The further she drove, the more pronounced the sense of emergency became, with the road narrowing and the dense canopy of pine trees giving way to an open stretch where the accident had unfolded. Ahead, the chaos of flashing lights, emergency vehicles, and the first responders moving with purposeful speed painted a stark contrast against the serene backdrop of the Teton Mountains, their presence a silent witness to the unfolding drama below.
As Reva’s vehicle skidded to a halt at the edge of the crash scene, she jumped out wishing she had not changed into heels. Her heart pounded in her chest as she surveyed the scene before her, a maelstrom of activity—paramedics from the hospital in Jackson darting between twisted metal, firefighters cutting through the wreckage, and police officers cordoning off the area. The air was thick with the smell of gasoline, the sound of urgent shouts of the first responders, and the hiss of extinguishing flames.
“Mayor, it’s bad.” A grim-faced police officer approached her, his voice heavy with sorrow. “We’ve got fatalities. The license plates…they’re not from around here.”
His words hung in the air as Reva’s gaze swept the scene, her heart sinking with each detail—pieces of twisted metal and glass littering the pavement, skid marks on the highway, a lone shoe—until it landed on a sight that clenched her heart in a vise.
Fleet Southcott stood by the side of the road, holding a tiny toddler in his arms. The child, miraculously unscathed but bewildered, clung to the officer, a stark image of innocence amidst chaos.
Reva’s throat tightened, tears stinging her eyes as she moved closer, her role as mayor momentarily eclipsed by her humanity. “Is…is the child all right?” she managed to ask, her voice barely a whisper, as the reality of the situation—a family torn apart, a life spared while others were lost—washed over her.
Fleet nodded, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Yes, Reva. But it looks like this little tyke lost everyone.”
The impact of his statement hit her as Reva stood amidst the echoes of lost lives, barely able to breathe in the wake of the unfolding tragedy. Such a random, senseless situation—a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the indiscriminate nature of fate.
Suddenly the tiny toddler reached for her with chubby outstretched arms the color of her own—a silent plea for comfort.
Instinct kicked in and Reva lifted the little boy from Fleet’s arms and held him tightly against her chest. “Shhh…everything is going to be okay,” she murmured, making a promise that sounded hollow as the words escaped her lips.
At that moment, the heavy weight of the tragedy burrowed deep inside her bones along with an unwavering duty not just to reassure but to protect and advocate for this tiny survivor in a world that had just ripped everything from him.
Reva leaned her cheek against the soft black coils of the baby boy’s hair, silently vowing to spare no effort to turn her promise into reality.
She leaned down and picked up the single shoe on the pavement, a woman’s shoe.
“I give you my word,” she whispered.
11
Reva’s heart pounded in her chest as she climbed into the ambulance, her arms cradling the toddler. The paramedics, a woman named Lisa and a mature man named Mark, worked efficiently, checking the child’s vitals and ensuring he was stable.
“Is he going to be okay?” Reva’s voice was laced with concern as she watched them.
“He’s stable for now,” Lisa replied, offering a reassuring smile. “A miracle, really.”
As the ambulance sped toward the hospital in Jackson, the gravity of the situation dawned on Reva. She needed to act, to do more than just physically protect the child. Pulling out her phone, she dialed the only number she could think of at that moment.
“Hello?”
“Sam, it’s Reva. I need your help.”
Sam, a close friend who lived in Jackson and a fellow lawyer, sounded surprised. “Reva, what’s wrong?”
“I’m in an ambulance. It’s not me. I’m fine. But there was an accident, and I found a toddler. He’s alone, Sam. His parents were lost in the crash. I vowed to protect him, but I don’t know what to do next.”
Sure, she’d practiced plenty of family law, but nothing like this. She’d never encountered taking care of a tiny orphan and what steps were required to meet the obligations before her.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Okay, first things first. You need to ensure he’s treated at the hospital. Then they will likely contact Child and Family Services since he’s unaccompanied. You should express your willingness to be a temporary guardian if necessary. It’ll involve a lot of legal processes, but I can guide you through it.”
“Thank you, Sam. I—I just couldn’t leave him.”
“I know. Just focus on getting him care. I’ll start looking into what needs to be done on my end. He’ll have family somewhere.”
“I don’t even know his name,” Reva murmured.
“I’ll see what I can do to gather some information. I’m looking at the sketchy details available online now. There will be more added. I’ll report back anything I find.”
After the call, Reva turned her attention back to the toddler, whispering words of comfort as the paramedics continued their work.
