Sleeping on the Couch

MARISSA

Annie’s bed was empty when I woke up on Monday morning. It was still made and her clothes from the day before were lying in a pile on her bed where she always put them after getting in her pajamas and before taking it to the hamper when she went to bed.

My heart sputtered to a stop before picking up again and kicking into overdrive. Panicked, I raced through the house calling her name. “Annie? Baby? Where are you?”

I reached the living room and saw a pile of blankets on the couch with a small shape stirring beneath them. Relief flooded me from my fingers to my toes. Annie sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Mommy? Were you calling me?”

“What are you doing on the couch, honey? You nearly gave me a heart attack.” I went to sit next to her, pulling her into my arms until my racing heart quietened down.

“I came to sleep on the couch in case Layton came by late.” Late? Try thirty-six hours late. My blood simmered at the same time that my heart broke over the dashed hope in Annie’s blue eyes