I'll Stand by You by Sharon Sala Page B

in the backseat but too numb to think what to say. They were quiet—so quiet. She could hear their breathing within the silence and then the slight rustle of clothing against the leather seats.
    Luther snubbed softly in his sleep then thrust his thumb into his mouth and began to suck.
    “Sorry your house burned up,” Beep said.
    “Yeah, really sorry,” Marshall added.
    Dori nodded and then leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes as Johnny opened the door and got in.
    “Are you boys buckled up?” he asked as he started the engine.
    “Yes,” they echoed.
    Johnny glanced at Dori. Her eyes were closed, but there were tears running down her face. He put the car in gear and drove away, wondering what in hell he had gotten himself into. He wouldn’t change what he’d done, but this was a whole new set of problems he didn’t really need. Still, all they could do was take it one day at a time, and right now, Dori Grant needed a friend.
    “Where’s she gonna sleep?” Beep asked.
    “In Mama’s room,” Johnny said.
    “No one goes in Mama’s room,” Marshall said.
    “They will now. We have an extra bed and they need one, don’t they?”
    Marshall leaned against the door for a better look at the woman in the seat beside Johnny. Her hair looked wet and he wondered if she was cold.
    Beep was quiet, too quiet, and Johnny knew why. Beep was the baby, the one who’d been unaware of most of their mother’s flaws. He was probably bothered by someone sleeping in her bed, but it couldn’t matter.
    Dori heard them talking but had tuned out what was being said. She kept seeing Granddaddy’s face twisted in pain and then watching him crumple to the ground.
    Had that really happened? Please God let this be a bad dream.
    A few minutes later, they began to slow down.
    “We’re here,” Johnny said as he turned into their drive and pulled up to the house.
    Dori opened her eyes.
    The streetlights were few and far between, but cast just enough light for her to see the simple frame house and the slices of lights showing through the blinds. There was a single light burning on the wide, covered porch, and she thought she could see a porch swing.
    “Stay seated a minute and I’ll help you out. Don’t want you to stumble in the dark,” Johnny said.
    Dori waited, watching as he ushered the boys into the house. His steps were sure as he walked through the dimly lit yard, and it hit her that most of his life he’d been taking steps in the dark. Suddenly she realized how easy her life had been before this. Even with a baby she hadn’t planned on, she’d still had a good home and her Granddaddy. Johnny had no one but himself to keep his little family intact.
    She looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms, grateful that he’d finally fallen asleep. She didn’t think she could handle another round of screams.
    Then she watched Johnny come out of the house and lope across the yard toward the car. He opened the door and leaned in, shouldered her diaper bag and purse, and then steadied her as she slid out of the seat.
    “You hold the baby. I’ll hold on to you,” Johnny said.
    “Thank you,” she said.
    He paused in the shadows to look at her.
    “This is a terrible thing that’s happened, but I speak from experience when I tell you that you will survive it because you have to, and you will be all the stronger for it. Now, come inside. You must be exhausted.”
    His words were ringing in her ears as she let him lead her inside. The house was warm and smelled like chili—Granddaddy’s favorite meal. And then breath caught in the back of her throat. She’d never cook for her grandfather again.
    She staggered and Johnny caught her.
    “This way,” he said and led her down the hall to the extra room. “You heard us talking in the car. The extra room was my mother’s room. She’s dead. It’s clean.”
    Dori shuddered, wondering if she’d ever be that matter-of-fact about life.
    Johnny turned on the light and