Lost Love

Kate could not force herself out of bed. She pulled the covers up over her head so the bright sunshine could not be seen. How dare the sun come out while her heart was torn into a thousand pieces?

Everything seemed so surreal. She still could not quite wrap her head around what had happened. This was supposed to be her wedding day; the happiest day of her life. Instead it was the day she would question everything in which she believed.

Tears threatened to break through her tightly shut eyes. She choked back the bile that made its way to her throat. No! She demanded her body cease its actions. She wasn't going to give in to any more grief. Enough was enough!

With that thought, she threw the covers off of her and bounded out of bed before her mind changed again. With purpose, she made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and comb her hair.

She seemed to be a woman on a mission until, through the mirror, she caught a glimpse of her wedding dress. She turned, picked it up off the door hook and threw it into hallway, slamming the bedroom door behind it.

What was that going to accomplish? She questioned herself. She would, after all, have to open that door to get out of her room. It would still be there to taunt her when she did.

Kate shook her head and walked to the closet, pulling out a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt. She pulled them on quickly and slipped her feet into clogs. Taking a second look in the mirror, she pulled the brush through her hair and tied it into a ponytail.

This was going to be a long day. She would have to notify everyone the wedding was off once and for all. She knew that Casey would arrive shortly to help her with the calls. She also knew that she wouldn't make it through the situation without her best friend.

Throwing open the bedroom door, she refused to look down at the floor as she walked through it. She heard the crunch of the dress underneath her feet, but she ignored it and hurried down the hallway to the stairs.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. She reached it in seconds, throwing it open to welcome her former maid of honor.

"How are you holding up, sweetie?" Casey's soothing voice was both caring and tentative.

"I'm fine," she lied, turning away to avoid making that clear to her friend. "It is what it is," she said. "Obviously Bill didn't love me. If he did, he wouldn't have done this."

Her cold words shocked Casey somewhat. Nonetheless the tiny brunette threw her arms around her lifetime friend and laid her head against her back. "Katie," she murmured, "it is going to be okay. I promise you!"

Kate broke free and walked toward the kitchen to make coffee. Over her shoulder she remarked, "the guest list is there by the phone. I'll get the coffee going and we will start making the calls."

Casey watched Kate as she moved around the kitchen. Much of the time she looked like a robot performing tasks for which she was trained. The rest of the time, her friend's body shook in uncontrollable grief, or anger, or perhaps a bit of both.

"We will start with Bill's parents," Kate shouted over the water she had running in the sink. Casey's head snapped up in shock. "I should think they already know," she tentatively let the words flow freely.

Kate stopped between the sink and the kitchen island, frozen in that instant. "Of course they do," she whispered to herself. The coffee carafe slipped from her hands, crashing to the floor and shattering. She looked down at it and thought to herself, "that is me. I am shattered just like that." Her body crumpled underneath her.

When Casey reached her friend, she was surprised to see Kate's eyes wide open. "Katie, sweetie, you have to get up. The glass is going to cut you." There was no response.

She shook her friend lightly, but still could not get an indication that Kate heard her words. "Katie, you have to get up. I am her for you, sweetie. It is going to be all right." There was still no change in Kate's expression.

She bent down to listen to her friend's heart. It was beating regularly. She turned her over to see of a shard of glass had entered her back. There were tiny pieces embedded in her shirt but nothing appeared to have reached the skin.

She carefully laid Kate down and reached for the phone. "911, how may I direct your call," she heard the voice on the other end say.

"I need an ambulance at 17 Bexley Road. My friend is in shock I think. I cannot get her to speak or move. Please hurry!"

"The ambulance has been notified and is on its way," she heard the voice say. "Cover her with something warm and stay with her until they arrive."

Casey scrambled to the front room, yanking the throw off the couch. She unlatched the front door so the paramedics could get in when they arrived. Then hurried back to the kitchen to cover her friend's delicate body.

She sat down next to Kate, cradling her head in her own lap. "I love you, Katie. Please come back to me; to all of us. We need you," she cried softly.

Out of the corner of her eye Casey noticed a piece of paper halfway hidden under the island. She picked it up the crushed letter to read, "We regret to inform you that your fiancée, Lt. Bill Gray, was killed in Iran while trying to rescue a group of orphans. Representatives of the U.S. Marines will be contacting your shortly."

It was dated one week ago, just days before Bill was scheduled to return home from deployment. But the letter had been misrouted and had only reached Kate the night before; on the eve of her wedding.