Page 54 of For Emery

“Emery?” she said, her hushed voice sending up red flags.

“What’s wrong?”

Raquel shot up from her bed where she’d been reading. She watched me as I paced the floor.

“He found me,” my mom whispered.

A cold chill ran through my veins. “What?”

“I’m in the hospital.”

It was as if the floor dropped out from beneath my feet and I grasped hold of my desk for support. “Are you all right?”

There was silence on her end.

“I’m coming right now.”

“It’s not safe.” Her sniffles carried through the phone. “They didn’t catch him.”

Silent teardrops slipped out of my eyes. “What did he do to you?”

Raquel jumped up and threw a sweatshirt over her pajamas. She stepped into her flip-flops, grabbed her car keys from her desk, and stood by the door. “I’ll take you,” she whispered.

“I’m coming,” I told my mom. “I’ll be on the next flight out of here.”

My mother said nothing.

She’s all I had left in this world and he tried to take her from me. “I love you, Mom.”

“Love you too. I’m on the fifth floor. You’ll see the police officer.”

I switched off my phone and searched the room for what I might need.

“I know there are things I don’t know about you yet,” Raquel said. “But I know you need to get to her right now. So, grab what you need and I’ll take you to the airport.”

With a hazy mind and tears that wouldn’t cease, I grabbed my wristlet, and we rushed down to her car in the student lot. As Raquel sped to the airport, I sat motionless staring out at the dark streets. Thoughts whirled around my head. What had Wayne done to her? What was he trying to do? How long had he been searching for her? For us? Was he trying to kill her? I teetered between despair and anger as tears fell.

“My mother was in an abusive relationship,” I finally said to Raquel as I stared into the darkness outside my window.

“Oh, Emery.”

“We got away from him four years ago. But somehow he found her.”

“My God. I’m so sorry.”

Not as sorry as I was that I’d left my mom alone in Arizona. Left her so I could chase a boy.

Raquel took the exit toward the airport.

My eyes finally cut to hers. “Thank you for being here for me.”

“We’re roommates. Which makes us friends. Which makes your problems my problems,” she assured me as she followed the signs to departures and pulled up to the departure doors.

I pushed open the car door and jumped out with nothing but the clothes on my back and my wristlet holding my ID, an emergency credit card, and a few dollars. I just hoped there was a departing flight soon.

“I’m gonna park and then I’ll wait with you,” Raquel said.

“They won’t let you past the security check-in. I’ll be fine.”

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