Chapter 7

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Caleb, happy birthday to you!”  His family came into the room with a very large and very unnecessary cake. Caleb sat in the living room trying to catch up on the work the chief of staff had given him for the conference he was going to in Los Angeles. 

He was a third-year resident at the community’s hospital. He had worked his ass off in college to finish early so he could apply to med school at Yale. And it paid off. He would only be a second year now if he hadn’t.

Going to the conference along with him was one other resident and two attendings and they will be gone for a week. This was his first, and he was excited.

Today he was turning 28 years old, and his excitement is exactly why he had forgotten today was his birthday. But obviously his family hadn’t. So their singing had him picking up his cell phone and checking the date and realizing that it really was his birthday. Trying not to be a poor sport he quickly smiled and thanked everyone.

“Go ahead and blow out the candles and make a wish.” said Lara. Caleb did what she said.

“Well, what did you wish for?” Katherine asked. Caleb laughed at her, “If I tell you then it won’t come true now, will it?” He leaned over to kiss her forehead. She shrugged her shoulders at him and smiled.

“Now you have to open your presents,” Madelyn said, “Mine first!” And she thrust a small square box that was wrapped in shiny paper that had Happy Birthday written all over it. He opened it and inside was a small box that opened to reveal a silver watch. “Turn it over and read the inscription.” She told him. He did and his eyes filled up with tears. On the back of the watch were simple little words that filled his heart, I love you my brother. Be safe always. He put the watch on then stood up and picked her up in a hug. He kissed her on the check and whispered into her ear “You are always with me in my heart my sister. I love you, and thank you.”

“Now, mine!” This time it was Drew that spoke. Caleb barely had time to put Madelyn down and turn around when he thrown the package at him. Unlike Madelyn’s present, Drew’s wasn’t wrapped. The box said SONY with a price sticker that said marked down to 29.99 and the picture told him it was a CD player. “Thanks man, I don’t know what to say.” Caleb smirked at his cousin.

“Look inside the box, kemosabe, I’m not that cheap. That’s just what I put in my car.” Everyone looked at Drew and laughed. Caleb tore the tape on the box and opened it. Inside the box was a brand-new digital camera. Caleb didn’t know what to say. He just stared at Drew. 

“It’s your first trip to LA, figured you would need something to take pictures with. Especially since you broke your other one.” Drew stopped talking, he was choking up just like he did the day Caleb left for med school. “There is a 128-gig memory card in there too. Make sure you get some pictures to show the rest of us.” Caleb stood and gave his cousin a hug.

One by one everyone gave Caleb their presents, and he opened them, thanking everyone in turn. When he finished opening the presents his aunt cut into the cake and passed everyone a piece, his own being the biggest. For the moment, the conference was forgotten. He was going to miss everyone while he was in Los Angeles.

After they finished off the cake, Caleb helped clean up the dishes, with a lot of protesting from his aunt. It was his birthday and he didn’t need to help clean up, but he did anyway. He gives his aunt another hug. “Thank you for this. I had my mind so wrapped up in work. I needed a distraction.”

She pulled back from him to look into his eyes. They weren’t filled with so much stress as they had been. He was right, she thought, he did need the distraction. “Well, did you honestly think that we would forget your birthday, even if you did?” Her smile was filled with so much warmth. She was so much like his mother, her sister. And she had been like a mother to him, treated him like her own son.

He kissed her on the cheek. “I’m going to go on up to bed,” he told her. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

“Have you gotten everything packed?” She asked.

“Yes, all except for the stuff I will use in the morning. After I take a shower, I will pack the rest up and then load everything in the truck.”

Lara sighed, it was going to be a long week worrying about him being in such a big city. But at least he wouldn’t be there alone. “Make sure you pack your phone charger, you don’t want to leave it here and then your phone die. You and Drew would go crazy if you weren’t texting each other all the time.”

