Sam’s phone rang with a call from her stepmother, Celia. “Hi there.”
“Sam! I’ve just heard the news about Ethan. We were on an excursion and hadn’t seen any news all day. Is he?—”
“He’s safe, reunited with Tracy, Mike and Brooke and not in any kind of trouble.”
“That’s a huge relief. How terrified you all must’ve been.”
“It’s been rough. We didn’t call you because there was nothing you could do, and we didn’t want to ruin the end of your vacation.”
“I would’ve been distraught for sure.”
“I’m heading home now to get some sleep. I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been up.”
“Please give all the Hogans my love and tell them I’m so thankful to hear that Ethan is okay.”
“I’ll do that. Are you still due home soon? I feel like you’ve been gone forever.”
“Me, too! Yes, we land at five on Monday at Dulles, so I should be home by dinnertime.”
“The kids will be thrilled to see you—and I will, too.”
“See you then. Love you all.”
“Love you, too.”
After Sam ended the call, she called GW, identified herself and asked to speak to Tracy in the ER.
A few minutes passed before Tracy came on the line.
“Hey, have you talked to Mom or Angela to update them?”
“Brooke texted them.”
“Oh good. Celia called to say she heard the news and is thankful he’s ok.
“Glad to hear from Celia.”
“How’s he doing?”
“He’s sleeping right now. Mike, Brooke and Nate are going back to Celia’s. I’ll stay with him until he’s released in the morning.”
“Okay, let me know if you need anything.”
“I need my phone back.”
“I’ll see what I can do about that.”
“Thanks for all you did to help.”
“Love you all.”
“Love you, too.”
After she texted Archie to ask about returning phones to the Hogans and Cambras, Sam closed her phone and her eyes, resting her head on Nick’s shoulder. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been this tired. The days of being single and working around the clock seemed like a long time ago now that they’d been married more than two years and had a family to care for. In the past, she’d regularly pulled all-nighters if the demands of a case called for it. These days, she hardly ever did that, preferring instead to turn things over to the night shift to keep the investigation moving until she returned in the morning.
“We’re home, babe,” Nick said.
She forced her eyes open and blinked the White House into view.
