Page 58 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

I wiped the tears from my face with the back of my hand and stepped away. Carter and Captain Clark threw branches blocking the main trunk to the side. Four more men joined them, and together they lifted the heavy tree; I could see their pulses straining through their bulging neck muscles. God only knows where they found the strength, but they were able to get it off her.

Daisy was covered in blood. Her eyes were closed, and though it was dark, I could see that her skin was white, almost translucent. Bennett and Juliet were helping Mrs. Gladstone, who had apparently hurt her leg, walk toward an ambulance.

“Joelle!” I heard Marge’s voice first, then my father’s, as they called for me.

“I’m here!” I ran to them both.

“Thank God you’re all right.” My father wouldn’t let go.

“Daisy, she’s… Dad, she’s really bad. I…”

“Honey, she’s in good hands now.” Marge pointed to the team of paramedics carrying her to an ambulance. Carter was beside them, holding her hand. One of the paramedics was above Daisy doing chest compressions, and another one had attached an air bag and was squeezing the bag, forcing air into her lungs. The third was putting pressure on her belly where the blood I’d seen earlier was gushing. A piece of a branch was sticking out of her abdomen, and I brought my hand to my mouth in shock.

“We’re going to pray for her, baby. We’ll pray as hard as we can.”

I was supposed to remember this night as a happy one, when two of my best friends got engaged and we celebrated the beginning of their lives. Instead, I would remember it as one of the worst ones of my life. Five people lost their lives that night, including my best friend Daisy.

Dear Nick,

I wish I was writing to you with better news. A tornado hit our town. We were at a dance to raise money for the firehouse. It was almost a direct hit to the old barn. Nick, Daisy died… It’s still so hard to believe. She didn’t make it underneath the stage where we were hiding and was sucked out of the barn.

Carter’s a mess. He proposed to her the same night and moments later, Daisy was gone. I tried to call him over and over but he’s been avoiding me. I can’t even imagine his devastation. I’m not sure if I could live through the loss he’s feeling. I mean, losing someone you love so much… I miss you and wish you were here. I lost my best friend and I need my boyfriend now more than ever.

This letter sucks because there’s nothing good I have to say, but I do want to keep you updated. My house and my father’s bakery were torn down as well. The tornado hit our side of the street but thankfully spared yours. We’re both staying with your mom now and I live in your room. It smells like you. I hug your pillow every night. So much has changed in the little time that you’ve been gone and there are another ten months I have to get through without seeing you. I don’t know what Dad’s plans are about the bakery, but the whole town’s a mess. Cleanup will take months but should be done by the time you come back.

At least I’ll see you, right? I mean, Carter won’t ever have Daisy again. I feel like you’re so far away. I need you, Nick. I need you so, so much. I’m feeling very sad and I wish I could hug you.

Yours always,

Joelle

Chapter 14

My Dearest Joelle,

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I can’t be there for you, for my family, and for our friends. Knowing how much pain you and everyone else in town are going through is tearing me apart. The days and nights are still blending into one, and while it feels like the training is easier, I think I’m just getting used to it quicker. I can slowly see the light at the end of the tunnel and can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Want some good news? I’ll be home for most of the summer. I feel much stronger than I was and that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. So can you, Joelle. You can be anything you set your mind on. How is the baking going? Any new recipes?

Miss you with every fiber of my being.

Love always,

Nick

Iplaceda bouquet of flowers in a vase by Daisy’s headstone and said a quiet prayer for my friend. Pulling my winter coat together, I walked between the graves, marking a new path with my feet. The wind whistled quietly, adding an extra layer of frost to my skin, and the compressed snow squeaked under my soles. This winter was running well into early spring, and I longed to see green grass and gardens full of daffodils and tulips. When I left the graveyard, I caught a movement in the corner of my eye.

Carter?

I changed my direction and headed toward the man sitting on a bench outside the front gates and, as I’d suspected, it was Carter. It had been seven months since Daisy died last August, and despite my numerous attempts to see Carter, I’d failed. I sat down on the bench beside him.

“Have you gone in yet?”

He shook his head, sighing, “No. It’s still too hard.”

From what friends had told me, Carter hadn’t been at Daisy’s grave since her death. He mourned his loss from outside the cemetery and kept his grief to himself. Carter wouldn’t open the door when I knocked or answer any of my calls. If it weren’t for Captain Clark, who assured me that Carter was dealing with Daisy’s death in his own way, I would have taken that front door off its hinges. Months had passed with no word from Carter, and today was the first time since the funeral that I’d been given a chance to talk to him.

“It will never get easy, Carter. But if you’d like, I can go inside with you.”

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