"It's a mile out and back," Fiona said. "Nothing too bad. They'll move the boat in later so the smaller boats and sailboats can have a go at it."
Morgan squinted as the boats became tiny dots on the horizon while the crowd behind them screamed and cheered.
"What do they win?"
"Mostly bragging rights. And a nice championship cup that Flynn will likely be drinking out of later at the pub," Aislinn said.
Morgan watched as the tiny dots rounded the boat on the horizon.
"They're coming back."
The cheers increased in intensity and Morgan found herself caught up in the energy of the crowd as they all screamed for Flynn's boat to cross the finish line first.
"He's in front!" Keelin screamed and jumped up and down, waving her hands in the air.
"Yes! Yes!" Morgan found herself screaming as Flynn crossed the finish line first, the men in the boat jumping and cheering. The women exploded on the dock, screaming and laughing as they hugged each other and jumped up and down.
"Oh, oh I'm so glad they won." Morgan laughed, holding a hand to her pounding heart.
"This was the best race as all those boats have side bets. They talk it up in the pub for months before the race every year, threatening each other and betting against each other. It's great fun for them," Cait said, laughing and waving again at the boat.
"Who'd you bet on?" Morgan asked, knowing Cait.
"Flynn, of course."
Morgan laughed and watched as Flynn pulled his boat close to the others out in the water.
"Come on, ladies, they'll talk like that for a bit. I have to use the toilet," Cait said, pointing down at her belly. Fiona watched her carefully and nodded, signaling for the women to all go at once.
Morgan cast one last glance over her shoulder, her eyes searching for Patrick. He stood with his back to her, talking with a man on another boat. Sighing, Morgan followed the ladies down the dock, wanting to stay close to Cait.
Not that she knew how to heal, Morgan scoffed at herself. But, she'd help in any way that she could if Cait suddenly went into labor.
Morgan hurried to catch up with the women as they walked down the boardwalk to the road that led into town. She tensed for a moment as she saw them stop and talk to Agatha and the rest of Patrick's family. Aileen waved to her and Morgan forced herself to relax.
"Hi," Morgan said, coming to stand by Fiona's side.
"Morgan! Hello," Agatha said, giving Morgan a quick squeeze.
"Morgan gave me one of your table runners; I never knew that you did such exquisite work," Fiona said to Agatha.
"Your first sale," Morgan said shyly to Agatha.
"Morgan! You didn't have to do that. And, thank you, Fiona, I'm so glad that you like it."
"I suspect you'll be a wild success if you sell at Aislinn's gallery," Fiona observed.
"I certainly hope so. I have to say, I'm so excited! It's been years that I've been doing this in between looking after children. I'd be right happy to make a success of it now that I have all this free time."
"Here come the boys," Aileen said and they all turned to see Flynn leading the group of men down the dock.
Morgan felt her stomach twinge a bit. It sure was a fine-looking group.
"Lord and isn't that a handsome group of men," Fiona observed.
"Mmmhmm," the women all said in unison and then burst into laughter.
"I really need to use the toilet," Cait said, looking pained.
"Yes, let's go on up to the pub. We'll see the men there shortly," Fiona said briskly and the three of them began to follow Cait who had started to hurry up the road.
"I'll be just a moment," Morgan called, glancing back to where the men were surrounded by villagers congratulating them. Patrick's family moved towards him so they all formed a huge ring of people around the men. She was hoping that she could get a moment with Patrick to congratulate him, to ease the dull ache that was stuck in her stomach.
And the feeling of impending doom hit Morgan so hard, she almost doubled over from it, wheezing in pain. She gasped, whipping her head around.
Further up the hill, a car, traveling much too fast for a town packed with festival-goers, pulled out onto the wrong side of the street.
A tourist, Morgan thought numbly, opening her mouth to scream.
The compact sedan clipped the front of a truck and Morgan watched in horror as the combination of speed and the leverage of the truck sent the car flying into the air.
Everything slowed for Morgan as she heard the screams around her, from her, everywhere, as the pounding of her heart amplified a thousand times in her ears.
