How to Save a Life by Amber Nation Page B

how I took it. Never mind it’s easy as hell to make, but the fact that she took the time to commit it to her memory bank." I stopped talking because I was rambling like a fucking woman. “Oh my God, I’ve fucking lost my mind. Over a girl, I don’t even know. Over someone who isn’t even speaking to me at the moment!"
    I felt a sharp sting on my face as I then realized Brock’s hand connected with my cheek.
    “Get a fucking grip, man!" he yelled in my face.
    I shook the fogginess out of my head as I stared deadpan at him, “Did you just fucking slap me? You couldn’t even punch me, you had to slap me?"
    “Well, would you like for me to punch you? Because I’m sure that can be arranged. Damn man, you need a good night’s sleep."
    “Oh, that’s another thing. I get woken up every night by Sheridan thrashing around. I think she’s having nightmares. The spare bedroom is right next to mine and I can hear her."
    This time I got to feel Brock’s protruding knuckles as they dug deep into my collarbone as he punched me.
    Wincing and bringing my hand to my shoulder, I yelled, “God damn, what was that for."
    “You deserved it. You said that you can hear her being woken up in the middle of the night by possible nightmares, but yet you aren’t doing anything about it? What the fuck is wrong with you? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were turning into a bonafide pussy. You pretty much said yourself that you were looking for a sign to be able to approach her again, hello, here is your sign !!! Go comfort her whenever she has a nightmare, maybe then she’ll open up to you and y’all can stop all of this pussy footing around."
    He turned around and walked away mumbling something about “Y’all are downright a bunch of fucking teenagers." And, “I’m getting too old for this shit." Then he stopped short and turned around, “I almost forgot to tell you, Emmalynne had her baby yesterday, it was a girl." My heart immediately sank. “I don’t suppose you want to go meet Charlotte, do you?"
    I knew he could convey my sadness through the perplexed look in my eyes because he gave me a weak smile while nodding his head and said, “I didn’t figure so, but I thought you’d like to know."
    Emmalynne and Grady were friends, not close friends, so I guess they were more like acquaintances. So even though I wouldn’t make an effort to go see them, because being around children is a hard limit for me, I would send them at least a card to let them know that I was thinking about them.
    My head was so garbled with so much despair. Who knew that it would take this long for old wounds to heal? Inadequacy in being a man, that’s what I felt like. I needed to take a giant step in overcoming my fears about love and about letting someone else in. Brock was right, Hannah would want me to live. So I would try my best and live, for her.

    Coming home at night once again, but not because I was stalling because of being afraid of actually holding a conversation with Sheridan, oh how I wished it was.
    Walking in through the front door, I helped guide the screen door shut so it wouldn’t make a loud clang and end up waking up Sheridan or Sadie.
    Today was emotionally and mentally draining. After the turn of events that occurred today, everything was suddenly brought into perspective.
    Maggie Walker was kidnapped this morning by some psychotic drug lord who was trying to get to Maggie’s brother Mason, and Maggie’s boyfriend Charlie Hennings.
    Finding out that Charlie was undercover FBI, almost made you feel a little violated. He had been working under the pretense of being a bartender at Emmy Lou’s Bar, where I frequented pretty often. I couldn’t honestly say that I knew him well, but we did play in The Nation’s Capital together, him being the bass player.
    Luckily Maggie would be alright, and Charlie ended up being shot in the side, but it was only a flesh wound. And the kidnapper met his demise, with several rounds