Jennie laughed. “I’m surprised you got as much as you did.” She sniffed then proceeded to explain what had happened in the emergency room.
“Oh, honey. I’m sure he doesn’t think that. And if he did, he’s not worth your energy.”
“It was humiliating. I have no idea what my coworkers think about me now. And the detective….” She covered her face with her hands.
“Next time you go to work, hold your head high. You’re an awesome nurse. Don’t forget that. And if that detective so much as says one negative thing about you, tell him he’ll face my wrath.”
Jennie smiled. “Thanks, Tina.” She wiped tears from her cheeks. Her chest loosened and she took her first full deep breath since she arrived home.
“Anytime, honey.”
“I miss you.”
“Ah, girl, I miss you too. Maybe someday soon, I’ll come visit.”
Except for her once-a-year visit, Tina had stayed away to guard Jennie’s location. She appreciated her protectiveness. But Jennie didn’t have many friends. “Promise?”
“You know it. Feel better?”
“Yes. Thanks for listening.”
“Any time, my friend.”
They said their goodbyes.
Jennie pushed to a stand. Once her legs quit wobbling, she moved to her bedroom. The phone call with Tina helped, but the deep-seated fear lingered in the quiet house.
After changing clothes, she crawled under the fluffy light green duvet that wrapped her in a false sense of security. She felt like a child hiding under blankets from imaginary monsters. But her monster had proven real and had almost cost her her life. She glanced at her bedside lamp but couldn’t convince herself to turn it off.
Thankfully, Zoey had stayed the night with Aunt Emily and hadn’t witnessed Jennie’s panic attack. She’d never kept the truth from Zoey, and the young girl knew more than anyone her age ever should. She refused to allow her daughter to endure the same horrors again.
The thought of Kenny made Jennie’s nerves zing like live wires. She snatched her cell phone from the nightstand and clasped it to her chest like her life depended on it.
Because if Kenny got out of prison, the phone might be the only thing that saved her life.
**
Thursday 7:00 a.m.
David hobbled to the living room with the phone to his ear, listening to his mom chatter on about him getting hurt, and halted in front of the family pictures that lined the fireplace mantel. He stepped closer and studied the photo of his parents and his sister. He struggled to pull air into his lungs when his gaze landed on Brenda. His fiancée had died three years ago from a gunshot wound. The ache refused to dissipate. The woman he’d longed to spend the rest of his life with—gone.
“David?”
“Sorry, Mom. Got lost in thought looking at family pictures.”
“She loved you, you know.”
A lump occupied his throat. He nodded even though she couldn’t see him. “I know.”
“You could take it down if it’s too hard.”
He swallowed hard and traced the frame with his finger. “No. I don’t want to forget her.”
“I know it hurts, but she wouldn’t want you to go through life alone.”
He snorted. “Subtle, Mom.”
She laughed. “Would I love to see you married and give me grandkids? Yes. But more than anything, I want to see you happy.”
