Rescue Me

Running upstairs as fast as I could with a weak but mostly healed ankle, I changed out of my bathing-suit, throwing it over the door of my shower, and as I dried off, picked out something suitable to wear. Settling on a strapless sundress, I put on a strapless bra and a pair of skin colored panties and threw the dress on over me as I tried to control my wet and curly hair. Forcing it back into a messy bun, I came back down to find Benedict on the couch in the living room. I smiled at him as I made my way over, my dress bounced around my knees, the hem designed to sway as I walked.

"I like your dress," Benedict said with a smile.

I gave a small smile, "Thanks."

"It suits you."

I frowned, "Benedict-"

"Ben, please."

I nodded, "Ben… please."

He held up his hands, "I'm not flirting I promise. I promise."

I nodded and sat down next to him, "So… what shall we do?"

"Um… want to walk on the beach?"

I smiled, "Promise you won't knock me over again?"

"I shall try my hardest, yes."

I stood and said, "Then lets go!"

He let out a laugh as he stood and followed me out of my house. I paused on the porch to apply sunscreen, having rubbed the last layer off with the towel as I dried myself off in my room. I walked down the front stairs, not bothering to lock the door, mostly because the island is so small who would try that anyway? Together we walked down the road retracing the steps we took yesterday when we first met. We walked in silence, me not really know what to say to him. He looked at me every few steps, smiling at me whenever I made eye contact. We reached the golf path quickly, and walked down the length of the hole, reaching the faux wooden bridge with the ramp leading down to the sand path that led to the actual wooden bridge. Benedict allowed me to cross the bridge first. I kept my gaze down as I watched the crabs scurry about underneath us. I smiled as I watched them struggle with each other or move around each other. Reaching the other side, I took my shoes off and let my feet touch the white sand. It burned my souls as I walked, but I didn't mind. I climbed the small mound of sand and reached the grey beach, setting my shoes down on one of the lawn benches. Benedict copied me, allowing his feet to touch the cooler sand, and followed me down to the water.

I walked with the water lapping at my ankles, and I looked out over the channel at the other islands around us, Hilton Head being the one that's the most visible. A sail boat was moving past us towards the famous lighthouse, and a speed boat was towing a para-sailer behind it. I walked with Benedict, keeping my gaze down to protect my eyes from the sun.

"How was your mother?"

I gave a terse smile, "Fed. Her friends were nice. I haven't seen them in a long time. She was just happy I'm good at making sandwiches."

"That's not how a mother should treat her daughter."

"Eh. My mother functions under the children-should-be-the-workers-in-the-house-hold mentality."

"Ah."

"Yeah. Never mind that I'm old enough to have children of my own."

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking."

I blushed, "I'm 27. And you?"

Benedict smiled, "I'm 33."

I nodded, "Nice."

He let out a laugh, "I guess. I'm getting old."

"We all are."

We laughed together as we moved slowly along the shoreline. The heat from the sun beat down on us, my hair drying swiftly. I let it down so that the middle would dry, not just the ends. As I did so, the breeze picked up my hair and swept it to the side, hitting Benedict's arm. I grabbed into it and smiled, "Sorry."

"No… it's fine." He smiled, and I smiled back at him, my stomach doing a small flip.

"So, if your house is on the other side of the resort, what were you three doing on this beach?"

"My parent's house is along this beach. We were visiting them."

I nodded, "Ah. I see."

"Would you like to see it?"

"The house?"

Benedict nodded, "Yeah!"

"Um… sure I-I guess. If – if it's alright with your parents-"

"Of course it would be! They love you."

I smiled out of slight embarrassment, and I followed him further along the beach until we reached the back yard of a modest house. The panels were white, like most of the houses on this island, and the shutters were a nice blue grey. I followed him up the beach, carefully stepping on the fallen reeds before reaching the bed of pine needles, and then his parent's house. We entered through the back porch, a screened off area that was furnished we well apulstered desk chairs and a table, then through into the living room.

"Hello," he called.

"Benny? Is that you," called Wanda.

"Yup!"

Wanda came into view holding a dishrag, "Why couldn't you have come through the front door? You'll track sand everywhere." Looking up she saw me and smiled, "Kaycie, hello! Come in!"

I smiled and wiped my feet off on the mat we were standing on, bending down to get the sand that clung to the top of my feet. Making sure that I was realtively sand free, I stepped off the matt and gave Wanda a hug.

