Soon it was October, the weather turned cold, and Ann placed plastic on the windows of her little home, drawing the curtains tight against the coming winter.
Ann heard nothing more from Sean and it worried her. She knew he wouldn’t give up. It wasn’t in his character to do so. Something was going to happen, but when? It was like sitting on a bed of needles.
Then, on a cold Friday morning… “Come on, we’re late again,” she yelled to the children, rushing to get their coats on. She buttoned Matthews coat, helped him on with his gloves and scrunched the wooly hat onto his head. Marty was pulling on her boots, as Ann looked around. “Do you have your homework?” she asked her daughter.
“Yes.” Marty replied as she got down on her knees to help Matthew with his boots.
Locking up the apartment, they rushed down the frosty stairs, and piled into the car.
Ann dropped Marty off at school, first.
“Have a great day at school,” she told Marty as her daughter climbed out of the car, pulling on her backpack, and closing the car door. Marty waved goodbye and joined her friends walking into the school building.
Ann swung out of the school parking lot, turning west, on her way to Bobbie’s Daycare, a wonderful, clean, and safe place for Matthew.
The parking lot was full that morning. Everyone was trying to drop their children off at once. She hated being late. She liked having the time to park and walk Matthew into the daycare herself. But, once in a while, like today, she let him run over the lawn into the building by himself. Getting out of the car, she went to the back and helped him out of his car seat.
“Give me a hug,” she said as she unstrapped him. He reached up and wrapped his arms around her hard, grunting with the effort, so eager to give her his love. Helping him out of the car, she gave him his small, brown paper sack with his meager sandwich and apple. She got back into the car and watched him trot over the lawn to the front door.
Hidden among the mothers, daycare workers, and children was Sean. She didn’t see him at first, standing there next to the front door, looking official in his dark overcoat and tie.
Ann’s heart skipped when she recognized him. It thumped harder still when she realized he shouldn’t be there. Swiftly, fear wrapped its icy hands around her heart. She jumped out of her car. In shock, she saw him reach down and grab little Matt hard and with such force it stunned her.
“No!” she yelled. “Stop him, stop him, he has my son!” she screamed.
People stopped talking and the silence was acute. Everything seemed to move in slow motion around her except for Sean. Carrying Matthew, he darted over the lawn and into the parking lot next door. Throwing Matthew into the back seat, he slammed the door shut, jumped into the driver’s seat, and sped out of the parking lot.
Ann flew back into her car, found her cell phone, and dialed 911 with trembling hands. Speeding out of the daycare parking lot and onto the street, she tried to follow. Cars honked their horns and tires squealed in protest as the vehicles tried to avoid hitting her. She sped after Sean, unaware of her reckless driving, concentrating hard on not losing sight of his car.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?” asked the operator in an official tone.
“My ex-husband has just kidnapped my son!” Ann half yelled, sobbing into the phone. She could still see Sean’s BMW weaving in and out of traffic.
“Please stay calm, ma’am. Am I speaking to Ann Henderson?” the operator asked, identifying Ann by her caller ID.
“Yes. My ex-husband is Sean Henderson,” said Ann, trying to respond.
“Where are you?” the official voice asked.
“I’m on Central Avenue, just passing Mission, heading north toward the freeway. I can see his BMW ahead. Please, please hurry. He’s been trying to get custody of my son without success, and I’m afraid of what he might do to him,” Ann shouted into the phone, choking on tears.
“We have officers on the way. Can you give me a description of the automobile?” the operator asked.
“It’s a silver BMW!” Ann answered with her heart beating irregularly.
“Do you know the license plate number?” the operator continued.
“No, I don’t, and I’m not close enough to see it!” she started to sob. Wait. I think it’s, yes… I remember now. He has a specialize plate on his car. It says THEONLY1.”
She could hear a police siren somewhere. Frantically, she honked her horn, weaving in and round the traffic. Then from somewhere far away she heard another siren joining the pursuit.
Suddenly a police car appeared in front of her, coming from a side street. It slowed just a second, then swung into the traffic with its lights flashing and the siren blaring.
“I see the patrol car!” Ann said excitedly. “I think he sees the car!”
“Please ma’am, pull over now and let the police handle this,” said the operator in a firm tone.
