Page 68 of Whispers on the Water

We’re all sitting in silence at the restaurant. We place our orders like robots and settle into the nearest booth. The seats are worn-out red and there are kitschy decorations on every inch of the yellowing walls, but the entire place is filled with the heavenly aroma of fried food. The tension in the air is suffocating. It’s like we’re at a wake, and the thought makes me nauseous.

Clark isn’t going to… fuck, I can’t even think of it. Thankfully, the burgers arrive, and I hand out the baskets of greasy goodness with a loud throat clear. “Alright. Way I see it, we can continue moping until news comes, or we can talk about something completely unrelated to Sam, Clark, or Penny.”

The women all explode at me at the same time, their voices rising in pitch in a way that makes me hold up my hands in surrender. “Okay, I’ll start then. Penny, do you surf?”

A small smirk appears at the corner of her mouth. “Not in a long time. No this is the family bum,” she says, gesturing to Sam.

Tilly shakes her head, her eyes wide like it is some sort of crime. “That’s crazy! And with the beach right there? We’ll take you out. Come down to Costa Rica for a weekend and me and Sam will show you a good time.”

Penny furrows her brows and looks right at Sam, an accusation written on her face. “You’re going back to Costa Rica when this is over?”

Swallowing a bite of her food, Sam looked first to one woman, then the other, and then finally, to me. “I have no idea,” she admits.

“Of course, she is! It’s her home, with me at Ron’s Surf Shack,” Tilly says. The way she’s talking, it’s almost like she’s already begging.

Sam stares at the table, and I can see how conflicted she is. Her body is shrinking back like she’s trying to disappear into the crinkly red vinyl of her seat.

Maybe it’s the fact that she hadn’t given the idea much thought. As far as I know, she’s already accepted the fact that she is going to jail. “For the last eight years, yes. But here…” She looked up at Tilly. “I lived here my whole life before that. There are bad memories, but-- I did miss my family.”

The look of hurt in Tilly’s eyes broke my heart. Sam saw it, too, and reached over to grab her friend’s hand. “I will always consider you family. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without all of you. That’s why I’m so torn. If I stay, I know I’ll go crazy without you, Til.”

That seemed to ease some of the pain behind Tilly’s eyes, and Sam adjusted in her seat, reclaiming her own hand. “And I dunno, surfing in a wetsuit is weird. It’s like wearing a giant condom.”

The group bursts into laughter just as Penny’s phone starts ringing. Suddenly, everyone’s mood turns serious. My heart starts racing at supersonic speed. There’s only one call that Penny is waiting for. That we are all expecting, really.

Checking the caller ID, she looks up, her face white. “It’s the doctor.”

Without having to be told, she answered. “Hello? Yes, it is.” The voice on the other line spoke for a few seconds, and Penny’s hand flew to her mouth. “Really? Thank you! We’ll be there right away.”

She hangs up and takes a giant bite of her burger, ignoring their stares. “Well?” Tilly asks.

A glint in her eyes, Penny swirls a French fry in ketchup before popping it in her mouth. “Oh, that was the doctor. Sam is a match, and we need to go get her psychologically evaluated before they start prepping her for surgery.” All at once, each of us exhale a long breath. Once the relief sets in, Sam started laughing.

I sling an arm around Sam. My fucking hero. Facing a life sentence in prison to save her nephew.

We have a patented silent conversation when our eyes meet. ‘You’re amazing.’

She rolls her eyes. ‘I’m really not. Just doing my job as an aunt.’ But I can see how much my look means to her. My beautiful girlfriend is blushing. “I see where Sam gets her sense of humor,” I say to Penny.

“Oh, don’t blame that on me. I’m funny. Elaine—sorry, Sam, is nuts. Ask her about the time she put a snake in my room.” All eyes turned to Sam, but she only shook her head.

“That was…a misunderstanding—” Tilly and I are both asking her questions all at the same time, but Sam holds up a hand. “AND it’s a story for another time. We should get back to the hospital.”

I pat her knee. There was no way I would forget to pry the details out of her later, but for the time being, I would let it go.

We have a baby to save.

Chapter forty-one

Sam

Three Weeks Later

Iam lying in my bed in the guest room, still unable to really get up and move around. Surgery had really taken it out of me. I consider myself a healthy woman. I exercise daily and try to stay away from excess alcohol or junk food.

But a piece of me was removed and by the feel of it, not gently.

Everyone else was gone for the day, and I was left to my own devices. When Penny said she had to run errands with Annie and Greg had a meeting, I was relieved. Everyone had been doting on me, and it was starting to drive me crazy. Recovering, not dying. It was a phrase I’ve repeated nine million times in the last few weeks.

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