Page 62 of Never Finished

She cried into my shoulder. We stayed like that for a long moment until a paramedic announced, "We’re going to need to check on everybody and make sure you’re all okay."

We welcomed them in and they helped Emma to a standing position and checked her out in the back of the ambulance.

She was okay, but they said someone would need to watch her sleep to make sure she didn't experience any side effects from the drug Andrew Jr. used to knock her out.

I happily volunteered.

They gave me a list of symptoms to watch out for, and then she was released to me.

Understandably, Emma didn't want to go back to the Carter family suite, so Caroline quickly produced the card to her room and said she would go to Emma's room and gather her things to bring to us.

"I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you, Caroline," I said.

She smiled. "Just take care of her," she said before she was interrupted by a police officer who was asking for a statement.

I didn't leave Emma's side as she gave her statement to the officers.

The police were appalled. Of course, this was a small town, and they knew John Carter and Emma, even though she hadn't been around for a while.

As the policewoman finished up with our statements, she clucked her tongue and gave us a sympathetic smile. "I’m sorry you had to go through this, Miss Carter. I knew your mama. She was a good woman and kind to everyone she ever met. It's a real shame she was stuck with that snake."

"My sentiments exactly." I replied.

I took Emma back to Caroline's room to rest.

She assured me she was fine and didn't think she'd be able to sleep. She just wanted to stay up and lay in my arms. The statement warmed me but also concerned me. I couldn't get her to stop shaking, no matter how tightly I held her. Despite her insisting she would never be able to sleep, less than five minutes later, she was passed out.

I stayed awake, not wanting to miss a moment or anything that might indicate she was having an adverse reaction to the drugs.

That son of a bitch actually drugged her. It was so evil and unbelievable, and yet here we were.

Emma was still asleep in the early morning hours as the sunrise filtered through the drapes. By then, everyone in town had heard about the arrest of the larger-than-life John Carter.

I had to give the residents of Silverpine credit. From what I gathered from the posts on social media, they didn't hold back on the details or paint him out to be some sort of misunderstood figure.

Soon my sisters called, as did Charlie. They were all worried about Emma and me.

I tried to stay quiet as I explained Sofia and Maria simultaneously. "We're fine. I'm keeping an eye on her… we're going to get through this."

"I'm just so glad you thought of that maintenance shed. If you had waited for the police, it might have been too late."

"No kidding," Maria chimed in, "and you need to introduce me to Caroline. She sounds fabulous."

I laughed. "Yeah, it's a relief to know Emma has such good friends who look after her. I know she's more than capable of taking care of herself, but it's still comforting."

"Now she has even more family to watch over her whether she likes it or not and I'm pretty sure all of Silverpine is going to be rooting for Emma, too. Listen, Jaime, I know you probably want some time for yourselves, but the next few weeks are going to be challenging, especially once charges are filed. People are going to be asking us how they can help, so think about what you and Emma might need to get through this, okay?" Sofia said, ever practical about the realities that would face us in the coming weeks.

My sister's concern wasn’t surprising, but I still choked up.

"Jaime," Maria said softly, "it's okay to let it out. You've been through a lot. Just remember, you’ll always have us and we’re going to help you and Emma through this as a family."

I choked out, "Thank you. That means the world to me. I'm not even sure why I'm crying—it’s probably the adrenaline crashing," I said, hoping my sisters would understand it wasn't just the night before that was making me so emotional. But it was twelve years of feeling adrift without Emma. We had a hell of a time getting back to each other, but she was here now, and I felt like I could breathe again.

"Jaime?" Emma’s scratchy voice drifted up from beside me.

"Hey, she's waking up. I gotta go," I told my sisters.

"Give her our love. We’ll check in on you later. Love you," they said in near unison.