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“We’re going to get her. OK?” Gaines reassured her. He furrowed his brow and mouthed, “Bunny?”
Luna shrugged, kept wiping Avery’s brow, and murmured, “Who is Bunny, sweetie?”
The little girl could barely whisper. “The bunny. I lost bunny.” Then she closed her eyes and began to doze off.
Once they secured Avery in the helicopter, it rose slowly and took off for the nearest hospital. Gaines was on his phone giving updates to the base. He was grinning from ear to ear. “Minnie, you know what to do. We should be back at the base in about thirty minutes.” He could hear Minnie on her walkie-talkie spreading the good news to the others. Gaines could hear cheers and hoots in the background.
On the walk back, Gaines put his hand on Luna’s shoulder. “How did you know?” He looked at her in amazement.
“I wish I could tell you how.” Luna shrugged and smiled. “It’s a gift.”
“Indeed it is.”
“So you’re not going to say it was a wild and lucky guess?” Luna gave him an affectionate elbow jab, which she regretted immediately.What was I thinking?
“Nope. I’ll take whatever help I can get. And Wiley did a great job, too. Didn’t you, boy?” Wiley kept trotting ahead, proudly wagging his tail.
By the time they arrived at the base, there was already a news van waiting to interview the search team. Shoving a microphone into Gaines’s face, the reporter fired off questions.
“Was she hurt? Was she assaulted? How did she get here?”
“I’ll take your questions in the tent. Excuse me.” Gaines pushed past the gathering crowd. He looked at Luna. “Follow me.”
“Oh, wait.” She stopped abruptly. “I’d rather we keep my ‘lucky guess’ between us. I do a lot of work with children’s services. Don’t need the publicity. Just say we found her. Please. Is that all right with you?”
“Are you sure? How about Wiley? Can he get some of the credit?”
“Wiley? Absolutely! Just leave me out of it.” Luna gave his arm a squeeze.Again with the physical contact.She was mortified.
He patted her hand. “Your secret is safe with me. Although I don’t know if I can leave it out of the official report.”
“You seem like a pretty smart guy. I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She was hoping for a dinner invitation, never mind the official report.
Gaines chuckled. “I’m sure I will.” He paused. “I’ll be heading back to Charlotte in the morning.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her his card. “If you are ever in the neighborhood . . .”
Luna took the card. “Thanks. You never know.”
“I have your contact information, so if I’m ever in the neighborhood, I’ll give you a shout. Thanks for being so assertive. And accurate.” Gaines bent down to give Wiley a good head rub. “And thank you, too, Wiley.” He gave her a short salute and began answering questions. “We don’t know how she got into the woods. We found no wounds except for a few scrapes. From what we could tell, she simply wandered away and got lost.”
Luna heaved a big sigh. Maybe I will be in Charlotte one day.
After many phone calls and much television coverage, they learned that Avery had spotted a rabbit in the yard and managed to crawl under a ridiculously small hole in the ground under the fence. She had followed the rabbit into the woods and lost her way. The doctors said she was suffering from some exposure but was going to be fine and could be released in a day or two.
The next morning, Luna went to the hospital to check on Avery’s condition. On her way there, she stopped at a local children’s store and bought a plush bunny for Avery. As she pulled into the parking lot, she spotted Gaines carrying what looked like a stuffed animal. She got goose bumps.Good-looking, smart, and sensitive. Definitely crushworthy material.She looked at herself in the visor mirror. Wish I had primped a little more. Oh well. What you see is what you get . . . even stuff you don’t see.She smirked. She decided to give Gaines a head start to the pediatric floor. Not simply out of courtesy, but her legs were betraying her again, turning to rubber. She hoped a few minutes would help restore her nerves.
When she arrived at Avery’s room, the little girl was surrounded by balloons and her doting parents. They were overwrought that something like this could happen but also very thankful she was safe.
Luna stood tall, pushed her shoulders back, and entered the room. “Hi, Avery. Remember me?” She handed the pink-and-white rabbit to the little girl.
Avery looked up with a sweet smile. “Uh-huh.”
Her mother was clinging to a wadded-up tissue. “Thank you so much for helping with the search. I don’t know what I would have done if anything . . .” Her voice trailed off, and she broke down in tears. Avery’s father put his arm around his wife.
“We’re all OK, hon. We’re all OK.” He introduced himself and thanked Luna for her participation.
“It was my dog Wiley. He has a thing for kids,” Luna said modestly. “And, of course, the leadership of Marshal Gaines.”Oh my God. Am I flirting?She tried to look away but noticed a slight blush on Gaines’s face. Concerned she was about to make a total fool of herself, she quickly added, “I’m so glad everything turned out well. I have to get to work. You take care now. And no more chasing bunnies. OK? Now you have two!” She nodded at the one Gaines had set down on the bed.
A meek little voice thanked her, and Avery’s parents gave Luna a big hug. She nodded at Gaines. “Have a safe trip home.”
