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Sheriff Clemmons wore glasses and I couldn't read his expression as he opened the back door.
"Theodora," he said with a curt nod.
He said my name with an inflection that reminded me of how he'd said it in high school, when he picked up Ben and I, stoned in the park after dark. One minute, we'd been watching the stars. The next, Sheriff Clemmons obstructed our view of the night sky, lips in a thin line. Theodora.
I slipped into the back of the squad car. He softly closed the door behind me.
"Sorry about the accommodations. This being short-notice, I didn't want to waste time picking up the SUV," he said, taking off his sunglasses and catching my gaze through the rearview mirror. His eyebrows knitted together in a worried frown.
"It's fine. Thanks for taking us," Pete said, voice tight. He shifted to face me through the cage separating the front seat from the back. "Are you okay?"
No. That wasn't my most pressing question though."Is he going to be alright?"
I pressed my palm against my stomach. I should have just told him. I should have dropped everything to be with him. Maybe, if I had…
I shook my head. No. That line of thinking would drive me crazy. I'd done it before: after my dad left, after my grandmother died, adding up the minor changes that could have prevented tragedy. I closed my eyes, forcing back tears.
"I…I'm not sure. Martha will call just as soon as she knows anything."
* * *
The sheriff turned on the blue lights and raced us to Concord. I set my forehead on the window, desperately trying to keep my focus anywhere but on our destination. About what I hadn't told him.
I tried to occupy my mind with other things. My outfit. Black leggings with a red shirt that slipped off my shoulder, a bright yellow bra underneath, a pair of sneakers. What would Benny say about that? He loved teasing me about my clothes, about my secret trove of leisure wear that I only wore at my house. Or his. Now, I sped down the highway in an outfit I wouldn't let most people catch me dead wearing.
We pulled up to the entrance of the hospital before my mind wandered much further. Ben's dad opened the door, letting me out, and I wavered by the car, unsure where to go.
"We'll head to the operating room waiting room."
"Do you want me to go in with you?" The sheriff asked.
Ben's dad shook his head. "Thanks for the ride."
"Just call if you need anything. And tell Martha we're all praying for you."
"Thanks." Pete pressed his palm to my back, ushering me into the building.
"What happened?" I asked, distracting myself as we walked into the entrance. I kept my eyes away from the tiny gift shop where my dad bought me a teddy bear after my mom died of cancer and the cafeteria where I'd been eating when my grandmother passed away.
"He was in an enclosure with the moose and the new vet. They were about to leave and it charged them."
"Dana?" I croaked out the name.
"She's fine. Ben pushed her out of the way. He took the brunt of the damage. They brought her to the local hospital for cuts and bruises. Nothing serious."
The brunt of the damage. I flinched.
"The vet — Dana — got him out of there. Pulled him out before he got trampled to death. Best they could tell while they stabilized him on the ground was he got knocked out and had a lot of swelling, maybe some back damage.”
I closed my eyes, inhaling sharply. Ben's dad rubbed my back. "But I don't know what's happened since. We need to go find out."
I nodded, not sure I wanted to find out at all.
CHAPTER29
Thea
I wokeup with a blinding headache and a crick in my neck that made it hard to pull myself upright.
