In Too Deep(51)

My heart leaped in my chest as I heard the announcer. There was only one man I knew brave enough to actually taunt a couple of gun toting psychopaths while unarmed. Cam had that sort of noble streak to him, and I knew that it was him. And the news reports were that he was alive. Wounded, but alive.

I felt a knot working itself loose in my stomach, as at least a little bit of the fear that had been coiling inside me since the first police car went by the pharmacy started to unravel. Ironically, the immediate feeling I had was not of elation, but rather an intense need to pee. Grabbing my backpack that had the Albertine laptop inside, I went into the toilet, locking the stall behind me.

Perhaps it was the relief, perhaps it was the fear, but whatever it was, I started sobbing while on the toilet, burying my face in my hands. My body convulsed, racking in deep hitches as I purged myself, letting go of as much as I could before I needed to re-establish control. I thought I was done when a fresh wave of tears came out, and I ended up having to flush three times in order to get down all of the toilet paper I used to blow my nose and wipe my eyes.

The last of my sniffles was drawing away when my phone rang, startling me. Reaching into my bag, I nearly dropped it into the toilet when I saw it was from Cam. Stabbing the call button with my finger, I held it to my ear. "Cam?"

"Oh Melina, thank God you answered,” Cam said, relief evident in his voice. "When I got your message, I couldn't be sure."

"It's me, babe. It's me," I said, fresh tears starting to trickle down my face. "Cam, I was so worried."

"I know," he said soothingly. "Me too. Melina, are you okay?”

"I am," I said. "I grabbed the laptop and hightailed it out of town. I didn't know what else to do. Where are you?"  "I'm still at school," Cam said. "The gunshot to my arm wasn't serious, and I got someone who came by to help out to clean and stitch the thing up."

I nodded to myself, sealing that part of my emotions off. Cam was safe, that was what was important at the moment. “Should I come to you?"

"No, I'm leaving the school in a few minutes," he said. "The cops have my initial statement, and they're letting us go for now. I'll come to you. Where?"

"I'm at a truck stop just off the Interstate in Belen," I said. "Think you could meet me here?"

"Yeah," Cam said. "That sounds just fine. Melina . . . I love you."

"I love you too, Cam. I'll see you in a bit."





* * *



The waitress was giving me strange looks when I saw Cam's Dodge pull into the truck stop and I set my second cup of coffee down with a rattle. "Here, keep the change," I said, tossing a ten dollar bill on the counter. "Thanks for the booth."

"No problem," the waitress said to my back as I burst out of the truck stop. Cam barely had a chance to get his door open before I grabbed him in an embrace, fresh sobs racking my body.

"Ow, ow, owowowowowowowow...." Cam groaned, pushing me away. I stepped back, confused until I saw the bright white bandage wrapped around his left arm. "You're crushing the stitches."

I backed away, horrified at the idea I'd caused him pain. Taking me by the shoulders, he hugged me this time, giving his arm safe clearance. "Melina," he whispered, holding me close while I cried again. It seemed to be the only way I could communicate my feelings. "It's okay. We'll deal with this."

I finally was able to find words again, although I wasn't too sure if I was all that intelligible. "Cam, when I saw the cop car . . .”

"You did the right thing," he said, kissing my forehead. He pushed me away gently, giving me a chance to step back. "Come on, let's go inside and talk, then we can figure out our next steps."

"Do you mind if we go somewhere else? I think the waitress in there has seen enough of me for the day."

"Sure," he said, thinking. "There's a rest stop, just a few miles south of here along the Interstate. It'll be quiet and we can have privacy. Does that sound okay to you, or do you want to get some food?"

“I can’t even think about eating anything right now,” I said. It must have been having Cam with me, but I felt more in control of myself and was pretty sure I could drive. "But something to drink would be good."

"Let me get them, you wait by the car," he said. "Is that Albertine in the backpack?"

I nodded, unslinging it from my back and trying to hold it out to him. Cam held up his hand. "No, you keep it for now. We'll talk what to do with it at the rest stop. In the meantime, let me get us something to drink.”

I waited in the warm sun, the wind slightly abrasive in that way I'd come to expect from New Mexico in the summer. I saw Cam grab two drinks and pay for them, and I realized that despite the emotions, I was very thirsty, and just a little bit hungry. I guess stress does that to you.

I went inside, grabbing a Snickers bar to add to Cam's pile. He paid without a word, handing it to me as we headed outside. "Okay, so which do you want, the cherry Coke or the root beer?"

"Root beer," I said automatically. "Goes better with the chocolate."

He handed it to me and I got in my car, following Cam to the rest stop. Getting off the interstate, I was glad to see there was at least a bit of grass around the covered picnic table area.