“Geoffrey.”
He parks and steps out of his car. He limps around to me slowly, his eyes glancing down at Phoenix.
“Congratulations.”
“How did you find me?” I ask. It’s embarrassing how the sight of a friendly face has me near tears.
“I was driving by to see you,” he explains. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. And then I saw you walking away from the hospital like you had ghosts on your tail.”
I give him a forced smile. “That’s kind of you,” I reply. “But I was just discharged.”
“Discharged?” he asks. “So soon.”
“I, um… I insisted,” I stammer. “I have to leave town.”
I hear another police siren in the distance. My head turns in its direction before I can stop myself.
It feels as though the walls are closing in on me.
“Esme?”
I force my eyes to turn back to Geoffrey. “I have to…”
“You have to leave,” he nods. “I know.”
I just stare at him.
“Get in the car,” he tells me. “I’ll drive you to the bus station.”
Some days, it feels like I’m living on kindness.