He laughed, it was true. They did text a lot. “It’s already packed. I charged it earlier so it will be ok until we get to the hotel. I will have to turn it off on the plane anyway, and we are going straight to there to get settled in.” The conference wasn’t for three more days, they would have some time to sight see and put his new camera to some good use.

“Good, well good night dear. Sweet dreams.” She rose up to kiss him on the cheek. “Good night.” He told her.

He gathered up the papers he left sitting on his desk and put them back into his briefcase and sat it on top of his bags. He didn’t need to forget it in the morning. He still had some work to do, but it could wait until the plane ride. He laid down in his bed and stared up at the ceiling wondering what the city will be like. He didn’t even realize when he drifted off to sleep.

He was standing in the all too familiar woods, a place he had come so many times the past years. It was their spot. That’s what he used to call it when he was younger. This is where he met her, the girl that haunted his dreams so many nights. But he hasn’t dreamed of her in a long time. And it had been years since he even came out here. He looked around, wondering how he got out here.

He heard leaves rustling and a twig snap. Something was moving out there, and the sounds were getting closer. A little afraid, he stepped back preparing to run. Another step back, there was something definitely heading in his direction. He could hear whatever it was approaching the edge of the clearing. It stopped. He waited. His heart was pounding in his chest. Something moved in the shadows and he could see something red. He took a few more steps back.

As he prepared to turn and run, she stepped out of the shadows. She had long, dark, curly hair, and her skin was pale. She was wearing a blue dress, her feet were bare. Her eyes were red. She stood there looking at him. He knew this girl, she had been in his dreams before. She started walking towards him, she stopped a few feet away. Her eyes were so bright. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. 

She came to stand right in front of him, she looked right into his eyes as she stood on her toes. She smiled and sank her teeth in his neck. At first all he could feel was pain, he still couldn’t move. Then he didn’t want her to stop, he put his hands on the back of her head and pulled her closer, wanting her to drink deeper.

Caleb woke with a start, his hands flew to his neck. But there was nothing there. He leaned back against the headboard. Just a dream, he thought to himself. That was the first time he had a dream about that place, about her, in years. He hadn’t even thought about her, or tried not to at least. He tried to shake off the chills and go back to sleep but he just couldn’t. The clock beside the bed said that it was almost five in the morning. 

He decided to just get up and take a shower. He would have plenty of time to pack the rest of his stuff and make sure he had everything he would need. He wouldn’t even disturb anyone. Ever since he got back from med school, he had gotten the one bedroom that was downstairs. Before college it was used as Lara’s sewing room. But she had decided the room was getting a little cluttered and she needed some more space so she had William build her a bigger room.

He finished with his shower and had everything packed and ready to go by six. He decided to cook some breakfast. Coffee brewing, he put bacon and sausage into the skillet. When the oven was ready, he put the biscuits in. He would wait until the bacon was almost done cooking before he started on the eggs. He didn’t want them to sit and get cold before everyone could eat.

Smelling the coffee, Colin had come downstairs to see his cousin cooking. Not a sight that is seen very often. Without a word he walked to the cabinet and got a coffee cup down and poured himself some. “You’re up early.” He finally said.

“I woke up a little before five and couldn’t go back to sleep.”

“Nervous?”

Caleb turned over the sausage so it wouldn’t burn. “Not really, just anxious to get there I guess.” He went over to the pantry and got out the pancake mix. The girls would want some of them.

“Here, let me help.” Colin got a bowl down and started the mix. They talked while they cooked. Before the biscuits came out of the oven, Drew was there trying to sample everything, and got nothing as they were swatting his hands with spatulas. He settled with a cup of coffee. It wasn’t long before everyone was downstairs eating, talking, and laughing.

Not being able to stay any longer, he loaded up his bags into his truck. After all the farewells and have a safe trips and be carefuls, he was finally headed toward the airport. It was an hour drive. It didn’t take long to get through airport security and get on the plane. He had met the other doctors at the terminal. He had to admit to himself that he was a little nervous, this was the first time he has been on a plane. As soon as the plane got in the air, he started on finishing his work, oblivious to everything that was going on around him.