Page 151 of Only With Me

“What happened?” she asks hoarsely.

After a few seconds of looking back at her mom and sister, I respond, “Emery and Kenny, do you remember ‘em attackin’ you?”

She blinks a few times and then moves her hand to the side of her stomach. “They took me in the parkin’ lot at work.”

“Yeah. Do you remember where you were going?” Delilah asks.

Harlow’s eyes widen and then looks between her sister and mom.

“Daddy. Is he okay?”

The room stays silent long enough for Harlow to figure it out. Tears fill her eyes within seconds and they fall down her cheeks. She closes them for so long, I worry she’s fallen back asleep.

“What happened?” she finally asks.

I’m glad she seems more aware than we expected but I hate that it’s the first thing she has to hear after she wakes up.

Mrs. Fanning explains everything from the moment she went to check on him and realizing he wasn’t breathing to calling 911 and then finding his empty medicine bottles.

From what Harlow’s shared with me, this was always a fear of theirs.

“You can still say goodbye if you want to,” Mrs. Fanning says. “We have a little time before they remove it.”

“Will they let me sit in a wheelchair so I can sit with him?” she asks, and when she makes a slight movement to adjust, she winces in pain.

“Take it easy, lemme help.” I stand, fluffing her pillows that are secured by her side to keep the ice packs in place.

Once she’s comfortable, Mrs. Fanning tells her that they’ll do whatever they can to accommodate her as long as she doesn’t overdo it.

Then we go through the events of Wilder and me finding her, what injuries she’s sustained, and what her recovery for the next several months looks like. I tell her everything Sheriff Wagner said about Emery and Kenny’s charges and that they’re going to pay for what they did.

“I can’t believe this happened again.”

“But you fought back this time, Harlow,” I remind her. “You got some good hits in and didn’t make it easy for him. Even after you were in pain, you put up a fight. I’m so proud of you.”

“Is it weird that I’m glad Daddy doesn’t know about this? He’d be so distraught knowin’ he couldn’t protect me from ‘em again.”

Her mom and sister cry with her, holding her hand and giving each other a safe space to let out their emotions.

“Daddy knew you were in good hands.” Delilah looks at me with sincerity. “He told me the day after I found out about y’all that he knew Waylon would take good care of you.”

That makes me choke up knowing I not only let Harlow down, but her father, too.

After another hour of talking about the incident and her dad, Mrs. Fanning says she wants to go home and freshen up before returning this evening to say goodbye. She also wants to make some phone calls, get their pastor to come, and notify a few friends.

I hate this for her. No one should have to go through this.

Delilah offers to go with her, so I stay with Harlow for some alone time.

“Are you doing okay without the morphine?”

“Unless it numbs the heartache I’m feelin’, morphine won’t be enough anyway.”

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am. For what you’re goin’ through. For what happened to you. For keepin’ a secret from you.”

“Well, you’re only responsible for one out of the three.”

“You’re the strongest person I know, baby. You’re gonna get through this. I know it’ll be hard, but if you’ll let me, I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”