Shannon was mesmerized with her good fortune to have found this place after her sister’s passing. She remembered the days when her parents took them to Indian Rocks and they built complexes out of sand and buckets and sea water, driftwood, shells, and discarded bird feathers. It suddenly struck her that now, with Marco, she was sort of doing the same. And the ghost of Emily was ever present between them, but as a welcome visitor. At least for Shannon, it was. She hoped that Emily was watching them now and enjoying their adventurous life together as she sat in the back seat. She wouldn’t cry, thought Shannon, but she would have a bowl of popcorn.
The set had gone dark when she looked up. Had she missed the weather portion? Everyone was gone, and the place was deadly silent. She heard monitors playing in the adjoining room where a crowd of station employees were glued to the screen.
Something’s happened!
She ran to watch on the screen as half a dozen ambulances and fire rescue vehicles were combing through debris of a collapsed building. She knew before she saw the altered sign hanging from the third floor what it was. The red, white, and blue letters were partly shattered and sparking, swinging by one bolt holding the whole thing in place. It was missing the first letter, and read:
one Frog Development Group.
Sandy was by her side in a flash. “Oh my gosh, Shannon. Is he okay?”
She ran to her desk, looking for her phone, but it wasn’t there. She searched the tops of all the other desks, all her drawers, and underneath the desk. She ran back into the set to see if she had left it in the studio but couldn’t find it.
“Sandy, where is my phone? Did I leave it in your dressing room?”
“No, I usually check right after I finish, just in case. People leave all kind of things there sometimes when they’re nervous. But no. Where is your purse?”
That’s when she realized it was no accident her phone was missing, because her purse was gone as well. The deep bottom drawer in her desk was unlocked with the key still inside the lock, but it was empty.
“I think someone’s stolen my purse, Sandy.”
Someone from the crowd turned and asked her to be quiet. Jared came up behind her and placed a palm on her shoulder.
“Shannon, the police are looking for you, honey.”
She turned and tried to find some sort of hope in his face but was disappointed. His eyes were blinking rapidly. He gripped her shoulder.
“Come into my office. I have Emergency Services on the line there.”
“My God, Jared. It can’t be Marco.”
“I’m afraid it is, Shannon. But I don’t know anything more.”
One of the college interns turned and announced to the crowd, “They have three dead so far. Not releasing names.”
With her clinical tone, Shannon wanted to run up to her and slap her face. But that would be another conversation for a much later time. Holding on to Jared, she made it back to the elevator, and once alone, Jared folded her in his arms.
“Hey, kid. I’m praying for you. For you both.”
She got a bit prickly but accepted his comfort anyway. She briefly laid her head against his chest, discovering her knees were shaking. In fact, she was shaking all over.
“You need to sit down,” he said as soon as the doors opened. He barely got her to a chair before she collapsed. When she awoke, she remembered him holding her, keeping her from slipping onto the floor. She remembered him shouting for someone to call 9-1-1.
“Thank you, but where is the phone?”
“It’s an old-fashioned landline. FCC requirement. Come. I’ll help you.”
His office was a complete disaster, worse than she’d ever seen it. And he’d been ripping awards and plaques off the wall, tossing them, and missing into a metal garbage can.
“Look, don’t pay any attention to any of this. I was having a temper tantrum. Come. Sit here. Here’s the phone.” He helped her sit in his big brown leather swivel chair and handed her the phone.
“H-hello?”
“Is this Shannon Marr?”
“Yes, it is. Is it Marco?”
“This is Sergeant Ben Healy of the Pinellas County Search and Rescue. There’s been an explosion at Bone Frog Development Group building, and we have your fiancé here, getting ready to send him to Bay View Hospital Emergency.”
“He’s alive?”
“Yes, he is, but he’s not conscious. Several members of his staff have been identified as deceased. Can you come down to the hospital?”
“Of course, I’ll be right there. Who?”
“We haven’t completed the identification. They’re all young. All women. But we haven’t started the notification process. You can probably help us with the identification.”
“Certainly. How bad is he? Where are his injuries?”
“I don’t know, ma’am, I’m not a doctor, but he’s pretty badly hurt.”
“Of course. I’ll be right there.”
Shannon dropped the phone on the desk, pressed her forearms on a pile of papers, buried her head on top of them, and began to sob.
Jared waited with her in the Emergency Room, which was on overflow capacity since several other businesses had sustained damage to structures and had injuries as well. She noticed TMBC camera crew trying to make their way over to her, and Jared pushed them away, screaming. Of course, that was caught on camera and would likely show up somewhere, if not at TMBC itself.
“Assholes.”
“They’re just doing their job, Jared. The news must go on, even when we’re in it. Sucks, but that’s the way it is.”
“Miss, do you want some water?” a young aide in a light blue uniform asked her.
“That would be heavenly. Thank you.”
“I’ll have one too,” Jared said but was already talking to her backside. “So much for being a big shot.”
Slightly relieved that Marco had been confirmed as not critical when she arrived, part of Shannon’s spirit began to come back. “Relax. I’d be happy to share mine.”
“I don’t want yours. You’re going to need it. What I really need is a drink.”
Shannon watched a cluster of family members praying in a circle. A baby was crying, and another ambulance siren could be heard as the whooshing sound of the large automatic doors opened and another gurney was rolled inside with someone grey and lifeless, covered to his neck in a bloody sheet. They were immediately admitted to the surgery wing.
She closed her eyes and asked for healing, white light, strength. She told Emily to help him out.
Go rub on his chest, wiggle his toes—he likes that. Tell him he must wake up and that you’ll see him eventually, but not now. Please do this for me, Em.
She waited for a reply, with her back straight against the wall for support, her hand entangled in Jared’s, resting on her thigh. No one answered. But she kept asking for her sister’s help.
She must have fallen asleep, because out of the fog came the sound, “Mrs. Gambini?”
She opened her eyes and saw that Rebecca was being spoken to by the doctor. Jared was just awakening and jumped to his feet at the same time.
“Hey, I’m Mrs. Gambini. I’m the new Mrs. Gambini. She has no business being here.” She pointed right at Rebecca, who looked ten years older and very stressed.