Trevor Fisher took a deep breath before he reached his sister’s best friend Kate’s front door. He checked the flowers he carried, he checked his breath with his free hand, then he pressed the bell.

“Trevor!” Kate shrieked when she opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

Before he answered, she noticed the flowers and that he was dressed too nicely for a Saturday morning.

“Kate, I’ve known you for ten years, and in that time I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with you.”

He’d rehearsed what to say when she opened the door so many times he thought he was prepared. He completely forgot what to say, blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, and wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

She laughed.

If she’d been paying attention, she would have noticed the look of hope in his eyes turn to sadness, then to horror. He dropped the flowers onto the wooden porch and jogged back to his truck.

“Trevor, wait!” she shouted as she ran to him. He ignored her and backed his truck out of her driveway.

“Fuck!” she thought.

She ran into the house and called Trevor’s sister Sandy.

“Hey, bestie! What’s up?” Sandy answered.

“I just fucked up with Trevor.”

“Oh, shit! What happened?”

She knew her brother pined for the beautiful Kate. She encouraged her handsome, if not nerdy, brother to ask her friend out after she finally got over her fiancé cheating on her.

“He showed up at my door with flowers wearing an expensive suit. Christ! I smelled his cologne through the door.”

“And?”

“And he told me he was in love with me.”

“And?”

“I laughed.”

Sandy yelled, “You laughed at him? You bitch!”

“I was so shocked. I had no idea. I have no idea why I laughed.”

“I’ll drive over to his house. Meet me there so we can fix this. You told me you liked him, and I sent him to you for God’s sake.”

“I do like him. I can’t explain it. I’m such an idiot.”

“Yeah. My rich, sexy, smart, nice, brother professed his love for you, and you broke his heart.”

“Oh, God!”

Trevor pulled onto his brick half-circle driveway. He sighed as he always seemed to when he saw the pillars and wrap around porch. The double entry doors always seemed ostentatious to him and that day they were even more disagreeable with him. His anger with his mother for talking him into buying the house almost overpowered his anger with his sister.

His mother was a Realtor and convinced him she had found him the perfect house.

It cost twice what he wanted to spend, it was double the size he needed, and had lost 20% of its value when the housing market hit a rough patch a short time after he made the purchase. She convinced him he’d never have to buy another home when he married and started a family. Trevor caved to his mother’s overpowering nature as he always did.

Later, he found out his mother won a sales contest and that the house’s sale put her over the top. Their relationship suffered after that.

He walked through his bedroom door in a daze. He emptied his pockets and took off his suit. His phone had been buzzing non-stop, so he turned it off and left it on his dresser while he packed a bag.

“Fucking idiot,” he mumbled to himself when he zipped his leather travel bag. He was embarrassed by Kate laughing at him, but he was angry with his sister for telling him Kate liked him and to take a chance.

He slung the bag onto his shoulder, picked up his wallet and keys, left his cell where it sat, and left for his cabin.

After they sold the app that made them wealthy, he and his friends bought a plot of land in a secluded forest where they enjoyed hanging out and built several log cabins for them all to enjoy. They spent tens of thousands of dollars clearing a path to the nearby lake and spent many weekends there during the summer months.

The property had a main parking lot which was a mile away from the site of the cabins. There was no road to the main site, just a walkway which they paved with asphalt to make it easier to drag coolers and luggage to the cabins. Later, they bought two golf carts which they kept in a shed built next to the parking lot.

He loved the seclusion and spent more time there than the others. Although his friends began to start families and their children liked to swim in the lake.

He smiled at the thought of his group of friends with whom he had stuck together since high school. They called themselves ‘the geek squad’ unashamedly, and even with some of them getting married and starting families, they maintained their close relationships.

As he pulled onto the street, he thought he saw Kate’s car in his rearview mirror. He ignored it and sped away. “Fuck that bitch,” he thought.

Kate didn’t notice him driving away as she pulled into his driveway. Moments later, Sandy pulled in beside her.

“I should kick your ass, you heartless bitch!” Sandy yelled as she slammed her door.

“I know, I’m sorry. I feel like shit.”

