by Robyn M Ryan
Cassie shook her head, then looked at Amelie as she hovered anxiously. “Did you talk with Tom?”
“Yes, he said he’d alert emergency services and meet the ambulance.”
“Do you know how long the child was under water?” the paramedic continued.
“Just seconds. He fell in headfirst. I jumped in immediately, but he swallowed water before I could reach him.” Cassie took a deep breath. “Danny screamed, kicked, and tried to get away from me. Then, just as we were walking out of the pool, he stopped moving.” Cassie pushed her fear aside. “I began rescue breathing—not long after that, he coughed up water.” She looked at the gurney where Danny lay.
The male paramedic asked Cassie for Daniel’s family information. The woman slipped an oxygen mask over his face.
“He’s breathing. Just a little supplemental oxygen,” she explained.
Cassie pushed herself to stand and watched exhaustion overtake her munchkin. He looks like a doll on that huge gurney. She leaned over him so he could see her face. “You’re okay. Your Uncle Tommy is waiting to see you, baby.” She quickly kissed him as the female paramedic gently moved her aside. “Can I go with you?”
“Jenna,” Amelie reminded her. “You can’t leave her. I contacted the spa and asked the concierge to give Caryn a message to call you. I’m not sure she understood.”
Cassie’s thoughts jumbled as she trailed the gurney to the ambulance. “Can you go to the spa and tell Caryn?”
“On my way.”
Cassie choked back a sob as she watched the paramedics load the gurney into the ambulance. Her little angel nearly drowned…Happened so quickly, in seconds. He’s scared and doesn’t know these people…I didn’t notice the pool door had been open. I should have checked when Amie came in from studying. Can’t believe I got distracted. The one thing Caryn reminded me, “Don’t get distracted if Amelie stops by today.”
She realized the female paramedic was speaking to her.
“We know Dr. Chadwick. We’ll make sure he’s contacted when we arrive.”
“Thank you. Is Daniel going to be all right?” Cassie wrapped her arms around herself, hoping to stop the trembling.
“His signs are good. Luckily, he wasn’t under water longer than a few seconds. He’ll get a complete assessment at the hospital.”
Cassie nodded, unable to speak and trying to contain the urge to cry. “Thank you,” she whispered. She watched the ambulance until it disappeared from sight, and only then allowed tears to escape.
48
Cassie fought to keep her emotions at bay while she calmed Jenna. Once she’d changed Jenna’s clothes, Cassie took her to her bedroom, and sat Jenna on the floor near the dresser. Cassie tossed her wet clothing into the bathroom sink and wrapped a towel around her.
Her love bug watched as Cassie dressed and squealed her approval when Cassie showed Jenna the shirt she planned to wear. She babbled something only Daniel would understand, and when Cassie swept her into her arms. Jenna patted the brightly flowered fabric.
“You like that, little angel? You love flowers, don’t you? Just like your mom.”
Jenna cooed in response. Cassie carried her to the nursery and sat on the rocker. She forced her worries aside and concentrated only on the precious child she held. The rocking motion soothed her nerves, and she watched as Jenna closed her eyes in contentment. Cassie continued to rock, long after Jenna had fallen asleep, her mind drifting to the haunting vision of little Daniel falling into the pool.
Caryn’s greatest fear and it happened on my watch. The door to the pool is always locked. How could I not notice? Why did I leave both of them with Amie—I could have taken Danny with me to “freshen up?” Or put both of them in their cribs like I usually do. It’s hard enough chasing one, much less two of these bundles of energy...Now Daniel’s in the ambulance, probably terrified because I got distracted.
After looking at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time, Cassie slipped it into her pocket. Two hours already. She willed Tom to send her a text, a voice message, anything to let her know Daniel’s condition. Tempted to call, she didn’t want to interrupt him. He’ll call as soon as he can. Unless he’s angry with me, disappointed that I allowed Daniel to fall into the pool or blames me for Daniel’s condition.
