The Current Between Us, page 1
The Current Between Us
By Kindle Alexander
The Current Between Us
Kindle Alexander
The Current Between Us
Copyright © Kindle Alexander, 2013
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Edited by Jae Ashley
Edited by Robert Bales
Cover design by Reese Dante
http://www.reesedante.com
First Edition June, 2013
ISBN: 0989117340
Published by: The Kindle Alexander Collection LLC
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, Kindle Alexander LLC, kindle@kindlealexander.com.
No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Kindle Alexander, LLC. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.
The Current Between Us is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
WARNING
This book contains material that maybe offensive to some:
graphic language, adult situations.
Trademark Acknowledgements:
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following trademarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
60 minutes: CBS Broadcasting Inc.
American Express: American Express Company
Advil: Wyeth, LLC
Associated Press: The Associated Press Corporation
Barbie (and Barbie Dream House): Mattel, Inc.
Bud Light: Anheuser-Busch, Incorporated
CBS: CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Chili’s: Brinker International Payroll Company, L.P.
Chuck E. Cheese: CEC Entertainment Concepts, L.P.
CNN: Cable News Network, Inc.
Coke: The Coca-Cola Company
Disney World: The Walk Disney Company
Disney: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Dora the Explorer: Viacom International, Inc.
Facebook: Facebook, Inc.
Ferrari: Ferrari S.p.A.
Heineken: Heineken Brouwerijen B.V.
Hulk: Marvel Characters, Inc.
Keurig: Keurig, Inc.
Lego: Lego Juris A/S Corporation
Levi’s: Levi Strauss & Co.
LSAT: Law School Admissions Council, Inc.
Marvel: Marvel Characters, Inc.
McDonald’s: McDonald’s Corporation
Ninja Turtles: Viacom International, Inc.
Nordstrom: NIHC, Inc.
Party City: Party City Corporation
PBS: Public Broadcasting Service Corporation
Prada: Prada S.A.
Prius: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha AKA Toyota Motor Corporation
The Men’s Warehouse: The Men’s Warehouse, Inc.
Time Magazine: Time, Inc.
Tinkerbell: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Spider-man: Marvel Characters, Inc.
Sponge Bob: Viacom International, Inc.
Word: Microsoft Corporation
YouTube: Google, Inc.
Dedication
Suzette Pylant and her team in the Dallas Madd offices, this book wouldn’t have been possible without you. Thank you for always standing beside me, being the calm in my sea of unexplainable hurt – even today.
I’ll love you forever.
This book is dedicated to my Kindle.
I miss you every minute of every day.
I love you beyond reason.
I’ll see you soon.
Aidan, for you!
A portion of the sales of this book will be donated to Madd – Dallas.
The thing no one ever seems to consider about drinking and driving, you aren’t on the streets alone. You’re a risk to everyone
when you decide to make that decision. Please choose wisely.
Chapter 1
A flash lit the bedroom an instant before the roar of thunder shook the small brick home. It couldn’t have been much past three in the morning and instantly the house plunged into complete darkness, the electricity taken out by the storm raging outside. Trent Cooper rolled over in bed, kicking the blankets off his feet as he looked around. Seconds later, he heard the sounds of little feet hitting the floor, pounding on the hardwood as they ran toward his bedroom. In the next instant another pair of feet struck the floor. Now, both were heading his way. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he lifted his head and pulled the covers back, waiting.
“Daddy, Daddy, I’m scared. Can I sleep with you?” Emalynn, his almost-four-year-old daughter asked as she piled onto the foot of the bed and raced up to his arms. Her older brother, Hunter, wasn’t far behind. Both children landed squarely on his chest.
“Daddy, I think that was more than thunder,” six-year-old Hunter said, burrowing under his arm.
“Hunter, it’s just the clouds bumping together. You’re fine and safe.” As Trent spoke, another loud crash hit. At the same moment a flash of light lit up the bedroom again. Emalynn let out a scream to rival the storm outside. She wrapped her small arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. If it were even possible, Hunter moved in closer, gluing himself to Trent’s side. Their little bodies trembled in his arms.
“Shhh, guys, I’ve got you. You know I’m not gonna let anything happen to either one of you. It’s just a thunderstorm. It’ll move over fast, I promise. Come lay down beside me. Hunter man, tell Emalynn what your mom used to say about these storms.”
It took a minute to get both children to release the tight grip they held on his body and another minute to lay everyone down and get the bed covers over them. He talked the entire time to keep their attention focused just on him. “Hunter, listen to me, son, tell Emalynn what your mom used to say.”
“She always said that was Daddy in heaven trying to get our attention,” Hunter finally said, his big green eyes focused on the window as he slid his body down next to Trent. The bait seemed to work for Hunter, but not Emalynn. She only released her hold on his neck to wrap herself around his chest, her death grip firmly in place. He angled an extra pillow behind his head and laid back, ignoring the powerful storm outside.
