Page 83 of Lost Truth
He grabbed hold of her ice-cold fingers and cleared the distance across the open water to her boat. “Did someone rescue a woman called Fen and one called Ming? We have their children.”
“We have a few younger women who have been crying uncontrollably, but no one speaks English, so we don’t understand what they’re asking for.”
Hayden turned back to Sawyer’s boat. “Help me get the boy and girl aboard.”
Jude tossed off his blanket and went to take the boy’s hand to lead him to Hayden. Gabe was right behind him, holding the young girl in his arms, his face stony and angry. The exact feeling building in Hayden for the terror these children had been put through. On the plus side, if their parents were on the other boat, at least they would be spared the terror of being separated from them when their mothers were put into slavery.
But the big unknown right now was if the parents were here.
Jude moved closer to the edge of the boat. The boy clutched him tighter and started crying.
“Don’t be afraid.” Jude stroked the boy’s head and smiled at him. The poor child couldn’t understand him, but he surely understood the calming tone and touch.
Jude braced his legs to pick up the child, then passed him over to Hayden. He took the little hand in his and signaled for him to wait.
Gabe hovered protectively with the little girl, his eyes full of reluctance, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go until she was back in a parent’s arms. With a soft kiss to the top of her head, he gently passed her to Hayden, his hand lingering for a moment before letting her go.
Hayden took each child’s hand and led them to the rescued people huddling together in the cold.
“Fen,” Hayden called out. “Ming.”
Before anyone could respond, the boy broke free and sprinted across the boat, shouting “Mama” over and over. He threw himself into a woman’s arms. She clutched him tightly, sobbing as she held him.
Hayden had to swallow hard to keep his own emotions in check. Tears threatened, not from sorrow, but from the overwhelming relief of a life saved.
But then he looked at the girl. No one stepped forward. Her face crumpled, and she began to sob, repeating “Mama,” her voice trembling with hope and fear.
Hayden continued walking into the group. They neared the back where a woman sat with her eyes closed, her hands folded on her drawn up knees.
The girl ripped free. “Mama!” she screeched.
The woman’s eyes flew open. She lifted her hands to the sky, then pulled the little girl into her arms. They clung to each other, sobbing in pure relief. Another happy ending. Praise God!
They’d managed to reunite children with their parents—but Hayden still couldn’t shake his uncertainty. He didn’t know if everyone had made it out of the churning water. He turned back to Mina.
“How many rescued people on your boat?” Her urgent tone fought through the wind.
“Three women, a baby, and the girl and boy.” Hayden’s pride for his team threatened to take over when he shouldn’t be thinking about that at all. “So a total of six. How many were aboard the boat?”
“We counted fifteen when they boarded. My deputies pulled in nine survivors.”
“Everyone, then.”
Mina grimaced. “We didn’t see a baby so he wasn’t in our count of fifteen. The true count is sixteen.”
“Which means there’s one person unaccounted for.”
“Looks like it, but we don’t have anyone who speaks English in our group to help us clarify.”
“We do.” Hayden went back to the side of the boat to call out. “Someone ask the baby’s mother how many people were on the boat including her baby.”
“On it!” Abby hurried to the woman cradling her baby to kneel in front of her.
Abby soon returned. “Sixteen. Her baby. The two children we pulled in and thirteen women about her age.”
Hayden’s heart sank. They’d failed. One woman was missing.
