Chapter 77 Just in Time

Their screams echoed on the buildings around them as they began to go over the edge. Anna mourned the loss of the life she’d wanted, the one she’d wanted so badly that she’d traveled back in time. Darkness began to swallow them as they started over the edge, but suddenly Anna was jerked back. Isabel’s eyes went wide as Anna was jerked away and she lost her grip on Anna. The hand grabbing Anna’s shirt was a solid link to safety and Isabel realized this as her hands slid free and she fell into darkness. Anna was pulled back and she saw John’s strong hand had been the one holding her. Anna collapsed into John’s arms as Isabel’s screams died away into the darkness. The thud of her hitting the ground was loud despite the thunder and lightning and in that moment Anna curled into John as the horror seeped into her bones.
“Anna are you alright?” John panted as his arms wrapped around her as they both slid down the wall to sit in the rain.
“It’s you I’m worried about, seeing you laying there unmoving I felt like my life was over. I wanted to help but couldn’t and then she grabbed me and her almost. Almost…”
“I know,” He said holding her close, “I thought she was going to do it, by the time I came to she was already trying to push you over and I was so afraid that I would be too late.”
“How does this happen? “Anna asked tears running down her cheeks, “How did we get here, with her hating me so much?”
John pulled back and brushed the hair back from her face. “She’d obviously been mentally ill for a long time.”
“Is this my fault?” She asked sobbing as the rain-soaked them both. “Did I do something to bring this on?”
“No! No!” he said harshly “Look at me, Isabel’s problems were her own, you did nothing wrong.”
Anna sobbed as the weight of what had happened crashed down on her. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight as John pulled out his phone and dialed 911. He gave the operator their information and held on the line while she sent help. They sat in the rain holding each other as the red lights of the ambulance cast the building into a red glow. They were soaked but neither of them seemed to notice as they huddled close together just glad to have each other.
***
An hour later the coroner closed the door on his van and pulled away in the steadily pounding rain. Anna and John watched from the cover of the lobby neither of them quite believing what had happened. John knelt in front of Anna and rubbed her hands as she continued to shake. He gently pushed her hair back and looked at the bruises on her neck. There were already forming angry purple lines interspersed with scratched from Isabel’s nails.
“I’m so sorry Anna. I should have done a better job of protecting you.”
“You couldn’t have known she was going to knock you out.” Anna said in a raspy voice “You thought it was me texting you.”
“I should have been more alert.”
“Are you kidding, no one expects to be knocked out and almost killed by a psycho.”
John pulled her against him and wrapped himself around her. “I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you.”
“I’m fine, we’re both fine, and we’re together now.”
“Are we? John asked looking into her eyes “are we okay?”
“We are better than okay.” She said with a smile as she cupped his cheeks. “I love you John and I don’t ever want to be away from you again.”
“I think that can be arranged,” John said softly as he kissed her. He placed his forehead on hers and smiled into her eyes. “I love you, Anna, I have since we were kids. It’s always been you for me.”
Anna smiled and pulled him in, kissing him again, feeling for the first time that she was really home.