Emma

Today was the scariest day of my entire life. I don't mean I was a little scared. I mean heart stopping fear.

I was at work this afternoon when I got the call from my mom. "Emma is missing. The police are at the house."

I already knew that she was at her house which means there is a big lake in her backyard. I didn't hear anything else. I didn't clock out from work. I grabbed my purse and ran out of the office full speed telling another nurse that Emma is missing as I ran.

I ran through the entire clinic and to my car. As I was running I was trying to call Kevin but my fingers wouldn't work. After several times I was able to get a hold of him. He wanted information. I didn't have any. I didn't even ask my mom any questions. All I knew was that Emma was gone. Then I called Karen and asked her to hit her knees in prayer.

I choose to drive to the house via highway knowing that I might be able to get there faster by speeding (I think I was going about 85 mph-maybe more) while hoping that there weren't any cops on the road. I held my cell phone in my hand praying it would ring with news that they found her.

The call came right before I rounded the corner to my mom's house. It was Kevin, he was also in rout (driving faster then me). Mom just found Emma and she is safe.

I rounded the corner to see the first responders. When my mom told me that the police were there I imagined 1-2 cars in the drive way. It was so much bigger then that. There were so many responders that they lined the street on both sides; there wasn't even a place to park. I threw my van in someones driveway totally blocking their cars and got out. I couldn't even walk. I went to my knee's in tears. A man approached me and said "you must be mom..." I agreed and he was quick to tell me that she is safe. He walked me into the house and I was able to hold and hug a very frightened little Emma.

I was also able to find out a little more information. Mom had left Emma's sight for about 20-30 seconds. When she returned Emma was gone and wouldn't respond when called. She checked the lake, the road, the house. As the seconds clicked into minutes her voice got more frantic and Emma thought she was in big trouble so she hid.

The first responders hit the water first. They were in boats and dragging the water in person by lining up and feeling the bottom of the lake with their feet. As the water search was underway an officer searched the house with mom. Room by room leaving nothing unturned. It was during the house search that Emma was found. She was in the playroom in the smallest corner possible under a playhouse slide.

She was missing about 20-25 minutes total. I only knew about it for about 10-15 minutes. I have felt fear in my life, never like those 10-15 minutes.

I would like to say what a wonderful job the Maple Valley Fire department and Police Department did. They took a call about a missing child and didn't hesitate. They used every resource they had and had more teams coming. What a difference that dedication made in our lives.