Free Saving Katie Baker by H. Mattern

memories he had about Katie’s husband. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to really know the man since they hadn’t had very many interactions before the accident. But from what he could gather, the two of them would have gotten along great, maybe even been friends.
    Her husband would always wave to Blake whenever he was heading to and from work. He never complained about the parties or the loud revving of motorcycles that were came and went. Blake often worried about the noise and whether or not it was bothering them. He’d apologized for it a few times, but her husband always shrugged it off as if it wasn’t a big deal.
    He remembered one particular time when Katie’s husband even walked over after he had just grabbed mail from the mailbox and spotted Blake in the garage. He reminisced about the conversation.
    “Hello neighbor.” Micah had said, while Blake was changing the oil on his bike.
    Blake stood up from the ground, wiped the oil off his hands onto a white rag and smiled. “Hey. How are ya?”
    “Hanging in there. The baby is due any day now, just trying to make the wife as comfy as possible while she waits. She’s not digging my motorcycle query.” Micah said.
    Blake shrugged his shoulders. “Give her time, dude. Most women come around eventually. Maybe after the baby comes she’ll chill out about it.” Blake reached for a beer from the miniature fridge that was plugged into the wall of his garage. “Want one?”
    “Sure. Thanks.” Micah had replied as he took the bottle, twisted off the cap and gulped down a swig.
    It had been a pleasant conversation. They talked motorcycles, the need for speed, and living your life to the fullest. Blake thought Katie’s husband was a great guy.
    Blake remembered the Katie he observed back then, too. Though they never spoke, she was different. She never used to complain. She never shot dirty glances his way, no; that didn’t come until after the accident. Something changed. She was no longer the same person anymore.
    He smiled as he remembered the day the Bakers moved in. They looked so young and yet so happy together, always touching, always laughing. Blake remembered envying them. He wanted to find love; it had just never been his turn; relationships with the opposite sex were not his specialty. Many bad relationships piled up in his past often reminded him of why he chose to be a bachelor.
    Blake had told himself for years he was content with his single lifestyle, but deep down he secretly wondered if this would always be the case. Having Micah, the toddler, around caused him to question things. He began to think about himself as a father and became curious about whether or not he would ever get the opportunity, and whether or not he actually wanted it.
    Blake thought about the little girl and it reminded him of the day Katie’s husband didn’t come home with her. There were dark clouds looming in the sky. It had been raining that day—not your typical light summer rain, but a downpour. One that made driving difficult.
    The couple had left together. Blake remembered them being all dressed up under the umbrella. Katie was wearing a red dress; her swollen belly suggested that she didn’t have much longer before a new member of the family would be joining them.
    Blake often felt like a peeping Tom watching the couple as they pulled in and out of the driveway they shared with him. He couldn’t help it; he’d always been drawn to people and their stories. After that day, all became quiet across the street. Blake watched for signs of life. An entire week went by and he didn’t see anything except for a few lights that had been left on inside the empty cottage. When he finally did see movement, it was only Katie, and with a new baby in her arms.
    The husband was gone; he never came home. At first, Blake wondered if they too ended up like the other couples he knew—separated or divorced—but this situation had a different feeling surrounding it. At night,