by Linda Warren
The sergeant stood nearby shaking his head. “Unbelievable. Is he okay?”
Dusty heard the sergeant’s voice and clung even tighter to Rico. “Don’t let him take me, Rico.”
“Shh. No one’s going to take you. I’m here.” He couldn’t really make that promise, but for now he had to say something.
“An ambulance is on the way,” the sergeant said.
Dusty continued to sob on his shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“I peed my pants,” he choked out.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m...wet.”
“Okay.” Rico looked at the sergeant. “There’s a blanket in the back of my truck. Could you get it please?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, buddy. I’m going to take off your clothes and we have to do it fast because you’re cold.”
“’Kay.”
His pants, socks and shoes were soaked and dirty. Rico didn’t know how long he’d had them on. The sergeant came back with the blanket, some wipes and a plastic bag. Rico quickly cleaned Dusty and wrapped the blanket around him completely, so just his face was showing. He then wadded the clothes into a ball and stuffed them into the bag and handed them to the sergeant.
“Throw them away. He won’t need them again.”
“The ambulance is here,” the sergeant said, and Rico carried Dusty off the bus into the ambulance.
“His temperature is 95. He has hypothermia,” the paramedics said, reaching for blankets. “We have to warm him up.”
They reached the hospital ER and rushed them in. A doctor checked Dusty. “His temperature is now 96. He has a slight case of hypothermia, but his toes and fingers have nice blood circulation. We’ll continue to work with him and he should be fine. He’s dehydrated and we need to get fluids into him. I could start an IV.” The doctor looked at Rico. “Do you think you could get him to drink something?”
“Yes.” He stroked Dusty’s hair. “Hey, buddy, do you think you could drink some water for me?”
Dusty nodded.
The nurse brought some apple juice and a glass of water. Dusty drank thirstily and Rico continued to encourage him to drink.
“I’m hungry,” Dusty announced.
“I can fix that,” the nurse said and left the room. Soon she was back with chicken nuggets, ketchup, mashed potatoes and milk courtesy of the cafeteria.
As Rico watched Dusty eat he had to wonder when was the last time he had any food? Why hadn’t someone noticed this little boy was in danger? It made him so angry. But he had to concentrate on Dusty and not the anger inside him.
Sergeant Chisholm stood in the doorway and a woman rushed past him into the room. Her hair had been tousled by the wind and her tortoiseshell glasses were askew. A purse was over her shoulder and a briefcase in her hand. CPS worker, no doubt.
“I’m Barbara Elliott, caseworker for Darlene Miller and Dusty. I’m here for Dusty Miller.”
All Rico’s anger simmered to the surface. “You should have been there a month ago.”
She glanced at him and straightened her glasses. “And who are you?”
Rico looked at Dusty who was looking at him with big eyes. “The nurse will stay with you and I’m going to step outside and talk to this lady. I’ll be right there. You can see me.”
Dusty started to climb out of the bed. “Don’t leave me, Rico. Don’t let them take me.”
Rico kissed his forehead. “No one’s taking you. Stay right here and I’ll be back.”
“’Kay.”
Now Rico had to make good on his promise. In the hallway, he said to the woman, “You’re not taking him.”
She bristled instantly. “Who are you?”
“Jericho Johnson. Dusty lived with me while Darlene was in prison.”
“Well, Mr. Johnson, I’m with CPS and you can’t give me orders.”
“Do you know what he’s been through tonight?”
She backpedaled quickly. “I haven’t been given all the details, but I was notified that Darlene Miller had left him alone. I have to put Dusty into foster care until we can get this sorted out. I found a nice place. The couple has six children, but they have room for one more.”
“He’ll be sandwiched in like another piece of ham. After what his mother has done to him, he needs special attention and he will get that from me.”
“I have to follow the rules.”
He took a step toward her and she took a step backward. “If you’re following the rules, why haven’t you been checking on him? If you had, he wouldn’t have gone through hell tonight.”
“I did, but then I got the flu and got behind. Darlene was a good mother and always kept her appointments. Until recently...”
“She played you. Just like she played me. Darlene Miller is an expert at playing people. And if we hadn’t found him, he probably would’ve died of hypothermia. And that’s on you. So as of right now, tonight, Dusty Miller is going home with me where he will be safe and where he will be cared for and loved.”
“You don’t have the authority to do that.”
Rico was about to unload big time when the sergeant stepped into the conversation. “Ms. Elliott, I called Mr. Johnson to see if he could help with the search.”
“Why would you do that?”
The sergeant told her everything that had happened that night. “Dusty has been looking for Rico, asking people to call him. He wants to go home to Horseshoe. That’s why he was on that bus. That little boy needs to get his wish. I’ve been with Mr. Johnson searching for Dusty and it’s very evident to me how much he cares for him. If it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t have found Dusty so quickly. Mr. Johnson had custody of him before and in my opinion that’s where Dusty should go tonight. Not into a strange home. And I’m here to see that he goes there. I might lose my job over this. But sometimes you have to make a gut call when you know it’s right.”
