I couldn't stop moving.
No matter how hard I tried, sitting still in the hospital waiting room proved an impossible feat. My hands kept furling and unfurling, like they no longer knew what to do with themselves now that I didn't need a pair of scissors or a knife to keep me company. The balls of my feet bounced against the linoleum floor, ready to make a run for it if necessary. And every ten seconds I'd glance over my shoulder, scared as hell that Samantha had somehow followed us to St. Peters.
Was this how it was going to be from now on? Would I be trapped in this constant motion and fear that I wasn't actually safe—that it was all an illusion?
My eyes slipped shut. I was fine. I was safe. Samantha wasn't here. She was back at the warehouse, probably in handcuffs. She couldn't hurt me, Coden, Rosalie, or anyone else again. The rest of her life would be spent in orange and staring at cell walls.
But some part of me refused to be convinced. The movement and frantic search for any sign of Samantha continued. And the longer I sat there, the more nervous I became. You're out in the open, my mind whispered. She'll find you here.
My already searing headache grew even more intense. No. She won't. I'm safe. I'm safe.
"Excuse me?"
I jumped, gaze shooting upward to find Rosalie's mom, a caring woman with an equally kind-looking face, standing in front of me, her arms crossed loosely over her chest. The moment my eyes met hers, her arms fell to her sides. "Oh," I murmured, sitting straighter in my seat. "Ms. Parker. Hi."
Ms. Parker smiled and took the vacant seat next to mine, her hands folded in her lap. I looked down at my own, fisted hands. "Rosalie is in the bathroom," she told me. She brought a hand through some blond strands of hair and let out a sigh. "Can I get you anything?" she asked. "Some water, food—anything?"
I shook my head even though I wanted both of those things. "No thank you."
Ms. Parker nodded and fell silent, her eyes locked on the bathroom door. I wondered what was running through her mind, but I didn't ask. I just stared at the door with her, unbelievably happy that Rosalie had made it through the night alive.
My thoughts strayed to Coden, who was currently undergoing surgery on his leg. If it weren't for him, none of this would have been possible. Rosalie and I wouldn't have spoken to our families ever again. We'd have died tonight, like most of the others.
Like Valarie.
"I—" Ms. Parker swallowed. "I wanted to thank you." When my eyebrows creased, she hurried to elaborate. "For everything you've done for Rosalie. She told me that you and the boy in surgery—Coden, is that his name?" I nodded, and Ms. Parker did the same. "She told me you two watched over her and did your best to keep her safe. Thank you. I'll never be able to repay you for what you've done for us."
She grabbed me gingerly by the hand, her eyes boring into my own, like she was trying to convey just how much our protecting Rosalie meant to her. I smiled a small smile. "I'm just glad she's safe," I said truthfully. "I don't know what I would've done if she hadn't made it."
Ms. Parker's grip tightened. "I don't either," she said, releasing me from her hold and leaning back in her chair. "She's all I have. If anything ever—"
Suddenly the bathroom door opened and Rosalie appeared, her eyes flicking about her surroundings before landing on her mother and I. When she saw us, she smiled and scurried over to where we were sitting, her blond curls bouncing. "Serenity," she said as she reached us. She glanced over her shoulder before continuing what she had to say. "Do you think Coden will be out of surgery soon?"
