The Hidden Two
Page 19
Teddy held up his hand. “Stop. I don’t want it.”
“What?” She glanced his way.
“Family is where the heart is, correct? Therefore, life is wherever you are.” He peered around. “I don’t know about you, but I think you’ll need us. You won’t be able to fend for yourselves.”
Laura smirked. “You liked saying that, didn’t you?”
Teddy laughed. “Very much.”
“The rest of you, I won’t—”
“Please,” Eri said. “Charlie and I have been with you since the beginning. We’re in. Though I want our own cabin.”
“That’s my girl,” Charlie added from the front.”
“You know I’m in,” Deshawn said.
That left Willow. The girl’s face was free of any telling emotions.
“Willow, it won’t bother us if you need to go.”
Teddy shot Laura an annoyed look. “Speak for yourself, Black.” He glanced back at Willow. “What are you thinking? Because I’m thinking I’ll go with you if you have to, as long as we can still find them when we miss them.”
She slid her hand in his and grinned. “No, I’m in. I was just playing it all out in my head. I’m good. Let’s go find the perfect hiding place.”
“You heard her, Charlie. Let’s go find our normal,” Teddy said.
Epilogue
A Little Over Two Years Later
The sun slowly rose over the Canadian countryside, casting shadows from the tall moss-covered trees. The air smelt of pine and chimney smoke. Laura stretched on the front porch of her cabin and breathed deep.
Myers came behind her and wrapped a Mexican blanket around her shoulders.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” Laura turned and faced her husband. Her heart swelled as he touched his lips to hers. “Have you heard from anyone yet?”
He shook his head. “Charlie promised they’d bring his famous sweet potatoes, so he has to be on time or you know who will be unhappy.”
“Yes, there will be some serious yelling. I’m sure you had enough of that already this morning from me. Cooking a turkey in that camp stove was a bit arduous. I hope it tastes okay.” She smiled, as a gray bird with a yellow neck flittered to a halt on the railing, pecked at the wood before flying away.
He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, “How did you sleep last night? More bad dreams?”
She glanced out across their front yard—the view of thousands of tall trees and only the sounds of nature. It soothed her. She closed her eyes and nodded. Flashbacks and horrible memories had plagued her since they stopped running. Thoughts of death, torture, and all she had seen—it all found a resting place in her unconscious state.
“I hate to be a victim, but we didn’t process all of this properly. At S.I.U., we always had to meet with a therapist after a big event. They did most things wrong, but that was one thing they did right.” She stared in his eyes. “I think we, or least I, should talk to someone.”
“We can’t risk it. You know that.” He kissed her cheek. “If they rat us out, we’re done.”
“Aren’t they subject to client-patient privilege?”
He shrugged. “Not sure if that includes murder.”
The door opened, and little feet pattered to her side. Myers bent down and lifted their daughter onto his left hip. Her blue eyes were reminiscent of Bryce’s. One day, Myers and she would explain what happened to her birth daddy, but Myers had filled the position quite well.
“What are you doing out of bed so early, little bug?”
“Hungee.”
Myers kissed the top of her black curls. “Me, too. Uncle Deshawn, Uncle Charlie, and Auntie Eri are coming for turkey dinner. How does that sound?”
The toddler nodded her head smiling. “Mashmeyo potatoes.”
Laura laughed. “See, that’s all you’ve been talking about and now he better show with the marshmallow potatoes.” She reached for her, and Denise filled her arms. The chubby little hands caressed Laura’s cheeks. “Lub mama.”
“Yeah, me too.” Laura kissed her, just as Charlie’s Jeep pulled into the dirt lot below. “Let’s get you dressed for Turkey Day, okay?”
“K.”
Myers reached for Denise. “I can do it. I think they want to talk to you anyway.”
Laura handed over the little girl with a suspicious look. “Why would they want to talk to me?”
Myers winked and disappeared into the cabin with the little girl. Some probably think Denise was a weird choice to name their daughter. But her daughter’s blood was Bryce’s, so they decided her name could be Denise—giving both their former friends a place in their child’s life. The thought made Laura tear up and smile.
Charlie stepped out of the vehicle and walked around to let Eri out as well. She held their prized sweet potatoes in what looked like a casserole dish. Both looked up in unison and waved.
“Hello,” Eri yelled up.
“Myers will be so glad you’ve come bearing that recipe,” Laura responded. “He pretends it’s for Denise, but we all know better.”
