Page 78 of Dream a Little Dream

“Savanna.”

I turned and there she was. Kyle. The relief was overwhelming, and I reached for a chair to steady my shaking legs. She looked drawn, tired, and worried.

“You’re okay.” I was already crying. My limbs went heavy.

“Areyou? Are you hurt?” she asked, her forehead creased with concern. We walked toward each other at the same time, meeting in the middle.

“I’m fine,” I said, wrapping my arms around her. “I thought…” I blinked, unable to voice the worst words ever. “I saw the news and got so scared. It was like my parents all over again.” I sucked in air.

She frowned. “You thought I was in one of the cars.”

“I did. I just had this feeling something was horribly wrong. But you’re here.” I squeezed her. “Thank God you’re here.”

“I’m fine, but—”

“And now that I’ve seen your face, I can get air.” I pulled in more. “I can breathe again.”

She nodded. “Let me just slow you down.”

“You can do whatever you want now. You can run up a giant bill on my credit card or refuse to do another dish for the rest of your life.” I laughed. “In fact, I’ll do the dishes from now on.”

“Hey, look at me, okay?” She said it rather forcefully, so I did. “Charlie was involved in the accident. He was working at his store’s other location and heading back for the Jamboree.”

“Oh.” I took a few seconds as the meaning washed over me. “Charlie was involved. Where is he?” I asked quietly. Dread approached as if stalking me from behind. Charlie and I were supposed to have dinner. Our first dinner. He was my brother, and he was hurt. This was hard to fully process, yet I knew it was awful.

“They’re working on him. He was alone in the car. I should actually get back but I’ll stay in touch. Head home, but keep your phone with you.”

“Kyle, is it bad?”

She hesitated.

“No. Don’t do that.” I refused to let go of her hand. “Tell me the truth.”

The blood seemed to drain from her face and she nodded. “I’ll do everything I can, but he’s in bad shape right now.”

“Please, Kyle. Listen to me. You have to save him.”

The haunted look on her face was one I knew I’d never forget. She squeezed my hand. “I gotta go.”

Alone, I looked around the crowded waiting room. Jake would be there soon. Charlie’s mother. Jill. Kyle was right. I should wait at home and not insert myself in a moment where my presence might make anyone uncomfortable.

“You okay, sweetie? You want to sit down?”

I turned. Tasha. “I’m not sure. I’m not sure what I should do.”

“It’s been an awful night. Your girl is helping a lot of people.”

“Is she okay?” I should have asked Kyle. The trauma onslaught might be a lot for her, given her difficult year back in Charleston. But it was like my brain didn’t have enough room. I needed her to save Charlie, and we would sort out the rest after.

“I think so.” Tasha looked back at the double doors leading to the ER. “But I’m sure this one is hitting them all pretty hard. They’vealready airlifted two patients to a larger facility. Unfortunately, we’ve had some fatalities as well.” She’d said the last part in a whisper.

My stomach dropped. Sometimes I felt like we were isolated from larger tragedies in our tucked-away spot in the world. This was a grim reminder that we weren’t.

I gripped the steering wheel harder than I ever had as I drove home, making deals with God and the angels and whoever else had control over the universe not to take Charlie from me when we hadn’t even gotten the chance to get to know each other. I’d never had a sibling before, and I couldn’t fathom losing him now. I tuned in to the local radio station searching for information, all the while my wipers working overtime in a monotonous dance. The storm still hadn’t moved off us. I had no idea how they’d been so wrong about its trajectory. The news was reporting that six people in a passenger van had not survived what had been a head-on collision between two cars on the highway that ran between the towns. Eight others had been injured and transported as a result of the chain reaction. They were asking the rest of us to stay off the roads until the danger died down.

Once home, I sat on my couch with the lights off and watched the last system of lightning move through the sky in a show I would have thought beautiful if I didn’t hold it responsible. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I wanted to, so there I remained for what felt like an eternity. Earlier, I’d checked on my employees at the store, happy to hear that when the power went out, the backup generator had kicked in. I had BeLeaf’s bankroll to thank. Next, I’d called my Airbnb guests to hear that they’d made it to Sal’s for dinner before racing home when the storm intensified. They were safe and so was the house.

It was well after midnight when I heard from Kyle. “Hey, this is the first chance I’ve had to call.”

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