of being printed, and she still hadn't reached Mr. Westerly.
Perhaps she would have to simply drive out to see him
during her noon hour; then she could actually hand deliver
an early edition and gently break the news to him herself.
But no sooner did she walk into the door of the Pine Cone
when Abigail rushed toward her with a frantic expression in
her eyes.
"Oh, dear!" she cried. "I've just had a phone call-there's
been an accident-"
"Who?" Maggie's heart began to pound.
"It's Spencer-"
"Spencer? But I just saw him leave the house-just min-
utes ago. Daniel picked him u~
"The sheriff just called. Daniel's car hit a truck, Maggie."
She began to sway, her knees growing weak, and Abigail
gently but firmly eased her into a foyer chair. "Where is
he?" Maggie blurted. "Is he okay? I need to see him right
away-"
"Hush now and let me explain. The boys are on their way
to the hospital even as we speak. The sheriff said there were
no fatalities, but-"
Maggie rose quickly to her feet. "I've got to go-
"Just hold on. I knew you'd need a ride, and I already
called Jed." She peered out the window. "And if that isn't
him right now!"
In the same instant, Maggie burst out of the office and
ran straight for Jed's truck, jerking open the passenger door
even before he could climb out to assist her. "Thanks for
coming, Jed," she gasped. "Please, drive fast!"
While he drove to Byron, Jed prayed quietly for Spencer
and Daniel. Maggie glanced nervously at him as he sped
along, passing every vehicle ahead of them, but naturally his
eyes were open as he prayed. She attempted to follow his
example and focus her mind on praying too, but no matter
how hard she tried, it seemed impossible to form any actual
sentences-not even in her mind. All she could think was, Looking for You All My Life43
"Please, God, no!" She silently prayed those same three
words over and over. After what seemed an eternity, Jed
finally pulled up in front of the emergency room door, where
an ambulance was parked nearby, lights still flashing, engine
still rumbling. Maggie leaped from Jed's truck and ran inside
the foyer, demanding that the receptionist tell her exactly
where Spencer had been taken.
"Goodness, you must've been right behind the ambu-
lance. Here, please fill out these forms-"
"Not yet!" Maggie waved the clipboard in front of the
receptionist. "I will fill out nothing until you tell me where
my son is!"
The receptionist's eyes grew wide. "He's right there in the
ER. You can see him as soon as you-"