Page 33 of Only With Me
“S-stop,” I whimper, the air constricting in my lungs.
My eyes can hardly stay open, but when I hear a shotgun blast, they struggle to see where it came from.
And then a second blast.
A harsh ringing in my ears and the sound of sirens are the last things I remember, and then I lose consciousness.
“Harlow! Sweetheart, wake up.” Mom’s panicked voice echoes as she palms my cheek.
The bed shakes when she taps my arm a few times and I finally come to enough to open my eyes.
“What is it?” I ask, looking around and finding Moose resting his head on my thigh.
“You…were screamin’. I assumed you were havin’ a nightmare.”
Oh shit, she’s right.
Blinking away the fog, I swallow hard and clear my throat. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She helps me sit up and then sits on the bed next to me.
“Was it about?—”
“Yeah,” I say quickly. “I haven’t had a nightmare about it in a while.”
“Could be stressed induced,” she offers. “Or maybe side effects of some of the new vitamins you’re takin’.”
“That’s possible,” I agree.
After being aware I could be vitamin K deficient, I made an appointment to get my blood checked and found out Mystery Guy was right. I only started taking supplements this past week.
But I don’t think that’s what’s causing the nightmares.
She probably doesn’t realize it—and I’m too nervous to remind her and Dad—but the man who broke both my legs and put me in a coma is up for parole soon.
I look up his case at least once a month.
Mostly to ensure he’s still behind bars.
Logically, I know he is, but I need to see the confirmation in order to sleep soundly at night.
After he was caught and I was able to confirm he was the one who did this to me, he made a plea deal instead of going to trial.
The police had video evidence from our neighbor’s security cameras, so there was no denying what he’d done. After that, Mom hired someone to put up cameras in and out of the house. It traumatized all of us.
I was in no condition to testify anyway, so him pleading guilty was the best outcome. Since Dad shot him in the shoulder, he had to undergo surgery before he could be arraigned.
Ten years for aggravated assault with the possibility of parole after eight.
And he’ll be eligible in a couple months.
He can apply for it, but he’s not guaranteed to get approved if he’s had any behavior issues while behind bars.
“Want some pancakes for breakfast?” Mom asks, breaking up my thoughts.
“Sure, that’d be great.” I smile.
Mom kisses the top of my head, then walks out toward the kitchen.
