Today's Promises by S.R. Grey Page B

days it took all I had to get out of bed.”
    “But you did,” he reminds me.
    “Yeah, I kept going, but I wasn’t, like, really here . I wasn’t living, not at all. I only existed. I went through the motions of life, but with no heart in any of it.”
    “You were living, though,” Flynn insists.
    “Barely,” I counter.
    He takes a tentative step toward me, compassion clear in his sad, gray eyes. “I know it felt impossible back then, but that feeling never beat you.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “Christ, it kills me that I wasn’t here for you. I feel responsible. You should never have had to go through all that shit alone.”
    “It wasn’t your fault,” I say, shaking my head. “You couldn’t be here.”
    “I know, but still… I’ll never forgive myself for failing you.”
    “You didn’t fail me, Flynn.” I go to him and give him a hug. “God, we’re so broken,” I whisper.
    “We’re doing much better, though,” he mumbles into my hair. “You especially are. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”
    Leaning back, I ask him, “Do you really believe that?”
    “I do. You’ve made great progress lately, Jaynie.”
    Warming up to the idea that I may be able to do this statement thing, I say, “If I talk with the detective about what happened, you’d be with me every step of the way, right?”
    He gives me a look. “Do you even have to ask that question, babe?”
    “No,” I admit. “I guess not.”
    He then assures me, “We’ll get through this the way we work best, the way we always do things—together.”
    “You know what?” I touch the little scar below his eye.
    “What?”
    “I love you.”
    “I love you too, babe. And”—he catches my hand—“you got this.”
    “Then I think I’ve made a decision,” I whisper.
    “What have you decided?”
    “I’m going to do it. I have no choice, not really. Not with the excavation going so poorly.” I blow out a breath. “I’m going to call Detective Silver and tell him my story. And then we’ll go on from there.”
    He tightens his arms around me. “You’re doing the right thing,” he says. “Though I’ll always wish it was my statement they wanted instead of yours. I swear I’d take your place any day if I could.”
    “I know, Flynn,” I tell him.
    And I know he would too. So would Mandy. But their stories are not what the detective wants. My story has lifelong implications.
    “I’ll be there with you the whole time,” he assures me again. “And if they need any corroboration, or whatever, to your story, I can help with that.”
    I hold on to my lifeline—this boy who loves me beyond bounds, this boy who makes me recognize my own strength.
    “Thank you, Flynn,” I whisper. “Thank you so much.”
    I mean it for so much more than just today.
     

     
    It takes until evening for me to build up enough courage to make the call to Detective Silver. And like Flynn promised, he is right there by my side.
    In our room, with both of us perched on the edge of the bed, I hit “call.”
    When the detective picks up, I’m in no mood for small talk. I get straight to the point. “This is Jaynie Cumberland. I’m ready to make that statement.”
    After a pause, the detective replies, “Excellent. Can you hold on a minute?”
    I don’t know why there’s a delay, but I say, “Uh, okay, sure.”
    Flynn, seated next to me, pats my knee encouragingly.
    When I glance over at him, he gives me a ‘you-got-this’ smile, and mouths, “You’re doing great.”
    “It’s only been a minute,” I say back, laughing.
    Ah, now I see what Flynn is doing—distracting me, putting me at ease.
    It works, until I hear the detective shuffling around papers and realize he’s preparing to take notes. Damn, this is real now.
    I mutter a cautious, “Here we go.”
    “Okay,” Detective Silver says when he returns to the phone. “This is how it’s going to play out. I’d like for us to meet up as soon as it’s good for