by S. J. West
A nurse came into my room then to let us know visiting hours were over. No one wanted to go but the way the nurse stood at the door reminded me of a prison guard waiting for her charges to do what she said.
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Malcolm whispered before kissing my hand and leaving the room under the watchful eyes of the nurse.
Will kissed me on the forehead. I noticed his eyes drop to the ring on my finger. When he looked back up at me, he lifted his eyebrows in a motion I had seen a lot during our childhood. I knew he would want to talk about the engagement ring when we had some time alone. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to have that talk with him though.
Tara told me she was going to go back home and start cleaning.
“You don’t need to come home to a nasty apartment. I’ll bring your school stuff to you tomorrow when I get out of my classes.”
Finally, Brand and I were alone again, but I wasn’t sure for how long. As soon as everyone was gone, I lifted my arm holding out my hand to him in a silent plea to be held. It didn’t take long before he was lying in bed beside me holding me close. I guess I was more tired than I thought. Within a few short seconds I was sound asleep.
I didn’t wake up until the next morning. When I did, Will was sitting beside me in a chair watching me.
“Hey,” I said trying to sit up. “Where’s Brand?”
Will stood and helped me. He grabbed an extra pillow from under the bed and put it behind my back.
“He went to his house to change clothes. How are you feeling?” He asked taking a seat beside me on the bed.
“I feel a lot better today. I guess I just needed some real sleep. Would you mind getting me some water though? My throat feels scratchy.”
Will poured some water from a pitcher beside my bed and handed me the cup. When I took the cup from him, I saw his eyes drop to the sparkling diamonds on my ring finger.
“Malcolm says you told Brand you didn’t want to get married until after you were out of school.”
“That’s right,” I took a sip of water from the cup, waiting for him to continue.
“Don’t you think it’s a little soon to be engaged to him?” The incredulity in his voice wasn’t lost on me. “I mean you’ve known him for like what, a month?”
“I love him, Will. That’s all I need to know.”
“But,” I could see the frustration on his face. There was a lot he wanted to say but he wasn’t exactly sure how to say it. “Ok, how do you know he loves you for who you are and not just because of the way you make him feel? I mean does he really even know you? Does he know what you like and what you don’t like? Does he know you cry at romantic movies and sappy Hallmark commercials? Does he know you like to eat tomato sauce but not fresh tomatoes? Does he know chocolate fudge always makes you feel better when you’re depressed? What if what he feels is just because you make him feel almost human? How do you know he’s someone you want to spend the rest of your life with? I mean have you even thought about that part? He’ll never grow old Lilly. Can you honestly say that won’t bother you?”
Will’s words had their desired effect. How did I know Brand loved me for who I was and not just for how I made him feel? The effect I had on all Watchers couldn’t be disputed. I knew they all felt a special contentment in my presence that none of them had ever experienced before. Will was right in the fact that Brand really didn’t know that much about me. Was his love for me just a by product of my peculiar nature? It was how I explained away Malcolm’s feelings for me. I just assumed it was the effect I had on him which caused his infatuation. Could the same be said of Brand?
I hated the doubt Will had just planted. It made me question everything now.
“We have four years,” I said trying to sound reasonable. “It’s plenty of time to get to know one another better, if I make it that long.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Will’s reaction resembled Brand’s the previous day when I thoughtlessly said it might have been better for everyone if they had just let me die. “We’ll figure everything out. You’ll live a long, full life Lilly Rayne Nightingale. You have my word on that.”
Brand suddenly appeared in my room dressed in a fresh blue polo shirt and jeans. He wasn’t alone though. Abby was with him wearing her purple pigtailed wig, a white pin tucked puff sleeve shirt, black slacks and lavender contact lens.
“Hey, love,” she said walking up to me, kissing me on the cheek.
“Hey, Abby.”
Will left soon after their arrival. I got the feeling he didn’t like being around Abby. It was just as well. Our talk had put me in a pensive mood.
Abby and Brand had only been in my room for about thirty minutes when Brand got a call on his cell phone. From the look on his face, I could tell he was surprised by whoever it was on the other end of the line.
“Are you sure?” he asked the caller as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Ok, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Who was it?” I asked after he ended the call.
“Allan,” he replied in surprise, slipping his cell phone back into his jean pocket. “He wants to come here and tell us what he found out about you through the tests he ran.”
“He what?” The complete astonishment on Abby’s face was almost comical. “He actually wants to leave his bubble and come out into the real world?”
“I know. I can’t believe it either,” Brand replied shaking his head in amazement.
“I almost forgot all about those tests,” I said. It seemed like it had been longer than two week since my visit to Allan’s house. “Why is he so anxious to tell me what he found?”
“He wouldn’t say over the phone,” Brand answered. “And now that you are awake, he doesn’t want to wait to tell you what he discovered. I need to go get him.”
“Why can’t he just phase here himself?” I asked.
“Allan hasn’t been many places,” Brand answered. “We can only phase to locations we’ve physically been to before unless we’re following another angel’s phase trail.” He walked over to me and gave me a kiss to tide me over while he was gone.
