She straightened and smoothed back her hair. “I’m here.”
“Are you decent?”
“What do you mean?”
“Um, do you have clothes on?”
Ciera laughed. “Of course. Should I take them off?”
“No, no. Please don’t.”
The door squeaked when Dane stepped inside, illuminated from the yellow glow of the lamp. His hair was wet and he now wore deep blue pants and a purple shirt that made her smile. Had he done that for her? Under his arm, he carried a smooth black device. Ciera scooted over as Dane sat beside her on the cot.
His eyes were soft when they found hers. His eyebrows arched. “Do you sleep in your contacts?
“Contacts?”
“It’s just that your eyes are this unnatural shade of purple. I assumed they were contacts.”
Ciera looked away. Did humans not have violet eyes? “They are purple. They’ve always been that color.”
Dane split the black device open into two parts. The top side glowed to life, like one of those TVs she’d seen when watching those documentaries. “Here, let’s look it up.” He tapped some buttons on the bottom half and images of violet eyes displayed on that little TV device. “I’ll be,” he said. “Some people do have violet eyes. You’re a rarity, though. The rarest in the world.”
Even in this world, huh?
Ciera turned toward Dane. “Thank you for helping me.”
“Let’s look up ‘robotic arm’ and see where we should start.” He clicked some more buttons, and the screen became populated with images of robotic arms. He turned the device toward Ciera. “Any of these?”
She absorbed the shape of each arm, they appeared like they would be fastened to a table of some kind, not a human. “No. It was attached to his shoulder.”
“Like a prosthetic?”
Ciera shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Dane clicked away at the buttons and the display populated with people, mostly men, with devices attached to their shoulder. “Like that?”
“Closer. I don’t know. He had a shirt on, and all I saw was his forearm down.”
“You got pregnant from a man wearing a shirt?”
She straightened. “Is there something wrong with that?”
“And all you know is his first name?” One of Dane’s dark eyebrows arched.
“I didn’t even know that. I had to find it out later.”
Dane shook his head and seemed to scoot away. “It’s just you don’t seem like that kinda girl.”
“What kinda girl do I seem like?”
Dane sighed and leaned closer. His eyes seemed to sparkle as they examined her. “You seem kind and thoughtful. Careful, but a bit daring. Nervous, and a little innocent, but I guess that makes sense.”
Ciera turned from him, uncomfortable by the intensity of his gaze. That was when she saw the familiar silver fingers on the device’s screen. More of a hook than anything else. She had touched it in her dream while the magic happened. “That one.”
Dane moved his fingers, and the image expanded. “It says it’s a Boston Arm. It’s an older type of prosthetic. Maybe a temporary solution before a better prosthetic can be obtained. There shouldn’t be that many places in Chicago that sell these. We can call one.”
Ciera just stared at him. This was a new kind of magic. Devices that gave a world of information right below Dane’s fingertips. Look what happened to a world without fairy influence. Innovation. She remembered learning about phones in school, but the device Dane pulled out was quite different. More of a little contraption like the one he had brought for them to do their research on.
He handed it to her. “Here, call them.”
Ciera took the device from his hands and turned it over in her fingers. How did this thing work? It looked nothing like the ones she learned about in school. Where were the buttons?
“Here’s the number.” Dane pointed to a spot on the shiny black machine. “There are a few stores in town. I don’t know if this John goes to any of them, but it’s worth a try.”
As Ciera spun the phone in her hand, her stomach gave a big rumble. This baby was taking everything out of her. All her magic, her food, and it appeared her sanity. How far had she come? Her father always told her, “You only grow in times of struggle.” Oh boy, she wondered who she’d be when she came out of this one. Ciera found a button and clicked it. The phone glowed like the other device. She stared at it.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know how to use a smartphone?”
Ciera looked into Dane’s intense blue eyes and gave her best sly smile. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”
Dane laughed. “I should have seen that coming. Here.” He took the device from her and touched some numbers on the screen. When he handed it back to her, she heard a faint ringing sound. Pushing it closer to her ear, the sounds became clearer.
