“So, where are we going first?” Texas flipped a glance up from hisphone.
I stopped mid stride. “Um…I thought you knew where we weregoing?”
“I’m just the ride. I figured you would have a few stores you wanted to try first,” he replied, tucking his phone away in his front pocket. “Which stores do youlike?”
“I don’t know. I don’t go shopping all that much, but if you’re just my ride, why couldn’t I drivemyself.”
“You can drive?” he raised abrow.
“Sure.” I shrugged. “I took Driver’s Ed in school.” We stood there a moment, glancing around at the different stores until I found one with a name I recognized. “How about that one?” Texas followed my finger and nodded, trudging towards the red and white displaywindows.
My phone buzzed when we got into the car not long after the store had closed with everything we needed. I was feeling proud of our accomplishment, and more than a little tired as the day had wound down. I slid the phone out of my pocket and answered on the third ring. Texas took the bags from me and stored them in the backseat of theSUV.
“Hello?”
“Harlow?”
“Erika? Hi! How’d you get this number?” I was surprised. This was a new number rather than the first one I gave her. I hadn’t had a chance to message her from this one. I also hadn’t heard her voice in so long. She soundeddifferent.
“Oh, we gave it to her,” Texas whispered. “Just in case.” I smiled to let him know I wasn’tangry.
“I got it – it doesn’t matter,” she interrupted herself. “You have to get homenow.”
“What’s wrong?” She sniffled and I realized why she sounded so different, she wascrying.
“I just came by to find you. I knocked on the door, but when you didn’t answer…” She sniffled again, hard, as if she was holding herself together. Someone started talking to her in the background. “No…I’m on the phone with her now – holdon.”
“Erika?” I was growing increasingly nervous. Texas pulled out of the parking lot, throwing glances my way, concern etched into hisfeatures.
“Harlow, your mom’s hurt. I-I went in. I haven’t seen you in a while and I was worried. They’re taking her to the hospitalnow.”
“What? How? What happened?” I demanded. Before she could answer though, I ripped the phone away and turned to Texas. “Can you drive me to thehospital?”
His eyes widened. “Whichone?”
“Which one?” I barked into thephone.
“Triton Hospital.” The tone of Erika’s voice shook and I didn’t want to think of what had happened. I didn’t want her to tell me. I needed to see formyself.
“Okay, I’m on my way. Can you meet methere?”
“She–”
“–don’t!” I snapped. I swallowed. “I’m sorry, just…don’t tell me. I’ll…I’ll see you at the hospital.” I ended the phone call and turned to stare out the window. All of the calm I had cocooned myself in was gone. Everything Knix had done to convince me that all would be right with the world, if I let them help me, haddissolved.
“Harlow?” Texas’ voice permeated by dazed thoughts. “What did shesay?”
“She said that she went to my house because she hadn’t seen me in a while and…my mom’shurt.”
Texas didn’t ask any more questions, but I noted that the speed of the SUV increased, and we flew through the interstate towards Trident Hospital. I closed my eyes and tried counting down from a hundred as slowly as I could manage in order to keep myself from going insane. When I reached -150, I opened my eyes to Texas pulling off the interstate and into the parking lot for the emergency room of the hospital. Erika waited by the entrance. I struggled to command my limbs tomove.
“Stay there for a minute,” he said, jumping out of the cab and running in Erika’s direction. She backed away when he approached, quite obviously startled and confused. I watched as he spoke to her, his hands making small gestures as he explained something and motioned back to the SUV. Erika’s eyes followed his hands, but she couldn’t see me through the tinted glass of the vehicle. I pulled the lever on the car door and slid out. She visibly relaxed when she realized that I was there withhim.
“Harlow!” Erika rushed to me, and threw her arms around my neck. She didn’t say anything else. Her arms squeezed me tighter, and she burrowed her face into my hair. It was meant to comfort me, a hug that told me things were bad, very bad. Erika pulled away after a few moments, her eyes glittering with tears she continued to hold atbay.
“Where…” I tried to speak, to ask where my mom was, but my voice failedme.
“I’ll show you to herroom.”