Marker of Hope (23 page)

“And me.”

“Did you know Galilea has a list of baby
names?” He pointed to a notebook by his feet. “She dropped it off
just before you came in. Said she’d be back to add to it.”

“Oh yeah. She read them out to us
downstairs—all thirteen pages,” I said. “She has the name Amadeus
on her top ten.”

“Samuel’s birth name?” David blinked. “I
thought she didn’t like him?”

“She changed her mind. Again.”

“And you? I haven’t heard your thoughts about
your father.”

I shrugged. “He’s okay, I guess. Seems to be
a decent, stand-up guy—as opposed to the type of person I thought
he was,” I said. “You know what he’s doing downstairs right now?
Talking about birthing beds. Dr. Gunn and Samuel were asking me
which one I liked best. They have a catalog, David. A birthing bed
catalog.”

“Did you pick one?”

“Pff… no. I ran out of the room like my butt
was on fire.”

David laughed. “Why?”

“I’m not sold on the idea of having Samuel
present during the birth.” I reached for Galilea’s notebook and
handed it to David.

“Who better to oversee the delivery than a
gynecologist?” he asked, flipping the notebook open.

“Who happens to be my father? No thanks.” I
made a face and pulled the bed covers up to chest. “I don’t want
him anywhere near my nether regions.”

David set the notebook down. His mouth pulled
to one side as he stared at me.

“Isis,” he said. “We can’t exactly be picky.
Our choices are limited. And although Dr. Gunn and Eileen are well
versed—”

“Can we not talk about this right now? It’s
making my stomach turn. Besides, it’s time for your therapy. Let’s
focus on you, okay?”

“Fine,” he said. “Therapy is in session.”

David stood from the bed without difficulty,
walked to the door, and locked it. I spread the yoga mat on the
floor for him and sat down next to it on a cushion. David kneeled
on the mat. He gazed at me for a moment, then reached for the bun
in my hair and set it loose. Using the tips of his fingers, he
brushed a strand of hair aside and kissed my neck. Goose bumps
sprouted on my skin by the thousands.

“Um… D-David, that’s not part of the exercise
schedule,” I said.

“We’re trying something different today.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“I do.” He slid his hand up the back of my
shirt. I felt my bra loosen, and his hand traveled leisurely to my
chest. His lips felt hot on mine, his tongue hotter. “I’ve missed
you.”

“So have I,” I said. “But I’m not sure now is
a good time for this. What if they hear us?”

“We’ll be quiet.” He bit my neck, and I
squealed. “Shhh.”

“David, you’re in no condition to—”

He kissed me deep.

“And my stomach is—”

He kissed me again.

“If you don’t stop…” My breathing became
labored.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked. I
considered the question for but a second. I shook my head. He
pulled my shirt over my head. My bra slid down my arms, and he
flung it to the side. He studied me, running his fingers along my
skin, tracing the curves of my upper body. “Your skin’s so soft,”
he said. “I know I say it far too much, but you’re beautiful. I
can’t believe how lucky I am.”

“Lucky, after what you’ve been through?”

“It’s a matter of perspective, love.”

David lay back on the pad, pulling me over
him as he did. With a sudden but careful movement, he rolled me
onto the mat. I landed on my side, my back to his chest. His tongue
trailed a warm, damp path from the back of my neck to my ear. I
felt his excitement stirring against me through the thin fabric of
my pajama pants. I reached behind me, touching him, and he let out
a soft groan into my hair.

“Shh…” I said.

His hand slipped beneath the front elastic of
my underwear. He lingered at my hip, running the tips of his
fingers at an angle. My breath quickened. Slowly, his hand moved
down, then lower still, finding the aim of his intention between my
thighs. I gasped audibly and bit my lip.

“Shh…” He spoke against my cheek, letting out
short, ragged breaths.

I felt the speed at which his chest inflated
and deflated, like mine. His hand moved to my rear, as he pressed
long, urgent kisses on my lips. With one tug, my pajama pants and
underwear glided down past my thighs. He drew me back against his
hips, and my heart pounded in my chest, a furious craving rising
inside me. His breath landed hot on the crook of my neck as our
bodies molded flawlessly into one another. While David held me, I
forgot about the qualms and anxieties present in our lives. We
floated high above everything and everyone in existence. There was
no past or present or future; there was only us. This—our love for
each other—was the most sacred of things my heart had ever known.
And I was willing to do whatever it took to preserve it.

