‘It’s Cameron.’
Logan felt a knot at the pit of his stomach. ‘What about him?’
Kitty was so overcome with emotion that she was struggling to speak. Logan listened in shock as she garbled out a few words. ‘There’s been an accident.’
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kitty stared out the living room window wondering what to do. Since she received the call about Cameron, she’d been pacing the house terrified and shaking. Cameron had been on a bus that had crashed on its way back to the camp. Everyone on board had been taken to a nearby hospital and that was all the camp staff member had been able to tell Kitty. She had promised to call as soon as she had any news. They told her to try not to worry. Kitty had immediately called Cameron’s phone, which was switched off. Olivia was out and she couldn’t bear the silence of being alone. She’d let out a frustrated scream. Then she had called Logan, though she could barely string a sentence together. That’s when he said he was on his way.
She knew she was being triggered and tried to push away the memories of what happened when she learned of Ryan’s death. Her mind was a swirl of emotions — most of all she couldn’t let herself believe that this was happening all over again. Her mind went straight into bargaining mode, and she said a begging prayer, pleading for Cameron to be okay, promising that, if he was, she would be a better mum and a better person.Please let him be okay.
She heard the slam of a car door and saw Logan running up the path. Thank goodness she had called him. She couldn’t bear to be alone just now. He came straight into the cottage.
‘Hey,’ he said softly, running towards her. Stretching out his arms, he pulled her close, holding her as the sobs shuddered through her. He waited until her tears subsided, then led her to the sofa to sit down. ‘Take a breath. It’s okay. I’m here with you, and I’m not going anywhere.’
Kitty wanted to bury her face into his chest and escape this nightmare.
‘What’s happened?’ he asked, placing a gentle hand on hers.
Kitty gazed at him silently, reluctant to talk at first.
‘You said there’s been an accident with Cameron. Is he okay?’
She took a shuddering breath. ‘There’s been a bus accident and all the kids have been taken to hospital.’ She gulped. ‘I don’t know if he’s alive or . . . or if he’s dead.’
‘What do you need to do now, Kitty? Is there someone I can call? Do you want to go there to him?’
She stared at him and swallowed. ‘I don’t know what to do.’ She stumbled over her words, feeling lost and overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through her. She wanted to get on the first flight that would get her nearer to her boy, but that would take ages, and what if something happened when she was in the air? She needed the staff to be able to contact her at any time — she wished someone would hurry up and ring her back. She thought about Cameron, lying in pain in hospital. Alone and frightened. Or worse. Desperate not to let her mind even go there, she tried to talk. ‘I need to wait for some news . . .’ she insisted tearfully. ‘They told me to wait by my phone and someone would call . . .’
‘That’s what we’ll do, then.’ He pulled her close and simply held her. She knew in that moment he was lending her all of his strength. ‘It’s okay, Kitty,’ he said calmly. ‘I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.’
She closed her eyes, focusing on the sound of his heart beating. Anything to distract her thoughts from spiralling out of control. She felt Logan soothingly rub her back and she found herself starting to calm down, her eyelids gently closing.
* * *
Kitty opened her eyes and froze in horror when she realised that she hadactuallyfallen asleep. She was next to Logan on the sofa, and he squeezed her hand in his.
‘How long have I been sleeping?’ she asked, horrified that she might have missed a call.How could she have gone to sleep when Cameron was in danger?
‘Kitty, it’s okay,’ said Logan. ‘You’ve only been out for about twenty minutes, and I promise you that if your phone had rung, I would have woken you. You must have needed it.’
Kitty sighed. This was all so surreal. And she couldn’t stop thinking about Ryan and what happened that night. Surely the universe wouldn’t let this happen to her twice? She couldn’t go on if anything happened to Cameron as well. Shaking herself, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, glancing at her phone anyway. There were no missed calls, no messages.Nothing.
Logan stood up. ‘I’m going to make you some tea.’
Kitty sat for a moment, then followed him into the kitchen, pulling out a chair and watching him fill the kettle.
She sighed heavily. ‘This feels like déjà vu.’
He frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
Kitty looked at him and thought about how life could change in a tiny heartbeat. ‘I told you about my husband dying.’ She immediately felt guilty for bringing this up now, but her head felt as though it was going to explode.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘You told me about the accident.’
‘Well . . . I feel as guilty right now as I did back then.’
‘What do you mean?’ Logan abandoned the tea and sat down next to her, reaching for her hand.