“I had no idea he’d been through so much.”
“Electricity was turned off yesterday,” Rico told her. “And there was no food in the house.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” The woman turned three shades of white.
“CPS dropped the ball on this one and Dusty shouldn’t have to suffer anymore.”
“I’ll call my supervisor.” She stepped away to make the call. Rico wanted to tell her it didn’t make any difference what the supervisor said. He was still taking Dusty. They would need an army to stop him. Or maybe just Sergeant Chisholm. The sarge was one of the good guys.
Ms. Elliott was back in a minute. “My supervisor has agreed that you can take him, but you have to sign some papers and I need your address and cell number.” She juggled her briefcase to remove papers.
Rico signed and gave her all the information she needed.
“Mr. Johnson, this isn’t permanent. A judge will rule on this very soon.”
“Just don’t contact me tomorrow. I need time to calm him down and to reassure him that this won’t happen to him again. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
The sergeant was on his phone and he slipped it back into his pocket. “They found Darlene Miller. A neighbor called the police about loud music in an apartment complex across town. The police had to knock the door in and they found four people. Two DOAs and the other two are at another ER fighting for their lives. Ms. Miller is one of them.”
“Oh, no.” Ms. Elliott was truly shocked. “She was doing so well.”
“That’s what CPS visits are about, Ms. Elliott. To make sure that she is doing well,” Rico reminded her.
“I know. I’m so sorry. You would not believe our caseload. We are just overloaded with kids whose parents abandon or abuse them. It’s a nightmare, and I deeply apologize that Dusty suffered because of me. I wish there was something I
could do.”
Rico turned toward Dusty. He didn’t want to hear anymore. The night couldn’t be undone. As he took a step, he thought of something. “Do you have any children’s clothes in your car? I know some CPS workers carry them for emergencies.”
“Yes, yes, I do. I’ll be right back.” She was eager to help and that eased a little bit of the anger in Rico.
Dusty was sitting up drinking milk and talking to the nurse about the stuffed dog clutched in his hand. When Ms. Elliott came in, Dusty immediately started to scramble away to Rico.
“It’s okay, buddy. She’s not taking you anywhere.”
“I have a pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt, two pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks and a hoodie.”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
“Mr. Johnson, I really am sorry this happened.”
He looked at her and the anger was gone. She really was sorry. “I know.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to get insurance information.” A woman with papers on a clipboard stood in the doorway.
“He’s on Medicaid,” Ms. Elliott told her, and glanced at Rico. “I got this.”
Rico dressed Dusty and wrapped the blanket around him with the hood of the hoodie over his head. The nurse brought in the discharge papers and he walked out into the cold night with Dusty in his arms.
He stopped short when he stepped through the sliding glass doors. His truck was waiting there. He’d forgotten about his truck. He glanced back and saw the sergeant standing behind him.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Just take care of that little boy. I’ll send you pictures of the apartment and details of what happened tonight in case you need it in court.”
Rico strapped Dusty in, making sure he was warm. He’d put all three pairs of socks on him so his feet would be too. “I’m going to close the door,” he said to Dusty, “but I’m going around to the driver’s side and we’re going home.”
“’Kay.”
Rico held out his hand to the sarge. “Thank you for calling me.”
“When it comes to a kid, I don’t leave any stone unturned.”
They shook hands vigorously and then Rico did something he wouldn’t normally do. He hugged the sergeant and walked around to the driver side and got in. That’s when he noticed the white police car in front of him. Another escort. The sarge really didn’t leave any stone unturned.
Traffic was heavy this time of night. People were going to bars and clubs and out for a night of partying and others were just going out for the evening. With the escort, they made it through Austin quickly. At the turn for the interstate the police car pulled over and the officer waved out the window. Rico waved back as he made the turn.
There were a lot of good people in Austin, but his focus now was on Horseshoe and Ana. He had to call her. When he did, it rang on the passenger side of his truck. He’d forgotten he had her coat and phone. Man, it had been almost four hours since he’d left. He hoped she trusted him enough to be waiting.
* * *
ANAMARIE’S MOTHER WAS resting comfortably in recovery and the doctor suggested they all go home. She would be moved to a room tomorrow and would need them. But the family would feel better if someone would stay. Patsy volunteered and Peggy drove Anamarie to the shop to pick up her car.
“Stuart and I are going to get a bite to eat. Do you want to come with us?”
“Are you kidding me? The last thing I want to be is a third at dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the ride.”
Anamarie headed for Angie’s office where she’d left her coat with her phone and keys in the pocket. Angie had given her the key, but the door was unlocked. She flipped on the lights and glanced at the chair where she’d left her coat. It wasn’t there.
Stuart walked in from the bakery. “I heard the door and wondered who it was.”
“Have you seen a black coat? I left it in this chair.”
“Jericho picked it up and said he was taking it to you.”
“Oh. He never arrived.”
“That’s odd. Rico and Wyatt talked for a bit in his office and then I assumed Rico went to Temple.”