After a minute, Emalynn poked her head out the top of the covers. Her green eyes searched his face as she inched her way up his chest until she could again hide her head in the crook of his neck. Her tiny body trembled as he gently rubbed her back with the palm of his hand.
“Emalynn, I was thinking, the super loud thunder could be both your momma and daddy trying to get your attention. What do you think, Hunter? Think it could happen?” Trent asked as Hunter added his own soothing hand to Emalynn’s back trying to calm her down. The trembles slowly began to ease in her little body.
“I think so, Em. Don’t be scared. It’s just Mommy and Daddy saying hello,” Hunter added quickly.
“See? It’s not bad at all.” Trent gave Em a small kiss on her head before he tried to angle her down along the left side of his body, opposite Hunter, but she would have no part in loosening her hold around his neck. Instead, she put one of her hands on his cheek and turned his face down to hers. Her sweet breath tickled across his skin as she spoke.
“Daddy, I think it’s scary monsters trying to eat our house!” Em’s big green eyes grew huge as she said the words, then a screech tore from her lips and she ducked her head back in his neck.
“Em, that’s dumb. Monsters aren’t real. I learned that in school, for sure!” Hunter said it matter-of-factly with the storm outside completely forgotten.
“Shh, Emalynn, baby, Hunter’s right. There’s no such thing as monsters, and do you hear it? The storm’s already getting calmer outside.” As if on cue, the alarm clock on the nightstand flashed back to life as well as the hall bathroom light he always left on for the kids at night. “See there? The lights are back on. The storm’s leaving.”
“Daddy, I want to sleep with you. I’m still scared,” Em said. She let up on her hold at his throat, but again her hands were on his face, turning his head to look her in the eye.
“Me too, Daddy! I want to sleep with you, too.” Hunter was in instant agreement with his sister.
“Okay, but we have to go back to sleep. We only have a couple of hours before its time to get up.” Trent finally dislodged Em from his neck and got her tucked in with the covers around her.
“Can we talk about my birthday? It’s in six more days,” Em asked, a yawn already spilling from his tired little girl. She laid her head on his chest and ran her fingertips across his chin. For whatever reason, Em always rubbed her fingers over his five o’clock shadow whenever she got the chance.
“Honey, it’s eleven more days away. Today is Tuesday and yo ur birthday is Sunday after next. We can, if we talk about it quietly,” Trent said.
“Daddy, do I get a gift this year?” Hunter asked on a yawn.
“You both always get one gift on each other’s birthday.” Trent felt reasonably sure they were both covered and tucked in around him. He judged the yawns as a good sign the conversation wouldn’t last too much longer. Trent tugged the extra pillow from behind his head and tossed it aside as he looked up at the ceiling and waited for them to fall back asleep.
“Grandma always gave you and Momma gifts on each other’s birthday, right, Daddy?” Em asked.
“Yep. Always,” Trent replied.
“Is that why you do it for us?” Hunter asked.
“Yep and you two need to go to sleep.”
“Wait! Where are we going for Em’s birthday?” Hunter asked.
“Daddy, are we going this weekend to pick out my decorations? I want a princess birthday, I think.” Em lifted her head to look at Hunter.
“No, Em. You said last night we could have the Ninja Turtles, and you would be Raphael, I would be Leonardo, remember?” Hunter lifted his head, looking back at Em.
“Daddy, I want a princess birthday.” Em shot a panicked look at Trent.
“Em, you change your mind too much.” The argument between the two started so fast, it made it hard to keep up.
“Hey, now, Hunter, it’s her birthday. She decides without our help. We can get you something to have as a decoration, too. Lay down. I’m serious, you guys, we need to sleep,” Trent lowered their heads with his hands back down to his chest. He ran his fingertips gently over both their backs, trying to lull them back asleep.
“Yeah, it’s my birthday, Hunter,” Em added, but another soft yawn tore from her lips before she could finish the sentence.
“Daddy, Em’s teacher said we can bring treats to school to send home with her pre-K class. Can we do it? Do we have enough money for treats and me a decoration and the princess decorations and the gifts?” Hunter asked.
“Of course we have enough money for treats and decorations, Hunter. Son, we have to talk about why you’re so worried about how much money we have all of a sudden. You don’t need to worry about things like that.” Trent smiled at the sounds of soft snores coming from both sides of the bed. He completely agreed, financial affairs were snooze-worthy as hell, and enough to make anyone crash while talking about them.
Trent looked back up at the ceiling and made a mental note to send an email to Hunter’s teacher asking about his sudden concern over their financial state. Did six-year-olds think about things like that?
“Close it off and go to sleep,” Trent whispered to himself, trying to stop his brain, but one thought led to another and his mind finally went there. Dang it!
