The powerful rain left the world in ruin. Mr. Jergen'scutlass lay crushed by a fallen poplar. Glass and broken boards from buildingsfar down the road littered the street. A bathtub sat in the center of it all."They have to get rid of it. It's an eyesore," Elizabeth Donovan said, hervoice catching on a well of tears. The Donovan home, like every other home ontheir block, was still standing, or it looked that way if you happened a glancefrom the outside. Behind the tall hand-carved front door, Mrs. Donovan and herhusband were in the middle of their worst nightmare.

She was missing. Their Teddi was missing. Elizabeth stoodwhere she had been for the last hour, holding the green curtain in the drawingroom back, waiting and watching for a sign of her. It had been hours, too manyhours. The child's grandfather did not seem to know where she'd run off to, buthe said he had a feeling she went to see that boy at the orphanage, which waswhere Eustace Holliday and his son were right now, looking for her. They'd beengone for nearly an hour. Why were they taking so long? Suppose she wasn'tthere? Suppose she hadn't made it there and had been caught in the storm?

"Elizabeth, will you please sit down?" Judge Donovan'sweakened and worried tenor grumbled toward his wife. He sat in his old maroonleather chair, tapping his unused pipe against its arm. Neither of them couldfully formulate the worst possiblility, but their hearts were a differentmatter. Fear had settled in.

"Here we are," said Rose Holliday, emerging from the kitchenwith a tray holding three steaming cups of warm tea. The judge gave a smallshake of his head, while his wife heard without acknowledgment as she staredlock-jawed out of the window. Tea would be saved for later.

Mrs. Holliday set the tray on a round table near one of theonly new things in the old couple's home, a brand new Zenith radio, a radiothat, unfortunately, did their situation no good -- for electricity had beenblown out hours ago. "Ben and Eustace will find her."

Mrs. Donovan would not speak, afraid to visibly relinquishcontrol of her senses. Where was her little girl? Was it her fault that she wasgone? Perhaps she'd been too hasty in insisting she attend Miss Carrington's.Perhaps she should have allowed her more freedom. But it was in her bestinterest. Teddi did not know what horrible people lurked out there in theworld. She had been rescued from that kind of life, put back into Elizabeth'shands. It was up to her and her alone to keep Teddi safe for as long as shecould. She loved her so much. Holding back the threat of vicious tears,Elizabeth Donovan smacked the back of her hand against her mouth and slammedher eyes shut, praying for her granddaughter's safe return.

***

A minute before those fitful moments in the Donovans' livingroom, young Calvin Wynne began a difficult journey down a slippery hill withhis arms full of a girl named Theodora Donovan. He carried her more carefullythan he had anything in his life, including the delicate packages Miss Pinchleyentrusted him with. The pound of the earlier wind turned to a haunting whistle.If someone saw him with Teddi, they'd expect the worst. There were so manyreasons he should not be touching her, or even be near her. He looked down ather. Her eyes closed, her lips pale. She was worse, damn it. All worries ofbeing caught fled his mind. His only concern was to get her to safety. But thewalk was a good four miles, and he feared her weight might make the trip tooslow through the muddy streets.

Water reached his upper calf at the bottom of the shorelineroad. It didn't look like anything he'd seen before. Homes that had been therehours before were gone; piles of debris lined the blocks before him. He nearlydropped Teddi several times. Thankfully, the center of town was not flooded. Hestopped for only a minute, in order to catch his breath. "You okay, Teddi?" heasked as her eyelids fluttered open.

She nodded. "I can walk if you want me to." She sounded evenweaker than she had in the lighthouse.

Calvin's heart clenched. "You just hold on to me; I'll getyou home." He held her closer and began walking again.

"Calvin, holy mackerel!" a sharp, high voice cut through thewhistling wind, growing closer by the second. "You okay?"

It was Cindy Marchbeck, running toward him, waving her arm.Calvin noticed he was in front of her father's hardware store. He spotted Mr.and Mrs. Marchbeck, Cindy's sister, Harriet, and their younger brother,standing outside, handing out supplies to a group of men. He wondered brieflywhat they were doing, but then Cindy was upon him, hovering over Teddi.

"Did she get caught in it?" the slightly older girl asked,brow furrowed.

"No," Calvin grunted. "She's sick." The words tumbled out ofhis mouth as he started walking again.

