After an interview with one of the deputies, she retired to the screened porch and watched from a distance, a stranger in her own home.
Jessie stepped out to join her. “You okay?”
George thought about it. Was she okay?
“Yes. I think I am.” She raised the bottle she’d pulled from a kitchen cupboard. “Care for a glass of cooking sherry?”
“Hell yes. From the bottle is fine, if you don’t have an actual glass.”
“Here. Share mine.”
Jessie took a long swig, refilled the glass, and handed it to George.
“Seriously, though. You feeling all right? You’ve had quite a night.”
“I’m completely unfazed by this.” George threw back the sherry. She’d have a headache in the morning, but fuck it. “Which I’m sure means I’m in shock. It’ll hit soon.”
They passed the glass back and forth, refilled it, and did it again. “You can’t possibly be okay with all these people in your house?”
George stilled and looked inside, past Jessie.
“I’m alive. He’s alive.” She glanced at Jessie. “You and Gabe are safe. Does anything else really matter?” Pushing back a wave of hysteria, George went on. “What would I have done if you hadn’t shown up right then, Jessie?”
“Oh, no. Don’t you dare cry, or I’ll let loose and then we’ll never stop.”
“I’m not.” She sniffled and wiped her nose. “You saved his life. You were amazing. What would I have done—”
“Okay, stop it right now. First of all, I’m trained in firearms”—Jessie motioned inside—“and in how to deal with lunatics like that.” She leaned in and put a hand on George’s arm, squeezing just enough to be comforting. “George, you were restrained. Zip-tied, for God’s sake. And you got out.” On a huffed-out breath, Jessie shook her head. “Do you have any idea how big a deal that is?”
“I just—”
“You just nothing. You kicked ass. The rest of us… Clay? He’s trained for stuff like this.” Jessie wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. “You kicked ass.” Jessie turned to look into the kitchen. “You know, he’s gonna get pretty caught up in all of it.”
George watched Clay for a few long seconds. “I know.”
“So. The patient. The one you felt bad about feeling bad about. The guy I warned you against?”
George huffed out a half laugh. “Yeah.”
Jessie surprised her by saying, “I think you made the right choice.”
“Yeah?”
Jessie grabbed the glass from George and took hold of her hand. “You did good, George. You did good.”
George nodded and let the other woman pull her into a hug. She fought back tears that she’d rather cry on her own.
Later, after Jessie left and the crew in her house thinned out, the sheriff approached George at her spot on the porch. “Sounds like you had quite a night,” he said. “You tell my guys your side of things?”
“Yep.”
“Might need you to come down for a recorded interview.”
“Sure. Of course.”
“You doing all right?”
She smiled. “Oddly, yes.”
