Grace couldn’t sleep. She went for a run and ended up in Dolores’ neighborhood.
No lights were on either in Dolores’ house or the garage apartment. “I wonder if that guy is going to show up?”
She sighed.
A scream catapulted her out of her reverie. She took Dolores four front steps in one jump. She knocked, then barreled through the unlocked door. “Dolores?”
With her eyes already adjusted to the darkness, she could navigate through the house to the bathroom. A light shone and illuminated a crumpled figure. “Dolores?”
Surrounded by blood Dolores didn’t move. She had a weak, thready pulse. Grace dialed 9-1-1 then returned to monitor her patient. No one else had heard the scream.
Flipping open her cell phone, she dialed Zach’s number. “Zach, it’s Grace Harmony. I’m at Dolores’ house. She’s in trouble.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Come quickly.”
She disconnected, not wanting to explain. She wasn’t sure if Dolores had been shot or she’d lost the baby. Most likely this was the miscarriage.
A siren sounded in the distance, a welcome sound. The EMT’s arrived first and went to work. Two paramedics she worked with rolled on the scene. They loaded Dolores into the ambulance just as Zach arrived.
“She’s losing the baby,” Grace said to him. “I’ll drive.”
He followed, his face a study in disbelief. “The baby?”
“I think so.”
“She really wanted this baby.”
Grace just nodded grimly.
The scene of Zach pacing in the hospital emergency room was getting tired and stale for Grace. She went through the heartache with him three times now. Her strength ebbing, she wasn’t sure she could go through this again. She had to solve this during this rewind.
She brought him coffee. He held it, not taking any sips, as if he’d forgotten that it was there. “Drink.”
He looked down at the white Styrofoam cup as if he’d never seen it before this. “Can you find out what’s happening?”
“I can, but it’s better to let them work on her. They’ll let us know when they can.”
He nodded, obviously knowing that was the answer she would give. “I was just starting to wrap my brain around the idea of a kid. Never really thought about having one. When Dolores and I divorced I didn’t expect to remarry.”
“One never knows what life brings us.” She rubbed her head. “Sorry, that was trite.”
He put a hand on her thigh. “It’s okay.”
His warmth infused her and the vision of them and children sprang out of her mind like a screen coming up before her. She wanted to smile at the happiness she saw in the picture.
“You’ve done so much, Grace. How did you come to be there?”
“I was out running. I couldn’t sleep. Ended up on her doorstep, I guess to check on her.”
“Did you know something was wrong?”
She could lie and tell him she did, but she wanted him to trust her. “No, I didn’t. At least not consciously.”
“I’m glad you were there,” he said, his voice hollow.
A nurse appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Holten?”
Zach stood as if braced to hear whatever news she brought.