Page 19

I hold her close, willing her to stay with me.

And for the first time in my life, I pray.

As soon as she’s safe, I’m going to that trailer.

8.Laney

The world tilts and shifts,like I’m floating on a boat in choppy waters. My limbs are heavy, my thoughts sluggish like my brain is swimming through syrup. I hear voices, but they’re muffled, distant, like I’m underwater. My body aches, though I can’t quite place why.

A warm hand strokes my forehead, pushing damp hair back from my face. The touch is gentle, grounding. I try to focus, to pull myself out of the fog.

“Laney? Baby, can you hear me?”

The voice is deep, rough around the edges, familiar. I cling to it, let it pull me closer to consciousness. I blink sluggishly, my eyelids feeling like they’re weighted down. The world is blurred at first, the lights too bright, the colors too sharp. I groan and turn my head, trying to escape the intensity of it.

“Easy, sweetheart,” the voice soothes. Fingers trace down my arm, careful but firm, like they’re reassuring themselves I’m still here. “You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

Eddie.

The recognition hits me like a lightning bolt, but everything else is a haze. I don’t know why I feel this way, why my body won’t cooperate, why my head is pounding like a drumbeatagainst my skull. I blink again, forcing my vision to focus, and there he is. Eddie, crouched beside the couch, his stormy eyes locked on mine, worry etched into every line of his face.

“Eddie?” My voice comes out as a whisper, dry and shaky.

“Yeah, baby, I’m right here.” He grips my hand, his thumb stroking across my knuckles. “You scared the shit out of me.”

I frown, confusion wrapping around me like a heavy fog. My mouth feels like cotton, my throat dry and scratchy. “W-what happened?”

Eddie’s jaw tightens, and something dark flashes in his eyes. He hesitates, like he doesn’t know what to say.

“You don’t remember?” he asks carefully.

I shake my head, but even that small movement makes me dizzy. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing my body to settle, but the sense of unease doesn’t fade. My heart starts to pound, my chest tightening. “I feel weird,” I murmur, voice unsteady. “Everything’s… slow.”

Eddie curses under his breath and shifts closer. “It’s okay, Laney. You’re gonna be okay. Some asshole gave you something. We don’t know what yet, but a doctor is on the way.”

Something cold trickles down my spine.Gave me something?I try to piece it together, but my memory is a black hole. Panic bubbles up in my throat, making it harder to breathe. My fingers clutch at Eddie’s shirt, desperate for something solid.

“I don’t… I don’t remember anything,” I admit, my voice shaking.

Eddie’s expression hardens, but his touch remains gentle. “That’s okay. You don’t need to remember, baby. Just focus on me.”

Tears burn at the back of my eyes, frustration and fear colliding in my chest. “I don’t like this,” I whisper. “I feel… wrong.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Eddie says, his voice thick with barely contained emotion. “I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”

A knock at the door barely registers through my haze. Eddie quickly glances away from me before barking, “Get in here. Now.”

A man in his fifties enters carrying a medical bag. His presence should be reassuring, but all I feel is exposed, vulnerable. I don’t want some stranger near me. My grip on Eddie tightens instinctively, and he immediately understands, shifting so he’s half-cradling me against his chest.

“She doesn’t want anyone else touching her,” Eddie tells the doctor, his voice clipped. “You tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

The doctor nods, his gaze assessing but not unkind. “Alright. Let’s start simple. Has she been responsive?”

“She just woke up a couple of minutes ago. She’s disoriented.”

The doctor kneels beside us, speaking directly to me. “Laney, do you feel numbness anywhere? Trouble breathing?”

I shake my head, though my limbs still feel heavy. “Just… slow. Fuzzy.”