Sandy used her key to open the door to the large house.

“Trevor!” she shouted as she walked in. “Trevor, where are you?” her voice echoed.

Kate walked into the kitchen and opened the garage door, “His truck’s not here.”

“Look! There’s a pair of dress shoes by the stairs. He must’ve been here.”

Trevor was meticulously clean and organized. Under normal circumstances, there would never be a pair of shoes left in the middle of the floor.

Sandy walked upstairs to his bedroom where she saw the suit on the bed.

“Damn! We must’ve missed him. He changed clothes.”

Kate walked around his room, a place she’d never been even though she’d been in his house several times. She thought his room was cold. Sterile.

There was only one picture and as she walked up to the dresser, she lifted the frame and gasped.

“What?” Sandy asked.

She handed Sandy the picture and a tear fell, “He only has one picture in here and that’s it.”

Sandy smiled, remembering the day the photo was taken, and said, “That was the first day the geek squad brought us to the lake.”

The photo was a candid shot of Kate laughing at something with Trevor sitting next to her, looking at her face with a look of love in his eyes.

Sandy continued, “I’ve never seen this picture before.”

Kate frowned, “He cut my fiancé out from next to me. Look here. He left his phone behind.”

Sandy said, “I’m going to drive to my parents’ house. Maybe he went there? My folks are in California. Stay here in case he comes back.”

“Okay,” she croaked and sat on the bed. As soon as Sandy left, she broke down in tears.

“What have I done?” she cried.

Kate remembered the first time she met Trevor ten years earlier. She and Sandy were college roommates and Sandy brought her home for Thanksgiving.

When she saw him the first time, he was a skinny, gawky kid just a year older than her. She remembered snickering when he said that he and his friends had begun working out and some of them had started to date. “Who didn’t date?” she thought.

She thought he was sort of cute, nothing special, but the next time she saw him, he’d changed completely.

She smiled thinking of the next time she went home with Sandy. Just two years later, Trevor was a different person.

He’d cut his long curly hair into a stylish short, messy look. His body filled out with two more years of working out and building muscle. The biggest change was his confidence.

He and his friends created some kind of app which they were making money from, and it made a world of difference in his demeanor. Gone were the video game t-shirts and jean shorts, and they were replaced with stylish shirts and slacks.

When she walked in the door and exchanged greetings with Sandy’s parents, she gasped when she saw Trevor had brought his girlfriend home. She felt pangs of disappointment and for the first time realized she was attracted to him.

The entire time she was there, she was annoyed with his ditzy girlfriend and her annoying habit of giggling at everything.

Trevor unloaded his bag and cooler from the bed of his truck and opened the shed for the golf carts. Finding both had dead batteries, he decided to walk to the cabins.

He noticed the air was hazy and smelled like smoke but figured someone was burning leaves or branches and the wind carried it to his property.

As he walked, he thought about what a fool he was to think Kate would feel the same for him as he did her. He felt he’d never be able to show his face in the same place as her out of embarrassment.

He thought back to the summer when he graduated college. He brimmed with confidence, having a new body, new levels of confidence, and a positive outlook on life. College had changed him. Breaking up with his long-time girlfriend didn’t even bother him, because he was going to ask out Kate.

He fell hard for Kate the first time he saw her that first Thanksgiving break.

His sister kicked him under the table several times when he was caught staring at Kate. He couldn’t take his eyes off the beauty, and he tried to impress her with tales of his difficult classes and his new hobby of weightlifting. No matter what he tried, she wasn’t impressed.

When he graduated, his girlfriend told him she was moving to Texas for work and was ending their relationship. He wasn’t too upset, and when Sandy told him Kate had an internship near their hometown, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to ask her out.

That plan blew up when she started dating a guy at school who had an internship at the same company and travelled home with her. What made matters worse, he would say torture, was Kate lived with his parents for the entire summer. He still lived at home and had to endure her beauty every day.

He saw the cabins and instantly felt relaxed. He had made it to his home away from home and if pressed, he’d admit he preferred his cabin to the too large Yuppie haven he was pressured into buying by his mother.

