“She fell off the ladder to the attic, and she’s unconscious,” he said, his voice tight with fear. “Andi found her. They’re taking her to Newport Hospital. Can you meet me there?”

“I’m leaving right now.”

“Hurry, Clare. Andi said it looks bad.”

With her heart in her throat, Clare raced to Newport Hospital. Jack arrived at the same time, and they ran into the emergency room together.

Andi was in tears as she waited for them with her son, Eric, Maggie’s special pal. The twins were asleep in a stroller.

“What happened?” Clare asked, her mouth dry with fear and her hands shaking.

“I came home about half an hour after she got home from school.” Andi’s eyes were red from crying. “I went upstairs and found her lying in the hall under the ladder to the attic. The paramedics said she broke both her arms, one of them badly, and she wouldn’t wake up.”

Jack slipped an arm around his wife. “Has the doctor been out yet?”

“No, the nurse said they’re trying to get her stabilized.”

“Oh, God,” Clare said.

Jack put his other arm around her, and the three of them sat to wait.

“We should call the girls,” Clare said.

“Let’s see what the doctor says first,” Jack said, his face devoid of color as a tearful Eric crawled into his lap.

They waited a long time before a doctor came to find them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Harrington?”

They all jumped up.

“We’ve got her stabilized, but she’s not out of the woods. We’re concerned about the head injury, so we’re sending her upstairs for a CT scan right now. She broke a rib, and it punctured a lung, but we’ve got that under control.”

Andi gasped and sat back down when her legs seemed to fail her.

Clare clutched Jack’s hand. “What about her arms?”

“The right arm was a clean break, but the left one was messy. She’ll need surgery and pins. The next twenty-four hours will be critical. I’ll keep you informed.”

“Thank you,” Clare whispered.

After the doctor walked away, Jack turned to Clare. “We should call Jill and Kate.”

Kate was rehearsing at the studio when one of the technicians came in with her cell phone.

“It’s been ringing like crazy,” he said, handing it to her.

“Thanks, Kenny.” Her mother’s cell phone number appeared repeatedly on the caller ID. Kate called her back. “Hey, Mom, what’s up?”

“Oh, Kate, thank God you called. Honey, Maggie’s been badly hurt in an accident. You need to come home.”

Shocked, Kate grabbed her purse and ran for the elevator. “What happened?”

Clare filled her in quickly. “Can you get a flight today?”

“I’ll call right now.”

“Let me know when you’re coming. Someone will meet you.”