Page 44 of Hurry Up And Wait

His hand stretched out in front of him, slowly moving toward me. I watched like it was on a film reel in slow motion. Was he going to touch me?

“Hey.” His voice was soft and calming despite the way his eyes swirled with questions. I found myself looking up into them, allowing them to calm me when all I wanted to do was run. “Your sister.”

I found myself answering without any further reservation. I didn’t know why, but something about him begged me to trust him. So, I took a chance. “I don’t know. She was here, but…I didn’t hear her when I came home.”

He nodded slightly. “Fox! Find Riley!”

Fox. I completely forgot about him. Was he okay? Did he get hit in the blast?

This man was taking charge. Why was he taking charge? It occurred to me for a brief moment that he knew Fox. That had to be a good thing, right? If he knew Fox, then he had to be a good guy. Fox wouldn’t allow someone in my house unless he was one hundred percent sure the man wouldn’t hurt me.

It was going to be okay.Iwas going to be okay. I nodded repeatedly as the man stared at me, as I tried to convince myself I was okay.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, only for them to pop back open when a memory struck me. Blue eyes. The feel of strong armsaround me. He was there. This was the man who saved me from Shawn. He was there that night in the alley. That’s why his eyes were so familiar. He intervened and saved my life.

And now he was here.

“You were there.”

His eyes tightened as he stared at me.

“You need to go to the hospital.”

“You were there,” I continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “In the alley. What were you doing there?”

Ignoring me, he moved closer, his hands reaching out to skim over my body. It didn’t feel wrong. He was just checking me, making sure I was okay.

“Did you hit your head?”

“Were you following me?”

He prodded my head, searching for injuries.

“Who are you?”

He growled in frustration as he tried to coax me over to the couch. I was still shaking, still a jumble of thoughts that made no sense. I had no answers, and I desperately needed them. I had to make sense of what happened, but I had a feeling that would take time. But I could get answers from this man.

“Where are you hurt?”

He prodded my arms and I winced as my left shoulder spiked with pain. “There.”

I still didn’t know what happened. All I remembered was an explosion of some kind. I closed my eyes to replay what happened, which turned out to be a mistake. The moment I did, everything in me ceased to work. My hands started trembling, my knees buckled, and it was only by the grace of God—or this man—that I didn’t end up on the floor for the second time today.

“Sit down.”

I was vaguely aware of being moved, shuffled around the room by the will of someone else. Everything around me started to spin and my head ached. I pressed my hand to my forehead, trying to ease the pain throbbing inside. It was no longer just my head pounding, but every piece of my body pulsing in anger. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so good.

I cupped my hand over my mouth, but it was too late. Vomit surged up my throat, spewing from my mouth. I barely had time to bend over, and unfortunately, some of it landed on the man sitting in front of me. I sucked in a breath, heaving as the pressure built again in my chest. I felt a strong hand resting on my back and tried to focus on that instead of the growing panic inside.

I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to rein in my emotions. Everything was hitting me all at once. The panic, the fear, the desperate need to see my sister and make sure she was okay…I couldn’t stop it all from building inside me.

I vaguely heard someone talking to the man in front of me, but at his sharp bite, the other person backed down. I peeled my eyes open and stared at the man’s impeccable shoes. Black and shiny, they were the epitome of perfection, even in the disaster of my house. They didn’t seem to fit with anything surrounding me, yet they brought comfort.

They were just shoes.

I snorted as I stared at them, wondering how a pair of men’s shoes could bring me comfort. God, I really was losing it.

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