“The boys will be fine,” Doctor Sims was saying. “They are very small, so it’s best that we keep them in a protected environment until they have a chance to grow and get a little stronger.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Hope said wearily. “What about Karma? And Berta?”
“Karma’s leg has been set and annealed. She has a mild infection so we’ve put her in a healing tank for a few days for that, and to help her body recover from the ordeal. She will make a full recovery.
“Berta is not in very good health, I’m afraid. Her head injury would not normally be too serious, but in her current condition, there are concerns. We have her under careful watch. Everything that can be done for her is being done.”
“You can’t put her in a healing tank?” Hope asked.
“No, I’m afraid her overall physical health, and her advanced age, precludes that option,” the Doctor replied sympathetically.
Hope was nearly numb from all of the grief, worry, and sadness this day had already brought, so the news about Berta just added to what she was already feeling. “Thank you Doctor,” she said wearily.
“I suggest that you go and get some rest,” Doctor Sims said to Hope, eyeing her carefully. “You have been through quite an ordeal, yourself.”
Hope imagined for one moment her own home, a hot shower, clean clothes, and her own bed. But she was far from home, and didn’t even have a change of underwear.
“What is wrong?” Jackson asked Hope as he watched the expressions on her face change rapidly.
“What isn’t?” she retorted. She immediately regretted her words, and her tone. “I apologize,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”
“Yes, I would agree with that,” Jackson replied. “Doctor Sims is correct, Hope. You should get some rest.”
“I know, and I would love to, but I have no place to sleep, no where to shower, and no clean clothes to put on. The idea of tackling all of that is more stressful than just sitting here for the remainder of the night.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Grace said. “What do you think I’ve been doing all evening? Sitting around watching my hair grow?”
Hope turned in surprise, smiling at Grace as she approached them from the direction of the elevator.
“Yes actually, that’s exactly what I thought you were doing,” Hope said matter-of-factly.
“Well, you’re right, that’s what I was doing for part of the time. But I managed to squeeze in a few other errands during intermission.”
Hope smiled, then narrowed her eyes as she looked at Grace more closely. “Your face is clean,” she accused. “And you’ve got clean clothes on. How did you manage that?”
“Come along with me and I will share my secrets,” Grace said, taking Hope by the hand and tugging her gently. Hope followed obediently, the possibility of a shower not one to be ignored.
She heard the Bearens chuckling behind her but she didn’t care. There wasn’t a lot she wouldn’t do for clean clothes and a shower at that moment.
“Some guy everyone calls the Director is, apparently, a hot-shot of some sort,” Grace said as they stepped into the elevator. “He gave orders to whoever runs this base that we pretty much get whatever we want.”
“The Director is some kind of high muckity-muck in the Directorate,” Hope said.
“Oh, well that explains it,” Grace replied. “They came up with a bungalow that we all have to share for tonight. Tomorrow you and I will have one to ourselves, and the big one will be for the Bearens. We can get whatever we want from the base store, so I guessed at your sizes and picked up some things for you. Tomorrow you can go yourself, but I warn you there aren’t any high fashion items to choose from.”
“Jeans, t-shirts and underwear is all I need,” Hope said.
“Good, cause that’s about all they have,” Grace laughed as they stepped out of the elevator and crossed the hospital lobby.
“Did anyone say whether the Director was planning to come here?” Hope asked.
“Yes,” Grace replied. “He’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Gamoto,” Hope said softly.
“What’s wrong?”
“From the time I was a little girl my mom, and my Aunt Olivia, warned me that if the Directorate found out about my special ability, they would force me to work for them.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Grace said.
“No?” Hope asked curiously.
“I was tested as a child, like everyone else,” Grace said. “My ability to move things around was not as strong as it is now, but I had it. They tested me a couple more times over the years, and they invited me to join the Directorate, but I didn’t want to, so I said no. They never pushed me.”
“Harlan told me after he joined the Directorate that they didn’t force people to work for them, but I was afraid he might be wrong. I am not a warrior, or a fighter.”
Grace laughed. “Oh, you’re a fighter all right,” she said. “And a leader, for that matter. But I agree you aren’t a warrior. You are far too compassionate for that.”
Hope shook her head doubtfully. “Just do me a favor please and don’t mention my ability to anyone just yet.”
“Don’t worry,” Grace said, “I don’t make a habit of telling other people’s business.”
“I’m sorry, Grace,” Hope said, hearing the note of offense in Grace’s voice. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Grace smiled her forgiveness. “Come on, let’s get you into a hot shower.”
Chapter 47
When Hope awoke the next day the first thing she thought of was Harlan. She sat up in bed and raised her wrist so that she could see the owls tattooed there. The one on the inside of her wrist, the one with the amber eyes, was for Harlan. She ran her fingers lightly over the gold script that spelled his name out in Greek and wondered how it was that he had died, yet she hadn’t known it? How could the last living member of her family have been absent from the universe without her feeling it somehow?
