Chapter Twenty-Six
Emily sat on the bed with her back to the headboard and her knees drawn up in front of her. The dim room, along with her swollen watery eyes encouraged her to sleep, but her mind wouldn’t let her. She hadn’t changed from her clothes. Balls of tissue filled the trashcan near the bed. The tissue box lay beside her. She stared at the television, watching the evening news about the explosion. Police reported the remains of one body had been found along with other suspicious items used to make pipe bombs.
They’d said one body. She wanted to believe Andrew had made it away to safety. If he hadn’t, she thought heaven would return him to complete his sentence. Either option instilled her with hope he’d show up at her door. If she left, he might not find his way back to her.
She sniffled, but her clogged nose allowed no air entrance. Her head, eyes, and nose ached along with her heart. But the latter hurt in a different kind of way.
Her stomach gurgled. It had been growling for the longest time earlier. She hadn’t eaten anything besides the yogurt in the morning. The thought of food made her nauseated, but she knew she had to eat at some point.
A knock on the door captured her attention. She hurried out of bed and bumped the tissue box. She grabbed it before the box fell in the trashcan. After setting it on the nightstand, she strode to the front door.
Heart beating a faster rhythm, she twisted the handle. Matt stood in the hall carrying a duffle bag at his side. The little bit of hope she had of seeing Andrew plummeted.
“Wow,” he said as he stepped inside.
She shut the door behind him.
“Mind if I turn on a light?” he asked, pausing near the television.
“Uh, use the one by the table. I don’t think my eyes can handle anything too bright.”
He put his bag on the table and then turned the switch on the tall lamp. The lighting created a pulse in her head and encouraged her to hide in darkness. She sat on the edge of the bed and blinked a few times so her eyes would adjust.
“Have you eaten anything?” he asked as he approached her.
During their conversation in the morning, he’d instructed her remain at the hotel and wait for him. An hour later, he’d sent her a message informing her he was hopping on a plane in the afternoon to get her.
She stared at the TV. The screen showed the charred spot where the garage had been.
“Of course not,” she said. “I know I need to eat something, but I don’t trust my stomach.”
He stood at her side and crossed his beefy arms. He wore jeans, a white t-shirt, and a plain blue button-down top. Andrew had worn blue. The color had been one of his favorites.
Her eyes began to fill with moisture as she thought about her husband.
He glanced at the television. “Have you slept at all? You look exhausted.”
“No, I can’t sleep. And I am extremely tired.” She kept her focus on the screen.
The questions he asked seemed so militant, much like his stance. Then again, he was a former Marine.
Matt lowered his arms and stepped in front of her line of sight. She lifted her gaze.
“You’re hurting. I realize this. But that baby”—he pointed to her belly—“needs to eat. It can sense your emotional stress. Starving it will cause problems. So, I can order food or go get something. You need to eat.”
A tear ran down one of her cheeks and she wiped it. “I don’t care what you get. I’ll try to eat. I will. I don’t want to lose the only piece of him left.” She rubbed her stomach.
He took hold of her hand before he sat next to her. “I wish I could take all your pain and heartache away. I know how much you love him and that will never go away. Hold onto it. But you need to work with me. You need to listen. You need to do what I ask. This will be difficult, probably the most difficult situation you’ve ever faced, but you can get through it.”
The tears streamed from her eyes as she nodded. She sniffed but her nose was too clogged. Her body began to tremble again.
“So this is the plan. You’re going to eat something, take a shower, and then get some sleep. I made a few calls before I left and found a place to have the Jeep repaired. I’m going to take it to get fixed in a couple of hours. Tomorrow, I’m driving us back to Utah.”
She took several breaths to try to calm herself. “I can’t leave. Andrew could show up. The police are reporting they found remains of one body. Andrew could be out there, hurt or without the means to get back to the hotel.”
He swallowed hard and looked away from her for a brief moment. “Emily, did you see him leave the garage?”
Her lip trembled. “No.”
He took a deep breath. “If he didn’t leave the garage, then he didn’t survive the explosion.”
She let go of her grief and bawled. Her breaths became choppy as she struggled to breathe. Matt pulled her into a hug and rubbed his hands over her back, trying to comfort her.
“It’s okay. Let it out. I’ll help you through this,” he said.
She cried for several minutes while the sorrow swallowed her whole.
“He’s gone. I know he is, but I don’t want to believe it. They have to send him back. Right? He didn’t complete his sentence.” She lifted her head from his shoulder. “He has to come back. Right?”
“If he returns he knows to find you in Utah.”
“But he could come back without clothes or money or a phone. And the house isn’t ours yet.”
“I can call the realtor and put a note on the front door in case Andrew returns. The important things are to get out of San Antonio and to get you checked out by a doctor. My friend who stitched you up in San Diego has agreed to fly to Saint George to look at you.”
Emily managed to control her breathing. Her eyes had never felt as tired before. And the throb in her head wasn’t helping her focus.
“Right now, you need to eat and get some sleep. I will handle everything else,” he said.
She wiped her runny nose with her long-sleeved shirt. She’d wash it in Utah.
“How about I take a shower and you order a pizza and some breadsticks?” she asked. She had a feeling she’d puke it up later, but she needed something with carbs to help feed the baby.
“Deal. Plain cheese?”
“Uh, sausage is fine.”
She turned her head enough to see the television. The helicopter flying over the area zoomed in on the spot where the garage had been. Another wave of misery developed and her eyes filled with more tears.
Matt rose and pressed a button on the TV. The screen blackened. She lowered her head and cried again.
“Why don’t you take a hot shower?” Matt said in a calm and soothing tone.
Nodding, she slowly stood.
Matt gripped her arms. “You’re not alone, Emily. I’ll take care you.” He pulled her close and hugged her again.
She hated the word ‘alone’. While she knew Matt would stick with her and help out, she still had a gaping hole in her heart, and only Andrew could fill it.
“Thank you,” she said before she stepped away.
The pounding in her head continued. If she didn’t get to bed soon, she feared she might collapse. And if she did, the baby could get hurt. She couldn’t let anything happen to the life inside her. If it were the only remains of Andrew’s existence, then she had to stay strong and overcome her sadness.
She grabbed a change of clothes before she entered the bathroom. The day had seemed like some horrible dream. She hoped when she would fall asleep later, she would wake up the next day and the nightmare would be over. She couldn’t give up on hope.