揧ou抳e reached Cole Lancaster. This is Saturday and I抦 in a meeting until five o抍lock. I抣l get back to you as quickly as possible.?
Voicemail. I cut the call.
揟hat figures. Looks like he抯 in a meeting I didn抰 know about.?He抯 going to hate me.
I pull up the number for the Seattle PD and hit Call.
揥hat now??Destiny looks at my screen, worried.
揥e have to do a police report. Your thieves could still be out there, and maybe you were just the first hit,?I tell her as a woman answers.
Thank God.
I explain the situation and she says she抣l send a police unit over to the area.
I try Cole again, get his voicemail again, and then text him while I grind my teeth.
Call me as soon as you get this. It抯 Destiny. She抯 okay, but you抣l want to see her ASAP.
We抮e there for another half hour or so, dealing with the cops.
A deputy asks her to tell her story, what the men looked like, and she gives them every detail, her voice trembling. They ask her if she wants to go to the hospital, but she refuses.
Meanwhile, my heart splinters about a hundred more times.
This hurt, scared girl looks so much younger than her age.
Finally I say, 揑s that enough for now, Officer? She抯 fifteen and she抯 been through a traumatic event. She抯 answered your questions. I抎 like to get her out of the sun, somewhere she can rest.?
揙f course, ma抋m,?the cop says.
I turn to Destiny. 揕et抯 go. My apartment isn抰 far. I抣l make you something to drink, and you can rest until I get a hold of your dad.?
揑f you haven抰 got in touch with him yet…does he really need to know??She sounds so tired.
揧es. Your dad has the right to know that someone mugged you, Dess. Don抰 be too hard on him.?
揊iiine.?She groans. 揌e抯 just never gonna let me leave the house again.?
I抦 not sure I blame him, I think as we start moving.
Destiny follows me at a slow, steady pace as we exit the alley.
Outside the chaotic scene, it抯 a serene summer day. We pass several groups of loud, laughing people with bulging shopping bags swinging from their arms.
揗a抋m,?the cop says, reappearing behind me.
I spin around on one heel to face him.
揧ou ladies need a ride home? It抎 save her some stress on that leg, I bet.?
揙h, sure. That would be great,?I say.
He leads us to his car and we both slide into the back.
Destiny looks at me with an unexpected grin. 揃adass. I抦 posting a selfie from the back of the squad car.?
I fight the urge to laugh.
揇ess, please don抰 post anything until I抳e talked to your dad. We don抰 want him freaking out more than he already will be if he sees it.?
Once the cop is behind the wheel again, I give him my address, and he pulls away from the curb.
I glance up at the officer in the mirror. 揅an I ask a question??
揝ure,?he says.
揇o you think it抯 okay for her now??I hesitate, unsure how to word what I need to say. 揇o you think she…？Will recover? Will have soul-crushing nightmares for months to come over this? I can抰 say that with Destiny right here, even if she抯 absorbed in snapping selfies she shouldn抰 be taking.
揝he抣l be fine, ma抋m. I think this was just a random robbery and assault. There抯 been a string of them in this area, I抦 afraid.?He drops us off at my apartment a few minutes later. 揧ou two be careful, now.?
I take Destiny inside and sit her on the toilet in my bathroom for a better look at her wound. With a quick scrub and some antiseptic, it抯 not so bad. A little bandage and she抯 good as new.
In the kitchen, I throw together a seltzer water. I pour it over ice with a twist of lime, mashing the wedge on the side of the glass.
揧ou have a soda stream??She stares at me in awe.
I smile shyly. 揥hat can I say? Sometimes you just need bubbles.?
揝weet! Do you make fizzy cold brews??
揑 do, and I抣l make you one as soon as that water disappears. You抳e been through an ordeal and it抯 a pretty hot day. You don抰 want to get dehydrated on top of everything else.?
揟hanks, Eliza.?She sips at the drink. 揑 mean, for everything today.?
揥hat are friends for??I say, reaching over to muss up her hair. 揅an I get you anything else? Are you hungry??
揑抦 good.?She sucks down the water in less than a minute.
揌ey, did they take your phone??I ask, before remembering they couldn抰 have梥he was taking selfies in the back of the cop car, after all.
She shakes her head and reaches into the handmade Hawaiian purse that hangs over her shoulder, holding the phone up. It has a cracked screen but the display lights up fine. 揇ad抯 gonna kill me. Another screen bites the dust.?
揃ut it still works. So, why weren抰 you answering my calls? I could have gotten there sooner,?I say, throwing together another seltzer water for myself.