by Len Webster
“How’s Lori?” Savannah asked. Will’s sister was at Alex’s parents’ house since they had the rooms to accommodate his family. Savannah had checked out of her hotel room with the help of Monty and went to Cambridge to be with Alex, Evan, and Miller. Monty didn’t leave her side once today. She stood at the barrier with Savannah and Emerson and was currently in the kitchen with Evan as they watched the news.
“She blames herself. She says if she hadn’t asked him to come back to New York, he would have been safe with you. Reese and my grandpa are on their way to Boston now.” Alex glanced at the phone in Savannah’s hand. “Is that Will and Miller?”
Savannah looked at the screen and nodded. “He took us to the planetarium. We were waiting for the show, and he stood next to this display of a nebula. The way he looks at her …”
“It’s beautiful,” Alex said. “Just like your love for him. He deserves someone like you, Savannah. Someone good and loyal.”
The approval in Alex’s voice was bittersweet. “I don’t deserve him.”
Alex squeezed her hand. “You do. Trust me, you do.”
“Thanks, Alex.” She sniffled, trying to hold back another wave of tears. “I just realized I never sent you this picture. I think I was just selfish with it. Did you want me to send it to you?”
“Yes, please. I think Miller would appreciate it in her room. So … you want to tell me the story of you and Will?”
She nodded.
Though it was turbulent, confusing, and filled with hurt and longing, it was also beautiful. And it was time Savannah Peters told someone just how she fell in love with William Lawrence.
Little by little …
Until she was consumed with love for him.
Love for her better man.
Forty
Philomena
“He’s so perfect,” her husband said as he brushed William’s small nose. Their son would be staying in an incubator. He was eight weeks premature, but the doctor assured them that he was healthy. He would have to stay at the NICU for a few weeks, but Philomena did not mind. She was just grateful he was alive.
And she knew why …
Because a man named Will had saved them.
And Philomena owed her entire life to this selfless stranger.
“How’s JJ?” she asked, feeling guilty that their eldest son was in a hospital room. Besides JJ’s broken wrist and concussion, he was okay, and she was grateful that he wasn’t seriously hurt.
Rick, her husband, smiled. “He’s asleep. The nurse said he’s fine. That keeping him overnight was the best decision for his head injury.”
Philomena missed her son so much and hated that she spent hours away from him after being induced. Rick had checked on their son during her labor to make sure he was all right. JJ was aware that he would meet his brother soon, but he was never alone. Rick’s brother, Frank, kept JJ busy and his mind off the incident. Philomena wondered if JJ was really okay. He’d been through so much trauma, but he was strong, and she was so proud of him.
Though she had just given birth, Philomena was still in pain. She had a broken leg and required a wheelchair. She wasn’t even sure how she gave birth. She put it down to all the drugs in her system.
“Can I see him?” she asked.
Her husband nodded and stepped away from their son in the incubator to the back of the wheelchair. He pushed her out of the room, and they headed toward her son’s room. Once they reached it, she found Frank in a seat next to JJ’s bed. It was after nine a.m., and they were both asleep. It had been over twenty-four hours since the train collision. Somehow, she and her sons were alive when so many had died.
Rick wheeled her up to JJ’s bed, and she reached out and brushed her son’s fair hair. He had a bandage over his forehead where he had been bleeding. Philomena was relieved he was okay. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost him.
JJ opened his eyes, smiling the moment he saw her. “Hi, Momma.”
“Hello, my sweet Joseph,” she said as she leaned over and carefully kissed her son’s forehead. “Have you been good for your roommate?”
Her son nodded. “I have, Momma. I promise.”
“Good,” she whispered. “Go back to sleep and then you can meet your brother.”
“I have a brother.” The excitement in his eyes was beautiful. It was the opposite to the fear she saw in the mangled carriage they were trapped in.
She watched her son fall back to sleep with a smile on his face as he clutched his broken fire truck. He didn’t want to let it go. Even when the firefighters promised to get him a new one. JJ wanted to keep it. His hero gave it to him.
His hero.
Philomena’s hero was also her husband’s hero.
Will had saved all their lives and given them a second chance.
“Rick, can you turn me?” she asked her husband. When he did, she looked at her son’s roommate. It was unusual, but given the circumstances and how hysterical JJ was, they approved so long as Frank was with him. Rick pushed her to the bed, and Philomena grasped the patient’s hand.
She squeezed it tight, feeling how cold his touch was.
He was light.
Her shining light.
And as she smiled, she whispered, “Thank you,” before she promised him those three words.
“I’ll find her.”
Forty-one
Savannah
A day.
It had been an entire day. A day since her life changed forever. There had been no calls from the hospitals or medical centers. There were no updates for her or Will’s family. His youngest sister and grandfather were on their way to Boston and should arrive within hours from Australia.
Savannah had a sleepless night.
The moment she fell asleep on Alex and Evan’s fold-out couch, she was jolted awake with guilt and desire. She wanted to find him. She wanted him brought home.
