Free Her Last Wish by Ema Volf

like this. You’ll throw up on yourself before you even leave the parking
lot. And you’re certainly not fit to go to your next class. You can trust
Savannah with your car. I promise.”
    I could tell Savannah
wasn’t happy about it, but she went, anyways. Within minutes, she came back
with Charlie’s bag. I nodded to the wall behind us as a sign to put it there.
The look I received from Savannah was filled with accusation.
    “What?” I snapped.
    “She’s a student,
Connor!” Savannah snapped back. “You could lose your job! I could lose mine for
even knowing about it and not reporting it!”
    “Where does it say I
can’t help a sick student get home safely?”
    “How could you know
where she lives without having been there first?”
    Alright, I had to admit
it. She had me there. Unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid telling her without
making a huge mess of my career. It was tell Savannah or she would report it.
She would understand if she knew the truth. I knew she would. “Charlie is
helping me with something. She’s helping Elizabeth with something, too.”
    Savannah’s face went
pale. “Connor, this has got to stop. Elizabeth is dead. There is nothing that
she could possibly need help with now. I know you miss her. I miss her, too.
Every single day. And I know it’s hard, but it’s time to accept that and move
on. She’s gone.”
    My anger finally boiled
over. “Elizabeth isn’t gone! I have–” I froze. What if Charlie wasn’t sick , after all? I mean, she
was clearly not feeling up to par , but what if it wasn’t anything like a virus?
I stared in awe at Charlie, wondering if she had the same suspicion I had. She
simply looked too beaten down by illness to suspect anything. “Just get
Charlie’s car home. I’ll meet you there.”
     
     
    Chapter Twelve
     
    Charlie
     
    Good god, I felt like I
was dying. I hadn’t been so sick in ages. After Professor Clary left, Professor
Mason helped me up off the floor and walked me over to the sink. He wet down a
paper towel and gently pressed it against my face. I had to admit that the cool
dampness felt amazing. I closed my eyes and just let the feel of it wash away
my discomfort.
    It was nice for someone
else to take care of me for a change. I certainly wasn’t used to it. I lived on
my own. Who could take care of me? Jackson would have never come for me
if he knew I had any form of sickness. He was always afraid of catching
whatever I might have had, even something small and stupid like a cold. I never
thought anything of it, though. Some people just can’t handle it, I suppose. Besides, I
had seen him after he had caught a cold in the past. Any random observer would
have thought he was on his death bed. Apparently Professor Mason didn’t share
Jackson’s illness anxiety. It was probably for the best, though. If the IVF treatments
worked, he’d have a lot of puke (and worse) to clean up in the relatively near
future. It was good practice. However, I still wished he hadn’t been around to
practice on me. How embarrassing!
    “Do you think you can
make it to the car?” he asked gently.
    I was afraid to open my
mouth again, so I just nodded. That would have just been the icing on the cake
to throw up all over him, too.
    He scooped my bag off
the floor and put his hand in the small of my back. He felt so warm and
comforting. Or maybe I just felt extremely terrible and welcomed any kind
gesture. Either way, I let him guide me out to his car and dropped into the
front seat.
    When he got in and
closed the door behind him, he said, “We’ll make a quick pit-stop, first. Then it’s
straight to your house.”
    “Okay,” I responded. I
leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes. I didn’t really
care where we went, so long as I could keep whatever was left in my stomach
down.
    I apparently nodded
off, because next thing I remember, I woke up in the parking lot in front of my
apartment. Professor Clary and Professor Mason were arguing