“Hurry.” Call ended flashed on the small screen.

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The two girls exchanged no words as they took the elevator to the second floor. As they stepped out, Spencer took a deep breath and walked toward the waiting room. Ashley followed close behind. Any uncertainty over whether the news was bad left Ashley when she saw the scene through the window of the waiting room.

There were two new people in the room. Spencer’s mother sat entangled with Chlesea, both women sobbing. Arthur stood to the side talking to Glen. Aiden was consoling Kyla. Spencer stood in the doorway, Ashley behind her, taking it all in. Arthur was the first one to note the girls’ presence. He walked over to Spencer, embraced her, and whispered in her ear, “They said he didn’t feel any pain, honey. He had just lost too much blood and his right lung had collapsed. They did all they could, but he’s gone.”

Spencer leaned further into her father and stared at the far wall. While he wept, she stared.

Not a single tear left her eye while she stood in that waiting room. She hugged her mother, tried to provide some comfort to Chelsea, and made an excuse to get out of that room.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” she said to no one in particular. A few nodded in acknowledgement, but most paid no attention. That is, except for Ashley who had been watching her from the seat closest to the door since they had entered the room just minutes earlier. As Spencer walked out of the door, Ashley followed close behind.

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When Ashley entered the bathroom, she found Spencer splashing water on her face. As she reached for a paper towel, she noticed Ashley’s image in the mirror.

She didn’t want to sound harsh, but her voice betrayed her, “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Everything was pretty intense in there.”