Baby out of the Blue

“Turn on your television. The news about the tornado is on every station.”

“I was in it, remember?” It was the only talk at Angelis headquarters. After he’d seen his sister and her family off to Thessalonika early that morning on the company jet, Nik had headed over to the international air cargo station to check on some shipments. While he was talking business with one of the staff, a funnel had dropped down from clouds descending on Athens. It had swept through in a northwest direction and headed straight for the air cargo station.

After a few minutes it dissipated, but in that amount of time, it had caused damage to the constructions in its path and left a trail of destruction. Fortunately everyone involved had escaped injury, including Nik. Before he instructed his limo driver to take him to his office, he’d made contact with his pilot.

Relief had filled him to learn they’d been at cruising speed and out of range of the severe turbulence of the weather pattern before the tornado had formed. Knowing his sister’s family were safely on their way north for a vacation, he’d been able to relax.

“No, no,” Sandro cried anxiously. “Not that one. I’m talking about another one that touched down near Thessalonika a few minutes ago.”

Another one?

“Let’s pray Melina and Stavros are safe.”

Nik’s heart had already received one workout this morning, but now it almost failed him. “Hold on.” He raced into his den and clicked on the TV with the remote. Every station was covering the news using split screens to show the funnel clouds of both tornadoes.

…and then another tornado struck a part of the Greek Riviera at 5:13 p.m. this evening. It was reported as a T-4, and has since dissipated, but we won’t know the true extent of the damage for a while. Word has already reached the station that a dozen villas and some private suites at the world famous Persephone Resort owned by the Petralia Corporation, have been destroyed.

Nik felt as if a grenade had blown up his insides. The Persephone was where Melina, Stavros and their infant daughter were going to stay for the first two nights of their vacation. Nik’s good friend, in business and socially, Leandros Petralia, was the owner of the resort.

“I called Melina on her cell, but there’s no phone service.” Sandro sounded frantic.

The knowledge sent ice through Nik’s veins.

So far twenty people are unaccounted for. We repeat, it doesn’t mean those are fatalities. Relief is pouring in from all over. We ask people to stay away from the area and let the police and search-and-rescue workers do their job. Cell phones are not working. We’ve posted a series of hotline numbers on the screen in case you have or need information about a loved one.

Pure terror seized his heart. “Do you think Cosimo is home from the office yet?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll try to reach him.”

“Tell him to meet us at the airport, Sandro.” He wanted both his brothers with him. “We’ll fly to Thessalonika.”

“I’m on my way!”

Nik clicked off, then phoned his driver and told him to bring the car around. On his way out the door he called his pilot and told him to ready the jet for another flight to Thessolonika. In a little over an hour Nik and his brothers could be there. They would need a car.

En route to the airport he phoned his parents at the family villa on Mykonos. They’d just heard the news and were in total anguish. “Our precious Melina, our Demitra,” his mother half sobbed the words.

“Their suite may not have been among the ones affected, Mana. In any case, Stavros will have protected them. We have to have faith. Sandro and Cosimo are going to fly there with me now. You get on one of those hotlines and see what you can find out! Call me when you know anything. Let’s pray phone service is restored there soon. I’ll call you when I know anything.”

A rap on the hotel-room door the next morning brought both girls awake. With the TV knocked out last night, they’d talked for hours about Karmela. Before falling asleep, Fran had made sure her friend was armed with a firm plan in mind for once their vacation was over.

Kellie lifted her head and checked her watch. “It’s ten after ten!”

“Maybe it’s one of the maids waiting to make up our room. I’m closest.” Fran jumped out of bed in her plaid cotton pajamas. “Who is it?” she called through the door.

“Yannis.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Kellie murmured. In an instant she slid out of her bed and rushed over to the door. The dark-haired bodyguard stood in the hall while they spoke in Greek. The conversation went on for a minute until Kellie groaned and closed the door again. Her face had turned ashen.

Fran thought her friend was going to faint and caught her around the shoulders. “What’s wrong? Come sit down on the chair and tell me.”

But Kellie just stood with tears gushing down her pale cheeks. “A tornado touched down twelve miles to the north of here last evening, killing nine people. Among them were five guests staying at the P-Perse-phone.”

