“I do. But with Damon in the hospital, I feel so desperate and alone.”
“You aren’t. I’m here. You’ll never have to go through this by yourself. So just accept that. We’ll deal with whatever happens together. Come here.”
He stood, bringing her to stand with him. His hands caressed her face, shoveling her long, blonde hair behind her shoulders. “We have to go to the police now, Rachel. You understand that, right?” He hugged her close, waiting for her to answer.
Though she hesitated, she knew he was right. “Ye-es. I know we do. Should we call them or go to the station?”
“I think it’s best if we go there and explain in person. Let me just call Marcy and make sure Nico is okay.”
Before he could hit the number to call, Lance’s phone lit up and stopped him from dialing. “It’s Marcy.” Surprised, he answered, listened, and handed the phone to Rachel. “She has a request.” He smiled reassuringly and stepped back.
Rachel answered, her voice questioning. “Hi. Is everything alright with Nico?”
“He’s fine but upset. No doubt he feels the tension, and he’s missing his sister. I can’t keep him entertained anymore. The poor baby is heartbroken and wants only you.”
“I understand. We’ll be right there. Thanks for calling. Can you put him on the phone?”
Rachel heard Marcy speaking gently to her son and the sounds of the receiver changing hands. “Mommy? I miss Wosie. I want you. Can you come and get me?”
“I’ll be right there, baby. Don’t cry anymore. Mommy’s coming very soon, and I want to see you smiling, okay?”
Sniff. “Okay, Mama.” Sniff. “I be good now.”
Marcy came back on the line, and her voice gentled. “He’s a wonderful boy, Rachel. Poor baby keeps saying he wants to go home. It might be better if I bring him to your place, and you meet us there.”
“Good idea. We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay. We’ll leave now and meet you.”
When Lance pulled up to her house, Rachel saw a company truck like the ones Damon and Lance drove parked in front ofher house. The minute she stepped down from Lance’s vehicle, Nico ran to her, his little arms outstretched and a huge grin of happiness covering his face. “Mommy. I be a good boy. I stay with you now, yes?” His question spoken as a plea and a demand made her heart smile, as did his blond curls and toothy grin. Her little boy knew exactly how to charm her. Probably because his angelic ways always worked.
“Yes, baby. You can stay with me now.”
Chapter Sixteen
Scared but determined, Rosie found it more and more difficult to keep from speaking. Even after a nice woman brought her supper and told her about her own kids, she still wouldn’t tell her who she was and what she was doing on the bus. After all, everyone knew that running away from home was a bad thing and not what she was guilty of. Going to the hospital to see her father couldn’t be the same as running away.
Mixed up, with her thoughts spinning in everchanging circles, Rosie knew one thing for certain. Rachel would straighten it all out. She needed her mom, and she’d made up her mind that until she saw her, she’d keep quiet.
Since hours had passed after she’d left Uncle Lance’s house, it was getting more difficult to stick to her decision. Thinking she might be unsure because she hadn’t felt her dad around her for some time, she clenched her hands in the pockets of her jacket and stubbornly held on. His voice in her head had made her strong, started the idea of her going to the hospital, and that goalhadn’t changed. She just didn’t know how to make it happen now.
Identical thoughts spinning over and over kept returning to the main reason for her being there… her dad. What if she told them that her dad was in the hospital, and he needed her? Would they agree to bring her to him? Would the doctors let her see him? Was she old enough? All these questions raged through her head, and she felt so tired of trying to be grown up. Scared, tired, and missing Nico, Rosie finally admitted that she needed Rachel and Uncle Lance’s help. Could she makethemunderstand?
Rosie thought about the last while and how her mother had shut her out, staying away for days and then ignoring her when she’d tried to ask her about her father. She had to admit that Uncle Lance had done his best, but he didn’t want to answer any of her questions either and brushed her off when she asked him for information. When he kept saying he didn’t know, she didn’t believe him. He knew what had happened. He just didn’t want to tell her.
They all treated her like a baby. But she wasn’t. Not anymore.
They needed to explain where her daddy was and why he hadn’t come home. Was he one of the people in the bad accident that had made her mom cry? She had to know. And when Uncle Lance had finally tried to explain to her about Damon, he told her that her dad had been working in the crushed building, only she’d sensed he’d made that up… told a lie. And she hated for him to lie to her. Really, if her dad had been working there, why wouldn’t they have said something right at the start? Grownups! Covering up stuff! It all made her so mad.
Especially since she kinda knew anyway. Watching the TV news that showed the earthquake site, she sensed her daddy was one of the people caught by the fallen stuff. She’d watched Uncle Lance’s face pale and his hands clench while he’d listened, andshe’d clearly seen his worry. Also… she’d seen her mom’s car parked when they’d covered the wreckage on the news. In her mind, there could only be one reason for Rachel to be there.
Because her daddy was one of the victims they talked about. Only now, he’d been rescued. She’d seen it earlier on the local news. They called it a miracle that he was alive. And the ambulance had taken him to the hospital.
More important… he needed her. She felt him urging her to come to him. Thoughts twisted in her mind, making her dizzy. She had to get to the hospital. Now.
Sitting up, Rosie looked around the station where they’d sat her on a chair behind some desks, giving her a coke, a sandwich, and a pile of comic books they’d found in a drawer. She guessed they were trying to keep her amused after she’d refused to talk. The last cop had told her they were going to call around to the schools, asking if anyone could come down and identify her. No one had arrived yet, so she still had time.
Maybe she could run away when the police weren’t looking? She glanced around the large room filled with desks and a wall with big TVs mounted in rows. Most had different pictures and no sounds. It was weird. The overall noise in the room could be overwhelming, but then it would slow down until another set of people would start talking on the phones again, and the hum would intensify. If she waited until they got busy, maybe she could sneak away. Suddenly, two people went to meet a lady coming through the big glass door, and Rosie knew her last chance to escape had just disappeared. Her fat old principal was walking toward her.
