When Elsie opened her eyes later that afternoon, weak and confused but clearly present, Micah burst into tears for the first time since Rowan had arrived at the house.

He climbed carefully onto the edge of the bed and whispered, “I missed you.”

Elsie reached for him with a tired little hand. “I was sleepy.”

Rowan smoothed both their hair back and said, “You’re both safe now.”

The Visit Across Town

The next day, after arranging for a trusted neighbor to sit with the children for two hours, Rowan drove to Nashville General to see Delaney.

She was sitting up in bed when he entered, her left arm in a cast, bruising along her cheekbone, hair tied back in a careless knot that made her look younger and more defeated than he remembered. For a long moment she did not meet his eyes.

Rowan stood at the foot of the bed.

“The kids are alive,” he said, and the sharpness in his own voice surprised him.

Delaney closed her eyes briefly. “I know.”

“What happened?”