The car seemed to hang suspended for an instant, before it came crashing down on Cait who had hurried ahead of the group to get to the restroom.
"Cait!" Morgan choked.
Fiona and Aislinn turned to her instantly and screamed, "Morgan!"
And everything froze.
Chapter 29
Morgan found herself on her knees, choking on sobs, not understanding what was happening.
Fiona's body was frozen, with her arm outstretched to Morgan, pleading with her to do something. Keelin was kneeling by the car where Cait's upper body stuck out from the fender. A pool of blood shone wetly around Cait's shoulders, the red bloodstains bright against the white of her shirt. Aislinn's face was frozen in a scream of terror as she stepped towards Cait and turned towards Morgan at the same time.
"What's happening?" Morgan screamed into the silence and the frozen bodies, her eyes unable to move from Cait's fallen form.
Morgan stood up and whirled, seeing the faces of the villagers, of the men. Shane's face was crushed in absolute devastation. It hurt for her to even look at him. And Patrick…her heart twisted and she tried to move forward but bumped into a wall of sorts.
"Help me! Somebody help her. What is happening?" Morgan screamed, banging her fists against the clear wall that stopped her movement, tears coursing down her face. Her breath came in ragged gasps and she tried to think. If only she could just think, she could figure this out.
"What will you do, Morgan?" A voice like whiskey wrapped around her and Morgan straightened, a shiver running down her back.
"Mother?" Morgan asked, a part of her knowing it wasn't her mother in this time, but her mother from ages ago. She turned.
Grace O'Malley stood before her, looking coolly lovely in a regal dress of red and gold, her dark hair curling wildly around her head, thick jewels at her throat. She was every inch the Warrior Queen and her eyes pierced Morgan with a fierceness that she felt to her very core.
"Stop this. You did this to her! Make it better. Take it back," Morgan pleaded, her anger ripping through her.
Grace drew herself up and scoffed at Morgan.
"I most certainly did not do this. You think that I would hurt one of my own?"
Morgan froze, anger from this life and lives past building deep in her core.
"Yes. You hurt me," Morgan shrieked, anguish pouring from her. "You left me. You just left."
Morgan choked as she struggled to breathe through the emotion that wrapped her lungs, fear for Cait and anger at Grace making her struggle to function.
"I had to leave, child. It was my time. I've never stopped loving you. Just because I was gone from your life, it doesn't break that bond. I've followed your soul for centuries. I'll always love you. You are mine," Grace said simply, her beautiful eyes full of kindness and understanding.
A sweeping rush of love and light filled Morgan, and a heaviness lifted off her soul, for just a moment.
"Then what! What is this? Why did this happen?" Morgan panted out, wiping her tears away, her eyes drawn to where Cait lay pinned beneath the car, her face terrifyingly devoid of expression.
"I can't say why it happened. All I can tell you is that it is through my love that I’m able to give you this chance," Grace said as she swept her arm around to the frozen scene surrounding them.
"What chance? What do you mean?" M
organ begged, knowing that the longer she argued, the less time Cait probably had.
"Why for you to save her, of course. You can lift the car from her," Grace said simply.
Morgan looked at her in horror.
"But, I can't! Everyone's watching! The whole town will know about me." Morgan whirled to look at Patrick's handsome face, contorted in a silent scream. "Patrick will know. I didn't get a chance to tell him about me," she sobbed out, caught in indecision.
"What will happen if they find out?" Grace tilted her head, compassion crossing her strong face. She took Morgan's hand, their matching scars seeming to burn together. Heat pulsed against her palm.
"They'll hate me! They'll run me out of town. I'll be all alone again," Morgan sobbed.
"What if they don't?" Grace asked.
"But, I've never tried to lift something that heavy. What if I'm not strong enough? If I can't do it, Cait will die!" Morgan protested, caught in the weight of her fears, insecurity ratcheting through her.
"She'll die if you don't," Grace said, her words slapping Morgan in the face.
Morgan straightened and looked around at the people frozen in various states of shock and horror. This was a village who cared about their own, she thought, as tears ran down her face. They'd accepted Fiona without too much fuss, and many knew of the rest. Cait was a town favorite.