It seemed to her that it should have broken her heart, torn her soul, ripped the very fabric of her being when he died, and yet, nothing had happened. She’d had no idea. No hint. No strange feeling, or dream, or premonition of any kind. She didn’t understand that, and it made her feel vaguely guilty, as though she had done something wrong, or failed to do something right.
Hope felt hot tears sting her eyes, but she blinked them back. She was not alone in this house. Her grief would have to wait. She threw back the covers and got out of bed. The room was small and simple, but the privacy of it seemed a luxury. The bungalow had only three bedrooms, but the Bearens had insisted that she and Grace each take one for themselves.
She peeked through the blinds, not surprised at all to see that the sun was high in the sky. It had to be nearing noon. She dropped the blinds and went to the pile of neatly folded clothing on a chair beside the bed, saying another silent thanks to Grace. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt as a nightshirt, so she shook out the jeans and pulled them on before opening the bedroom door and heading for the kitchen.
“We are most sorry to be the bearers of such sad news, Highness,” she heard Jackson saying as she paused in the doorway leading into the kitchen.
“I know that it will be very difficult for Princess Lariah, especially at this time. Ellicia Daniels was a very special and brave woman, much like her sister.
“I wish that were all I have to tell you, but there is more. Ms. Daniels was carrying triplets when she was fatally injured. She requested that we, my brothers and I, and our Arima, Hope Strigida, raise her sons as though they were our own. We, of course, agreed. Before she passed into the next plane, she gave us her son’s names, and informed us that the infants are Clan Owlfen.
“We do not understand all that has happened over the past few days, Highness, and I’m afraid it is not possible to tell you everything at this time. I will say, however, that we believe Ellicia’s words to be true. As Saige said before we left Jasan, Ellicia gave our people, and us, a gif
t beyond price.
“At this time the infants are under medical care. They are several weeks pre-mature and very small, though the doctors have assured us that they are fully developed and should be fine.
“We have captured a vehicle which we are certain is equipped with Blind Sight. The Director has taken custody of it, and it’s currently being transported to us here where it will be examined. We have asked the Director to order that no one touch the vehicle at this time in an effort to prevent setting off any Xanti destruct system, and he has agreed. The compound where the women were held was protected by Blind Sight, but the men who found it triggered the destruct, which makes the one in the ground-car even more critical. Our hope is that the Katres will be able to give us some inkling of how we might use it to help us find the Brethren’s main compound here on Earth. It’s a slim hope but it’s all we have. One woman that we know of is being held there, but without a way to nullify Blind Sight, we have no hope of finding her.
“We were able to recover one elderly woman who has been a prisoner of the Brethren for over sixty years. She has a head injury, so we have not yet had the opportunity to meet and speak with her. We will do so as soon as her health permits.”
Jackson paused for a moment and looked to Clark, then Rob, before looking back at the portable vid terminal.
“I think that is all for now, Highness,” he said. “We will keep you informed of events here as they transpire, and we will await a response on how to proceed with the Blind Sight in the ground-car.
“We will be here for a few more weeks at minimum. We cannot leave without the infants of course, and we cannot bring them home until we are certain they are healthy and strong. For now, our deepest condolences to you, and to Princess Lariah.”
Jackson reached out and pressed a button to end the recording. He looked at his brothers again, and they both nodded so he pressed the Send button. He had no desire to review the message first. It had been difficult enough to say the things he’d had to say. He did not want to hear them.
He looked up at Hope, who still stood quietly in the doorway, an odd expression on her face. “You did a good job with that,” she said. “I know it can’t have been easy to do.”
“It’s never easy to break bad news to those you care about,” Jackson said. “But it is always more difficult to receive the bad news.”
“I am very sorry about Ellicia,” she said. “I know you cared about her very much.”
“As we are sorry about your cousin, Harlan,” Jackson replied, knowing that this was the human way of expressing sympathy, though it felt strange to him.
“Have you heard anything from the hospital about the babies?” Hope asked. That was the real reason she had come in here to begin with.
“We called to check on them about an hour ago,” Clark said. “We were informed that they were doing well, all of them eating and sleeping as they should be. We said that we would be in to see them as soon as we are able.”
“I’ll take a quick shower and be ready to go in just a few minutes,” Hope said. “I wish I hadn’t slept so late. Poor things probably think they’ve been abandoned.”
“There is no rush, Hope,” Jackson said. “You have time to eat first.”
Hope shrugged one shoulder, turned and hurried back to the bedroom she had slept in, eager to escape the nearly overwhelming flood of sadness coming from the Bearens. It had been all she could do to appear calm as she stood in the kitchen talking to them. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, focusing just on breathing for a few moments. When she was certain that she had composed herself, she picked up the new clothes Grace had gotten for her and went to take a shower.
She refused to allow herself to think of anything other than little Harlan, Mattlan and Weldan. She wanted to go to the hospital and see them, hold them in her arms, and look into their amber eyes that were so much like their father’s.
She would not think of how much Ellicia had meant to the Bearens, or of their intention to take the boys to Jasan as soon as they could. She would not think about spending the rest of her life alone, with no family left to her, and nothing to remind her of them except for a tattoo on her wrist.
