Page 55 of Anchored to the Storm

Ethan only stretched out a leg here and there but kept her cradled against his stomach and chest, her neck in the crook of his arm that had probably fallen asleep long ago. I couldn’t believe his hand had enough blood to hold the bowl. The arm over Sarah managed to feed himself without a drop getting on her sleeping form.

When he was done, I grabbed his bowl and took them both to the kitchen, placing them in the dishwasher. Harmony called out from the living room, “How is she?”

I entered the living room to find she and Dale were snuggled on the couch.

“Still out,” I said, not wanting to sound worried.

After a moment of studying me, she warned, “Might be a long night. Wake me if you need me, got it?”

The woman didn’t know how not to love us. “Yes, ma’am. Good night.”

Sarah used to see a counselor. She’d become a lab rat when these breakdowns occurred. No one could help—no doctor or medicine. So, the family started dealing with them on our own. Patience. Quiet. Love… and eventually, Sarah came back to us, every time.

Heading back upstairs, I saw Seb sitting at the top, waiting for me. “Johnny was so patient with her during these episodes.”

Damn, I miss that guy.

Johnny had kept insisting, “For real. She just needs us to be quiet for a while. Be still while she sorts it out inside.”

I don’t know who taught him such understanding of people, but he seemed to be able to scan them with a magical sight and—Shit, I guess now we know how.

“As is Ethan now.” I promised, “She’s in good hands.”

Sebastian rested his forearms on his knees. “How long has he loved her?”

I smiled. Ethan hid it well. “Years.”

“Damn.” His head fell and hung forward. “How’d I miss that?”

Turning at the top step, I sat next to him. “Blue. She owned your every moment.”

His head hung heavier. “Still does.”

I put an arm around him. “Will for a long time, my friend. I’m sorry.”

The saddest tears fell from Seb’s eyes onto the stair below. “A part of me left with her when she died.” He was quiet, adding, “I felt it. For a precious moment, I got to be closer to her than ever before. Then…”

I was there. I saw it all. From the moment that little girl walked into our lives… to the day she slipped away, leaving behind a completely different young man. “I don’t think you will ever love like that again.”

He leaned into me and cried deeply. “Please don’t be mad at me for looking forward to the day I die.”

My throat tightened. Such a hard thing to hear from someone I didn’t want to lose, but as I said, I had been there to see it all and understood. “Just try not to rush away from us. Be sure she would be proud of your exit⁠—”

From under my arm, he jolted.

Maybe he finally saw what I was saw. A young man searching for his own wings so he could fly straight to his Baby Blue.

In the middle of the night, it wasn’t me who comforted Ethan through another of his night terrors. Usually, it was me. Or Johnny with his sixth sense. Nope, this time it was Sarah. That’s why I didn’t move or open my eyes when I heard her whisper, “Ethan. It’s okay. You had a bad dream.”

“Sorry,” he whispered in return. I could hear him untangling his legs in sheets that were usually a mess by the time I’d get to him.

“This isn’t your first one, is it?”

His voice deepened. “No.”

Sarah sounded like an angel. “I’m sorry I missed the others.”

I thought of all the times we heard Johnny cry out for his father, sounding so scared and unlike the brave guy he would return to when awake. Then, I would watch Ethan stare at the bottom of our bedroom door, knowing what was coming. The shadows of gentle footsteps running to her dear friend.