Page 63 of What He Always Knew

“You’re ridiculous,” she said, still smiling, but her face went ash white when she picked up her phone from my desk. “Oh, my God.”

“What?”

“Oh, my God,” she repeated, frantically typing out something on her phone. “It’s Christina. Something happened on their flight over. She’s in the hospital.” Charlie shook her head, still glued to her phone as she blindly felt for her purse and keys. “Shit, everyone’s been calling and texting me. Mom, Dad, Graham, Cameron. They’ve been there two hours now.”

Her face twisted, tears pooling in her eyes, and her hands shook when she finally found her keys.

“Hey,” I said, pulling her to a stop before she could bolt out the door. “Take a minute, breathe, it’s okay. Come here.”

“I have to go.”

“I know,” I said, hugging her anyway. “I know. Please, just take three deep breaths for me. You’re not going to help anyone by getting in an accident trying to speed over there.”

“I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if she’s okay, if the baby…” She choked. “Oh,God,the baby, Reese.”

“Charlie,” I said again, pulling back until I could see her. I held her trembling body in my arms, smoothing my hands over her shoulders. “Breathe.”

She blew out a breath, shaking her head like I was crazy, but then she inhaled long and deep, letting the next breath out slower. I breathed with her, and after her trembling stopped, she opened her eyes again.

“Better?” I asked.

She nodded, though worry still painted her face. “I have to get to them.”

“I know. Drive safe, okay? I mean it. And text me once you know more. Hey,” I said when she started breathing faster again. “It’s going to be okay. You hear me? It’ll all be okay.”

She nodded, eyes finding mine again. “Can you come with me? Please. I just… can you come, too?”

I swallowed, chest aching with the way she watched me.

“I want to, Charlie. I do. But, Blake…”

Her breaths stopped altogether, mouth flattening, and she stepped back from my hold. “Right.”

“She’ll be home soon, and I just…” I tried to explain, but I could see by Charlie’s expression that there was nothing I could say. “It’s better this way. You need to be with your family right now. How would you explain it to your parents, if I showed up with you tonight?”

“You’ve been a part of our family since you were a kid,” she countered.

“Yes, but what are you going to tell them? That you were with me all night at school, that we stayed long after everyone else left? Or that you had already left, but you called me first instead of rushing to the hospital once you turned your phone on?” I shook my head. “Graham will call and tell me soon, and I’ll come to the hospital then. We were supposed to meet up tomorrow evening. He’ll call me, Charlie,” I said again, making her look at me. “And I promise, I will come.”

She let out a long breath, nodding, though I knew she hated the truth of the situation as much as I did.

“Okay,” she said after a moment. “I have to go.”

“Text me,” I told her as we walked out to her car — well, asIwalked, and she practically sprinted. I held her door open for her as she climbed inside, holding it open until she promised. “Let me know you made it okay.”

“I’ll try.”

“Charlie.”

She sighed. “I will. And I’ll drive safe.”

“It’s going to be okay,” I repeated.

Charlie tried to smile, but it fell short, and as soon as I closed her door, she backed out of my driveway and peeled off down the road.

Charlie

By the time I made it to the hospital, I was sicker than I’d been all day.