“She’s dead,” Megs said from the embankment behind him.
No. She couldn’t be. He wasn’t going to let her die.
Goddamn it!
He kicked against the water, fought his way through it, searching.
* * *
Ellie didsome quick cleaning Thursday morning, then packed the kids in the car and drove down the canyon to Claire’s house. Flowers and stuffed animals sat at the intersection where the school bus had been hit, but Ellie tried not to look. The roadside memorials reminded her of people she’d known or cared for and lost.
She didn’t often take the kids to her sister’s condo. The place was modernist with floor-to-ceiling windows on the west side that offered a beautiful view of the Flatirons, but it was also completely un-childproofed.
Ellie shut the bathroom and bedroom doors to limit the amount of damage the kids could do to themselves or her sister and brother-in-law’s property, then settled the kids in the living room with the box of toys Claire kept for them.
She plopped down on the sofa across from Claire, who sat in the recliner where she could keep her injured leg elevated. “Dad said you’re scheduled for surgery at St. Luke’s Friday morning.”
“I’m dreading it. You know me. I hate needles. I asked if they could skip the IV, but the doctor said no.”
“I wish I could be with you.” Ellie worked on Fridays, and St. Luke’s was in Denver.
“Cedar is taking the day off, so he’ll be with me.”
Ellie realized Daniel was about to dig into the dirt of Claire’s potted ficus tree with a plastic toy screwdriver. “Daniel, no! Don’t dig in Auntie Claire’s plant.”
Claire told Ellie what the surgeon had said—how long she would have to be on crutches, how important physical therapy would be to her recovery. “Cedar and I are going to my office tonight to see whether we can adapt the treatment room so that I can give massages from a rolling saddle chair.”
That didn’t sound like it would be easy.
“Do you have a chair like that?”
Claire shook her head, pointed to Daniel. “We saw some online. They’re not too expensive.”
“Daniel, stop. No.” Ellie got to her feet, picked Daniel up, and pulled him away from the plant once more. “If you do that again, I’ll take the screwdriver away.”
Daisy, meanwhile, was playing with a little toy that made animal noises, moos and quacks and oinks holding her attention.
Claire got that sly look on her face that usually meant she was about to meddle in Ellie’s life. “Mom told me that Jesse babysat for you yesterday.”
Ellie sat again, unable to keep a smile off her face. “He did a great job. When I got home, he had Daisy’s tiara on his head. He’d forgotten it was there.”
“Oh! I like this guy.”
“He even made us dinner—spaghetti with homemade meat sauce.”
Claire gaped at her. “Hecookedfor you? Please tell me you slept with him.”
Ellie glared at her sister. “Could you maybe not talk about it quite so openly? Daisy repeats everything these days.”
“Oh, sorry. Did you F-U-C-K yet?”
“No! But I wanted to.” Ellie told her how she’d invited Jesse over for a glass of wine—and how that had led to other things. “He is the most amazing kisser. He really knows how to use his mouth.”
“How far did you go?”
“Just second base.”
“Awesome. Wait. Is second base…” Claire made a wanking motion.