Kate grabbed his phone off the dresser and decided to go to the cabins.

“He loves that place more than any,” she thought. ‘He has to be there.”

She texted Sandy, ran to her car, and drove off. Hoping against hope she would find him and could make things right.

It was a ninety-minute drive, and mostly highway, and Kate was familiar with the drive. She was given a standing invitation to use Trevor’s cabin anytime she liked. He told her this during a period when she had a boyfriend, and he was single. He was trying to show off to her boyfriend, if not rub it in his face.

He told her she had sister’s privileges, being his sister’s best friend. She didn’t understand that he only hoped to see her more, even if she brought a boyfriend.

That boyfriend turned into a fiancé and Trevor began dating a nice girl who Sandy always said looked as if she could be Kate’s sister. Trever shrugged it off and always said, “I think the Mona Lisa is beautiful, but I’ll never have the original.” It made Sandy sad that she could never get them together.

When Kate pulled into the parking lot, she couldn’t believe the smoke that billowed through the area. She wondered if the cabins were on fire and sprinted down the path to their slice of heaven.

Trevor sat on the couch, listening to Metallica through his headphones at their loudest setting, and opened his fourth beer.

While ‘The Unforgiven’ assaulted his ears, Kate burst through the door.

His eyes were closed so he didn’t see the additional light enter the room, but he jumped out of the chair when Kate touched his leg.

“What the hell do you want?” he shouted.

She immediately started crying and fell to her knees. He rolled his eyes and finished the rest of his beer.

He went to the kitchen to get another, then said, “You know, I take back your invitation to come here whenever you want. I think that was a mistake, and I’d like you to leave now.”

“No, Trevor. You have to come with me, there’s a fire out there.”

“It’s just someone burning leaves and branches, it happens all the time.”

She didn’t agree but deferred to his knowledge of the area, mostly to avoid another thing to create a disagreement.

“Trevor, I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you, I was just surprised. You have to understand, I love you too.”

“Yeah, right. How about if you just leave? I need to clear my head.”

“No! We’re going to work this out right now,” she demanded.

“No, you’re leaving.”

He walked to the front door and when he opened it, he was hit by the thicker haze of smoke outside his cabin.

“Jesus, this isn’t good. We need to go, now!” he ordered.

She followed, and as they walked, they began to have difficulty breathing.

“Trevor, I’m scared,” she cried.

“We’ll be okay. Let’s keep going. We have to get out of here.”

Seconds later, Kate didn’t see the branch on the path and tripped. As she rolled, she tried to stand and ended up stepping onto the side of her foot.

“Ah!” she screamed.

“What? What happened?” Trever asked as he tried to find her in the thick smoke. He wasn’t looking down until he almost stepped on her.

“I hurt my ankle.”

“Shit! Can you stand?”

He lifted her and she fell as soon as she put weight on the injured leg.

“What are we going to do?” she cried.

Trevor looked around in a wasted effort and figured they were half a mile away from the parking lot, and he had no idea if they would be able to use their cars to leave when they got there.

He thought about going back towards the lake, but it was a farther walk and the smoke was just as bad going that way.

“I don’t know,” he answered while hiding his panic.

He looked towards the parking lot and saw faint yellow flashing lights through the thick smoke.

“I think there are emergency vehicles in the parking lot. Hang on.”

He lifted her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She caught the smell of his cologne even through the heavy smoke and remembered how she hurt him that morning. Even after what she did, he was still going to help her, and it made her love him more.

He walked on, slower than before, but still it was progress towards what he hoped was safety, but then it took a hard turn towards the worst.

“Kate, look,” he said as he saw the flames in front of them. Several trees had fallen onto the path and were blocking their way. He felt the immense heat, looked around, and he realized there was now fire on both sides of them as well as in front of them.

“Help!” he shouted, hoping whoever was in the parking lot could hear him. “We’re trapped! Someone help us!”

Kate feared the worst as she noticed the flames getting closer to them on both sides.

“Trevor, I’m scared.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, me too.”

The flames on the tree before them were over three feet high and he didn’t feel they could get safely through them.

