'Til the End of Time

by Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  “And you?”

  “I’m doing as well as can be expected. I’ll be staying in Laura’s quarters tonight and I’ll get her things ready to go so there’s no delay when Chris is cleared. I’ll take care of Chris’ things, too, if you’d like.”

  “No. I’ll do it tomorrow. You need to get some rest.”

  “You, too. Hold on to him, Betta.”

  “I love you, Taylor. Thanks for coming with me.”

  “I love you, too. Sleep well.”

  * * *

  When the phone rang, Annie was the first to snatch it up. She’d been waiting forever, it seemed, to hear her father had arrived safely.

  “Hello, Princess.”

  “Daddy!”

  “How are you doing?”

  “I miss you. I miss…I miss Mommy.” Her voice filled with tears and Taylor longed to be where he could hold her. “I know it’s silly but I hoped you would call to tell us it was all wrong, a mistake, that Mom…”

  “Oh, Annie love…”

  She sniffled into the phone. “It’s okay, Daddy. I was only dreaming. Will you be home soon”

  “I’ll know more in the morning, after we see Chris’s doctor. I can tell you then. Have you been sleeping? Are you eating?”

  “Don’t worry about me, Daddy. Just come home soon. Come home safe.”

  “As soon as I can, Annie. Let me speak to your grandfather, please. I love you.”

  Taylor waited a moment before he heard the voice of his father-in-law. “Taylor? It’s Sean. How are you?”

  “Wishing I was there instead of here. How is everyone holding up?”

  “Meg and Jamie took Kat home for some rest. Rosina is smothering Annie with love when she’s not grieving with Maria. Me, I’m just rattling around trying to keep things together. How’s Chris?”

  “He’s going to be all right but it will take a while. Betta is with him at the hospital. I think that will help them both. Sean? How is Annie, really?”

  “She’s hurting, Taylor, as we all are. She’s trying to be brave but she keeps going off by herself to her room and I hear her crying. But she’s strong like her mother. She’ll make it.”

  “I’ll be home as soon as I can. I should know how soon after we see the doctor in the morning.”

  “Be careful over there, Son. This family can’t afford to lose you, too.”

  “I will. Give my love to them all.”

  When he’d hung up the phone he stared sightlessly out the window. He couldn’t remember a time he’d felt more alone.

  Chapter 17

  Jim showed Taylor to Laura’s quarters. After unlocking the door, he turned to leave. “My extension is 212, in case you need anything. Don’t hesitate to call me.”

  “Thanks.” Taylor watched him leave then turned to go into the room. Opening the door, he stood there for a moment, overwhelmed by the faint scent that was Laura. He could see her so clearly in his mind that he expected her to come out from the bathroom and greet him. Instead, there was only silence.

  He went in, closed the door behind him and leaned against it, his eyes closed, hoping to feel some trace of her. When there was nothing, he opened his eyes and looked around. Her suitcase was closed on a rack at the foot of the simple, single, military bed. Her laptop sat ready on the desk. On the small nightstand, was a picture frame she never traveled anywhere without. It held pictures of them all— himself, the girls, her parents. The book she was reading was closed beside the frame, the bookmark only halfway through. She’d once told him that the worst fear she had about dying was that she’d be in the middle of a book and would never know how it ended.

  He sat on the bed and looked at the framed pictures, a history of their life together. Their wedding picture, Meg and Jamie with their newborn daughter, Kat’s preschool picture, Betta and Chris at the opening of Morganna’s, Annie onstage at the summer camp she’d worked at last year. Tucked in one corner of the frame was a new picture…a little girl about Kat’s age. She was solemn as she stared at the camera from under an uneven fringe of dark hair.

  Taylor realized this was the child Laura had talked about. What was her name? A bird… Rhen, that was it. He knew Laura had been getting close to the child and he was pretty sure she had wanted to find her a home. Knowing Laura, she probably wanted to take the child herself. Not now, Taylor thought. Now is our time. But there was no time. Laura was gone.

  He lay back on the bed and realized he could smell her strongly here. Slipping off his shoes, he pulled the blanket around him and buried his face in the pillow. He fell asleep before he could mourn and didn’t move until the next morning.

  Chapter 18

  Taylor’s night had been anything but restful. His exhaustion had only served to keep him sleeping deeply enough that he couldn’t rouse himself from the nightmares he’d had. He’d been up with the sun, impatient to get a progress report and get back to New York.

  He stood in the doorway of Chris’s room at the hospital and watched as Betta helped her husband eat. While his own heart ached for Laura, he was relieved that Chris would survive.

  Summoning a smile, he came into the room and put his hand on Betta’s shoulder. “Good morning, you two.”

  Betta put down the plate she’d been holding and turned to hug her father. “How are you this morning, Taylor? Did you get any rest?”

  “I slept, Betta. More important—how you are, Chris?”

  “They tell me I’ll be ready to go tomorrow. They aren’t promising it will be comfortable though.”

  Looking at the cast that encased the younger man’s arm and shoulder, Taylor shook his head. “It doesn’t look as if it will. Are you sure you’re up to traveling?”

