Gail and the occasional disastrous date, I was firmly single—my only constant companion in the romance department, my hand.
Cool, fresh spring air hit me as I walked out the doors. I stood breathing it in deeply, ridding my senses of the antiseptic smell that lingered. I glanced around, noting the full ambulance bay and hearing the chaos coming from the inside of the hospital every time a door opened. I had no doubt Gail would sort them out fast. She was an amazing charge nurse, and I was glad to work with her.
I stretched, my back and shoulders creaking and snapping in protest. It had been a busy night in the ER, and between nonstop patients and catching up on charting this morning, I was ready to head home.
I turned in the direction of the park, deciding I needed some coffee and a breakfast sandwich at the little café in the center. Being the weekend, it was busy, but I waited patiently for my sandwich and took it and a steaming cup of their cinnamon-laced brew over to my favorite bench. A little off the beaten track, it was quieter, fewer people around, so I rarely encountered anyone else when I went there. It was a great place to wind down after a long shift. I sat down, stretching out my long legs and placing my messenger bag on the empty space beside me.
I sipped and munched, enjoying the quiet. Leaning back my head, I let the breeze ruffle my hair and the solitude settle into my brain. My shoulders loosened, and I began to relax. I finished my sandwich, wadding up the paper and stuffing it into the empty coffee cup. I was about to stand when I heard the sound of running feet and two distinct voices. I turned in the direction they were coming from, the voices getting louder as they approached.
“Chloe! Come back!”
“No, Momma! I gots to find him!”
“Chloe! I said—” The voice cut off with a gasp, and suddenly, from the bushes burst forth a small child. She stopped short seeing me, her brown eyes large and startled in her round face. Corkscrew curls were a chaotic, riotous mass around her head, the color of wheat—bright, golden, and sunny. I judged her age as about four, maybe five. I smiled at her, wanting her to know she was okay with me.
I waggled my fingers. “Hi.”
She startled me by racing over, stopping in front of me. She placed her tiny hands on my knees and tilted back her head, regarding me seriously.
“Hi. I’m Chloe. Have you seen my Stitch?”
“Pardon me?” I asked, immediately going into doctor mode at the word stitch. I cast my gaze over her, not seeing any open cuts or scrapes. “Stitch?” I repeated.
She nodded impatiently. “Stitch,” she repeated. “My koala. I losted him. Mommy and me been looking everywhere!” Her voice rose to an almost wail, her chin trembling, and fat tears gathered in her big eyes.
“No, sorry. I haven’t seen him. When did you last have him?”
Her brow furrowed, and she wiped away her tears, leaving a smudge of mud on her freckle-covered cheek. She was quite endearing with her serious expression.
“He was with me on the monkey bars. And when I had juice,” she added triumphantly, looking at me as if that should answer the mystery of the missing koala.
“Sorry, ah, Pumpkin. I haven’t seen him.” I glanced around. “Didn’t I hear your mommy?”
She sniffed and looked behind her, clearly surprised not to see anyone. She whipped her head around to face me, more tears racing down her face.
“Now I losted Mommy too!” she sobbed. Then in a move I hadn’t expected, she launched herself at me. Without thinking, I gathered her up, letting her little arms wind around my neck as she cried.
“Hey, hey,” I soothed. “It’s gonna be fine. Mommy’s probably in the bushes looking for Stitch. We’ll go find her.” I began to stand when a woman stepped out from the same place my little hugger had appeared. Although stepped might have been too strong a word. Hobbled was more like it. She gripped the small tree trunk as she stared, her mouth agape as she took in the sight of me holding who I assumed was her daughter. There was dirt on her cheek, and her face expressed pain. From the way she was awkwardly holding her foot, I understood the gasp I had heard earlier.
For a moment, I was speechless. She was the loveliest woman