Chapter 24: find her

Akia returns to the ranch and runs into the house. Calling out for her mother, she was perplexed as to why she wasn't at the door waiting for her, as she usually was. She goes upstairs and searches their bedroom for her mother, but she can't find her. So she dashes into her father's room. "Daddy, daddy, where's mommy?" Akia inquires.

Edward then lowers himself to her level. "What? she isn't in her room?" he inquires of her daughter.

"I can't find her, daddy," she sobbed.

"Don't cry, honey, we'll find her," he said as he picked her up and they went downstairs to check with the workers. After that, they went to see Mrs. Consuelo.

"Did you see Cassandra, Mom?" Edward inquired.

Mrs. Consuelo stated, "I haven't seen her since this morning."

Edward was becoming concerned. It was unusual for her not to be present for her daughter. And it would soon be dark, and Cassandra didn't know her way around. "I'm going to look for her," he said, turning to face Maria and his mother.

"Watch out for Akia," he said as Maria flung herself into Edward's arms. "I want my mommy, please... Mommy..." she sobbed.

He kissed her while wiping her tears away. "Don't cry, honey; I promise I'll find your mother and bring her home."

"Be a good girl, listen to Maria and your grandmother," Edward said as he led her to the stable and saddled one of the horses.

Edward rode around the ranch and through the woods, but there was no sign of Cassandra, so he rode along the river's edge, where something caught his eye further up, prompting him to give the horse a sharp kick towards what he would soon see was a body.

When he saw Cassandra, he could almost feel the blood in his veins freeze. He jumped off the horse and landed next to Cassandra, turning her onto her back. Her blouse was ripped, and she had blood on her brow.

"Cassandra, oh God, please open your eyes, baby."

Her eyes fluttered open and shut, and she moaned in agony.

He picked her up in his arms and carried her the two miles back to the house because she couldn't sit on the horse.

They could see Edward carrying Cassandra in his arms as they looked out the window from inside the house.

"Mommy, mommy," Akia screamed as she ran to the door.

Edward then yelled for Jose to call the doctor before carrying her upstairs and gently laying her down.

Akia, Maria, and Mrs. Consuelo trailed close behind, worried about the girl who lay motionless in Edward's arms.

"Daddy, is mommy dead?" Akia asked, sobbing uncontrollably.

He cradled the screaming child in his arms. "No, honey, she's sleeping right now; I promise you she'll be fine."

She looked at him, tears streaming down her little face. "Do you mean it?"

"I promise," he said, his arms around the frightened child.

"What happened to Cassandra?" Mrs. Consuelo inquired, concerned.

"I found her down by the river," he says to Maria, "and I'd like you to look at her."

"Of course, get some warm water and towels for me," she said to Edward.

Maria kept talking to Cassandra while cleaning her bloody head, while the others stood around observing, little Akia sniffing in Edward's arms. "Cassandra, open your eyes; come on; Cassandra, can you hear me?"

Maria continued speaking, pleading with her to bring her water as Cassandra opened her eyes and cried out in pain.

"It's all right, dear," Maria said, "you're home now, and we'll take better care of you." She walked to the others, telling them to leave the room so she could change Cassandra into a nightgown and examine her.

The others were finally able to enter the room. "Is mommy all right now?" Akia sobbed.

Cassandra moved closer for Edward to place Akia on the bed and smiled at her. "I'm fine, baby," Cassandra said as she smiled at her daughter.

"What happened to you, mommy?" Cassandra's little eyes welled up with tears as she looked around the room, then back at Akia.

She was never going, to tell the truth to a sweet, innocent child. "Mommy fell, but I'm fine; why don't you paint me a picture? It would make me feel a lot better."

"OK, mommy," Akia said as she went to her room, and Edward sat on the bed beside Cassandra. "Why don't you tell us what happened now that she's gone?" Edward inquired.

She never got a chance to tell them because the doctor came in and began to examine her.

"OK young lady, you have a few fractured ribs, a badly sprained left wrist and ankle, and a severe concussion. You are to remain off that leg for a few days," the doctor said 25 minutes later.

