Page 89 of Left Behind

***

Johnny Knight and Carey Eggers were happy to be back in their house in Bowling Green. When they didn’t think about it too hard, it was almost like their life before. They ate together at their table, then watched TV in bed after it got dark.

They were holding hands and half-asleep with a show still playing, when a car roared past the house, then slammed on the brakes and skidded around a corner. The sound was startling enough that Carey jumped, thinking it was someone coming after her, when Johnny grabbed her arm.

“It’s the Wilson kid, remember? You’re okay, love. You’re safe,” Johnny said.

Carey’s heart was still pounding. “Do you really believe that? That the man won’t try to find me and finish the job?”

“I do believe it. Tom said Gardner crossed you off the case completely as far as being any help in solving it. There is no reason for anyone to care what you’re doing now.”

She sighed. “Yes, okay. You’re right. It’s just hard not to be afraid.”

“I cannot imagine what you went through alone. And when I think about it, it makes me crazy, knowing how helpless I felt when we couldn’t find you.”

“But we’re here now, and we’re together again,” Carey said. “I have a phone appointment with the lawyer tomorrow. Maybe we’ll know more then.”

“Right,” Johnny said. “Now scoot back over here. I need to feel you beside me.”

She eased back beside him, threaded her fingers through his, and fell asleep. It was almost like old times, except for the healing bullet hole in her back.

They didn’t talk about their situation because until she spoke to Billy’s lawyer, they didn’t really know what their situation was. It would be another month before she’d heal enough to carry heavy trays of food to tables again, and Johnny had to be able to walk and drive before he could go back to work.

His disability payments had finally kicked in, back pay included, so they weren’t going to starve. All they knew was that whatever happened next, they would face it together.

***

Carey was in the shower when Tom called the next morning. Johnny muted the TV and reached for his phone.

“Hello.”

“It’s me,” Tom said. “How are you two doing? Are you okay?”

“We’re good. Thanks for the DoorDash supper you sent to us. It helped not having to cook. And Carey is calling the lawyers this morning.”

“Okay. I’m on my way to work. It’ll be a full day, but I’m good for any errands you need run after six.”

“We should be fine, but thanks, buddy,” Johnny said.

“Any time, and I mean it,” Tom said, and disconnected.

Carey came out of the bathroom wearing sweatpants, and no bra under her T-shirt to accommodate the healing wound.

“Want some cereal?” she asked.

“Yes, please. I’ll get myself in there in a bit. I want to shave first,” he said.

Carey leaned over the bed and brushed a kiss across his lips, then ran the palm of her hand against the black stubble on his face.

“Love you,” she said.

“Love you more,” Johnny said, and watched the way she was moving as she left the room. She was still favoring her sore ribs and the wounded shoulder, but the bruises on her face had nearly faded away, and the hair they’d shaved from her head was growing back. He was frustrated by his own inabilities right now, but after all they’d been through, he was grateful for small favors.

A couple of hours later, breakfast was over, and the dishes had been loaded into the dishwasher. They gathered themselves at the kitchen table. Johnny had pulled up the online site for the Williams and Williams law office on his laptop, and Carey’s phone, which had been part of the contents from the wreck that Sheriff Woodley had given her, had been recharged. One small piece of her world had been returned, and she was grateful.

Johnny turned the laptop around so she could see the phone number to the law office and made the call. After a quick explanation to the receptionist, she was immediately put through to Billy’s lawyer, Lee Williams, Sr.

“Miss Eggers. My condolences on the loss of your brother. We understand you’ve been in the hospital, and we’re pleased to know you’re on the road to recovery.”

---