Page 148 of Pumpkin Spice Promises

Headlights.

Blueberry screaming.

The world turning sideways.

“Pops?”

“He’s here.”

I opened my eyes again. “Where?”

“Getting coffee.” Meme’s mouth trembled. “He hasn’t left the hospital except to check on Blueberry.”

That sounded like Pops. I tried moving again. This time something felt wrong. Not pain, but an absence I couldn’t understand.

My brain knew where my left foot should have been. I tried flexing my toes.

Nothing happened.

I tried again.

Pain shot through a leg that felt like it was still there…and somehow wasn’t.

My breathing changed.

“What—”

Meme’s grip tightened. I looked down. The blankets covered me from the waist down. Something beneath them ended before it should have.

No.

My stomach turned. “What happened?” I whispered, afraid to hear the truth I already knew.

Meme started crying.

I knew that whatever came next would divide my life into before and after.

“Where’s my leg?”

The nurse moved closer. “Carson⁠—”

“Where is my leg?”

Nobody answered.

I grabbed the blanket and Meme caught my wrist. “No.”

“Let go.” I tugged again.

“Baby—”

“Let go of me!” I ripped the blanket back and the room threatened to cave around me as I looked at my legs, or what was left of them.

My right leg was there, bruised and scraped, but there.

My left wasn’t.

Bandaging wrapped around what remained. My mind refused to understand it. It kept searching for the rest. Like maybe someone had positioned my body strangely. Maybe the blanket was hiding something.