He lets out a breath into the phone. “Where are you? Want to meet at Ruby’s?”
I look around and realize I’m on Natchez Trace Parkway. Last time I needed to just clear my head, she had me drive here. I couldn’t believe how much that helped me then, and now, I’m here again.
“No. No drinking. I need to just go for a drive.”
“Okay. Go for your drive, then meet me at Ruby’s.”
“We’ll see. Right now, I just need to listen to music and drive.”
“Whatever you need to do. Call me later.”
“I will.”
I hang up, get back on the road, turn up the music, and just drive.
29
Kara
Nikki came right back over,and we’ve been wrapped up in blankets on my couch, watching movies, ever since.
We haven’t talked at all about the pregnancy or Silas. When I called her, asking to come back over, nothing else needed to be said. He was gone, and I was alone. That was all she needed to know.
I jump when I hear my phone ring and close my eyes, saying a silent prayer that it’s Silas calling, but I’m even more surprised when I see Joey’s name pop up.
I glance at Nikki, then answer it, concerned Silas might be at Ruby’s and not in good form from the bomb I dropped on him earlier.
“Hey, Joey.” I try to fake that I’m happy he’s calling, hoping my worst thoughts aren’t true.
“Kara, this is Myles, Fed’s friend from the station,” he says.
I sit up, wondering even more now what’s going on since he’s calling me from Joey’s phone. “Is everything okay? Is Silas there?”
He sighs. “No, sorry, he’s not. He’s not answering his phone either.”
I look at Nikki, trying not to panic.
“Look, I know what’s going on. And I’m sure he’ll absolutely kick my ass for calling you, but I felt you needed to know his why.”
I get more comfortable on the couch and put the phone on speaker so Nikki can hear too. “Okay.”
“You know we see some crazy shit in our line of work, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Some of us learn how to deal with it, and some of us deal with certain situations different from others.”
“Okay …” I say, a little confused as to where this is going.
“Feddeler is a great guy. He’s my best friend, no doubt.”
“Yeah …”
“But he’s dealing with a situation that led to how he reacted today.”
I lick my lips, fighting back tears. Memories of him crying before walking out are still too fresh in my mind, no matter how much I’ve tried to push them away today.
“One of the first calls he went on was for a child who drowned.”
