Mom and Dad were awakened by the commotion of their late arrival home and their excited chatter about the night. They emerged from their suite in their night clothes and realized, to their embarrassment, that they had a house guest.
"You remember Tori, don't you?" Sunny asked. "She's my colleague at work, and my campaign manager."
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Parhar," Tori said sheepishly.
"You were at the campaign opener," Mom said. "You were dressed all in white. In India, that's the colour of mourning."
"In retrospect, it might have been a poor choice," Tori admitted. "I might have cursed the campaign with it."
"Oh, come on," Sunny protested. "It hasn't been that bad."
"Did you tell them about the debate?"
"Hey, I can't control the audience, and aside from one flub, I did a pretty good job with the questions. And tonight wasn't bad, aside from the end."
"You were all gone a long time, Sunil," Dad said. "Did your event begin in the afternoon?"
"Oh! Uh, no," Sunny said, casting a sidelong glance at Tej, who raised one eyebrow in warning. How could he explain that they'd gone to the place where Bishan had been found? "We got together with the friends for some leisure time before we went to the event. We ended up bidding on some nice art."
"Did you win anything?" Mom asked.
"Well, we left before it was over, but if we have the highest bid they'll let us know."
"How did your shoes get so muddy?" Dad asked the kids.
Before they could answer, Sunny said, "Queen's Park. The event was at Centennial Lodge. The ground was a little wet."
"Mine got muddy too," Tori said. "I went to the playground and swung on the swings. What can I say? I'm a kid at heart."
Mom and Dad eyed Tori suspiciously, unsure if she was pulling their leg, but they nodded.
"Tori's staying in the guest room tonight," Sunny said.
To his parents' credit, they didn't ask why. Instead, Mom said, "Should I make chai?"
"That's a great idea," Tej said. "After all the excitement tonight, I could use some. I'll help you."
They walked into the kitchen. Sunny turned to Tori and said, "I'll set up your room and get you some towels."
"Thanks so much, Sunny," she said as she followed him up the stairs. "I really didn't want to go home alone tonight."
"Of course. I bet in the light of day we'll have a better idea of what's going on."
It was just then that his phone rang. He thought it might be Al again, since he'd just talked to him before, on the way home. To his surprise, though, he saw it was Rachel.
"Hey, Rachel," he answered.
"Hey, Sunny," she said. "Are you still at the event?"
He blinked in surprise. "Sorry?"
"You know, your thing at Centennial Lodge."
Sunny was confused now. "No, we're not. Isn't Al home? Didn't he tell you?"
"What? No, he's not home. They're not home."
"But, I just talked to him on the phone, like, ten minutes ago. They should have been home by now."
She was silent a moment. Then she said, "Maybe they ran into traffic?"
"It's possible. It started raining while we were on the road."
"So, hold on, you all left the event together?"
"Yes, under rather dramatic circumstances."
"What are you talking about?"
"Right, no one's told you. So, we were there, and we hid the device outside Centennial Lodge but nearby. Midway into the event, ten or so drones started flying around the place."
"Did you say drones?" Rachel squawked.
"Yeah, I know, eerily similar to Jordan's thing, right? We have a feeling they were looking for whoever moved the device. Then Naira texts me and pretty much confirms it, telling me to get out of there. We can't go without standing out, so Lauren pulls the fire alarm so everyone has to leave, at least for a little while. In the hubub, we take off, and as far as I know it worked to throw them off."
Rachel was silent a minute. Then she said, "Are you sure the drones didn't see you?"
"I can't be a hundred percent sure. Tori came home with us tonight just to feel safe."
"What about Lauren and Al?"
Sunny's stomach dropped. "I'm sure they're fine," he said with more confidence than he felt. "Is Joe with you?"
"No, he went back to Joanie's."
"Have you tried calling Al or Lauren?"
"I tried that already. Neither of them are picking up. That's why I called you."
Sunny stood there with his heart beating in his throat. "Shit," he breathed.
"I'm worried, Sunny. I'm alone with the kids, and Naomi's wondering where her mom and Tosh are. I'm trying to play it cool for her, but..."
"Hold on. Let's step back a moment. Are you able to do that thing Lauren was able to do when we found Joe's phone that time?"
"Oh, you mean that Find My Friends app? Actually, I think it's called something different now, but we don't have the same kind of phone. I don't think I can. Joe can, though, I think. I'll call him and get back to you."
Just like that, she hung up. Sunny looked at his phone, bemused. Tori said, "Is everything okay?"
Sunny almost forgot she was standing there, waiting for her bed to be made. "Sorry? Oh, uh, I don't know, to tell you the truth. It seems Lauren, Al and Tosh aren't home yet."
"Should they be?" she asked as Sunny brought out bed sheets.
"Yes, they only live in Burnaby North."
Tori helped him with the fitted sheet. "You don't think something's happened to them, do you?"
"I don't know."
They had only just finished making the bed, and Sunny had just gotten her towels, when his phone rang again. Rachel calling back.
"Rachel, any news?" he asked.
"Joe tracked Lauren's phone," she said. "It's just sitting at the turnoff from Highway One on to Willingdon. It hasn't moved."
"What's your thinking? Accident?"
