Page 77 of A Me and You Thing
I throw open the gate, toss my suitcase and sandals in the yard, and run up the brick walkway. At the front door, I pause again, filled with both trepidation and exhilaration. Now that I’m here, I can’t imagine myself bursting in and frightening my family. I’m returning from the dead. The shock value will rate high on the tremor scale. Earthquake proportions.
Here it goes.
I knock on the door a few times. Then, impatiently, I ring the doorbell. I’m tempted to try the doorknob, but restrain myself. Tears start to roll down my cheeks because I can’t control my emotions any longer.
Then I hear His voice. And I know it’s Him immediately.
Sawyer.
“Okay, I’ll be up in a minute.” He sounds distracted and busy—and oh so good.
The door opens, and his eyes land on me. For at least what feels like a full minute, there’s no response whatsoever. He’s as still as a stone statue.
Frozen. Paralyzed.
Part four
She Loves You
Chapter Twenty-six
Quinn
SAWYER REMAINS SILENT the entire time I tell my story. There’s so many little details I’d like to tell him, but it’s enough for now.
My eyes wander up to his, and I immediately notice how angry he looks, tangibly so. His jaw tightens as he grits his teeth. “I can’t... I can’t believe they did that to you.”
“I was a prisoner of my own mind.”
“They knew who you were, and they did nothing.”
“What recourse do we have? They’re in another country.”
“I don’t know. But I’ll find out.”
“Sawyer, please, I don’t want to deal with it right now, okay? It’s too much. I just want my family and my life back. I want you.”
He softens immediately. “Of course. Let’s just take this one day at a time, okay? I have you back in my life. In the end, that’s all I care about.” He kisses my forehead again.
There’s one thing I’ve been wondering about. “Do... do you know where the other survivors are?”
His face is a granite mask. I miss his smile desperately. The anguish of the last two years is etched in his features, and the laugh lines I love so much have faded. I wish more than ever that I’d never gone on my trip. It nearly ruined our lives.
“I’m sorry, Quinn... I thought you knew. There were no survivors.” He runs his hand over my hair several times as though it will soften the blow.
I feel the blood leave my face. “What?” I whisper. “No, that’s not possible.”
“The bus crashed into the dock by the river and caught fire. Then it fell into the water. There was nothing left.”
I can’t catch my breath. “Nothing?” I think about Abi and her excitement over her upcoming wedding. I think about Joseph and how proud he was of his children. I think about Wes and the obvious love between him and his fiancée. I think about the other teachers and their exuberance over our lofty plans.
They’re gone. Their families don’t get a second chance. Abi’s fiancé is alone. Wes and his girlfriend will never marry. Joseph’s children are fatherless.
The news hits me as though a ton of bricks just landed on my chest.
“That was the hardest part,” Sawyer tells me. “There was nothing left but a burnt-out shell of a bus stuck in a river. I had nothing else.”
I can’t utter a single word. And I can’t keep my tears at bay. I break down and burst into tears, the kind that make your entire body tremble and shake. Sawyer picks me up off the bed and wraps his arms around my back. He holds me close, consoling me as I weep.
