by Jenna Brandt
What was wrong with him? He really liked Lindsay and he just acted like a buffoon. The type of women he usually dated would be fine going to The Lucky Penny, but Lindsay was different. As soon as he knew about her religious background, he should have changed his plans. Correction: his lack of plans. She deserved better than how he treated her tonight.
It had been a long time since he prayed. If he really thought about it, he hadn’t since he went away to college. But the urge to do so surfaced and the words took form with little effort. “God, I need your help . . . I messed up tonight. I don’t know what it is, but there is something about Lindsay that makes me want to find a way to convince her to give me a second chance. Show me what I need to do.”
Aiden opened his eyes and felt a peace take root in his heart. An idea took form in his mind. As he drove off, Aiden knew what he had to do.
Sixteen
Two boys came whizzing by as Lindsay stepped into the entry of the shelter group home. Though Saturday was her day off, she needed something to occupy her mind. She woke up still disappointed from the night before. Her date with Aiden was painful to say the least. She hadn’t wanted to stay around the apartment playing twenty questions about what went wrong with Erica.
“Good morning, Miss Wright,” Linda Stanton greeted as she dodged two more children who ran past them.
Linda was an older brunette woman with a small frame and friendly disposition. For the past three months, she had been in charge of the shelter group home, but it had become increasingly difficult to manage. Due to the lack of qualified foster families, the home was filled beyond what was normal.
“What brings you by today?” Linda asked.
Lindsay glanced around the room before answering. Alex was usually one of the first kids to run down the stairs and greet her. Where was he?
A pensive look formed on Linda’s face. “Did Alex call you? I told him not to bother you and I would take care of it.”
Lindsay’s eyes snapped to Linda. “No, I was bringing by his sweater. He forgot it when he was in my care the other day. What are you talking about?”
“These things happen, Miss Wright. I do my best to keep the boys from going at each other, but sometimes it’s unavoidable.”
Pushing past the other woman, Lindsay made her way farther into the house. “Where’s Alex? Did something happen to him?”
“He’s resting in the living room. I asked him what happened when I found him at the bottom of the stairs, but he won’t tell me.”
Lindsay marched into the other room where Alex was sitting on one of the couches watching TV.
Lindsay came over and sat next to him on the couch. “Hey there, Alex.”
The boy’s eyes momentarily flickered to Lindsay. The mixture of fear, hurt and worry she saw in his gaze made her heart break. As quickly as it appeared, Alex masked it and looked away.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it matters,” Lindsay countered. “Just tell me what happened, and I can help.”
“I slipped.”
“You don’t have to do that Alex,” Lindsay said as she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “You don’t have to cover for whoever pushed you.”
“It’s what happened, so you might as well leave,” Alex stated adamantly as he pulled away. “There’s no point in sticking around here.”
Lindsay didn’t want to leave, but she could see she wasn’t getting anywhere with Alex at the moment. She could try back later in the week and hope he had a change of heart.
Standing up, Lindsay said, “You can call me anytime, Alex.” She waited several seconds, but when there was no response, she turned to exit the room.
Linda was standing in the doorframe with her arms crossed. As Lindsay approached her, she said, “I told you he won’t tell the truth about what happened.”
Lindsay wanted to yell at Linda. It was her job to protect Alex, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. Instead she offered some advice. “I just want to make sure you’re aware of the importance of supervising Alex’s interactions with the older boys and keeping them separated. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest.”
“I’m doing the best I can, Miss Wright. There really should be two caregivers for this many boys, but they don’t have anyone to assign to work with me here.”
Lindsay nodded. “I know you’re doing all you can under the circumstances. I’ll be back later in the week to check on Alex.”
Once inside her car, Lindsay leaned back against the headrest in frustration. She wanted to get Alex into a new foster home, but every time she checked the database for new potentials, she came up empty handed.
Her heart ached from the bad week she was having. She couldn’t keep Alex from being bullied which made her feel useless. Coupled with the terrible date with Aiden, she couldn’t keep the tears from falling.
“Dear Lord, I need your strength to deal with all of this. Help me do what is right for Alex and to get him out of this place before something worse happens. I also ask that you help me get over my date with Aiden last night. I shouldn’t care this much about what happened, yet I can’t seem to shake this sullenness in my heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.”
Lindsay turned the key in the ignition and headed home.
Seventeen
Zach and Aiden’s Saturday afternoon of playing video games was interrupted by the call-out for a mudslide involving two vehicles with multiple potential victims.
Aiden tried to concentrate on preparing himself for the situation, but his mind kept drifting back to his conversation with Zach earlier in the day.
“You’re going to do what?” Zach’s eyes grew wide with shock.
“I’m going to church tomorrow.”
“Since when is that a priority for you?”
“Since I met Lindsay. She’s worth it. Besides, I used to go to church all the time growing up.”
“And there must be a reason you stopped.”
Aiden stiffened under the judgment, but realized it was true. “My parents were killed in a car accident while I was in college. I stopped going because I blamed God.”
Zach averted his eyes. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know.”
“I don’t talk about it much.”
“I still don’t understand why you got to go to church,” Zach scoffed.