"What are you two doing here," she asked.

"I wanted to show Kaycie your house."

Wanda smiled, "Well of course! Please make yourself at home! Mi casa es su casa." She smiled and gave me another hug. Turning to Benedict she pointed at him, "Don't twist anymore of her ankles. We don't need her anymore injured than she already is."

I giggled as Benedict looked taken aback, "Mother, I would never dream of it!"

Turning to me, she gave me a small wink, "He's always been sort of a drama queen… I think he gets it from his father."

I laughed, "I'll bet. They are very much alike."

Wanda smiled and gave me a small pat on my arm before walking back into the kitchen, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Water would be lovely," I said.

"Are you sure? I have some sun tea if you want some."

"Well, no need to twist my arm further." I smiled and followed her through the house into the kitchen. The house was laid out similarly to her son's house. The main level floor was an open concept floor, the kitchen looking out over the living room. The floor was a dark wood with beige carpets covering the boards in the sitting area. A large screen tv hung on the wall over a large false fireplace. The kitchen was the same dark color as the floors with a dark green as an accent. I leaned against the counter as I watched Wanda take a glass out of the cupboard and fill it with ice before taking out a pitcher of tea and filling the glass. Handing it to me, I smiled and sipped from it.

"I don't know what it is about sun tea… but that hits the spot every time."

"I think it has something to do with the happiness in the sun." Wanda said with a smile.

I smiled back at her, "I like that."

Benedict stood next to me and watched me drink my tea. He had a glass of his own, but he didn't seem that interested in it.

"Benny… are you going to show her around the rest of the house?" Wanda looked at her son expectantly.

"Oh! Right. Come on." Benedict left the kitchen and moved to the other side of the living room where a dark hallway was. I followed and found a large bedroom with dark rich colors and a big window. Stepping in I looked around and found an attached bathroom with an iron clawed bathroom.

"This is beautiful," I said looking around the area.

Benedict smiled, "This is my room."

"You have a nice room. I love your bathroom!"

He laughed, "Yes. That tub is one of my favorites."

I smiled at him and followed him through the rest of the house. The master bedroom was beautiful, the same dark colors as Benedict's room, the large canopy bed making it look more like a medieval bedchamber rather than a modern bedchamber. The guest rooms were styled similarly to Benedict's room, but the bathrooms weren't nearly as awesome. Coming back to the living room, I sat down on one of the couches with Benedict and sighed, "This house is beautiful."

"It is."

I finished my tea and sat in silence for a moment, the looked down at my feet.

"Our shoes are still on the beach."

Sitting up he said, "That they are."

"Shall we get them?"

"Yes."

I laughed as he helped me up, and we placed out glasses in the sink.

"Bye mother," Benedict called.

"Bye!" Wanda replied, coming into view, "Come and visit me again soon, Kaycie!"

"I will." I smiled at her and waved as Benedict led me out onto the porch.

"See, I told you my parents love you."

I laughed, "I never should have doubted you."

We walked over the bed of pines again, and carefully made our way over the fallen reeds, and we were once again on the beach, walking back along the beach. We stayed away from the water this time, letting the wet sand cool our feet before walking on the white sand. We found the bench with our shoes and picked them up returning back to the main path to my house. As we reached the small crab bridge, we ran into Tom and Martin.

"Hey guys!" I greeted with a smile.

Tom was the first one to respond with his own smile, "I thought you two were lost!"

I laughed and leaned against the railing, "Nope, not yet anyway."

He smiled and positioned himself to lean on the railing with his arm close to me, allowing Martin and Benedict to lean on the other side. I was aware of how close Tom was, and it did make me uncomfortable, but I didn't want to move to avoid insult. Plus I kind of liked having Tom there.

That was weird. I looked down at my feet while the boys talked about Benedict's disappearance today. I suddenly felt guilty for being okay next to Tom, and to Benedict for that matter. I wasn't ready to forget about Teddy. I wasn't ready to move on from Teddy. I wasn't ready to be friends with anyone but Teddy. But here I was, playing nice with Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Martin Freeman like it was nothing. Here I was, like I had no prior commitment to anyone else in my life. I know that it is perfectly normal for me to have friends that are guys, it happens. But it felt wrong in a way. I couldn't put a finger on it, but it felt like I was betraying Teddy and my memory of him.

