Chapter 51
Mia didn’t remember the drive. One minute there were hospital doors and blinding overhead lights. Next, she was standing in her farmhouse kitchen, the familiar space feeling strangely unreal. Ranger pressed against her leg, solid and warm.
Her dad froze when he saw her. Then he wiped a tear from his eyes and crossed the room in two strides, pulling her into his chest, careful but tight.
She clung to him, breathing in his cedar aftershave and the hum of the fridge, grounding herself. For a second, she let herself pretend nothing had happened. That she was just coming home late.
“You look better than yesterday when I visited,” he said softly.
Mia swallowed and nodded. He would think that. Caleb made sure of that.
Thankfully, Caleb had called ahead, telling him he was picking her up and bringing her here. All week he’d given her dad short updates. Reassurances when the waiting dragged on. No details that would haunt him.
Her father finally released her and looked her up and down.
Opened his mouth, then closed it. He hadn’t asked any questions.
He already knew the timeline. The week in the hospital.
The doctors’ cautious optimism. The nights Caleb stayed late, sitting at her bedside, pretending to read while holding her hand.
She knew her dad was devastated over Roy. Mia didn’t have the heart to tell him that Roy had brought her to meet Dana. Only that he tried to save her.
Later after tea she barely drank and food she couldn’t stomach, the house had settled into an uneasy quiet. Her dad glanced across the table at Caleb.
“She shouldn’t be alone tonight,” he said.
Caleb didn’t hesitate. “She won’t be.”
Relief hit Mia so fast, it caught her off guard. She hadn’t realized how tightly she’d been holding herself together until that moment.
Her dad nodded. Mia opened her mouth to argue but didn’t. The thought of sleeping by herself scared her. The dark. The silence. The way her mind filled every empty space.
“Good.” Her father sighed. “Then you’re staying at Caleb’s. Where I know someone’s awake.”
Mia nodded once.
“And don’t you worry about your old man,” he said, gentler now. “I’ve got friends checking in and the caregiver coming more often. It’s about time you had a life of your own, not one looking after me.”
“But …”
He reached across the table and pressed a finger to her lips. “No buts, young lady. You’ll be around during the day, working. But I need to know that you’re living your life to its fullest and not putting it on hold for me.”
Her throat tightened. He was letting her go when she’d barely made it back.
She nodded again, trusting that for tonight, she didn’t have to be strong on her own.
She didn’t dream at first.
She dropped straight into a deep sleep, her body finally giving out.
Then it hit.
The shot. Roy falling, staring at her but not seeing, the metal locker. No air. The sound of water.
Mia woke with a sharp gasp, ribs screaming as she sucked in air that wouldn’t come fast enough. Her heart pounded wildly.
“Mia.”
Caleb was already sitting up, pulling her into his arms. Ranger whined softly at the foot of the bed.
“You’re safe,” he said. “You’re safe.”
She shook her head, tears spilling before she could stop them. “I saw Roy. I couldn’t … I tried to breathe …”
“I know.” He didn’t rush her or tell her to calm down. Just held her tight. “Match me. In through your nose. Slow.”
She did. Once. Twice.
“I wish I could take that pain from you,” he said more quietly.
The panic began to slip away. She leaned in more, feeling his warmth seep into her body.
“They’re going to find her, right?” she whispered. “Dana.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “They’re looking for her. And you’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She slept again with his arms still around her.