Chapter 6 - The Reunion
An hour later, the private elevator on the pediatric floor of UPMC Children's Hospital opened.
Daniel stood by the nurse's station as a young woman stepped out of the elevator, accompanied by Marcus and a female social worker.
Eleanor Vance looked as though she had been dragged through the depths of hell. She wore a faded denim jacket over a thin sweater, her eyes bloodshot, her face pale and exhausted. Her hands shook violently as she looked around the sterile white hallway.
"Where are they?" she sobbed, clutching her purse to her chest. "Where are my babies? Please... the man in the car said they were here... please tell me they're alive!"
"Mrs. Vance," Daniel said softly, stepping forward.
Eleanor flinched, pulling back instinctively as if expecting a blow or a harsh reprimand.
"My name is Daniel Mercer," he said gently, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed and calm. "I'm the one who found Lily and Toby at the motel this morning."
Eleanor stared at him, tears bursting from her eyes as she collapsed to her knees on the linoleum floor. "Thank you... oh God, thank you! I begged the police... I begged them to go check the motel! They thought I was crazy! They locked me in a room and left my babies to freeze!"
Daniel knelt beside her, grasping her shoulders gently and helping her back to her feet. "They're safe now, Eleanor. Toby is in the ICU, but my sister Sarah is his doctor. He's going to make a full recovery."
"And Lily?" Eleanor whimpered, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Is my little girl okay?"
"She's right down this hall," Daniel said, pointing toward Room 412. "She's been waiting for you."
Daniel walked Eleanor down the quiet hallway, pushing open the heavy door to Room 412.
Inside, Lily was sitting in a large armchair beside a window overlooking the city lights. She was wearing her soft pink pajamas, holding a fresh mug of warm cocoa, a stack of coloring books resting on her lap.
When the door clicked open, Lily turned her head.
"Mommy?" Lily gasped.
The cocoa cup tumbled onto the table as Lily threw herself off the chair, her small feet flying across the rug as she launched herself into her mother's arms.
"Lily! Oh, my baby! My brave, beautiful girl!" Eleanor cried out, collapsing onto her knees on the floor, pulling her daughter into a fierce, desperate embrace, kissing her face, her hair, her eyes, tears washing away the fear that had consumed them both for three agonizing days.
"I kept the key, Mommy!" Lily sobbed, her tiny hands clutching Eleanor's faded jacket. "I locked the door from the inside like you told me! I didn't let the big men in! I melted the snow for Toby!"
May you like
"I know, baby... I know," Eleanor wept, rocking her child back and forth on the floor. "You saved him. You saved your brother."
Standing in the doorway, Daniel watched the mother and daughter hold each other. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his pristine silk handkerchief, and silently wiped a single tear from his own eye, feeling the cold, rigid armor around his heart dissolve completely.
