Reggie put the basket on the rolling table and leaned in. “Can I hug you? Does it hurt anywhere?”
I reached up at the light bruise that banded my neck. Reggie burst into tears and hugged me. “I was so scared, Shane; I thought maybe I’d find you, you know, brain-dead or something.”
“I think the only thing that really hurts is my ego,” I wiped away tears. “I can’t believe I was that close to being so gone.”
My mother wiped tears away but gave me a smile that said how glad she was that I was still around.
“Do you guys want something to eat?” He pulled back his tears and leaned down to hug Mom, too. “And don’t worry—it’s not French.”
We all laughed and I saw that he’d brought us all burgers and fries from Coney’s Island. How did I get so lucky?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Mom drove me to the m
