughter any longer as it came pouring out. He walked around to the back of the chair and pushed her the remainder of the way towards her bed. Bending down at her side he picked her up, placing her gently on the sheets, sitting down in the chair next to her.

“Everything is beautiful.” Jacqueline said, containing her laughter.

“I’m glad you like it.” Hamilton said, picking up her hand. “So how have you been holding up?”

“It’s been lonely without you.” she replied. “But I’ve really enjoyed spending time with my mom. We’ve gotten to know each other a lot better and I think I’m not quite as upset with her about not being around so much.”

“It’s good that you’ve finally worked that out.” Hamilton stated. “So how long until you come back to school?” he asked since he’d never really found out what was happening with her treatment.

“Well if I’m able to come back, it won’t be for at least another month,” she said, her eyes saddening a little.

“I’m sure we’ll get you back somehow.” Hamilton reassured her.

“So how much did this all cost you?” she asked changing the subject, indicating toward the groups of flowers and balloons.

“Oh, about three weeks of allowance.” he said smiling.

. . .

The halls of Rawley Academy were bustling with the echoes of students newly released from classes. Signs of the fire had been cleared completely away the previous two weeks and the sterile scent of cleansers hovered in the air.

Hamilton turned the corner towards his Biology class, strolling down the bare corridor. He had just passed his father’s office when her heard him calling. “Yes sir?” Hamilton asked poking his head through the door.

“Sit down, I need you to do something for me after your next class.” he said, keeping his eyes locked onto his desk, sorting through papers.

Hamilton reluctantly walked into the room, sitting in the hard chair across from the dean’s large desk. He shifted in his seat, waiting for a response, while his father continued sifting through the sheets of paper. After a few minutes he finally cleared his throat and looked up at his son, “I need you to pack up everything in Jacqueline Pratt’s room. I’m having it moved out in a few hours and I need someone responsible to take care of it.”

Hamilton’s heart dropped, his stomach tying into knots, “But dad, you just can’t kick her out!”

“Hamilton, I don’t have the time for this!”

“Where is she suppose to go to school while she’s recovering?!”

“Hamilton!” his father said standing up “This is not open for discussion!” He stared at Hamilton, slowly calming himself down. “Now get back to class, I don’t want you to be late.”

Hamilton glared at his father, gritting his teeth as the dean sat back down, picking up the papers and looking at them again. “Yes sir.” he stated walking out.

. . .

Jacqueline’s eyes sat on the brilliant colors that still wall papered her room. The fragrance of the flowers lingered sweetly, carrying a charming reminder of the day Hamilton had surprised her with them. The balloons by this time had long since fallen and a few of them still hovered in the corners, barely keeping them afloat.

She picked up a single rose that sat on the nightstand, the rose he had offered to her. It had surprisingly lasted much longer than the others, although it was now quickly fading. The petals were limp, and the stem was rigid, but the fragrance was still as pure as the day it was cut.

Consuela had been with her to make sure that she didn’t worry too much, stepping out for a few minutes of air. Dr. Blake was scheduled to arrive in a few minutes and Jacqueline had to prepare herself for the rigorous next few hours. The new skin was ready, three weeks as scheduled, and the doctor was certain it would transplant itself very nicely, due to her quick recovering. Her mother had left for New York that morning to take care of a few things, but promised she would return that evening.

“Miss Pratt!” Dr. Blake said, knocking on the doorframe.  “The big day.  Are you ready for it?” he asked, walking to her side as two nurses entered the room. She closed her eyes and nodded. “Good, at that rate your going, you’ll be back to Rawley by the end of the month.”

She smiled thankfully at him, “You know, I actually think I will.”

. . .

Hamilton sat in his desk as the other students filed out of the room. He picked up his books, trudging down the hall towards the stairs, a few passers knocking his shoulder along the way. His Biology class had been a complete blur, not hearing a thing his teacher said and barely noticing when the other students left.

Trudging up the stairs he brushed his hand against a tiny smudge of soot, rubbing it back and forth between his finger tips as a small reminder of the night three weeks ago when fate played its hand. He made his way towards Jake’s room, pausing at the door as a tinge of sorrow ran its cold fingers over him. The door slid open as he stepped into the dormant space. He could see the burn marks left on the walls in dance patterns, seared through the wood surface.

Hamilton made his way to the small closet, carefully pushing it open as a hint of smoke made its escape. He found a small suitcase in the bottom and picked it up, gently setting it onto the bed, throwing the top open. Grabbing the first hanger he tossed a shirt onto the covered bed.