“I’ll survive.”
He nods. “Sawyer?”
“They think he’ll pull through,” I reply. “But he hasn’t regained consciousness since—” I can’t bring myself to say it.
Jack nods, then moves farther into the room. “They’re still looking into the cause of the explosion. To see if it has any link to what’s been happening with you.”
“To the phone calls I’ve been getting?” I ask. “There could be a connection?” How did that not cross my mind before?
Jack swallows hard. “It was Sawyer you called when you thought you were in danger.” I sense he’s going somewhere with it, but I can also see the pain behind his eyes.
“He was right across the parking lot.”
“It’s more than that,” Jack says. “And whoever has been calling you…whoever sent that package, they likely know it, too. It’s possible they wanted him out of the way.”
The very idea that what’s happening right now could have put Sawyer’s life in danger makes my stomach churn. What is happening? Why me?
“That doesn’t make it your fault, Anastasia.” I sniffle and wipe the tears from my eyes.
“It certainly seems like it.”
He moves even closer. “I’m going to find him. I’ll make sure that nothing happens to you.” He clears his throat. “We all will.”
I glance down at Sawyer. “It’s not me I’m worried about.” The words slip out, but the weight of them settles over us. The giant proverbial elephant in the room.
“You know he came to see me?” Jack asks.
Another wave of guilt. We’d been arguing right before the explosion. “He told me.”
“It probably took a lot for him to ask me for help. I won’t tell him this, but I gained some new respect for the guy.”
As much as I appreciate Jack’s attempts to lighten the mood, I can’t bring myself to smile. Not while Sawyer is unconscious and lying in a hospital bed.
“I really am sorry, Jack.” I look over at him now, hoping he can hear the sincerity in my voice. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I know.” He takes a deep breath. “I, uh, I need to know for my own sanity.” He runs a hand over the back of his neck. “Had anything happened before that night? Between you two.”
“Of course not,” I reply without hesitation. “I never would have done that to you. Sawyer and I had barely even spoken in six months.”
Jack nods, but the relief is evident in his expression. “I just needed to ask.”
The door behind him opens, and my mom comes in. Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees Jack standing there, but a smile slips into place. “Hey there, Jack.”
“Mrs. Knox. It’s good to see you.”
Mrs. Knox. Not Momma Knox. His not referring to her by her nickname shows just how set apart he feels.
“You, too, honey.”
Jack turns to me. “I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks, Jack.”
He offers me a single nod and a strained smile before leaving the room and closing the door behind me.
“Well, how are you?” My mom carries over two coffee cups and sets one on the stand beside me. With my hand on Sawyer’s, I don’t have a free one to drink the coffee, so there it will sit until he wakes up.
“Not great.”
