(Complete) Joe Walch was in love with the girl of his dreams. Everything was perfect until it all changed...
Ella Burke had a wonderful family, a job she loved and a man she was completely in love with until her dreams were shattered.
Can Ella lear...
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Joe looked around his small apartment and decided it was looked good enough. He had spent the evening cleaning. Although it was Tuesday night Caleb was at the girl's house like always and Ella had a gig. She rarely worked on weeknights, but it was a charity event. She had explained during the Christmas season she would be busier than ever with gigs for Christmas parties and her own students' choral concert. Joe was looking forward to her concert, because he loved to see her shine, but also because Caleb would be in it.
Although it was Tuesday, it was not a school night, because they were on break for Thanksgiving. Ella was adamant about not spending the holidays without Joe, so they made their own plans for Thanksgiving. The following day, Tommy and Gina would be arriving with Leah. He had not seen Leah since the end of August and Tommy since before he moved back.
Thanksgiving dinner for six would be a tight squeeze in his apartment and nothing like Ella was used to. Gina and Ella had been planning the meal for over a week. He was excited about being with his family. Joe would happily forfeit all the food in his refrigerator if Tim Burke changed his mind, but even so, he would have to open his home to all six of them. Sadly Joe didn't think it would happen. He worried about Ella if she had to choose to spend Christmas away from her family.
He sat down and clicked on the TV and flipped through the channels not finding anything worth watching. Feeling like an old man, he stopped at the ten o'clock news. After hearing the meteorologist's report about frozen rain and black ice concerns, he began to worry about Ella driving home. He sent her a text warning her to be careful. She wouldn't be on the road for a while, since her event didn't end until midnight. He would pick Caleb up at eleven. Ever since it had turned cold he had stopped making the kid walk home. He sent him a text too, letting him know he would be waiting for him at eleven.
He shivered in his car as he waited in front of the modest colonial. It looked like a nice house, nicer than what he could afford, but not nearly as big as the house Ella grew up in. Would she be happy in a small home? He still worried she would wake up one day and change her mind about him.
The car was cold, because the drive wasn't long enough for the heat to kick in. He tapped his hand on the steering wheel to the beat of Linkin Park. Living with Caleb had broadened his musical horizons. At five after eleven, he debated going to the door. Caleb hadn't texted him back. Neither had Ella, but she was on stage.
Sighing he stepped out into the cold and walked up the driveway. He had never had to before. Ringing the doorbell, he told himself to cut the kid a break. When Gaby answered the door with red eyes and a face full of anguish, he figured that they were fighting again.
"Tell Caleb. I'm here," he said, curtly not wanting to get involved.
Gaby burst into tears, and he could hardly understand her. His heart went into overdrive when he made out three words - accident, hospital, and police.
"Where is he?"
"Maine Med." She cried.
He didn't care about anything but getting to his brother. He would sort the details out later. He didn't care about why Caleb's phone said he was in the house or why he wasn't with Gaby. Reviewing her hysterical words he remembered she said, 'they' had gone out. He had no idea who 'they' were, but Gaby thought he should.