He put her down and she winced at the heat from the asphalt before starting to scream for help herself. He desperately looked around as the sweat fell from his forehead into his eyes. He saw the flames climb the trees next to the walking path.

He tried to remain calm for her, and hoped they could hear her yelling for them.

Suddenly a voice called out, “Hey there! Can you hear me?”

Trevor sighed, “They sound so close.”

“Yes! We’re here, help us the fire’s blocking our way,” Kate yelled.

“The fire department is down the road, but on their way,” the forest ranger yelled. “Can you hang tight until they get here?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Trevor answered.

Just then, they heard a horrifying cracking sound, and a large tree started falling towards them. In an act of desperation, he picked up Kate and ran towards the fallen trees in front of them. He knew the tall flames would hurt him, but he had to save her.

He jumped on top of the first tree and lunged forward screaming from the pain of the fire lapping at his legs.

Kate screamed when she felt him launch her forward as he fell onto the second burning tree on the path in front of them. He had no idea but had hoped the man was just in front of them based on the sound of his voice.

Fortunately, he threw Kate directly into the man, causing both to fall to the ground.

Kate screamed, “Trevor!” As she crawled back to the flame covered trees. She ignored the smoke, the heat from the fire and the pain the hot black trail was inflicting on her hands and knees.

“Kate,” Trevor croaked as he crawled forward in desperate pain from the flames and hot asphalt.

Trevor’s attempt to stand was futile, as his body gave in to the severe pain in his arms and legs and the lack of oxygen in his lungs. As he passed out, the ranger pulled him forward and dragged him towards the parking lot.

“Trevor!” she screamed as two more men lifted her and carried her towards the parking lot where their newly arrived ambulance waited.

Kate tried to look for him, but she passed out before they made it to the ambulance.

Trevor woke to the sound of people talking.

“It’s a miracle, if you ask me,” a man said. “We won’t have to do any skin grafts, and the burns should leave minimal scarring. We were more worried about his throat and lungs, but they will be fine as well.”

Another man answered, “He didn’t have direct contact with the fire for that long ‘cuz I dragged him out pretty quickly. I don’t know how long they were in the smoke, so you could be right about it being miraculous. God! When he jumped forward off that burning tree and threw the girl out of harm’s way, I was shocked. He’s a God damned hero, Doc.”

“She’s in a room down the hall and doing well. She didn’t have injuries as bad as his and will be released today. I guess they have a pretty big group of people waiting for us to let them in here. They are in and out of that poor girl’s room in shifts all day.”

They both chuckled, and Trevor wondered who showed up. He tried to talk, but his mouth was dry, and his throat was sore.

The doctor heard him gurgle out some noise and turned, “Good morning, Mister Fisher. I’m Doctor Jameson. Here’s some ice for you. Let it melt in your mouth, you’re gonna have a sore throat for a bit yet.”

Trevor nodded and tried to ask what day it was.

“You’ve been here three days. You had blistered burns that needed treatment, and your throat and lungs were affected by the smoke inhalation, but you shouldn’t have any long-term issues from that. Your lady-friend is doing fine and will be released today. We’re gonna keep you here until we know you can eat solid foods with no issues.”

“No visitors,” Trevor managed to squeak out after having several ice chips moisturize his mouth and throat.

“No, no, you’ve got plenty of visitors out there waiting to see you. We just didn’t let them in your room yet.”

Trevor shook his head and raised his bandaged hand.

“I want—no—visitors.”

“I see,” the doctor said, while the ranger shook his head. “I’ll let the nurses know. Get some rest and I’ll be back later.”

He said goodbye to the ranger and walked out the door.

“I’m Joe. I’m the one that was there trying to help you two.”

Trevor croaked, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. Look, I went back out there after they got the fire out, and your cars and cabins are okay. You probably have some smoke damage, but the fires never got back there.”

Trevor smiled and nodded. That’s as good as he could’ve expected.

“You’re a lucky kid, Trevor. You could’ve been killed. What the hell were you guys thinking going out there when there was a forest fire?”

“Thought someone was burning yard waste,” Trevor said, each word coming easier, yet still painful.

