Jessi's head was spinning too much for her to register much of the world. Somehow, they made it to the hospital and managed to track down her cousin's room. She stepped into the room and saw Ashley in the hospital bed, an unwelcome memory surfacing at the sight of the girl.
Jessi was reminded of the last time she saw the mother of the cousins, a day before her death. Ashley was a spitting image of her mother: brown curls, blue-gray eyes, a willowy, graceful body. In the middle of the white bed, she looked small. She was dressed in a hospital gown, the silver A charm she received for her birthday resting at her neck. The similarities between the girl's appearance and the memory of her deceased mother made Jessi nauseous.
This is my fault! Jessi screamed at herself silently.
"Ashley." Jessi was crying by the time she reached her cousin. "Oh, god, are you okay?"
"I'm okay." Ashley's voice was groggy.
Jessi hugged her the best she could, relieved, and stepped back. One of Ashley's shoulders was bandaged, and her skin was pale. Jessi smoothed the hair away from her face.
"You look awful when you cry," Ashley said with a smile.
Brandon clutched his hands together across from Jessi, as if wanting to hug his sister but unwilling to make such a gesture.
"What happened?" Jessi asked. "Why didn't you tell me you were going out?"
Ashley's face grew troubled. "I … it was just to meet a friend."
"Jessi Campbell?" a nurse asked from the doorway. "If you have a moment?"
Jessi hesitated then left her cousins, assured Ashley was relatively okay and Brandon was with her. She joined the nurse in the hallway.
"I'm Laurie. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get a hold of you last night," the nurse said with an expectant look.
"I work two jobs. I didn't get your message until this morning," Jessi said lamely. "She's okay, right?"
"She is. We kept her overnight for observation. She's got some blood loss, but not much."
"Blood loss from what? What happened?" Jessi demanded.
"I was hoping you knew."
"No, I have no idea. She went out to meet a friend and that's all I know."
"You seem awfully young to have two teenagers," Laurie said.
"I'm their legal guardian. Their parents died a few years ago," she explained. "Hence the two jobs."
"We were ready to call social services this morning before you showed up," Laurie admitted.
Jessi's heart felt like it stopped. "No need," she whispered. "I'm here. They're fine. We even have health insurance."
Laurie assessed her for another minute. Jessi wanted to scream. She was barely ten years older than Brandon, which her parents pointed out every time she had a bad day managing the two teens. If it was up to them, the kids would be in a foster home, a fate Jessi found unconscionable. They were family. Her parents never appreciated what that meant, but she did.