Page 17 of SEAL's Angel
Chapter 5
Dawn lost track of how many cups of coffee she’d already had, but it didn’t stop her from pouring another one as she sat at the kitchen table and flipped through photos on her phone. There were so many images of her kids—at soccer, dancing, playing basketball on the driveway. They looked happy. So what had she missed?
That she’d failed Chase was a bitter pill to swallow. And her nerves thrummed from caffeine and fear. The waiting was killing her. Rafe should have let her go with them. At least she’d be doing something other than driving herself crazy with worry.
Damn.Why was it taking so long to hear from Rafe and Jake? Then the phone rang as if thinking about them had conjured it. The jingle startled her, and she dropped the phone onto the table, then quickly grabbed it to answer.
“Did you find him? Please tell me you did.” She didn’t care if she sounded as frantic as she felt inside.
“Hi, Mom.”
Tears of relief slid down her cheeks at the sound of Chase’s voice. The tight knot in her stomach finally eased, and she could breathe again. She’d been so scared that she’d never see him again. Joy filled her heart. “Chase, oh my God, are you okay? Are you hurt? Where were you?”
There was a shuffle on the other end. “Easy, Dawn,” Rafe said. “He fell and hurt his ankle. We’re going to take him to the hospital. But he’s fine. I swear on Meghan’s life that he’s okay.”
Rafe wouldn’t lie to her, he never had. He never would. “I’ll get Cindy and meet you there. You’ll need all the insurance information.”
“You could probably give it to them over the phone. It’s late, are you sure you want to wake her?”
“Silly question, big brother. I’ll meet you there.” Dawn was halfway up the stairs by the time she hung up.
As soon as she opened Cindy’s bedroom door, her daughter bolted up. “Is Chase home?”
“Not yet, baby girl. But Uncle Rafe and Jake found him. He hurt his ankle, so we’re going to the hospital. Can you get dressed really quick?”
“Yay. I knew they would find him. They’re froggies. They can do anything.”
“Froggies?”
“Yeah, it’s what they do in the Navy. You know that.”
“Ahh, you mean frogmen. They’re SEALs, baby, but if Uncle Rafe said you could call them froggies, then it’s fine with me.” Dawn bent and kissed Cindy on the forehead and left her to get dressed.
Dawn brushed her teeth, then gasped when she saw herself in the mirror. Her chestnut-brown hair was a tangled mess and sticking up in places. That was what she got for running her hands through it for the last several hours. Holy crap.
By the time she went to check on Cindy, she was sliding her sneakers on and tying them.
“I’m ready, Mommy. Can I bring Wilbrr? He might help Chase feel better.”
Dawn’s eyes teared up again. Wilbrr was Cindy’s favorite stuffed animal—a penguin Bob had given her years ago. It had seen better days, and she’d re-stuffed him more than a few times over the years.
“Yes, you can.”
Dawn grabbed their coats from the hallway closet by the front door and threw her phone in her purse. Then they were out the door. Waiting until Cindy buckled herself into the back seat, Dawn pulled the Chevy out of the garage and down the driveway.
Her heart raced as she drove down the barely lit streets, eager to see Chase, needing to see for herself that he was okay. It took sheer willpower to not speed, and she even forced herself to slow down a few times on the way to the hospital.
It was about a ten-minute drive to the local hospital. It didn’t handle traumas, but from what Rafe said, Chase wouldn’t need that kind of care. As she pulled into the Emergency Area lot, she saw the Jeep and parked next to it.
As they made their way up to the door, Jake stepped outside and met them.
“Is everything okay?” Dawn asked in a panic-filled voice.
“Yes, he’s fine. Rafe is with him. They just took him to X-ray. I figured I’d meet you out here.” Jake kneeled to be eye level with Cindy. “Hey, sweetie, how are you doing?”
“I’m good, Jake. I knew you’d find Chase. I kept telling Mommy you would.”
Dawn took a deep breath while Jake spoke to Cindy. She knew he was trying to give her a minute to get a grip on her emotions. She’d need to be calm. There would be time to be mad at Chase for doing this, but it wasn’t now.
