For the rest of the drive, Amy fell asleep in her seat.
Connor turned down the volume of the radio to avoid her waking up.
Her hand remained in his own. Being a safe driver since he was 16, it was no problem to steer the car with five fingers.
After another 100 miles, he decided to take a break at a gas station. He filled the tank and ordered some sweets and groceries, before he went back to the car. To his surprise, Amy greeted him with a yawn. It seemed like she was waking up, looking around in confusion.
"Where are we?"
"Almost there. How are you feeling?"
She watched herself with the help of the exterior mirror.
"Better. Relieved. But I look like hell."
"It was time to get it out, mh?"
"Apparently."
Connor handled her the food, to disturb the intense moment of silence.
"Still a corn dog fan?"
"Absolutely", she took the sausages, biting into it and finished eating pretty fast.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"You never talked about Saudi-Arabia or Africa. I mean the things you've seen. It was a rough time, wasn't it?"
"Yeah."
He nodded confirming her question.
"And?"
"And I don't want you to become even more traumatized."
"Why didn't it traumatize you?"
"Did I say that?"
He turned the music off.
"The older you get, the stronger you become. Sometimes. Not always. I've been treating people in very critical conditions. Most of them living in developing parts of the country, so you can imagine how my days looked like."
"Alright, no questions."
"You got the point."
"Tell me about my birth then."
Connor looked at her in surprise.
"Wow, that's huge. I mean, it's a fast journey. From Saudi-arabia to your birth."
"You never talked about it. I always thought I was adopted."
"No, I guarantee you that you our biological kid."
"You've been at the delivery room?"
"Sure. You can bet your life on it! It was my first week at college and I worked at my grandfathers department store, when the hospital called. Your mom was in labor. It was 4 weeks before the birth date when she got contradictions. "
"So I was a primee."
"Yeah. Your mom freaked out. We were messed up, cause the doctors said, there was a chance you wouldn't survive. 2 hours later I got to hold you for the first time. I see it like it was yesterday. I was afraid that I would accidentaly hurt you. You were so small. One week after you were born we tried kangaroo care. It's when parent and baby have skin to skin contact. You were resting on my shoulder. All the tubes and monitors around you. It was incredible. I was ready to cry and to laugh at the same time, because we didn't know if there were any aftermath reactions. And yeah, you were right. I was totally overwhelmed. It challenged out relationship to a new point. But it was not on you. You were the best thing that ever happened to me."
"You still got photos from my first days?"
"I will show you as soon as we're getting home."
Connnor started the engine, already wanted to start driving, when he stopped.
"Waite a second."
He looked at the mirror in confusion.
"Huh? Did you see something?"
"Oh no."
Two black dressed people entered the gas station.
"Give me your phone. And don't turn around."
Amy glanced at him in shock
"Dad, what's going on?"
"Amy, do it!"
"Here."
"911. How can I help you?", a female voice requested.
"This is Connor Rhodes. I wanted to report a robbery in progress."
"What?!", Amy screamed, when her father put his hand on hers and squeezed it.
"Where?", the lady wanted to know. Connor looked around, shook his head.
"I don't know. Were on the highway, somewhere between Dodgeville and Friendship."
"Is it near a 7eleven?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Help is on the way."
Shots disturbed any silence.
"Put your head down!", Connor screamed to Amy, locking the car from the inside, so no one would be able to come in.
"Dad, what's going on?"
Rhodes shook his head.
"I don't know."
His eyes met with Amys.
"You're not getting out of the car. You hear me?"
She nodded, nervously biting her nails. The upcoming silence increased her fear.
They recognized loud male voices. Obviously they came back after getting what they want.
A white sedane was driving away with squeling tires.
Connor unlocked the SUV.
"What are you doing?"
"People are shot. I have to help. You stay here."
"Dad!", Amy cried, watching how her father ran into the gas station, what came out as a big mistake.
Being focused on any hurt civilians he didn't suspect that the offenders were nearer than he thought…
"I know that hurts. Help is on the way", Rhodes keeped the seller down, when further shots resounded near his car.
"Oh no", he stammered in shock, when the gun shots mixed up with the sirens from a police car.
"They're coming back", another employee screamed, while Rhodes condition changed from bad to worse.
Still being in shock he watched his car, being shot by the two men with ski masks until the police shot back and finally hit the offenders, that fall to the ground like dead bees.
"Amy", he said with a voice like an innocent school boy. The bandages fall to the ground.
"Excuse me sir, is there anything wrong with you?"
It was a dream. It had to be a nightmare and he would wake up every coming second. Sadly he didn't.
"Amy", he screamed, his adrenaline got him to run like a meniac, until he was stopped by the police.
"This is my daughter. My daughter is in the car. My daughter", he pointed tot he vehicle, finally managed to get out oft he grip, running to SUV.
"Amy! Amy!", he knocked on the windows, until the police caught him within seconds.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
"My daughter is in the car. She's still in there", Rhodes shouted, waiting fort he door to open.