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MARISA WATCHED AS THE paramedics slid Nate into the ambulance. The kidnapper was already on board. She could see him in the bright lights of the truck. He seemed unconscious, but just in case, someone had handcuffed him to the gurney.
A paramedic closed the back doors. A moment later, the ambulance drove away.
Brady stepped beside her. "I've got my guys processing the two scenes."
She turned, confused.
"This cabin and the other one."
"Oh."
"We should be able to get this one processed and opened up in the next hour or so. He just came in, took you, and left, right?"
"As far as I know."
"Good." He looked at the house, and she followed his gaze. A couple of police officers stood inside with two other people, neither wearing uniforms. Brady turned back to her. "I'll give you two a ride to the hospital."
"Do we have to do that?"
"Unfortunately, you do. They need to examine her."
Marisa squeezed her eyes shut at the images Brady's words brought. "You don't think..." She couldn't finish the sentence.
"Let's not guess, okay? Let's just wait, get the facts, and go from there." He nodded toward the truck.
"Can I get some clothes?"
He looked at the house again. "Let me grab you something. Be right back."
She slid in the front seat with Ana on her lap.
A moment later, Brady returned with her jacket. He draped it over them. "She should go in the back."
Ana's legs clamped around Marisa's middle. The little girl wasn't about to let Marisa put her down, and Marisa wasn't arguing. "You can get us to the hospital safely, right?"
He wrapped the seatbelt around both of them and clicked it in place.
"Thank you."
He nodded and closed her door.
Brady had called ahead to the small hospital. A young, perky nurse met them at the door and led her and Ana straight to an exam room.
A gray-haired older man stepped in a moment later and shook her hand. "Dr. Lariviere. Detective Thomas asked me to meet you here."
"Oh. Are you friends with him?"
"I'm Johnny's doctor, so I know Mrs. Thomas better than the detective." Dr. Lariviere peeked at Ana's face. Marisa hadn't looked, but she thought her daughter might have fallen asleep.
"Hey, sweetheart," the doctor said. "You look sleepy."
Ana nodded, held Marisa tighter.
"I'm going to have to lay you down, okay?"
The little girl shook her head, squeezed her arms around Marisa.
The doctor met Marisa's eyes, smiled kindly, and looked at Ana again. "I bet I can be done in five minutes. What do you think?"
Ana shrugged.
He took his cell phone out of his pocket, touched it a couple of times, and showed the screen to Ana. "I set the timer for five minutes. If you let your mother put you down, you can hold onto my phone in one hand, and your mommy's hand with the other. And you can watch the numbers go down while I work. By the time they're all zero, I'll be done. You want to try that?"
"I'll be right here," Marisa said. "I promise."
There was a pause before Ana nodded.
Marisa gently laid her daughter on the table, held her hand, and let the doctor examine her. Her eyes filled with tears, and she couldn't watch what the doctor was doing, was looking for. Thank God, Ana seemed intent on watching the numbers as Marisa stroked her hair.
As promised, before the time was up he said, "All done." After Ana had scrambled back into her mother's arms, the doctor met Marisa's eyes. "Everything looks fine. Nothing to worry about."
The relief washed over her like a warm rain.
After Marisa got Ana to pee in a cup, they were led back to the waiting room, where Brady met them at the door. "All set?"
She nodded, could hardly speak for the emotions swirling around in her mind. She got them under control enough to say, "She's okay. Have you heard anything about Nate?"
"Not yet. He's being examined. I'll get you settled at the cabin, then come back and check on him."
They climbed in Brady's truck, which he'd left at the door, and returned to the cabin.
"They're done processing it. Just stay out of Nate's room tonight in case they need to go back tomorrow."
"Will do." She undid the seatbelt, and Brady came around to walk her to the door.
"He jimmied the lock. It works, but apparently not so well. I'll keep a uniform outside all night. Okay?"
"If you think it's necessary."
He shrugged. "I doubt it is, but just in case." They stepped inside, and Ana poked her head up and looked around. Marisa had hoped she'd fall asleep on the ride home, but her little girl looked bright-eyed now.
"Where are we, Mama?"
"We're going to stay here tonight." She looked at Brady. "I thought I'd give her a bath." She shifted to look at Ana. "You want to take a bath? You should see the bathtub. It's like a swimming pool."
The little girl nodded.
"Good idea," Brady said. "I'll head to the ER, check on Nate. You have that phone still? The one the guy gave you?"
"Um..." She thought back, remembered setting it on the nightstand in her bedroom. She'd left it there when she'd slipped into Nate's bed in the middle of the night.
The thought had heat rushing to her face. What must Nate think of her? But she'd seen what he thought of her in his eyes before they'd put him in the ambulance.
Nate.
"Is he going to be all right?"
Brady's look didn't reassure her. "I'll find out. If there's anything..." He paused, seemed to search for words. "I promise I'll call you if you need to know anything. What's your number?"