"Holy mackerel," Cindy repeated a bit out of breath,following by his side. "It's so awful. I heard that the Chatfields' house gottorn down. And the Millers and Rochesters and five more I know of up that way.Old Man Hancock got caught in the tide this afternoon, too. My pop doesn't seemto think Brookhurst got the worst of it though. He got word Westhampton Beachwas hit hardest. It just came out of the blue, didn't it?"

"Look, Cindy, I have to get her home or to a doctor."

"Doc Jessup and his assistant are up at the school," shesaid, still following along as Calvin sped up his stride. "Some of the peoplewho were hurt were rushed over there. A couple of kids, too. I don't knowwhose. Dr. Reed and his wife are going from house to house, but I think theyare somewhere on the other side of town looking for the injured. Oh, Calvin,this is a nightmare." Cindy began to cry, her normally pin-curled strawberryblonde hair hung in a straight dull mess over her shoulders. Under any other circumstancesCalvin would have made an effort to comfort her, but he couldn't take his mindoff Teddi. She needed him to stay focused.

"Do you know how many people are at the school?" he asked,still moving.

Cindy shook her head. "More than twenty, I think."

"I'm going to have to get her home then. She needs to be someplace dry."

"Is that Teddi Donovan?" she asked as she moved closer tostudy Teddi's face.

"Yes," he grunted again, irritated that she'd asked at all.

"Calvin, where was she?"

"It doesn't matter. I have to get her home."

"I'll go with you."

"No!" he practically roared, his senses acute.

"You need an alibi. If people see you with her alone—"

"I don't care what people think."

"Unless you want a knuckle sandwich, I'm coming and there isnothing you can do about it."

Calvin did not answer. He wasn't going to argue with CindyMarchbeck when Teddi could be getting worse. He repositioned her in his armsbefore moving his feet faster in the direction of the Donovan home. She wasgoing to be okay. He would make sure of it.

***

When they arrived at Teddi's front door, they were greeted bya distraught Judge Donovan.

"Theodora! Oh my dear girl, what's happened to her?"

"She's sick," croaked Calvin.

"Bring her inside, boy, bring her inside," said the judge, hisvoice rushed and shaky.

Calvin stepped through the threshold with Cindy close behindhim. "She's been coughing for hours, and she's got a fever," Calvin explained.

"What have you done to her?" Elizabeth Donovan spat ruefullyat Calvin as she brushed back Teddi's hair. "Oh, my sweet child."

"He rescued her, Mrs. Donovan," Cindy cut in, her toneprotective. "I was there."

"Cindy, maybe you should go home," Calvin said, unable tofocus on the hurt he saw in her eyes. "Your family needs you."

She nodded, looking as though she very much agreed on thatpoint. "Yes. Just look after yourself, Calvin."

"Grandmother?" Teddi croaked as Cindy shut the front doorbehind her.

Rose Holliday spoke up urgently. "Calvin, you should get herto her room or lie her down on the sofa."

"Her room is best," snapped Mrs. Donovan.

"Right this way," the judge said, striding toward the stairs.

"He can't go up there," Mrs. Donovan began, but was cut offby a soft admonishment from Mrs. Holliday.

"She needs to be carried, and he can do it. I'll take care ofher. My father was a country doctor; he trained my sister and me to help him."

Calvin climbed the steps, following Mr. Donovan. Mrs.Holliday and Mrs. Donovan followed close behind. Teddi's room had beendisheveled for some reason, but the judge and Mrs. Holliday quickly placed thesheets and pillows back in order, allowing Calvin to set Teddi down quickly.

"It looks like pneumonia," Mrs. Holliday said, alternatingthe back of her hand and the palm of it across Teddi's forehead.

Calvin stood by chewing his bottom lip and shifting his feet,watching Teddi grow paler. Had Mrs. Holliday just said pneumonia? Didn't somepeople die from that? This was his fault. Somehow, this was all his fault.

"Someone's got to get a doctor," Mrs. Holliday continued,looking between the old couple then finally resting her eyes on Calvin.

"Dr. Reed is in town, but I don't know where, and Doc Jessupis at the school with some of the storm victims," Calvin said.

"Well, go there and get him, you stupid boy!" Mrs. Donovanthundered, her control unbound.

"If there are a lot of people who need them, they probablywon't be able to come. We can make do until tomorrow. I know what to do," Mrs.Holliday said.

Just then they heard a bustling downstairs. "Mother! JudgeDonovan!"

"That must be Ben and Eustace," said Mrs. Holliday. "Up here,darling! We've got Teddi!" she called out to her family.

Ben and his father entered the room in seconds, damp and outof breath. "What's wrong with her?" Ben asked, seeing Teddi lying on the bed,before he noticed Calvin standing behind his mother. "What are you doing here?"

