Campfire
Page 22
“I don’t know,” Chelsea spoke quietly, not raising her head to look at Maddie.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Maddie said absently, more to assure herself than anything.
The two lapsed back into silence.
“We got him to a hospital,” Maddie went on nervously, getting to her feet. She started pacing back and forth. “They can fix bullet holes, can’t they? Modern medicine and all.”
She let the thought drop, her mind racing back to the flashing lights and the doctors’ shouts as they’d wheeled Caleb into the emergency room. That’d been about five hours ago. She still didn’t know if he’d survive.
“I—I thought we were going to die up there,” Chelsea mumbled, ignoring Maddie’s question. “I thought—I thought I was going to lose you.”
Maddie stopped her pacing and turned to look at her best friend. Though cleaned up now, Chelsea still looked damaged. Broken. She saw the tears welling up in the girl’s eyes.
“But you—you saved me.” Chelsea’s words came out wet, and Maddie rushed forward, pulling Chelsea into a hug.
“We saved each other,” Maddie whispered. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
The girls held their hug for a long time, both crying now. Neither could actually believe that it was over. That they had gotten off the mountain. That they had survived.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Chelsea pulled away first, her hands flying to her face to wipe away the tears.
“I’m never going to leave you,” Maddie said. “Like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”
Chelsea giggled, remembering those same words she’d spoken to Maddie five years before.
“Together forever. Pinkie promise.”
And Maddie held out her finger, waiting for Chelsea to take it.
“Pinkie promise.”
The girls clasped hands and pulled into an even tighter hug.
“Excuse me,” a voice interrupted them. “Is one of you Maddie Davenport?”
Maddie lifted her head and stared up at the doctor.
“That’s me.”
“Caleb’s out of surgery now,” the doctor went on. “And he asked to see you. Both of you.”
A smile broke over Maddie’s face. She looked excitedly at Chelsea and then back at the doctor.
“What are you waiting for?” She leaped to her feet. “Let’s go.”
The doctor gave her a strange look but then led her and Chelsea out of the waiting room. They walked a few minutes and then the doctor stopped, pointing them into a patient’s room. Maddie and Chelsea rushed past him, then came up short as they spotted Caleb lying in his hospital bed.
Even through the bruises and cuts and bandages, Maddie could still see his bright blue eyes shining. They sparked as they caught sight of her. She rushed forward and took his hand, smiling as he squeezed hers back.
“There she is,” Caleb whispered, his voice hoarse and barely there. “Mustang Maddie. My hero.”
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FIRST OFF, I WOULD LIKE TO thank my family. My mother and father (Linda and Richard) always encouraged me to read as a child. Without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’d also like to thank my dad for being an awesome beta reader. He knew Maddie before anyone else and gave me invaluable insight as I went along the scary road of writing a novel. My brother, Christopher, and his wife, Mandi, were also always there to bounce ideas off of.
For their encouragement, I’d like to thank Allary Montague, Megan Frost, and Terrell Bostic. They’ve been my biggest cheerleaders throughout the years. I’d also like to thank Kyle King, who made sure I was always well fed as I wrote.
It was the opportunity of a lifetime, getting to work with James Patterson. He saw potential in my book, and I can’t thank him enough. Maddie’s story wouldn’t exist without him. Also, gigantic thanks to the entire JIMMY team. Aubrey Poole was a dream of an editor. Sasha Henriques, Jenny Bak, Tracy Shaw, and Stephanie Yang all helped make this book a real thing that I could hold in my hands. Thank you to Sabrina Benun and Alexis Gilbert. To Sean Comstock, Erinn McGrath, Florence Yue, Elizabeth Guess, Katie Tucker, Kathryn Rogers, and Ned Rust. Also to the entire sales team at Hachette! I’ve worked alongside most of them for years and am so thankful to have gotten to publish my first book with them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SHAWN SARLES was born and raised in a small town in western Kentucky. After graduating from Wake Forest University, he moved to New York City. He has lived there and worked in the publishing industry for almost a decade. Campfire is his debut novel.
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