Five hours passed and they weren’t back yet. I was getting even more worried. Had Ben gotten worse or had he died? I looked at my cell phone. No missed calls. If he was getting better, if he was alive, they would have called by now.
I moved to the kitchen and sat on the couch against the glass wall and just stared out where they had disappeared. I watched the trees for movement, hoping to spot them when they emerged but with every passing hour there was nothing.
Night came and passed. I paced in the kitchen, shifting my gaze between the phone and forest. After fifty messages, Ash hadn’t thought of calling me back.
“Lee, I’m sure he’s fine.” Maria said with a smile.
“Did Joe call you?”
“No.”
“What are you worried about? He’s a hybrid, he’ll be fine,” Ann added.
All I wanted to do w
