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“I’ll drive,” Lewis says, going to the front seat.
I reach a hand out, slapping it against the window. Jessi and Lewis look at me with alarm.
“You’ve both been drinking,” I snap.
Lewis’ mouth is agape. “But I—I mean, yeah, but she needs a hospital?—”
“I’ll take her.”
Jessi’s the one who’s jaw falls now. “David… But you…”
“I know.”
I haven’t driven in years. I don’t get behind the wheel—not anymore. Not ever since…
“Why don’t you drive? Can you drive? Maybe we should call an ambulance?—”
“I was in an accident. A bad one. But I’m the only one who hasn’t been drinking. She needs me.” I look at her through the window. Her breathing is the only thing I can focus on. “She needs me.”
Benji darts between them, holding the keys up.
“Dad…”
“Give me the keys, Benjamin,” I say softly, and he does.
Lewis and Jessi step aside. “We’ll go with you,” Lewis says.
“We don’t all fit,” I remind them. “That’s why we took two cars.”
I can’t talk about this anymore. I climb into the driver’s seat. At the last second, the back car door opens—Lewis slides in. Benji gets in the front.
I give Jessi one last look, as she holds onto Angie’s shoulder nervously, and then I drive for the first time since my father died.
CHAPTER 31
Laura
The first thing I notice when I wake up is that the light is very, very, very, unnecessarily bright.
The second is that my head iskillingme.
“Ow,” I say, and then I blink in surprise. The bright light hurts again, so I squeeze my eyes shut. “Ow, ow.”
My voice comes out scratchy and rough. I clear it, though that also feels a bit like sandpaper, and then I’m coughing.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” a voice says, and it’s a calm voice, a sweet voice. I lean into it, curling towards it. A hand touches the back of my head, offering help to lift me. I let it, and then accept the straw suddenly at my lips.
Once I get a few gulps of water in me, I feel a bit more human. My eyes are adjusting to the light, so I look around.
And there, with red-rimmed eyes and a trembling smile, is David.
“David?” I whisper.
“Laura,” he chokes out. His voice comes out worse than mine.
He holds my head tenderly, like it might fall apart in his hand. I realize I’m leaning into his touch and then start to pull away.
“No, no, please,” he says, and he follows my motion so that he’s still touching me. “I just… I need to feel that you are okay.”