I suddenly became very afraid. What if I forgot about him when I was with these boys? What if I found that life was really better now that Teddy was gone? Could I go on living my life knowing that I was happy even without Teddy by my side? My throat became thick and it became hard to swallow. I looked up at the boys and tried to keep my face calm and controlled as possible.

"Hey guys, sorry… I'm not feeling well. I'm going to go back home and lay down." I moved past Tom and Martin and walked to the edge of the bridge. "I'll catch you guys later, yeah?"

"Kaycie," Tom joined me, "What's wrong?"

I felt the threat of tears press against the back of my eyes as I realized that I was moving on from Teddy without wanting to, and I started to panic, "It's nothing, just… a little light headed. I think it's from being outside for so long."

"Well, let us walk to back to your house-"

"No, please…. I'll be fine." My breathing grew shallow as my body prepared itself to start crying. Turning away, I added, "I'll see you guys later."

I moved before Tom, or anyone else, could stop me - walking with a brisk pace. I didn't stop to put my shoes on when I reached the golf path, not wanting them to catch up with me. My breathing became more frantic as I moved. I fought desperately against my tears to keep them in before I reached my house. The last thing I wanted was for any neighbor to think I was some crazy widow crying all willy-nilly in the streets in the middle of the day. I found myself in a small jog as I ran down my street, my eyes filling up with tears as my breathing became a gasping need for air. I reached my door and I felt the first sob form in my chest. I managed to get inside before I fell to the floor and let the sob out in a horrible raspy voice. I sat with my back pressed against the door and focused on breathing past the tears and the sobs before I tried to move. I didn't want my mom coming home early to find me crying in our foyer.

I stumbled to the stairs, hauling myself up and to my room. I went to my bathroom with my large shower and turned it on, letting the water give off steam. I undressed slowly, the tears soaking my face. My movements were numb as the feeling of dread came over me. I wanted to curl into Teddy's chest, cling to his shirt and cry into his shoulder like I would when I was sad. I wanted to feel him hold me to him, feel him rock me back and forth. I wanted to hear him tell me that everything was alright. I wanted him.

Getting into the shower, I didn't feel the hot water as it hit me, instantly reddening my skin as it burned me. I sat down on the wall opposite my shower head and let the streaming droplets hit me as I huddled on the floor, continuing to cry. The water tried desperately to warm my cold skin, but the numbness took over me. I cried and I cried until tears weren't falling anymore and I was dry sobbing. My body became tired and my sobs subsided, leaving me numb still, silent now, sitting in the hot stream that still didn't register against my skin. Looking down I saw that I looked like a lobster, but I didn't want to move yet. I didn't want to leave my spot in the middle of the warm stream. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall and let the water wash over me.

I lost track of time when a knock came at my door. Opening my eyes I found that I had fallen from my seated position to a fetal position on the floor, the water still beating down on me. The sound of my bedroom door opened and my mother called, "Kaycie, Benedict is here. He says you made dinner plans with him?"

I didn't respond for a moment as I took the time to wake up. Sitting back up, I replied, "Okay. I'm just about to get out."

"Good, you've been in there long enough." My door closed, and I got up.

Turning off the water, cool air kissed my skin. Opening my door, the cool air turned to a biting clamp as I got out of the shower. I was weak as I moved, wrapping the white fluffy towel around me. I moved to my room and sluggishly looked through my closet, settling on a nice blue sundress with yellow flowers on the skirt. Throwing that onto my bed, I took the time to dry off and brush out my hair before getting dressed. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw the evidence of my crying in my face. My eyes were puffy and as red as my skin. Looking down I knew it would have to take some explaining as to why I looked like a tomato, but I would deal with that when it came up. Putting on a bra and a pair of underwear, I went back into my bathroom and applied makeup to my skin, focusing on my eyes. I tried to make them less noticeably puffy, and I managed to get them down a bit. Putting my wet hair into a slicked back bun, I put on a pair of white pearly earrings with a matching necklace and bracelet. Going into my bedroom, I put on my blue dress and a pair of yellow opened toed wedges.

Grabbing a yellow cardigan, I took a deep breath and left my room going down stairs. My mother sat with Benedict in the living room; Benedict on the couch, my mother in the chair. I put on a smile as I entered the room and Benedict returned it.

"My God! What happened to you!" Mother stood and came over to me, "Did you forget to put on sunscreen?"

I shook my head, "Just had a hot shower I guess."

