“You should be creating distance. In the car. Right now.”
He straightened. “Call if you find anything. I’ll do the same.”
She resisted saluting. He didn’t deserve that kind of response, not when she knew fatigue drove part of her reaction. “Be safe.”
“You, too.” He hesitated like he wanted to say more, then he ducked out of the room.
As he left she knew there was more to say, but it was something she couldn’t analyze. Not right now. Not when so much was dependent on them finding answers. She walked over to the bed and took Eliza’s hand.
Father, help us find the answers and do the right thing for Eliza. Lead us and heal her.
Bridget didn’t know what else to say, but she had to believe He knew how to fill in the gaps between her words and her heart.
Then she settled back into the recliner and dialed Sydney.
Her friend picked up right away. “Hey, I wondered when you’d call.”
“Todd Westmont just left, but I need your help with that information I texted about.”
Sydney sighed. “Adoption records are almost impossible to open. I dug back through the statutes after I got your text to make sure I wasn’t forgetting a loophole. The only people who can get access to the sealed records are the adopted child or the adoptive or birth parents. Even then, you must file paperwork with the court where the adoption was finalized and convince the judge to release the records.”
“We can’t find her adoptive parents. If we’re even right that she was adopted.” At this point, that was all contingent on the principal having correctly identified Eliza based on the backpack. There was still the chance that the backpack wasn’t hers.
“Then you’d need to know who the birth parents are since you can’t get Eliza’s consent. Since she’s under eighteen, I’m notconvinced she could provide valid consent. If she’s as young as you think, then I think she's way too young.”
“That would make her a minor.” Bridget didn’t want to divulge Dani’s hopes without her permission. “What if I had the birth parent contact you? Could you fast track the paperwork?”
“You know the birth parent?” Sydney sounded skeptical and Bridget couldn’t blame her.
“Maybe. We won’t know for sure until the paperwork is unsealed. But I have someone who wants to believe she’s the birth mom.”
“And you can’t wait for DNA tests to come back.”
Bridget shook her head, then spoke since Sydney couldn’t see. “No. Not when she needs surgery, and the doctor prefers someone give consent.”
Sydney groaned. “That puts a wrinkle in things. I don’t know if we can push anything through fast enough. When does the surgery need to happen?”
“Today. Tomorrow at the latest. Eliza has pressure on her brain that he needs to relieve. He’ll do a second MRI later today, and depending on what it shows, may not be able to wait.”
“That’s awful.” A clicking came across, like Sydney was tapping a pen rapidly on a desk as she thought through options, a gesture Bridget had seen numerous times when she worked for Sydney. “Have the alleged birth parent reach out. I’ll need the birthdate, the adoption date, the county, and all the other information they have. I can then complete the paperwork and have the birth parent meet me at court. Based on the exigent circumstances, we might be able to get a judge to push through consideration, but that’s assuming the judge is available. That’s a big ask on a Friday afternoon.”
“Understood. I’ll have her call right away.” Bridget started moving to the ICU waiting room before she hung up with Sydney.
She needed to find Dani fast.
CHAPTER 13
The drive along Highway 79 to Wayne took the full two hours, but Todd filled the time with hands-free calls to set up appointments. Caleb had suggested coming along, but Todd didn’t think they both needed to kill four hours on the road. He also hadn’t liked the way Dani looked. She needed her husband’s support more than Todd needed a partner to keep him company as he drove through one small town after another.
Wayne was a town of slightly more than 6,000 and home to Wayne State College. It was one of the clusters of smallish towns that dotted Nebraska. Bigger than most but would only qualify as small in many states. It was inside the triangle of roads connecting Sioux Falls, Omaha, and Lincoln, meaning the town was surrounded by agriculture and had its share of local businesses to support the community. Todd hadn’t spent time in the town, so had to rely on GPS to navigate to the police station.
When he pulled to a stop in front of the Table Coffee House on Main, the bright red painted brick second story caught his attention, just like Clayton Marshall had said it would. He parked and walked inside to find red chairs that matched the red brick, casually arranged near a window. Several tables withwooden chairs were scattered throughout the store, and he spotted Clayton seated at one with two mugs in front of him.
The man stood, still as lean and muscular as he’d been when they’d both played college football, and shook Todd’s hand. “Heard from Brandon lately?”
“Not since he and Carolyn got back from their honeymoon. Last I heard, the marriage and his foster home are keeping him busy.”
Clayton sank back to his chair. “Grabbed a black coffee for you. If you want a fancy drink, you’ll have to order it.”
