Page 68 of Bone Dust

“We’ve got to let them do their job.”

“What if it’s too late?” Heartbreak clings to my words.

“Shh. Don’t even think like that. They’ll find Gigi and Cora.”

He attempts to reassure me with soft, whispered words while sharing my fears. An impending headache surfaces as I suffocate my anxiety and suffer my racing heart and the pounding beat in my head in silence.

“What’s your little girl’s name again?” The fireman asks.

My head snaps up. “Gigi.” Her name tumbles from my lips like a breathless prayer.

He smiles. “Follow me. I’ll take you to her.”

I wipe my face with the back of my hand and look up at Ian as we quickly stride behind him. “Thank you for holding me up while I was falling apart.” I dab at my eyes, knowing, if Gigi sees me like this, she might get scared.

“Ditto,” he says, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Ian

As we closely follow the man leading us to Gigi, we can’t escape the bitter, acrid air. Savannah and I turn the corner of the house, and the fireman points to an ambulance. “Just want you to know we got everyone out. See, right there? Pink PJ’s. At the EMT vehicle?”

Through the smokey haze, we turn. A flash of candy pink color snatches our eyes. There, in the dark, chaotic scene, we see Gigi. We rush toward her. Her pout cuts me, and her cry is a faint whimper that rings louder in my ears as we get closer.

“Gigi?” Savannah calls out and Gigi’s chin pops up. Previously huddled on a stretcher just inside the yellow and red door, now her head darts side to side. My heart races as we get a better look at her. She’s pulled herself into a ball with her arms tightly bound around knees pulled close to her chest, but it’s the shaky, puckered bottom lip that destroys my heart.

“Gigi! Gigi!” Savannah runs toward her.

“MOMMA!”

As soon as Gigi spots her mother, she scrambles away from the technician and off the stretcher. Like an expert escape artist, she flies.

“Hey!”

The technician calls but Gigi doesn’t stop. The next instant finds her catapulting into Savannah as she snatches the little girl into her arms.

Their reunion unchains deeply buried emotions that hit me like a wrecking ball. Gigi sobs, her face buried in Savi’s neck, and I choke back a sob as she gives her baby a million kisses. Cheeks, eyes, chin; she leaves nothing untouched. I wait a moment, then take a place beside Savannah and Gigi reaches out for me, arms outstretched and fingers grabbing at the air. I take her hand and swallow a lump of emotion as she squeezes my hand over and over but doesn’t let go. I close my arms around them both and note Savannah’s trembling body. I tighten my hold, lending my support as adrenaline takes its toll.

Savannah is standing a few feet away from a sleeping Gigi when I enter the room. What I see in her is the definition of self-soothing. With her arms wrapped around her waist, it’s as if she’s giving herself a hug. She hears me, and her head turns.

“I just spoke with the doctor. They’re going to keep Cora overnight. Her blood oxygen isn’t at a level they’re comfortable with, so, she’s staying.”

“That’s probably for the best,” she nods.

Savi takes a seat as I peer over at Gigi, who’s sound asleep in a hospital crib. “How is she?”

“Sleeping. Finally. She’s exhausted. Her pediatrician was here for another patient and the ER staff notified her. I’m glad she came to check Gigi. She thinks twenty-four hours of observation is needed as well.” She pauses. “Did you talk to Cora?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“Does she know how the fire started?” There’s a plea in her eyes.

“She’s very upset.” I take a seat across from her.“She said the fire chief questioned her. Cora has a little space heater in the kitchen. She told me she uses it in the morning because she gets up early and sometimes there’s still a chilly bite in the air.”

“I know she does. I’ve seen it.”

“Then you know it wasn’t that old, the cord wasn’t frayed … she said she always pulls the plug before she goes to bed, and she didn’t use it today, so she’s sure it wasn’t plugged in. Well, apparently, from what they can tell, the cord was split. That’s what caused the fire, but she doesn’t know how.”

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