“No, no I can’t leave my son! Please hurry!” Ann said as she honked her horn and sped after Sean. She was getting stuck in traffic and no one was letting her through.
“Hurry… Hurry!” she said out loud to no one in particular.
Honking her horn again, she drove on the shoulder in desperation and fear. The BMW had accelerated and was rapidly disappearing, with the police car in hot pursuit. Ann was losing sight of them.
Seconds later, rounding the corner near the freeway entrance, she slowed in disbelief. The BMW was crumpled in a massive heap of metal, smoke, and steam, wrapped around a large utility pole.
Her heart stopped… Matthew!
The police car was parked askew, right behind the wreckage. She could see the officer running toward the car. Another police car with its lights flashing swerved across traffic, coming from another direction.
Frantically she pulled into a parking lot nearby, shoved the car in park, flung the door open, and ran to the crumpled mass that had been Sean’s car.
“Matthew, Matthew, Mommy’s here!” she cried as she ran to her son.
One of the officers looked up and came to stop her from getting any closer. “Ma’am, you have to stay back. The car might catch fire,” she said in a firm voice.
“No, no, my son is in there!” Ann sobbed. “Please let me go to him! I need to go to him.”
“You can’t help him by getting yourself hurt,” she said as she took Ann firmly by the arm and guided her away from the scene.
“I’m Officer Kelly Pederson. Let’s go over to my patrol car. I’ll get you to your son, as soon as I can. Now can you tell me what happened?” she asked.
Ann walked numbly beside the officer, looking back toward the accident, looking for Mathew, looking for hope. With tears streaming down her face, she allowed Officer Pederson to place her in the back seat, leaving the door open.
“The medics are on their way,” the officer added. Ann could hear the sirens blaring and screaming in her ears.
A fire truck swung up off the freeway and stopped right beside the mass of broken glass and twisted metal, with an ambulance right behind it. Men in uniform swarmed the car. Some with fire extinguishers, others with massive tools, ripping the car apart, like Ann’s heart was being ripped apart.
Officer Pederson sat in the front seat asking questions of the woman in the back. Ann answered to the best of her ability, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of the accident. Silent prayers were drifting to God from her heart.
Ann could see a paramedic reaching inside of the car on the driver’s side, checking for vital signs. Several had climbed into the back seat, leaning down, working on what must be Matthew. Dear Lord, let him be okay, tears flowed freely in her agony.
“I’ll be right back,” said the officer as she walked over to Ann’s car, locking it up. Returning, she walked past the cruiser and stopped to talk to someone in a fireman’s uniform, holding a walkie-talkie. Maybe he was the battalion chief in charge of the accident scene.
Ann placed her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably. She prayed sof
tly to herself, “Please, please Lord, not my baby boy. Please save him, please. I will do anything for you,” she begged.
Minutes seemed like hours of nothingness, vague and of no value. The only thing she could focus on was Matthew. How was her little boy? Was he okay? When could she see him? Was he in any pain?
When Officer Pederson returned, she informed Ann that her ex-husband was dead. Matthew was still alive. The medics were doing everything they could. Ann closed her eyes in disbelief and pain. How can this be happening? Matthew was just with me a few minutes ago, she thought, her head spinning.
Sitting in the back seat, she listened to the officer’s voice making her report to the dispatcher, like a TV program running in a distant room.
Time wore on. Matthew was removed from the crumpled car, put on a stretcher, and placed into the first ambulance. She could see the medics holding an IV high in the air. Jumping out of the car, she went to join him, but again the officer detained her.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Henderson,” she said resolutely. “The medics are working very hard on your little boy, and you need to stay out of the way. We’ll follow the ambulance when the time comes.” Officer Pederson guided the dazed woman back into the car, shutting the door.
“Do you know how badly he’s hurt?” she asked softly from the back seat.
“The medics are doing their best, Mrs. Henderson.” Then she added grimly, as she started the vehicle. “He didn’t have a seat belt on.”
On went the aid car’s lights and siren, blared out its warning as it swiftly left the scene of death. Turning on her own emergency equipment, Officer Pederson swiftly followed, the lights reflecting in Ann’s teary eyes and the sound of the sirens shredding her heart.
Room Of Waiting