The ambulance arrived quickly. Paramedics wrapped her in a thermal blanket and checked her vitals.
“Do you know who her guardian is?” one asked.
“She says her mom works at a hospital.”
“Which one?”
Lucy stirred. “St. Anne’s… it’s on my blue jacket.”
The paramedic nodded. “That’s about fifteen minutes away. Are you coming?”
Ethan looked at his watch. At his phone, where Noah’s name glowed. Then back at Lucy.
“I’m coming,” he said.
During the ride, Lucy held onto her cracked pink lunchbox while Ethan kept her hand warm.
“You’re safe,” he whispered. “I promise.”
At St. Anne’s Hospital, Lucy was placed under observation. Ethan stayed by her bedside, afraid to move.
When she woke, she asked, “Is this where Mom works?”
“Yes,” he said softly.
She exhaled deeply. “Then I did it right.”
Later, Lucy explained in pieces. Her mother hadn’t come home the night before. She waited, got scared, put on the coat, and left to look for her.
“I didn’t talk to strangers,” she added, trembling. “But I was really cold.”
Ethan felt his eyes burn. He thought of Noah.
“You were brave,” he said. “I’ll find your mom.”
