Out of Breath (Breathing, #3)(74)

‘She’s just staring in there. It’s like … she doesn’t even see me. I don’t know what to do,’ Cole said, sitting in the chair, rubbing his hands together as he looked straight ahead. His voice sounded anxious and panicked. ‘What are we supposed to do?’

Sara glanced worriedly from Cole to me. We had agreed to let Emma mourn. To let her come to terms with her mother’s death as she needed to. But she was closing off, not eating, not talking, and we were all at a loss as to how to reach her.

‘Uh, I’m gonna … I’m gonna go out for a while,’ Cole announced, looking at us guiltily. ‘Will you be okay if I do that?’

Sara nodded, and he looked to me. I offered a quick nod as well. He grabbed his keys and disappeared out the front door.

Sara continued to stare at the door after he left. ‘I feel bad for him. He had no idea what he was getting into with her. This kinda sucks.’

‘Kinda?’ I countered, raising my brows. I didn’t want to feel sorry for Cole. It was evident that he was in over his head. But that only confirmed that he shouldn’t be with her.

‘What do we do, Evan?’ Sara asked, exhaustion weighing in her voice. ‘How do we get her back? Should we take her to the hospital?’

I let out a breath and shook my head, feeling just as defeated. ‘It’s been two days. Let’s give her another day, and then we’ll decide.’

Sara rubbed her eyes. ‘I wish we could remind her how strong she really is.’

Then it hit me.

‘I got it,’ I declared, my chest lightening with this revelation.

‘What?’ Sara’s head jerked up.

‘I’ll be right back,’ I told her.

I held on to the only thing I had left … hope.





24


Waiting for Her


‘EM, I NEED YOU TO GET UP.’

Her eyes opened, barely. She squinted up at me without a word, without showing any inclination to get up.

‘I’m serious,’ I said a little more firmly. ‘You need to get out of bed and come with me.’ She just lay there, staring at me like she didn’t understand a word I said. ‘Either get out of bed, or I’m carrying you.’

Her mouth dropped open. At least I knew she’d heard me.

‘Why?’ she croaked hoarsely.

‘Because I’m going to help you,’ I explained. ‘But I can’t do that until you get out of bed.’

Her eyes moved in contemplation. It was the most reaction we’d gotten out of her in days, other than crying.

‘You’re not going to leave me alone until I get out of bed, are you?’

‘Nope,’ I answered, trying not to smile, even though it was getting harder. ‘Trust me, Emma.’

She thought for a moment, took a deep breath and pushed the blankets back. This time I couldn’t conceal my satisfaction.

‘Don’t look all proud of yourself,’ she grumbled, sliding her legs over the edge of the bed. I let out a quick laugh at her feistiness. It was a good sign, or a better one anyway.

‘Do you want to shower or anything first?’ I asked. Her hair was all knotted up on one side, and there were pillow crease lines on the side of her face. She’d been wearing the same clothes for two days, so I figured she’d want to feel … clean.

‘Nope,’ she said stubbornly. ‘You want me to get up, this is how you get me.’

I released a smile. ‘Okay, then. Let’s go.’

I turned towards the door.

‘We’re leaving?’

‘Yeah. Are you sure you don’t want to wash up or brush your teeth?’ I suggested one more time.

She eyed me thoughtfully, trying to figure out what I was up to. I smiled wider and Emma’s eyes narrowed. ‘No, I’m fine.’

Her defiance made me laugh. She was never one to be told what to do, and that was one of the reasons I –

I turned towards the door, cutting that thought off before it had a chance to finish. It wasn’t why I was here, and I had to keep reminding myself that – though it wasn’t as easy to believe now.

Emma shuffled behind me. Her movements were stiff, probably from being twisted up in a ball for so long. We passed Sara in the living room, reading a magazine on the couch. She was trying so hard to appear casual, but I knew better. She was a wreck on the inside.

‘Have fun,’ she chimed with a smile.

Emma gave her a sideways glance. ‘Of course you’re in on this.’

I looked to Sara with a grin. The worry surfaced in her eyes for that second. She obviously wasn’t as confident as I was that this was going to work.

The light felt too bright when I walked out the front door, even though it was dusk. My entire body felt like it had been frozen and it was now slowly thawing. My head was still stuffed with cotton, and I felt so tired I could’ve laid down on the sidewalk and fallen asleep.

I rolled my eyes at the grin Evan couldn’t seem to lose, despite every glare I’d shot at him. I didn’t know why I was agreeing to this. But then again, I did. Because he’d asked me to trust him. And I’d never said no before.

I plopped down on the front seat of the convertible, and Evan shut the door after me. We drove the two minutes to the other house in silence. With Evan in the lead, glancing over his shoulder every so often, I dragged myself through the garage and up the stairs.