The woman smiled through tears, then dropped a kiss on Iris’s head then one on Lou Lou’s. “I’d never let anything bad happen to a little child.”
The sound of Derrick’s boots on the wood floor indicated he was back with Hazel, then Hazel rushed into the room and threw her hands up in the air. “Oh, thank you sweet Jesus!” she cried as she waddled toward Iris.
“Ha ha,” Iris squealed. The toddler tried to get down, but Hazel reached her and scooped her up, cradling her into a hug.
Ellie wiped tears from her own cheeks. She couldn’t wait to call Dana Jo and her mother and put Lou Lou back in their arms.
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN
Bluff County Hospital
Hazel rode in the back of the ambulance with Iris and Lou Lou to the hospital while Ellie and Derrick drove her Jeep. Using her hands-free, Ellie called Beth Ann Benton.
“We found Iris,” Ellie said without preamble. “She’s safe and appears unharmed.”
“Oh, my goodness, that’s wonderful,” Beth Ann said in a shaky voice. “Where is she? Can I see her?”
“She and the other little girl are on their way to the hospital for routine evaluations. If you want to meet us there, you can.”
“Of course. I’ll be there ASAP.”
The excitement in Minnie’s sister’s voice warmed Ellie’s heart.
“I’m glad her sister wants her,” Derrick said.
“Me, too. At least she’ll be with family.”
“Dana Jo and her mother will be excited and relieved, too. Maybe now Dana Jo can overcome her trauma and start living without fear again.”
Ellie spun into the hospital parking lot and parked just after the ambulance did. She and Derrick met Hazel and the medicsat the door. Iris was clinging to Hazel, and Lou Lou had fallen asleep, so one of the medics carried her inside.
Ellie and Hazel hurried beside them while Derrick hung back in the waiting room for Beth Ann to arrive. A nurse met them, and Ellie explained the circumstances as they escorted the children to an exam room.
“Let’s keep the girls together,” Hazel suggested. “They were holding hands on the way over.”
Ellie nodded and stepped into the hall as a pediatrician entered. “They’ve been through an ordeal,” Ellie told the young woman. “I imagine they’ll need counseling.”
“We’ll discuss that with the families,” the doctor said.
Ellie thanked her then walked to the waiting room and told Derrick she planned to check on Dana Jo. Her pulse raced as she walked down the hall to Dana Jo’s room. Her mother sat in a chair beside Dana Jo, hugging a cup of coffee, and Dana Jo sipped water through a straw. She looked like hell, bruised and battered, and was still shell-shocked.
Having her daughter back would lift those spirits.
She tapped on the door then stepped inside. Dana Jo looked up with a mixture of fear and hope just as her mother did.
“Are you up for a ride in a wheelchair?” Ellie asked.
Hope lit Dana Jo’s eyes, although wariness followed as if she’d been disappointed so many times she was afraid to hope.
“It’s okay,” Ellie assured her. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
Relief echoed in Dana Jo’s breath as she released it then Ellie pushed a wheelchair in, and Dana Jo’s mother helped her daughter stand then sit down. They covered her lap with a blanket, and Ellie pushed Dana Jo, with her mother walking close beside the chair.
Worry and anticipation filled the silence as they made their way to the ER. By the time they arrived, Beth Ann had rushed inand Derrick and Beth Ann walked with them to the girls’ exam room.
Ellie found the nurse. “Is it okay if we take the families back to the girls now?”
The nurse beamed a smile. “I think that would be the best medicine they could ever have.”
