Married in Haste

Her head was a jumble of worries. She tried to focus on something that might occupy the restless students. The cell phone she wore clipped to her belt vibrated. Abby flinched until she realized it wasn’t the beginning of another quake.

Fumbling the phone out of its case, she ventured a raspy, “Hello?”

“Ms. Drummond? This is Mercy General ER. Thank God I’ve finally gotten through to you! Some regular circuits were knocked out. The phone company said that eventually undamaged cell towers would route calls past towers that collapsed.”

Abby said nothing.

“Have I reached, Abigail Drummond, sister of Elliot David Drummond?”

Spinning away from her nephews, Abby answered with a shaky, “Yes.” The hole in her stomach widened. The woman on the phone identified herself as Nurse Olivia Warren. She continued in a thankfully even voice, “I understand the streets are a mess, Ms. Drummond, but Dr. Nelson thinks you should try to get here to see your brother. His injuries are…serious. Please come if you can make it through the snarled traffic.”

“I…am a teacher. We have our own emergency here. Exactly what are Elliot’s injuries? And…Blair. What about his wife? They were traveling together with their son, Sam. He’s four.”

Abby heard paper rustle, or maybe it was static on the line. “I can’t tell you anything about his wife. But Samuel—a team’s working to stabilize him now.”

“Sam, oh, no!” Abby’s voice broke. “Listen, tell Elliot I’ll do my utmost to get there. Are you at liberty to relay the nature of Sam’s problem?” Abby bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from revealing her panic.

“I believe it has to do with his legs. Dr. Nelson is trying to find a pediatric orthopedist. But…the entire medical community is on triage alert. We’re not sure which hospitals have which physicians at this point. Your family arrived in one of the first ambulances.”

Ben. Ben would know how to find the best doctor for Sam. “I have a friend. A pediatrician. Dr. Galloway. I’ll see if he can recommend a doctor for Sam. And I’ll do everything I can to get to the hospital. I’d appreciate it if you’d give my brother a message. Tell him his two sets of twins are safe. I have all four boys right here.”

Her hand shook so badly after she ended the call, Abby had to order herself to calm down. At first she couldn’t remember Ben’s number. She felt the same numbness she’d experienced when her parents died.

Taking a deep breath, she remembered that Ben’s clinic and hospital pager were programmed into her phone. She tried his clinic first. After four tries, someone there told her he’d gone to the Children’s Health Hospital. He picked up on Abby’s fifth attempt to connect with his cell. “Galloway. Make it short unless you’re calling about blood gasses on Bobby Harris.”

“Ben, it’s Abby. I’m sorry to bother you.” Her voice sounded reedy to her ears.

“Abby?” People were shouting in the background. “I’m surprised you got through,” he said loudly. “Are you okay? Newscasters say the city suffered widespread damage. Phone and power lines are down. In fact, our hospital’s working off a generator.”

“I’m fine. I’m calling because I need a favor. Elliot and Sam are in Mercy General. I don’t know any particulars, but Sam apparently needs an orthopedist. The nurse who phoned made it sound urgent. Ben, I didn’t know where else to turn.” Abby was afraid she was on the verge of hysteria.

“My father,” Ben said flatly. “Kirk Galloway. As a dad, he stinks, but as a bone surgeon, he’s the best in the city. Hell, in the state. Mercy General? And the boy is Sam? Sam…Drummond?”

“Yes. He’s only four. I appreciate this, Ben. I know you’ve never met the kids, only Elliot and Blair at the opera that night. But—jeez, I’m rambling. If your dad can see Sam, tell him I’ll guarantee his fee. Elliot’s insurance through the church probably isn’t the greatest.”

“That wouldn’t matter to me, but I’m sure it matters to my old man. I hate to cut you off, Abby, but I’m being paged. Let’s try to connect later, okay?”

“Right. And…thanks again, Ben. Oh, before I forget— Erin and Mollie are here with me. They’re regular little troopers. Tell Marlo if you talk to her. I don’t know if anyone’s answering our school phones. We’re not allowed inside. I’m sure parents are worried sick.”

“Marlo? I forgot her agency recently changed her hours. She crosses the West Seattle Bridge, and I’ve heard—” Ben’s voice sank, then broke entirely. “Abby, I need to go. I’ll grab a minute to call my sister. Thanks for the info on the girls. Tell them I’ll see them when this craziness settles down.”

Abby relayed Ben’s message to his solemn-eyed nieces before she went to find Mr. Conrad and explain her situation. “I have to go,” she said. “I’ll ask Raina Miller to take the boys home with her if I’m delayed getting back. Until I know where their mom is and how severely their dad and brother are hurt, I’d rather not worry them. I’ll tell them I have a problem at my town house.” Her lips almost didn’t move, they were so icy cold.

“I’m sorry, Abigail.” The principal eyed her sympathetically. “I’m afraid your news is only the first we can expect. You take care driving across town. I have a really bad feeling about this quake. I suppose we should be thankful more students weren’t at school. But I can’t help wondering if we’re prepared to care for the many whose parents won’t be able to get through the wreckage to pick them up.” Normally a sedate man, he was all but wringing his hands.

Oddly, his unrest had the opposite effect on Abby. She began to think more clearly. “Someone should go get the student files. Most parents have cell phone numbers listed. The nurse who called me said the cell towers fared better than standard phone lines. You could designate one teacher to call parents.”

