by Jones, D. F.
Julia relaxed a bit, and with a nod, she said, “I’ll walk.”
By the time Julia reached the house, her contractions were getting more consistent and stronger. It felt as though the baby would just explode through the skin of her belly instead of the birth canal. Andy picked Julia up and carried her to the second-floor delivery room.
The soothing sage walls and cream-colored curtains, with fragrant diffusers of lavender placed around the room, calmed Julia. Andy lowered her onto the bed, and she knew Charlie and Ruben moved about the room getting things together for the baby’s arrival, but Julia didn’t pay any attention to them. Julia zeroed in on Andy’s face, so like his grandfather’s. She squeezed his hand and said, “Stay with me, Andy. Don’t leave me.”
Andy pulled a stool up to the birthing table he’d ordered online. He pushed the hair away from her face and kissed the back of her hand. “I’m not going anywhere, Grannie.”
Julia let out a laugh. “Is this whacked? I’m giving birth to your daddy.”
Andy’s face shone with excitement and tears glazed over his eyes. “I know, right? So, Phillip Andrew Junior will come into the world in the arms of his son. It has a kind of poetic justice to it. I don’t remember him as a man, but I’ll gaze into his eyes as an infant.”
Julia eased a bit. It was as if Phillip was in the room with them. His spiritual presence was so intense that chills ran up her arms like tiny pricks of a needle. That’s how Julia’s labor began.
Charlie had cleaned Julia up and draped her in sterile linens then checked her cervix. “You’ve dilated to a five, and we have to make it to a ten.”
The bittersweet pain was made bearable by the all-consuming love filling the room.
Ruben began to whistle a soft medley, and Julia asked, “What’s the name of that song?”
Ruben walked over to the top of the bed and held her hand. “’Till We Meet Again.’ I served in World War I. The song was very popular back then. I used to whistle it when I got nervous before a battle, and it steadied my nerves.”
Tears glistened in Julia’s eyes. “Sing it to me, please.”
Ruben said, “The lyrics were written by Raymond Egan in 1918 during the Great War. Families were being torn apart, losing sons, husbands, and fathers. I can’t remember the words. It was a long time ago, but I can whistle it.”
Julia nodded, and as he whistled the sad tune, she broke out in a cold sweat. The conversation between Charlie and Andy became background noise as she approached ten centimeters.
Julia lay on her back, and Charlie placed several pillows under her hips while Ruben held her hand. Andy moved a stack of soft towels onto the side table next to Julia. He put a blanket over Julia and had several baby blankets ready to prevent Junior from developing hypothermia.
Charlie had drilled and coached them over the months, preparing them for today, and Julia kept thanking her.
Charlie spoke in a soft voice, “Julia, we’re heading into the delivery of your baby. He is in position, so when I tell you to push, honey, you push. I’m ready for him. I can see his head.” Charlie laughed, and said, “He has a head full of black hair.”
Julia let out a sob and screamed at the same time as Charlie said, “Push, Julia.”
Julia pushed and screamed. It felt as if a tiger were clawing his way out of her, not a baby.
“I got him, Julia, I got him. He’s beautiful. Look, Andy’s going to clean him up a bit before he gives you the baby. I’m going to use this clean string to cut the cord. Then we’ll concentrate on the delivery of the placenta.”
She had a death grip on Ruben’s hand, and he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You did beautifully. He is a healthy baby boy.” A single tear glistened on Ruben’s face.
Julia’s body shivered and shook from exhaustion. The pain level from one to ten was a freaking ten. But she continued to concentrate on her breathing as she watched Charlie and Andy clean and wrap little Phillip in a blanket to keep him warm. They had warming lights ready if needed.
Andy placed little Phillip in her arms. Smiling with tears rolling down her cheeks, she said, “My beautiful baby boy. Hi, baby, I’m your mama.”
Andy looked at Ruben, then down at Julia. “You need to try and breastfeed. Remember what Charlie said, it’ll help getting rid of the afterbirth.”
Charlie came back to her and said, “Okay, darling, you’re doing brilliantly. Here comes the placenta. After this, I’ll clean you up and get you both comfortable. I have pain pills if you want one. It won’t hurt you or the baby.”
