by Alana Terry
“Where’s our regular nurse?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “She’ll be here soon.”
Something wasn’t right. “I want to talk to the doctor.”
He looked relieved. “Sure. I’ll go get him.”
“Mama?”
Jade turned toward her daughter. “Not now, baby.”
“I feel funny.”
Jade jumped to her feet and rushed toward the nurse. “Hey, get over here. What did you put in there?”
The stranger started sprinting down the hall. Jade hollered for help. She hated to let him get away, but she wasn’t about to leave her little girl. She grabbed the IV, trying to figure out what button would turn it off or how she could stop the flow.
“Help!” she screamed again.
Dez’s former nurse ran in. Jade was breathless as she tried to explain, “He put something in the tube then ran away.”
The nurse bent down over Dez’s hand and disconnected the port. Jade heard a commotion outside but was too busy praying for her daughter, watching as Dez’s eyelids fluttered and her head rolled lifelessly to the side.
Chapter 35
JADE HAD NEVER PRAYED more intensely in her life. Several workers had been called into Dez’s hospital room, and Jade was forced to wait outside. Nobody knew what drug the man had injected into her daughter’s IV, but it was making her heart rate drop dangerously low.
Jade turned her back to Dez’s window. The curtains were drawn, and it was too painful to try to strain her eyes in hopes of making out what was going on.
Please, Lord. You didn’t deliver her out of those woods just to let her die here. I’m not ready to lose her.
Jade’s whole body was trembling. How much suffering was one little girl supposed to endure before God decided it was enough?
She thought back over every sin, every time she’d lost her temper or yelled at her daughter. Was God punishing her for those things? Had he decided that Jade was an unfit mother, so now he was going to take Dez away?
You know I can’t live without her, she prayed. Maybe that means she’s become an idol to me, but I can’t help that. If you want her with you in heaven, you may as well take me too, because that child is my only reason for living and breathing.
She thought back over all her former plans — college, law school, advancing social justice. Remembering how upset she’d been that her pregnancy derailed each and every one of her goals, she was ashamed now to think she would ever have preferred her education or career over being the mother of this precious, precocious baby girl.
If you want to take her home, Lord, you’re going to have to fight me for her.
Even as she prayed the words, Jade knew how stupid they sounded, but she couldn’t help herself. If God’s only plan was to take Dez away from her, he should have let Sapphire kill them both back at the cabin.
She became aware by degrees of a figure standing next to her. “Is this seat taken?” Ben held out a cup of coffee.
She shook her head.
“I heard about what happened. Do you know what’s going on in there?”
She shook her head once more, not trusting her voice to hold.
“The good news is security apprehended the suspect.”
She didn’t respond. What did it matter, unless the man was willing to tell the doctors what he put in her daughter’s IV?
“Want your coffee?” Ben asked.
No.
He sat beside her quietly, and it wasn’t until Jade let out a heavy sigh she realized she’d been holding in her breath.
“Should we pray?” Ben finally asked.
Pray? Right now? Did he actually think she’d been doing anything else?
She turned to face him and croaked, “Okay.”
Chapter 36
“WE’VE GOT YOUR DAUGHTER’S heart rate back to a safe range.” The doctor poked his head out of the room and held the door open. “Do you want to come in?”
Jade jumped to her feet.
“I’ll wait out here,” Ben said. “I’ve got some calls to make anyway.”
Jade rushed past the doctor as he explained, “She’ll be groggy for a while, but she’s going to be fine.”
Jade hurried to the bedside and grasped Dez’s hand. “You hear me, baby? Mama’s here.”
Dez’s eyes fluttered open. “Mama?”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“Mama, I want to tell you something.”
“What’s that, baby?”
Dez took in a breath that sounded far too labored for a healthy child her age. Jade glanced at the nurses to see if any of them looked concerned. Who would have done this to her baby? Who would have dared?
She squeezed her daughter’s hand, praising God for the warmth and life she felt. “You’re hurting me,” Dez complained.
Jade forced herself to loosen her hold. Dez was lucky there were still so many other people around. Even with the crowd, Jade was half tempted to crawl into bed and smother her daughter in kisses. “What did you want to tell me, baby? I’m right here. The doctors have given you really good medicine, and your heart’s going to be just fine and healthy, and everything is under control. You’re safe now. So you can tell me anything. What did you want to say?”
Dez opened her eyes wide enough for Jade to see her rolling them dramatically. “I wanted to say that I think you should ask Officer Ben on a date. That’s all.”
Chapter 37
“WELL, HERE IT IS.” Ben stepped into the room, balancing a cafeteria tray in his hands. “A can of soda for the patient, a bowl of soup for Mom, and a fresh cup of black coffee since that first one didn’t really go as planned.”
Jade took the tray from him. “Thanks so much. Did you get something for yourself?”
“I ate earlier.”
Jade didn’t want to admit that she was disappointed.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here,” he said. “I’ve been going back and forth with hospital security and the Anchorage police, trying to fill in all the gaps so everyone knows what’s going on.”
“What is going on?” Jade asked. “I’d like to know myself.”