But as more bodies were carried out of the train station, she’d begun to lose faith.
She questioned God and the universe.
Why would someone as good as William Lawrence be taken?
Not just from her but from everyone who loved him?
Savannah didn’t understand how life could be so cruel. How life could give him to her and then take him away. Without warning. Without giving her a chance to tell him she loved him.
“Morning. I got you some coffee,” Monty said as she handed Savannah a takeout cup. “Where is everyone?”
Savannah held the cup in her hand as she concentrated on the police officers guarding the entrance to South Station. “Thank you. They’ll be here soon.”
“You couldn’t sleep?”
Savannah shook her head as she faced her boss. “I’ve been here since four a.m. I felt helpless. I thought if I was here, he might … I don’t know. I just have to be here.”
“I know, and I’ll be right here with you.”
“You don’t have to, Monty. You should go back to Montpelier.”
Her boss shrugged her shoulder. “I won an award. I’ll use it to my full advantage. And I need to be here with you, Savannah. You’re not just my employee, but you’re also my friend.”
The lump in her throat returned.
She couldn’t have asked for a better boss.
“Thanks, Monty.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
So they stood there, waiting. She grasped the glimmer of hope in her chest tightly and prayed God would listen. But even the brightest stars died. Even constellations missed their mark. Even the good were the first to go. And then she remembered the very thoughts she had after her first time with Will. And it split her heart. Stealing the next beat from her.
I deserved the better man for a moment.
But I didn’t appreciate him.
I deserved him for a fleeting second.
But not a second more.
For the briefest of touches.
That I’ll keep forever.
I don’t deserve forever with William Lawrence.<
br />
I don’t deserve the better man for the eternity the galaxy promised us.
And the universe listened.
Forty-two
Savannah
It had been twenty minutes since Monty brought Savannah coffee and kept her company. She had received a message from Alex, saying that they were on their way and would bring her breakfast. Savannah was going to say no since she couldn’t stomach food right now, but she knew Alex had to do something to keep her mind busy. Her best friend had left Oxford the second she got off the phone with her husband, needing to be with Will’s family and Savannah. Last night, Savannah had told her best friend the entire story of how she and Will got together. She didn’t hide the details of her relationship with Walter, which she had done for years, and not once did Alex judge her. In fact, Alex had been supportive. Instead of talking about Walter, Alex asked Savannah to tell her all about Will with Miller. Those were the moments and memories Alex wanted to keep.
“Can anyone survive over twenty-four hours trapped under all that metal? We’ll have more after the break,” a man in a dark suit reported, stunning both Savannah and Monty.
“Hey, have some respect. There are families waiting to hear news about their loved ones. We don’t need your skepticism,” Monty lectured.
The man shrugged. “I’m just doing my job.”
“No, you’re just an asshole.”
Savannah grasped Monty’s wrist, pulling her back. “Monty, he’s not worth it.”
“No, he’s not,” she seethed as the reporter walked away.
Savannah felt someone bump her arm, and she let go of Monty’s wrist. “Sorry,” the man said. He looked tired. But then again, a lot of people around them did.
Savannah smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Are you doing an interview?”
The man nodded. “I am. I’m looking for someone.”
“Yeah, I get that. I am, too,” she said with little emotion in her voice. “Good luck.”
The man with the gentle green eyes smiled. It wasn’t large, but it was reassuring. “You, too.”
Savannah turned and focused back on the station. Then she heard the cameraman say, “And go, Sal.”
“I’m here at Boston’s South Station the day after a train collision so far has claimed thirty-four lives and injured many more. In our heartbreak, there is hope. I’m here with Rick Fresno, whose pregnant wife and son were on the train,” the woman reported. “Rick, your family was rescued from the carriage. And your wife gave birth early this morning to your second son. That’s a miracle. Congratulations.”
Savannah smiled, unable to stop herself from eavesdropping. She needed good news right now. And though it wasn’t the news she had wanted to hear, she was happy that Rick’s family was safe.
“Thank you. I’m so happy my wife and sons are safe. I know it’s a hard time for our city, but we’re Boston Strong. And I wouldn’t be able to stand here today knowing my wife and sons are safe had it not been for a commuter on that train who saved their lives and risked his. So I’m here, on behalf of my wife and myself, to honor him.”
“Please, tell us how we can help you,” the reporter insisted.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Rick nod. “I’m looking for a woman.”
“A woman?”
“Yes. I’m looking for a woman who needs to hear his words. My wife promised she’d tell her for him. So if you’re listening, Savannah Peters from Vermont—”
Her heart sank.
“Did you just say Savannah Peters?” Monty asked next to her.
Rick turned and nodded at them.
Monty gripped Savannah’s arm, shaking her. “Savannah, he knows of Will.”
“Are you Savannah Peters?” Rick asked with tears in his eyes.
Savannah blinked, freeing hers as she nodded. “I’m Savannah. You know Will?”
It was Rick’s turn to nod. “He saved my wife’s and sons’ lives. Please, please come see my wife at Massachusetts General. She needs to see you.”