They stared at each other in disbelief. “I can’t credit it,” Fran whispered in shock. “If we hadn’t pulled over when we did…” They could have been among the fatalities. She started to tremble.

“Yannis said Leandros heard about it on the television, but he was almost a thousand miles away in Rhodes. He flew here immediately, but even with his own jet and a police escort, he had trouble getting into the site until the middle of the night. Three of the twelve individual suites were demolished. There’s nothing left of them.”

Fran gasped. “On top of the human tragedy, your poor husband is having to deal with that, too.”

“Leandros told Yannis it’s a nightmare, and there’s still no phone, internet or television service to that area. He got hold of him through the help of the police to let me know what has happened. I’ve been asked to stay put here until he joins us. Yannis said it shouldn’t be long now.” Kellie’s teeth were chattering.

“Come on. We need to get ready and go downstairs. Knowing your husband, he must be absolutely devastated and is going to need you more than he’s ever needed anyone in his life.” Now would be the time for Kellie to draw close to Leandros and put the plan they’d talked about last night into action.

Both of them showered and dressed in a daze. Fran put on white linen pants with a spring-green-and-white-printed top. She tied her dark honey-blonde hair back at the nape with a white chiffon scarf. After slipping on white sandals, she announced she was ready. Nothing seemed real as they packed up and carried their bags downstairs to wait for Leandros.

To Fran’s surprise, the main doors of the hotel were open for patrons to walk out and enjoy coffee at the tables set up in front of the building. Warm air filtered inside and a golden sun shone out of a blue sky. Up and down the street, life appeared to be going on as usual. You would never have known there’d been a natural disaster twelve miles away from here last evening.

A waiter approached them. “The tables in front are full. If you’ll walk around to the patio in back, we’ll serve you out there.”

“Thank you,” Fran said before taking Kellie aside. “Yannis is sitting outside in his car by yours. Let’s stow our luggage and then tell him we’ll be in back of the hotel. We need breakfast with our coffee. He can show Leandros where to come. I feel like soaking up some sun until he arrives. Don’t you?”

“I guess so,” Kellie answered in a wooden voice.

They walked over to their car and put their cases in the back. “This hotel seems to be a popular place. Go ahead and talk to Yannis while I get us a table before they’re all taken.”

“Okay.”

Fran followed the stone pathway to the rear of the hotel where blue chairs and tables were set with bright blue-and-white-check cloths. There was an overhang of bougainvillea above the back door, and further on, a small garden. Too bad the wind had denuded most of the flowering plants. There were only a few red petals left.

She took a seat in the sun while she waited, thinking she was alone. But all of a sudden she heard a strange sound, like a whimper. Surprised, Fran looked around, then up. Maybe it was coming from one of the rooms on the next floor where a window was open.

Again she heard the faint cry. It didn’t sound frantic and it seemed to be coming from the garden area. Maybe it was a kitten that had been injured in the storm. Poor thing. She jumped up and walked over to investigate.

When she looked in the corner, a gasp escaped her lips. There, on its back in the bushes, lay a dirty black-haired baby with cuts from head to toe—

Fran couldn’t fathom it. The child was dressed in nothing more than a torn pink undershirt. The little olive-skinned girl couldn’t be more than seven months old. Where in heaven’s name had she come from? A groan came out of Fran. She wondered how long the child had been out here in this condition.

Trying to be as gentle as possible, Fran lifted the limp body in her arms, petrified because the baby had to be dying of hypothermia. Her pallor was pronounced and her little lids were closed.

“Fran?” Kellie called out and ran up to her. “What on earth?”

She turned to her friend with tear-filled eyes. “Look—I found this baby in the garden.”

A gasp flew from Kellie’s lips. “I can see that, but I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

“I know. Quick—get me a blanket and drive us to the hospital. I’m afraid she’s going to die.”

Kellie’s eyes rounded before she dashed through the back door, calling in Greek for help. Within seconds, the staff came running out. One of them brought a blanket. Fran wrapped the baby as carefully as she could and headed around the front of the hotel. Kellie ran ahead of her to talk to Yannis.