“I’m starting to see that the reason I’m attracted to Lindsay is because of her faith. I’ve never felt this way about a woman and I want to do whatever it takes to get her to give me a second chance.”
“K-9 2, this is dispatch, how far out are you from the mudslide location?” Deanna’s voice over the radio jarred Aiden out of his thoughts. “Reporting party is stating that a secondary slide has occurred and buried another car under the debris.”
Aiden picked up the receiver from the car’s radio. “Copy that, Dispatch, this is K-9 2. We are less than five minutes from the location. Will radio with update once we arrive on scene and assess the situation.”
Zach was behind the wheel, pushing the SUV as hard as he could with lights and sirens broadcasting their approach. Though windy and lined with massive trees on both sides, Zach expertly handled the curvy road until he brought the vehicle to a halt at the reported location.
Both officers jumped out of the SUV and swiftly moved around to the back to get their K-9 partners.
With Cooper and Harley on leash, they walked over to where an elderly couple were standing at the shoulder of the road.
“Can one of you tell us what you witnessed?” Zach inquired.
“My name is Walter Stein, and this is my wife, Stella. We didn’t actually see the first car get swept away, but we were behind the second vehicle.” The older man paused before continuing, “They were trying to get around the debris from the first mudslide, when another section of the mountain gave way.”
“We barely avoided getting caught in it ourselves,” Stella said with a shaky
voice. “It was a mini-van and I saw a child in the back.” Turning to Aiden with tears in her eyes, she added, “You have to help them, Officer.”
“We’ll do everything we can,” Aiden promised.
“I would have tried to get down there myself, but I just had a hip replacement,” Walter explained. “We only know there were two cars because when we stopped to try to help the second car, we saw the headlights of the other car under the mud.”
Aiden looked down the edge of the mountain. He realized Walter was right; it would’ve proved too difficult for a man of Walter’s age and limited mobility, but Aiden was certain they could reach the cars.
“Why don’t the both of you get back in your car and wait where it’s safe,” Zach urged. “I’d tell you to head back to Clear Mountain, but somehow I don’t think you will.”
Walter and Stella shook their heads. “We want to make sure they’re alright, Officer,” Walter stated.
“But we’ll keep a safe distance and wait in our car like you suggested,” Stella added, before the couple turned around and walked to the vehicle.
“Search and Rescue 1, this is K-9 2, what’s your ETA?” Aiden asked over the radio.
“K-9 2, this is Search and Rescue 1, the rest of the team is ten minutes out.”
“Copy that, Search and Rescue 1,” Aiden said. “We’re going to start to descend now and see what we can find. Radio us when you get here.” Taking a moment’s break, Aiden gestured down, and Zach nodded; they had developed a non-verbal shorthand over the past year and both knew what they needed to do. “Dispatch, this is K-9 2. We’re on scene and have talked to reporting party. Search and Rescue 1 is on the way. K-9 1 and 2 are going to descend to the trapped cars now to start the search for victims.”
“Copy that, K-9 2. Keep us posted on your progress.”
Zach and Aiden made their way over to the edge of the road before unhooking Cooper and Harley from their leashes.
“You ready, boy?” Aiden encouraged.
Barking in reply, Cooper kept his eyes on Aiden and waited for the command to search.
Given the cue, Cooper took off, followed by Harley once Zach gave permission. Aiden and Zach brought up the rear of the search party, making sure to carefully move through the debris while scanning for any signs of life.
They came upon the mini-van first. Most of the front end was covered in debris, leaving only the back hatch visible. Aiden leaned forward and brushed the mud from the glass to see inside. There was a woman in the driver’s seat along with a baby strapped into a carseat in the middle row; neither of them were moving.
“What can you see?” Zach asked as he pulled his pack from his back.
Turning to Zach, Aiden took off his own pack and started digging inside. “There’s two victims; one adult female and one infant.” Pulling out a spring-loaded punch tool, he added, “I’m going to break the glass now. Stand back.”
“Dispatch, this is K-9 1. We have eyes on two victims inside one of the vehicles. K-9 2 is going to enter the vehicle to assess the occupants.” Zach updated over the radio as he stepped out of the way.
Aiden placed the punch against the glass and released the spring. The glass shattered, and he was able to push it out of the way. He reached inside and unlocked the hatch, then pulled it open to gain access.
He climbed inside and crawled to the carseat. Gently, he reached out and touched the baby’s arm. Dressed in blue, he assumed it was a boy who looked to be about six-months-old. The baby opened his eyes and smiled with a coo.
Quickly, Aiden undid the restraints and lifted the baby out of the carseat. He made his way back through the vehicle and handed the baby off to Zach.
As Aiden climbed back through the car, he heard Zach’s voice over the radio say, “Dispatch, this is K-9 1. We’ve safely secured one of the victims; a male infant. K-9 2 is re-entering the vehicle to evaluate the driver.”
Reaching out, Aiden placed his hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Ma’am, can you hear me? My name is Officer O’Connell and I’m with Clear Mountain Search and Rescue.”
The woman stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. She turned her head to him as a confused look formed. “What’s going on?”
