The Last Rose of Summer Read online

  Copyright © 2014 by Kenna Gordon

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval without permission in writing from the author.

  ISBN:9781483520513

  “... When true hearts lie withered

  And fond ones are flown,

  Oh! who would inhabit

  This bleak world alone?”

  –Thomas Moore

  Chapter One

  Katelin began to shiver as she felt the cold mountain stream splash against her face. The smell of pine trees and gasoline that permeated Kate’s nostrils made her stomach feel queasy. She called out to Nick, but the air was silent. Where was Nick? Was he okay? Where were Bryan and Myles? Was someone calling for help? She could hear the sound of muffled voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Katelin suddenly realized a sharp shooting pain in her arms and legs. Was she dying? Would she see her family again? God, why wasn't someone calling for help? Her body was cold, and she felt as if life around her was moving in slow motion. She tried to call for Nick again but, as hard as she tried, Kate couldn't get the words to leave her mouth. “Katie, Katie” she heard Myles say as she felt consciousness fade from her.

  It was a late July morning that had begun like any other lazy summer day. The fragrant aroma of Meggie's blueberry scones wafted into Katelin's room from the kitchen. Sweet memories of the plump juicy berries made her mouth begin to water. Lucy, her Irish setter, lay at the foot of the bed basking in the warmth of the summer sun. The morning light shone through a piece of vintage stained glass that hung in her window creating speckles of color that danced around the room like fireflies at night. A collection of pink Depression glass lined the shelves around the room, and a well worn antique quilt hung over the rocking chair next to her bed. Katelin loved antiques; she said that objects with a history intrigued her because each one of them had a story to tell. The music stand in the corner of her room held a recital piece she was working on and in the chair next to it was one of her four violins. I have a violin for every season; Katelin would say in jest. Kate was only eighteen, but she was an old soul and her room reflected that.

  As she gathered her thoughts, Katelin could hear Meggie scolding her brother, “Bryan Reilly Quinn, Cailin is sleepin, let her be.” Meggie Sheehan’s thick Irish brogue wasn't the high rounded accent spoken on the streets of Ulster, but rather the melodic long low vowels of her birthplace in County Cork, Ireland.

  Meggie was Kate's great aunt on her mother’s side. She had come from Ireland to take care of the Quinn’s shortly after their eldest son Christopher was born. It was Meggie who raised Katelin and her twin sister Kasey after their mother passed away—they were only sixteen.

  Ignoring Meggie's admonishment, Bryan, opened the French doors to the pool house and approached his sister’s room, “Are you decent?” He shouted, loud enough to wake her.

  Bryan was like a bull in a china shop; he spent most of his time crashing through life.

  “Yes.” The word had barely left Katelin's mouth when Bryan abruptly entered her room.

  “Thanks for knocking,” she said sarcastically sitting up in her bed.

  Bryan chuckled and greeted his little sister with a kiss on the forehead. “Good morning Kate. Myles, Nick, and I are going for a ride in the mountains; would you like to tag along?”

  Sitting down at the end of the bed Bryan waited for his sister’s response. Katelin could see that her brother was lost in thought as he examined Kate’s most cherished possessions. There was a sea shell on her dresser from their trip to the Virgin Islands, a picture of the two of them at a friend’s cabin near Evergreen, and the antique music box he had given Katelin two Christmas’ ago.

  With a note of unhappiness in his voice, he announced, “I am going to miss you.”

  “I'll miss you too,” Kate gave her brother a hug, in order to comfort him. “I’ll come home as often as I can,” she promised.

  Katelin had interviewed with and auditioned for, the music faculty at Julliard. Her family was excited when they learned that she had been asked to join the other students for the fall semester. However, the unavoidable fact that his sister would be leaving for New York City at the end of the summer made Bryan unhappy.

  Kate began playing the violin when she was only five years old, and while most teenagers had posters of rock stars plastered across their bedroom walls, Kate had pictures of Paganini, Pearlman, and Popov. She dreamed of being a concertmaster one day and was excited by the idea of seeing her dream become a reality.

