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Gabe's voice boomed. "Chip! Call out if you can hear us!"
There was no response, and they forged deeper into the trees. Gabe's legs were longer than hers, and he quickly moved ahead. "Chip! Can you hear me?"
A low branch snared her shirt. She yanked it free, then looked up to see that Gabe had frozen in place.
"Chip? Is that you?"
Oh, God… She stopped in place and listened.
"Gabe?"
The voice was small and achingly familiar, coming from somewhere off to their left.
Gabe raced ahead, calling out. She rushed after him, her heart pounding.
The terrain sloped downward, and she slipped, then righted herself. Gabe disappeared. She followed the path he'd taken through a thicket of pines and came out in a clearing by a small creek.
That was when she sa
w them.
Edward sat huddled against the trunk of an old black gum tree some thirty yards away with Rosie curled in his lap.
"Chip!" Gabe's shoes pounded the ground as he flew across the clearing toward the children. Rosie had been quiet, but as soon as she saw him, she started to scream. Both children were dirty and tear-streaked. Edward's T-shirt was torn and one knee was scraped. In addition to her missing shoe and sock, Rosie's pink romper had a grease smear across the front. Gabe went down on his knee, snatched her up with one arm, and threw his other one around her son.
"Gabe!" Edward clutched at him.
A sob tore her throat as she ran forward.
Gabe thrust Rosie at her and pulled Edward to his chest, then pushed him away far enough to lift his eyelids. "Are you all right? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"My ears."
Gabe immediately turned Edward's head to look. "Your ears hurt?"
"Rosie's got a loud scream. It hurt my ears."
Gabe visibly relaxed. "Is that all? Anything else?"
Chip shook his head. "I was real scared. That boy was bad." He started to cry.
Gabe gave him a quick hug, thrust him at Rachel, and took Rosie to check her over.
Edward trembled in her arms and spoke against her belly. "Mommy, I was so scared. The car turned over, and I was afraid that bad boy would wake up and run off with us again, so I got Rosie out of her seat and carried her, but she was heavy, and she kept screaming 'cause she was scared, too, but finally she stopped."
Rachel spoke around her tears. "You were so brave."
Gabe, in the meantime, had quieted Rosie. Rachel looked up at him, and he nodded. "She's fine. We'll have them both checked, but I think they're all right. Thank God they were buckled in when that car went over."
Thank you, God. Thank you.
Rosie rested her head against her uncle and brought her thumb to her mouth. Her little chest heaved as she took a few comforting sucks.
Edward reached out and patted her leg. "See, Rosie. I told you they'd find us."
Rachel kept her arm firmly wrapped around her son as they began to head across the clearing toward the highway, but they hadn't traveled more than a few yards before Rosie let out another shriek.
Edward winced. "See, Mommy. I told you she can really yell."
