Until Arden

“No. I've been trying to track down the ex. Seems he's violated the terms of his probation to find Arden again. And I'd be happy to clear up anything else if you'll just let her be with her son, who I'm sure has endured enough today and would like nothing more than to see his mother.” Jax's tone leaves no room for argument.

David looks back at me and nods. “You have to understand, Ms. Winters, we have to be sure we aren't putting the child's safety at risk. I can take you up to see him, but we’ll have to ask that you’re the only one who enters the room for now.”

“Fine.” Just lead the way.

We follow David through a maze of hallways to a more isolated, quiet section of the hospital. We have to stop and be buzzed through two sets of doors before we finally reach Holden’s room. I step around the green curtain to see Holden curled up on his side, listening as the nurse next to him reads from a storybook. I was expecting to see him scratched or bruised, but he looks relatively unscathed except for the splint on his left arm protecting the IV line.

“Mommy!” He throws his hands in the air, and I rush to his side, finally letting the tears fall.

“Oh, Holden.” I sit on the bed next to him, holding him as tight as I dare with an IV in his arm.

“He’ll be fine,” the nurse says. “He's a little groggy from the nausea meds and we're pushing fluids. He was pretty dehydrated when he came in.”

When I look up, recognition kicks in and I realize I’m staring up at Dash’s ex.

“Mrs. Brandy read me stories,” Holden says.

I swallow hard, wondering if she recognizes me. “That was very nice of her.”

Then Holden looks up at me, and his bottom lip quivers. “Where’s Dash?”

I kiss him on the forehead and try to calm my voice. “He couldn’t come right now, honey. He’s okay though, and we’ll see him soon.”

Holden sighs, then tucks his head against me.

I look up to see Brandy still watching us. “He’s been asking for Dash since that other man brought him in.” She reaches for Holden, gives his fingers a little squeeze, and then nods toward the doorway as if asking if I’d like to speak privately.

I rub my fingers through Holden’s hair and kiss his forehead. “I’m just going to step over here. I’m not leaving the room, but when we’re done talking, I can finish reading the story, if you want.”

Holden nods, but his lower lip juts out. “Don’t leave.”

“You’ll still be able to see me,” I assure him with a kiss on his forehead, then follow Brandy toward the door.

I'm not sure what to say to her once we're beyond Holden's earshot. “Thank you for taking such good care of him.”

“Well...” She lifts one shoulder. “Fortunately, I got held up before I could leave for my meal break. I was nearby when another nurse brought him back for triage, and something seemed familiar about him. As soon as he asked for Mommy and Dash, it clicked. While he was in triage, I put in some calls, found out about the Amber Alert, and let security know about the situation.”

I have to swallow hard to keep from crying. “Did you see the man who brought him in?”

“Yeah, unfortunately he didn't stick around long, but we've given the description to the police, and our security team is working with them to identify any footage to help track him down. He seemed like he was about to lose his shit.” She pauses, briefly peeking around the corner. “I don’t want to alarm you with any of the details, if—”

“No, just tell me.”

“Holden kept screaming, crying, and heaving. His shirt was already soaked with vomit. The man said he’d picked him up from daycare sick but struggled to provide a birthdate or any basic information. He begged the nurse to just give him medicine for the nausea and let them leave, but suddenly he said he forgot something in his car and rushed out.”

My stomach twists. “He never came back?”

“No. We brought Holden back to isolation, and I had someone cover me on the floor so I could stay with him until you arrived.”

Without thinking, I wrap my arms around her. “Thank you.”

She pats my back, squeezing my shoulder. “I’m just glad they happened to walk in here. I won’t keep you any longer, I’m sure you’d like to snuggle with your son. We were on page nine, by the way.”

I hurry back to Holden’s side, where I sit on the edge of the bed, leaning forward to kiss his forehead, snuggle him tight, and smell his hair. He’s okay. That’s all that matters now.

I grab the book from the bed stand where Brandy had left it, but Holden pushes it away. “I want to go home.”

“I know honey, but we have to wait for the doctors to say it’s okay.”

“Dash got hurt.” His bottom lip trembles, and his eyes fill with tears. “I saw blood. The man came. He said he was daddy.”

My heart sinks, and a lump forms in my throat while I fight back tears.

Holden tugs at my shirt. “I was scared.”

I curl up into the small bed next to him and wrap my arms around him. “I know, baby, and I’m sorry.”

Holden snuggles against my chest, and I stroke his hair, trying to calm him down. “It’s going to be okay.”

He sniffles and nods, then closes his eyes and falls asleep. For the longest time, I lay next to him, just staring at his face, rubbing his stomach and his hair. I can't imagine how confusing and traumatic his day has been.

I'm not sure if Dash has his phone on him, or if it even survived the accident, but I snap a picture of Holden and send it to him.

I hate to think of how sick he made himself with all the crying, but ironically, in the only way Holden had to fight back against Shane, he'd done it. A few months ago, I'd wondered why the universe insisted on making me the butt of every joke with my bad luck. I thought having my car break down would be the straw that broke the camel's back, but really, it turned out to be one of my strongest building blocks. It brought Dash into our lives, a spark of light, who, in turn, brought us an entire community who worked to keep us safe and bring Holden back. I felt so hopeless today, waiting for updates, but never alone.