  Their special moment together was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Nick running through the kitchen toward the pool house, followed by his brother Myles.

  “Do you have to run in the house?” Meggie asked, as Nick scurried past her.

  “We love you Meggie.” Myles stopped just long enough to give her a peck on the cheek, and continued on through the kitchen to the pool house, and Kate’s room.

  Nick Kinkaid and his older brother Myles lived across the street. Their father and mother had moved into the Quinn’s neighborhood shortly before their oldest son Myles was born. Katelin's mother Kathleen and Joanna Kinkaid became close friends and soon the two families were inseparable spending weekends, holidays, and sometimes even vacations together.

  “Good morning.” Nick sat down on the bed next to Kate.

  Nick and Katelin had always been close, so it was no surprise to their families when they started dating their junior year of high school.

  “Good Morning,” she replied, softly kissing him on the lips.

  Katelin reached for the robe at the end of her bed and noticed Myles leaning against the doorway of her room. His sunglasses were perched on top of his head; his deep set eyes were a misty shade of blue gray, a blue that seemed dreamy this morning. His blond hair and blue eyes made him popular with the girls. Myles could have anyone he wanted, but what he secretly wanted—was someone like Katelin.

  “Hi Myles.” Kate smiled at her friend as she put on the robe.

  “Hey Katie, are you going for a ride with us?”

  “Sure,” she reluctantly agreed. Kate had a lot to do before leaving for New York, but how could she resist a day in the mountains with her three favorite men?

  “I'll meet you out front in an hour. Now go!” Katelin exclaimed, urging them to leave her room.

  “God I love it when she gets assertive.” Nick chuckled and gave Kate one last kiss.

  Bryan, Myles, and Nick left Katelin's room and followed the scent of Meggie's delicious scones to the kitchen.

  As promised, Katelin met the three out front an hour later. She climbed onto Nick's bike and secured her arms tightly around his waist. The four of them headed up Highway 6, winding their way through Clear Creek Canyon while enjoying the cool mountain breeze and the company of each other.

  The drive along the creek had always been one of Katelin's favorites; it ran through the canyon and west towards Blackhawk and Central City. The stream forged its way over rocks, around trees, and through the long gorge, flanked on either side by rugged mountain walls ascending toward the gloriously blue Colorado sky. Clumps of purple and white columbine protruded from crevasses in the rocks, providing patches of loveliness sprinkled against the harsh gray granite. The view was breathtaking. Kate couldn't help but feel blessed to be in the mountains she loved, with the man that she loved—could life get any better?

  As they rode up, the mountain highway Katelin noticed a red sports car coming up behind them. The vehicle had already passed Bryan and Myles and was pulling over to pass Nick when a large flatbed truck, coming from the other direction, suddenly appeared arou
nd the sharp mountain curve. Unable to pass, the sports car quickly pulled back into their lane clipping the Harley's back tire. The force of the collision caused Nick’s bike to skid erratically, and before he could correct for the other drivers mistake the bike slid off the mountain road.

  Bryan and Myles watched in horror as the black Road King rolled several times down the mountain side before ending up in the nearby creek. Katelin went air born; her body limp as it hit the rocks at the edge of the water. Tumbling end over end with his motorcycle Nick landed in the chilly stream below, his bike pinning him to the boulders on the bottom.

  Myles dropped his bike and slid down the mountain side to get to his brother and Katelin.

  Straining to hold his head above the water, Nick called to his brother, “Go check on Kate.”

  At his brothers urging Myles ran over to Katie, her body lay contorted on the stones next to the creek, like a wet rag doll that had been thrown aside. Kneeling down next to her, he brushed the hair away from her face, “Katie, Katie.” Myles placed his cheek over her mouth, and prayed he would feel the warmth of her breath.

  “Oh God, tell me she's alive Myles,” Bryan shouted to his friend.

