“Don’t move. I’ll get it.” Lainey held the lock of hair up in her right hand, angling her left side downward to pick up the purse. Courtney bit down a smile at her friend’s awkward movement.
“Thank you,” she said, as Lainey dropped the purse in her lap then wrapped the lock of hair around her fingers before pinning it. Courtney rifled through her bag and lifted the phone out, blinking as she saw the name on the screen.
Ellis Roberts. He was calling from his cellphone, something he so rarely used it gave her a jolt to see the number.
She accepted the call, wincing as Lainey pulled her hair too tight. “Sorry,” Lainey whispered.
“Hello?” Courtney said, as the call connected. “Ellis? Is everything okay?”
There was a sob that cut right through her. It was high and soft enough for her to know it was Mary, not her husband.
“Courtney,” she gasped. “Can you meet us at the hospital? It’s Carl. He’s been shot.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Courtney rushed to the hospital on pure adrenaline, her heart hammering against her chest as she parked in the lot. It wasn’t until she got out of the car that she began to feel light headed.
It felt like déjà vu. Memories from years ago assailed her. A different brother, the same hospital, the same fear. The same horrible, horrible guilt that the last time she’d seen him, he’d looked broken. Because of her.
This was all because of her.
She hardly managed to keep it together long enough to give Carl’s name at the desk.
“Are you a relative?” the officious-looking woman behind it asked.
“His sister-in-law.” It was almost a truth.
The woman nodded and looked him up on the computer in front of her, then gave Courtney directions to the ER waiting room. It was crazy that she even needed to be told how to get there. The way should have been etched in her memory from the last time. But her mind felt fuzzy, as though the connections weren’t firing the way they should. She couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything except try to remember to breathe.
Carl had been shot.
That’s all Courtney had heard before Mary had hung up. But then, she didn’t need to hear any more. The tone in Mary’s voice was enough to send a shot of ice cold fear through her veins.
Mary and Ellis were losing another son. This time, Courtney didn’t know if they’d survive it.
They were in the far corner of the waiting room, both staring into the air in front of them, their hands tightly clasped together as though afraid to let go. Courtney hurried over, blinking away the tears as she hugged them both.
“Is there any news?” she asked. “How is he?”
“We’re still waiting for the doctor to come out.” Mary’s voice was a whisper.
“Do you know what happened?” she asked them, trying to swallow down her panic.
“There was a robbery at a gas station,” Ellis said, his voice bleak. “That’s all we know.”
Courtney looked away so they couldn’t see the tears in her eyes. She couldn’t crumple in front of them. They didn’t need to be worrying about her when she should be the one doing the consoling. Her leg muscles felt weak. Enough for her to sit down heavily next to Mary.
From the corner of her eye she could see the old woman’s lips moving rapidly. It took Courtney a moment to realize she was saying a prayer. Begging for her son to stay alive. The only child that she had left.
Touching her bump, Courtney closed her eyes and sent up a prayer, too. Mary and Ellis didn’t deserve this. Not again.
Her phone buzzed, and she opened her eyes to look at the caller. Maddie Hartson. Shooting a rueful glance at Mary, she lifted it up. “I should take this. They’re worried about Carl.”
“People are so kind,” Mary said softly. “Yes, you should answer it.”
“Hello?” Courtney’s voice was quiet as she walked to the far window in an attempt not to disturb anybody in the waiting room. Every single person sitting here had their own sad story. They didn’t need to hear hers.
“Courtney? How’s Carl? Is there any news?” Maddie asked, her voice full of concern.
“Nothing yet,” Courtney murmured. “We’re waiting to hear from the doctor.”
“Oh no. We’re praying so hard for you all.” Maddie sighed. “Are you sure I can’t come be with you? We’re on the way to the airport, but I could ask the driver to turn around.”
Courtney’s heart clenched. “No. It’s fine, but thank you for the offer. You have a flight to catch.” The thought of it made her stomach flip. She was supposed to be catching that airplane to Boston, too.
What if this had happened a few hours later, while she was in mid-air? The thought of Mary and Ellis coping alone made her breath catch in her throat. She would have let them down.
Again.
“I could ask Gray to delay the flight,” Maddie suggested. “Or I could catch a later one?”
“No,” Courtney said quickly. “Please go. Logan’s expecting you all. I don’t want him to be let down.”
“Okay,” Maddie replied softly. “But please let me know of any changes. You take it easy, okay? Look after yourself and that baby.”
“I will. Thank you.” She tried to keep her voice even, saying goodbye before she ended the call. With her lips pursed, she switched her phone off altogether, not sure she had the strength to speak to anybody else right now.
Not even Logan. Or maybe especially not him. She swallowed hard, but it did nothing to calm her stomach.
When she walked back to where Mary and Ellis were sitting, nausea washed over her again.
“I need the bathroom,” she whispered to them, not wanting to cause any alarm. “I’ll only be a moment.”
She made it to the stall
