Her phone remained tightly clutched in one hand as she paced restlessly across the polished wooden floor, crossing from one side of the room to the other before turning back again.
Every few moments her gaze drifted instinctively toward the bedroom door, as though she expected Takoda to suddenly come running out with her usual bright smile, laughing because everyone had worried over nothing. The silence that greeted her instead only tightened the knot in her chest.
Amelia watched her for a long moment before finally rising from her chair. Walking over slowly, she placed a gentle hand upon Dakota's arm and spoke with the calm patience that had comforted countless frightened souls throughout her lifetime.
"Dakota, you need to sit down."
Dakota shook her head almost immediately, her anxious eyes never leaving the bedroom door.
"I can't," she answered quietly. "If I sit down... I feel like something worse will happen."
