Page 99 of Every Last One

The blind in the door went up, but it was Gail Chapman’s face at the glass. She said something that was muffled by the closed door.

“Do you have the money, Trudy?” Tom asked.

Sandra handed the backpack to Trudy.

“I do.”

“How much is there?”

Gail remained at the window as Trudy made a show of pulling out the bundles of cash. After a few minutes, she said, “One hundred and seventy-five K.”

The blind in the door was dropped again, and soon the door was opening.

The ERT officers raised their guns, prepared to use them if things went sideways.

A woman’s narrow wrists came through the opening. “Don’t shoot,” the woman called out.

“It’s Gail Chapman,” Sandra told them, but it had no effect on the ERT officers. They only lowered their guns when the door shut again.

Sandra went over to Gail. “I’m Sandra Vos.”

Gail was trembling. “Phoebe’s going to die if she doesn’t get that heart.”

“I know, and we’re going to do all we can to ensure that she does. How is she currently?”

“She’s hanging in there.” In that moment, it was like Gail saw Sandra for the first time. Her eyes widened slightly. “What happened to you?”

Sandra had forgotten about the blood on her. It also explained the taken-aback look that Trudy had given her. “I must look a fright, but I’m fine. Now we must do what we can to get your baby girl out of there. If you’ll excuse me.” She motioned for an ERT officer to shelter Gail in a room down the hall. ERT would have cleared the adjacent ones. Sandra kept Trudy with her, thinking she could still be useful.

“Tom, we need to talk about the next steps,” Sandra said. “That little girl needs a new heart.” When there was no response, Sandra turned to Trudy. “Would you be willing to talk to him? We can see if he’ll listen to you.”

“Tom, Mom wouldn’t be happy with what you’re doing here,” Trudy called out, moving ahead without responding to Sandra.

That wouldn’t be the direction Sandra would have recommended, but Trudy would know him much better.

There was no reply from inside.

“Keep talking,” Sandra encouraged quietly. “You’re doing great.”

“I know losing her was hard on you. It’s been hard on me. I didn’t even know her for most of my life. All that time I’ll never get back.”

“There’s no going back,” Tom said, his voice gravelly like earlier.

“But it’s going to be okay, if you trust me,” Trudy told him. “Mom wanted us to be a family, even if it was a different one. Do you believe she’s watching us from heaven? I do.”

There was more silence, and Sandra sensed an energy shift.

Trudy continued. “She loved you more than anything, Dad.”

Sandra realized how generous the woman was being withDadwhen Tom was technically the man who married her birth mother. He also wasn’t someone she knew until five years ago.

“I love you,” Trudy said, just as she started to sob.

Sandra wrapped her arm around her, and signaled for an officer to take her away. She’d been put through enough.

“Tom, did you hear all that?” Sandra asked him.

“Yeah.”