Larson drove over branches, around trees, and through pastures. Emma grabbed Josh’s arm, his warmth seeping into her, and she melted into the seat beside him. She nursed her bottle of R between catnaps as Larson and Josh’s dad talked in the front seat. The constant drone of Bill, Dean, and Mo cursing and arguing as they bounced around in the truck bed blended with the whine of the engine.
The trek to Gran and Papa’s farm, then back to Josh’s, then the netting incident in the barn left her whole body aching.
Questions rushed through her mind: Would Mom be at the hospital? Why were Josh’s hands so warm? How could she apologize to Mom? The song “Over the River and Through the Woods” ran through her dreams like a loop.
She bolted upright in the seat and gazed at her surroundings. Bill and company still complained from the back, but the truck had stopped. Larson carried a chainsaw to a tree. Josh and Dr. Woolf carried the sections he cut to make way for the truck.
She sank back in the seat, the buzz of the chainsaw playing like heavy metal through her dreams. She woke again. Josh had opened the door. He helped his dad winch a car off the road. She quit counting all the stops, thankful she didn’t have to climb over all these trees. She closed her eyes and mumbled thanks to the goddesses.
****
She pushed herself from Josh’s shoulder and smoothed her hair. The truck had stopped. Josh watched her, grinning. She wiped her face. “What?”
“We made it. We’re at the hospital.” He caressed her shoulder with a warm hand.
A tingle ran from her shoulders to her toes. The turn signal blinked. A gray stone building sprawled in front of her, filling the whole block. She counted five storeys, as Larson turned the corner and parked. Did the patients have to climb stairs now?
“All out for the hospital.” Larson hopped out and walked to the bed of the truck. Dr. Woolf opened her door and took her hand. She stepped down. He took her elbow and walked her to the sidewalk. The crow’s feet around his eyes mellowed his rugged features.
She threw her arms him, and he raised his arms in surprise then wrapped them around her patting her back.
Not too long ago, she’d feared every stranger she met, but these men gave her faith that there were still good guys in the world. Lilli and Jade did too, and of course, Josh.
“I think I need to go to the hospital.” Bill poked his head over the side of the truck. “My whole body’s numb.”
“Quit crying, you big baby.” Larson scowled. He turned to Josh and his dad, grinning. “Thanks again. I couldn’t have caught these bad guys without your help. You and Emma make a good team.” He shook her hand first. She nodded, stunned. He shook Josh’s hand.
“Emma?”
She spun around. A woman stood near the glass doors to the hospital, running her fingers through her hair. She wore dirty jeans, a wrinkled flannel shirt, and no makeup. She was beautiful.
“Mom?”
Emma rushed into her mother’s open arms, the hospital blurring. “Mom.” She clung to her, “I thought you were…” Tears flowed, and her shoulders shook as she cried.
“I’m here, baby. I’m right here.”
She hiccupped and stepped back. Mom dabbed at her face, and Emma grabbed her hands. She’d dreamed of this moment since waking in the Little Shoppe of Colours. She’d imagined all the things she’d say, but the words wouldn’t come. She cried and clung to Mom.
When she’d wished on that shooting star, it had been for Mom to find her. But the second star was for anyone to find her so she could live this moment. She closed her eyes and leaned into her mother.
“I finally found you.” Mom held Emma tight, her warmth pouring into Emma, forgiving her.
“I’m so sorry.”
Mom brushed the hair from her face. “You look like you could use a night in the hospital.”
Emma chuckled. “I suppose I do.”
“There’s someone here who is anxious to see you.”
“Sarah?”
“Gran, and Papa, too.”
She closed her eyes. “Thank all the goddesses.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Are they okay?”
“That’s their story to tell. Let’s just say, Gran wanted to run out here in her hospital gown to see you. The nurse said, she couldn’t have her patients mooning the doctors.”
Emma laughed, her cheeks aching from smiling so hard. She didn’t want to break this spell. A stillness settled in her chest. She’d survived with the help of strangers who had become friends.
She could never view the world as she had before the storms. The devastation, the power outages, and the blocked roads, none of that mattered now. She had found her family.
Mom held her at arm’s length as if taking inventory. Emma would never need her as she had two weeks ago. She had survived.
Josh walked down the sidewalk talking with his dad. Was he waiting for her? Another surge of emotions washed through her. She lifted her hand and waved, unable to name all the emotions coursing through her: gratitude, relief, love?
“Who’s that?” Mom nodded in Josh’s direction.
Josh and his dad approached, Josh holding out his hand. Mom clasped it. A chill ran down her spine, and she swallowed, pushing down a lump.
“Mom, this is Josh and his dad, Dr. Woolf.”
“Thank you, so much for bringing her here.” Mom clasped Josh’s hand and held it. “I can’t tell you…” Her tears fell freely.
Josh blushed. “She’s strong and smart. She helped me as much as I helped her.”
Did he just say smart? Emma swayed, and he took her elbow. Her cheeks burned, but she leaned on him.
“I’m Ed.” Josh’s father held out his hand. “My wife’s here, too.”
Josh’s mom. His fingers were twined with hers, and she never wanted to let go. He glanced at her, all the small talk a blur in her brain.
“We’re going inside now.”
“Yes,” she murmured.
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Until we meet again.”
He’d remembered. Mrs. M’s final words to her pulsed through her veins like ice then fire. She closed her mouth. How long had it been hanging open? He held her gaze then grinned, releasing her hand. He turned to his dad, and together they strolled into the hospital.
Mom raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading across her face. Heat rose to Emma’s cheeks and burned. He’d remembered.
“I think it is time for you to see a doctor, young lady. You’re pale and a little wobbly.”
“Me? What about you?” Mom could have mentioned Josh kissing her hand, but she didn’t. Emma wove her arm in her mom’s and squeezed.
“Maybe they can put a cot next to Gran’s, so you can lie down while you visit.”
“That sounds amazing.”
She wanted to pinch herself. Her stomach filled with tingles that had nothing to do with drinking from the river. Josh’s kiss, his, “Until we met again.”
She strolled into the hospital arm in arm with Mom, a brisk November wind brushing loose hairs against her cheek as they walked into the lobby. The lights popped on, and a cheer echoed in the vast space.
“Here she comes.” Mom swept a racing Sarah into her arms.
Sarah kissed Mom’s cheek then squirmed from her arms.
“Emma.” Sarah grabbed her hand.
Emma pulled her into a hug.
Soft clouds in a sea of blue sky reflected off the glass doors. Emma released Sarah as the intercom clicked.
“Code blue, second floor, room 312.”
The End.
A word about the author…
Avis Adams writes poetry and YA Fiction. Her poems have won awards and been published online and in various literary journals, and Quilcene, a chapbook was published in 2019. Her debut YA novel is 'The Incident,' published by TWRP. She lives on a small farm in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, where she writes and gardens. She teaches English at a local community college.
https://avis-m-adams.com