The dispatcher stayed on the line, calm and precise, asking for details I gave without hesitation. Location, description, names. Every word made the truth heavier in the room, as if it was settling into the walls themselves.
Hannah stayed behind me now, shaking but no longer alone. I could feel her trying not to cry, trying to hold onto whatever dignity was left after being stripped of it in front of strangers.
Kyle reached for his glass, then stopped halfway, realizing his hands were no longer steady. Sharon leaned in toward him, whispering urgently, but whatever she said didn’t restore his confidence. It only made him look smaller.
For the first time, no one at that table was performing. There was only waiting—long, suffocating, unavoidable waiting-