“Oh geesh,” Abby said averting her eyes. “Do you really have to do that in front of me, Dad?”
“You better get used to it, daughter of mine.” He smiled at her and gave me a wink. “I plan to do that a lot whether you’re around or not.”
“Well give a girl some warning next time, would ya? At least give me a chance to make myself scarce.”
“I’ll be right back,” Brand said to me before he vanished.
“I’ve never seen Dad smile so much before,” Abby said to me when he was gone. “You make him happier than he’s ever been.”
It made me think about what Will had said. Why did he have to plant that seed of doubt in my head about Brand’s true feelings for me? It was making everything seem tainted with uncertainty now.
It only took a minute for Brand to come back with Allan in tow. Allan may have stepped out of his glass room for the first time in I didn’t know how long but it didn’t stop him from protecting himself as much as he could. He showed up wearing a black suit, black leather gloves and a white mask over his nose and mouth like ones surgeons wear in operating rooms.
“Hello,” he said nodding his head to Abby and me in greeting.
“Hey, Allan.” Abby didn’t move from her spot on the bed. I think she was worried any sudden movements might frighten Allan away.
“Brand said you have some news for us,” I said to him, hoping to keep his mind on the mission at hand and distract him from over analyzing his new environment too much.
“Yes, I do.” Allan replied.
I wasn’t sure Allan was going to say anything else. He just stood there looking at me.
“What did you find out, old friend?” Brand finally asked trying to prod Allan into talking.
“Lilly shouldn’t exist.”
He said it so simply I almost missed its full meaning.
“What do you mean
?” I asked.
“One of your paternal ancestors was an angel but they were neither a Watcher or rebellion angel.”
“Do you think you could expound some on what you’re saying?” Brand asked, becoming visibly frustrated with his friend.
“Lilly’s genetic code is similar to our own but large sections of it don’t match at all making it completely unique in sequence. But it’s not only your paternal genetic profile which is different. Your mitochondrial DNA sequence is unlike anything I have ever seen before too.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Mitochondrial DNA is only maternally inherited. There has been a lot of research done by humans trying to find the ‘Mitochondrial Eve’ or the one common ancestor who is the mother of all humans. Because of that research, most every human can be classified into one of the known mitochondrial DNA groups, but I can’t fit your results into any of them.”
“Why do you think that is?” Brand asked.
“I’m not sure,” Allan replied. I could hear an undertone of excitement in his voice. I think he was actually smiling underneath his mask. “I would really like a sample from Lilly’s mother and grandmother to verify the mutation was inherited naturally from them and not through some by product of her angel DNA.”
“We can probably get a sample from my mother but I have no idea who my grandmother is or where we can find her. I can try to get the information from Cora but that’s going to be really iffy.”
“Try to ask her again,” Brand said. “If she doesn’t tell you, I’ll hire a private detective to find your grandparents for us.”
My mother had been so adamant about not involving my grandparents in our lives I was sure she wouldn’t tell me where they were even if I asked again. The possibility of meeting them was exciting though. I’d always wanted to know who they were and why my mother turned her back on them so completely. But would they want to meet me? Would they want to have a relationship with a granddaughter they never wanted in the first place?
“Mom and Utha Mae are supposed to come by and see me today,” I said. “I’ll ask her then.”
“Well,” Allan looked around him with a critical eye as if he imagined some microscopic organism landing on him at any moment, “that’s really all the information I have for the time being. I brought you some buccal swab kits for the mother and grandmother,” Allan handed Brand a clear plastic bag with what I assumed to be the swab kits. “Just take a sample on the inside of their cheeks. It should be enough to get the answers we need. I really need to be going now.” He looked at me and bowed slightly before disappearing.
“I’m bloody surprised he lasted that long,” Abby said after Allan’s departure.
There was a light knock on my door.
“Hello,” I heard Utha Mae call as she opened the door warning us of her entry.
I saw my mother right behind her. Good, I could get things over with sooner than I thought. I was pretty positive Cora wouldn’t tell me where my grandparents were anyway. The sooner we knew that for sure. The faster we could get a private detective on the case.
“Good morning, child,” Utha Mae came in with a few Tupperware bowls in her hands. “I hope you’re hungry.”
At the mention of food, I suddenly realized I was starving. I could only assume the needle stuck in my arm and the ever present bags hanging at my side had been my only means of nutrition while I was in my coma. The idea of real food had my mouth involuntarily watering.
I introduced my mom and Utha Mae to Abby. I told them she was Brand’s cousin since the truth would be completely unbelievable anyway and quite a bit harder to explain. With my two new visitors, Abby made her goodbyes and asked Brand to walk her out to her car. I knew he would just be phasing her back home and didn’t stress too much about his absence being long.
When I uncovered the bowls Utha Mae brought me I sighed in contentment. She had made me scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, sausage, biscuits and shrimp grits.
