Oh, God!If only she could have held on to him, but the powerful wave had carried her away, and she had been no match for it—for the cruel and violent killing machine that nature had become when it shook the earth and sucked innocent human beings into its deathly vortex. She’d heard tales of people on the docks falling into swirling undertows that swallowed entire cars and buildings on top of them. The ocean had become a malevolent beast. It had stolen her baby, ripped him from her grasp, and pushed her into a frightening abyss. Her own private hell.
Grim, distressing memories of those tense moments ravaged Valerie’s mind and filled her with regret. Why had she gone into town that day? Why was it so important to send the letter? She should have stayed home at the lodge instead of surrendering to her greed for love—love from a man who didn’t even want her. Drew could have tracked her down if he had truly cared, but he never had. She should have purged him from her heart months ago. If she had, Cameron would be safe, sleeping in her arms, back at the lodge with Maud and Blaine.
A nurse came by and asked about her leg. Did she need more pain medication? But there was no pill for the agony that beset her and held her in its grip.
I’ll find you, Cameron. I swear it. No matter where you are or how long it takes, I will never stop searching for you.
It was close to eleven o’clock at night when chaos erupted in the hospital corridor. The noise and commotion caused Valerie to sit up, alert,craving information about survivors and those who were still missing. She was not the only one desperate for news of loved ones.
A nurse burst through the door, her eyes bright with excitement. “They found your baby!”
A cry of relief broke from Valerie’s lips. She gasped as someone walked through the door with a small bundle in his arms.Jeremy!
Indescribable happiness filled her heart as she held out her arms.Cameron, my angel! You’re safe. I’m here with you now.
Jeremy approached, but before he had a chance to reach her bedside, a man with a camera followed him into the room and said, “Jeremy, look here!”
Startled, he turned to face the lens, and the flashbulb exploded as he grinned from ear to ear. The photographer said, “Thanks!” and ran off before the spots disappeared from Jeremy’s blinking eyes. He turned to Valerie, still waiting anxiously with her arms held out.
“I found him,” Jeremy said. “And he’s okay.”
She sobbed and shook with a barrage of different emotions. “Oh, thank you, Jeremy. Please give him to me. Yes, give him here. Right here. Oh, my sweet, sweet boy ...”
Her need to hold her son was dizzying. All-consuming. She laughed and cried as Jeremy placed the sleeping infant in her waiting arms. Nurses and other members of the staff had crowded around the bed, eager to witness this happy reunion after so many tragic losses that day.
Valerie peeled back the blanket and looked at Cameron’s face. Then a stabbing sensation, like a thousand knives all at once, pierced her heart. The shock of it took her breath away.
It’s not you.
My darling angel, it isn’t you.
A fresh, gaping hole opened inside her as she hugged the child to her breast and wept. Others began to cry as well, hugging each other, believing this was a happy, emotional reunion of the best kind. Amother, against all odds, had had her prayers answered that day. It was a miracle, surely.
Valerie reached out and squeezed Jeremy’s forearm. She said to the others, the circle of strangers staring down at her, “Leave us alone, please?”
As they dispersed, some of them touched her shoulder, as if a part of this miracle might rub off on them. Others murmured with understanding and left the room.
As soon as they were gone, Valerie looked down at Ethan with tears in her eyes. “This isn’t Cameron,” she said. “This is Angie’s baby.”
Jeremy stared at Valerie with ferocious intensity. “No. This is Cameron. He’s your baby.”
For a flashing instant, she wanted to believe he was speaking the truth. She had been through a terrible ordeal, after all, and oh, how she wanted it to be true ...
Doubting her own sanity and clinging to a narrow sliver of hope, she looked down at the infant again. He was peaceful. Innocent and unaware of the terrible disaster that had befallen Alaskans that day.
She touched his soft cheek with the pad of her thumb and bent to kiss his tender forehead. She let her lips linger there awhile, imagining that it was Cameron and dreaming of the happiness she would feel if it truly was, while tears streamed down her face.
“Was it you who found him?” she asked, finally looking up.
“Yes,” Jeremy replied.
“Where?”
He shifted in the chair. “He was in the carriage, riding on a rooftop that floated away from the docks. The carriage must’ve rolled right onto it.”
“A miracle, for sure,” Valerie said with sadness, wishing it was her own miracle, not another’s. “Where is Angie? She must be beside herself with worry.”
A hush fell over the room, and Jeremy’s body trembled before he spoke. “Angie’s gone.” His voice broke. Tears filled his eyes, but he wiped them away harshly—and with anger. “She went into the water when the docks collapsed. No one survived.”
