Page 59 of Stitch
What if he appeared the second I looked away? What if I relaxed, and that was when he found me? Oh god. Why was he here? How the hell was he here? How was this happening?
“Okay, that’s enough. Come here, babe.” Stitch pulled me away from the window, and I fought him the whole time, because if I wasn’t keeping watch, he’d sneak up on us. He’d get to me again.
“Babe, talk to me. Who the fuck did we just run from? I want his name, I want to know who he is, and what he fucking did. He’s a dead man, babe, I promise you that.”
I couldn’t stop shaking, and Stitch’s words weren’t really permeating my consciousness, because my focus was on that window, and watching for him. If we weren’t keeping watch, he’d sneak up on us. He’d find us. I couldn’t breathe, clawing at my throat with trembling hands.
“Oh god…”
Stitch dragged me down with him, until he sat on the floor with me sitting on him.
“Hey, shh babe, it’s okay. Look, we’re out of sight, and he can’t find you, okay? He won’t find you here. Look at me, Camille, babe, look at me.”
Stitch was taking slow breaths, like he was trying to coax me or coach me, but I couldn’t do it. I was gasping and panicking, and it wouldn’t stop.
“I… I can’t…”
Stitch dug his phone out of his pocket and lifted it to his ear.
“Hey, man, is your old lady around?”
He cursed. “Of course I’m not fucking creeping on her, man. Camille is… she’s freaking out and I need her help.”
Suddenly he was moving the phone again, while I took shallow gasping breaths, and clawed at his arm, desperate for some kind of help.
“Cammy? Babe, it’s me, it’s Lissa. What’s going on?” Her voice came out of the loudspeaker on the phone.
I lifted my eyes to look at Stitch, and he nodded, offering me a small smile.
“It’s okay, babe. I’ve got you, yeah?”
“Cammy, I want you to count as you breathe in, okay? Breathe in, 1, 2, 3, 4, and breathe out. Are you doing it? Stitch, is she doing it?”
He grinned. “Yeah, darlin’, keep talking, it’s helping her.”
Was it? Did I feel more in control? No, because he was out there. I sucked in another panicked breath, and Stitch cursed.
“Do the breathing thing, babe, come on. You’re safe.”
“Cammy, breathe with me, babe. You can do this.” Lissa talked me through my breathing for what seemed like forever, and finally I felt the panic starting to recede. Air was reaching all the parts of me that had started tingling during my panic, and the light-headedness was fading slowly.
“That’s good, well done, babe. You’ve got this. You’re doing great.”
Lissa’s voice was grounding me, and Stitch’s gaze on me, his eyes on mine and his hand squeezing mine; it was all helping, it was all making the panic ebb away, minute by painful minute.
Finally I slumped against Stitch, exhausted and feeling a little drowsy after all the energy I’d expended in the longest panic attack I’d had in years.
“Lissa, thanks so much. I’m gonna get Camille onto the bed to rest, and then I’m gonna move from this location, so she feels safer. Tell Ice I’m calling back and he better be ready.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I thanked Lissa, and let Stitch haul me up from the floor and lead me to the bed we hadn’t tidied away. He eased meunder the covers, and tucked me in, leaning over to pull the only open curtains closed again.
“I’m gonna put some distance between us and this place, babe. You rest up for me. Can you do that? I don’t want to leave you alone, but I know you’ll feel safer when we’ve moved, won’t you?”
I nodded. “Please, Stitch. Get me away from here.” He kissed my forehead.
“Rest up, babe. I love you, and I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
Stitch
