Page 107 of Faded Rhythm

I laugh again. “You got one more of them jokes, bruh. One more, and we’re going outside.”

Before he can answer, there’s movement at the nurse’s station. Frantic movement. It’s fast and urgent.

I stand as a doctor rushes across the corridor, pulling gloves on as he runs. Mila and her husband are rushing toward Sable’s room. The rest of the family all stand at once.

My whole body goes cold.

I’m already moving. AJ is right on my heels.

“Please,” I whisper under my breath. “Please, God, just let her be okay.”

My boots pound against the tile. My pulse roars in my ears. I push past nurses and come to a halt outside the room. I’m just in time to see Ebony standing there with tears streaming down her cheeks.

I drop to my knees.

Hard.

No, no, no, no!

“She’s awake!”

I lift my head, stunned and unsure if I really heard that.

AJ yanks me up and into the tightest hug I’ve ever had in my life. My arms hang limp for a second before I hug him back, gripping the back of his hoodie like it’s a lifeline.

“She’s okay,” he says in my ear. “She’s still with you.”

Maybe in the sense that she’s still alive, but with me? I’m not sure.

Regardless, the air comes rushing back into my lungs. My pulse slows to baseline. I’m okay. And she’s okay.

I look past AJ through the small window in the door.

There she is.

Eyes open.

Blinking slowly.

And I feel like we both just came back from the dead.

46

Sable

I’m freezing.

And everything looks fuzzy.

My throat’s dry and achy. My limbs feel like they’re underwater. My chest aches, deep and sharp like something’s stabbing it.

But I see my family.

I think back, surprised that I remember. I remember every detail down to the sound of the gunshot. The only thing I don’t know is how long I’ve been in this bed.

And where my babies are.

“The girls,” I whisper. “Where are they?”

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