Why hadn’t she locked the door or double-checked it like Caryn always did? Amelie must have accidentally left it open after she’d completed her coursework. But it was Cassie’s responsibility to ensure that the door was always locked; she hadn’t even noticed that it was open. Cassie had failed her most important duty—keep the twins safe—and she couldn’t imagine the fear, disappointment, and anger that Caryn felt.
She walked to the pool deck and picked up the discarded towels. She saw the residue from the regurgitated water, so after throwing the towels in the wash, she cleaned the area. The spot where Daniel tumbled into the pool seized her gaze, and a rush of icy dread spread through her. What if she’d checked the kitchen first? Or if she hadn’t been so close when Danny fell? What if he hadn’t responded to her rescue breathing?
She flicked the tears aside and swallowed the sob that threatened. She checked again that her phone battery showed fully charged; that she hadn’t missed a call or a text. Not knowing anything weighed on her mind, and as time passed, Cassie’s anxiety morphed to panic.
Finally, she heard a light rapping on the front door, and Lauren and Dave entered before Cassie could reach it. As Lauren hugged her, Cassie felt her control slip and tears streamed from her eyes.
“How’s Danny?”
“Stable when we left,” Lauren said. “Tom said his doctor will admit Daniel to monitor him. He also said the paramedics told him you’d saved his life; you kept calm and knew exactly what to do.”
“It’s my fault it even happened. My carelessness could have cost his life.”
“The important thing is that Danny will recover,” Dave said. Cassie turned toward him and saw the empathy in his eyes.
“If I’d done my job, he wouldn’t be at the hospital. I didn’t even notice the pool door was wide open.”
“You can’t change what happened,” Dave said. “This was an accident, nothing more. Everyone knows how much you love the twins. And you saved Daniel’s life.”
Cassie’s gaze moved from Dave to Lauren. “How’s Caryn?”
“Pretty shaken up. Thankful as soon as she saw Danny.” Lauren squeezed her hand. “Now that Andrew’s arrived, she’ll calm.”
Cassie walked to the play area and began picking up the blocks and toy cars. It felt like days had passed since she’d watched them interact with her friend. Amelie’s iPhone lay on the floor amongst the toys, and the memory of Amelie setting it aside flickered in her mind. What was she doing with her phone? Shopping? Texting? Posting on Instagram? “Did you see Amelie at the spa?”
“Yes, I’m not sure where she went after that.” Lauren met her eyes. “Was she here today?”
Cassie nodded. “She stopped by to help. Caryn okayed it—but reminded me about distractions. I welcomed the help today. She’s been a different person since Christmas. Jenna loves her—she always reaches for her.” She attempted a tight smile. “Amie no longer cares if she gets mauled with sticky hands.”
“Sounds like she’s done a one-eighty with her attitude.” Lauren stepped in front of Cassie and gently grasped her arms. “Why don’t you sit down, Cassie? You’re going to wear a path on the hardwood if you keep pacing.” Lauren guided her to the sofa. “And you look like you’ll collapse at any moment.”
“Have you eaten?” Dave asked.
“Not hungry.”
“Pizza? Pasta? Spaghetti? Salad?” Lauren offered. “I know Mr. Martin is very hungry, so take advantage of the offer. You can save it for later. Maybe some chicken parmigiana?”
Cassie shrugged. “Sure.”
“What do you want, squirt?” Dave asked Lauren.
“Surprise me.”
Dave looked at Cassie. “Don’t beat you
rself up, kiddo. Remember that this was an accident and that Daniel’s okay.”
Cassie nodded when she met his gaze, but her heart knew she’d never forgive herself for putting Daniel’s life in danger.
Lauren persuaded Cassie to sit on the couch and brought her a bottle of water.
“Will Andrew or Caryn give you updates on Daniel?”
“Someone will contact me if his condition changes,” Lauren said. “Tom said Daniel’s stable…The main concern is if any water remains in his lungs.”
“Has he had a chest X-Ray?” Cassie pictured Daniel’s face as he’d gasped for breath. “I told them he coughed up water.”
