Page 43 of Baby Me

The second thug’s body was lying flat on the other side of the field. The rain increased in intensity, and I crawled on all fours toward my father. My gun was right beside him. I quickly checked its compartment and counted the bullets. One wasmissing.

I shothim.

“Come on, Dad. Let’s goinside.”

I opened the back door and guided my father to the couch, calling out, “Sophie, can you come out? I need yourhelp.”

When I looked up, my bathroom door opened and she hurried to the family room, saying, “It’s okay. I called 911.” She halted by the couch, swaying on her feet, shocked by all the blood spewing from underneath thesweater.

“What?How?”

“Uncle’s cell phone. Gramps, are you okay?” sheasked.

“Sophie, don’t panic. We can’tpanic.”

“It’s okay. I told you I called911.”

“The cell’s not working. There’s nosignal.”

“It’s okay. I turned on the wifi in theoffice.”

There’s wifi here?I didn’t have time to think about that. My father was bleeding heavily, and I wasn’t sure if he had much time. I pressed my hand over the soaked sweater and thewound.

“Sophie, I’m going to need atowel.”

She quickly rushed to the bathroom and came back with atowel.

“Good girl. Wait, did you give the ambulance the address?” For goodness sake, I didn’t even know where we were. How couldshe?

“There was a label on a magazine. It was in uncle Jax’s room. He used to get magazines in black packaging delivered to our house as well. Grandpa says it’s because he can’t get any, but I don’t know what thatmeans.”

“Okay, I think I’ll need a few more towels. In the main bedroomcloset.”

“I know, Kate. I’ve been herebefore.”

Of course shehas.

The lynx was sitting by the couch, gently licking my father’s hand. That was when I realized that the animal must have been hispet.

I nearly let go of my bowels when the backyard door opened and Brook brokethrough.

“Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack,” Isaid.

“Where’sSophie?”

“In thebedroom.”

He rushed past us straight for the bedroom. Lola followed on his heels as he skidded across the family room, nearly knocking over a chair on the way. I thought I heard her whisper, “ThankGod.”

When I looked back at my father he was covering himself with a blanket, and I realized they must have not seen him. He looked like he was smelling the blanket, and was paying no attention to his surroundings. What the heck was wrong withhim?

“Dad?” I didn’t expect his gaze to stop on mine when I called out, but it did. “It was you who threw the rope down the hole for me wasn’tit?”

His head tilted to the side. He blinked three times, but didn’treply.

A gasp sounded from the back door, and when I turned around, I saw a woman I almost thought was my mother, though she didn’t look anything like her. She was wearing a camouflage outfit complete with a helmet and pilot’s goggles along with a gas mask hanging from herbelt.

“Mom?” Iasked.

---