Page 2 of I'll Be Waiting

“Yep. We are splurging. First-class airfare, best cabin on the ship.”

“Champagne every night?”

“Damn straight.”

He laughs and—

And then—

And then—

The rest comes in lightbulb flashes that illuminate a single scene before darkness falls.

Flash.

Headlights, closer than they should ever be, shining through Anton’s window. We rocket sideways, and there’s a crash, the sound coming on a delay, just as my brain screamsWhat the hell is happening?

Flash.

The car has stopped. People are shouting. I’m… upside down? Sideways? I can only tell that I’m suspended somehow, the airbag in my face, seat belt cutting into my chest. I yank at it, panic making me struggle to breathe until I’m sure I can.

“Nic?”

Anton’s voice is a groan. I turn my head, but all I see is my airbag. And blood. I see blood.

Flash.

Hands pulling me out of the car. A man’s voice, pitched high.

“My truck hit ice. I lost control.”

A woman’s voice, snapping. “You were driving too fast. I told you to slow down.”

“They’re okay, right? They’re going to be okay?”

“Does helookokay?”

Anton…

Flash.

So many voices. Everyone talking. Shouting for a doctor. Asking whether anyone’s called 911.

“We’ve all called.”

“Where the hell’s the ambulance?”

“On its way. The storm…”

Flash.

I’m kneeling on grass. Slush soaks through my jeans. Blood drips down my face. Anton lies on a blanket someone has dragged from their trunk.

Anton, his breath wheezing, his chest caved in, blood streaming from his head, one eye fixed on me, the other off to the side, unable to focus.

“The airbag,” a woman whispers. “Why didn’t his airbag go off?”

Someone else shushes her. Strangers all around, pacing and whispering and keeping their distance, as if they’re witnesses at a vigil.

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