“I’m sure the paramedics put that in their report. You know our little guy will get the very best care. He’s in good hands.” Lauren reached for her hand. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Cassie shrugged. “Amelie came over to help, then study. The twins loved playing with the ‘new’ toys I’d swapped…so enthralled.” Cassie flinched at the memory. “After lunch, I took them out to play while Amelie did some coursework on the deck. I guess I forgot to check that the door was closed. Then, I asked her to watch both, so I could go to the bathroom. I could hear laughter and babbling even in my room.” Her voice choked and Cassie took a deep breath. “When I came down the hallway, I couldn’t hear Daniel…I…I thought maybe he’d fallen asleep. But he wasn’t with Amelie.”
Cassie took a deep breath and sipped some water. “When I saw the pool door open, I knew where he was… I spotted him…at the edge of the pool down by the deep end. Danny…tumbled into the water before I could reach him.” She looked at Lauren as tears streamed down her face. “He wasn’t under water for more than a few seconds, but…he screamed and kicked until I could get him to the shallow end. Then he just went limp.”
“Luckily, you knew what to do. You didn’t panic.” Lauren hugged Cassie. “Did Amelie say how he slipped out that door?”
“She didn’t notice that Danny had moved. Jenna had climbed on her back. She may have used her phone.” Cassie handed the phone to Lauren. “I found it near where she’d played with Jenna...I should never have left both twins with her.”
“Amelie should have watched both babies. I just don’t understand how Daniel got away without her noticing.” Lauren’s tone reflected her disapproval. She swiped at the screen on the phone. “Locked. But look at these notifications, Cass—texts from many people. Now you know how Daniel slipped away.”
Cassie closed her eyes for a long moment. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. The twins are my responsibility. I can’t blame anyone else.” Cassie cringed when her phone sounded. “Mom.”
“Let it go to voicemail. You don’t need to speak with her right now.” A short time later, a beep indicated that Cassie’s mother had left a voice message.
“So, your spa day completely blew up, and now you’re here instead of celebrating with Dave at home…Mom would say I’m a colossal failure, and she’d be right.”
“Stop, Cass,” Lauren interrupted. “Look forward. Remember, Danny’s okay. He didn’t drown. You did not leave Amelie playing with Jen and Daniel, thinking she’d text while ‘watching’ them. If Amelie’s attention focused elsewhere for even several seconds…you know how quickly toddlers can scurry out of sight. You’re not the only person who needs to apologize and accept responsibility.”
Cassie began to reply but stopped when the door opened, and Andrew entered his home. She stood, her breath catching in her throat as Andrew approached. She started to ask him about Daniel, but the look in his eyes caused the words to die in her mouth.
49
When Andrew spoke, his voice sounded controlled, too calm. His steel-blue eyes conveyed suppressed anger—rage?
“How the hell did Daniel get near the fucking pool?”
Cassie felt tears welling in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Andrew...”
“Answer. The. Question.” His voice chilled her like a bucket of ice.
“I don’t know…I didn’t notice the open door.”
“What, were you distracted? Did you leave them alone? Why the fuck wasn’t that door locked? What was so important that you didn’t notice my son was missing—talking on the phone? Texting someone? Sleeping?”
Cassie shook her head, unable to respond.
“Whatever had you preoccupied nearly cost Daniel’s life. You do realize that, don’t you? You either left them alone, or you were oblivious to what they were doing. What could possibly be more important than keeping our children safe?”
His eyes pierced Cassie like knives. She struggled to find her voice. “N-nothing,” she stammered. “I didn’t leave them alone. Amelie...I asked her…” She stopped to take a deep breath, Andrew’s glare holding her captive.
“She was here? No wonder you weren’t paying attention.” Andrew didn’t wait for her to answer. “I’m taking Jenna with me to the hospital.”
“Jenna’s napping. Please let her sleep and have dinner. I can bring her over then. I promise I’ll keep her safe.”
Andrew stared at her for a long moment. Cassie saw him glance at Lauren, then shake his head. “You’ll understand that your promises mean nothing. Pack up her dinner while I get her.”
“Why didn’t you tell him what happened?” Lauren whispered when Andrew left the room. “He can’t blame you for taking a bathroom break.”
