someone hovering overhead. “Take a drink. It will do you good.”
Where am I? Whose voice is that? I opened my eyes and the hazy scene slowly came into focus. Caroline. Tawny flames flickered in the fireplace. A scratchy wool blanket clung to my lap.
“Auntie Vera, are you awake?” Little Eva, Caroline’s daughter, pressed her cheek against my chest. Not much older than Daniel, she possessed a level of maturity beyond her years.
My eyes burned and my head ached. I clutched my feet in agony. They stung and throbbed like no other pain I’d felt.
“Frostbite,” Caroline said softly. “You’re lucky we found you when we did. I’ve been bringing them back to room temperature for the last hour. I think we saved your toe.”
She inspected my right foot, then placed a glass of water in my hands. “Drink.”
I buried my face in the pillow on the sofa, but Caroline gently tilted my chin forward, pressing the glass to my lips. I let the fluid seep into my mouth, choking a little as the cool water washed down my parched throat.
“We found you out on the street an hour ago,” she continued. “You were delirious, honey, before you fainted. Mr. Ivanoff was kind enough to help carry you up.”
Mr. Ivanoff, a mason who hailed from Russia, had always been good to us. Last month he saw Daniel in the lobby of the apartment building and smiled benevolently. “Boy has no father?” he asked, his accent thick.
“No, he doesn’t,” I said quietly, as Daniel marveled at Mr. Ivanoff’s tools.
The man nodded. “Then I let him help me with my work today. You don’t mind, do you?”
I smiled at the kind gesture.
“Please, Mama?” Daniel chirped.
“Of course, dear,” I said.
I had pulled out my knitting needles and settled into a chair in the corner as Daniel and his new friend set out to repair the mortar on the saloon’s fireplace.
I sat up suddenly, looking around Caroline’s apartment frantically. Daniel. The fog had lifted to reveal the terror I had felt earlier. My son. Gone.
I stood up, setting the glass down with an unsteady hand. It fell to the floor and shattered, water splattering onto the shabby blue rug. “I have to find him!” I cried. “We have to do something. Somebody took him. Somebody took Daniel!”
Caroline rushed to my side. “Now, now,” she said. “You’ve been out in the snow all morning. Your feet must be frozen solid. You can’t go back out there. I won’t let you.”
I pushed her arms away and took a step toward the door, but my legs gave out under me. As Caroline lifted my head onto her lap, my heart beat so loudly, it was all I could hear. How much time has passed? Darkness lingered outside Caroline’s window. “He must be hungry and cold,” I whimpered, trying unsuccessfully to stand again before giving in to Caroline’s pleas.
She helped me to the sofa and stroked my hair until my sobbing subsided. “We’ll find him,” she said quietly.
Little Eva, Daniel’s best friend, sat next to her mother with a frightened look on her face. “Aunt Vera?” she whispered, peeking her head over my shoulder.
“Don’t bother Aunt Vera right now, dear,” Caroline said. “She needs to rest.”
“But Mama,” Eva replied, “I’m afraid. Did the bird lady take Daniel?”
I opened my eyes. “The bird lady? Eva, what do you mean?”
“The bad lady who kills birds,” she continued.
“Eva!” Caroline barked. “Hush. You run upstairs and find your doll.”
The child nodded obediently and left the room.
“Don’t listen to her,” Caroline said. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
I buried my face in my trembling hands. “But, I—” My voice cracked as I began to weep, this time without tears. I had none left. “Oh, Caroline,” I cried. “We have to find him. Please help me find him. Please God, please let him come home to me.”
“I will help, honey,” she said softly. “Just as soon as I take care of you.”
An hour later, Caroline went to the corner market for firewood, and I sat up and clutched my head. It pounded violently, but I stood up anyway. My knees wobbled and I quickly steadied myself on the arm of the sofa. I have to get out of here. I have to find him. I must get back to the apartment.
“You stay here, dear,” I whispered to Eva. “Your mama will be back soon. Tell her I had to go find Daniel. Tell her I’m sorry. She’ll understand.”
Eva nodded as I walked out the door. I