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“Nash!” Erin cried.
Edwards didn’t sound worried, though. “Just give him a couple hours. He’ll be fine.”
Erin wasn’t buying it, and neither was I. But by then, the world was fading…fading…gone.
* * *
How long I was out for, I had no clue. For a while, I was out cold. At some point, I was vaguely aware of mumbling feverishly and being heaped with blankets. Then came a nightmarish phase in which I relived my deepest, darkest memories — most of which related to Angelina. Those clung doggedly to my mind, but eventually, they faded, scrubbed away by brilliant sunshine. Only then did I doze for a while.
When I woke, the sun was high, the sky clear and bright.
I blinked. Wow.Reallybright.Sunglassesbright, though the lumpy objects stacked on my chest cast a little shade. I felt around and lifted a…bunny into view.
Yes, a bunny. A fluffy pink stuffed-animal bunny.
Hopper,my dragon said dryly.
Next, I found a teddy bear — Fred, if memory served right — and a rainbow-colored unicorn whose name I couldn’t remember.
Setting them aside, I rolled and slowly sat up. My foot found a free spot, but not by much, because a whole stable of model horses were lined up there, keeping watch over me.
I looked them over, identifying a few. Seabiscuit… Man o’ War… Black Beauty…
Leaning over, I rubbed my eyes. Damn, was it bright. Not interrogation-bright, just a nice, cheery,I can see clearly now, the rain has gonekind of bright.
And, wow. My whole body felt… Well, maybe notbright, but light.
I stood, took a couple of wobbly steps away from the porch, then tipped my head back. Wow. The sky was an intense blue, the rocks redder than ever. Every breath that slipped down my throat was a crisp, clean delight. My shoulder sported a burn, and my left leg was sore, but those wounds were healing fast.
All in all, I felt good. Really good, in a way I hadn’t in a long, long time.
“Oh. You’re better,” a cheery, little-girl voice said.
I turned to find Claire with another armful of stuffed animals.
“I am. Hopper helped.” I waved a little — and oops. The bunny was still in my hand, exuding pink joy, like Claire. “So did Seabiscuit,” I added, because setting up all those horses had to have taken a lot of time. “Thank you.”
Claire’s smile brought out her dimples. Then she turned to Abby, who’d just emerged from the house. “See, Mommy? It worked.”
“It did. Thank you,” I said, bracing myself for Abby’s scowl.
She didn’t, though. She just tousled Claire’s hair, nodded, and whispered, “No. Thankyou.”
She made eye contact for all of two seconds before glancing at the rise behind me. Then she whirled and disappeared back into the house, muttering something about lunch.
I turned to check the road. The SUVs were gone, but a faint trail of dust still hung in the air.
Inside the house, Abby hollered, “Hey, Erin. He’s up.”
The door banged open, and Erin flew out.
Her eyes went right to the couch, and her brow furrowed. Then she spotted me and lit up.
And I mean, lit up, with every line of worry replaced by joy and relief.
My heart doubled in size. How often was a guy treated to a look like that?
Erin leaped to the ground, skipping the stairs, and raced toward me. Then she slowed, suddenly self-conscious.
