They told me that the earthquake lasted only thirty seconds. To me, it had been the longest thirty seconds I could ever remember.
A rescue team dragged me from the rubble, with Melody still screaming beside me. They found us quickly because she hadn’t stopped crying. The world blurred, and I struggled to focus on what was going on.
“Melody . . .” I managed to mutter as a paramedic examined me on a board.
“Your child is just fine,” he said in a soothing voice, but I panicked.
“Austin!” I tried to sit up, but he pushed me down.
“You’ve got head trauma, ma’am. Don’t move.”
“Where’s my husband?” I sounded hysterical, but I didn’t care.
He grabbed my shoulders as a second paramedic rushed over. “Ma’am, I need you to relax.”
I don’t know why he said it. The second paramedic injected me with a sedative.
“No . . .”
They held me down while it took hold. It didn’t knock me out, but my whole body relaxed.
“Tell me your name,” he said as he flashed a light in my eyes.
“Cadence.”
“Cadence what?”
“Cadence Jones.”
“How old are you, Cadence?”
“Twenty . . . twenty-five.”
He continued talking to me, asking me easy questions to keep me conscious and calm. Finally, the paramedics lifted me and wheeled me toward the ambulance. But as we passed into the front yard, I saw, obscured from view, a body bag.
“Austin!” I moaned, the drugs stronger than my body.
As we reached the ambulance, Linda rushed to me.
“Cadence! Oh Cadence, sweetheart!” Tears streamed down her face.
“Where’s Austin?” I asked breathlessly.
A loud sob wrenched from her. “He’ll be right along, honey. You just relax and heal, okay?”
“I want Austin.” I looked back toward the body bag; standing over it was the man in white. Startled, I lifted my head to look at him. Time hadn’t frozen, and people rushed by him, completely unaware that he stood there staring at me.
“You!” I screamed, forcing my body to overcome the drugs. “You give him back to me!”
Linda and the paramedic looked at me like I’d gone crazy, but I didn’t care. I tried to sit upright, but the paramedic held me down and tied me to the bed. Wailing in frustration at being bound, I screamed, “Give me Austin!”
The man in white glanced down at the body bag before moving toward me as I slipped into the ambulance. He stood at the doors, and his dark eyes locked with mine. “I warned you.”
“No!”
The doors shut, closing him off from my view. I sobbed loudly as the paramedic saw to my injuries. Beside me, Linda lay on the second bed and wrapped her arms around a small body. I turned my head and saw her soothing Melody. Melody looked shaken and pale, and kept letting out soft whimpers as tears streamed down her face.
“Melody!” I gasped. My little girl was alive, and she even appeared uninjured. She’d been saved.
Linda looked up at me and smiled gently. “She’s fine, Cadence. Frightened, yes, but nothing serious. You and Austin saved her.”
I rested my head back and closed my eyes, letting my tears fall.
A steady beep brought me out of unconsciousness. My eyes felt heavy. I struggled to open them. The distinct aroma of cleaning products hung in the air. My brain switched on as I realized where I was and forced my eyes open. The beeping sped up. White walls encircled me in the hospital room; directly across from me was a closed bathroom door.
I shot upright in panic. No! No, it couldn’t be. But then, I noticed Melody beside me in a small children’s bed, fast asleep. She was safe. I’d saved her. But Austin . . . I needed to see Austin. Reaching behind me, I found the button to call the nurse. A moment later, she entered. “Hello, Mrs. Jones. It’s nice to see you awake.”
“Where’s my husband?”
She avoided eye contact. “You sustained some head trauma, so just relax.”
“I want to see my husband!”
“Cadence.” Geri’s voice came from the door. “Don’t bully the nurse. Trust me, it sucks.”
Her voice was flat, and she kept her eyes low as she approached me. “Your family will be here in a moment. They just went to get a bite, since we’ve been up all night to get here. We came straight in, but didn’t want to disturb you and Melody. I said I’d stay, so they could go.”
She stood at the foot of the bed, her arms folded. “You’re lucky to be alive. Your neighbors died. Apparently, there was an old mine shaft that had been forgotten about under your neighborhood. They’re saying the construction put pressure on it, and after the rains wore it down, it just collapsed.”
She stepped beside me. Her hand wrapped around mine, but she couldn’t look me in the eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“I know he’s dead,” I said in a hushed voice. I glanced over to check the day. My time had passed. The contract was no longer valid. “I knew this day would come.”
Her eyes lifted and met mine with confusion. “What?”
“There’s so much I want to tell you now, but I need to see Austin.”
She tilted her head, her curls bouncing over her shoulder. “Cadence―”
“Cadence!” Mum rushed at me and grabbed my hand. “Oh, Cadence! I’m so sorry!”
I bit my lip as I forced back my tears. “Let me see Austin.”
Dad stepped forward to grab her shoulders. “Cadence, why don’t we―”
“I want to see Austin,” I said forcefully.
He nodded and asked the nurse to bring me a wheelchair. As Geri and the nurse helped me into it, Melody awoke and called for me. Dad grabbed her and hugged her tightly, then set her on my lap.
As Dad wheeled me out, Dusty and Harper rushed over and paused in front of me. Dusty’s face had turned red and blotchy from crying, while Harper just looked pale and in shock. Dusty rushed in behind me. “Let me push her.”
They all came with me to the morgue as I fought to suppress my fear. I swallowed the large ball in my throat as the morgue doors opened and I was pushed through. But I couldn’t do it. I grabbed the wheels, bringing us to an abrupt halt.
“I just need a moment.” Taking several deep breaths, I forced my emotions down. I had to see Austin. “Okay.”
Dusty pushed me forward, and Austin’s body was brought out for me.
“Harper?” I grabbed at Melody. Harper understood and lifted her off my lap.
Forcing myself to stand, I leaned over and looked into Austin’s face.
“Austin?” I touched his hand. It felt ice cold. I couldn’t contain my emotions any longer, and I burst out in loud sobs. “No, no! Not again! Why couldn’t I save you? Why did this have to happen again?”
Grasping his face, I pulled his head against my chest and cried. My face stung from the tears, my throat ached from the emotion, but still I cried. “I did everything I could. Why couldn’t I change this? Why did you have to go?”
“Cadence, honey,” Mum said gently, as she rested her hand on my shoulder. “It was an accident. There was nothing you could have done. He protected you and Melody. Knowing you are both alive and well would make him happy.”
My fingers ran through his thick, dark hair. “Why couldn’t I change this?”
No one answered. They all must have thought I snapped.
They took turns staying with me over the next few hours as I whispered to Austin, begging him to come back. Finally, Dad rested his hand on my shoulder and said, “Sweetheart, it’s time to go.”
I shook my head.
“Yes, honey. You need to eat something and rest. You need to recover to take care of Melody. She still needs you.”
“Melody’s alive,” I muttered as I released Austin’s head.
“Yes, sweetheart. Melody’s alive.”
I straightened, and gently clasped Austin’s hand in mine before looking up into Dad’s eyes. “She didn’t die this time.”
Concern furrowed his brows. “No, she didn’t die.”
I grasped his hand. “Daddy, take me away.”
Tears tumbled down his cheeks as his chin quivered. “Okay, my little girl.”