“You’ve been in an accident,” he explained. “Are you feeling pain anywhere?”
She nodded, then grimaced. “My head is pounding and my left arm hurts.”
Glancing at her head, he saw blood pouring from her nose. She probably broke it when the airbag deployed; a common injury but not one that needed immediate treatment. Leaning across her, he looked at her arm. A large gash on her upper arm was bleeding. Since she was moving the rest of her body, she didn’t seem to have any other visible injuries.
Aiden pulled out a bandana from his back pocket and pushed it against the wound, then grabbed her arm and placed it over the makeshift bandage. “Keep pressure here while I help get you out of your van. You’re going to have to crawl out first while I follow behind.”
Once they were both out of the car, Aiden helped her sit on the ground a safe distance away. Taking the baby from Zach, Aiden said, “Why don’t you and Harley go see if you can locate the other car?”
With a nod, Zach took off with Harley by his side.
“How are you feeling,” Aiden asked as he handed her the infant.
She glanced down at the baby and then around the area as a worried look formed. “Where’s Kylie?”
“Who?” Aiden asked, confused.
“My daughter. She was in the seat next to her brother.”
Aiden’s stomach clenched with dread. He hadn’t seen anyone else in the car. Where was the little girl?
“I just started letting her put her seatbelt on herself. She constantly unbuckles it. I remember telling her to put it back on right before the mudslide hit the car.” Panic started to creep into the woman’s voice. “Where is she? Where’s my daughter?”
Bending down, he forced himself not to react to the woman’s tears or the fear in her eyes. “Ma’am, you need to tell me, is there anything in the car that belonged to her?”
Nodding, the woman pushed out through her crying, “I have a diaper bag in the car. I keep a spare set of clothes in it for Kylie because she still has accidents.”
“Stay calm, ma’am. My partner, Cooper here, is trained to find missing persons. We’re going to find your daughter.”
He left out the fact finding her wasn’t the issue. What condition she was in when he did was what concerned Aiden. If the little girl had been ejected during the crash, it was unlikely she survived.
Trying not to focus on the grim probability, Aiden stood up and headed towards the back of the van. He climbed in and found the diaper bag on the floorboard of the front passenger seat. He pulled out the pink shirt with tiny flowers on it.
“Dispatch, this is K-9 2. I was just informed by the driver that there was a third occupant in the car. A female child is missing. Show K-9 2 as initiating search.”
Jumping out of the vehicle, he put the shirt to Cooper’s nose, allowing him to breathe in the scent. After making sure he got a good imprint, Aiden gestured for Cooper to hunt.
Before they got far, the rest of the Clear Mountain Search and Rescue arrived. As they approached, the head of the unit, Sergeant Burton, stated, “O’Connell, we heard over the radio what is going on. I’m going to assign Hendrick and Blaze to help you search for the missing girl, while Tackett and myself head over to help Zach with the other vehicle.”
“Sounds good, Sarge.” Aiden glanced around and lowered his voice. “What if this turns out to be recovery rather than rescue, given the circumstances?”
“We’ll deal with that if it comes to it, but my guess is no matter what her condition, she won’t be far from the initial mudslide area.”
The other two men came up to Aiden and waited for his instructions. “Alright, Hendricks and Blaze, take the south side while Cooper and myself take the north side.”
The men split up and worked their way through
the area, following Cooper’s lead.
A few minutes later, Cooper started barking and circling an area. Aiden sprinted to the spot where he found a still, small form covered in debris, sticking out of the mud.
His heart plummeted to his stomach. Instantly, he knew it was the little girl. Dropping to his knees beside her, he reached out and pulled her from the refuse.
Though she had a few scratches, she otherwise seemed intact. He placed his fingertips on her wrist. No pulse. He put his face to her mouth. No breathing. She was still warm which meant her vital signs hadn’t been compromised for long. Immediately, he began chest compressions, followed by breaths. He repeated the pattern two more times before checking for results. Nothing. He started again.
On the second round, Blaze arrived next to him and took over breathing. The two continued to work on the little girl, and just when Aiden had given up hope, the little girl sputtered and coughed. He rolled her to the side and started to gently pat her back, saying, “It’s alright, sweetie. That’s it; get it out, get it out.”
Once she was stable, Aiden gathered her up in his arms and carried her over to her waiting mother. As he handed the girl to the bawling woman, through the sobs, she sputtered out, “Thank you, thank you, Officer. You saved my baby.”
As Aiden requested an ambulance to take the family to the hospital, a sense of satisfaction took hold in his heart. Sometimes he thought he did the job for the adrenaline, but as he looked down at the mother and child he just reunited, Aiden knew he did it for them.
Eighteen
Lindsay listened intently to Pastor Steve’s second part of his series, “God’s Handiwork.” She could feel God doing a work in her as she listened to the truth and let it ruminate in her heart.
“You were created in God’s image. He doesn’t make mistakes. To put yourself down for the way He made you is to insult God’s handiwork. Ephesians 2:10 says, ‘We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.’ So, don’t think of your limitations as a handicap, but rather as an asset God will use to change the world.”