“Oh, we know.” Charlie took the pan and motioned for Eri to go up the stairs first. Her pregnant frame made her waddle a bit. When they reached the top, Laura took the dish and motioned for them to enter. The house smelled of roasting turkey and baked bread. The fireplace flickered light around the large space filled with woven rugs, a leather couch, and Myers’ favorite chair. Charlie went for the chair, knowing full well it would irk his friend. Eri dropped down on the couch and tucked her purse beside it.
“How are you feeling?” Laura asked as she set the sweet potatoes on the stove and then went to join them. Curiosity was getting the best of her. What news could they possibly have? “Are Teddy and Willow okay?”
Charlie nodded. “Yeah, they were able to buy some property about an hour from the border. We can take you some day when it’s safe.” He exchanged a look with his wife. “Willow still isn’t comfortable leaving the states for Canada for some reason. We don’t know what that is about, but we’re still trying.”
So that wasn’t the news. Better be outright. “So, Myers said you have news.”
The two of them glanced at each other with knowing smiles and then to her.
“Well?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Laura laughed. “This I know.”
The two exchanged looks again, and then Charlie said, “With twins.”
“Congrats!” Laura clapped and stood, crossing to her friend. She hugged her tight, so glad for it to be good news. “I’m so happy for you.” She pulled back and touched Eri’s stomach. “Oh my gosh! That is so insane.”
Charlie stood and walked next to his wife. “I know. We just found out on Friday. We’re a bit nervous about the delivery in these conditions, and let’s be real, Eri isn’t the largest woman.”
“Thanks, I think.”
Charlie touched her shoulder. “You know what I mean.”
Laura understood. All of the trauma of Helena’s abuse had made her labor with Denise a very scary one. It had also been impossible for Laura to get pregnant again. Three miscarriages had made everyone worry. She wanted to go to a regular doctor, but Myers would not allow it. He feared they would be discovered, and all of this would be gone.
They all relaxed on the couch before Eri spoke. “My O.B. had an interesting story to tell. When we explained some of my scars, he unearthed something of interest. He had been abused by S.I.U. for years, before becoming a doctor.”
Laura sat up straight. “I’m sorry. S.I.U.?”
“It’s okay. He checks out.” Charlie glanced at his wife. “Trust me, we panicked at first, too.”
“He just so happens to specialize in infertility.” Eri shifted forward on the couch. “We would take specific precautions, but we think—”
“Myers would never agree.” Laura hated talking about this. From past experience, nothing would happen to change the way things were anyway. Why drudge it up?
&nbs
p; “I already have,” Myers said from the doorway. “I met him a few weeks ago. We’ve been following him, tracking him, all to see if we can trust him. We know him pretty well at this point.”
Laura stood. “And he seems safe?”
Myers crossed to her and took her hand. “You know I would not allow it any other way.”
She hugged him; grateful for all he was to her. “Thank you,” she cried.
He kissed her lips and then held her chin softly. “We’ll get through this like we do everything else.”
Denise came toddling in giggling. She ran to Charlie and held out her arms. He scooped her up into his lap.
“Mashmeyo Potatoes?”
“You bet, as soon as Uncle Deshawn is here, we’ll dig in.”
She pointed a chubby finger at the door. “Here.”
They glanced out the window. Sure enough, Deshawn walked up the steps with his new girlfriend, Beth. She had checked out as a Canadian hippie who knew nothing about the kind of life they lived. They walked in and hugged everyone. “We brought rolls.”
Denise clapped her chubby hands, then dropped back to the floor. “Eat.” She tugged on his sleeve. “Eat.”
“I couldn’t agree more, squirt.” Charlie stood and took the little girl’s hand, facing Laura. “So, when do we eat?”
Laura laughed. “Give me time to get everything on the table.”
Eri joined her. “I’ll help.”
Beth nodded and followed the women to the kitchenette.
Charlie bent down and looked Denise in the eye. “How about we all help? What do you say?”
“Yes! Yes!” The little girl giggled and ran into the kitchen.
The rest of them followed smiling. They had somehow found their normal. It wasn’t perfect to some, but it was perfect for a forgotten few.
A word about the author…
Dr. Kimberlee Mendoza works full-time as an adjunct professor and the Director of Instruction at San Diego Christian College. She is also a graphic designer for The Wild Rose Press. She has published more than a fifteen novels and plays and travels around speaking on Generation Z. She resides with her husband and two teenage boys, in San Diego, CA. She has her BA in Human Development, her MA in Humanities, and her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies in Education.
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