"Love can win, can't it?" Morgan whispered, turning to face Grace, her heart in her eyes.
"Yes, my sweet, beautiful child," Grace said gently.
She took Morgan's face in her hands and looked down at her. "Maeve. Morgan. Two incredibly strong and very different women, both housing the same soul. We're forever bound, you and I. You're never alone. My blood runs in your veins. My love, my strength, is yours. Love always wins," Grace said as she placed a kiss on Morgan's cheek and faded away.
Like a bolt of lightning, Morgan was back on her knees in the grass as people screamed in terror around her.
"Morgan! Save her," Fiona shouted at her, her voice raw with fear. Aislinn whipped her head around as she ran blindly towards Cait.
"Lift the car," she screamed at Morgan.
And so Morgan stood, her back straight, her hands in fists at her side. She began to walk slowly towards where Cait lay pinned, her life's blood flowing from her, and she imagined that big switch in her head flipping to on with more power than she'd ever had in her life.
Pandemonium erupted when the car began to shift on its own. Wobbling at first, rocking a little.
Fiona and Aislinn had reached where Keelin kneeled next to Cait's head. They all turned to Morgan, their faces grim.
"Do it!" Keelin screamed.
Morgan continued to walk forward, and the crowd fell away. The noise seemed to fade into the background as she focused harder than she ever had in her life.
The car lifted straight off of Cait, hovering above all of the women. The crowd fell quiet behind her, only the scream of a small child resonating with her.
"I can't take my eyes off of it! Where can I put it?" Morgan screamed, wanting to move the car from over the women's heads, but convinced if she broke her gaze away, the car would fall again, this time crushing them all.
A voice cut into the silence behind her.
"Up the hill, Morgan, just up the hill two car lengths. It's free there."
Patrick.
Morgan tried not to let tears blur her vision as she held the car and slowly moved it through the air as it wobbled dangerously over the women. She followed it with her eyes until it hovered above a clear space.
And let it down ever so gently.
A sob escaped Morgan as she began to run, never looking back, only focused on Cait.
"Oh God, oh, no, oh," Morgan sobbed as she knelt in a pool of blood around an ashen Cait.
"Take the baby," Fiona ordered, her hands already on Cait's body, Keelin following her lead. Aislinn had her hands at Cait's heart, her eyes closed, her body still.
"What do you mean take the baby?" Morgan shouted.
Fiona whipped her head around to glare at Morgan.
"The baby is in distress. She knows her mother is injured. You need to tell her it will be okay and hold her steady until we get Cait back," Fiona bit out and Morgan stared at her blindly, more terrified than she had ever been in her life.
"Nooooo." A keening wail broke through and Morgan glanced up in time to see Flynn and Baird holding Shane off of Cait.
"Let them work," Flynn shouted into his ear.
"The baby!" Fiona ordered and Morgan whipped her eyes back to Cait's body. Ignoring everything else, she slipped her hands beneath Cait's shirt, sticky with blood, and pressed her fingers onto her swollen stomach. Closing her eyes, she scanned Cait's womb until she found a very frantic flicker of life.
"Shh." Morgan communicated with her mind. "It will be okay."
"My mother!" the baby cried to her, its screams of fear echoing in her head.
"We've got her. You need to calm down right now or you'll make it worse," Morgan said sternly and then winced, hoping that she hadn't scared the baby.
The flickering seemed to slow a bit and soon Morgan could sense a regular heartbeat.
"That's a good girl. We all love you and your mother very much. We are taking care of her. You'll be able to see her soon," Morgan promised the baby and she saw a warm glow begin to surround the baby as she spoke.
"You're doing good, Morgan, keep holding her. Cait's lost a lot of blood. Both of their lives are in danger," Fiona said curtly.
Morgan gulped and nodded, talking to the baby with her mind.
"Your mom is one of the best women I know. You'll grow up to be just like her. You'll love this town where you are going to grow up. It's located on the water and has all sorts of wonderful things to see and do," Morgan babbled, pouring all of her energy and love into Cait's womb, visualizing a cocoon of light surrounding the baby.
