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Wendy can’t believe that this is what her life has turned out to be. Kevin has been over at their house, and they’ve working through things, the three of them. Julie stopped her angry act, and they’ve spent hours sitting in her room in complete silence. Even once Kevin has to go home, Wendy doesn’t end up leaving Julie’s room until she has to go to bed. Then the nightmares start up. Despite all of the people around her, Wendy can’t help but feel completely isolated. It’s a rainy Tuesday, a few weeks after everything happened when Kevin doesn’t show up. He didn’t call, didn’t actually say he’d be there, but Wendy’s heart starts beating twice as fast anyway when nine o’ clock rolls around, and there’s no sign of him.
He’s always there by now. Julie comes in half an hour later, which isn’t uncommon since she tends to wander in and out, pretending she doesn’t mind being alone. She takes in Wendy’s tussled hair, misty eyes, and waxy complexion, and immediately races over.
“Are you ok?” she asks, her voice trembling.
“I don’t know where he is. What if he’s dead?” Wendy asks, her chest heaving.
The tears fully form in her eyes, and she stares at Julie with a haunted look. Her hands tremble in her lap, and Julie scoops them up. They’re cold, and Julie can feel how hard she’s shaking.
“I’m sure he’s fine. He’s probably caught up in traffic, or doing chores at home. You heard him say his mom wanted him to help out more,” Julie says, though her own voice comes out strained and a little fearful. Wendy’s anxiety feeding her own that’s already gnawing at her stomach.
“Come on, we’ll go to his house,” Julie says, pulling Wendy to her feet.
Wendy sways to the side, but doesn’t fall. Julie drags her to the front hall, and helps her get her shoes on since she didn’t make any move to do it herself. Then she bursts into tears as Julie is grabbing her keys. Julie takes Wendy into her arms, rubbing her back.
“It’ll be ok. We’ll work through everything, and we’ll be ok,” she whispers, running a gentle hand through Wendy’s hair.
Wendy still doesn’t speak again, and it takes her a few minutes to calm down enough for Julie to get her out of the door. She isn’t even sure if taking Wendy to Kevin’s house is going to help, but her own anxiety pushes her forward. The car stutters, the engine turning over as she turns the key. Wendy gasps, eyes wide as she twists in the passenger seat to stare at Julie.
“It’s fine,” she says, turning the key again more forcefully this time. The engine stutters to life, Julie heaving a sigh of relief. “See, fine… Do you know where he lives?”
“Yeah, I can give you directions.”
Having a task seems to calm Wendy down some. She quietly gives Julie directions as they drive. She goes quicker than she should, but not fast enough to make either of them worry about crashing, or getting pulled over. A woman is standing in the lawn when they pull up to Kevin’s house. She’s watering the rose beds. Wendy climbs out, and Julie follows her up to the woman.
“Oh, hello. Can I help you?” she asks, she clearly has no idea who they are.
“I’m Wendy, Kevin’s friend.”
“Oh, you’re Wendy. Well it’s nice to meet you dear.”
“Nice to meet you. Is Kevin here?”
“No, I don’t think so. His father was going to give him a ride to your house on his way to work. Have you not seen him?”
“No, how long ago was that?” Wendy asks, her voice tight and wrecked.
“Over an hour, but I’m sure they changed plans. It’s no big deal,” she says, still smiling, though a little tighter now.
“Do they normally do that?”
“No, but… is there something I don’t know? Kevin’s been off since those deaths, but he seems to be getting better now.”
“No, there’s nothing you need to know. It’s fine, I’m anxious by nature, especially since everything happened,” Wendy says, tired with slumped shoulders.
The woman’s eyes soften. “It’s ok, dear. Why don’t you come inside with me, and we’ll call my husband?”
Wendy reluctantly nods, and grabs Julie’s hand. She drags her inside behind the woman.
“You can sit anywhere you want,” she says, motioning around.
Wendy and Julie sit at the kitchen table as Kevin’s mother grabs the phone. She dials, leaning against the wall. The phone hangs loosely from her fingers, right in front of her ear. The call finally connects, and she starts talking. Though her greeting gets cut short, and they can see her eyes go slightly wide.
“Yes, of course. No, I’m his wife. I’d love that information, thank you.” She’s quiet for a bit, her face getting paler as she talks.
Wendy is starting to hyperventilate next to Julie, who’s barely keeping it together herself. She rubs Wendy’s arm, staring off at the wall. Once she finally hangs up, she turns to the girls.
“They were in a car accident. They couldn’t tell me anything else over the phone. I have to get down to the hospital. You’re free to come with me if you want.”
She grabs her phone, keys, and wallet as she walks to the door. Wendy races after her.
“Is Kevin alive?”
“Yes.”
Julie finally stands, though she barely get to the car in time to get in the back with Wendy before Kevin’s mom starts driving. Wendy buries her face in Julie’s shoulder, clearly unable to watch the road. Julie, on the other hand, can’t look away from the road. The emergency waiting room is full, but it only takes a few seconds for Kevin to run up to them. Wendy immediately throws her arms around him despite the clear wound on his head.
“You’re ok,” she sobs.
He rubs her back, wincing in pain. “Yeah, I’m ok. Dad’s getting a CT scan, but they think he’ll be alright too. It wasn’t bad,” he says to his mom, who nods.
She seems relieved, Wendy keeps crying on Kevin’s shoulder. “Please don’t do that again.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I’m ok though, we’re going to be ok,” he whispers into her hair.
They stay like that until Kevin’s dad is discharged. Wendy still ends up staying with them that night while Julie goes home to tell their parents everything. Julie’s just glad that their little family forged in blood and pain and fear is still together, not that she’d ever admit it. And this gives her some relief, almost as if this happening, and Kevin being alive means that it’s truly over. That they’re really ok.