“I had to use the microwave they had here in the lounge to reheat it all,” she told me. “Hopefully it won’t taste funny.”
Well, it didn’t taste funny at all. It tasted like a little bit of heaven swimming in my mouth.
My mother surprised me by bringing in a stack of wedding magazines. I had never seen her so excited before. It was a completely different side to her. I suppose since she never found a man of her own to marry, she was living out a fantasy through me. When Brand came back into the room, he smiled when he saw the way my mother was acting about our wedding. Even though I knew it wouldn’t be taking place for quite some time, I simply couldn’t bring myself to tell her she was planning way too far ahead. She was having so much fun talking about dresses and bridesmaid gowns I didn’t want to dampen her happy mood.
After I ate and listened to my mother talk about veils and how I should wear my hair, I decided it was time to bring up the subject of my grandparents.
“Mom,” I got her attention as she was closing one of the magazines. “Since I’m getting married and everything, I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find my grandparents. Maybe they would like to come.”
“Even if they wanted to come, they’d never travel this far,” my mom said organizing the magazines scattered on my bed. “You know how I feel about them, Lilly. The subject is closed.”
I decided not to push the matter and let it drop.
“Oh, Ms. Nightingale,” Brand said picking up the clear plastic bag with the buccal kits in them. “Lilly needs to get a sample of your DNA for our biology class. We’re doing a comparison of our DNA with a family member’s. Would you mind me taking it for her?”
“What do I need to do?” my mom asked.
“Nothing but open your mouth. I just need to wipe the lining of one of your cheeks with a cotton swab.”
Now why hadn’t I thought to do that? I was sure my mom would be resistant to me asking her for a DNA sample, but Brand did it with such ease I couldn’t help but be impressed.
It only took a few seconds and Brand had what he needed. He made an excuse that he was taking the sample down to a cooler in his car but I was sure he went directly to Allan’s house as soon as he left the room.
At around lunch time, my mom said she needed to get to work. She was still working at a dress shop in Dalton which a friend of hers owned. Since she had taken the previous two weeks off to be with me, she didn’t want to impose on her friend’s kindness anymore and went in to work her regular hours. Utha Mae stayed with me for a little while longer wanting to see Tara before she went back home.
“Brand, hon,” Utha Mae said rummaging through her purse and pulling out a crisp one dollar bill. “Would you mind going out to one of those vending machines and getting me a ginger ale?”
“No problem, Ms. Jenkins,” Brand took her dollar and went out the door.
Once he was gone, Utha Mae turned to me. “Now, I want you to tell me the truth, baby. Do you love that man?”
Without hesitation, I said, “Yes.”
“That’s all I need to know then.” She put her purse back on the chair beside my bed. “When he asked me for permission to ask you to marry him, I wasn’t quite sure what you would want me to do. But the more I thought about it, the more I figured if you didn’t want to marry him you’d just tell him no. I kinda figured you would say yes though.” She smiled at me and came to see the ring on my finger. “I swear, child. You could knock somebody out cold with that ring.”
I had to chuckle. “That’s the exact same thing your granddaughter said when she saw it.”
When Brand came back into the room, Tara was with him. She had a book bag on her back that made her look like the hunchback of Notre Dame. I groaned inwardly knowing it would be filled with my homework assignments for school.
Tara showed me what I had to do for my classes before she took Utha Mae down to the cafeteria to buy her some lunch. Brand helped me sort through my homework. While I was reading a chapter in my world civilization te
xtbook, I couldn’t help but think about my conversation with Will earlier. I think I read the same page five times without understanding a word of it.
Brand must have noticed my inability to concentrate because he came to sit beside me and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” I said trying to brush off my doubts, but apparently they still lingered in my eyes.
“No, it’s something, enough to worry you at least. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I let out a sigh not knowing if I really wanted to tell Brand what I was thinking. But, if we were going to be married some day, I didn’t need to start keeping secrets from him now.
“It’s just something Will and I were talking about earlier.”
“Which was?”
“He said our engagement seemed really fast, especially since you don’t know me very well.”
“I know you,” Brand said confidently. “I may not know the things he does, but I know a lot about you.”
“Like what?”
“I know you are thoughtful, kind hearted, and loyal. I know when you give someone your friendship its forever. And I know the most important thing I need to know: you love me.”
“But there’s so much about me that you don’t know.”
“Everything else will come in time. I plan to spend every day of your life with you. I’m bound to learn a few things.”
“He said something else which bothers me even more than you not knowing the little things about me.”
“Which was?”
I could tell Brand was suspicious, but I’d already opened up the subject. I couldn’t back out now.
“He said your feelings for me may just be a side effect from the way I make all the Watchers feel. That maybe you’re mistaking the contentment you feel around me for being in love.”
“Do you honestly think that’s true?”
The expression of hurt on Brand’s face made me wish I didn’t have doubts about his love for me. But I refused to lie to him.
“I don’t know. It’s not so much that I doubt you love me but you can’t deny the effect I have on Malcolm too.”