Soon, on the other end, was a woman’s voice. “Windy City Prosthetics, this is Mary. How may I help you?”
“Yes. Hi, Mary. This is Ciera. I’m looking for John. He has a robotic…um…prosthetic arm.”
“Excuse me? You’re looking for an employee or a client?”
“I’m looking for John.” Frustration built inside Ciera. How would she explain? “He’s got a Boston Arm. I’m pregnant with his child and trying to track him down.”
Dane pried the phone from Ciera’s ear and held it up to his own. “Hi, this is Dane. Don’t mind Ciera, she’s a little blunt. We’re looking for more information on prosthetics. Do you carry the Boston Arm or another claw type?” He pulled the phone away and touched the device. Soon Mary’s voice filled the air.
“We have a full line, including that type. There are a few variations.”
“Are they on the internet?”
“No, you’ll have to come down and see the catalogue.”
“Do you know of a man named John who has this type of arm?”
“I really don’t know. I’m just the front desk. You’d have to talk to one of our specialists, but they’re occupied right now, and I’m not sure they can give that information out.”
“Okay, thank you. We’ll stop in sometime today and talk to them.” He swiped the phone’s screen.
Ciera’s stomach gurgled again. She wrapped her arms tightly around it.
“Let’s get you some breakfast…or I guess it’s lunch already, then we’ll stop over at the store. It’s not far from here. Maybe you can look at the catalogue to see if they have the exact device you saw before we go any further.”
“I don’t want to eat and run off without paying again.”
Dane leaned in and gave her shoulder a little nudge with his own. “That’s why I can’t see you in your line of work—getting pregnant like you say you did. You’re so uptight.”
Ciera fisted her hands. “I’m not uptight. I have things that I stand for. Besides, getting pregnant is a woman’s duty. It’s what we’re made for.”
A deep laugh rolled from Dane. “Really? A woman’s duty? Wasn’t it just yesterday you wanted nothing to do with the child?”
“I need to get rid of the baby. Raising a child is not my duty.”
Dane’s eyebrows rose, and he stood up. “I’m not going to argue. Come on, you can buy breakfast. I know you have a wad of cash.”
Ciera reached under the bed and pulled out the money Dane had given her yesterday. She held it out to Dane. “Take it back.”
“I don’t want it. You need it more than me.”
She folded it neatly and shoved it in the only spot she knew to hold it—her undergarment. Dane shook his head at her.
“Do you find me amusing?” Ciera asked.
“More than you can imagine,” he said, putting his hand on the small of her back and escorting her out the door.
~ ~ ~
Ciera found herself comforted by her breakfast, as eggs were something familiar. But when she scooped up a few chunks of scrambled eggs into her spoon, an emptiness filled her as she thought of her father
waiting for her to return. He was all she had. What would happen when he was gone? She’d be so lonely.
Stop thinking about it. He’s got twenty-three years and sixteen days left.
“What are you thinking about?”
She jerked her head up, searching for anything to say. “What animal do these come from? They’re different from what we have at home.”
“The eggs? What animal?” Dane laughed. “They’re chicken eggs. What kind you eat? Duck? Quail?”
“Platypus.”
Dane scooped up his eggs. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
The waitress set the bill down, and Ciera reached into her undergarment to pull the wad of money out.
Dane reached out his hand. “No, keep that. I’ll cover this.” He pulled out a little plastic rectangle. “I had a nice breakfast with you. There’s something about your quirkiness that reminds me of someone I know.”
“A friend?”
Dane seemed to want to say something, but stayed quiet. Ciera bit her tongue, waiting. She had learned that if you don’t say anything, frequently more information came. Did that work on humans too?
Dane chuckled to break the silence. “No, not a friend. Family.”
