I hear sirens in the distance, and I look over to make sure that I can see Ethan who is now sitting with a paramedic as she checks him out. Kallie comes running over and looks at me. We share a look, and she nods her head and walks over to Ethan who jumps into her arms. She listens to him say something and then points over at where I am, and he wipes the tears from his face.
“Savannah!” I hear Beau yell my name from somewhere, and then I see him run through a couple of people. He wears a look of worry on his face as he sees Ethan first and hugs Kallie and him, and then she must tell him where I am because he looks over. He rushes over, and Jacob has to stop him. “Let me go!”
“Go easy. They are checking her over,” Jacob says, and Beau walks to me. I feel my lower lip tremble when I see him, and I suddenly need him to hug me. I need him to take me in his arms and tell me that this is going to be okay. I just need him.
“Baby.” He calls me the name so quietly I almost don’t hear him, but then he steps in front of me, and I see the tears in his eyes. “I need you to tell me you’re okay.”
I look at him. “I’m okay,” I whisper, and then he grabs my hand and brings it to his lips.
“What happened?” he asks, then turns to look over at Jacob and Grady.
“I was coming to see you for lunch. I was going to stay home with Ethan, but he took a shower and said he felt better.” I start the story. “This truck was following close behind me, and I kept speeding up just a touch to get away from him, but the more I sped up, the more he was right there.” I swallow now. “Then he bumped me. At first, I didn’t know what happened, and I wasn’t sure, but then he bumped me again. The third time, he tried to pass me, and once he was beside me, he just kept coming closer and closer, and the road got smaller and smaller. The last thing I remember is looking back to make sure Ethan was okay.”
“Do you remember what color the truck was?” Grady asks.
“Silver, I think.” I close my eyes and try to remember. “Or a dark gray.”
“Did you see who was driving?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“No, the windows were dark and tinted. I saw a silhouette but nothing else,” I say.
Then the paramedic cuts in. “She’s good to go.”
Jacob nods. “We are going to meet you at the hospital,” he says and then looks at Beau. “You go with her. I got Ethan.”
Beau just nods as they load me up into the ambulance. Only when the door is closed and he sits beside me does he let out a breath. “Are you okay?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“I died a thousand times on my way here,” he says softly. “The only thing that went through my head was getting to you.”
“I’m sorry I made you worry,” I say, and he leans in now, and he kisses my forehead. “And I’m sorry that I ruined your day.”
“I’m sorry that I wasn’t with you,” he says, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry that you went through that without me.” He takes my face in his hands and kisses me softly on the lips. “I am so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.” He kisses me again, and I don’t say anything only because I can’t. I just close my eyes while he wraps his arms around my shoulders, and I finally feel safe.
It’s a whirlwind once I get to the hospital, and only after two hours am I able to see Ethan, who comes run into the room and jumps on my bed. “Mom!” I take him in my arms, closing my eyes and smelling him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, baby,” I say, holding his arms and making sure that he’s okay. I smooth down his brown hair and hold his small face in my hands, rubbing my thumbs over his cheeks. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Just my elbow,” he says, picking up his elbow and showing me the bandage. “The nurse said I was really brave.”
I blink the tears away. “You are very brave.”
“Uncle Beau called me a ladies’ man and said I was a natural flirt,” he says, and I smile and look over at Beau who looks up.
“We need to go over the rules again,” Beau says, coming to the bed. “There are things we tell your mom. If I finish the sentence with bro code, that means it’s for guys only.”