All the Little Children Need to Come Home

Chapter One: The First Day

The morning sun peeked through the trees as another beautiful Friday began. Alice returned from taking her neighbor to work and before she went to wake her youngest son, she put on a pot of coffee. She leaned over the sink and cranked open the kitchen window. The easy breeze of autumn brushed her face as she gazed out at the myriad of colors dabbing throughout her back yard. Smiling, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

This was going to be a perfect day.

Alice was looking forward to going to a matinee with her youngest son, Todd. It had been so long since they had gone anywhere together as a family, which was always a time precious to her. Last night he found out just last night that the family-owned business where he worked his full-time job,  was closed until Monday. He had almost two full days before to himself before he had to go to his part-time job at a local grocers early Saturday morning.

In the past, Todd would have gone out to a local sports bar with a day off the next day.  He chose instead to stay at home to catch up on things. He had asked if she had wanted to go to an early movie with him and she immediately said yes.

Alice crinkled her brow and her eyes teared as she remembered that day, over two years ago, when she woke up at 3 AM, peeked out the window and saw that his car was not in the driveway. She had spoken to him just before midnight and he had been on his way home.

That had been three hours ago.

When his cell phone went directly to voicemail both times she tried, her heart began to pound and she tried to calm the desperate thoughts racing through her mind. She noticed the flashing blue and red lights bouncing around the walls of her bedroom as the patrol car crept down the driveway, and her heart skipped several beats. She glanced at her husband, Ben, snoring softly under the bedcovers, and decided not to wake him. Alice took a breath and went down the stairs as they knocked firmly on the front door.

The coffee maker beeped into her musings. She still had a few more minutes before she would wake her son, and get ready for the movies. She poured a mug of steaming coffee and turned to rest her back against the sink. She blinked back the tears, remembering that early morning, which seemed an eternity ago.

Before she opened the door to the officers that early morning, she instinctively dropped to her knees and bowed her head in prayer. From being just a year into a program of recovery from an alcohol problem, she had learned two things. First, she prayed that Todd or whoever they were here for, would be all right. Then she did something she had never done before. She prayed that whatever had happened, whatever they told her, God would give her the strength to help her through. An immense calm enveloped her, as she slowly stood and opened the door

Two officers were standing there, awkwardly silent. She spoke first.

"His phone went directly to voicemail. Is it Todd? "

Alice felt this amazing calm pass over her as she listened to them explain. Todd's car had gone airborne across the median strip and knocked out a metal light pole. He was being flown to Inova Fairfax hospital in critical condition. They asked if she needed a ride-if she needed to call anyone. She replied that her husband was home and they would leave immediately.

"Is he all right? Will he be all right?"

She noticed the glances between the two officers, and one said gently," He was awake and he was talking."

Alice closed the door and gently woke her husband with the news that Todd had been in an accident and they needed to go to the hospital. She splashed cool water on her face and neck, under her arms, before quickly putting on the clothes she had worn yesterday. As she headed down the stairs, she realized Ben was already at the door. She grabbed her keys, but Ben took them from her and said he would drive.