I looked out the window. The sky was so dark it looked almost like nightfall. There was no way I’d find him. Not in weather like this.
I grabbed my coat and boots anyway.
The wind pushed me around once I let go of the porch railing. The rain jacket was useless; rainwater soaked my face, hair, and clothes. It came down so hard it stung like tiny pinpricks on my skin. “Emmett!” The storm swallowed my voice in one greedy gulp.
I ran towards Claire and Beau’s, sweeping my flashlight around. No sign of him. Between crying and calling for him, my throat was raw. But I couldn’t stop on the off chance he could hear me.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed after I searched everywhere nearby. My muscles ached, and my hands were numb. But Emmett was out here somewhere on his own, and I wouldn’t stop searching for him, no matter what. A panicked whimper left me imagining him trapped under a fallen tree or something equally terrible.
My flashlight swept across the stretch of land between Beau’s backyard and the south pasture. I squinted, looking again when the light illuminated a dark spot on the ground about thirty feet away.
All the air left my lungs. I sprinted towards the body on the ground.
“Emmett!” My knees squished in the mud as I landed beside him. He was trembling all over, hands pressed over his ears. “What are you doing?!” I yelled at him. He didn’t respond. I shook him, but he remained still. With a grunt, I rolled him onto his back. His face was screwed up tightly, eyes closed. His lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. My stomach clenched. He wasn’t really here—not truly. I shook him again. “Emmett, we have to go!” But he didn’t answer, paralyzed by whatever was triggering his PTSD.
I looked over my shoulder. The sky was a deep, murky green, with clouds swirling too close for comfort. I tried to pull Emmett up, but he was too heavy. “Why are you so fucking big?” I cried, trying to get him to stand. I covered his face with my body, shielding him from the rain, and pried a hand loose from his ear. “We have to go, Emmett,” I said, trying to sound as calm as possible. “The storm is bad, and we need to get inside.”
He blinked, squinting up at me. “In-s-side,” he said, his voice hoarse and trembling.
Relief hit me just as hard as the rain was. “Yes, inside where it’s safe and warm.”
His voice came out stronger. “Safe w-with Lilah.”
I couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped me. “Yes, baby, safe with me. Always.” He shifted slightly, and I moved back to give him space. “Can you move?”
“Yes,” he grunted, teeth clicking together.
I helped him stand, my legs almost buckling under the strain of his weight. He was weak and exhausted, but we had to hurry.“The wind—” he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut. That must have been what was bothering him. I glanced over my shoulder at the funnel clouds over the valley. It was hard to tell which way they were moving.
“Just listen to my voice,” I told him. My mind scrambled for something to say. “Remember when you were twelve and took Sarah Hightower to the creek?”
His head moved with a jerky nod. “And when you tried to kiss her, y’all got hit with mud pies?” He nodded again. “Yeah, that was me.”
“What?”
The house finally came into view, and I could breathe a little easier. “It was me,” I said again. “Well, not just me, but I convinced the girls to do it.”
“That was…supposed to be…my first kiss,” he said between heavy breaths.
I figured, and that was exactly why I had done it. “Yeah, well”—I laughed awkwardly—“couldn’t let you have that win.”
He let out something that vaguely resembled a laugh. “So tired,” he said after a moment of silence.
I was too after walking with his arm slung over me in the heavy rain and thick mud. “I know, baby. Just a little bit further. You’re doing great.”
“You’re c-carrying ha-half my weight.” And I felt every pound of it with each step we took closer to the house. Thank God we were only about ten feet away. I was soaked to the bone, my lips numb, and my teeth were starting to chatter like Emmett’s.
Even on the verge of a tornado hitting us, I smiled. But that was probably more about the relief of knowing he was okay and having him next to me. “Wasn’t gonna kick a man while he’s down.”
He grabbed onto the stair railing and took them as fast as he could, which wasn’t all that fast. “Since when?”
Only Emmett could make me laugh at a moment like this. We went inside and kicked off our shoes. He was trembling, his face pale, eyes tired. I pulled him further into the house and got him situated in the basement. The wind didn’t sound as harsh down here, just a low hum. “I’m gonna get clothes and towels, and I’ll be back.”
He nodded jerkily, holding his arms around himself while he sat on the cot against the wall. “The wind,” he started, and I stopped on the first step, “s-sounded like, like, a jet engine.” He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. “That hasn’t happened before.”
I went back to him, kneeling between his legs. “It’s okay.” I brushed his wet hair back. “Is it bothering you down here?”
He wouldn’t look at me. “No,” he whispered, voice thick with shame.
