Page 49 of Escape
“I don’t understand. You said he was going to be mad at you.”
She gave me a nod, her eyes glancing at the door briefly before returning to me. “I made him leave.”
My heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest. “What?”
I couldn’t quite read the look on her face before she shared, “My son is stubborn. He’s always been that way for as long as I can remember. And sometimes, I’ve needed to put my foot down with him.”
I didn’t peg Mrs. Davidson as a liar, but Huck seemed to be anything but stubborn. I just couldn’t imagine his mom needing to address him with a firm hand. Even if that had been the case when he was a kid, I couldn’t understand what she’d done to him now, and why he wasn’t here.
“Is Huck okay?” I asked, feeling concerned.
“He’s perfectly fine. But I told him he needed to go home and at least take a shower,” she explained.
In an instant, the tension I’d been feeling had vanished. Relief swept through me. “Are you telling me he gave you a difficult time?”
Mrs. Davidson tipped her head to the side and assessed me. “Josie, dear, he flat out refused to go.”
My brows drew together. “Oh. Well, where is he, then?”
Letting out a laugh, she answered, “He refused to go, but I still made him do it. It wasn’t easy, but I eventually managed it. I had to explain that he’d be of no help to you if he didn’t do the bare minimum to take care of himself. So, Huck ultimately honored my request, but he would only do it under one condition. He made me promise I would stay here with you until he returned. Of course, he assured me he wouldn’t be gone long and that he intended to be back here before you even woke up. That was his goal, because he didn’t want you to wake and think he’d left you.”
Huck had gone above and beyond for me ever since we reconnected in the diner roughly a week ago. With the exception of the time he’d left to go deal with Kurt—when I’d been sedated anyway—he hadn’t left my side. And I was certain that once I left here with him, he was going to continue to go above and beyond for me.
So, if Huck believed I was going to be upset with him because he left to give himself some time alone to grab a shower and maybe eat a decent meal, he was wrong. Sure, I wanted him here with me, but I wasn’t going to be unreasonable in my expectations, either. I had no doubt he’d be back as quickly as he could manage.
“I don’t think it’d ever be possible to assume the worst of anything when it comes to Huck,” I explained. “He’s always been such a great guy.”
“That makes me happy to hear, and I’m sure he’ll be relieved to know it, too. Now, all of that said, how are you feeling this morning?”
Until she asked, I hadn’t considered it much. I’d woken up and been so taken aback that I didn’t give myself the chance to evaluate my injuries. I attempted to take a deep breath and winced. “Well, the ribs are definitely still very sore,” I told her. “But I am able to open both eyes now, so that’s a step in the right direction. I can only defer to the doctor when it comes to the concussion, but I’m not feeling anywhere near as tired as I had when I first arrived.”
“That’s good news. It sounds like you’re healing nicely. How about your shoulder? Any problems there?” she pressed.
I shook my head, wondering if Huck had given her the full rundown of my injuries or she just knew because she worked here. Either way, I didn’t mind that she knew. “No. But if I’m honest about it, it’s not as though I’ve been doing anything too strenuous to be sure. Check back with me once I’ve managed to take a shower or wash some dishes.”
The smile was back on her face. “I think it’s a good sign that you can have a sense of humor in all of this.”
“Yeah, well, you weren’t here last night,” I muttered. “It was awful.”
Her brows pulled together. “What happened?”
Maybe that was my answer. If Huck hadn’t shared with his mom what happened last night, it was unlikely he told her about my specific injuries. I’d always liked Mrs. Davidson, so it didn’t bother me to share the truth with her, even if it was unpleasant. I took a deep swallow. “I had a nightmare.”
“Oh, Josie. I’m so sorry. No wonder Huck was giving me such a difficult time when I got here this morning.”
After giving her a nod in return, I said, “It’s okay. I suspect that’ll improve over time. Or, at least, I hope it does. I’m just grateful Huck was here.”
“I can only assume he helped you through it,” she guessed.
“Yes, he did,” I confirmed. “Honestly, he’s been wonderful with me, Mrs. Davidson. You should be proud of him. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to thank him for what he’s done for me.”
Her eyes roamed over my face, something softening in her features. A smile settled on her expression before she asserted, “I am very proud of my son. Even after losing his father at such a young age, he turned out to be a wonderful man.”
“He had you,” I reasoned. “I’m sure he misses his father tremendously. It couldn’t have been easy for him to lose him. But coming from someone who didn’t have anyone, I can promise you that him having you more than made up for what he lost.”
“That’s very sweet of you to say, Josie, but I think the more important thing to focus on here is that you seem to believe you owe Huck a debt of gratitude.”
“Because I do,” I insisted.