“Is Mom going to be angry?”
“No. Right now, I’m taking care of both of you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Two Patients in the Same Hospital
At Riverside Children’s Medical Center, Clara was brought into treatment immediately.
Noah was given water, soup, and a warm blanket, though he refused to eat until a nurse assured him his sister was receiving help.
Caleb had just finished talking with a hospital social worker when a white American police detective named Rebecca Sloan approached him. She was in her early forties, with auburn hair secured in a practical knot and a composed manner that made her seriousness even more apparent.
“Mr. Whitaker, I need to talk with you about Meredith.”
Caleb rose.
“Did you find her?”
Rebecca looked toward Noah before quietly lowering her voice.
“She was brought here three nights ago. A maintenance employee discovered her beside an a.ban.don.ed service road near the Scioto River. She had no handbag, phone, or identification, and she has remained unconscious for most of that period.”
Caleb stared at her.
“That doesn’t make sense. She was supposed to be with the children.”
Before Rebecca could answer, Clara’s doctor entered the waiting area. He explained that the young girl had a serious infection and significant dehydration, but her fever was dropping and she was responding well to treatment.
“You got her here just in time,” he said.
The words nearly buckled Caleb’s knees. He briefly covered his face, then asked if he could see her.
Clara appeared impossibly tiny beneath the hospital blanket. When her eyes finally opened, she recognized him instantly.
“Daddy?”
Caleb leaned over her and kissed her warm forehead.
