All my priorities for the day shifted. ALL I wanted was my kids.
I could not find them.
My mind started to run wild and I thought maybe they were close to the door and someone coaxed them out of the mall. I was panting, lightheaded, dizzy and a bit nauseous. I didn't know where else to look. So I started to look for a worked to call security.
Then I heard over the intercom: Kelly please come to the jewelry counter. I was near there and sprinted through the purses to find both kids behind the counter. Christian was face was tear streaked, red faced and near hysterical. Victoria was calmly talking with the employee. We embraced and kissed and I was choked up saying thank you to the lady. We had a long talk about what went wrong and how scared we all were.
They've been glued to me ever since. Very very scary.