She found her voice then, and it was with explosive power, leaping out of her like a living thing, and suddenly she was sitting upright in bed and the room was still dark but different, warmer, real. The scream went on and it sounded so loud she felt her ears would split and she threw a hand across her mouth to stop it. Then the lights snapped on and Daddy was in the doorway, frightened, his blue robe thrown over his shoulders and still open to the waist. She sat there with her hand on her mouth and the tears welled up and spilled over onto her cheeks. I’m going to cry and Daddy will think I’m a baby, she thought, but he didn’t; he only came over and gathered her up in his arms, and she sobbed into his robe.

“It’s okay, Jessie, honey, it’s just a bad dream, every- thing’s okay now,” he said, and the sound of his voice made her feel better. The thump in her chest faded and the dark pictures of her dream receded, although they didn’t disappear. Johnny Bear was next to her on the chair but she almost didn’t dare look at him, didn’t dare pick him up because it might bring back the dream. But he was probably scared too; she had frightened him with her screaming. And he didn’t have anybody to hug.

“Daddy, will you hug Johnny too?” she asked, and he smiled and reached over, picking up her bear and adding him to their close little circle.

“Somebody hurt Johnny,” she said, and saying it made the tears well up again. “Somebody hurt him, and it was in a dark cold place and I was really scared.”

David looked down at his daughter’s tear-stained face and rocked her gently. “I know, honey. But it’s all right now, everything’s okay.”

They sat together in the bright lights of the motel room, rocking softly, and David Pierce really hoped it was all right, that all the troubled events of the day would pass them by and they could be happy.

Because if I ever lose this family, I don’t know what I’d do.

CHAPTER NINE

It had been almost two weeks since she’d heard from Jonathan Newman, and Dr. Amanda Seigel was worried. He was not technically due to check in until tomorrow, but he usually called before check-in time, sometimes twice or even three times a week.