Crossroads

by Alexie Aaron [Aaron, Alexie]

  Lazar would never say it, but he too enjoyed the elevator. Climbing to the third floor was a trial for the one-legged veteran. Nanny Berta approved. She called the device Breath Saver. It was large enough for a birdwoman and two tots or three adults.

  The trio stepped out onto the second floor. The boys had rooms to the front of the house. Varden was happy as could be cohabitating with Brian. Brian was less thrilled. He eyed Dieter’s large room with envy. The teenager had room for an overnight guest – usually Mark Leighton – a small bathroom with a shower, and a study nook. There was a guestroom suite tucked in the corner near the second set of stairs. Most guests would stay in the aerie, but Bernard and Ralph, Mia’s godfathers, enjoyed the noise and bustle of staying with the Martins.

  The boys and their future sisters would share a large central bathroom. The sinks had pull-out steps under them and a shower tub that seemed to have more than enough room for a boy and his toys.

  The nursery would eventually be converted into a large bedroom for the girls, adapting as they grew from babies to young ladies. Gone was the playroom at the back of the house. Instead, the nursery had a small sitting room that would eventually be converted into either a large walk-in closet or study room as the need arose. The indoor playroom was moved upstairs.

  Mia wrinkled her nose, spying some of the pink clothing and accessories Ralph and Ted’s sisters had given them. She wasn’t a lover of gender-specific gifts. There was even pink trim on the woodwork. Mia had made a concession on the pink ban because Ted had used it as a bargaining chip. He would agree to Mia’s choice of the painting over the fireplace if his girls could have a little pink in their room. Cid and Murphy had worked hard on the bassinets and cribs. Nanny Berta ran her hand over the wooden surfaces and sent them back again and again. Cid was frustrated until she grabbed his hands and pointed out the calluses. “Baby skin is so soft and fragile. They will touch and taste everything.”

  There were two rockers, a Mia-size rocker and a Nanny Berta rocker. There was a small refrigerator freezer and hotplate located in the laundry room. Nanny Berta mentioned it would save steps for those late-night feedings. Mia intended to nurse both babies but was aware that, physically, she had been unable to nurse both boys for more than a few weeks. The idea of being able to feed two was daunting to say the least.

  The master suite was Ted sized. Mia’s tall husband needed room to navigate without bumping his head, catching his large feet on dressers, and a bed he didn’t have to curl up into a ball in to sleep. He had gotten used to the oversized beds that the Martins had in the aerie for the birdmen and had one made for them. Mia felt absolutely lost by herself on the large bed. Fortunately for her, she didn’t have to sleep alone.

  Cid had super-soundproofed the room, adding intercoms so that the Martins could hear the nursery and the little boys at night. The soundproofing was more for him and Murphy because Ted and Mia were rather noisy when enjoying each other.

  “I can’t find anything left to do other than getting rid of all that pink…”

  “Mia…” Ted warned. “Pink or Boba Fett, you choose.”

  “I’m beginning to think that having a Star Wars bounty hunter hanging over the fireplace is a wonderful idea.”

  Cid walked out of the room just in case an argument was brewing.

  “We’ve talked about this. Let the girls decide. It’s not Pepto Bismol pink. It’s a petal pink,” Ted pointed out.

  “Alright. I’m too tired to do any more painting.”

  “So, no nesting urges yet?” Ted asked. He knelt and placed his head on her stomach.

  “No. But I don’t remember having them with the boys. I may have, but I don’t remember.”

  “You’ve had a few bumps in the road since then,” Ted said. He received a kick in the ear. “Ouch!”

  “That will teach you to eavesdrop on the girls. I think that’s Maeve. She’s larger than Genevieve and has one hell of a kick,” Mia said, rubbing her stomach. “Varden says Genevieve is the more considerate of the girls.”

  “Speaking of Varden, has he figured out their middle names yet?” Ted asked, standing up.

  “No. He says he’ll know their names when he sees them. I do worry because Brian has been feeding him nonsense names, many of which I believe are offensive in several languages,” Mia warned.

  “I’ll have a talk with Brian.”

  “I’d appreciate it.”

  “Ahem, if we may continue the tour,” Cid said, leaning in the door. “Lazar will be returning with the boys soon.”

  “And then there will be no peace,” Mia said.

  They got back on the elevator for Mia’s sake and continued up to the third floor. It opened into a great room which was absent of furniture. Varden had a room on the sunny side of the house for his studio. Brian had one on the opposite side for his mini lab. Both had transparent, composite plastic walls as strong as steel so the two couldn’t get into too much trouble behind closed doors.

  Mia walked to the large Brian-proofed patio doors, unlocked them, and walked out onto a large rooftop deck that Ted designed so she could land there instead of on the hillside or the aerie when she arrived home. It also was a great spot for stargazing if you looked straight up. Otherwise, the tall trees cut the view in half. Mia had already used the spot for a bit of peace and quiet. No one but Jake knew she hid out there.