  “I need to be. We need to get home to the rest of the family. Have you spoken to them?”

  “I called last night. They’re holding up, although Maria is having a really hard time.”

  “Taylor, the nurses have offered me their shower,” Betta said. “Since you’re here to stay with Chris, I think I’ll go use it and change clothes.”

  “I’ll be here,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “Take your time.”

  When Betta had gone, he pulled a chair up beside the bed. Chris looked drained from the effort of eating but he said, “Taylor, I’m so sorry. I feel like I should have been able to do something.”

  “Chris, it’s not your fault. It’s nobody’s fault. You were both in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m just grateful you survived.”

  “If she hadn’t seen that dress in the window and run in to get it for Rhen… I should have stopped her, Taylor.”

  “There was no stopping Laura, Chris. We both know that.”

  There was an awkward silence as each man sought words to go on. There was nothing to say. Laura was dead and nothing would bring her back.

  Taylor cleared his throat and said, “Are you sure you should travel? It’s not worth risking you further. Now that I know the set-up here and that Betta will be safe, I can go back on my own and you two can come when you’re stronger.”

  “No, we need to go with you. Betta needs the rest of the family right now. I know that it’s hurting her even more not to be there with them.”

  “Is there anything you need done before we do leave, then?”

  “One thing. I need you to take Betta to the orphanage. I need to know how Rhen is. I need her to know that we didn’t forget her.”

  “She’s that special?”

  “She is. Laura loved her. So do I. Truth is, Taylor, if Betta is agreeable, I want to adopt her and bring her home.”

  For a moment, rage rose in Taylor’s heart. Not that child! She was responsible for Laura’s death! He couldn’t bear to have her around. But, as quickly as it had come, the rage faded. She was only a little girl. She had nothing to do with his loss.

  “That will be a lot
of paperwork, I imagine.”

  “It will. And we’ll have to come back here to get her when it’s all settled.”

  “Whatever I can do to help, Chris, you know I will.” And somehow I’ll learn to forgive her, he thought. Somehow I’ll learn to look at her without feeling the pain again and again.

  * * *

  Sergeant Brown escorted them to the orphanage later that morning. Chris was resting after another round of tests that finally produced the authorization for him to leave the next morning. He’d been insistent that Taylor and Betta leave to go to the orphanage.

  The building looked like so many others, stark and utilitarian. Betta immediately hated the thought of any child being kept in such a dreary place, but the inside proved to be more welcoming. The hallways had been painted bright colors and the children were in classrooms where lessons were going on.

  The director of the orphanage welcomed them and they were both surprised to find that she was English. “I came here after the war to help. I have my nursing degree,” she explained. “When it was time to go home, I just couldn’t leave. The children have become my life.”

  As she served them tea in her office, she said, “Mr. Morgan, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for what happened to your wife. Laura was a bright spot around here. She came nearly every day to see the children and there was something about little Rhen that seemed to touch her especially. She told me one day at tea that she reminded her of your granddaughter.”

  “Jami Kaitlin—Kat. She told me the same thing on the phone. I knew she was quite taken with her.”

  “And your husband, Mrs. Flynn. He took picture after picture of the children. You’ll see them up all along the halls. He made sure every child was in at least one picture and I think he and your mother would have taken them all home if they could. How is he doing?”

  “He was lucky. None of his injuries are life threatening. With therapy, he should be back to normal fairly quickly. In fact, they’ve given him permission to leave tomorrow so he especially wanted me to come and see Rhen. He’s concerned that she not think they abandoned her.”

  “She knows what happened and that your husband was hurt. We chose to tell her that Mrs. Morgan was injured also and had to be taken back to her home. She’s already lost one family. We couldn’t tell her that she’d lost another. I hope you understand.”

  “I would like to see her,” Betta said, “if you don’t think it would upset her too much. Chris really needs to know that she’s all right.”

  “Of course. The children will be going out for exercise in a few minutes. Let me go speak to Rhen’s teacher and have her bring the child here.”

  When the director had gone, Betta asked, “Taylor, are you doing okay?”

  “I’m holding together, darling. Worry about Chris, not me.”

  “You know Chris wants to adopt Rhen?”

  “He told me this morning. How do you feel about it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s too much at once. Too much to take in. I keep wanting to ask Laura what she thinks.”

  Before tears could overwhelm her, the door opened and the director was back. “Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Flynn, this is Rhen.”

  A tiny child peered out from behind her skirt. Taylor knew she was only a little younger than Kat but she looked so much smaller. Huge brown eyes dominated a face framed by short, dark hair. She looked at them carefully then came out from behind the director and came to stand in front of Taylor. She regarded him solemnly then said, “Taylor? Laura’s Taylor?”

  Betta caught her breath as she watched surprise cross Taylor’s face. “You’re right, I am Taylor. And you are Rhen,” he said. “Laura told me about you.”

  She nodded solemnly then turned to Betta. “Chris?”

  “I am Betta, Chris’s wife. He sent me to see you.”

