Never Say Goodbye

Chapter 17

 I wake up with the slight movement of being carried. "Caleb?" I whisper.

He looks down. "Are you okay?"

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing much. Maybe gave her a black eye. That's what she ge-" He stops short in his tracks.

"What? What's wr-"

I am interrupted, however, by a voice even lower than Caleb's. "Stop right there."

Caleb tries to move around this person blocking our path. The person, presumably a policeman, puts his hand on Caleb's chest. "I said stop right there."

"Get your hands off me!" Caleb brushes the policeman's hand off of him.

"You can only go if you leave her here!" the policeman yells.

"Not a chance," Caleb says calmly.

Caleb starts to walk away, but the policeman puts his hand on Caleb's shoulder. Caleb swivels around and kicks the policeman in between his legs. As the policeman doubles over in pain, Caleb runs. Even while carrying me, he is fast. He would be so much faster if he left me. "Caleb, why don't you leave me? Why don't you just leave me?" I ask.

"I can't leave you."

"But you would be much faster if you just dropped me and ran. Why don't you just drop me and run?"

"I won't," he insists. I hear his breaths, steady as his chest rises and falls against my cheek.

"I don't understand you. I have never understood you." I hear footsteps, not just his, but another pair. Another person behind us. Chasing us. "Leave me."

"No!" he screams. "I will not leave you behind just to save myself! I put people's lives before mine, especially my girlfriend's! I'm not going to leave you when a speck of danger arises!" His voice booms down the echoing hallway. I remain quiet as he runs into the parking lot.

Finally, I say, "Did you drive here?" He shakes his head. "Did you walk here?" He nods. "All to get me out?" He nods again. "Why?"

"'Cause. I. Love. You." He already sounds partly out of breath.

"But why not let me down? I can walk."

He shakes his head. "Faster this way." I can't help feeling rejected. "I'm sorry. I-"

"It's okay. I know it would be faster. I just also know that you would run faster without a burden."

"You're not a burden. Not to me." That silences me because I know, to him, I am not a burden, but in real life, I am the biggest burden. I shake my head.

We run in silence for at least two miles before we arrive at Caleb's house.

He sets me down on the sidewalk. Last time I was in this house, my mother was alive.

I was with my father.

I slow down. So many memories.

I stop completely. Memories. Too many memories.

Caleb grabs my hand and tries to pull me in his house. I just walk slowly.

Too many.

Overflowing.

Help me.

Why?

Overflowing.

I don't know what's going on. It's all in slow motion. Life is in slow motion. Finally, Caleb gives up and just picks me up. I feel the gentle sway of him carrying me. I can't breathe. He lays me on his black couch. Last time I lay here, nothing terrible had happened.