Underneath the skin: Open Wounds

Chapter 15: Questionable Sanity

The next few weeks went by as Jamie learned to walk and crawl all over again. It was difficult and painful but thanks to the help of his wife, he got through it and was finally released from the hospital after 6 weeks of therapy and rehabilitation. Jamie's ribs had nearly healed, his heart was in good condition and he could walk and talk almost as well as he could before the incident but the still scars remained. When Marsha and Jamie got home, they were welcomed by their family and friends which made them both smile. After walking into the kitchen, Jamie paused and then rushed off to the garage screaming "My baby!". 

Lila smiled and said "he seems back to normal and Marsha laughed and said "Yep...but I should go get him before he has a baby". Lila grinned and said "I bet you'd like that" and Marsha blushed and said "shut it" as she darted off. Marsha found Jamie in the garage on his knees looking at his destroyed muscle car. Marsha sighed and said "when the store exploded it sent debris flying and well, your car caught fire was put out but as a portion of the store collapsed it totaled any chance of it being salvageable". Jamie sighed and said "how am I gonna get around? and Marsha smiled and said, "I ordered you 2 new cars a few weeks ago, they're in storage right now along with my cars; being detailed but you'll see them soon".

Marsha giggled and said, "I can say that one is a 1968 Camaro". Jamie's eyes glowed and he immediately stopped sulking and headed into the house. The first 3 weeks home started off normal, with Jamie going to therapy and being lazy as his wife demanded. but well into the 4th week, he was feeling something brewing in his heart, something he had never felt before and Marsha wasn't noticing because he was purposely hiding it". But one fateful night when Marsha woke up in the middle of the night, she saw Jamie tossing and turning and screaming "I'll save you, just hold on please miss". She shook him awake and said "sweetie how long has this been going on?" and Jamie played coy and said "what do you mean" and she frowned and said "the nightmares".

He just looked down and didn't say anything, but the tears streaming down his cheeks spoke for themselves. She leaned his head into her chest before he finally spoke. He said I-I can't stop seeing the bodies, the burnt charred bodies, I can't stop seeing that woman...she...she was pinned under a slab of the roof and the fire was spreading...she told me to take her children and go...I tried so hard to save her but I wasn't good enough!...I-I couldn't lift it alone in time!". He continued and said "I-I can still hear those people calling for help but I just couldn't get them all! they died...I know some of them had families and kids...they didn't make it yet I get to go home!".

Marsha held him and said "You're not a firefighter, you're just a man who did what he could," he said "Then why do I feel this way? and she said, "You're suffering from survivor's guilt but that's okay, we'll fix that tomorrow". A few days after the incident at night, Marsha organized an event where all the survivors came to meet Jamie outside in a park as he spoke on stage. Before he arrived, however, Marsha explained to everyone how Jamie was feeling and they all agreed to help him. When Jamie arrived on stage, all eyes went to him and the firefighter chief who had stopped by to present him with a civilian award and the honorary firefighter title much to the audience's joy".

Afterward, each person stood up and told Jamie who they were and how thankful they were to be saved by him, and how they were enjoying their second chance, which put a smile on his face". The first one who stood up was a father and his two children...it was the family of the woman he couldn't save he knew it after seeing the children. The man who identified himself as Charles smiled and thanked Jamie for trying to save his wife and that he wasn't, mad, he smiled and said that it was just gods time to call her home and that he was glad he rescued his two children and that they can continue to have a future". After he sat down and another woman stood up and thanked him for risking his life and told him not to blame himself and to live his life guilt free and live it well teach others to be like him. 

After she sat down, others stood up and told him similar things until everyone had spoken. Afterward, people lined up, hugged him tight and some took pictures before they all ate together. Jamie left the park that day, feeling less guilty but still, something dark was festering in his heart, something that was numbing him.