I have no idea what time Cam read my text messages and realized Robin was already home - that he's been home since last night. I loathe to think how long Robin and Cam might have already been alone together and what might have happened. I just pray I can catch them before their confrontation unfolds - before it escalates into something terrible. I curse myself when I realize how much time I wasted traipsing around his house looking for him like an idiot when the answer was right in front of me the whole time.
My windshield wipers swipe back and forth over the fogged up glass as fast as the settings will allow, and still I squint and blink in vain, barely able to see more than a few feet in front of me. I dial Cam again as I turn onto Maple Drive, heading into town. I'm stuck at a red light before I can turn onto Main Street and my cell phone rings.
Thank God!
But when I look at the caller ID, I see it isn't Cam. I press "reject" when I see it's Chip calling me, knowing I don't have time to bullshit with him right now. My jeep progresses down Main Street at little more than a crawl.
Chip calls again, and I press "reject" before the first ring has even finished. I bet he's looking for Cam, too, and decided to try me when he got his voicemail.
As I creep down Main, I start to make out lights in the distance. As I approach, I recognize the flashes of red and blue through the fog, and finally, I'm stopped by a police officer in full storm gear flagging me down. I pull over and roll my window as little as I can get away with to avoid getting completely soaked like he is. He's a young officer, and I don't recognize him, which is strange since I know most of them here in Linton. But I guessmostisn'tall.
"You gotta go around, road's closed," he shouts to be heard over the loud rain.
Damn. There must be a power line down - it always happens when there's a bad storm. I can go around, of course, instead of straight through town, but it will add at least twenty minutes to the trip in this weather and I'm not sure Ihavetwenty minutes. God only knows what's already happening between Cam and Robin at this very moment.
"It's kinda an emergency. There's no way I can just drive through?" I plead, but he shakes his head.
"Sorry, sweetheart. And you should get on home, shouldn't be drivin' in this," he admonishes.
I scowl. "Don't call me that," I mutter and hastily close my window, reverse, and head back to Maple to go around the park. An ambulance flies by me in the opposite direction, and I grumble under my breath thatthey'renot being made to go around the park.
My phone rings again.
Chip,again.
Why is he bugging me anyway, shouldn't he think I'm in Gainesville with Robin?
Although I guess if he spoke to Cam at any point yesterday he might have mentioned I'm not... or Lacey might have mentioned Robin came home early.
Finally, after what feels like a lifetime, I arrive on the Forbes' block. My heart races more and more the closer I get to the house in which I'd been hurt so many damn times. Beads of sweat break out all over my body as the it comes into view, and my breaths come short and quick. I don't know what's wrong with me and I park outside the house, not sure if I can even drag myself out of the car.
I'm overcome with terror at the prospect of seeing Robin again, and as a phantom steel band tightens around my chest, I realize something.
Cam's car isn't even in the driveway. He's not here.
What the fuck?Where the fuck is he?!
My phone rings again. Chip again!Ugh, I do not have time for this!
"What?!" I answer finally. I hear him breathing on the line, but he hesitates.
"Rory?" he asks tentatively. Well who the hell else would it be?Hecalledme!
"Yes, Chip! I'm busy, what's up?"
And then my world is thrown off its axis.
****
Isit in the back of the police cruiser doing nothing but counting breaths in a pointless attempt to both calm my breathing and to make the longest car ride of my life go faster.
When Chip asked where I was, something in his voice made me tell him the truth. He insisted I wait right there, but wouldn't tell me anything, and already I knew something was very, very wrong. He came with his dad to pick me up, and now, time stands still as I sit here in the backseat, curled in a pitiful ball, while Chip stares at me in worry, and his father, the sheriff, drives us to the hospital. Their words replay in my mind.
Cam was in an accident.
We don't know anything yet.
It's bad, Rory.
