I hate the idea of losing Miranda. She’s intuitive, trustworthy, and intelligent. I told her I would make it work, that she could go to school and still work for me. Assuming there’s even a reason to work for me anymore.
Miranda waits for my response. “I’m good. Thanks for everything. Getting my parents out here and all that.” I hadn’t expected them to come, but they arrived the morning of my surgery. It was good to have them, but three days with my parents hovering over me was enough. My mom was oddly nurturing. Maybe the arrival of her first grandson smoothed out her edges.
“Wild horses couldn’t have kept your mother away.” Miranda chuckles. I wonder if my mom gave her a hard time. It’s safe to assume she did. “I’m going to pack everything up in the morning. Flight’s at two.”
“Sounds good.” I nod. I’ve had enough recovery time in this hotel room. It’s nice, but I want my own bed. My own stuff.
Miranda opens the door and backs up until she’s standing in the dimly lit hallway. “Let me know if you need anything tonight.”
I wave at her from my bed. A mountain of pillows prop me up, and additional pillows keeps my leg elevated. I might have all the extra pillows in the hotel. White bandages hide my knee and the incision.
The TV is on low, playing some sitcom re-run I’m seeing but not really watching, when my phone rings. It’s just out of my reach on the nightstand. Annoyance flares. Why didn’t I ask Miranda to hand it to me before she left? Normally I’d let the phone call go, but something tells me I should answer it.
Stretching, scooting, and being mindful of my leg, I get my fingertips on the end of the phone, walking them forward until its firmly in my palm. It’s on the fifth ring and I know soon it will go to voicemail.
Flipping it over, I look at the name flashing on the screen. My stomach flops.
“Hello?” I answer quickly. For weeks I’ve been fighting the urge to call Ember again, but here she is calling me.
“Noah?”
My excitement fades. It’s a man’s voice.
“Yes?” Then I think about why someone would be calling me from Ember’s phone, and fear cascades through me.
“Is Ember okay?” My voice is rough and demanding. Panicked.
“She’s fine. This is Dayton, Ember’s friend. We met—”
“I remember,” I interrupt. I know it’s rude, but I’m not interested in cordial greetings. “Why are you calling me?”
If Ember’s fine, why isn’t she the one using her phone?
“Ember’s mom is in the ICU. She was thrown from a motorcycle earlier today. The doctor isn’t certain how bad it is just yet, but Ember is losing her mind. And—” he sighs, pauses, then continues “—if she falls, you should be there to catch her.”
The news sinks in.
“I’ll be there as soon as possible. Tomorrow morning.” I look down at my leg.
“Good,” Dayton’s voice is pleased. I get the feeling I just passed a test.
“Ember told me not to call you, but I know her better than that.”
“Are you going to tell her I’m coming?”
Dayton snorts. “Have you ever been punched by her? It hurts. Even when she thinks it’s a friendly smack.”
A short laugh escapes me. “I’ll take that as a no then.”
Dayton tells me the hospital where Maddie was taken, and I tell him to expect me in the morning. We hang up and I call Miranda.
“Change of plans,” I say sharply when she answers. “I need to get back home to Northmount ASAP.”
I wait on the line while she pulls out her laptop and looks up flights. “I can get us on the nine a.m. It’s the first one out in the morning. There’s one that leaves at eleven tonight, but that’s in, like, three hours. So we’ll plan on—”
“Tonight,” I say. I want to hold Ember tonight. I want her to know she has me. Years have passed, but I haven’t gone anywhere.
“Okay,” Miranda says, her voice reluctant, but she doesn’t ask any questions. She tells me she’ll need fifteen minutes to book our tickets, get dressed and throw her things in her bag.
