When we got home, I helped Ariel inside and got her settled on the couch. I was exhausted but knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I was in nurse mom mode, which meant I was going to hover, monitor, and overanalyze everything until I was sure she was okay.
“Do you want something to eat?” I asked. “Maybe some toast or a bagel?”
“Toast, please,” she said, followed by a yawn.
When I brought the toast to her, I sat down in the chair beside the couch and watched her nibble at the bread. After a few bites, she dropped the toast onto the plate and let out a frustrated groan.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I have this feeling that I’m forgetting something important, but I can’t remember anything. I don’t remember leaving to go to the party, but I must have gone for a reason.” She shook her head and squeezed her eyes closed. When they popped open again, she looked as if she remembered something. “Where’s my phone?” she asked urgently.
“I don’t know,” I said. The whereabouts of her phone had not been on my list of concerns. “I’ll look in the bag with your clothes.” After a quick search, I came up empty. “Could it be in your car?”
“I doubt it. I don’t think I would have gone into the party without it.”
“I’ll check to be sure.” She kept her car very clean, so it didn’t take me long to confirm that her phone was not in her car.
“It’s not there,” I told her.
“Check the tracking app,” Ariel said.
“I’m obviously exhausted. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that,” I mumbled as I reached for my phone. “Huh. It seems to be moving.”
“It’s still on. Call it,” Ariel said.
So, I did.
A deep, somewhat familiar voice answered after a few rings.
“Yes, hi,” I stammered. “You have my daughter’s phone. Who am I speaking with?”
“Hey, Presley. It’s Ink,” he said. “I’m actually on my way to bring the phone to you.”
“What? How?”
“Flint found it in his truck. We assumed it was Ariel’s. Since I don’t have your phone number, I figured I’d just drop by and see if it was hers.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he said and ended the call.
“Ink found your phone. He’s on his way here with it now,” I told Ariel.
“Where was it?”
“In the guy’s truck who brought you to the hospital,” I said and looked down at my scrubs. “I’m going to run upstairs and change before he gets here.”
She nodded and closed her eyes.
I hurried upstairs through my bathroom to my closet, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like the hell my night had been and didn’t have much time to do anything about it. Before changing, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and redid my messy bun to look less messy. Then I changed into a hoodie and a pair of leggings.
I had just made it back downstairs when the doorbell rang.
“Hi,” I said when I opened the door. “Thanks for bringing her phone to us.”
“No problem,” he said and handed the phone to me. Then, he held up a large bag. “I also brought breakfast in case you were hungry.”
“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
