Troy didn’t say anything; he simply squeezed her tighter. She buried her head in his chest and sobbed. In the background, she heard teachers instructing students to get to where they needed to be. She knew she wouldn’t be going to class today. She didn’t even know if she could walk anymore.
“Everybody needs to get to class,” a female voice said, closer this time. Summer didn’t bother looking up to see who it was. “We’ll update you as we receive word.”
“We’re friends of Ashlyn’s,” Troy said. “Just give us a few minutes.”
The woman sighed. “Okay, take your time,” she said. The sound of shoes against the sidewalk got quieter and quieter before dropping off completely. The area that had been buzzing minutes ago was now painfully quiet.
Summer stepped back, not bothering to wipe her tears off her cheeks. “I’m going home.”
“You can’t drive right now,” Troy said. “You’re too—”
“I’ll be fine.” Summer dug in her bag and retrieved her keys.
Troy took them out of her hand and held them behind his back. “I’m driving. We can go to the hospital and wait for word on Ashlyn.”
Another stab of pain shot through her chest. “She’s dead, Troy. I couldn’t change it.”
“You can’t talk like that. We’ve got to stay positive. Besides, think about her mom. We need to be there for her.”
That stopped Summer. She was so caught up in her grief over losing her best friend that she forgot about Pamela. Ashlyn was all Pamela had in the world. She supposed it was still her job to help Pamela with the closure. “Okay. Let’s go to the hospital.”
Troy reached out and took Summer’s hand in his. “I’m sure Ashlyn will be fine.”
Troy drove them to the nearest hospital. When Summer bent down to get her bag, she saw the brown Diet Coke stain on her floor mat. Her eyes burned as new tears formed. “That’s where Ashlyn spilled her drink. It was so”—sniff—“funny.”
Summer leaned her head on the dashboard and started crying all over again.
Troy placed his hand on her back. “Soon you guys will be laughing again. The doctors will patch her up, and things will be okay.”
“You don’t get it. The paramedics tried to shock her heart, but it wouldn’t start beating again. Ashlyn is already gone.”
“They didn’t shock her heart,” Troy said, his voice soft. “They loaded her onto the stretcher and brought her here so that she can get the medical attention she needs.”
“They shocked it in the ambulance. It didn’t work, though.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do, okay!” Summer yelled.
The two of them sat in silence for a minute, only the noise of her sobs filling the air. The dash wasn’t exactly comfortable, but Summer couldn’t seem to lift her head off of it. Instead, she stared at the floor. Stared at the brown stain that ripped out her heart. When she heard Troy get out of the car, she figured she’d pissed him off enough that he’d decided to leave her there.
Then her car door opened, letting a waft of cool air in.
Summer twisted her head to look up at Troy. He didn’t say anything, simply extended his hand. She took it and let him pull her out of the car. Hand in hand, they entered the hospital. Troy walked up to the desk and asked about Ashlyn. Since they were a couple of teenagers with no relation to the patient, the receptionist was less than forthcoming with the details.
Through the fog in Summer’s mind, she sensed Pamela before she came in. Seconds later, Ashlyn’s mom burst through the doors of the hospital, looking harried. Gaze trained on the receptionist, she made a beeline for the front desk. “Where’s my daughter? I was told the ambulance brought her here.”
The receptionist took down her name and told her she’d get someone to update her. Pamela turned around and seemed to notice Summer for the first time. She blinked at her. “Summer? What happened? Is Ashlyn okay?”
The lump in Summer’s throat made it impossible to respond. More tears were all that came out.
“They took her in the ambulance,” Troy said. “They wouldn’t tell us anything when we got here.”
Finally, Summer found her voice. “We were just walking, and she collapsed. I tried CPR. I tried everything I knew, but I was too late.”
Troy wrapped his arm around her and hugged her to him. “Summer did CPR until the paramedics took her. She did a really good job.”
Tears streamed down Summer’s cheeks, and she wondered if she’d ever run out. It didn’t feel like it. It felt like she’d cry forever.
“Are you Mrs. Moore?” A man in scrubs asked.
Pamela turned toward the man. “I’m Miss Moore. Ashlyn Moore is my daughter.”
The man took a deep breath. Even though Summer knew what he was going to say, she allowed herself a glimmer of hope. “We tried to revive your daughter in the ambulance,” he said. “The paramedics used the paddles, but they couldn’t get her heart beating again. I’m so sorry.”
“No, that can’t be right,” Pamela said. “She’s only seventeen-years-old. How could this happen?”
“We’ll let you know more as we do.” The man turned and walked away, taking all hope with him.
Pamela shook her head. Summer could see the realization of Ashlyn being gone sinking in, ripping her up inside, the way it had done to her. “She can’t be…” Tears bordered her eyes, then she turned and embraced Summer. “She just can’t. I was finally getting to know her better.”
“She was so happy this morning,” Summer said. “Last night meant so much to her.”
“But I was too late. I didn’t even get a chance to do all those things with her that I promised we’d do.”
Summer searched for the right words. “What’s important is she knew you wanted to. She knew you loved her.”
Convulsions shook Pamela, and Summer was afraid she’d pull the both of them to the floor. She moved Pamela over to a chair and sat her down in it, then sat in the one next to her. Troy took the chair on the other side of Summer.
They sat like that for what seemed like an eternity.
Chapter Thirty-One
The birds outside the window chirped, sounding way cheerier than this day deserved.
Summer groaned when she sensed Gabriella. “Not you. I’m not in the mood.”
“Well hello to you, too,” Gabriella said, her voice also sounding too cheery. “You certainly know how to make me feel welcome.”
“You’re not welcome. I wish you’d never come into my life in the first place.” She felt Gabriella’s hand on her shoulder, but she continued to stare outside at the stupid sunshine.
“I know you’re upset, but you did very well. Everything was resolved before she passed on.”
Summer whipped around. “She died. I hate you for taking her. And I hate whoever gives the orders.” She glared until tears blurred her vision.
“I know this is hard. But you made a big difference in Pamela’s and Ashlyn’s lives. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve never seen a Cipher make the connection you did. Not only did you help her resolve her relationship, but you gave her a new relationship. You take those memories with you. Your mom was amazing at the short jobs. It looks like you have a gift for the longer ones.”
Summer shook her head. “I can’t do this over and over again. I can’t get attached only to see them die. It’s too much.”
“We understand that,” Gabriella said. “We’ll give you some time before the next assignment.”
“I don’t want another.” Summer wiped at the tears running down her cheek. “Ever.”