"I can't stay in bed any longer; I'm going back to Manila," she sobbed.

The

"Sorry, Miss. You won't be leaving for a while," the doctor explained.

He looked at Edward. "Someone will need to monitor her overnight and wake her up every couple of hours or so."

"I'll do it," Edward pledged.

The doctor left after giving Cassandra a pain reliever. And Akia returned with a picture of the three of them for her mother.

"It's lovely, baby; I'll keep it by the bed so I can see it all the time," she said as her daughter nodded. "Akia needs a shower and to get ready for bed," she said to Edward.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," he said as he kissed Akia. "Now you rest, and I'll bring her back to kiss you goodnight."

Edward observed his daughter playing in the tub; she was already getting fat and had a rosy glow in her cheeks. The thought of the years he had missed with her made his heartache. He had to give Cassandra credit for surviving on her own; it couldn't have been easy.

"Daddy"

"Yes, Honey?" Asked Edward.

"How come you weren't my daddy before?" Akia inquired.

That floored him; how was he supposed to respond? So, because she was so young, he decided to change the subject. "Tell me, honey, what did you and your mother do for fun?"

It worked because she kept talking about the picnic area and the animal shelter, among other things. Then she said something that broke his heart. "When she didn't realize I could hear her, Mommy used to cry a lot."

"What made her cry?" he inquired, drying her off and putting on her pajamas.

"Just sad, I guess; maybe he was tired of our situation at the time; I was just thankful that Aunt Ava is always here to help my mother."

After Akia's bath, she went in to kiss her mother goodnight before Edward read her a bedtime story.

Cassandra could hear Edward reading to her through the open door. He was so good with Akia that he was going to make a great father, which Akia deserved.

"'Well, she's already sleeping," he said, sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"Now that we're all alone," Edward inquired, "tell me what happened, how did you end up by the river?"

Cassandra swallowed hard, knowing he'd be angry. "I met Greg on a walk, and he asked me to go riding with him." She noticed Edward's eyes darkening and his jaw twitching as he sat grinding his teeth.

"You what!?"

"Didn't I tell you to avoid that man?" he yelled. Then he felt like a jerk when he heard her whimper. After everything she had been through, the last thing she needed was another lecture from him. "I apologize, sweetie; what did Greg do to you?"

"I thought he was harmless until we stopped by the river and he pulled out a joint, which I refused when he offered it to me, and I demanded to be taken home because he was acting strangely and became angry and said some awful things."

"What is it?" Edward inquired. "It doesn't matter; when he tried to attack me, I fell backward and rolled down the embankment."

"I'm going to kill that jerk," Edward said, cursing.

Cassandra was in pain and emotionally drained, so she sobbed. Seeing her cry made his heart melt; something in him despised it when women cried. But when Cassandra did, he went over and laid next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "It's okay, sweetie. You're safe now, he'll never hurt you again, I'll see you later. Get some sleep," Edward said as he caressed her cheeks.

"You don't have to stay with me," she said as she yawned and dozed in his arms.

Edward was suffocating on the bed, Cassandra's head on his chest. He didn't want to wake her up by moving her. So, he sat with his arm around her, watching her sleep. He needs to track down Greg as soon as possible and make him pay. He would no longer be permitted on the family farm or anywhere near the people he loves and cares about.

"Cassandra, wake up. Come on, sweetie, wake up," he says as he shakes her gently.

She began whining and slapping Edward's hand away. "Please I still want to sleep. Don't move."

"I can't do it. Open your eyes and look at me," he persisted.

When Edward moved, she opened her eyes.

"That's my girl," he said as he got out of bed, "how are you feeling?"

If looks could kill, Edward would have died as Cassandra snapped at him. "How do you think? God, I'm tired now, can I go back to sleep?" she asked, hugging him quickly and closing her eyes.

"OK, go to sleep, I'll wake you later," he chuckled as he tucked her into bed.

Edward stood up and sat in his chair, struggling to stay awake. But his eyes soon became heavy and he fell asleep.