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The two exchange a brief hug. “Caiti’s my sister.”
“How cool. Well, we’re excited to have you here. I’m Laura, or as the kids call me, Ms. Laura. We spoke on the phone.”
“It’s nice to officially meet you.” We exchange a customary handshake. Her friendly reception already puts me at ease. “As you can see, Ophelia’s ready to fit right in. I’m the one who’s going to have a hard time saying goodbye.”
Laura laughs. “That’s usually the case. The parents struggle more than the kiddos do. I have three of my own, so I can say from experience it’s okay if you need to sit in the car and cry the first week. It’ll get easier.”
“Luckily, I live just down the street, so I can cry on my walk home,” I joke back.
Evie’s phone rings, interrupting the greeting. Her forehead creases when she looks at the screen. “One sec. Go take a look around.”
“Let me give you a tour. The bathrooms here are outfitted for our littles, so we can work on potty training without having to help them on and off a large toilet.”
Even the sinks and hand dryers are set to kid height. I can only imagine how awkward it is using as an adult. “I love it. We haven’t started working on that yet. I was waiting until she showed signs of being ready.”
“I totally agree. No rush yet.” Laura leads me farther down the hall. “We have coat hooks and boot trays for wet winter gear. Each spot is labeled so there are no mistakes in taking home the wrong jacket.”
“Great.”
“And here’s our infant room on the left and our one-year-olds on the right.”
I peer through the glass window at the line of cradles. Two aids smile and chat as they bottle feed tiny babies. Recalling Ophelia being that small brings a sense of longing. Imaginary or not, the sight invokes warmth in my lower abdomen. I clutch a hand over the ache. “I think the baby fever is already starting.”
“You’re telling me. How do you think I ended up with three?” Laura whispers conspiratorially.
Evie sidles up to us, her pallor and expression sending immediate concern rocketing through me. “Laura, would you mind watching Ophelia for just a few minutes?”
The woman’s brow knits in concern, her eyes assessing. “Sure.”
“What is it?” I nearly hiss as panic grips me. It feels as if I’m balancing on the edge, and her words are about to push me over. She grabs my arm and tows me back out the door and onto the sidewalk.
“Rhett called.” Her eyes immediately well with tears. “Caiti, honey, Dane fell out of the canoe when they were going over some rapids.”
A roaring buzz soars to life inside my ears, and the world seems to tip around me. I realize I’m holding my breath and force myself to inhale slowly. I take her wrist in a crushing grip. “Tell me what happened.”
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “They haven’t found him yet.”
My hands fly to cover my mouth. “No. No, I don’t believe it.”
“Rhett says we should meet him at the launching site. Rescue is there now.”
“Why aren’t they doing something?” I argue stubbornly. I refuse to believe something is wrong. “I’ll go find him my damn self.”
“Please listen. I need you to keep it together, okay?”
“I am keeping it together.” A snarl wells up inside me. What does she think I’m doing? I haven’t run off yet. I haven’t fallen into a useless heap on the cracked concrete. I need information so that I can be productive. I need someone to tell me how to get to him.
“They’re doing everything they can. I’m going to get my car and take you to the site.”
As if I snap back to the present moment, I remember where we are. “Ophelia,” I breathe, whipping my attention to check the glass doors. I can just make out her little form waving a book above her head. She hasn’t even noticed we’re outside. “She can’t know he’s missing.”
Evie clutches my shoulder. “I’ve already called Cami. She’s on her way to take her so we can go.”
Reality sets in, slowly like a distant train. I can see it coming down the tracks, but it hardly seems to be moving until it’s right in front of me and racing passed. That’s how the trembles begin. Numbness overtakes my hands, prickling to life until it spreads up my arms until they’re without feeling too. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Breathe. Keep it together. If you can wait here, I can go get my car from your house. It’s just down the road, and Cami will be here any minute for Ophelia.”
I feel the motion of my head nodding, but it’s as if someone else controls it. “Okay.”
“Wait here,” she reiterates, already moving away.
“Okay,” I respond again.
After a few steps, she turns and takes off at a jog, punctuating the seriousness of the situation. Dane fell into a river. Dane fell in a river with rapids and is missing.
My Dane. Ophelia’s father.
Old cracks in my heart renew. The barely healed scar tissue splits down the seams. This can’t be happening to me. Not again.
I pull the glass door open just enough to attract Laura’s attention. She moves quickly down the hall away from the children. “Is everything okay?”
“There’s an emergency with Ophelia’s dad. Evie’s grabbing her car from just down the street, and then a friend is coming to pick up Ophelia. I know this is a lot to ask, but I don’t want her to see me and wonder why she can’t come with me. Do you think you can facilitate her going with my friend Cami? I’ll wait out here until you do.”
Laura’s already nodding her head before I’m finished. “Yeah, of course. I hope everyone’s all right.”
I brace against a tremor. “Me too.”
The arrival of my friends saves me from further small talk. Cami jerks to a halt at the curb in a sporty SUV, and not a moment later, Evie steers her white Lexus behind her.
“That’s Cami.”
The petite brunette races from her car and intercepts me. I nearly crumple as she enfolds me in a constricting hug. “He’s going to be okay.” Seeing all I can manage is a nod, she lets me go. “I’ve got Ophelia. Don’t worry about her. Have Evie keep me posted.”
“Thanks, Cami.” The constriction in my throat steals my voice.