"Either that or a flat tire, which wouldn't be safe on the shoulder of the turnoff. Joe's coming back over, and he's bringing Joanie with him, she just got off work and she's concerned about them too."
"Good. Let me know as soon as you hear anything."
"Will do."
She hung up again. Sunny saw Tori's concerned expression and said, "Lauren's husband Joe used his Find My Friends app to track her phone. It's just sitting at the turnoff from the highway to Willingdon Avenue."
Tori blinked at him for a few seconds before saying, "That doesn't sound good."
"No, it doesn't."
"What should we do?"
"Honestly, I don't know if there's anything we can do," he said, shrugging. "Joe's heading over there to see what's going on. He'll get there before we could."
Tori nodded absently, still preoccupied with this new development. "Did your mom say she was making chai?"
"Yeah."
"I think I could really use a cup."
"Me too."
They descended the stairs and sat around the dining room table while Mom and Tej passed cups around. The kids sipped theirs wordlessly, and when Mom brought out sweets, Tori gratefully took one. Dad tried to snag one too, but Mom smacked his hand away. "You're not spiking your blood sugar this late at night," she said. Sometimes Dad forgot he had diabetes. It was his sweet tooth that caused it in the first place.
"Only one each for the two of you, too," Tej said. "It's late, I don't want you bouncing off the walls."
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep right away," Harpreet said. "Naomi texted and said Tosh wasn't home yet. I'm worried for her."
Shit. Why didn't he predict the kids would talk to each other? "Yes, I heard from Rachel they weren't home yet as well. Ajit, did Tosh text you while he was on the road?"
Ajit nodded. "He hasn't texted in a while, though."
"What's going on?" Tej asked.
"There's a chance they might have gotten into an accident," Sunny said.
"I wouldn't be surprised with this sudden change in weather," Dad said. "The roads can be very slick when it suddenly rains after a few dry days."
"I hope they're okay," Tej said.
They sat drinking in somber silence for a few minutes. Sunny had just finished his cup when his phone rang again. He rose from the table, unwilling to be rude in front of his parents by talking on the phone at the table, and strode into the living room as he answered. "Rachel?"
"Sunny!" she cried, and he could tell she was in tears. "Oh, God!"
"Rachel, what is it?!" he nearly yelled into the phone, startled by her emotion, fearing the worst.
"They're in the hospital, all three of them! We're heading there right now, all of us!"
"What happened?!" he cried as he sank into the couch, his legs unable to hold him up anymore.
"Their car flipped over!"
"Oh, God," he breathed. "Are they... are they okay?"
"I don't know," she whimpered. "Lauren must be, because she gave the paramedic Joe's number to call. Joe called me while he was on the road, he's scared but I think he's holding it together for my sake because there's no way I can drive in this condition so he has to..."
"Rachel," he said sharply to stop her rambling, which had to be due to shock. "What about the others?"
"She said to tell Joe Tosh was awake and talking, but he said he was bleeding. Lauren might be really hurt too, but she was awake at least. Al, though... oh, God, Al..."
Her sobs were gut wrenching. Sunny felt hot tears in his eyes. No, please, not another death of someone I love. "What about Al?" he cried frantically. "What about him?"
"He wasn't responding!" she nearly shrieked. "I don't know if he's unconscious or... or..."
She sank into sobs again, and in the background, Sunny could hear Emma plead, "Don't cry, Mum! Please don't cry!" But she was sobbing too, he could tell.
"I'm coming!" he shouted. "Which hospital?"
Rachel said, "Burnaby Hospital, it's the closest by."
"I'm coming! Hold on, Rachel, okay?"
"Okay."
She hung up abruptly. Sunny stood on shaky legs and reached for his keys. Where were his keys? He stumbled toward the front door, while images of Lauren, hurt badly, and Al, unconscious and maybe worse, flashed through his mind.
"Sunny?"
He turned and saw Tej hurrying toward him. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"They're at the hospital," he said. "Burnaby Hospital. I have to go."
"You're not going anywhere looking like you're going to faint," she said, gripping his arms in her hands. "Just, hold on. They're at the hospital?"
He nodded. "They're hurt. Al might be..." He shook his head furiously to rid himself of that image.
Suddenly Tori was there too. "I'll drive you," she said. "You shouldn't have to drive in your condition."
He nodded dumbly and looked at Tej. "Do you want to come?"
"As much as I'd like to, I should keep the kids home and keep an eye on your parents," Tej said. "Besides, I'm sure Al's and Lauren's families will be there, we'll only get in the way."
It made sense. "Okay."
"But, please, tell them I'm thinking of them. I'll probably be up all night worrying now."
He nodded. "Hold the kids close for me. I'll call you as soon as I hear anything."
He was grateful when Tori took his hand, because he felt like he needed help walking to the door. He suddenly felt exhausted. He'd had a full day, and just when he thought he might go to bed, he was out the door again.
Thanks for reading this far! The friends are on the ropes now. You'll need to read on to find out how they come back. If you liked what you read so far, hit "Vote" to send this title up the ranks. If I made any cultural errors, please let me know in the comments; I strive for authenticity.
Before we get back to the crisis, let's take a breather and revisit when Sunny first made contact with Rachel in thirty years, by clicking on "Continue reading."