***

Sunlight still filled the sky when Claire
arrived with two massive bags of fresh Mexican sweet bread she’d
picked up at one of the family-owned bakeries in town. Eryx helped
her carry them in. The scents of warm sugar, cinnamon, and anise
filled the air as he crossed the foyer to the dining area.

After a few minutes of polite pleasantries
among the older adults, we followed Dr. Gunn into the den where the
equipment had been set up. I noted the glances exchanged between
Claire and Samuel. Their attraction to one another troubled me.
Under different circumstances, I would’ve let them be, been happy
for my mom and maybe even for Samuel. But Samuel was a deity and
Claire a mortal—a recipe for disaster, for which I was the perfect
example.

I lay on the sofa and Gunn coated my stomach
with a blue, gel-like substance. Samuel was at his side, pressing
buttons and turning knobs on the large machine. Gunn swiveled the
monitor so everyone had a clear view of the screen, including him
and me. Samuel placed a chair next to the sofa, by my head.

“David,” Samuel said. “You sit here.”

“Are we ready?” Gunn asked, glancing at
everyone, and finally at me. I nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s get
this show on the road.” He slid the convex-shaped wand over my
belly. A mirage of shapes appeared on the screen, none I could
discern. His hand angled and pressed against my skin until a tiny
hand appeared on the screen; next to it, a tiny face came into
focus.

“That looks like a normal human baby to me.”
Gunn nodded, then realized what he’d said. He blinked in Claire’s
direction. Every eye in the room gauged Claire’s reaction, but she
seemed unfazed by the comment. I let out the breath I was holding
when she smiled at me. I smiled back. “Because, why wouldn’t it be,
right?” The doctor quickly focused back at the monitor. “Let’s see
what you’ve got cooking in there.” He applied heavier pressure on
my belly. “And there it is. Samuel, do you see that?”

“I do,” Samuel said.

“Would you do us the honor, Granddad?” Gunn
asked Samuel. “Tell us what you see.”

“I see,” Samuel looked at David and me, “a
very perfect baby girl.”

“Yes!” Galilea cheered.

“We’re having a daughter.” David kissed my
head. “How do you feel about that?”

“Happy.” I smiled, but I wanted to cry,
though I didn’t know why. Seeing a tiny formed body inside me may
have been the wakeup call I needed, the single moment confirming
this was my life, and it was real. I felt like a thirty-year-old,
instead of a college-aged kid. Though, college wasn’t out of the
question, I wouldn’t live the college experience my friends raved
about: choosing and changing a major, partying until late hours,
living in a dorm. The full blow of responsibility for the life I
was carrying in my belly now hit me—hit me hard. Maybe the scramble
of emotions I was experiencing were what made me feel weepy. Or
maybe it was the excessive amounts of pregnancy hormones. I felt
joyous and sad and scared and excited, all at once. The concepts of
devotion and unconditional love were truly grasped and understood
by me. Thoughts about the type of mother I wanted to be ran laps
around my head. Then, in a swift instant, those thoughts and
emotions evaporated. In their place roused a strong instinct of
survival. A tidal wave of adrenaline doused me from head to toe as
I saw a dark cloud appear behind Claire. Almost instantly, the
silhouette of a Turpis took shape.

Eryx was the first to note the panic on my
face. He followed my fixed gaze to the Turpis, which had formed
into a solid, carbonized figure. Baring yellow fangs, the demon
reached a clawed hand out to Claire. A scream caught in my throat.
Eryx pulled Claire with a brusque tug out of the demon’s way. She
crashed into Alezzander’s chest, who, in turn, flung her like a rag
doll in the direction of Eileen and Nyx. I leapt from the sofa in
an attempt to run to my mother’s side, to protect her, to keep her
from being singed by the fiend of hell. But the extra weight of the
pregnancy made me slow, and Galilea blocked my way as well as my
view of Claire. Before I could protest, David hooked his arm around
my chest, his hand pressed over my mouth as he dragged me away from
the rabid snarls of the Turpis waging war against the men in the
room.

In the hallway, Galilea widened her eyes at
David and me as she lifted a finger to her lips. I nodded, and
David removed his hand from my mouth.

