Page 30 of War

An awkward silence thickens the air as we drive.The wind and rain beat heavy on the car windows, blurring the scenery and offering me a small mercy.

“What did they say on the phone?”Kitty looks over at her brother, breaking the silence.

“That he’s awake and asking for me,” he grunts.

“He’s talking?”

“They said he asked for me.That’s all I know.”

“Did he mention me?”

“Kit.”He exhales, exasperated.

She looks to the window, fidgeting with a thread on her jacket before huffing and switching on the radio.“Oh my god!I can’t stand how quiet it is!”

“It’s going to be okay, Kit,” I soothe, placing my hand on her shoulder.

She offers me a tight smile, resting her palm on my hand.“Now’s not the right time.But when we get back home, I’m going to kick your ass for leaving like you did,” she informs me.

A genuine smile tilts my lips.

“Noted.”

We pull into the hospital parking lot and my lungs seize.A frantic boom pounds in the center of my chest.

Callan’s gaze burns into me through the rearview, but I can’t look at him.What if this is the last time we’re all together?If Jericho admits to killing Harley, will they condemn him for it or protect him from my wrath?Fear grips me in a chokehold.

I wrap my arms around myself as Callan backs the SUV into a parking spot.Cutting the engine, they both exit the car, but I’m frozen.My hand hovers near the handle.Loneliness seeps into my heart, grief’s darkness enfolding me in its isolating grasp.

The door opens, and Callan’s large frame fills the space.I turn toward him, inhaling a shuddering breath.“Do you trust me?”he asks, his expression burning with intensity, those dark eyes full of love.My heart flutters.

“Yes.”No hesitation.No second thoughts.He offers me his hand, and I hold onto it as I hop out of the SUV.

“Then trust that I’ve got you.Trust that I love you.”

“I love you too,” I whisper, reaching up and wrapping my arms around his neck.

He encompasses my body, surrounding me with all of him.I wish we could stay like this, basking in the glow of our love.

“Are we going in or making out in the rain?”Kitty calls from across the parking lot.

“She’s impatient,” he murmurs against my ear.I get it.If it were my dad, I would be too.

“We’re coming,” I call back, sliding away from Callan.The rain has eased, but the winds are still high, tossing my hair around my face as Callan intertwines our fingers and guides me to the entrance we took the last time we were here.

It feels like we’re walking to the gallows, our breathing heavy, the echo of Kitty’s booted heels chasing behind us.A sharp tang of bleach clings to the air, burning my nostrils.Callan swerves us around nurses as they rush in and out of rooms, exhaustion sitting heavy under their eyes.Hushed whispers creep in from waiting areas.I want to drown it all out and never step foot in a hospital again.Moving deeper into the hospital, the noise diminishes to nothing.The occasional sound of a door closing is the only sign there are people here.

“It’s like an apocalyptic movie down here.Imagine waking up from a coma and wandering into these deserted halls.”Kitty shudders, and I silently thank her for breaking the tension.It had become so thick that it was sticking to the back of my throat.

We come to a stop outside Jericho’s room, our gazes shifting between each other.“Whatever is said inside that room doesn’t change what we’ve been through outside of it.”Kitty squeezes my arm, nodding to her brother.“Okay?”

“Okay,” Callan and I agree as he opens the door.

A wall of stifling heat hits me in the face as I enter.Only the beeping of a monitor greets us.It’s so clinical and bare, I wonder if we should have brought flowers and almost laugh out loud.

Jericho is so still, so fragile—so easily snuffed out.

“Daddy.”Kitty sniffles, startling me, her voice carrying across the room as she moves toward Jericho.My feet are cemented at the door.My stomach dips when he moves, the sheets rustling as his legs twitch.

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