“Yeah, that’s probably what started it. Anyway, I’ll let you rest. Take care of yourself, okay?”

Trevor nodded and watched him leave.

He wondered who came to visit and how long they’d been there. Just then he saw his friends Al and Gina Farley and Kyle and Julie Mackey walk by. They didn’t look into his room, and he wondered if they knew which was his room.

He knew they were going to visit Kate, and that was confirmed when he saw his sister and more of his friends walk by going the other way. Dave and Pete each held one of Sandy’s hands as they walked by, and he wondered what kind of comfort the good-looking twins were giving his sister.

Shortly after, he fell asleep.

“I demand to see my brother!” Trevor heard when he woke a few hours later. His sister always could brow-beat anyone into doing her bidding. Her shrill voice pierced every ear on the floor.

“If you don’t tell me where he is, I will sue your hospital so quickly, your ass will be on the street before the ink is dry.”

He couldn’t hear what the nurse or doctor or whoever else was saying in response, but it wasn’t long before a man in a suit walked into his room.

“Sir, I’m about to call the police on your sister and have her arrested. Are you sure you won’t see her and end our misery?”

Trevor laughed, “Just her.”

The man felt relieved and said, “Thank you, Mister Fisher.”

He rushed from the room and seconds later, Sandy burst through the doorway.

“Trevor, are you all right?” she shrieked as she tried to hug the burn victim.

“Burns, Sis,” he croaked, making it a little worse sounding than it normally would have been.

“Oh, my God! I’m sorry. What were you thinking going to that cabin alone? You can’t run like a pussy when you get upset. It was all a misunderstanding.”

“Get out!” Trevor groaned.

“No, Trevor. You need me to help you.”

“No, get out. I knew you’d jump all over me about Kate. That’s why I said no visitors.”

“But, Trevor!”

He pressed the call button and while his sister argued her case, he silently watched the door.

“What can I do for you, Trevor?” the pretty nurse asked with a smile.

“Get her out.”

A flash of anger appeared on the nurse’s face as she said, “That’s it, Lady. I’m calling the police like Mister Crawford warned. You’re not welcome in this hospital.”

“No! I’m not going anywhere,” Sandy fought.

“All right. The hard way it is.”

She walked to the doorway and said, “Cliff, can you remove this—person—from the hospital please. She’s bothering the patients.”

A huge security guard walked into the room and made Sandy’s eyes go wide.

“Trevor, I’m sorry. Don’t kick me out, you know I love you.”

Trevor flicked his hand towards the door, and the security guard professionally forced his nagging sister out of the room. Her shouting and screaming were heard throughout the floor.

Kate was handed her discharge and after care papers, while Sandy continued to complain that Trevor wouldn’t have visitors. Sandy convinced the hospital staff to let her see Kate if she left her brother alone.

“Sandy, why does Trevor hate your mom?”

Kate noticed that her friend’s mother hadn’t come to the hospital.

“Oh, he doesn’t hate her. You know how she is.”

Kate nodded, knowing their mother was overbearing but well-meaning.

“Still though, to not come when he’s in the hospital?”

“He’s just pissed at her about the house. Mom took advantage of him and sold him a house that won her a sales contest for a cruise. She never told him that, but I think he figured it out.”

“I wish he’d let me see him,” Kate lamented. “He saved me, and oh, God! I love him so much.”

She broke down sobbing and Sandy hugged her in a failed effort to comfort her.

“Sandy, I wish they would tell us how he is. He’s got to be hurt badly.”

Sandy’s tears fell down her cheek, “I know. I’m going to try to see him again this morning with my Dad.”

Just then her father walked into the room.

“He’s agreed to see me, just me.”

“Dad, no. We have to see him.”

He shook his head, “Sorry, baby. He was adamant.”

He didn’t say what was on his mind. The reason Trevor gave the nurse when he agreed to see him alone. He couldn’t believe Kate was so hurtful to his son.

Kate was still crying when they walked out of the room. John, Trevor’s father stopped at Trevor’s closed door as the girls kept walking. Then they realized where he stopped.

He nodded. “Go, Pumpkin. I’ll talk with you soon.”