Ben sat on the stool, stretching his legs out from under him. “Well, the guy you saw really is a nurse here, but he’s also a member of Morning Glory International. Does the name Caleb Houghton mean anything to you?”
“Houghton?” Jade repeated. “Yeah. Their family was one of the really vocal ones when we went to the police.” She didn’t say any more.
Ben sighed. “We’re still trying to decide if he acted on his own or not.”
Jade didn’t respond. All that really mattered was that Dez was feeling better. She was safe.
Ben stared at Jade eating a spoonful of soup then leaned down toward the hospital bed. “Hey, kiddo,” he whispered, “mind if your mom and I step outside for just a minute?”
Dez drank a sip of Coke from her straw and grinned. “Why? Do you want to kiss her?”
“Dezzirae Rose Jackson,” Jade snapped, nearly choking on her food.
Dez shrugged. “It was only a question.”
Jade didn’t have the courage to meet Ben’s eyes. She set her bowl of soup down and followed him out into the hallway. “What’s going on?”
He turned to her, his eyes full of seriousness. “I heard from the search and rescue team. They found the spot where you shot Sapphire.”
Jade had been waiting for this. Even though it was clearly a case of self-defense, Jade had shot an unarmed woman. She’d also killed Gabriel back in the cabin. That wasn’t the kind of thing you could simply walk away from.
“How much trouble am I in?” she asked. “Do I need to find a lawyer?”
He looked confused. “What? Oh, no. That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” Her stomach churned at the worried expression on his face.
“It’s Sapphire. The rescue team discovered the spot where she fell. They saw the blood, but they didn’t find a body. In fact, they were able to foll
ow the blood drops for almost a quarter of a mile.”
“What’s that mean, exactly?”
“It means Sapphire survived. She’s still alive.”
Chapter 38
JADE WASN’T GOING TO believe it. This was some sort of social experiment, where independent film directors with far too much time on their hands set up elaborate hoaxes just to see how people would respond. Somewhere behind her were cameras, a film crew ready to catch her reaction. She wasn’t going to give them the luxury of laughing at her for being the world’s most gullible person.
“That’s ridiculous,” she argued. “I shot her myself.”
“Did you actually check the body once she fell?”
“I was a little too busy to feel for a pulse if that’s what you’re asking.”
Ben took a step back. “I’m not blaming you. I’m sure there was a lot of stress. It’s something anyone could miss.”
“I shot her.” Jade spoke the words definitively. She could still hear the sound of the gunfire, could see the way Sapphire fell.
“I know you did. And from the looks of it, she lost a lot of blood. But then the trail vanished, and no body has turned up, so we have to assume she survived. We have to be very careful.”
“She wouldn’t be stupid enough to come after us a second time.” How desperate could one woman get?
“I’m afraid she already might have. So far, the nurse in custody isn’t talking, but I’m willing to bet she put him up to it. I don’t see how else he would have known to tamper with your daughter’s IV. Your story hasn’t hit the news yet, and he doesn’t work on this floor.”
What kind of security system did this hospital have if strange men could just walk into a patient’s room and inject a child with God only knows what? Jade clenched her jaw. Anything to channel her anger and her fear. Anything to get her mind off Sapphire.
“She can’t be alive.” Even as she said the words, Jade realized there was no other explanation. “So what do we do now?”
“We tell our guys to keep their eyes open for her. And we give you and your daughter tightened security.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Well, if it won’t make you feel too cramped or uncomfortable, it probably means that you and I will be spending quite a bit more time together.”
Chapter 39
“WELL, WE’VE WATCHED How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Mickey’s Christmas Carol.” Is there anything we’re missing?” Ben asked.
“I wanna watch Frozen!” Dez piped up.
Jade laughed. “I don’t really think that’s a Christmas movie, baby.”
Dez stuck out her lower lip. “But it’s got snow in it.”
Ben gave a playful shrug. “She’s got a point there.”
Dez turned to her mom with pleading eyes. “Please?”
Jade stood up. “Fine. I’ll go see if they have it at the front.”
“Let me go.” Ben stood up. “I need to return a few calls anyway. I’ll be back soon.” He smiled down at her, and his hand brushed her shoulder as he walked past and out the door.
“You’re doing it again.”
Jade turned to her daughter. “Doing what? What are you talking about?” she asked, even though she had a feeling she already knew the answer.
“You were staring at him again.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you were. And you looked just like this.” Dez puckered up her lips into a kissing face. Jade couldn’t keep from laughing.
“You better be careful, or he’ll come in here and see you doing that.”
“Come in here and see you doing what?” Ben’s voice at the door made Jade jump. He flashed a grin. “Sorry. I left my phone. Did I miss anything important?”
“Just the part where Mommy said she wanted to kiss you.”
Jade felt the heat rush to her face. “No, I most certainly did not say that.”
“Yes, you did.” Dez smacked her lips together noisily.
“That’s enough.” Jade could hardly force herself to meet Ben’s eyes to see his response.
He kept his focus on Dez. “Well, tell your mom that kissing is something very special. You should only do it with someone you care about very much.” He grinned. “See you in a few minutes.”