The waitress came, and Dane grabbed the bill. After scribbling something on the piece of paper, he slid out of the booth. “Are you ready to go find this robot man of yours?” He lifted his hand for her to take.
Ciera smiled, gripped his hand, and wiggled out from behind the table. “You bet.” She laced her arm around Dane’s and pulled him into her tightly. “Thank you for helping me. I think we make a great team.”
Dane beamed a beautiful smile that made Ciera almost feel at home and tightened his arm against hers. “You’re welcome. A team, huh?”
“Yes, a team.” The word seemed foreign to Ciera—something she never expected to say…or find in this world.
Chapter 9
Ciera
Soon, Ciera and Dane arrived at a tan building with a sign overhead that read, “Windy City Prosthetics.” When Dane placed his hand on the small of Ciera’s back, a chill ran up her spine. She turned to see his welcoming eyes.
How would Dane get along with her father?
Stop it. You just want to be close to somebody in this crazy town.
Dane gave her a nod. “You ready?” He opened the glass entry door for her.
Inside, metal devices—artificial limbs of all kinds—covered the walls. One corner held racks of black, tan, and white shoes, while the other had bracing devices of some kind, like walking sticks, but made of metal.
A counter ran the length of one wall. Behind it stood a pudgy woman who watched Dane and Ciera like a phoenix watching his prey. Examining one device after another, but nothing reminded her of the man in her dream.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked. Her voice was familiar.
If Ciera had her wings, they would have flapped and floated her to the ceiling, thinking this could be the step to find John. Almost if he could read her mind, Dane grabbed her hand, grounding her.
“Yes, are you Mary? I’m Ciera, and we spoke this morning. I was looking for the man with the—”
Dane gave her hand a little tug while his words interrupted her. “We’re here to see the prosthetic catalogue.”
“Yes.” The woman turned around, tracing her fingers along the bindings of some books. She pulled out a brown one with white letters on the side. “Here’s the line we carry.”
When Dane let go of Ciera’s hand, she suddenly felt empty. She laced her fingers together in front of her belly.
“Thank you,” Dane said, taking the catalogue. “Mind if we sit over there and look at it?”
The woman shook her head. “Not at all.”
On a padded bench near the shoes, Ciera and Dane sat shoulder-to-shoulder while flipping through the pages. When she turned the final page, a heaviness settled on her. None of the claw-type hands had a silver forearm—they were all flesh-toned.
“It’s none of these,” she whispered to Dane.
He tucked the book under his arm and carried it back to the counter. “Do you have other books? The one we’re looking for isn’t in this one.”
Mary shook her head, then brushed a stray strand of brown hair back into her bun. “No, that’s the only brand we carry. What are you looking for?”
“A silver forearm,” Ciera said. “The man’s whole arm was silver.”
“Titanium.” Mary said. “That’s a trademark of ‘Better Than the Original.’ We don’t carry that line. This one is just as good.” She flipped open the catalogue.
“No, no, no,” Ciera said. “I need a particular man. He has the silver arm. If you don’t sell them, where can we find them?”
“Maybe at Prosthetics R Us on the other side of town or maybe he was measured at his doctor’s office and purchased it online?” Mary shrugged.
“Online?” Dane said. “If he bought it online, how could we possibly track him down?”
Mary pulled her glasses down. “You are looking for a specific person with a prosthetic? You know nobody will be able to give you that information. We’re protected by HIPPA. All our client info is private.”
Ciera’s heart sank. “Really, I must find him. He’s the father of my child.”
Mary held her hand out. “I really don’t want to get into any family drama. Just know there’s nothing I can do to help.”
Ciera wanted to fly across the counter and rummage through every piece of paper there.
Instead, Dane wrapped his arm around her, holding her firmly to the ground. He twisted her toward him, and her world disappeared in his soft blue eyes. Inside her stomach, she felt a tingle. What was happening to her? Was this the baby’s doing also?