"I have no idea."
"Where's the phone?"
She told him, and he slipped into her bedroom and returned with the phone pressed to his ear. A moment later, his cell rang. He looked at the screen and silenced the call from Marisa's phone. "I have your number now. I'll call you when I have news."
"Right," she said, only half listening. Could Nate's injuries be life threatening? Why hadn't she asked the paramedic more questions? He could die, and she hadn't thought to ask.
And she'd been taken by the kidnapper, yanked out of her bed...
The room spun.
Brady crossed the space and urged her to the sofa. Ana stayed clamped on and still wouldn't let go, though Marisa thought she might pass out.
"Just wait for it to pass." She heard his footsteps but couldn't seem to look up. A moment later, he draped a blanket over her. "You're okay."
She took a few deep breaths and looked up to meet his eyes.
"Why don't I call Sam?"
No. He was right, she was safe, Ana was safe, and Nate was... Well, he was in good hands. "I'm okay. I'm going to give Ana a bath, and we're going to go to bed." She narrowed her eyes. "You have to promise me that if I need to be there, if Nate's injuries are... If it looks bad... I won't be able to rest if I don't think you'll call."
"I promise, I'll call when I know something. Either way. Okay?"
"Thank you."
He turned to the kitchen's bar and pulled a pen and notepad out of his breast pocket. "I'm writing down my phone number, Sam's, Rae's, Nate's, and the hospital's." When he finished writing the note, he said, "I'm taking the keys so Nate can get in when he gets back. Don't hesitate to call me. I'll stay with Nate tonight. If you have any problems or just want to know how he's doing or anything..."
"Thank you, Brady."
He nodded once. "Happy to help." He backed toward the door. "You two will be okay here by yourselves? You sure I can't get Sam—?"
"We're fine." She squeezed her daughter. "Aren't we, pajarita?"
Ana nodded and held her tighter.
"Okay. Tomorrow you'll have to make a statement about what happened."
"Thank you."
Brady walked to the door and bent to examine the outside knob. "This place needs a deadbolt."
"I don't think any of us thought he'd find us here."
"I wonder how he did."
She shrugged, too tired to worry about it tonight. "He's in custody, right? He's not getting out?"
"You're safe. I promise."
Safe. She hadn't felt truly safe in a very long time. Marisa finally had her life back, but what kind of life could it be without Nate?
* * *
EXHAUSTION ALMOST WON, but Marisa wanted to wash any remnants of that man's scent from her daughter's skin. When the dizziness passed, she lifted Ana, made sure the front and back doors were locked, and headed into her bedroom, closing the door behind them.
"I know you're sleepy, but let's take a quick bath."
She tried to set Ana on the bed, but her daughter wouldn't let her go.
"You're safe now, baby. Can you sit on the bed?"
She could feel her daughter's head shaking.
Marisa sighed, exhausted, and continued into the bathroom. Somehow, she managed to bend over and start the water in the giant bathtub, get it to the right temperature, and put in the stopper, all without setting Ana down. Her back would be sore tomorrow, but better her back than Ana's heart.
She gathered the soap and shampoo from the shower, snatched a clean washcloth from the cabinet, and set the items on the edge of the Jacuzzi tub while she waited for the water to fill it.
"You want bubbles?"
Ana's voice was tentative. "Okay."
She feared the noise of the Jacuzzi would frighten her daughter, so instead of turning on the jets, Marisa simply squirted shampoo into the water's stream, and the oversize tub soon filled with bubbles. The scent of strawberries wafted through the room.
"I'm going to have to let you go to give you a bath," Marisa said.
Ana held on tighter.
She couldn't blame her. Marisa didn't want to let Ana go, either. Still... "How about this? How about we both get in the tub. Will that work?"
A tiny shrug.
Marisa didn't mind getting wet. She wasn't thrilled about the idea of soaking her pajamas, but Rae had left a second pair, and these were bloody anyway. She shut off the water, tested its temperature—a little cold for her taste, but Ana would like it—and stepped inside. She sat, let the warm water soak her pajama pants and realized how very cold she'd been.
She eased Ana down, a little at a time, until the girl was sitting on the bottom of the tub between her legs.
"You okay?"
Ana didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "This is like a swimming pool." Her eyes were wide as she took in the bathroom. "Is it safe?"
"It's safe. I promise."
The little girl giggled, and the sound dripped like honey over Marisa's soul.
"Mama, you forgot to take our clothes off!"
Marisa smiled. "How could I take our clothes off when you wouldn't let me go?"
Ana's smile faded.
"But it's okay. We can do it right now. Arms up!"
Ana lifted her arms, and Marisa slid the filthy dress over her head and urged off the stained underwear. Had her child really worn the same things for week? The dress barely resembled the one Nate had bought her back in Acapulco. She squeezed some of the water out and set it on the side of the tub.
She took a fortifying breath and studied her daughter's skin.
