On the other side of town, Emma sat in her recliner, rocking back and forth. She didn’t know what to do. A feeling of dread stalked her, and she couldn’t shake it.
During the evening news, the night before, there had been a report about an accident where the driver was killed and a little boy had been taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. They said the driver had abducted the child from a Bobbie’s Daycare facility in the valley. Nagging her was the feeling that it was her grandson, but how could it be? His father, Sean, didn’t even want his children. He couldn’t be involved, could he? Sean did drive a car that color. Had he changed his mind about the children?
What was she going to do? She knew Ann wouldn’t speak to her. She had hung up on her so many times before. What if she called the hospital - would they tell her about the little boy who was hurt? She didn’t think so, wasn’t there a hospital policy about not giving out that kind of information? Still rocking, she couldn’t shake the need to find out if Matt was alright.
Maybe I can find something out from the police. They might tell me, she thought. I’ll ask them directly if it was Matthew Henderson and tell them that I’m his grandmother. She decided to try. It couldn’t hurt to try.
She called the local police station. When the officer answered, she explained her concern. Professionally, the officer listened. He asked her name and address. Then with caller ID and his computer system, he verified her information.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but that is the name we have on file for the little boy who was hurt in last night’s accident on Central Avenue and I-90. He’s in Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition.”
Emma gasped. She asked softly, “Was the driver Sean Henderson?”
“Yes ma’am. He died at the scene of the accident,” he replied. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Emma thanked the officer and hung up the phone.
She sat silent and still in her chair. Tears started to form in her eyes. First, I lost Ann… and now maybe Matthew. I need to find Ann. I need to talk to her.
Finally, Emma’s resolve broke. It had weakened under the strain from the long months of isolation, but now she didn’t know what to do, or how to fix it, or even if she should. She knew she had made a mess of her life. The isolation she had been experiencing, the loss of her family, had broken her heart and spirit. No, she didn’t want to be in control anymore.
If I need to let Ann make all the decisions to be around her and the children, then I’ll do it. I’ll stay out of her way and just accept the situation on her terms. I need to find her, explain to her. I need to see my grandson.
She got dressed, looked up the bus schedule to the hospital, and within the hour, Matthew’s grandmother had locked up the old trailer and walked to the bus stop.
Standing there waiting, she thought about her life and the mistakes she had made. How wrong she had been to be so obstinate and forceful with all that she said and did. Look where she was now, alone, empty, and wishing it could have turned out differently, somehow.
With trembling hands and aching heart she boarded the bus, sitting in an empty seat next to people she didn’t know. The doors on the bus shut with a soft thud and moved out into traffic, transporting her to the hospital. There was no turning back now. She was on her way to her family, to whatever outcome awaited her there. Though she didn’t pray, she sent a silent plea to be able to see Ann and her grandson somehow.
* * * *