Sandy led Kate away and hoped her father could work his magic and get Trevor to change his mind.

“The fire’s finally contained and should be out in a few hours,” Al said as he walked into the waiting room. “I checked out the cabins and there’s a lot of smoke smell. Thankfully, the fire never got over there.”

His wife Gina asked, “Sandy, any updates? How is he?”

“We still don’t know. He only agreed to see Dad and he’s in there now.”

“What a hard-headed son of a bitch,” Pete grumbled. “I always said the dude was a head case.”

“Shut up!” Pete’s twin Dave chided. “He had his heart broken by the stuck-up bitch over there. Give him time to get over it.”

Kate burst into tears and ran from the room leaving Sandy glaring at Dave.

“What?” Dave challenged. “You of all people should know how he felt about her. Half of this mess is your fault too.”

“She feels the same way he does, dumb ass. She’s as upset at how she reacted as he is. She’s upset he’s hurt in there, and even more so because she thinks it’s her fault.”

Sandy followed after Kate and Al and Gina sat with their remaining friends.

“I hope he’s all right,” said Pete.

“He is,” John, Trevor’s father said as he walked up behind them. “As long as the girls don’t go in, he’ll see you all. He’s pretty angry still.”

John filled them in on his condition, then sat as the others rushed into the room to visit their friend.

“You can come out from back there, Carol. I know you’re hiding.”

“I’m not hiding,” Trevor’s mother challenged as she walked around the corner. “I was just staying out of the way.”

“Whatever.”

“How is he, John?” she cried.

“He’ll be fine. His lungs are doing well, and his burns are healing as they hoped. As soon as he can eat solid foods, he’ll be released.”

“Thank God!” she whispered as she leaned onto her husband’s shoulder for comfort.

John looked down at his wife and wondered again how she could vacillate between a screaming shrew one moment and a frightened mother the next.

He loved her immensely, even knowing how difficult she could be to live with, because she was a loving wife and mother until the last year or so. He chalked it up to the pressures of her job and trying to live up to a standard of living neither cared about before.

He knew she strong-armed Trevor into buying that ridiculous house, but to keep the peace and to his regret, he stayed out of it; except he once offered to buy the house so Trevor could find one more suited to his needs, but Trevor declined.

With his son in a room recovering from injuries obtained sacrificing himself for Kate, John’s life came into a new focus. He saw more clearly all the issues before his eyes. His family was falling apart, and now his daughter had driven another wedge between them and Trevor.

Trevor was surrounded by his friends the day he was released from the hospital. As the orderly pushed his wheelchair, Trevor wondered where his mother and sister were and hoped not to see them or Kate.

When the bright light hit his eyes as he was pushed through the doors of the hospital’s main entrance, he winced.

“You all right?” The orderly asked.

“Yeah, it’s just bright.”

While his eyes adjusted, he didn’t see his mother and Sandy in the third row of the SUV as he sat in the front passenger seat.

“We took your truck to your house, Son,” his father said as he put the SUV in drive.

“Thanks. I appreciate the ride.”

“Of course. We’re going to bring you to my house for a few days until you’re able to use your hands better.”

“No, Dad. I can manage and I’ve arranged for a day nurse just in case.”

John ignored him and said, “Trevor, we need to come to a resolution with your mother and sister. Our family’s been too estranged for too long. I don’t want permanent rifts to develop.”

“Dad, I get it, I really do. I just can’t deal with Sandy after what she did to me with this whole Kate thing; and you know what Mom did. She’s never admitted or apologized for it.”

Carol couldn’t stay silent any longer, “I never meant to make you feel forced into buying the house.”

Trevor groaned and leaned his head back into the head rest. He had been ambushed.

“Trevor, you can sell the house if you don’t want it. I really thought it would be a great house for you.”

“You goaded me into it to win a contest. I may have money, but I’m not a pawn to use to enrich your career.”

“It wasn’t like that, I promise. You’re my son, and I love you. If I’d needed you to buy that house, I would have asked you to do it. Yes, it won me a contest, but I swear that wasn’t the reason. I love that house and I knew it would be perfect for you.”