No bruises that she could see.
She soaped up the washcloth and set about washing the week of terror off the tiny girl, studying every inch for marks. Except for a small bruise on her arm, Marisa didn't see any evidence that the man had hurt her.
She closed her eyes. Gracias, Dios. God had kept her safe.
Ana was thinner than she had been, her little ribs outlined beneath her skin. The thought of her sweet pajarita, hungry, held captive...
Tears filled her eyes. She tried to hide them, hoped Ana wouldn't notice. But her daughter was far too observant for that.
She sat opposite her mother and brushed the tears away. "I'm sorry, Mama."
"Oh, sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry for."
"I told Aunt Leslie I couldn't get in the van with that man, but she said it would be okay. That we were playing a trick on you. I didn't want to, but she picked me up, and I couldn't get away."
Marisa held her daughter's hands and looked into her eyes. "Listen to me, Ana. Nothing that happened was your fault. None of it. Aunt Leslie shouldn't have done what she did. This was her fault. And that man's fault. It wasn't yours."
Ana stood and climbed into Marisa's arms. Marisa stroked her slippery back and wept into her hair. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you better."
"I know you didn't want me to go with that man."
"I didn't. And from the second you were taken, I never stopped looking for you."
Ana backed up and looked into Marisa's eyes. "I knew you'd find me."
* * *
MARISA CONVINCED ANA to let her get out of the tub. After she traded her wet pajamas for dry ones, she returned to the bathroom with a cup snagged from the kitchen, washed Ana's hair, and rinsed the remains of the soap and dirty water from her skin.
With a towel wrapped around Ana, Marisa lifted her from the tub and was carrying her into the bedroom when she heard a quiet knock, then the sound of the key in the lock. The front door opened.
Marisa froze and stared toward the living room. She was about to search for a weapon when she heard the whispered words. "Marisa? Are you up?"
What was Sam doing there?
"It's okay." She patted her daughter on the back and walked to the living room, where Sam stood beside the sofa.
"I hope I didn't scare you. I thought I'd just sneak in, if you'd gone to sleep."
Marisa started to ask where Sam got the key before she remembered that Sam owned the cabin. "It's fine. We just got out of the tub. What are you doing here? It's"—Marisa looked at the clock glowing on the stove—"nearly three a.m."
"Brady called Rae to tell her the good news, and she called me. A few days ago, Rae and I bought some things we thought Ana might need. Clothes and pj's and stuff." Sam set a giant white plastic sack on the couch. "I didn't want to leave it sooner, because I thought... Well, it seemed wise to wait."
"I was just trying to figure out what I was going to put her in."
Sam dug through the bag and brought out a pair of blue pajamas with princesses on them. "Nate said her favorite color is blue."
Ana turned to look at the pajamas, which Sam held up for her inspection.
"Pretty."
"I'm glad you like them." She crossed the room slowly.
Ana squeezed her tighter.
"You must be Ana," Sam said. "We've been looking for you."
Marisa whispered in Ana's ear. "It's okay, pajarita. This is a friend of mine. She helped me find you. Her name is Sam."
Ana lifted her head slightly. "Sam is a boy's name. Like Sam, I Am."
Sam smiled and shifted to meet Ana's eyes over Marisa's shoulder. "That's right. But my name's really Samantha."
"That's pretty."
"You can call me Samantha if you want."
"Okay."
Sam smiled at Marisa before looking back at Ana. "I prayed for you a lot while you were gone."
Ana lifted her head. "You did?"
"I did. Every time I thought about you, which was about a thousand times a day, I prayed that God would be with you and keep you safe."
Ana pushed away from her mother and leaned toward Sam. She placed her index finger on Sam's cheek. "You're not an angel."
Sam tilted her head to the side. "Nope. Just a woman."
"But God listened to you, because Jesus was with me."
"He was?"
"Uh-huh." Ana glanced at her mother. "Every night when it got dark, he came into my room and told me stories until I fell asleep. Not like Mama tells, though. Different stories."
"What were they about?" Sam asked.
She shrugged. "I don't remember. Just that I always fell asleep while he told me stories, just like I do when Mama does."
Sam's eyes filled with tears, and she swallowed hard. "That sounds like Jesus. He loves you very much."
"I know. And you know what else? I could smell him. When I got really scared, I knew he was there, 'cause all of a sudden, I could smell him."
"What did he smell like?"
"Rain." The answer was so matter-of-fact, as if everybody knew that. But Sam's eyes filled with wonder.
Marisa could hear her father's words. Whenever you smell the rain, that's God's reminder that he's near.
"What a beautiful gift he gave you," Sam said.
"And he told me Mama would find me, so I wasn't scared." She paused, looked at Marisa, and said, "I was scared sometimes, but sometimes I wasn't. That's okay, right?"
Marisa held her daughter tight, all the words her daughter had said dripping over her like...rain. "Of course, pajarita. You were very brave."