J.T. and Jacqueline were both with Tala by the time I got there.\u00a0 She had a death-grip on Phelan\u2019s hand and he looked like he was feeling every ounce of her strength bearing down on that hand.\u00a0 I tried to avoid looking at what Jacqueline and J.T. were up to as I circled the fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here,\u201d I said as I knelt down on the other side of Tala.\u00a0 She leaned against a set of shelves, pillows shoved behind her for comfort.\u00a0 Sweat was already beading at her hairline as I reached to push her hair back from her face.\u00a0 Her gaze flicked toward me and he sagged slightly in relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cMar,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 \u201cMar, it\u2019s too soon.\u00a0 They\u2019re too early.\u00a0 What are we going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
I caught her hand and squeezed hard.\u00a0 \u201cEverything\u2019s going to be okay,\u201d I told her even as her expression tightened as another contraction hit.\u00a0 \u201cI promise.\u00a0 We\u2019re all here to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacqueline glanced up toward us, giving me a grim, tight smile.\u00a0 \u201cEarly or not, they\u2019re coming fast.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to need you to start pushing after the next one, Tala.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tala swallowed, looking at Phelan and then at me.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d I told her, holding her hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be scared.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see it?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
I nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Yeah I did.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen them playing in the arboretum and out on the golf course playing with my son and Neve and Cameron\u2019s kids with Angie making sure they don\u2019t fall into the ravine or get lost.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen it, Tala.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could almost feel \u00c9riu\u2019s smile.\u00a0 She was near, I could tell from the quick glance up that J.T. gave, the way his eyes widened slightly before he looked down again. She was hovering behind me, watching over Tala the same as Phelan and I.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t lie to me about that, right?\u201d Tala asked in a whisper.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I promised, squeezing her hand again.\u00a0 \u201cI would never lie to you about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet ready to push, Tala.\u201d<\/p>\n
She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard, nodding. \u00a0\u201cThanks, Mar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPush now.\u201d<\/p>\n
She squeezed my hand so hard I was sure my hand would break, but I squeezed her hand back just as hard, hoping to give her something else to concentrate on rather than how much it must have hurt.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t scream, only swore in a hoarse whisper, swearing in the German she\u2019d learned in high school, the Latin she\u2019d learned here at the university.\u00a0 I understood some of the words but didn\u2019t listen to them.<\/p>\n
I was too busy watching something she couldn\u2019t see, something no one else could see.<\/p>\n
Gods and monsters and bloody hell.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bloody hell.<\/i><\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t breathe and squeezed my eyes shut, wishing the image would go away.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, my visions have never, ever worked that way.<\/p>\n
It had me and wasn\u2019t going to let me go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
J.T. and Jacqueline were both with Tala by the time I got there.\u00a0 She had a death-grip on Phelan\u2019s hand and he looked like he was feeling every ounce of her strength bearing down on that hand.\u00a0 I tried to … Continue reading