Page 33 of My Little Doe
“What’s… happe… nnning,” I gasped out. My eyes started to close again.
“Get… road atlas … I-75… auntie,” Calliope said.
I struggled to focus on what they were saying. What was happening? My eyes opened as Quinnlyn knelt beside me.
“Give me the wooden box for the baby,” Quinnlyn said as he turned toward Benji. He reached for the baby.
“NO!” I shouted.
“Shhh… Shhh… The baby is coming with us, but I’m gonna grab him and keep him safe in this little box, okay?” he said with a lowered voice.
I nodded, barely. He reached between my arms and lifted him. More tears rolled out of my eyes. His absence was immediate and total. He wasn’t with me anymore. Quinnlyn’s arms wrapped around my body, and he stood up.
“Oh Lord, there’s so much blood,” Calliope muttered.
“Let’s go!” Quinnlyn said.
Footsteps pounded the floor. My eyes closed. Everything went dark again.
Whistle. Whistle.
We were moving through the hall.
Whistle.
I looked up at Quinnlyn before my eyes shut again. Another set of whistles. A door opened, and bright light hit my face.
I felt warmth beneath me as I was placed onto something. My eyes opened enough to see we were in a truck. Quinnlyn’s truck. Quinnlyn folded my legs in. The truck door closed gently before the other door swung open and closed. It went dark again.
Gravel spitting underneath us. We hit bumps, climbed, and dipped. Then the road felt smooth, and the truck picked up speed. My head rested next to his thigh. I forced my eyes open enough to see his hands wrapped around the steering wheel. I fell back to sleep.
We stopped moving, and I opened my eyes, looking around. He wasn’t next to me anymore. My eyes were still heavy, my right eye still throbbing. Blood seeped out of me. When would it stop? I tried to push myself up, but I couldn’t. My eyes fell to the floorboard, where there was a tiny wooden box. A voice outside caught my attention. I closed my eyes tighter and focused on what was happening.
“She needs help… So much blood… Yes, tonight... Be there late... She might need… blood… doctor…” Quinnlyn said to someone that I couldn’t see or hear.
The familiar sound. A payphone being slammed back down, the change dropping into the metal box below it. The truck door opened, and I lifted my head a little and looked at Quinnlyn as he got into the truck.
“I’m getting you help,” he said.
And then nothing.
Aspen was such a beautiful baby. She had jet-black hair and the most precious blue eyes. She had the perfect chubby cheeks that created little dimples when she smiled. She was such a happy little girl. She was there, smiling at me.
“It’s okay, sissy. You’re gonna be okay.”
My eyes burst open, and I gasped for air.
A hand landed gently on my shoulder. I looked up, and Quinnlyn looked down at me. The sun was almost gone in the sky. I’d been sleeping for a while.
“Breathe, Zalayuh,” he said.
“Where are we?” I managed to get out.
“Louisiana,” he said.
The only place I’d been outside of Tennessee was North Carolina, because Townsend wasn't far from the state line. There was never money for trips. My stomach grumbled.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