"Ben, dear, Teddi's pretty sick. We're just going to have totake care of her, okay?" said Mrs. Holliday, speaking to him as if he were ayoung naïve child, which Calvin was sure he still was.

Calvin stood by, wanting to be the one to take care of Teddilike he had been for all of those hours, but he also wanted her to get well.His heart ached for her. "Do you think she'll be all right?" he asked bravely,needing to hear something to ease his fear.

"We can't know for sure, Calvin," said Mrs. Holliday with asort of soft half-hidden pain in her voice. "Not yet."

Calvin felt a hand curl around his shoulder and nudge himbackward with force. He jerked his head around to see Ben standing there withvenom in his eyes. Ben nodded toward the hallway and Calvin followed, shuttingthe door behind him.

"Where the hell were you two? She could have died!" Benshouted.

"Not that it's your business," he said, trying to keep histone civil, "but we just happened to run into each other. I didn't set out tofind her this morning."

"Where did you just run into each other?"

Calvin shook his head. There was no way in hell he was goingto betray Teddi by telling Ben about the lighthouse. It was their place, theirown world. "Ben, look, I know I can't expect you to understand."

"Try me," he returned coldly.

Calvin shoved his eyebrows in the air and folded his armsacross his chest. "Rather not, chum," he said, spitting out the last word.

"Would you boys stop the bickering and concentrate on helpingout the Donovans?" Eustace Holliday said, closing the door to Teddi's roomsoftly behind him.

"He isn't going to help anyone, Dad," Ben said. "It's hisfault Teddi's here."

"She was more than likely sick before she ever went outside.You don't simply catch pneumonia from being in a storm," said Ben's father.

Ben snorted.

A loud banging on the door downstairs broke only slightlythrough the tension in the hallway.

"I'll get that," said Eustace. "You boys behave."

Calvin shook his head. "Your parents talk to you like you'refive."

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't know anything about that."

Ben's father reappeared in the upstairs hallway and the twoboys turned toward the sound of visitors' voices downstairs. "I need to ask theDonovans something. They may have a few guests due to the storm. Ben, would yougo and check on your grandmother and Chip next door?" he asked without lookingat either Ben or Calvin, then knocked on the door and returned to Teddi's room.

Ben stared Calvin down, nostrils flaring. "You should leave,"he demanded in a low growl.

Calvin's gut twisted and his hands clenched. He had to forcean image of Teddi into his mind to will himself steady. "This isn't your house,"Calvin said, grinding his teeth. "Don't you have a little brother to check on?"

Ben ignored this. "You think the Donovans want you here afterwhat you did to Teddi?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Boys," Eustace Holliday admonished from the doorway of Teddi'sbedroom. He pulled the door only part of the way shut this time. "In caseyou've forgotten, there are other people in this house besides the two of you."

"Sorry, Mr. Holliday," Calvin said, keeping his eyes trainedon Ben for a moment, before turning to his father. "How is she?"

"She's, uh," Eustace looked away. "She's calling for hermother. Look, the Chatfields lost their house, and they've asked to stay thenight. Mrs. Donovan wants me to show them to the guest rooms downstairs. Ben,please go check on your brother."

"In a second, Dad."

After Eustace disappeared down the stairs, Calvin heard astrangled cry float into the hallway from her room. "Calvin," she uttered,following an onslaught of wretched coughs.

Without another thought, Calvin rushed toward the door toTeddi's room but was stopped by Ben's hand clutching his elbow. "Don't."

Calvin ripped his arm out of Ben's grip. "Don't make me hityou, Ben."

"Young man, please leave!" Mrs. Donovan's harsh voice echoeddown the hallway, causing him to shudder. "You're not wanted here."

"But—"

She stepped closer to Calvin with her hand raised and hereyes narrow. "Go now, or I'll report you," her voice came out in a soft hiss."You'll never see the light of day once I'm through with you."

Calvin heard Teddi's continuous cries and shook his head."No," he said, looking past the older woman through Teddi's half-cracked door."She needs me."

"She doesn't need you. She needs a doctor. She needs herfamily. Because of you she might die."

"That's not true," Calvin said, forcing down the sob that hadrisen in his throat.

"Leave now, young man."

Calvin fisted his hands together and looked Mrs. Donovan inthe eye. "I'll be back tomorrow." He glanced in the direction of Teddi'sbedroom one last time before forcing his heavy feet past a sneering BenHolliday. He would be back.