  Jake, their ghost in the computer, was pretty much everywhere in and out of the house. He monitored the extensive security system Ted had set up. PEEPs and Mia had made a few enemies along the way, enough that Ted would continue to work on a force field that would keep them all safe, similar to what Baxter had for Quentin’s mansion on the lake. Ted’s force field, so far, covered the house and the office. He hoped to be able to include the aerie and Cid’s and Lazar’s houses. Murphy pushed for a deer-proof invisible fence. Ted was still scratching his head on that request.

  “I think it’s ready,” Mia said. “Let’s move the boys in this afternoon.” She turned and reached out, taking Cid and Ted’s hands in hers. “I can’t begin to express the appreciation I have for all the hard work the two of you have done here. You’ve both sacrificed pet projects in order to get this family settled. I hope to be able to repay you, Cid, for your time.”

  “But, Mia, you don’t need to. We’re family.”

  Mia smiled. “Still, I’ve been selfish.”

  “You stepped up and helped with the Campbells and Sweetwater House. By the way, have the two of you decided on a name for this house?”

  Mia and Ted looked at each other.

  “And you can’t name it The Asylum,” Cid warned. “I think that joke is way past stale.”

  “Murph likes Woodlands,” Mia said.

  “I do too,” Ted admitted.

  “Then let’s call it Woodlands,” Mia said. “By the time we pass the house on to either our children or someone else, we will be surrounded by trees, so it makes sense.”

  “If Murphy had his way, there would be a tree growing inside the house,” Ted said. “He really thought that’s what we were going to do with the spot where we put the elevator.”

  “His disappointment is saving my legs,” Mia said.

  “On second thought, we could put a tropical tree in the middle of the foyer. There is more than enough natural light,” Cid said.

  “Not a fig!” Mia and Ted said together.

  “What is it about you two and figs?” Cid questioned.

  “I hate figs,” Mia said.

  “They attract Yeti,” Ted said, rubbing his jaw which still ached when the weather turned.

  Maggie panted as she walked into the playroom.

  “The boys must be home.”

  The elevator opened, and Lazar walked out with Brian and Varden in tow. Each boy had their backpack on.

  “Babcia had them in the woods. I think they’ve brought most of it back with them,” Lazar said.

  “I learned all about mushroo
ms,” Brian said and proceeded to name all the species, using both their common and Latin names.

  Mia listen and waited until he ran out of breath before asking, “Varden, what did you learn?”

  “Not to eat anything until Babcia looks at it.”

  “Wise,” Mia said. “Anyone tired?”

  Varden nodded. Brian was tired but would never admit it.

  “I’m going down to my big new bed, and I’m going to take a nap. I would love it if you would read to me before I sleep,” Mia said to Brian.

  “I want to come,” Varden said.

  “How about we leave these packs to sort out later. I hope you didn’t bring back anything living?” Mia asked.

  “No, Babcia said no,” Varden said. “No snakes or snails.”

  “Or puppy dog tails,” Ted added.

  Maggie yelped and tucked hers under her.

  Mia looked at the dog who never seemed to understand them when she wasn’t behaving but did understand when her tail was in jeopardy.

  “Mom, is this going to be our forever home?” Varden asked as they got into the elevator with Mia.

  “I hope so. My forever home is wherever your dad is,” Mia told them. “He’s my home.”

  “How can anyone be a house?” scoffed Brian.

  The doors shut, and as the elevator traveled down, Ted wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

  Cid patted Ted on the back. No words needed to be said.

  Chapter Two

  Mia tapped her toe as she waited on the porch. Murphy didn’t seem to be around. “K, I guess I’ll go by myself to pick up Brian,” she said. Mia picked up her phone and hit Jake’s number.

  “Yes, your plumpness,” Jake answered.

  Mia gritted her teeth but refused to let him rile her. Not today of all days. It was a beautiful sunny day. They were all moved into the house, and Mia finally felt life was back to normal. “Jake, please let Ted know I’m driving to pick up Brian. Murphy’s AWOL, so I’m not stopping anywhere. I’ll just drive over to the preschool and pick him up from his half day and come straight home.”

  “I’ll let Ted know.”

  “Any idea where Murphy went?” Mia asked, walking to the PEEPs van.

  “He said something about checking out the bridge that crosses Big Bear River. He’s concerned, since they have been allowing the lumber trucks to use that route, that the bridge supports are taking a beating with the extra weight.”

  “Since when has he joined the road crew?”

  “I think he’s just sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong,” Jake said.

  “I think he’s bored. I hope Burt finds you guys a haunt soon.”

  “I don’t.”

  Mia started the van. She waited until her phone transferred to the van’s speakers before asking, “Why?”

  “Because Ted wants to stay here with you until you give birth, which leaves me with Slow Hand Garrett to work with.”

  Mia tried to suppress her amusement. Cid was not slow on the keyboard; he just wasn’t Ted. Jake had bonded with Ted, and that was that.

  “I’m sorry I’m causing all these problems for you.”

  Jake, who normally wasn’t this talkative, replied, “It’s not you. It’s me.”

  “Gee, it sounds like you’re breaking up with me.”

  Jake allowed himself a rare moment of laughter. “I wouldn’t dare.”

  “Jake, for the record, you are such an important part of our lives. Thanks for hanging with the Martins.”