After he left, Jade leaned closer to her daughter. “What do you think you’re doing, talking like that?” She didn’t know if she was more angry or mortified.
Dez shrugged. “I was only trying to help.”
Jade searched her daughter’s face for the tell-tale signs of sassiness, but they were missing. “Well, don’t do it again. You’ll make me die of embarrassment.”
“I didn’t know adults got embarrassed.”
“Well, they do. Especially when you’re talking about your mother kissing someone she hardly knows.”
“You know him well enough. And you do want to kiss him, don’t you, Mama?”
“Just lie down and get some rest. Aren’t you supposed to be sick or something?”
Dez grinned. “I still think that you should ask Ben on a date.”
Jade pointed her finger in her daughter’s face. “There you go again. What have I told you about talking like that?”
Dez sighed loudly. “Sorry. I mean you should ask Officer Ben on a date.”
Chapter 40
LAB REPORTS CAME IN that afternoon. The drug in Dez’s IV could have been fatal, but she’d received antidotes soon enough that nobody expected serious complications.
“I wouldn’t be too surprised if she was a little drowsier than normal,” the doctor explained.
“I should be so lucky.” Jade grinned at her daughter.
“Hey.” Dez gave a playful pout.
Right before dinnertime, the nurse came in with all the discharge paperwork and instructions. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, since Pastor Reggie and his family were due to land at the airport any minute. Thankfully the pastor’s van would have enough space to fit Jade, Dez, and Ben. It would be midnight or maybe even later by the time they reached Glennallen, but at least they could spend the night at their home.
Two different police officers stopped by to hear Jade’s story about shooting Gabriel at the cabin. Ben assured her it was standard procedure and that she didn’t have anything to worry about. She wanted to trust him, but she still had a hard time believing the justice system would be completely fair and unbiased toward her. Hopefully, the fact that Gabriel had held Jade at gunpoint, that the gun she’d shot him with was his own, and that he was one of the men who’d abducted her daughter would free her of any murder charges. Ben knew a lawyer in Anchorage he promised to get her in touch with, even suggesting he might help her out pro bono if she ended up needing legal advice.
Jade was thankful for his help. Thankful that in this sea of cops in their imposing uniforms, she had someone she could count on as a friend. An ally. Ben spent nearly the entire day at the hospital, laughing when a therapy dog came in to cheer Dez up with some tricks, keeping Jade supplied with as much coffee as she could ever want.
“You sure you’re not getting too bored with plain old black?” he asked, his teasing eyes twinkling.
She grinned back. “Are you saying a little cream might do me some good?”
“Never know unless you try.”
It was nice to have a friend.
After all the discharge paperwork was filled out, Dez hopped into a wheelchair to head downstairs. While she kicked her light-up tennis shoes on the foot rests, Ben insisted on taking a few selfies with her. “It’s not every kid who gets to ride their own chariot. I don’t think even Elsa had one of these in Frozen, did she?”
“Elsa could have made one out of ice.”
Ben smiled. “But I bet she wouldn’t have looked as smart as you do, though.”
Halfway down the hallway, he asked the nurse if he could be the one behind the wheelchair. “Now I can say I’ve pushed a real princess around.”
Jade worried he was spoiling her daughter. Most days, it took all of Jade’s energy to get them to the daycare on time and come home and crash on the couch for a few minutes before it was time to heat up something for dinner. She was thankful for all of Ben’s attention, but she hoped Dez wouldn’t be disappointed when they got back to Glennallen and life returned to normal.
At least the daycare was closed for Christmas break. Jade would try to find the energy to do some arts and crafts with Dez. Maybe bake some cookies. The downside was that no work meant such a meager paycheck at the end of the month. She still wasn’t sure what she was going to do about presents. How sad was it that just a few hours after promising God to be better mom if he only brought her daughter back to her, Jade was reverting right back to her old tired, worried self, stressed out about money, easily annoyed if Dez asked too many questions or demanded too much out of her.
Ben wheeled Dez into the hospital gift shop, insisting that she pick out anything she wanted. Jade watched them, despising the familiar feeling of guilt that seemed to permeate her entire life as a mother. Guilt she wasn’t doing enough, buying enough, being enough for her daughter. Ben was nice, but Jade couldn’t shake the feeling that he was showing off.
See? Being a parent is easy. Look how good at it I already am, and she’s not even mine.
Ben would never know what it felt like to be Dez’s mom. To be so terrified for her daughter’s safety you nearly threw up. To experience those heart palpitations and that cold sweat every time you thought about what might have happened. What had already happened.
Kids are resilient. It was something Jade had been telling herself for years, ever since Dez was a baby and managed to roll herself off the bed and land on the hard, wooden floor.
“Kids are resilient,” the phone nurse said, calming Jade’s fears, assuaging her guilt.
Maybe the nurse was right. Jade watched her daughter in the gift store checkout line, holding two new books plus a giant Elsa balloon she’d conned Ben into buying for her. There was no visible indication that her daughter had just survived a kidnapping, a night in the woods, and a poisoning attempt. Dez was smiling, playful, and as lively as always.