Julia shook her head as her baby latched onto her right nipple. “No pain pills. I want to remember everything. Thank you, Charlie, and thank you, Ruben and Andy. He’s beautiful, so beautiful.” Happy tears rolled down her face.
Charlie placed her hand on Julia’s arm. “We’re going to clean up the room a bit while you get to know your son. When you feel up to it, I’ll help you take a shower. It’ll help your milk to come in.”
Julia stared at the little miracle she held in her arms. When Junior fell asleep, Julia closed her eyes and prayed to God to protect her baby. A few hours later, Andy took his father in his arms while Charlie helped Julia into the shower. The circle of life completed.
* * *
The next few weeks went by blissfully fast for Julia. All the energy in the house was directed toward her sweet little bundle of joy. Thanks to Charlie’s rigorous workouts during her pregnancy, Julia’s body returned to normal quick.
March had arrived with storms and severe winds, but the old saying, “in like a lion out like a lamb,” held true. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, and wildflowers and grasses scattered among the rocky crags. Julia and her baby sat in the back garden with Klock at her feet. The air was much warmer than typical for late March.
Ruben, Azreal, and Chayliel were making a quick run into town for supplies. Andy and Charlie walked hand in hand from the house to the garden.
“Dinner is ready, my lady.” Andy bowed to Julia.
“Yum, I stay hungry all the time. Junior’s sleeping so peacefully, and I hate to disturb him.” Every time Julia looked at her child, her love for him grew and grew so much more than she ever thought possible.
Charlie leaned over and said, “Let me have my little boy.” She placed the small baby in her arms, and they walked back to the house, laughing.
Life was too perfect. Julia thought—the calm before the storm—and hated when she was right.
* * *
Monica met with her team of enforcers at a local motel next to the interstate before heading out to Phillip’s Chalet. The team had found Julia a few weeks before the birth of the baby boy. She had given instructions to allow the child to nurse from his biological mother for the first month of his life.
Monica arrived last night with two security specialists that would deactivate any defense guards Ruben had put in place. Upon arriving, Monica learned that Ruben had secured two Empyreal Guards. Kidnapping the child should’ve been a cakewalk, but with the two immortals, things could get dicey.
They had mapped out a plan to meet in the little grove of trees diagonally across from the property, around one hundred feet from the sensor trip alarms. She looked through a pair of binoculars at the happy family.
Monica had waited decades to have a family, and she was so close to her soon-to-be-son. If all went as planned, Monica and her new son would be back in Lunar City by midnight. A wet nurse and nanny waited to care for her child.
She’d gone over names during Julia’s pregnancy. There was no way his name would be Phillip. Not her child. She had decided on Henry Theodore Adams, after her father. Henry would help Monica rule the world. Finally, her dreams were coming true.
As soon as dark fell, they would storm the house. Monica hadn’t seen any signs of Ruben, and her Trackers hadn’t been successful locating his ship or Charlie’s.
Looking at her watch, Monica pressed the button on the side, and her team approached. All of them dres
sed in black. “Do I need to cover the operation again? Or are we good?”
Stormy’s hand pushed the leather jacket away, and she touched her weapons in the holster hanging low on her hips. “I don’t know about the rest of these morons, but I’ve been ready.”
“Synchronize your watches, and at my signal, we storm the house.” In a few minutes, they’d attack the Chalet. Her blood was pumping. Monica hadn’t been on a kill mission in some time. She’d take out Charlie and Ruben first, then Julia. She hadn’t decided whether she’d keep Andy or not. He was a brilliant physicist and could prove useful later.
The weapons loaded with the highest grade of Black Beauties were lethal to a mortal. They’d stun an immortal for maybe five or ten minutes, so Monica had a very narrow window of time to get in and get out with the kid.
One by one, Monica watched the lights flicker on in the Chalet. The warm glow of light cast a pretty picture, but not for long. Her wristband lit up three times, which meant the specialists had deactivated the safeguards.
The time had come to take control of her destiny. Monica entered the black Escalade with the rest of the enforcers and drove to the end of the Chalet’s driveway.