  “You do make death interesting,” Jake said. “Drive safe, Mia.”

  “I will,” Mia said and pulled out onto the road.

  ~

  Stephanie Gilbert pushed hard on the pedals of the bike as she raced home. Her backpack bounced on her back. She thought about stopping and doing a better job of securing her camera. The telephoto lens was digging into her back every time she hit a pothole. The road had deteriorated quickly once the big lumber trucks started using it. She had taken pictures of the road, along with the covert photos she had taken of the lumber operation, ever since Big John’s Lumberyard had secured the contract for clearing the federally owned land of selected trees.

  The twenty-two-year-old, recent college graduate had gotten the idea from her cousin Marsha who worked for the parks department. Marsha said that no one had been monitoring what was going on in the old bald eagle sanctuary since the budget cuts. Stephanie, who considered herself an investigative environmental blogger, decided that this was a good project for her. Her blog Earth Angel had a consistent following of over 500 fellow nature lovers. So far, she had influenced several changes to local governmental policy by getting her followers to either write, call, or show up for the local Big Bear Lake council meetings.

  Today, she witnessed a lumberjack dislodging an eagle’s nest from a fork of two branches in the mature tree that was tagged by the rangers for removal. She was able to get a few shots of the violation before someone noticed her. They tried to claim she was trespassing, but she pointed out that this was a federal park. An argument ensued as she quickly packed up her equipment, recovered her bike from where she had hidden it, and set off to ride home.

  Stephanie was jarred as she hit a pothole. The camera bounced, and this time, the lens hit her in the spine. She was on an elevated stretch of the road. There wasn’t much of an easement, so it wouldn’t be safe for her to stop there. Maybe after the bridge.

  Murphy was shaking his head, moving carefully as he examined the bridge. There were two major factors for his caution. One, the river was high, and ghosts don’t do particularly well with moving water. Two, the supports of the bridge had a high iron content, which was very evident by the red-brown rust that flaked off each time a vehicle traveled over it. Normally, Murphy wouldn’t be concerned, but as this was one of the routes Mia had taken previously to the hospital, he wanted to make sure nothing untoward could happen to the Martins along the way.

  Just this morning, Mia was so happy. Her house was finished. She had an appointment in two weeks to have a C-section, making sure she didn’t give birth to the twins in any place other than the hospital of her choice. Brian’s birth was brought on early by an Other, who wanted to take Mia, minus child, with him. Varden came in the middle of a snowstorm. Murphy had to help Mia deliver him. Although it was a wondrous experience, Stephen did not want to repeat it again, especially not with twins.

  Having Nanny Berta there was added insurance. If Mia did have to deliver at home, the birdwoman was more than capable of handling the emergency. The only thing that bothered Murphy was the possibility of this bridge failing. The odds were against the Martins traveling this route, but when it came to Mia, Murphy would make sure there wasn’t the slightest chance of her not reaching the hospital.

  Mia waited until the parade, caused by the transport of a manufactured home, went by before attempting to enter the state road. She had plenty of time and was being extra careful. It was hard enough driving the PEEPs van with her large stomach. The one thing she had going for her was that Murphy wasn’t there tensing up every time she made any quick moves while she drove. Mia had been without her own vehicle since a military drone destroyed it when she was the victim of a phony anti-terrorist call.

  She caught up to the parade and practiced patience while she crawled along at twenty miles per hour towards the town center of Big Bear Lake.

  Stephanie tensed as she heard the approaching log truck. They were going to hit the bridge at the same time. She slowed and rolled up the pedestrian walkway, something she wouldn’t do normally. It wasn’t that she expected to encounter a hiker that upset her. She could clearly see the expanse of the bridge, and it was clear. It was that the truck had forced her into breaking the law.

  She had reached the center of the bridge when the truck cab rolled by. Just behind the driver, sitting on top of the chained pile of logs, was the strangest looking man. He jumped from the truck to the railing separating the pedestr
ian path and the road and pushed her off her bike.

  Stephanie sailed over the bridge, hitting the water on her side, dislocating her shoulder in the process. Stephanie sunk beneath the surface, pulled down by the weight of her backpack and the height from which she had fallen. Had the river not been high from the recent rainfall, she would have perished on the rocky bottom. Had Murphy not been ten feet from her, she would have drowned.

  Murphy dove in and managed to maintain solidity long enough to pull off the heavy pack and bring her to the surface.

  Stephanie coughed out the water she had swallowed. Her left arm was useless. Something was keeping her up. It felt icy cold. She tried to focus on getting to shore, but the water was moving too fast. Each time she managed to move towards the shore, a rush of water moved her back towards the middle.

  Murphy was losing power. He knew he had to make his move soon. He launched himself out of the water, pulling the woman with him. They landed near the shore. The water pulled the woman back into the river. Murphy watched helplessly as the woman fought the current with one arm. She managed to keep her head above water by floating on her back. She didn’t see what Murphy saw. She didn’t hear his warning until too late.

  Stephanie, her body driven by the current, plowed into a felled tree. Her good arm wedged where the old tree forked. The current was pulling the rest of her body under the tree. Soon she would be trapped under the surface of the water.