  “She's breathing.” Myles pulled his cell phone from his pocket, realizing there was no reception in the deep narrow ravine; he called out to Bryan, “You have to go get help.”

  Bryan stood frozen by panic, and the fear of losing his sister.

  “Bryan, go!” Myles shouted to his friend.

  Jumping on his bike; Bryan hit the ignition switch, and cranking the throttle, roared off to get help.

  After placing his leather jacket over Katelin to keep her warm, Myles waded into the creek to check on his brother.

  “My leg is caught underneath the bike; I can't move it—it’s too heavy.” Nick gasped; a dark red pool of blood had formed around him, and his face had turned an ashen color.

  “Hang on Nick, help is on the way.” Myles struggled to free his brother from the twisted metal that held him to the bottom of the creek. He felt helpless. There was nothing he could do, but watch while his brother and Katelin fought to stay alive.

  Clear Creek emergency responders finally arrived twenty minutes later. Assessing the situation the emt’s decided their priority was to pull Nick out of the cold mountain water. The stream ran swift and deep in spots, making it difficult to retrieve him. After what seemed like an eternity to Myles and Bryan, they finally freed his brother from the mangled Harley and pulled him to the bank of the creek. He was still conscious and asked about Katelin.

  “How is she Myles? How is Katelin? Is she going to be okay?” Nick demanded to know how Kate was doing.

  Myles watched Katelin lying unconscious as the paramedics attended to her. Her skin was a pasty color of gray. There was a large gash on her forehead, and what seemed like an excessive amount of blood everywhere. They secured a collar around her neck and placed her on a back board. It didn't look good, but he didn't want Nick to know that.

  “She'll be fine Nick,” Myles said, trying to reassure him.

  After placing Nick on a second backboard, they began the arduous climb up the steep bank to the road above. Because of their extensive injuries the emergency team decided it would be best to transport both Nick and Kate to a trauma center in Denver. The emt’s drove the four friends out of the canyon to a helicopter that was waiting for them.

  As they loaded Katelin onto the helicopter, Myles asked how she was doing. “Is she going to be okay?” The paramedic assured Myles that they would do all they could to keep her alive. The words of encouragement seemed to ease his anxiety for a moment until he heard the second paramedic, working on Nick, call to him.

  Myles ran to his brother's side. “How is he?”

  “Not good, I'll give the two of you a moment before we load him on to the helicopter.”

  Nick struggled to catch his breath as he reached for his brother's hand. Myles bent down and listened carefully as his brother began to force words breathlessly from his mouth.

  Holding his brother's hand tightly he said, “I love you Myles.”

  “I love you too.” Myles struggled to hold back his tears.

  “Will you watch over Katelin for me?” Nick asked his brother.

  “I will, but you're gonna be okay Nick; you’re gonna be okay.” Myles repeated the phrase over and over, as if echoing the words would make everything all right.

  Nick had squeezed his brother’s hand one last time before the paramedics loaded him onto the helicopter. Bryan and Myles felt numb as they watched the emergency vehicle take off and head south toward Denver. Their glorious day together had become a terrible nightmare.

  Chapter Two

  An officer from the State patrol drove Bryan and Myles to the trauma center almost an hour away. Their anxiety filled the car with an uncomfortable silence, making the drive to Denver seem like an eternity. When they arrived, Myles saw Kasey, his mother, and Katelin's father, James, standing in the waiting room just outside the ER.

  As Myles approached them, he could hear his mother cry out, “NO...NO, not my baby boy, not Nick!” Kasey caught Joanna as her knees buckled under the crushing sorrow of losing her youngest son.

  James placed his hand on Myles shoulder. “I'm sorry Myles...Nick...Nick didn't make it.” He stumbled over the words trying to maintain his composure as he continued. “His heart stopped in flight. The paramedics tried to resuscitate him, but your brother was pronounced dead when he arrived here in the Emergency Room.” James Quinn felt helpless; he knew there was nothing he could say or do to ease the pain of losing a brother.

