Meredith unbuckled her seatbelt, and I begged her not to leave me. She paused for a second with her hand on the door handle. I told her I was serious and asked her not to leave me alone in the car.
Something shifted in her expression, but it wasn’t concern for my safety. It was anger at being forced to feel guilty for her choices. Rick opened his door and told her to come on, and Chloe was already out of the car.
My mother looked at me one last time and told me they would be right back. Rick clicked the lock button on his key fob, and the sound was sharp and final. The doors sealed, the windows remained up, and they walked away together.
I remember the first minute clearly because the sheer disbelief kept me alert. I watched them cross the pavement like a normal family running a quick errand. Nothing about their body language suggested they had left a dying boy in the back seat.
I tried to open the door, but it was locked tight. I pressed the unlock button on the armrest, but nothing happened because Rick had the fob and the child locks were engaged. I reached for my phone, but my fingers were slick with cold sweat.