On a normal day, it took a herculean effort to force his mind off his sister. Now with Em’s birthday approaching, of course he’d think about her more. The slap of a tiny hand hit Trent in the face. An offending leg came next, racking him good. The kids were sound asleep, tossing and turning. They hit anything in their way. He sighed. Between their flying limbs and his overactive mind, there would be no more sleep for him tonight. Carefully, he untangled himself from the kids’ hold and quietly made his way to the bathroom.
Trent flipped on the shower and dropped his pajama pants where he stood. He barely waited a minute before he stepped under the spray, letting the warm stream coat his skin. Even as he dunked his face under the pulsating showerhead, he still couldn’t seem to let go of the thoughts. No matter how many times he played it over in his head, or how it gnawed at him, the facts never changed.
Trent finally slumped back against the wet wall and scrubbed his hands up and down his face in defeat. He wasn’t going to escape the memories this year either. With a thump, his head dropped back on the tile, his eyes closed, and he gave in, centering back into that time almost four years ago.
Emalynn and Hunter’s father died during his last tour of duty in Iraq, six months before Emalynn was born. Lynn took his death hard and grieved badly for her husband. Trent always worried about the toll all that stress may have taken on Emalynn before her birth. He’d stayed by Lynn’s side throughout the entire pregnancy, eventually moving her and Hunter in with him. He tried to give Lynn comfort in her loss, and the stability she needed to get through her pregnancy.
Trent dedicated himself to getting Lynn strong and healthy. He took his job as big brother and designated birthing coach seriously. He studied the role for months, attending all the birthing classes, picking out the best focusing tools for Lynn’s use during her labor…The photos and music were all there on standby ready to go for when she needed them. Everything seemed to be going well. Lynn pushed gently with her contractions, and each stage progressed as it should, per all the books Trent read.
Lynn had allowed an epidural this time around, instead of the natural, home childbirth she’d endured with Hunter. It had surprised him, but he hadn’t questioned it. His sister, the absolute health nut, believed in the natural way of things. He hadn’t questioned her decision. Instead, he was thankful she hadn’t had to go through all the pain. In hindsight, he’d missed that big red flag waving at him, letting him know something wasn’t quite right with the whole situation.
Sophia, Lynn’s lifelong best friend, stayed in the delivery room with them. Lynn’s labor was in full swing. The doctor and nurses were in place, all set to guide their new baby girl out. The room bustled with medical equipment, most hooked up to Lynn, but Trent hadn’t known that wasn’t normal either. He appreciated how well they were monitoring Lynn and Em. There was talk of a caesarean early on in the day, but Lynn refused it, and Trent had agreed. Why would she need a C-section? They had studied for a natural birth, planned, prepared, and ready to do this thing!
He kept hearing from all the professionals that her numbers were good. Apparently, another huge indicator the process wasn’t as positive as it should have been.
Trent only had one defense for missing so many warning signs: the entire experience had fundamentally changed him. The emotion of bringing a new life into the world, being so up close and personal with it all transformed him forever. Trent connected to Em before she’d ever shown her little face to the world. When it came down to the final minutes, the doctor instructed Lynn to push carefully one last time. It was all it would take to get Em there with them. Emalynn’s head popped out, Trent concentrated on her swollen face seconds before his sister gave an agonizing scream and fell back on the hospital gurney.
He and Sophia were shoved from the birthing room as the crash carts slammed past them in an attempt to save his sister, Em’s mother. Later, the doctor told him, Lynn had found out about the abdominal aortic aneurysm a few weeks after learning she was pregnant. She’d kept it from her family, opting to have Emalynn before going under the knife to repair the damaged artery, but she hadn’t made it. Instead, she died instantly when it burst, sending the birth into a frenzy.
To this day, it truly bothered Trent that he hadn’t picked up on the clues. Now, he understood the intense grieving during her pregnancy wasn’t just about Lynn’s lost husband, but also the fear she faced of leaving her own children. Lynn had insisted on creating a will and went into detailed explanations on how her children should be raised if anything happened to her. She left the children and everything she owned to Trent. He had sat through hours of her coaching him on how to be a father, what her finances were and the military benefits left to the children.
Never once did Trent think he would ever use the information she forced on him. At the time, he was pacifying his grieving sister. He’d even refused to listen to any more talk of death; telling her he was done with that nonsense and life was for the living! Lynn had just smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Boy, he’d gotten every bit of it completely wrong.
Trent missed Lynn. She’d been his best friend. They were the only children of a single, older mom who’d spent her life devoted to them. Trent was the oldest, but not by much. Lynn came along eleven months after his birth. The only time they were apart were the years they spent in college when Lynn met Aaron, got pregnant, and married him within a few months after their meeting. Aaron focused solely on his military career. Trent saw it as Aaron putting as much space between him and Lynn as he could, but he never said anything about her marriage. He had just been glad she moved back closer to him.
