I couldn’t understand a word she’d said. “I’m on my way, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can. Can you let me talk to Amber again?”
A moment later, Amber came back on the line. I tried not to lose it on her, but I needed answers.
“Can you please tell me what happened?”
“Sophia fell on the playground, and we’re concerned she’s broken something.”
My lungs were tight, and I found it difficult to breathe. My only thought was of getting to Sophia, of making sure she was okay.
“I’m leaving now,” I said. “Please keep her calm, and can you please call Preston and ask him to come. Tell him I’ll be there soon.”
“We’ve tried calling him,” she said. “He’s not answering.”
I frowned, knowing it was close to the time Sophia normally got out of camp. He should be headed there. They wouldn’t have known to contact Cal since I rarely listed him as an emergency contact. What would be the point? He was typically thousands of miles away and often unreachable.
“Please try again. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I said before disconnecting the call.
“I’m so sorry,” I said to the other agent. “My daughter had an accident, and I have to go.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “I hope she’s okay. Is there any way I could return the keys to you later?”
I shifted from one foot to the other, wanting to wrap this up quickly. “Unfortunately, the buyers left strict instructions. I wish I could, but it’s not possible.”
“Okay. Sure.” She spoke to her clients in hushed voices. As we said goodbye, I tried to smile and be professional, but my mind was elsewhere—with Sophia.
I raced across town, hoping Preston would be there by the time I arrived. But he wasn’t. Instead, I found Sophia sitting on a bench, cradling her arm. There were still fresh tears on her cheeks and an ice pack covering her wrist.
Where the hell was Preston? And why hadn’t he answered any of my calls? As the realization sank in of just how long Sophia had been sitting here alone, in pain and scared, the madder I got.
“Oh, baby. I got here as fast as I could,” I said, helping her into the car. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll go to the hospital and get you all checked out.”
She nodded, but her mouth was set in a grim line. For her to be so quiet, she must be in some serious pain.
“Where’s Preston?” she asked. NotWhere’s Daddy? even though he was in town. ButWhere’s Preston?
It surprised me that she wanted Preston to comfort her. But it also made complete sense. And I wished he were here, not just for her, but for me. I could really use his support.
“I don’t know, baby.” I gripped the steering wheel, trying to stay calm as I sped through a light as it changed from yellow to red. “I’ll try to call him after we get to the hospital.”
Fortunately, the pediatric emergency room wasn’t very busy, and we were taken back to a room relatively quickly. Everyone treated Sophia with great care, and she thought the X-rays were pretty cool. She’d calmed down some since we’d arrived, though her pain didn’t seem to have diminished much.
I was sitting on the bed with her, watching her favorite show on my tablet. I’d had to silence my phone when we’d entered the hospital, and I could feel my anxiety rising with every text that went unanswered. Every email that appeared in my inbox.
Not that I could see them. The hospital was a service dead zone. But I knew they were piling up. I could feel them growing like the anxiety stacking on top of me the longer we had to wait for the doctor to return.
The door opened, and a man in scrubs and glasses walked in. “Hi.” He smiled. “I’m Dr. Carlisle. I’m a pediatric orthopedist, and you must be Sophia.”
She nodded.
“Well, Sophia,” he said. “I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that the bone is broken. But, fortunately, it’s a clean break and won’t require surgery. Just a cast.”
I frowned. “That’s the good news? Sophia’s turning seven tomorrow, and she’s been looking forward to her mermaid pool party for months.”
I was grateful, of course, that she didn’t need to have surgery. But I’d been holding out hope that it wasn’t actually broken.
“Considering the location, a fiberglass cast is an option—”
“Meaning it would be waterproof?” I asked.
