Janine sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes and taking a deep breath. She nodded and then turned around to head back in the direction they’d just come from.
Reno approached Maya and whispered, “We are never getting out of here in time to save this girl. Not with that distraught woman leading us.”
Maya looked down at Cassie. The girl’s grip on her stomach had loosened, and her eyes were nothing but dark slits.
“Pick her back up and let’s go.”
“This way,” Janine said, turning into the tunnel.
“Finally,” Reno said, softly enough so that only Maya could hear him.
Maya felt like Janine had lately been able to focus more on their exit and less on her sick daughter, but Cassie seemed to be getting worse. She wasn’t a doctor, but Maya believed the girl’s appendix had already burst and her odds of surviving went down with each passing minute.
“How is she doing?” Janine asked.
“She’s hanging in there,” Maya said, not being entirely truthful. “Just keep—”
Cassie’s eyes shot open, startling Maya. Her body convulsed, only to be restrained by the rope that secured her legs to the wooden planks.
“What’s happening to her?” Janine asked, racing back to her daughter.
Cassie turned her head and vomited. Her breathing became more labored.
“Help me get these ropes off,” Maya said to Reno.
As they loosened the knots, Janine yelled, trying to get closer to her daughter.
“Stay back,” Maya said to the woman.
Janine took a step back, running one hand through her hair while the other covered her mouth. Maya and Reno tossed the ropes aside as Cassie convulsed. She vomited again.
The paramedics stared at each other, tears at the corners of both their eyes. With no proper medical equipment, there was little they could do other than try to keep the girl comfortable.
“Do something!” Janine cried.
But there was nothing they could do. Cassie shivered, and then her convulsions stopped. She looked at her mother with bloodshot eyes.
“I’m sorry,” the young girl said. She then took a final breath, her eyes going wider open, and then glassy.
“No!” Janine screamed.
Maya put her finger to Cassie’s neck, and then her wrist.
No heartbeat.
“Get back,” Maya said to Janine. She honored protocol and began CPR even though Maya doubted it would change the inevitable outcome.
Reno had to pull Janine away when she tried getting too close to her daughter. Maya ignored them, focusing on her routine of compressions and breathing. After several minutes, though, Maya sat up on her knees and could only stare at the lifeless, young girl.
Tears rolling down her face, Maya turned to Janine. “I’m so sorry.”
Janine kneeled next to her daughter, taking her into her arms. Maya just stood up and walked away, unable to watch the grieving mother holding her dead child in her arms.
30
Maya leaned against the wall, her eyes closed, listening to Janine’s wailing.
Although Maya had truly wanted to help the sick girl and also to get out of the tunnels, she’d clearly failed on the first goal. And while it was always difficult losing someone on the job, this was hitting Maya harder than she’d expected. Janine had looked into her eyes with a sense of trust, and Maya felt as though she’d betrayed it by letting the girl die. Of course, Maya had done no such thing—logically, she knew that. She and Reno were no more responsible than anyone else for the unfortunate circumstance that had caused Cassie’s appendicitis. But that wouldn’t stop the grieving mother from lashing out at those who had tried to save the child. It never did.
“You bitch.”
Maya opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder.
Still kneeling by her daughter, Janine had shifted her gaze to Maya. Her narrow eyes glared at the paramedic. Maya turned all the way around.
“I’m so sorry, Janine. I know how you must feel right now.”
“The hell you do,” Janine said. “My daughter is dead. What could you possibly know about that?”
“We did all we could do,” Reno said.
“You shut your mouth. This is your fault, too.”
“You’re in shock right now,” Maya said. “But understand that we did everything we could to help your daughter. This hurts us, too. Trust me on that.”
“Trust you?” Janine laughed through her tears. “Look where ‘trusting you’ got me. My daughter is dead!”
Maya swallowed, choking back her own tears.
“Look, Janine. Just—”
“No, you look,” Janine said, cutting Maya off. “This is your fault, and you’re going to be held responsible.”
Janine reached into her back pocket and pulled out the Glock she’d taken from Maya. She stood and aimed it at her. Maya raised her hands.
“Whoa, hold up,” Reno said.
“Shut up,” Janine said, turning the gun on Reno. She pointed it at the ground only a foot from his feet and fired. The shot ricocheted off the ground and buzzed off into the dark tunnel.
Maya covered her head, the sound of the gun booming in the confined space causing a ringing in her ears.
Janine then refocused her attention on Maya, aiming the gun at her again. She stepped away from her dead daughter, moving into a position that allowed her to see Maya and Reno at the same time. She then took a step toward Maya, the gun still pointed at her head.
“I should have listened to Mitch. It was a mistake to move Cassie—all this movement made it worse. I should have let her rest. Instead, I listened to the two of you, and now she’s gone.”
“You’re not making any sense,” Maya said.
“I’m making perfect sense. And now, you and your boyfriend are going to pay for what you did to my Cassie. You’re both going to die.”
“Janine, your daughter was very sick when we got to her. If I had to guess, I would say that her appendix burst before we even met you.”
“But you said you could save her!”
Maya sighed. “I said that, if we could get her to the surface, that we might be able to—”
“Enough. I don’t want to hear anymore!”
Janine growled, and saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth. Maya tensed, staring at the woman’s finger wrapped around the trigger. Janine stopped and looked at Maya again with burning eyes. Tears flowed down her face.
“Someone has to pay for this. An eye for an eye.”
Maya shook her head. “It doesn’t have to be like this. We did all we could.”
Janine stepped forward.
“I’m sorry,” Maya said.
Maya closed her eyes shut and pictured her children. She conjured one of her favorite memories—a trip to the Nashville Zoo. Even though Aiden and Laura had both been to the zoo dozens of times, they always pretended to enjoy it to appease Maya. But the best part of the day had been when they’d sat in the wide-open field in the middle of the zoo and had a picnic. Neither kid had fiddled with their phone or tablet. They had all enjoyed the moment together. A simple, wholesome, good time as a family.
That’s what she wanted her last thought to be before this woman took her life.
Take care of them, Mom. I love you so much, Aiden and Laura.
Instead of a gunshot, Maya heard a grunt and then a thud. She opened her eyes to see Janine lying face down. Blood flowed from her neck, pooling on the ground.
Reno stood over her with the small knife in his hands. Blood covered the blade. He shivered, and then gasped for air before looking at Maya. His trembling hands dropped the knife and he came to her.