Daddy's Little Girl, Too

Chapter 13: Bus Ride

As their conversation lingers on, the tension in the room slowly dissolves. Nancy's mind begins to return to normal. A sense of calmness melts away her worries and her stiff posture is finally able to relax.

The doctor tries to avoid topics that may raise her anxieties and sticks to subjects that are less intense.

"So, has Emma started school yet?"

"Not yet. She'll start kindergarten next year."

He smiles, "That's nice. It'll be a big change for her."

"It makes me nervous. I hope she's ready."

"I'm sure she will do just fine." Dr. Nazari tries to step into a more touchy matter, "Have you thought anymore about trying to find Emma's biological father?" He hopes the question doesn't upset Nancy.

She sighs, thinking about the question. "Not yet. I've mentioned it to Michael a few times, but he doesn't like the idea."

"Well, if I can give my professional opinion on the matter, you should really consider finding him. It may turn out to be a major turning point for Emma."

Nancy nods slightly, assessing the doctor's wisdom. "I'll think about." Her mood is shifting back toward the sadness she was experiencing earlier.

Dr. Naseem Nazari is very attentive to his patients and their body language. He can see the distress in Nancy's facial expressions and that her frame of mind has suddenly changed. He takes this as the signal to end their meeting. He checks his watch, "Well, it's getting late. Why don't we finish up for today and we can continue again later in the week."

Nancy smiles, thankful the uncomfortable questioning is over for now. She grabs her purse and starts for the door.

The doctor remains at his desk. "Take care now."

Nancy doesn't look back at him, but acknowledges his farewell. "Bye." She bashfully slips out of his office and shuts the door.

She blows a puff of air and proceeds to head for the playroom to retrieve Emma. She smiles and nods to Julie as she passes the reception counter. Julie's eyes look puffy and she doesn't return the pleasant gesture.

Nancy arrives at the playroom to find the space is vacant. Her heart drops into her turning stomach. The room is dark, the carpet appears to have just been vacuumed, and there are no signs anyone has been there recently.

She scrambles back to the reception desk and questions Julie, "Have you seen my daughter? She was supposed to be in the playroom."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen anyone."

Panic immediately engulfs Nancy's already stressed brain. "Oh God..." She hurries to the nearest bathroom to check for her daughter.

She calls loudly, "Emma? Are you in here? Emma?" She gets no answer.

Nancy frantically rushes to the elevators, presuming Emma has mistakenly entered the elevators and perhaps gotten lost on another floor.

She rapidly presses the down arrow and impatiently paces, waiting for the elevator car to arrive.

'Ding' the doors part. Nancy's worst fears become reality. There, lying motionless on the floor is her unconscious young child.

"Oh my God, Emma?" Nancy rushes in and scoops the frail, seemingly lifeless body up. She runs as fast as she can back to the receptionist. "Call an ambulance!"

***

Time creeps by painfully slow. The wait for medical treatment is agonizing. Fear of the unknown plagues Nancy's thoughts. She doesn't know how this happened or how long she has been unconscious. The only thing Nancy can do is cradle Emma's small body in her arms and pray. She rocks gently hoping everything will turn out fine.