“Excellent suggestion, Abby. I should have thought of it myself. It goes to show that no matter how many drills we have, nothing prepares us for the actuality.”

“I’m sorry I can’t stay and help. But…the nurse was insistent, even though she’s aware of conditions in and around the city.”

“Go. Reassure the boys and don’t forget to explain that you’re leaving them in Raina’s care.”

Abby turned away, hoping she’d be able to hide her alarm.

CHAPTER THREE

THE TWINS, especially the younger set, hung on Abby’s jacket, and begged her to take them. “Aunt Abby,” Noah, one of the nine-year-olds, pleaded. “Can’t you drop us off at home? Ruffian will be so scared. So will Speedy and Poky, me and Mike’s hamsters. And Brad and Reed’s gerbil. Even Daddy’s fish, I bet. What if a tank broke or something? Mommy’s gone, so there’s nobody home to save our pets.”

Abby ruffled his wheat-blond hair. “Guys, I need you to stay here where I know you’re safe. Mrs. Miller has agreed to watch you until someone in the family comes by. She might take you home with her. You boys have been to her house before, remember? I promise I’ll be as quick as I can, but I want your word that you’ll do exactly as she says.”

“What if Mama or Daddy comes to get us first?”

Abby glanced worriedly away from Noah’s direct blue eyes. “You’ll go with them, of course.” She hugged each boy harder than she normally would, but wasn’t able to look back at their tearstained faces after she’d hurried off.

“Raina, I have no idea how long I’ll be.” Abby spoke in a low voice to her good friend and fellow teacher. “Maybe I can reach some neighbors, to see if the kids’ home—and my apartment building—are still standing.”

“Don’t worry, Abby. Do whatever’s necessary. I have a freezer full of hot dogs left over from our Super Bowl party. Jerry won’t be home. It was his day off, but he just phoned and said the precinct’s called everyone in.”

“I hate to ask another favor, but…I called Ben Galloway to ask for an orthopedic referral for Sam. Ben’s sister is Marlo McBride, and her daughters are in the breakfast bunch.” She nodded toward the huddled girls, who sat still as mice. The older child’s arms were looped tight around her younger sister. “Would you keep an eye on them, too, until Marlo or her designee arrives? Erin told me this morning that the woman who used to baby-sit them moved to California.”

“Hey, the more the merrier. Our house is so close to the school, it’s not a problem. If the city streets are as messy as Jerry said when he phoned, I might be a clearing house for a whole bunch of school refugees. Abby, you take extra care, hear? The streetlights have been knocked out. Some roads have buckled and others are flooded. Maybe you shouldn’t go.”

Abby rubbed at the furrows forming between her eyes. “If it were me in the hospital and Elliot at work, he’d make every effort to reach me. Outside of Blair and the boys, I’m Elliot’s only relative.”

“I understand. I’ll round up the twins and the McBride girls right now, and reassure them as best I can. You’ll call me when you learn something for sure?”

“I will. Raina, I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“Don’t start that, Abby Drummond. One favor does not make you indebted to me for the rest of your natural life.” Mustering a smile, Raina offered Abby a stick of gum, which she unwrapped on her way to the parking lot. Remembering the cars that had come through the cafeteria windows, she prayed her small compact had fared better.

It had, and started on her first try.

An aftershock struck when Abby was little more than a block from the school. It gave her an odd sensation. Her car seemed steady, but around her the sidewalks and curbs undulated. Trees dipped and swayed. It was as if she was viewing the world through a vibrating camera. Homes lining the street gyrated for a moment, dancing to silent music. Thankfully the aftershock was over quickly, and cars proceeded normally in both directions.

Abby popped out the CD she’d listened to on the way to school, and turned on her radio. The ringing of her cell phone caused her nerves to jump and her heart to speed up. “Hello,” she said after groping the instrument out of its case and nearly dropping it.

“Abby?” Ben’s voice, however welcome, sounded terribly strained.

“Sorry, Ben. I had a little trouble retrieving my phone. I’m in the car, headed to Mercy G. We just experienced a fair-size aftershock. I’m still shaking even though the tremor stopped.”

“I wish you’d stay put, Abby. We’ve been bombarded by the first wave of casualties. There are so many critical injuries coming in, you’d think this was a war zone. Two things, and then I have to dash. My dad’s probably examining Sam as we speak. Dad’s condominium on Queen Anne is a matter of blocks from Mercy. So tell Elliot that Sam’s in good hands. Since you’ve left school, it may not matter that I haven’t been able to raise Marlo. I did get in touch with a co-worker who said the agency sent everyone home. She also said one end of their parking garage has crumbled.”

Abby heard worry in his words. “Ben, I doubt Marlo got that far. I don’t know the exact time she dropped the girls at school, but I saw them shortly after they arrived. In fact, I’d gone over to talk to them just before the shock hit. At the most, Marlo couldn’t have been on the road ten minutes. Oh, before I forget, I asked Raina Miller, one of our teachers, to keep tabs on my nephews and your nieces. Marlo knows where the Millers live. If no one’s at the school, she’ll find the girls with Raina.”

“That’s great, Abby. I’m up to my ears in emergencies. All the doctors are.”

“Can your mother collect Erin and Mollie?”