There was no heartbeat. The stuffed bear slipped from the child’s hands and fell to the floor with a soft sound that seemed far too loud. The girl’s face crumpled instantly, panic overtaking her composure, and she reached out blindly until her small fingers latched onto the edge of Rachel’s apron.
Rachel froze, her body responding before her thoughts could catch up.
“It’s alright,” she whispered automatically, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.
The child’s mouth opened, the sound emerging hesitant and unused.
“Ma.”
Anthony moved instantly, chair scraping back as his hand shot out in a reflex honed by years of danger. He stopped himself just in time as the sound formed again, clearer this time.
“Mom.”
The word landed like a blow. The restaurant fell into stunned silence, every nearby sound fading into insignificance. Anthony stared at his daughter as if the ground had shifted beneath him, then looked at Rachel, whose hands were trembling now despite her effort to remain composed.
“She has never spoken,” he said quietly, disbelief threading through every syllable. “Not once.”