Shock

-7-

The timer on my watch was still running. It was now displaying triple digits, 1h 03m 45s.
I changed mrs. Stratford's bandages, since they were drenched in blood already. Nathan had disappeared into the kitchen. I hadn't bothered to follow him, figuring he could use some alone time. 
I thought about continuing my search for Peter, but with the fragile way mrs. Stratford was lying on the ground in the middle of the diner, unprotected from careless customers tripping over or stepping on her, I decided to stay.
I didn't even know why I wanted to find Peter anyway. Sure, I wanted to make sure he was safe, but he wasn't stupid. Knowing the diner like he did, no one was as safe as my little brother.
I didn't know how long I sat there, but I kept my eyes glued to mrs. Stratford, afraid that if I looked at my watch, another hour would have passed.
After a while, Layla and Keith joined me. Neither said anything, even Keith seemed to notice the tension that was surrounding mrs. Stratford.
And so we sat in silence. I noticed Layla periodically glancing at my watch, but she didn't speak. I had to stifle a yawn. And another. After my third attempt to hide my fatigue, I lifted my head to look around the diner.
The poker players had recommenced their game, the Starbucks-girls, along with some other customers, were sitting in booths, talking. At the kids' table, things weren't as spirited. Children were resting their heads on tables, leaning back in their chairs, yawning. I realized it had to be way past their bedtime.
I asked Keith to watch mrs. Stratford and to warn me if her condition changed. Layla joined me as I went to find soft surfaces for the children to sleep on.
The booths seemed the most fitted, so we asked the customers occupying them to move and settled the children there instead.
"Nice bed and breakfast you got here," a voice said. When I turned, I saw it was muscle.
Now that my fight or flight reflex wasn't clouding my vision, I could see he was actually reasonably attractive. Fair hair, athletic build, emerald eyes that reminded me of the northern lights.
"Thanks."
He smiled, creating dimples in his cheeks.
"I am really sorry about what happened earlier. I didn't mean to..."
I waved the apology away.
"No harm, no foul."
Er
"I mean, yes harm, no... I mean... Don't mention it."
His effect on my conversation skills wasn't exactly beneficial. Let's try something simple. Introduce yourself.
"I'm Charlie,"
"Tyson"
Neither of us seemed to know what to say next, so an awkward silence arose.
"Well, I'll see you later Charlie," Tyson said eventually.
"Yeah, later..."
I didn't want to ponder my awkwardness, so I strolled past the booths, making sure all the children were accounted for. They were all fast asleep, except two.
Peter and Haley, who were lying on opposite sides of a booth, both had their eyes open. When I inched closer, I heard Peter's voice.
"'Seventy-nine. I win!' said the alligator. 'Okay,' said the crocodile, 'Maybe you do have more teeth than me. But I bet you I can swim faster!'"
It was the crocodile and the alligator, a bedtime story I told Peter and Cameron when they couldn't sleep. A warm feeling spread in my chest. Peter was trying to make Haley feel better.
"'We'll see about that,' said the alligator, 'I'll race you for it!'"
Haley seemed captivated by Peter's voice, her smile growing at every word.
"The crocodile and the alligator swam to the end of the river. All the fish in the water were scared, but they didn't have to be, because the crocodile and the alligator just wanted to win the race. They didn't have time for a snack!"
I walked on and finished counting. The last booth was empty, so I sat down, positioning my body in a way so that I could still see the kitchen door.
The table was sticky from a drink that had spilled during the shock. Suddenly, I craved coffee.
I was exhausted from the day's events. Now that I wasn't moving around anymore, my brain finally registered the cold. The broken windows had really taken their toll on the temperature in the diner. My fingers were frozen, as were my toes. I held up my hands, palms up, so I wouldn't see my watch. Just as I'd expected, my fingers had turned completely white.
I stood and walked to the nearest heater. Broken. No surprise there. As if thinking for themselves, my legs brought me to the bathroom. For some reason, my subconscious seemed to think the warm water would still function. I turned the handle and one pathetic drop of ice water fell from the tap. Simultaneously, another one rolled on my cheek. It wasn't until I looked in the mirror that I realized I was crying. I looked terrible.
My lips were blue and cracked from the cold, the bridge of my nose was still red from the punch and my cheeks were stained with tears.
Why was I crying?
It wasn't my mother who was dying.
At once, I realized I couldn't be sure of that. I had no idea where my parents were. Aside from Peter, I didn't know where my brothers were either.
My frozen fingers fished my phone from my pocket, dialed Greg's number and pressed the little green button.
The mobile number you have called is currently unavailable, please try again later. If this problem persists, please call the help desk for more information.
Beep.