screaming. I still hear it.”
Laura raked her fingers through her hair. “And then, to watch you rise above it all – all the glass, all the blood – and just disappear.”
“You did see me.” I hadn’t imagined it then, Laura looking up at me with wide eyes.
“And you saw me,” Laura repeated back at me. “You saw me and you still left. You just vanished. And every day I have to live, knowing that I should be dead. I should be the ghost here, not you. You just had to ride ahead and be the hero and. . .”
I threw my arms around her and pulled her against my chest. I was not surprised to feel the impact of her body against mine.
I rested my chin on the top of her head as she shouted into my skin, “I killed you! You let me kill you! I hate you, you bitch. You left me alone with all the goddamn guilt.” She pounded one hand against my chest as though she was trying to restart my long-dead heart.
Stroking her hair, I whispered, “I don’t want you to feel guilty. I want you to be happy. I want you to have a long, happy life. It’s not your fault, Laura. It’s not your fault.”
“I don’t believe you! Liar! You fucking liar! Y-y-you!” Sadie’s voice broke in a sob. Her body went limp in my arms as she wailed. I felt her chest expand with every shaky breath she took. I felt her heart pounding against me. She was so alive.
My shirt was damp as she cried. She gripped my soaked shirt in her fists. “I’m here now. I’m here. Don’t worry,” I told her.
She started hiccupping in an attempt to catch her breath. Each hiccup sent her body into spasms against mine.
My eyes watered as she tried to regain control. I held her closer and rubbed her back.