Free From The Wreckage by Michele G Miller Page A

how lucky they are.
    "Yeah, we did." She breathes deeply and covers his hands with her own before adding, "But who else didn't?"
    West’s eyes begin to water as they stare at each other. "I don't know. I'm just glad it wasn't us." His lip quivers just enough to show Jules he is on the brink of breaking down himself. "I know that's selfish, but I was scared as hell last night," he admits on a choked sob, bringing her back into his arms.
    She has no idea how long they sit on the floor wrapped in each other’s arms. She is relatively sure she's cried every last ounce of water from her body, though. Her eyes ache and her throat is sore. She can smell the coffee and hear their parents’ low voices in the kitchen. When her backside goes numb, they shift to sit on the bottom step next to each other. She nestles her head into his chest and leaves his comforting arm around her shoulders. She feels the light trail his fingertips make along her bicep and she shivers.
    "Did you stay at the hospital for very long last night?"
    "Um, yeah. I stayed there pretty much all night. My dad was busy."
    "We should have given you a lift home…I'm sorry." She tries to pull up to look at him, but he tightens his hold on her.
    "It was fine, Buffy. I saw a lot of people come in. Jeff and I hung out for a while. I saw Tommy Parker, Ruben and Mark. It felt good to see people coming in and knowing they were safe."
    Her stomach flips when he calls her Buffy, and she listens intently. "Tommy? He was probably one of the last people to be with Tanya before she-" She stops short of saying died . She can’t use those two words together in the same sentence. Not yet.
    "He didn't know what happened to her. He said they were separated in the crowd. I wish-"
    "What’s this ?"
    She jumps at the sound of Stuart’s raised voice, and the glass porch door barely makes a sound as he opens it. West's arm falls from her shoulders and she stands as quickly as her still-jumbled brain will let her.
    "Stuart!" She flings herself into his arms as tears begin to fall again. "What happened to you? I sent you a text but you never called back, and then the storm hit. I thought you were dead. Tanya's de...she's gone." She spews the words out in rapid fire, and Stuart simply stands there with his hands wrapped around her waist.
    "I'm fine, Jules. You thought I was dead? Are you kidding me? I was crazy worried about you after hearing the radio reports, but my parents refused to let me leave the house last night. I finally told them it was too bad and left an hour ago. The streets are a nightmare. Thankfully I saw your dad on my way here, and he told me what happened last night."
    "Jules?" her mom calls from the kitchen. "Do I hear Stuart?" she asks as she walks into the foyer with West's dad on her heels. "Oh, Stuart! I thought I heard you. I'm so glad you're okay. Jules was worried sick about you last night!" she exclaims, and gives him a quick hug.
    "I'm fine. I was worried about her," he offers, and looks down at Jules as she pulls away from him.
    The five of them stand there in an awkward silence before West finally speaks up.
    "Well we better get going now, dad."
    Stuart pulls Jules to the side as West crosses the foyer to the door. For one, fleeting moment she thinks he’s going to simply walk out without another word, but he stops and turns to look at them; his eyes revealing a world of hurt. She feels Stuart's fingers flex in her side and wonders if he sees the look too.
    "Take care of her," West tells Stuart; his face tight. "She got a concussion last night and passed out again this morning."
    If Stuart acknowledges what West said, she doesn’t notice it. She is too busy staring at West, and her heart picks up at the thought of him walking out her door. She wants to stop him; to reach out, grab his hand and pull him into another long hug.
    The thought makes her wince. That she can possibly think of him this way while being huddled next to Stuart confuses the living