Page 42 of Death, Interrupted

Her breaths lengthened a little. Her hands uncurled just enough that I could see her fingers again instead of fists. Tears kept coming, but she was slowly coming back to me. I gave her time and space, and went to wet the cloth twice more to keep it cool.

When the worst of it loosened, she let her head fallback against the tub and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said, voice raspy.

“You don’t owe me an apology,” I said. “Not ever for this.”

She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have called you.”

“I’m glad you did,” I told her.

She wiped her face with the heel of her hand. “I hate this,” she said.

“I hate it for you,” I said. “But you made it through because you’re strong.”

We fell silent again, and after a while, she reached up and pulled my hand away from her neck. I didn’t argue and just held the cloth.

“Do you want to move to the couch, or stay here a little longer?”

“Couch,” she whispered.

“Okay,” I said, getting up. “Do you want me to help you stand up?”

She hesitated, then nodded.

I slid a hand under her forearm and steadied her until she was on her feet. Her legs wobbled, and I kept close without pulling her anywhere. We walked the few steps to the living room, and I settled her onto the couch. I grabbed the blanket from the floor, shook it out, and tucked it over her legs. “I’ll get you some water.”

It took me a moment to find the glasses, but once I did, I filled one with water and headed back to the couch.

She took a few small sips, then lowered the glass and looked up at me. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” I said. “But I’ll take it.”

Her eyes never left me, and I could see she was thinking hard about something. I was prepared to be kicked out, and while I wasn’t ready to leave her on her own this soon, I would leave if she’d asked me to.

“Will you stay?”

Her question was one I didn’t expect but had hoped to hear.

“If you want me to.”

She nodded. “I want you to.”

“Okay.”

That’s good. I wouldn’t have been okay with leaving and risking not hearing from her again for days. I sat down on the couch with enough space between us, giving her the space I knew she needed.

I was happy just sitting here in silence, and it was up to her if she wanted to talk. I’d listen.

Chapter 15

Sumner

I shifted on the couch and pulled the blanket higher. My hands had stopped shaking, but my body still felt heavy, and so did my mind. Sly sat a little further away, quiet, waiting for me to set the pace.

What he had done to me was immense. It shouldn’t have been a normal thing for him to just sit with me and breathe and walk me through everything. I hated how well he knew how to deal with a panic attack, and it meant that he had them too. He said he did, but I didn’t know if they were in the past or still occurred.

Either way, he helped me without batting an eye. He didn’t push, didn’t ask me to explain or unpack anything. Instead, he just sat there, present and patient, as if that alone could somehow lighten the weight pressing down on me. And, in a way, it did. I glanced at him, grateful for the quiet comfort that didn’t demand anything in return. For a moment, it felt safe to just be, without expectations or pressure to fill the silence with words.

My stomach growled, and it reminded me that I hadn’t eaten in two days.