Page 107 of Courage, Dear Heart

“Good,” he echoes, his lips curving into a small, soft smile.

We sit there, the world around us fading as we hold on to each other, letting the quiet connection between us speak louder than words ever could.

SIXTY-ONE

Jillian

I wake with a startle.What was that? “Jamie?”

Jamie is at my bed. He’s shaking me and pulling at my arm. My head hurts and I feel dizzy. What’s all that noise?

I blink, trying to focus, look at the alarm clock on the night table: 2:24 a.m. I try to sit up and stumble back onto the bed. Everything spins. I’m so tired. My eyes close again. It’s so hard to keep them open.

“Mommy!”

Jamie’s voice reaches me as if from miles away. Like in a dream. Along with other sounds. A sharp and insistent shrill. And screeches.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Jamie tries to shake me.

I open my eyes with extreme effort, not sure if I’m awake or dreaming. “Jamie? What’s happening?”

More screeches. Daisy? Daisy is screaming.

“Is it Daisy?”

Jamie tugs at my arm. “Fire.”

The single word breaks through the fog, and everythingcomes rushing in. The heat, the burning smell, the smoke curling up along the walls and filling the room. The building is on fire.

I push off the blankets, and my feet hit the floor. The room spins as I bolt upright, disoriented, my heart clawing at my chest.

The sounds. It’s not just Daisy. The shrill of the smoke alarm slices through the rest of the fog in my mind.

I cough, trying to stand up. My knees hit the floor hard, palms scraping against the carpet as I fight to stand. I pull myself up, holding to the wall for support as Jamie tugs at my free hand. Adrenaline kicks in.

“Jamie!” Fear is a living thing, wild and frantic, thrashing inside my chest. I stumble through the haze, take hold of his hand, half-crawling, half-running down the hall. “We have to go, now!”

The smoke is getting thicker, and I’m overcome with a coughing fit. I have to get Daisy. As we pass the door to his room, Jamie stops and pulls away, running back inside.

“No, Jamie. No.”

I run after him—my feet slower than before.

Jamie comes back, something clutched to his chest, his little body hacking with a cough. I take his hand and we make our way to the living room where Daisy’s screeches are slowing down.

I try to grab her cage, but it’s too big to maneuver one-handed.

“Jamie, hold on to me.” I place his hand on my T-shirt.

I open the cage door and try to coax Daisy out. “Come, girl, let’s go.”

She screeches, fighting me, and then takes a step andgrabs my wrist. I move her to my shoulder. Take Jamie’s hand. “To the stairs. Stay low.” My voice is nothing more than a raspy whisper.

The floor is hot—heat and smoke come from below. The flower shop is on fire. Desperation fuels my strides, every step a prayer whispered for time. Daisy’s claws dig into my skin.

Smoke billows around us, a living thing that wraps its fingers around my throat and squeezes. The air is thick with it, each breath a battle that burns my lungs and blurs my vision. We have to get out.

We stumble forward. My foot catches on something and we lurch to the ground. Pain shoots up my knee, sharp and bright, but it’s nothing compared to the terror that grips me. We can’t afford to fall, not when every second is a thief stealing our chances of escape.

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