Morgan was dimly aware of Fiona and Keelin chanting while they ran their hands over Cait, sweat pouring off their brows. Fiona's body shook with emotion and power as they held their hands to the worst of Cait's wounds. A hum of energy began to surround the woman as they worked over Cait's body, each woman doing her part to save one of their own.
"Hold on, little one, just hold on until I tell you it's time, okay?"
A small voice reached her mind again.
"Yes," the baby said simply, seeming to enjoy the cradle of light Morgan held her in.
A flash of light shot past Morgan's face and she whipped her head back, narrowly missing the stream. It shot into the chimney of a nearby house, exploding it in a fantastic display of bricks flying into the backyard.
Cait moved beneath them, moaning.
"We need to get her inside. This baby's coming," Fiona warned, looking ashen, her brow covered in sweat.
"She'll hold. She told me she would," Morgan whispered, refusing to break her tenuous hold on the baby.
"Lift her. Men, help!" Aislinn cried and in seconds Shane was cradling Cait under her arms while Patrick and Flynn lifted her feet. Baird hovered behind them looking anxious.
"To my house," Aislinn ordered and the men began to trot up the street. Morgan ran with them, her hands never leaving Cait's belly.
"Don't let my hands leave her belly," Morgan barked out, her eyes briefly meeting Patrick's before she returned to Cait's stomach.
"We won't," Shane said fiercely.
They maneuvered themselves awkwardly up the hill towards Aislinn's house next to the gallery. Baird ran ahead and opened the door, ushering them inside.
"First floor guest bedroom. Back left," he ordered and they followed him down a hallway. Morgan felt a picture slide off the wall as her elbow hit and she could only hope it wasn't an invaluable piece of art as it fell to the floor.
"Boil water," Fiona shouted behind them and Morgan saw Aislinn zip off towards the kitchen.
They entered a room with a beautiful bed with a wrought-iron bedframe and a wedding ring quilt on it, and Morgan to
re her eyes away from Cait for a second.
"Move the quilt," she ordered and Baird snagged the quilt from the bed, throwing it over a rocking chair in the corner.
The baby sent a panicked cry to her brain.
"It's okay," Morgan murmured, not caring if she looked crazy to the men. "Your mom won't leave you. She'll be okay," she crooned, urging the baby to hold on.
Fiona whisked into the room, a cup of liquid in her hand.
"Hold her head up," she ordered to Shane. Shane dutifully did as Cait blinked wearily, moaning quietly.
"Drink," Fiona ordered.
And Cait drank.
Moments later, Cait began to cough, and then she began to cry.
Tears clouded Morgan's vision as Cait reached up with one arm and hooked it around Shane's neck, pulling him to her so she could kiss him.
"I hate to break this up, but you have some work to do," Fiona said gently, smiling through her tears.
Cait looked up at her, her face weary.
"I don't know if I can do it," Cait whispered.
"You can," Morgan interrupted, and Cait's gazed whipped to her.
"Your baby's fine. She, I mean it's ready." Morgan blushed, realizing that she had given it away. Cait began to laugh as Shane's mouth dropped open.
"A girl!" She sighed and smiled, her gaze returning to Fiona.
"You saved me," Cait whispered.
"Well, who was going to pour my pints for me?" Fiona asked, wiping a tear away.
"Free pints for life," Cait whispered and then worry crossed her face. "I feel so weak, I'm scared. It was so scary, everything that just happened, I saw the car, I thought…I thought I died." She hiccupped out a sob as Shane wrapped his arms around her again. The baby began to move in distress again, its heartbeat fluttering rapidly.
"Shh, you're fine. She's just a little emotional." Morgan spoke to Cait's stomach and had the woman pausing.
"Is she upset?" Cait whispered.
"She just got a little scared when you started reliving the moment. I think she's ready to meet you though." Morgan smiled gently at Cait.
"Will I be okay?" Cait looked at Fiona, her eyes wide with worry.
"Aye, you'll be fine. We're all here," Fiona said and Cait looked around. Morgan glanced up to see all of the women and their men standing around Cait's bed.
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