Page 28 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
“Charlie is alive.”
It was Josie’s turn to go pale. The very least the son of a bitch could have done was die.
She immediately winced at her crude thoughts. They didn’t need to wish death on anyone else tonight.
“He has several stab wounds, and some organs have been nicked,” Miranda continued. “But Ty said they’re pretty positive he’s going to survive.”
“Does Ben know?”
Thinking of Ben and Simone made her feel hollow, like her soul had shrunk a few inches. It was terror, pure and straight from the source, over realizing that one day she might know that pain. That one day, Miranda would be taken from her without warning.
“Ben is at the morgue with Ty.” Miranda’s grip on the bedspread tightened until her knuckles went white. “They’re identifying the bodies.”
Bodies?
They weren’t bodies.
They were their friends.
They were their family.
A chill rolled through her as reality sank in, and unable to stay still any longer, Josie stood. “Have we heard from Simone?”
“Abe is being prepped for surgery now.” A sob struck, and Miranda covered her mouth. “He’s so small, and they’re waiting for a pediatric surgeon to come and operate. The hospital is flying one in from Birmingham since there were none here who could do it.”
“Jesus.” Josie tipped her head up to the ceiling, blinking rapidly as if she could force her tears to stay back. “Annabeth?”
“With Simone.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Josie hurried over to open it. They shouldn’t have left the children alone. They didn’t keep staff at Parkland, choosing to close up half the manor home since they never used it. The kids had likely become scared without an adult close by and had come looking for one of them.
Surprisingly, it was Samuel standing on the other side. “What’s the plan?”
Miranda gave him a small smile. “We were just discussing that I think everyone needs to clean up and try to rest.”
She didn’t say sleep. Miranda would never suggest something so ludicrous. None of them would be sleeping anytime soon.
“How’s Evie doing?” Josie asked him. “Is she talking yet?”
Samuel’s dark brows pinched together. “Not yet, but I think you’re right, Mom. Evie should be wearing clothes without… that stuff on it.” He adjusted his glasses as he thought for a moment. “But we don’t have any clothes for girls here, and Jamison needs her pull-ups because she still has accidents at night.”
Josie caught Miranda’s eye. “He’s right.”
“Toby is too big for my clothes. And we need toothbrushes for everyone,” Samuel went on. “Selah needs his special cereal for breakfast tomorrow because if he tries to eat the cereal here, he’ll get sick.”
A piercing scream shot down the hall, and the three of them bolted from the bedroom, running as fast as they could toward Samuel’s gaming room. It wasn’t far, only a few doors down, but as they ran, it felt as if they would never get there. Door after door rushed past, and Josie pushed herself, wanting to get there before Miranda or Samuel.
Charging into the room, they found Evie curled into a ball on the floor and crying. Toby stood above her, pulling on her arm like he was tryingto get her to sit up. CeCe was shoving at her brother, trying to get him to stop while Selah attempted to talk to him, having set Jamison down, which in turn was causing her to scream.
“Stop!” Samuel roared, sliding to a halt as he blew into the room. He was on his knees next to Evie in a second, knocking Toby back and away from her. “If she wants to be on the floor, let her be on the floor!”
Toby snarled, his big body too much for CeCe to hold back. He went to push Samuel away, but Selah was there, blocking him from doing so.
“No, Toby.” Selah locked his hands on Toby’s shoulders. “Not today. Leave her alone.”
Toby fought him, but Miranda came up from behind. “Toby, we’re going to take showers and then brush our teeth. I think you should go first.”
“NO!” he screamed. “Evie needs me to hold her hand!”