Exiting the vehicle in silence, Monica circled her hand over her head, and the team broke off into twos. She pulled two weapons and strode purposefully, straight up the hill, in full view of the Chalet. Klock flew off the front steps, heading for her, teeth exposed, growling, and saliva dripping from his jowls.
Klock attacked. Monica shot the dog jumping in midair. He fell to the ground whimpering. She leaned over and spat on him. “I’ve been waiting a long time, Klock. If you live long enough, give my regards to your master.” She hopped over the dog and took the steps two at a time. She shot the lock and kicked the door open and shouted, “Honey, I’m home.”
* * *
Julia woke in a panic. Shots outside meant Monica had found them. She grabbed her baby as Charlie burst into the room. Julia threw the baby sling at Charlie and said, “Take him to Phillip. Don’t think, Charlie, just take him to his father. Remember, Phillip raises him. The future is now our present. I’ll buy you some time.”
Visibly shaken, Charlie said, “Damn it. Damn it to hell. Where is Ruben?” She placed the sling over her shoulder and went out the bedroom window with little Phillip.
Julia pushed the dresser in front of the bedroom door to set up a barricade. She heard Monica yelling, “Honey, I’m home.”
The enemy overtook the house. Andy shouted, and Julia heard fighting, glass breaking, and then a dull thud to the ground, shaking the wall she leaned against, and everything went silent. Julia stared without seeing while her body shook uncontrollably. Her heart pounded, her pulse raced, and sweat beaded on her upper lip.
Julia grabbed the baseball bat in the corner and waited for them to break her door down.
Monica yelled, “It’s no use, Julia. I have plans, and you have served your purpose. Give me the baby, and I’ll let Phillip’s grandson live. If not, I’ll kill him, and I don’t make idle threats.”
Bullets pelleted the master bedroom door.
Julia pressed her body next to the wall and raised the baseball bat over her head. She wasn’t going down without a fight. Someone big was ramming the door, and after three tries, the door splintered. A tall blond man stuck his head in, and Julia hit him as hard as she could. He fell to the floor, blood oozing from his skull.
Monica sighed and said, “Damn it, Johnnie. What did you go and do that for? Julia, you killed one of the sweetest lays I’ve ever had. Hey, Zane, Stormy, get over here and move this dresser. Julia, put down your weapon, dear. There’s no need for me to kill you, yet.”
“I don’t believe you, bitch. Once you get my son, I’m dead, and I’d rather go down fighting.” Julia held the bat above her head ready to crack the next skull that entered her room.
“My, my, my, don’t you have some spunk. No wonder Ruben and Charlie like you. Too bad you must die, but the boy can’t have two mothers. It would be too confusing.”
Zane broke into Julia’s room, and before he tackled her to the ground, Julia broke his wrist with the bat, and it hung loose, bone exposed. He screamed like a crazy person, and kicked Julia in the stomach, making her fly backward crashing onto the floor out of breath.
“Bring her into the living area.” Monica spun around and left the bedroom.
Zane held his wrist close to his chest as he dragged Julia out of the room by her hair and dropped her at Monica’s feet next to the rock fireplace. “The baby boy is gone. Stormy went after Charlie, and this cunt broke my wrist.”
Monica grabbed Julia’s hair and jerked her head back until tears spilled from the pain. “Where’s Charlie taking the boy? Tell me.” Andy sat nearby, a dish towel stuffed in his mouth. Tears leaked from his eyes as another enforcer held a knife to Andy’s throat. “You like Andy? Don’t’ you? I’ll cut off his fingers one at a time until you tell me what you’ve done with my son.”
Julia screamed, “He’s my son.” Monica punched her in the face so hard Julia crumbled to her knees and passed out.
* * *
Ruben knew as soon as he saw the black Escalade he was too late. A sinking sensation settled in the pit of his stomach. Azreal, Chayliel, and Ruben took off at a dead run to the Chalet. The front door had been busted in, and then Ruben heard a whimper.
Ruben looked down, and rage rolled out of his chest. “Klock, buddy, are you alive?”
Whimpering, Klock said, “It hurts, Boss. I didn’t know being shot hurt so much.”
Ruben placed his hand on Klock’s chest. “I’ll be back. Hang on, Klock. I have a bitch to kill.”
Ruben exploded onto the scene, with Azreal and Chayliel as his wingmen blasting weapons. He didn’t think, he acted.