"You guess? You look like someone boiled you!"

I frowned, "It was a really hot shower."

Mother shook her head, "Whatever. I hope you two have fun on your date tonight."

"It's not a date, mother," I said, "It's just dinner."

"It's a date dear." She smiled and walked away.

Benedict stood and came over to me, "Are you… feeling better?"

I gave him as convincing a smile as I could and nodded, "Yes, I am. S-Sorry about… earlier. I… don't know what came over me."

He smiled, "It's okay."

Together we walked to the front door and he led me down the stairs to his golf cart. Sitting next to him, I laid my cardigan across my lap and let him drive away heading for the gate that led out of the resort to the rest of the island. I gave him a smile as he looked over at me, but I could tell that he was fighting a question.

"Where are we going," I asked.

"There's a restaurant my mother told me about, one resort over. She said it was a great place to eat."

I smiled, "I know the one she's talking about. They have great fish."

He smiled, and we fell in a moment of silence. Finally he asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Turning to him I nodded, "Yes. I'm fine. I'm feeling much better, it must have been just a small stomach bug."

"A small stomach bug that makes you cry?"

I fought off a look of shock, "I… don't know what you're talking about."

"You're eyes are puffy… and red. You've been crying. Was it something I did?"

I shook my head with a small laugh, "I'm afraid you're mistaken. I haven't been crying. And no… you did nothing wrong."

"Please don't lie to me."

"Why?"

"Because you haven't so far, please don't start now."

I looked down at my lap, "I'm sorry, Benedict." He sighed once he figured out I wasn't going to say anything more. I felt guilt bubble up inside me, "Please, let's just… enjoy our dinner? I don't want this to ruin our evening."

Benedict nodded, but it was clear that this wasn't going to be the end of his caring. I looked ahead of us as he pulled into the Daufuskie Island Resort and navigated the curving roads to the beach side restaurant where he intended us to eat. Parking the cart, he waited for me to get out of the cart and walked with me to the beautiful open restaurant. The inside was packed with people trying to escape the heat from the evening, but were failing as their being packed inside warmed the place up quickly. Benedict and I were seated outside, allowing for Benedict to keep his sunglasses on, him thinking that it hid him from everyone else. I found myself smiling as a young couple looked at us from around a bush, probably trying to determine if that really was Benedict Cumberbatch, or someone else that looks like him. A waiter came and I ordered a strawberry margarita and a glass of iced tea. Benedict ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. We were given the menus and left to look over them while our drinks were prepared.

"This place is beautiful." He said.

I nodded, "It is. If you hadn't brought the cart, we could have walked here along the beach."

"Really?"

I pointed at the coast line, "That's the same beach where you knocked me over."

He cringed, "Sorry again about that."

I laughed, "It's okay."

The couple continued to crane their necks, catching Benedict's eye. Smiling, he looked at me and said, "You gonna get the crab cakes, baby?" His voice had changed. It was higher now, and he had an American accent.

I smiled, "I thought about it, is that okay?"

He shrugged, "Sure, I don't care. Get whatever you want."

The couple frowned, disappointed that they hadn't discovered a celebrity among them, and went back to their meal. Our waiter came with our drinks, and we placed our orders. I did in fact go with the crab cakes as an appetizer, followed by the restaurant's delicious salmon with wild rice on the side. I sipped from my margarita, thankful that I had ordered a cool drink to help combat this hot weather, and I smiled.

"You really aren't going to tell me about what happened earlier?"

I looked at Benedict, and my smile faltered. I looked down at my lap and waved a hand dismissively, "It's nothing."

"Nothing?"

Looking up at him, I tried to smile, but instead could only manage, "It's silly."

"Silly."

I nodded, "Yeah…. I just… got myself wirked up over nothing. It's stupid really… not silly."

Benedict frowned, "Was it something I did?"

I shook my head, "No."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. It was entirely my fault. I… I panicked."

Benedict didn't say anything, settling on staring instead.

"I… don't do well with new people."

"You've been doing well with us so far."

I nodded, "Yes, but… no matter how great it starts off, it worsens. Ever since Teddy…." I paused as tears pressed against my eyes, "I just got myself worked up, I panicked, and it took a toll on me. Please, Benedict, let's talk about something else."

Benedict looked at me, then nodded, "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

I thought for a moment, then smiled, "How did Sherlock survive the fall?"