“I tried to tell him…It doesn’t matter. I did exactly what Caryn had warned me about—I allowed Amelie to distract me. I didn’t even notice the open door. I know Caryn keeps that door locked, and I didn’t notice it was open.”
Cassie pulled Jenna’s plate from the cupboard and filled it with fruit, biscuits, and cheese cubes and then snapped the lid in place. “I tried to explain…you heard Andrew cut me off. I know Amie can get distracted, then I trusted her with both babies.” Cassie opened the pantry and poured animal crackers into a Ziplock, then filled two bottles and placed everything into an insulated container.
Lauren opened her mouth to argue, and Cassie held up her hand. “Please, Lauren, let it go. I should never have expected Amelie to watch both munchkins…At the very least, I should have taken one with me when I freshened up. I wish I could…” Her voice trailed off as she heard Andrew’s voice and Jenna’s excited laughter. She placed the container of food on the counter and nodded to it before he walked past the kitchen. “Jenna’s dinner.”
Andrew grabbed it without speaking. Cassie’s eyes drifted toward the toddler she loved as if she were the mother. Mother? That’s a laugh. What mother allows her child to get near a pool? Don’t deserve to think about motherhood.
She hesitantly looked at Andrew. “Andrew, I need to tell you…”
“Not now.”
“Please, I can explain…”
“Stop. I don’t want excuses.” Andrew snapped. He met her eyes for a long moment, started to speak, then stopped. He grabbed Jenna’s bag and left without another word.
Tom had no time to think about anything besides his nephew’s near-drowning and checking on his current patients. Plus, the ER had several accident victims requiring a neurologist. Not even a full moon…don’t think. He checked Daniel’s chart as often as possible, satisfied with what he read. No water in his lungs, thank God. Fussy…sleeping. Good signs.
When he saw the backlog of patients in the ER, he opted to stay on after his shift to help reduce the time people had to wait before seeing a doctor. Two hours later, only a few remained in the waiting area, and Tom headed for the showers and a change of clothes.
When he entered Daniel’s room, Tom did not expect to see Jenna. She squirmed on Andrew’s lap and protested when he didn’t allow her to play on the floor. He exchanged glances with both Andrew and Caryn.
“Anything new?”
“Daniel does not have pneumonia,” Caryn said. “Thank you, God. He’s not thrilled with the IV but hasn’t tried to pull at it. Just groggy right now. It could have been so much worse.”
Tom walked to the bed and to
uched Daniel’s shoulder as he checked the monitor. “His vitals look very good.” He smiled when Daniel turned toward his voice, then tried to reach for him with one arm. Tom moved his hand so Daniel could grasp some of his fingers.
“As usual, he loves his Uncle Tommy,” Caryn said.
“That feeling’s mutual, right, little buddy?” He leaned to kiss his forehead. “Would you like me to take Jenna for a while?”
“That would make her thrilled,” Caryn replied with a small smile. “She has way too much energy right now.”
“I can take her home.”
“You’re not on call?” Andrew asked skeptically.
“Barring anything catastrophic, I’m off the next two days.”
Tom watched Andrew’s expression. Does he not trust me? Do they want Jenna with them? Andrew didn’t speak for a long moment.
“If you get called in, you’ll bring her with you?”
“If that’s what you want. What about Cassie? You worried about leaving Jenna with her?”
“And why would you think that, Tom?”
Tom tried not to flinch at the sarcasm in his voice. “Have you talked with her?”
Andrew nodded. “I doubt she’ll be there when you get home.”
“Did you fire her?”
“I didn’t need to. Cassie knows how I feel—I’ll never trust her with my children again.”
“Did she explain how Danny got to the pool?”
“No.”
“Did you ask?” Tom prodded.
“What the fuck does that matter? He fell in the pool and nearly drowned. How or why isn’t relevant. That it happened should give you a clue why Jenna’s not at home.”
Caryn interrupted, her voice soft. “Drew, this was an accident. Cassie didn’t panic; she saved Danny’s life.”
“And you’re willing to risk another ‘accident?’”
Tom saw resignation in her expression. “We’ll talk about this later after Daniel’s released.”
