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“No. It isn’t necessary that you stay,” Anne replied, hating how feeble her voice sounded. “I’m okay. Silas and I will be fine.”
Sam shot her the look. While it didn’t scare Anne—well, maybe it did a tad—she knew the men Sam worked with hated it.
“I’m staying with you tonight, and Marlee will bring Silas to school tomorrow. End of discussion.”
Anne nodded. It was probably a good idea. It wasn’t as if she was afraid to go home. Liar. She was terrified.
The thought of the man hiding in her house made her heart race, and not in a good way. She did request another week off from school, although it was important that Silas return tomorrow. Marlee promised to bring and pick him up until Anne felt better. His schedule had already been upended. It was time to get back to normal—at least their new normal, whatever that was.
The girls had been wonderful. They’d showered her with bouquets of flowers, which Anne had distributed to the nurses as soon as she had the okay to leave. They promised to bring food so she wouldn’t have to cook, and they vowed to take turns visiting.
The nurse returned with a wheelchair for her, and Sam followed behind. Anne glimpsed the recent renovations Black Pointe General had gone through. Lots of light was coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Were they overlooking a garden? Now that she was wheeled closer, yes, they were. Colorful plants, a water feature, and green bushes created a serene retreat.
Large, round lights hung from the ceiling. People were milling around. It was a calm atmosphere. Too bad the faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, reminding her she was in a hospital.
They reached the outside doors, and Sam promised to return with the car. The day was sunny. Anne inhaled the fresh air and was excited to be leaving the hospital. A sudden vision of being thrown against the wall had her gasping for breath.
“Are you all right, dear?” The nurse leaned over.
Anne closed her eyes momentarily. “Yes.” There was no way her fears would stop her from going home and seeing Silas. First, she’d get home, take stock of what needed fixing, and then talk to Sam about security cameras. There was no way that creep was going to force her to leave her house or make her afraid to come home. She worked too hard to buy it, and it was Silas’s home. He loved his bedroom.
She’d make everything right for him.
Sam pulled up in her car, and the nurse settled Anne into the passenger seat. The drive home was quiet. Each mile brought her closer to her house and Silas. Her heart beat wildly as Sam turned onto her street. Anne watched her neighbors going about their routines. Everything seemed so normal, as if a violent crime hadn’t been committed. Did the neighbors know? She was friendly with most of them.
Anne caught her breath as they approached her house, and Sam parked the car. It looked so innocent. She swallowed hard. Even though her palms were sweaty and she was breathing heavily, Anne didn’t want Sam to know she was afraid.
A hand reached over. “Anne, you’re safe. I promise.”
“I know.” She nodded. “I know in my mind, but my body has a mind of its own.” She gave a little groan. Anne looked over into Sam’s concerned eyes. “I’m okay, really.”
“Take a minute. We’ll stay here as long as you want.”
They sat in the car for five minutes. Finally, Anne couldn’t stand it anymore. “Let’s go in.”
Sam grabbed the bag she’d packed for her and headed towards the front door.
“Crap. I don’t have my keys,” Anne huffed.
“No problem. I have them,” replied Sam. She opened the door, and Anne followed her. Anne stood in the doorway, catching her breath. Sam didn’t say a word, just stood next to her, waiting.
Anne considered the bravest thing she did today was stepping over the threshold. She scanned the living room. It looked normal. A warm body brushed against her ankles. Luna!
“There you are,” said Anne as she carefully leaned down to pet the cat. For a short minute, she felt guilty that Luna was not on her mind but Sam had mentioned Killian was looking after the cat.
Then she took a deep breath and walked down the hallway. She cocked her head.
“Oh, you had the bathroom door fixed. Thank you.”
“Anne, you never have to thank me.”
Then Anne glanced into Silas’s room. The last memory she had was of utter chaos. She stood in the doorway and burst into tears.
Sam rubbed her shoulders. “Everything is fixed, cleaned, painted, repaired. Just like new.”
Anne hugged her friend, tears flowing down her cheeks. “How can I ever thank you?”
“That’s what friends are for. They have your back, and they don’t let you down. Ever.”
