Page 4 of Shimmering Emeralds
Levi had stood up and was watching me through narrowed eyes. “Ready?”
“Mm-hmm,” I nodded and gritted my teeth, unwilling to show any weakness.
My answer must not have been convincing because when I went to take a step, Levi moved forward, said, “You’re as stubborn as ever,” and swooped us up into his arms.
I let out a startled squeal at the sudden movement, but I had enough sense not to insist that he let me walk on my own. The minor injury to my ankle would likely turn serious if I tried to climb the hill back up to the road with the boy cradled in my arms. The last thing the child needed was for me to take a tumble and drag him along with me. He’d already suffered more than his share of trauma today without me in any way adding to it.
Levi used long strides to stalk down the aisle of the bus. He stepped down from the platform and carried us both up the rough terrain of the hill as if we were as light as a cap full of feathers.
The child leaned his head on my shoulder, completely entrusting his safety to us. It was tempting to do the same with my head on Levi’s shoulder, but I forced myself to stay alert. It was in everyone’s best interest for me to help watch for loose rocks, protruding limbs, or any other obstructions in our path.
I’d been certain that the group gathered up by the road would be frantically waiting for us and that they would send help as soon as they saw us, but things were too hectic up there for anyone to even take note of our approach.
Despite the steep climb, Levi trudged forward, using seemingly little effort to heft us up the hill.
Once we were within earshot of the frantic group, I yelled out for my daughter. “Harper?”
Chaos prevailed as the adults tended to injured children, and even some of the kids spoke to their classmates and tried to calm them as much as they could.
When I scanned the crowd and didn’t immediately see my daughter, I turned wild eyes on Levi. “We’re on even ground now. I can walk. I need to find my little girl.”
“I can help you find her. What does she look like?” Levi offered.
Frustrated, and knowing the adrenaline pumping through my system would help me find her faster, I snapped, “I’ll find her. Just put me down.”
Levi quickly obliged, setting me gently back on my feet. He looked like a lost and heartbroken puppy, so I handed him the boy in my arms. “Take care of him until his mother gets here.”
At Levi’s confirming nod, I brushed the frightened child’s hair back from his forehead and promised, “Levi will keep you safe until your mom arrives.”
Not giving him the chance to object to that plan, I whirled around and shouted, “Harper! Where are you?”
Some innate instinct told me which direction to go. When I finally saw her, I nearly collapsed with relief. Instead, I ignored the pain in my ankle and ran to my sweet, little girl. Her terrified expression met mine.
“Momma, I can’t find Hannah. I know she got off the bus, but now I can’t find her.” Harper’s enormous blue eyes silently pleaded with me to help.
“We’ll find her,” I promised, pulling my sweet child in for a bear hug. “She can’t have gone too far.”
Harper wavered on her feet and I pulled back to get a good look at her. She was already sporting an enormous lump on her head. Gently brushing a finger over it, I said, “You’re hurt. Why don’t you rest right here while I look for Hannah, sweetheart?”
“No, I need to help find Hannah.” She angled her chin up at me stubbornly, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what I looked like when I made that move.
Deciding it was best to keep a close eye on her anyway, I said, “You can come with me, but you have to let me carry you.”
Harper nodded solemnly and reached up to wrap her arms around my neck. With my mama instinct in charge, my ankle wouldn’t dare cause me any issues.
“Let’s go talk to Mrs. Wright to see if Hannah has checked in with her.”
“Good idea,” Harper agreed as I headed in that direction with only a slight limp.
Just as we approached the teacher, she looked up from the clipboard she had evidently managed to get off the bus. With her sharp eyes scanning the crowd surrounding her, she yelled, “Hannah? Hannah Biggs? Has anyone seen Hannah?”
In that moment, my heart dropped to my knees. My innocent niece was truly missing.
The mere thought of having to tell my sister, Claire, this news made my stomach threaten to upheave. Claire had been through too much over the past couple of years for this to be happening.
Whirling around, I shouted, “Hannah? Hannah, where are you?”
Levi appeared before me, still holding the boy, but obviously ready to help. “What color is her jacket?”
