Saving Grace by Darlene Ryan Page B

name was Grace or something like that.”
    â€œHer name is Brianna now. Grace is an old-lady name.”
    â€œSo now what?” Justin said. “Do you have some kind of plan or are we just going to drive around forever?”
    I didn’t like the snarky sound in his voice.
    â€œOf course I have a plan,” I said. “You think I’m stupid? We’re going to Montreal. Why do you think I told you to turn right back there?”
    â€œI’m not driving all the way to Montreal,” Justin said.
    â€œWell, we can’t exactly stay around here, can we?” I said. Sometimes he was so stunned.
    â€œYeah, but why Montreal?”
    â€œBecause it’s a big place. No one will find us there.”
    â€œAll you told me was you wanted to see her. You didn’t say anything about taking her, about going to Montreal.”
    I reached over and squeezed his leg. “I’m sorry, okay? I just didn’t know if you’d help me if I told you what I was going to do.”
    â€œI wouldn’t have.”
    â€œSee? That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
    Justin made a growling sound in the back of his throat. He reached for the radio. I grabbed his hand. “No, you can’t put that on,” I said. “You’ll wake the baby.”
    Justin yanked his hand away and held it up between us. “Don’t talk to me, Evie,” he said.
    That was fine with me. We drove in silence for a while, just the headlights of the truck shining through the darkness. Then I heard a whimper from the car seat. The baby’s little face was twistedinto a frown and she was waving her arms, her two tiny hands clenched into fists. I leaned over to tuck the blanket around her a bit better, but she started crying. For a little baby she was loud.
    The truck zigzagged on the road. “Christ, Evie,” Justin said. “Do something. I almost went in the ditch.”
    â€œShe’s just hungry,” I said. I reached for my backpack on the floor. I’d brought everything I figured Brianna would need—bottles, diapers, blankets. I gave the bottle of formula a shake and took the cap off. “Here, sweetie,” I said, putting the nipple in her mouth. She sucked on it for a minute, then made a sour face and spit the nipple back out again, crying even louder than before.
    â€œWhy doesn’t she want it? ” Justin said.
    â€œI don’t know,” I snapped. “Maybe she’s not hungry. Maybe her diaper’s wet or something.” I slid my hand partway under Brianna’s backside. Her sleeper thingy didn’t feel wet, and the diaperdidn’t seem very squishy. I stuck the bottle in her open mouth again. She barely drank any before she spit it out, and she turned her face away when I tried again. And she kept on doing that. She’d take maybe one drink and then spit out the nipple and cry again. Over and over.

Chapter Three
    â€œJustin, you have to pull over,” I said finally. He didn’t hear me. I leaned across the seat and whacked his arm with the back of my hand. “Pull over,” I said again.
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œI wanna burp her.”
    â€œSo? Do it.”
    â€œI have to take her out of the seat, asshole,” I said, shouting so he’d hear me over Brianna’s crying. “Just pull over.”
    Justin puffed out his cheeks and then let out a breath. “Fine,” he grumbled through clenched teeth. He slowed down, pulled over onto the gravel side of the road and put the truck in park. Then he turned off the ignition, grabbed the keys and got out. I heard him swearing under his breath.
    Brianna was still hollering. Her face was all red and wrinkly and her eyes were squeezed shut. Geez, how could someone so small make so much noise? The sound made my stomach into a big, hard knot.
    I lifted her out of the seat. She was heavier than I’d thought and hard to hold with her arms and legs going all