“Is Will okay?” It was all she could ask.
Rick’s face was tense. He shook his head. “Please come see my wife. She’s been looking for you.”
He’s not okay.
He’s gone.
She wants to tell me his last words after he saved them.
Will’s a hero.
But I already knew that because until my very last breath …
William Lawrence is, and always will be, my hero.
Forty-three
JJ
“Thank you for saving my momma and me,” JJ said as he sat in the seat next to the man’s bed. His eyes were still closed, but Momma told him he was still alive if the beeps on the machine kept going.
So JJ kept his eyes on the machine and listened for each beat.
He would be his guard.
Make sure no one but doctors and nurses looked at him.
JJ didn’t know the man, but he had protected him before the train went dark.
He told him to be brave and help his mom.
And he did.
He did what the man said and tried to rub the red blood from him. Each time he rubbed it away, the blood came back. But now, the man didn’t have the red blood on his face anymore. He was clean, but he looked like he was sleeping.
Grabbing his broken fire truck from his lap, JJ tucked it next to the man’s side, hoping maybe the fire truck would help him like it had helped JJ.
“Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Will,” JJ said as he picked up the man’s hand and dropped it on the fire truck. “Thank you for saving Momma and my brother.”
Suddenly, JJ heard a strange sound come from the man, and he looked up to find his face was wrinkling. He looked like he was hurting. JJ looked over at the machine to find it still beeping, but it was faster. Then he turned to find the man opening his eyes. JJ lifted his legs onto the chair and got on his knees. He leaned forward and pressed his hand on the bed, trying to see if his eyes were open.
“Mr. Will, you’re awake!” JJ said excitedly.
The man who saved him and his momma smiled. “You’re okay, little man. I’m so happy.”
“I’m happy, too,” JJ said as the beeps started to get louder.
Mr. Will let out that same sound again, but he smiled. “Is your mom okay?”
JJ nodded. “She is.” The beeps were too loud, hurting JJ’s ears. “Mr. Will, is it supposed to make that much noise?”
“It’s okay.” He smiled again. “Can you get your mom for me? I’d like to see her.”
“Okay,” JJ said as he got off the chair. “I’ll leave my truck with you, and I’ll go get Momma.”
“Thank you, JJ.”
JJ grinned. He remembered his name from the train. “You can call me by my real name since we’re friends.”
“What’s …” Mr. Will coughed. “What’s your real name?”
“It’s Joseph,” JJ revealed.
Mr. Will’s eyes were all shiny. “Joseph. It’s nice to meet you.”
JJ nodded. “I’ll go get Momma. I won’t be long.”
“Take your time,” Mr. Will said before JJ turned.
The loud noises kept going.
But once he got to the door, they stopped.
They weren’t beats anymore.
It was just one long sound.
JJ looked over to find Mr. Will’s eyes were closed again.
“Mr. Will?”
He didn’t reply.
Mr. Will fell asleep again.
Forty-four
Savannah
The cameraman and reporter used their van to take Savannah and Rick to the hospital. Monty had stayed at the station for any news while Savannah had gone to Massachusetts General to find out what happened to Will. She didn’t know Rick, but she believed his story. How else would he have known her name?
He said Will was not okay, but he didn’t say Will had died.
Or maybe he just doesn’t know.
A million thoughts ran through Sav
annah’s head.
She needed to be with Will.
She needed information.
Savannah needed to find him.
When they reached the hospital, she thanked the cameraman and reporter and got out of the van. She followed Rick into the hospital and down the hall until they reached a ward. Rick led her to a room where a woman was sitting in a wheelchair next to an incubator.
“Philomena, I found her,” Rick said as he stepped in the room, leaving Savannah by the door.
The woman in the wheelchair looked away from the incubator with tears in her eyes. “Are you Savannah?”
She nodded, stepping inside. “I’m Savannah Peters. You know Will?”
Philomena nodded as she waved her over. Savannah closed the distance and stood next to Philomena, staring at the baby in the incubator. The baby who was born against all odds. Savannah was so happy that through the tragedy, a new life was born. Though the baby was small, he was beautiful.
“His name is William Fresno,” Philomena said as Savannah turned away and looked at the newborn’s mother. “I named him after my hero. He saved my sons’ and my life.”
Pride infected her chest as she blinked her tears free. The man she loved saved so many lives while he risked his own. She couldn’t love him more. He showed the world the man he was. The hero he was. “That sounds like my Will.”
My Will.
She smiled at the thought. He would always be her Will.
Philomena reached out and grasped Savannah’s hand. “He didn’t think. He looked at my son, grabbed him, and sheltered us both with his body. Then it went black …”
The air in her lungs thinned, and her heart raced as Philomena told her what happened to them yesterday. “I’m so sorry you went through all that.”
“Thank you,” she said with a small smile. “I wouldn’t be here, and my sons wouldn’t be here had it not been for Will. When the first responders came, they went to him first. He refused their help and asked that they save me and my son first.”