She couldn’t figure this out. He picked up her coat to bring to Temple. Why hadn’t he arrived? And why was he talking to Wyatt? Something had happened. Fear wrapped around her heart in a tight squeeze, but she shook it off.
“My car keys were in my pocket.”
“I’ll take you home,” he offered. “I locked up earlier, but got called away. I came back to put the table and chairs back in place for Monday.”
“I’m sure Margie will appreciate that.”
In minutes they were in his patrol car and drove to her house. He waited while she ran in and grabbed the spare key and a jacket. The cold air bit through her clothes and her arms were like popsicles.
When she finally made it into her house the second time, Mickey barked his head off, wanting food. She gave him dog food soaked in milk and collapsed onto her sofa. She should just take a shower and go to bed, but she didn’t have the energy. She grabbed the blanket she had on the sofa and curled up to get warm. The heat was on, but she was chilled to the bone.
Since Wyatt was the last one to talk to Rico, she wanted to call him and ask about Rico. But she didn’t have a phone and Wyatt was at home with his family and she couldn’t disturb him. So she would do what she’d been doing since she’d met Rico. She would wait. He had asked her to trust him and she had to do that and try not to blow his reaction out of proportion.
The warmth of the house and the blanket lulled her into a peaceful sleep. Her last thought was: Where was Rico?
* * *
ANA WOKE UP and wondered where she was and then it all came rushing back. Her mother. The heart attack. And Rico. Pushing the blanket aside, she noticed Mickey curled up at her feet. No wonder her feet were so warm. She scratched Mickey’s head and got up. She had to call Rico and realized again that she didn’t have her phone.
She hurried to her bedroom and pulled on a pair of knee-high boots and grabbed a big jacket and slipped into it. In the kitchen she grabbed her spare car keys and walked to bakery to get her car so she could head for Rebel Ranch.
Rico had promised two hours and now it was over four. The only place he could be was the ranch. He had a lot of explaining to do and she wasn’t going to stop until she found him. It was past ten o’clock and lights were on at Quincy’s, Falcon’s and Miss Kate’s. Elias and his family now lived in the big house with Miss Kate and grandpa. She drove over the entrance cattle guard and to the bunkhouse.
There were no lights. Just total darkness. Rico wasn’t there, nor was his truck. She glanced out at Rebel Ranch and the vast landscape. Several spotlights were on, but there was no movement of any kind. It was cold and dark and everyone was inside, even the animals.
Where was he? Why hadn’t he come to the hospital as planned? She had no answers. She had to trust him, as he’d asked. She drove back to her house to wait. That’s the only choice she had. Living without Rico wasn’t an option. She loved him too much.
As she drove into her garage, Rico’s truck pulled up behind her. For some reason that made her angry. Why had he put her through this horrible night? This wasn’t how a relationship was supposed to work. Of course, she hadn’t had too many so she wasn’t sure. But she knew she was mad at being treated like this. She had a lot to say.
He exited his truck with her coat in his hand. That made her even madder. She yanked it out of his hands. “Where have you been?” Her words were full of anger and it jarred her senses. Normally she wasn’t an angry person. She wasn’t going to let him get off so easily.
“I’ve been waiting and waiting for you. You said two hours and now it’s after ten. My mother has been asking to see you and I had to calm her before the surgery. She’s worried you’re never going to forgive her for the way sh
e’s treated you. It’s important to me that she approves of our relationship. But for some reason, known only to you, you did a disappearing act. What kind of relationship do we have when you can’t talk to me? I know my mother hurt you, but...” She shook her head. “I’m not talking about this anymore tonight. I’m exhausted and might say something I regret.” She swung toward her back door.
“How’s your mother?”
She turned to face him and the cold wind stung her cheeks, but she didn’t feel it. There was such warmth in his voice and that’s what she felt all the way to her heart.
“The surgery went well and she’s in recovery. She should be able to come home in a couple of days.”
“I’m glad for you and your family.”
“Rico, I needed you tonight.”
“I know, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there. When I explain where I was, I think you’ll understand.”
Her outside lights were on and they could see each other clearly. The worry lines around his eyes were prominent and the scar seemed to stand out. He was worried.
She took a step toward him. “It better be a good explanation. I mean so good that I won’t ever think about it again. So good that...”
He reached for her hand. “I’ll show you.”
He led her toward his truck. The back passenger window was halfway down and there was someone in Dusty’s car seat.
She peered closer and her heart dribbled painfully. “Is that...is that Dusty?”
He nodded.
“Did you kidnap him?”
“No.” And he told her a story that chilled her more than the weather. “Oh, Rico, no.”
“I was so afraid I wasn’t going to find him in time. He just wanted to come home. I talked to Gabe and he said we have a good chance of getting custody this time.”
“What? Wait. When did you talk to Gabe?”
“On the way from Austin.”
“You called Gabe, but you didn’t call me.” A bad feeling simmered in her gut. She wanted to push it away, but she couldn’t.
“I did. I had your phone, though, and it buzzed on the passenger side of my truck.”