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She crouched down to touch Anne’s body. “She’s warm,” she said to Danny and Joe.
“I’m calling 9-1-1,” Joe said. “We don’t know if she suffered any broken bones, and for sure, she’ll have a concussion. Who the fuck hurt her?” Joe took out his phone and dialed emergency.
Sam looked at the little boy, who had tears in his eyes. “Silas, sweetie, Anne will be okay.”
He breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at blood dripping down the wall, the gash on Anne’s head, the bruises on her face and body, and wanted to punch someone’s lights out. How dare they hurt this sweet woman.
A woman who only wanted to teach.
A woman who took in a motherless child.
A woman who was one of her oldest friends. She couldn’t stop the growl that emitted from her throat.
Silas withdrew into himself, tears streaming down his face.
“Sweetie, why didn’t you call the police?” asked Sam. She stood up, reached for his hand, and brought him into the living room. Joe and Danny would stay with Anne, but she had a little boy to calm down.
Silas sat next to her on the sofa. She put her arm around him and cuddled him close to her body.
“I was afraid,” he murmured into her chest.
“Afraid of what?”
“Afraid if I called the police, they’d take me away like the last time and put me in a worse foster home.” He sobbed. “I like living with Ms. Anne.”
Afraid? Sam’s heart broke. Silas was only five and experienced more upsets in his young life than any child should have.
“Silas?” Sam pushed his head up so he could look at her. “Silas. You never have to be afraid. Do you know why?”
He swiped at the tears and shook his head.
“Because we are all Anne’s friends. And friends take care of each other. Right?”
Silas nodded.
“And that means one of her friends will help take care of you until Anne is better.”
“Oh.” He cocked his head. “Will you?”
Sam heard the sirens getting closer. “Why don’t we open the door and wait for the ambulance?”
They opened the door just as the ambulance and a police car pulled up. Sam told them where Anne was as the paramedics raced into the house.
Thankfully, the cop on duty was a friend. They walked back into the living room as Sam described the scene.
The officer took time to walk around the house taking pictures.
He asked Silas several questions but was very sympathetic and kind, reassuring him that no one was taking him away. Sam made sure the cop understood Anne’s friends would help.
“Oh.” Silas stood as the paramedics rolled the gurney out. He reached out to touch Anne but pulled back.
“She’s going to be okay, little man,” said one man as the gurney passed by.
Sam closed the door after the police and ambulance left. She turned to Silas. “Can you tell me anything you remember?”
The little boy thought for a minute. “The man was big and had something over his face and kept yelling, ‘Where is it?’ And…” A tear slipped down his cheek. “He ruined my room. Miss Anne made it special for me.” Silas’s lower lip trembled, and Sam’s heart broke.