Monica shouted to Ruben that she’d kill Julia. She gripped Julia by the hair while holding a nine-inch blade at Julia’s jugular vein.
Everything went into slow motion as his senses heightened as his kill mode kicked in.
Ruben pulled the trigger and pumped off three rounds into the center of Monica’s forehead, blowing her against the wall in a spray of blood and brains.
Azreal and Chayliel were equally successful, killing the other enforcers, including Zane.
Ruben scooped up Julia into his arms and brought her over to the couch as Chayliel helped Andy. “I’ll be right back.” Ruben quickly scanned the rest of the house for other attackers, and for Charlie. “Julia, honey, where is Charlie? Where’s the baby?”
Julia flinched away from Ruben. She didn’t recognize him, just sat there shaking her head, her body tensed. Ruben had seen that look before and knew she was in shock. He lowered his voice, “Julia, it’s Ruben. Honey, where’s the baby?”
Andy held a cold compress to his left side cut by a shard of glass. His eyes were nearly swollen shut from a severe beating. Breathlessly, Andy worked his jaw for a second, then said, “Charlie took the baby to Phillip. You must help her, Ruben. Stormy went after her and the baby. Please, Ruben, help them.”
Ruben’s chest heaved up and down with the weight of anger and the need for revenge. He knelt before Julia and squeezed her hand. Ruben’s voice was controlled while reining his emotions. “Julia, I’m leaving Chayliel with you and Andy. I must go, but I’ll be back. I promise.”
Julia’s fingernails bit into her skin, as she stared into nothingness and remained silent.
Ruben’s face set in a hard line as he spoke through gritted teeth. “Let’s make tracks, Azreal. Time has run out, my brother.”
Ruben and Azreal made it to the Needle-Horn in minutes. Seconds later, they arrived in Burkett Falls, the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and fifty.
Chapter 19
1950 Burkett Falls
Phillip and Amelia left the courthouse. He had made plans to take them on a honeymoon at the end of the semester. “Are you sure that’s okay with you? We could drive up to Asheville for the night?”
Amelia placed her
hand in the crook of his arm. “No, honey, you have work and so do I. We’ll take a trip to the beach when the semester ends.”
Phillip opened the passenger door for Amelia, and she got in. He made his way to the driver’s side, took a deep breath and slipped into the car. They drove down Main Street, passing Big Joe’s.
He wouldn’t think of Julia today.
Spring had come early, and the warm weather had the flowers and buds on the trees sprouting.
Dusk eased into night as he pulled in the driveway. He parked in the garage, and Amelia got out of the car. He turned for only a second when Amelia yelped. He wheeled around, and his heart hammered in his chest. A woman with black hair, ashen face, black eyes, and piercings in her nose, mouth, and tongue, had a knife to Amelia’s throat.
The crazed-looking woman held Amelia securely in her grip. His mouth went dry as the woman whispered, “Shush. Let’s be real quiet. There’s someone in your house that I’m looking for, and if you cooperate with me, your lady friend might survive. If not, I guess you’ll meet on the other side.”
Phillip threw his hands in the air. “Look, you have the wrong house. You can have my wallet. Take my car, but please, let my wife go.”
Stormy started cackling. “You got married? No, shit. Well, Julia gave birth to your son. He’s inside, and he’s coming with me. So, let’s move it, bro, real nice and easy.”
Phillip’s mind went blank as he walked ahead of the deranged woman. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Amelia had tears in her eyes. He prayed for help. Phillip fumbled with the keys, opened the door, and entered darkness. Palms sweating, he went to switch on the lights when someone grabbed him and propelled him against the far wall.
Stormy entered with Amelia in the foyer. In the darkness, Phillip heard a scuffle, and shots rang out as he pulled himself off the floor and ran and flipped the main light switch.
In the foyer, Amelia and the intruder lay seemingly dead. He stared unblinking as he dropped to his knees and pulled Amelia into his arms, checking for a pulse. The intruder had stuck her knife in the side of Amelia’s neck. Blood gushed from her wound, and he cried out in agony, “Oh, God, Oh, God, Amelia.” He rocked Amelia back and forth in his arms.