PART 3 — FULL STORY / AVAILABLE PORTION
FULL STORY — PAGE 1
The Call From an Unknown Number
Rowan Mercer was in the middle of a tense corporate meeting in Nashville when an unknown number appeared on his phone.
He almost ignored it.
Then he answered.
Static.
Rustling.
A child breathing unevenly.
“Dad…?”
Rowan immediately recognized his six-year-old son.
“Micah? What’s wrong?”
Micah tried not to cry.
“Dad… Elsie won’t wake up. She’s burning hot. Mom isn’t here, and we don’t have any food left.”
Nothing else mattered.
Rowan grabbed his keys and ran.
He called his ex-wife, Delaney.
No answer.
Again.
Voicemail.
Delaney had told him she planned to take the children to a remote lake cabin during her custody week.
She had also warned him cell service would be poor.
Because their co-parenting arrangement had seemed stable, Rowan believed her.
But the children were not at a lake cabin.
They were inside Delaney’s East Nashville rental.
Alone.
When Rowan arrived, the house was silent.
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, Micah sat on the floor hugging a pillow.
He looked exhausted.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
Rowan pulled him close.
“I’m here.”
Then Micah pointed toward the couch.
Elsie was lying beneath a blanket.
Her skin was burning hot.
Her lips were dry.
Her breathing was shallow.
When Rowan lifted her, her head fell against his shoulder.
He told Micah to put on his shoes.
Then he glanced into the kitchen.
The refrigerator was nearly empty.
An empty cereal box sat on the counter.
Dirty dishes had been left in the sink.
There was almost nothing the children could eat.
Rowan realized Micah had been trying to care for Elsie by himself.
He rushed both children toward Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
