David pulled onto Sixth and turned left with a flourish. “Della’s it is.”
She was worried about Morgan but couldn’t help a small smile, their close call with Boss now behind them. David was cute when he was driving. They took Sixth back to Parker and followed Parker to I-5. Rae’s palms began to sweat just thinking about having to drive on the freeway herself someday soon—everyone was going so fast—but David took the on-ramp and merged with ease. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he was a good driver.
Della’s was two exits away. Everyone knew where it was because it was famous for its blackberry milk shakes. High-school students often went there on Friday nights after football or basketball games.
If they didn’t find Morgan soon, she’d have to head back home. As far as her parents knew, she was still at Gerrit’s house. They would’ve never agreed to her driving around with David. Things would get very uncomfortable if they found out.
The conversation she’d had with Kylee about David only a few short weeks ago returned to her mind.
“Tell them you’re going to my house.”
“I’m not going to lie to them.”
She swallowed hard. She was lying to them now.
“Don’t worry.” David gave her a reassuring smile as he merged into the left lane to pass a red Jetta. “We’ll find him.”
“What if he’s not at Della’s?”
“Then we’ll have to settle for a milk shake and fries and try again tomorrow. Right?”
She blushed. This wasn’t supposed to be a date. But she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if he reached over and held her hand. He looked over at her and winked.
“I—” Her answer froze on her lips. Her eyes grew wide. “Look out!”
People say time slows down in an emergency. Seconds stretch like taffy on a pulling machine. As a boxy white car barreled across the median toward them, somehow Rae had enough time to look over at the car they were trying to pass and see a pretty curly-haired woman singing along to the radio in the driver’s seat. Enough time to cross her arms in front of her face in terror. Enough time to replay her worst nightmare, over and over and over.
The white car struck David’s hood from the side. Pushed his car into the woman in the red car. Ripped Rae’s world to shreds.
She had time to wonder what station the woman was listening to. She even had time to wish her mother knew where she was.
But she didn’t have time to scream.
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
Hannie hung up the landline and stared at Gerrit, her crow’s feet deep and ominous.
His heart twisted. “Who was that?”
No one ever called this late. No one ever called the landline at all, in fact, except for the occasional telemarketer.
“That was Rae’s mother.” She moved closer to him. “I guess Rae asked her to call.”
She was keeping something from him.
“She found our number in the phone book.”
“I thought our number was unlisted.” He tried to sit up. “Wait, did something happen?”
Hannie pressed her lips together. “Honey . . .”
Fear jabbed his broken ribs and wrapped its fingers around his neck. “Where is she?”
“There’s been an accident.”
Every fiber of his body protested as he moved to the edge of his chair. “Get my boots.”
“Honey, you can’t—”
“Boots. Now.” She flinched, and he softened his voice. “Please.”
She hurried to the mudroom and returned with his boots. “Let me help you put them on.”
He didn’t object. “GMC?”
She nodded, and fear’s grip on his throat loosened the slightest bit. If Rae was at Greenville Medical Center, that was a good sign. People with life-threatening conditions were almost always sent to Mountlake Hospital. And if Rae had spoken to her mother, she must be okay. Unless she asked her mom to call Gerrit because she . . .
No. He wouldn’t think like that.
He ignored the pain as Hannie helped him into her Corolla. Had Rae been driving? He’d never seen her go over thirty miles per hour. She couldn’t have been alone.
“Did she say who else was there?”
Hannie shook her head. What if it was Morgan? What if she’d found him, and they’d both been in the accident? Oh, what had he done?
The fifteen-minute drive to GMC took about ten, and Hannie parked as close to the main door as she could. He held tight to her arm, wincing with every step as they made their way into the building. Hannie inquired about Rae at the front desk while Gerrit leaned against a pillar trying to catch his breath.
“Come on.” Hannie grabbed his arm, and they took the elevator to the second floor.
The muted sounds of people talking, machines beeping, and trays clattering greeted them when they stepped off the elevator. They found the room number they’d been given and knocked on the door.
An older, more nervous version of Rae answered the door. “Yes?”
Hannie cleared her throat. “Is this Rae’s room?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed.
A voice from inside called out, “Mom, let them in.”
The woman stepped aside, and Gerrit stumbled into the room, almost fainting in relief. Rae was sitting on a hospital bed with a black eye and a bandage wrapped around her forehead, but breathing on her own. Awake. No missing limbs. But something else was missing. The spark in her eyes.
She must’ve read his face. “I’m okay.” Her voice was soft. Tired. “And David broke his nose. But those other people . . .”
David. Not Morgan. She read his face again.
“We never found him.”
A man came around from the other side of the bed and held his hand out. “You must be Gerrit.”
He dumbly shook the man’s hand while Hannie stepped up and introduced herself to Rae’s mother.
“What happened to the other people?”
Rae’s dad sighed. “They were taken to Mountlake. It doesn’t sound good. The kids were lucky.”
“I need to talk to Gerrit about something.” Rae sat higher on the bed. “Would you give us a minute?”
Rae’s mother hesitated. “I don’t know. . . .”
Hannie gave Rae’s hand a squeeze. “I think I saw some vending machines in the