  Myles tried to process what James was telling him, but it was hard to believe. It was just this morning that Nick had taken his favorite CD and was giving him a hard time about the terrible date Myles had been on the night before. He could still see the smile on his brother’s face as they sat on their motorcycles in front of the Quinn’s house, waiting for Katelin, as they ate blueberry scones, laughed at Bryan’s poor imitation of Meggie, and talked about the latest Harleys.

  It can't be true; Myles thought as he stood motionless, paralyzed by grief. The anguish seemed overwhelming as he listened to his mother cry uncontrollably. Caught in a daze of disbelief Myles began methodically rub the metal dog tags that hung around his neck. The military ID had been rubbed smooth over time, but you could still see the faint outline of his father’s name, Major Michael Kinkaid. Myles was only six when an Army Chaplain came to their door and told Joanna Kinkaid her husband was dead, killed in action, and now Nick was gone too—it didn’t seem real.

  Remembering the promise he made to Nick his thoughts quickly turned to Katelin.

  “Is Katie?” Myles couldn't bring himself to say the words he feared the most.

  “She’s still alive, but it doesn't look good.” The tears James had tried so hard to hold back began to well up in his eyes. His study voice gave way to a fear and doubt that Myles had never heard before.

  “Where is she?” Myles needed to see her.

  “She's still in the emergency room,” James replied.

  “I want to see her... I want to see Katie.”

  As Myles walked through the ER looking for Katelin’s room, the accident played over and over in his head like a terrible dream. Following the sound of the ventilator’s rhythmic “whoosh” he found Katie tethered to the machine as it moved air in and out of her lungs—keeping her alive. Would they lose Katie too? How could this be happening Myles thought, as he sat in the chair next to Katelin's bed. He gently took her hand and held it to his cheek as he watched her chest rise and fall with each labored breath. Memories of all the times the two of them had spent on his mother's front porch listening to his father's jazz collection, laughing, or just sitting in silence admiring the night sky, played in his head. Myles heart, felt heavy; he had lost his brother and knowing they might lose Katelin as well, was more than he could imagine.

  “Please don't leave me Katie,” Myles pleaded, tears roll
ing down his face. “I can't lose you too. I made Nick a promise; I am going to watch over you—just don't leave me.”

  What Nick didn't know was that his brother’s feelings for Kate had grown and that the promise Myles had made was not a difficult one. He had always cared for Kate, the way a brother cares for his little sister. But only recently Myles was aware that his feelings for Katie were more than brotherly. It was the families Fourth of July picnic, only a few weeks ago. Katelin was wearing a little summer dress that gently hugged her body. She was barefoot, and looked as though she had been kissed by the sun. Their eyes met, and in that fleeting moment she stole his heart away—with just one look.

  His mother was taking pictures that day, and as usual she wanted a picture of her children which usually included Katelin. Joanna posed the three of them in front of the stately looking oak tree in the Kincaid's backyard. Kate stood in the middle with Nick and Myles on either side. Standing next to her, Myles wondered if the picture would reveal his secret. Would they see the feelings he had for his brother's girlfriend? For a split second Myles was relieved that he no longer had to hide his attraction for Katie, but the sudden feeling of relief was quickly replaced by a guilt that squelched his desire for her. He would keep the promise he made Nick, but he knew that his desire for Katelin was impossible.

  Myles looked up as Kasey entered the room; she had a somber look on her face; he could tell that the news wasn't good.

  “They're going to prep her for surgery.” Kasey touched her sister’s arm, hoping to let her know she was there.

  Kasey and Katelin Quinn had been born only two minutes apart. “Kate, you’re two minutes too late.” Kasey would say, as she enjoyed reminding Katelin of her birth order. Like most identical twins they were close, but Kasey and Katelin shared a special connection. They had developed a strange kind of short hand between the two of them—a code that no one had been able to crack.

  “She has a broken pelvis...she's bleeding internally...they have to operate.” She began to cry, “I can’t lose her too.” The memory of losing their mother was still fresh in Kasey’s mind.