In two minutes the driveway’s going to be full of emergency trucks.”

My father stayed on the bottom step, polishing the lenses of his glasses with slow, circling strokes of his handkerchief.

He looked at Emma, then at Vanessa’s back, but he didn’t step onto the kitchen tile.

The back screen door banged open, and two paramedics in dark blue uniforms came into the kitchen carrying heavy orange gear bags.

The lead paramedic, a tall man named Dan with gray at his temples, went down on one knee next to Emma.

He clipped a small black sensor onto her right index finger right away.