Galilea leaned into David and me and
whispered, “They can’t see you, but they know you’re here. We’ve
got to get you out of the house.”

“But my mom…” I whispered back. Galilea
shushed me.

From the study came the sound of crashes and
shattering glass, followed by a woman’s scream. Was it Claire’s? I
tensed. Galilea took a step toward the den’s doorway, but David
caught her shoulder, pushing her back and hurtling past her toward
the study.

“David, no!” Galilea called after him, but it
was too late. David had already entered the study. A few seconds
later, Claire slid out across the foyer’s wood flooring, her back
crashing against the foot of the banister. Her face was alabaster
in color, her eyes so wide I thought they’d pop out of their
sockets. I ran to her side and helped her up, determined to lead
her out of conflict’s way. But she wouldn’t budge. She stared at me
with bewilderment. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I startled. I
was relieved when I saw it was David who’d returned from the
study.

“It’s okay,” David said to Claire. “Isis’s
eyes do that sometimes.”

Oh no.
I didn’t want her to see me
like this. I looked down at the floor, away from Claire. I was
going to have to tell her the truth. But later. At the moment, what
I wanted was to get her out of there.

Just then, Dr. Gunn and Eileen crawled out of
the den. Nyx appeared behind them, running away from the commotion
in the room. She tripped over Gunn’s foot and landed on her hands
and knees on the floor. David helped his mother up. Meanwhile, Gunn
helped Eileen sit against the wall, tending to the bloody trickle
flowing from two parallel gashes on Eileen’s rosy cheek. Dr. Gunn’s
nose was as bloody as his wife’s face. The scent of blood roused
the craving in me, and my mouth watered. I licked my lips.
No
! I closed my eyes and held my breath for moment.

“Claire,” Galilea said, and my eyes sprang
open. “We’re getting out of here. But you have to listen very
carefully to me.” Claire didn’t blink. “When I say run, you run and
fast. You don’t wait for any of us. Not even for Isis. She’ll be
fine with me. But if you don’t listen to my instructions, that
thing in the other room will come after her. You have to stay away
from her for now. Pretend she’s not here. Okay?” Claire was like a
statue, unblinking and stiff. Her panicked eyes focused on me and
solely me.

“Mom, you have to listen to Galilea,” I
whispered. She didn’t respond. “Mom?” I snapped my fingers at her,
but nothing. I turned to Galilea. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s in shock,” Dr. Gunn said from the
wall.

“I know how to fix her,” Galilea said. “I’m
sorry about this, Claire.” The snap of Galilea’s hand on my
mother’s cheek made me wince.

Claire blinked, stunned by the blow.

“Did you hear what I said?” Galilea asked
her. Claire shook her head. “Follow my instructions. Run when I say
run. Wait for no one.”

“I… Ok.” Claire nodded and trembled at the
same time. “What is that thing in there?” Claire asked, reaching
for my eyes. “And your eyes are—”

Before Claire could finish her thought,
pieces of the den wall shot past us. The Turpis crumpled a few feet
away, shrieking. A dagger gleamed out of its side beneath its left
arm, black secretion tainting the floorboards. David stepped in
front of me. He kicked the demon in the face as it tried to regain
its posture. Eryx jumped over the creature and sank his blade into
the demon’s eye. The Turpis writhed on the floor, and the room
seemed to dim for a second or two. Swarms of flying insects emerged
out of thin air in the foyer. They flocked together and from them,
the shape of three Turpis began to materialize in the foyer.

“Run!” Samuel screamed at me.

Galilea jerked my arm, leading me away from
the scene. We passed the kitchen and exited through the side door
of the enclosed patio. As I darted across the backyard, I looked
over my shoulder. The doctors and Claire weren’t far behind. I
expected to see Nyx, but she wasn’t with us. Neither was David. I
slowed my pace and backpedaled toward the house.

“Isis, no!” Galilea ran after me. “Don’t even
think about it.” She all but tackled me in the middle of the yard,
and then dragged me in the opposite direction.

“Galilea…” I protested. “David can’t stay in
there. He’s not fully healed.”

“He’ll be fine. We’re not going back. Or do
you not care about your unborn child?” She waited for my reaction.
“That’s what I thought.”