Chapter 48
“Hope is very upset,” Clark said after she left.
“A lot has happened to her in the past few days,” Jackson said. “It would be a surprise if she weren’t upset.”
“I suppose,” Clark replied uncertainly.
“She was amazing yesterday,” Rob said. “She stepped right in and did what needed to be done. It can’t have been easy for her.”
“She will make a wonderful mother for those boys,” Jackson said.
“She’s so beautiful too,” Clark said. “I cannot believe how lucky we are. When are we going to tell her she is our Arima?”
“I don’t know,” Jackson replied. “With everything that has happened, is still happening, I don’t think now is the right time. I want us all to get beyond our grief and anger before we do that.”
“Agreed,” Clark said reluctantly, knowing Jackson was right, but wishing her wasn’t. Jackson looked to Rob, who nodded his agreement.
“I still don’t understand the strong connection we felt for Ellicia,” Rob said. “I feel as though we have lost someone very close to us, like a sibling.”
“I have given this some thought,” Jackson said. “I believe there are two reasons for it, the first reason being for the sake of the babies.”
“What do you mean?” Rob asked.
“Do you remember what Saige said to Princess Lariah? That it is not possible to avoid that which is destined?”
“Yes,” Rob relied.
“I think we were destined to find the Owlfen, and bring them back to our people. And I think that Ellicia was destined to follow Harlan. We all felt how much she loved him. So much that, even though he was gone from this plane, her love never faltered. We had no idea that he was no longer alive, and I think that if she had loved him less, we would have known.”
“You think our connection to her, the feeling that she was a sibling to us, was meant to insure that we would not refuse to take the boys,” Rob said after a few moments. “That it was meant to insure that we would love them, and care for them.”
“Yes,” Jackson said. “I believe so.”
“I do not like to think we would have refused Ellicia’s request for us to raise her children, even had we not had such a connection with her,” Clark said. “This will sound cruel, and I promise I do not mean it to be, but think on this: if Ellicia were alive, her sons would remain here, on Earth, with her, and rightly so. But they are meant for Jasan.”
Jackson and Rob both nodded, unable to argue that truth.
“It is also true that without the connection we felt with Ellicia, we might well have lost our minds before finding Hope,” Jackson added. “I think that is the second reason for our connection.”
“I agree,” Clark said. “I am concerned about raising the boys, though. I have never heard of one Clan raising the offspring of another. Since they are of a Lost Clan, we have no knowledge of their Clan ways or traditions, and such things are so important. How will we teach them to be true to their Clan, when we know nothing of it?”
“That is knowledge that is lost to everyone,” Jackson pointed out. “We will do our best, and raise them to be honorable Jasani. That is all anyone can do. We will love them, and that is what matters most.”
Rob and Clark nodded. None of them were hesitant about taking on the responsibility of raising Ellicia’s and Harlan’s sons. They were only concerned that they had no knowledge of the Owlfen to teach them. But there was nothing to be done about that.
“When is the ground-car supposed to get here?” Clark asked. “I’d like to take the time to get a closer look at it today.”
“Me too,” Jackson replied. “This afternoon, I believe. A special transport is being brought in which will insure the that the ground-car is moved as gently as possible, without b
umps or jerks. It must be handled most carefully as we cannot take any chance of setting off another self-destruct.”
“When is the Director due to arrive?” Rob asked.
“This afternoon,” Jackson replied. “He’s bringing a team of experts with him to go over the ground-car, as well as those items removed from the compound.”
“I think we should wait until we get a response from the Katres before we touch the ground-car,” Clark said.
“As do I,” Jackson said. “And I think that the Director agrees. But we must remember that this is Earth, not Jasan, and they will do as they think best, as is their right.”
Clark nodded. He understood, and he agreed, but he didn’t want the opportunity of that Blind Sight system to be swept away with a careless touch. It was too important.
“I checked earlier and the kitchen is fully stocked,” Rob said, changing the subject. “Hope and Grace might enjoy a hot meal after what they’ve been through the past few days.”
“Good idea,” Clark said. “I’ll help.”
***
Hope finished drying her hair and began braiding it as she considered her options. She knew that she couldn’t fight the Bearens and Jasani royalty for the babies. She had neither the money, nor the will, to engage in such a battle as that would certainly become. Besides, they were babies, not tug-ropes. They deserved to be loved and cherished, not fought over like the last three cookies in a room full of sugar addicts.
That left two options. She could stay here, on Earth, and continue with her life as it had been. She would be alone, but in many ways she had been alone for a very long time. She loved her cousin, but his work kept him busy and she rarely saw him. She could make an occasional trip to Jasan to visit the children, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to do it very often. She knew exactly what it cost to travel back and forth between Earth and Jasan. The children would barely know her at all.
Or, she could move to Jasan. That wouldn’t be bad. Jasan was a beautiful and peaceful world. The problem was, she would be even more alone there than she was here, on Earth. At least here she had some friends, her work, and a life. It wasn’t a lot, but she was content with it.
The Bearens' Hope Book Four of the Soul Page 30