And although she was annoyed with him right now he would make it all worth the wait. He smiled as he thought about it. That day would be soon.
Next day Pierce left for the office early as usual to avoid peak hour traffic. He had a full day ahead of him as he was expecting a cadre of programmers from Japan who would be consulting with him on a special project. It was a big deal for his firm, one that could lead to an explosion of growth in the international marketplace.
He was in the middle of his meeting when his administrative assistant knocked on the door of the conference room. He frowned. Lynette had been with him for years and she knew better than to interrupt such an important session.
She hurried over and leaned down to whisper in his ear. At her words his blood ran cold. Kylie. Pool. Hospital. Ambulance.
At that instant all thought fled his mind except for one. Kylie. He had to get to Kylie.
He shoved the chair back and with the briefest of apologies he was up and out the door. Lynette would have to do the explanation. He had no time to spare.
He jumped into his car and tore out of the parking lot, tires screeching as he went. Within fifteen minutes he was pulling up in front of St. Mary’s Hospital. He’d parked the car in the tow zone but he didn’t give a damn. They could have it. All he wanted was to see his little girl.
He dashed up to the reception desk and almost reached out and throttled the nurse when she calmly told him to take a number and sit down. When he growled at her and demanded to see Kylie immediately she jumped and looked like she was about to call security but she must have seen the desperation in his eyes because she called for an orderly who escorted him to the intensive care ward.
There Pierce saw Celine. She was sitting all alone on a long bench and she was twisting her hands in her lap, tears streaming down her face.
He dashed over to her. “Celine. What happened? Where is she? Is she…” He could not say the word.
Celine hopped up and turned red, puffy eyes toward him. “Pierce. Mon Dieu, Pierce. I’m so sorry. So sorry.”
That stopped him in his tracks. It was a stake hammered right into his heart. The words were a confirmation of his worst fear. Kylie was gone.
The words sucked his strength, the very life out of him. He collapsed onto the bench and stared at Celine in shock. His Kylie, his sweet little Kylie, was dead.
He’d meant to make life so good for her, give her a family, and now it was too late. Too late, too late. The words rang in his head. Oh God, he was too late.
He dropped his face in his hands and wept.
Celine came to him then. He felt when she sat on the bench beside him and then her arms were around him, hugging, comforting him like she’d done once before.
“We have to pray,” she whispered. “Pray for Kylie, Pierce. Just pray.”
Pray? What was the use of praying? Praying wouldn’t bring her back so he could hold her in his arms again, so he could feel that bundle of energy, his little girl, so full of life. Celine could pray all she wanted but he just wanted Kylie.
“We have to be strong for her, Pierce. Help her pull through.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. What was she saying? Kylie was…alive?
He lifted his head and stared into Celine’s eyes, willing her to say the words. “Kylie?” he said.
“They’re working on her right now,” she said. “She’s in the operating room.”
Pierce’s shoulders sagged with relief. Thank God.
The gigantic rock that had landed squarely in the middle of his chest began to crumble, leaving pebbles of fear behind.
“What did they say? Will she be alright?”
Celine shook her head and her eyes were full of sadness. “I don’t know.”
Pierce looked at her and then away. Had he been given hope just to have it dashed? No, God would not be so cruel. He clung to that thought, that hope, and only then was he able to breathe freely.
Pierce took Celine’s hand in his. Her palm was damp. He could only imagine what she must have gone through, dealing with all of this without him. He stroked the back of her hand, trying to give her some small comfort. They sat like that in silence.
Finally he asked, “Celine, what happened?” He knew it would be traumatic for her to relive the experience but he had to know.
Celine’s hands gripped his tightly and then she pulled it away. She drew in a trembling breath.
“Kylie and I…we did some gardening this morning and we got all muddy so…I took her upstairs and gave her a bath.” She drew a deep breath then let it out in a heavy sigh. “There was still mud splattered on my leg so I fixed a quick snack for Kylie and set her at the kitchen table to eat. I told her I’d be down in five minutes. I just wanted to take a quick shower.”
“Why didn’t you leave her with Mrs. Simpson?”
“She called a little after you left this morning. Her grandson was sick and her daughter called on her suddenly to babysit while she went to work.” Celine bit her lip. “I was alone with Kylie.”
She was silent then and Pierce could imagine she must be blaming herself for that one slot of time when she’d let Kylie out of her sight. He spoke then. “But how did Kylie get over the fence around the pool?” He’d had that fence installed the same week Kylie moved into the house.
Celine sucked in her breath. “That’s what I don’t understand. I know I locked the gate last night and we didn’t go anywhere near it all morning. I know Kylie’s way too short to get anywhere near that latch so the gate must have been left open.” She shook her head, her eyes distressed, her face dark with confusion. “I know I locked that gate. I’m sure of it. I did, Pierce, I did.” She covered her face with her hands and began to cry.
“Hush,” he said and put his arm around her shoulder. “I know.”
It took several minutes for Celine to calm down and then they sat together in silence, the moments ticking by. Each time the door leading to the operating room opened both turned as one but each time it was a nurse or an orderly going about their various duties.