She looked at the caller id and it was Alice again. Something in her wanted to not answer the call, maybe if she ignored it long enough her husband would call, and tell her that again he’d have to take it easy for a few days or maybe he broke something again. She stood in the middle of the cleaning supply isle eyeing the flashing name across her screen and waited so long to answer that her phone had gone to voicemail. She finally reached out and looked ahead at the box Swiffer Cleaning Pads he’d reminded her to pick up. She reached out a hand to grab them and again the vibration shook her hand and this time she solidified her strength and answered. What came after her initial hello was a sniffle. The second hello was a sad and stuck “T-T-T” she could hear Alice wincing through the phone fighting something strong.

She screamed into the phone for an answer her and tell her what was wrong, but all she got back was more silence. Alice had pulled the phone away from herself long enough to take a haggard breath and try and finish her sentence.

“He’s gone T.” her voice was so defeated and broken Tina screamed into her phone.

“What?!… Alice, what happened?!… Where’s Rick?!”

“T, he’s gone.” She answered again between sniffles and a chopped voice stuck with heavy sobbing hiccups.

Tina didn’t hear the phone drop or the cries that ripped out of her mouth. The loud scream and shaking hands reaching to pull her hair was all she could feel. She had to get to him, she needed to see him, have him tell her it was a mistake. In a fumbling motion and long stride she ran from the store and into the parking lot, honing in on her car immediately, fumbling with her key longer than usual she started her car and only saw enough to get her to the hospital. She ran red lights and stop signs permanently pressing her hand hard onto the car’s horn. She pulled up to the hospital with her brakes screeching and her mind looking for one face. Rick. He would be here somewhere in a chair maybe telling her, he’d eventually heal. Instead she ran right into Alice, she’d know that figure anywhere. Her slumped shoulders and sobbing movements spoke to Tina before she could. Alice was pacing the hall, she’d had her back to Tina, once she turned and saw the way Tina was rushing toward her, she couldn’t help the pain of falling over again, Alice fell to her knees, body swaying back and forth in agony, crying hard. That was it. Tina was done. Like exhaustion sets a runner forward and out Tina fell hard to the ground screaming, wanting no one except her husband, she’d said his name over and over again. Once a question and the others a plead for him to come to her rescue.