Page 106 of Mazywood

“I kn-know,” Daddy said, still shivering. “You’re both badasses, getting me inside.”

Imani wanted to ask him if he had found Mom, but she knew he would have reported any good news. Either he hadn’t seen her, or he didn’t want to say what he had seen. She handed him the silver blanket through the gap, keeping it away from the fire. Daddy grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders. Hugging himself.

“Do you want me to hold the gun for a second?” Imani asked.

She expected him to say, No, I’ve got it, muffin, but instead he ducked underneath the rifle’s strap and handed it to her through the gap without hesitating. The rifle’s weight trembled in his hands as he passed it. Daddy had needed to find them as much as they needed to find him.

“Finger off the trigger unless you see it coming,” he panted. “Keep a lookout. It used to live here. When it was… smaller.”

“We know—and there’s a tunnel, Dad,” Sharise said. “It goes under the tree.”

Daddy leaned against the tree trunk, still hugging himself in the blanket. “You sure… it can’t come through?”

“The tunnel’s way too small,” Imani said. “Like a rabbit hole.”

Daddy nodded, satisfied. As Imani expected, he didn’t stay on his feet long. He slid down against the tree trunk beside the hollow and the fire until he was sitting. For the first time, Sharise gave Imani a worried look.

“Dad, are you okay?” Sharise asked, although he obviously wasn’t.

Daddy panted out cloudy breath. “Actually… not really,” he said. Grown-ups usually lied when they didn’t feel right, but the truth was sacred on a day like this one. “None of us are okay. But… I have a hell of a headache.”

“You hit your head on the road,” Imani reminded him. “In the back.”

“Yeah… I figured that out,” Daddy said. “But also… my chest is tight. I thought it was a panic attack, but… I don’t know. So I need to rest a minute. I just needed to see you’re s-safe.”

Imani and Sharise went stone-silent, remembering their father’s age. He looked younger and exercised almost every day, but he was sixty years old. Imani didn’t like the way he’d said he needed to see they were safe, in the past tense. Like a last wish.

“I have a first aid kit,” Imani said. “I think there’s Tylenol?”

Daddy nodded, enthusiastic. She could see only his profile because of his angle sitting clear of the fire. “Yeah, that’s good. Hand that to me. Aspirin’s better, though. Lemme… look.”

“Where is it?” Sharise said. “You keep watch, Imani.”

“In my backpack. The black case,” Imani said, but she was heartbroken to recall her awful oversight. “Sorry I don’t have any water, Daddy.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “Don’t you dare feel bad. You did… great. More than great.”

He reached his glove around to her again to give her hand another squeeze. “Your fingers must be cold. I saw your glove on the tree. And your note, Sharise. You’ve both been so smart.” With effort, Daddy shifted his position to reach into his back pocket. He grunted and handed Imani her glove. She slipped it on her left hand so her trigger finger was unencumbered. Despite the fire, she could barely feel her fingers.

“Here,” Sharise said. She had found the first aid kit in its black zippered case, and she handed it to their father. He unzipped it in a hurry.

“I can’t believe you found us, Daddy,” Imani said.

“I had some help… from Uncle Ricky,” Daddy murmured, rifling through the first aid kit.

The sisters shot each other another look. His uncle Ricky? All of Dad’s family was dead. Was he delirious? This time, Sharise squeezed Imani’s hand almost hard enough to hurt.

“Just try to warm up from the fire, Dad,” Sharise said. “You shouldn’t try to talk.”

“Wow… there’s so much in here…” Dad said. He sounded more overwhelmed than impressed. Maybe he couldn’t think clearly.

“Let me look, Dad,” Sharise said, so he handed the case back to her, hand trembling.

She raced through the packed items. “Burn gel? Blister strips? Jesus, Imani, where’d you get this stuff?”

“I saved up my birthday money,” Imani said. “It’s a survival first aid kit, not like in the drugstore. Look in the packet with the medicines. I think it’s the black one.”

Imani wanted to look over Sharise’s shoulder to help her search, but she had to keep her eye on the snow, ready to put her finger on the trigger instead of tapping across the guard. Now that Daddy had appeared, she expected to see other shapes in the flurries. The wind was picking up, making their fire burn brighter. And faster. She hoped they wouldn’t run out of wood before Daddy got warm enough.