“This is Rocco Jones. I apologize for calling you out of the blue like this, but we need to talk.”
Chapter 59
Dexie
I turn my phone on once the plane lands at La Guardia.
The chirp of notifications is endless, so I silence it while I scan the screen.
The last text message to pop up is from Sophia.
My heart stops as I read it once and then again.
Sophia: I’m at Lennox Hill Hospital Emergency. Please come as soon as you lan
d.
I ignore the flight attendant’s warning not to use any phones until we’re settled at the gate.
As the airplane taxis on the runway, I call Sophia’s number.
Nothing.
I try again and it shoots straight to voicemail a second time.
I type out a message to her.
Dexie: What’s wrong? Is it Winter? Did something happen to her?
I undo my seat belt even though we’re at least two hundred feet from the gate.
One of the flight attendants waves her finger at me from where she’s sitting, buckled into her seat.
First class, courtesy of Belese, is lovely but it puts me in direct eye view of the flight staff.
The woman leans forward, her voice barely more than a whisper. “You need to buckle back up.”
“My best friend is at the hospital,” I whisper back, my voice shaking. “I can’t get in touch with her.”
She taps her hand in the air. “We’ll get you on your way as soon as possible.”
It’s not going to be soon enough.
I type out a message to Nicholas, Sophia’s husband.
Dexie: Is Sophia all right? Is Winter okay?
The battery light in the upper corner of my phone flashes before the screen goes dark.
***
I rush through the doors of the hospital. I have my overnight bag slung over one shoulder, my black tote over the other.
I’m racing faster than my sneakers can keep up with.
I almost trip as I round the corner to the waiting room.
I spot Nicholas immediately. He’s standing near the admittance desk.