Dane rubbed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. They don’t sell that type, anyway. We’ll check out Prosthetics R Us.”
Ciera calmed, focusing on the man in front of her.
He turned and awkwardly smiled at the shopkeeper. “Pregnancy hormones. You have to forgive her.” He then escorted Ciera outside.
Ciera wanted to stomp her foot. “We need to find him. I’m running out of time!” She wanted to get out of this human world as soon as this baby was born. Before someone found out about her. Either the fairies would kick her out of the fairy realm, or the humans would find her and dissect her. Neither option seemed very pleasant.
“Ciera, use your head. I’m a thief. There’s always a way to get the records. We just need to be better prepared for the next store.”
She suddenly felt light as hope filled her, but then a realization squashed it. “No, that’s wrong.”
“Hey, sometimes you need to do bad things if the reasoning behind them is good.”
He was a good thief. He had to be. “Like rob from the rich and give to the poor?”
“Like Robin Hood?” Dane laughed. “Not exactly. That is over-glorified thievery. I’m not heroic at all.”
“I don’t understand. Either you’re a good thief or a bad thief.”
“It’s more complicated than that. Do I want to steal? No. Do I have a choice?” His voice cracked, and he silenced a moment, thinking about it. “Maybe. It’s just that sometimes, you do bad things for other people. People you care about. People you love.” He placed his hand on her stomach. “Like, you seem to want to do whatever it takes to get your child a good home. I completely understand that. I think that’s a grand reason, if there ever was one before.” His words were soft, almost a whisper.
Ciera caught glossiness in his eyes. Did men cry in this world? She smiled, wanting to cheer him up. “I’ll do whatever it takes.” She took Dane’s hand. “Just show me how.”
They spent the next hour coming up with a plan for visiting Prosthetics R Us. When they entered the store, their elaborate dance began.
Ciera tightly clasped Dane’s hand as they walked into the building like they had a purpose. She let him do the talking.
“Hi, I’m looking for a surprise for
my brother. He received his prosthetic here from you. See, my wife here—” Ciera gave a smile and a little curtsy. “—has taken to knitting. She wants to make him a sleeve for his device, only we don’t know what size to make. I was wondering if you could let us know its dimensions. It’s a ‘Better than the Original’ brand. A Boston Arm style.”
The man behind the counter rubbed his well-trimmed beard. He pulled out a catalogue and flipped it open to a page displaying a few photos of exactly the arm in Ciera’s dream.
“That’s it,” she whispered to Dane.
He squeezed her hand. “Do they all come in the same size?”
Ciera’s insides tightened, hoping the answer was ‘no.’
The man ran his finger down the page. “It appears like they come in three sizes. Adult male, adult female, and child.”
Child? Ciera’s insides twisted into a knot. A child who needed a fake arm? Here’s where a little fairy magic would go a long way.
“Well,” Dane continued. “John’s kinda a small guy. Maybe he has the female variety. Is there a way you can look it up?”
The man went to the computer and began to tap some keys. Ciera tried to remember what letters he touched, since Dane said people needed a secret code…a password to unlock these devices.
The man stopped pushing the buttons. “What’s John’s last name?”
If only Ciera knew that answer. Who knew humans would have two names?
“Smith.” Dane’s voice was calm as he leaned on the counter.
The man clicked some more. “I have two John Smiths in my records.”
“I imagine you do. Smith is a common last name.” Dane scratched his temple. “Is there a different way to search? Maybe by prosthetic device?”
A clicking sound filled the air as the man continued to push buttons. “I can search by phone number.”
Dane patted his waist and shook his head. “Honey,” Dane said, turning toward Ciera. “Do you have your phone with you?”
Ciera shook her head.
Returning his focus toward the clerk, Dane shrugged. “We don’t seem to have our phones along. Who remembers people’s numbers these days, anyway.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you then. I can write down both the male and female sizes for you, though.”
Hidden: A Pregnant Fairy Godmother's Journey... Page 5