She imagined Ethan in a ditch off the side of the road, his hood flat against a tree. She gasped, stumbling toward the toilet, braced her hands on the cool porcelain and vomited the contents of her stomach.

All this fear wasn’t hurting the baby, right? Because she couldn’t lose it.

Not now. Not if—

“Mommy! Someone here!” Lincoln was pounding the door. “Answer, Mommy! Answer!”

She wiped her face on her sleeve because naturally, she’d forgotten to replace the hand towel in here the last time she’d done the wash. She took a deep breath before opening the door, picking Lincoln up as she strode into the foyer. “Good boy for getting Mommy. Mommies and Daddies always open the door, right?”

“No Lincolns!”

“That’s right. Unless Mommy or Daddy is with you,” she confirmed.

Sadie swung open the front door, expecting Renee or maybe even Essie Park reporting on the status of the Old Red Mill, and nearly threw up a second time when she saw their unexpected visitor.

It was Officer Tyler Cox, hat in hand.

The bottom fell out of her world. It was as if the sky itself had started to cave in.

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “No! No no no no.”

This was it then. She sank to floor still holding Lincoln against her chest and leaned her back against the doorframe. “I can’t handle this.”

Tyler knelt beside her. “Sadie? Shit. Breathe.”

“Lincoln, go and play with your blocks, okay, baby?” she said weakly, setting him on the floor and giving him a gentle nudge.

“Why?”

Thankfully, Tyler stepped in. “I want to see the tallest block tower you can build. Can you do that for me, Link?”

Lincoln looked out at the police car longingly. “Kay. I can. Be right back!”

And off he went, scampering toward the living room.

“W-what’s happened?” Sadie asked once Lincoln was out of earshot. “Just say it and be done.”

“Ethan was in a car accident yesterday. He was trying to get home to you,” Tyler explained. “It was serious, and his car is totaled. But your husband is going to be fine. He’s in the hospital now, but it looks like he’s coming out of this with a few stitches and a broken foot. He is extremely fortunate that his injuries weren’t worse.”

Sadie couldn’t breathe, much less speak.

“Ethan’s okay,” he repeated. “The doctors think he’ll be released by tomorrow.”

“Alive? Okay?” She started to cry all over again.

“I’m sorry as heck to show up here and scare you like this,” Tyler said. “But all of the phone lines are down. I’m sure Ethan would have called you himself if he’d been able.”

Sadie nodded, but still, she struggled for words.

“Is there someone I can call to come and sit with you for a bit?”

“Renee,” she murmured. “Next door.”