  Taylor watched as Betta sank to the floor so her eyes were on the same level as the little girl’s. “Chris is very worried about you and wanted you to know that he is thinking of you.” Betta stopped and looked up at the director. “How much can she understand?”

  “Some basic English. We teach it here and your husband and Laura taught her more. They showed her pictures of all of you. That is how she knows who you are.”

  Rhen turned back to Taylor. “Laura’sTaylor?” she spoke as if it were one word. “Where is Laura?”

  “She had to go away, Rhen. She didn’t want to leave you but she had to. She sent me here to say goodbye for her.”

  Tears welled in the little girl’s eyes. “Goodbye? I cannot see her?”

  “No, sweetheart,” Taylor reached out and took one small hand in his. “She can’t come to see you.”

  “But Taylor and I can,” Betta said to distract the child before the tears began to fall. “Will you show me your classroom and where you sleep?”

  With a final heartbroken look at Taylor, she nodded and took Betta by the hand. The two of them left the room together and Taylor sighed with relief.

  “What’s her story?” he asked.

  “Like so many of our children, she was found wandering in a bombed-out village. No one claimed her. They said she had no one left. No one would take her, not to be unkind, but they barely have enough for their own. She was passed on to us and we took her in.”

  “I think I’ll join their tour, if you don’t mind,” Taylor said as he stood.

  “Of course. Her classroom is just down the hall to the right. You’ll find them. Take your time, Mr. Morgan.”

  She smiled as he left then turned to pull Rhen’s file from her cabinet. She had a feeling it would be needed soon.

  Chapter 19

  “She’s everything you said she was, Chris.” Betta was bubbling over with excitement when she came back to the hospital. “She even recognized Taylor from pictures Laura had.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s fine. She was upset when she realized Laura had gone without telling her goodbye. That was hard.”

  “She adored Laura,” he said, taking her hand.

  “She seems to think you were pretty special, too.”

  “So what do you think? Do you know enough yet to decide on adopting her? It doesn’t mean I’ve given up on having our own, darling,” he said as he caressed her cheek with his uninjured hand. “We can still keep trying. I kind of enjoy it.”

  She gently cuffed him. “What’s not to enjoy? Practice makes perfect.” But he could see the shadow of months—years—of dashed hopes in her eyes.

  “So, should we?”

  “Adopt her? Yes, Chris. I couldn’t bear not to.”

  He sighed with relief. He’d been sure that Betta would say yes, but there had always been a chance she wouldn’t.

  “Are you sure? I know that now’s not a real good time to be making a decision about anything this important.”

  “But it can’t wait, Chris. The director gave me the paperwork to begin. Even so, it could take months before we can take her home.”

  “And you’re doing this because we want her, not out of some obligation to your mother?”

  “For us, Chris. For Rhen. And, yes, for Laura. I feel like Rhen is a special gift that Mom left to me. And we’ve wanted this for so long. She’s almost the same age as Kat. They can grow up together just as Meg and I did.”

  “I love you, Betta.”

  Gently she lay down beside him, pillowing her head on his good shoulder. “I love you, too, Chris. And I love our little girl.”

  * * *

  The afternoon at the orphanage had been hard. So many children. So much need. Taylor had wanted to dislike the child but she’d immediately won his heart. She was so fragile, so vulnerable. It wasn’t surprising that Chris and Betta wanted her.

  He had left Betta at the hospital with Chris after telling her that he would take care of packing up Chris’s things. He needed to call home and
let them know they would be on their way tomorrow. The thought of the decisions to be made when they got there was something he put away for now.

  * * *

  They boarded the plane early the next morning. It had been an ordeal for Chris to be moved and jostled and his face was white with pain by the time he was settled. The nurse traveling with them gave him a pain pill and took her seat behind him. Betta sat next to him, helping to steady him against the physical jolts to come.

  Jim Brown saw them off. He knew of Betta and Chris’s plan to adopt Rhen and he promised to help in any way he could and to let them know if she had even a sniffle.

  Taylor, across the aisle from Betta and Chris, watched out the window as the plane began to taxi. As the wheels left the ground he wanted to cry out for them to stop, turn around—but he knew it would do no good. He was leaving his heart behind with the woman he had loved and lost.

  Chapter 20

  One minute his world had been fine. The next, it was thrown into turmoil. When he’d awakened this morning, he’d had no idea of the test that was waiting for him.

  The door to his office had opened without warning and, standing there, had been the movement’s leader. “I have something for you,” he’d growled in their native tongue.

  Confused, he sat in silence while the man went on. “We had a gift this afternoon. An American reporter fell into our hands. It has been decided that you will keep her here and persuade her to cooperate in sending our story to the world.”

  “A woman? You’ve taken a woman hostage?”

  “Yes. The only thing that matters is that she is an American. That will make them sit up and take notice.”

  “How do you expect me to persuade her?”

  The man laughed. “You’ve been wanting more responsibility. This is your chance. You figure it out. Succeed and you’ll be a hero.”

  “And if I fail?”