Chapter 34

Renegade

I grip Whitney's hand as we drive silently to the hospital. I don't think I've ever had a more somber ride in my life. If this was under a different set of circumstances, I would make a joke about their mom sitting in the back of the police car. Today though, that joke isn't there. She's quietly crying into a napkin, her phone shaking as she texts her husband updates.

"Will he meet us there, Mona?" I finally find my voice, still shocked at how raw it sounds.

She nods, tears spilling down her face. "He's gettin' someone to drive him. I think he's more shook up than he was letting on when I called him. He'll probably be about thirty minutes behind us, because they were out towards the gulf. Knowin' him though, he'll make them speed and pay for the ticket if they get pulled over.

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Whitney asks from beside me.

I'm not sure who she's asking, not sure any of us truly know the answer to the question. It's a hard one. I saw him, saw how he was gas