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“Sir, we should take her into the hospital for observation,” the EMT states.
Jack hesitates at the back of the ambulance. He sighs and leans his head down so only I can hear him. “He’s right. You need to be checked out.”
“No!” I damn near yell. I lower my voice so only he can hear me, “I promise I’ll tell you if I start to feel worse, and you can take me in. Okay?”
He relaxes a bit, but the tension doesn’t quite leave his shoulders. “Okay, but we’ll follow up with a doctor in the morning.” His voice once again leaves no room for argument.
I don’t plan to actually go through with that plan, but I agree just to get him moving. He picks me up again and carries me inside his home. The whole time my mind racing with everything that happened tonight.
When we get inside, he helps me into the living room and onto the couch. While the adrenaline shakes are gone, there’s still a vibration coursing through me from everything that happened. I could have died.
I could have died.
“We need to get you into some clean clothes. Those smell like smoke, and you won’t be able to rest like that. I have something you can wear until we can get you something that fits.”
I look down, pinching the front of my shirt to lift it a few inches to sniff. My nose wrinkles as the smell of putrid smoke invades my senses, immediately sending me back into that room, waking up on the floor surrounded by smoke.
“I’ll be right back,” he says before leaving. I don’t respond.
I’m unsure exactly how long he was gone. It could have been thirty seconds or thirty minutes. But when I look up, he extends his hand, offering me a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.
“You can change in here. I’ll leave so you can. Just don’t stand up too fast. Try to do most of the changing while seated if you can.”
Again, I can’t bring myself to respond. Instead, I only nod, and he turns to leave the room again.
As he instructed, I remained seated while changing. Only bouncing up a few inches to pull the pajama bottoms down that I have on before sliding the sweats he gave me up to my thighs. I stand long enough to pull them the rest of the way up, but I go right back to sitting. My legs are still wobbly, and I still feel a bit dizzy, though the worry I might pass out again at any moment has passed.
His clothes engulf me. The shirt almost reaches my knees. There’s a drawstring on the pants I have to cinch it as tight as it will go.
“You good in there?” Jack calls from the kitchen.
“Yeah,” I reply weakly. It doesn’thurtto talk, but it isn’t comfortable either.
Jack re-enters the room holding my bag. I look from the bag up to his face, down to my bag again, and back to his face. A feeling of dread settles into my stomach only a moment before I notice the small card in his other hand.
My California driver’s license.
The same California driver’s license with my photo and the name Andrea Shaw printed in bold letters.
My heart sinks as I realize this is the moment. I have to tell him everything.
I lean forward, placing my head in my hands. The silence is deafening, but I can’t bring myself to fill it. He sits on the other end of the couch, places my license on the table in front of me, and waits patiently. I uncover my face, turning to meet his eyes. Mine are filled with tears, while his are filled with questions.
“Andrea Shaw,” he says in a low voice.
Unshed tears spill down my cheeks when I’m unable to hold them back any longer. I double over again, sobbing. I’ve held this secret for so long. I’m so ashamed that I’ve deceived all these people that have been nothing short of amazing to me.
Grasping my shoulders, Jack sits me upright. Cupping my face, he says, “Tell me the truth. I want to know what happened to you.”
I take several steadying breaths, trying to calm myself so I can even speak. Before I even get the chance to open my mouth, there’s a knock at the door.
“Jack!” Irene’s voice calls out. “Jack, open up! Are you and Andi okay?” Her voice is even louder, more panicked.
Hurrying across the room, Jack opens the door, and both Irene and Charlie are on the other side. Without waiting for an invitation, Charlie rushes inside and over to me before wrapping me in the tightest hug. My tears fall harder as I give in to her warmth.
My breath wooshes out as she squeezes me tighter. “I’m okay. I promise.”
Irene steps inside and makes her way over to us, her gaze wandering to my driver’s license sitting on the coffee table. Her eyes widen as they lock on mine before looking at Jack and then Charlie.
