by Kariss Lynch
“Too bad.” Stubbornness was a trait Kaylan came by honestly and used sparingly. But this situation called for it. She walked to the front door and opened it. “I’ll bring some soup in an hour. Get some rest.” Kaylan and Megan closed the door and stepped out into the dusky night.
The street lay quiet, porch lights twinkling as the sky turned from rosy red to navy with a slight glow on the horizon. Kaylan stared at her house across the street. Sarah Beth’s life couldn’t be spared—not by human hands. The Lord had a bigger purpose by taking her, although Kaylan and the Lord still argued about that from time to time. But He had placed a woman right across the street from her who didn’t have family support and needed someone to look out for her, whether she acknowledged it or not.
Kaylan stepped into the empty street, staring down the road to the end of the block where the houses rounded a bend and the pavement slipped from sight. Death respected no person, and sickness never chose its victims with care. Unlike Jenna, Kaylan knew who held her future, and she wanted the opportunity to tell Jenna about Him, so no matter what happened, she was prepared.
With that commitment Kaylan entered her house and headed to the kitchen. Time to make soup for her neighbor.
Chapter 25
HALLOWEEN LURKED JUST around the corner, and Nick couldn’t wait to get home to Kaylan. At one point she’d been a section of his life, one he had to lock up in order to concentrate during work. Now she’d become a fixture, a part of himself that he didn’t need to isolate in order to concentrate. She’d become his reason to do his job, to focus in the field and then come home. He couldn’t wait to get back home and make it permanent.
He’d talked to her parents, Scott and Marian, during his stay in Alabama. He’d never been so nervous or so sure of anything in all his life. Despite his past, the danger of his current job, and his lack of family to offer Kaylan, the Richards gladly welcomed him into their family and trusted him to love their daughter. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around that reality.
Glancing at his watch, he grabbed his shoes, ready to track down dinner after a long day on the shooting range. His marksmanship had improved during this round of training. He hoped he had the opportunity to practice on Janus or her boss.
The phone rang, and Nick glanced at the caller ID as he left the room with his roommate to meet some of the other guys. It was Pap. He nodded at his roommate to keep going. “I’ll catch up.” After a moment, he answered the phone. “Yes, sir.”
“Hey, son. I’m out in Georgia visiting some friends and heard you are nearby. Mind if we meet for dinner tonight?”
“I can make that happen. When and where?”
“Are you free now?”
“I just left my room to chase down dinner. How about Harriet’s Diner a few blocks east of the mall in about fifteen minutes?”
“I know the one. I’ll meet you there.”
Nick hung up the phone wondering at the hidden urgency in Pap’s voice and the need to meet in person. His mind wandered back to the information Pap had given him recently. Had he found out more in the two weeks he’d been gone?
Harriet’s Diner took Nick to another decade. A bell rang every time someone entered. The red vinyl booths, jukebox in the corner, and milkshake machine all took him back to the 1950s when life was Leave It to Beaver perfect. Supposedly anyway. He enjoyed the retreat. And the burgers. The sweet potato fries cooked by Mrs. Harriet’s granddaughter had no equal. He’d found the place on his first stint at sniper school and came back whenever he had a chance. He’d pay for the greasy burger in the weight room later, but nothing would stop him from enjoying it now.
“What can I help you with, honey?” A middle-aged woman in a pale yellow uniform and white apron gave him a once-over as she nibbled the pen cap. Her white smile, sparkling ebony eyes, and Southern drawl made Nick grin. No wonder Kaylan missed home. Maybe they would move back to the Deep South one day.
“How about a cheeseburger with everything on it, sweet potato fries, and a mint chocolate milkshake?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She looked him up and down. “Honey, you’re a big boy. You sure you don’t need nothing else?”
“He doesn’t, but I do.” Pap sank into the booth seat across from Nick. “Give me the burger, regular fries, and a strawberry milkshake with a cherry on top.”
“Pap, shouldn’t you maybe go for the chicken sandwich? You know what Gran would say.”
“Gran picks my diet the other six days of the week. Tonight it’s my turn.”
The waitress, Hilda according to her nametag, chuckled. “You got it. Two orders comin’ right up.”
Pap rested his cane against the side of the booth, and Nick recalled the conversation at the beginning of the year that consisted of that cane rapping his shin. He’d walked away from that meeting realizing he had tried to take the place of God in Kaylan’s life, something he’d taken to heart since then. As her husband, he could never do that. He could only point her to Him.
“Well now, how’s your training going?”
“Pretty good, Pap. My scores are up. Kinda makes me ready to deploy again.”
“Any news when that will be?”
Nick waited to respond as Hilda brought two ice waters with lemon and placed them on the table. “About a year and half until I deploy with the team, give or take a little bit. Lots of school and training between now and then. With Support Activity 1,” Nick chose his words carefully, “hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later. We have a job we are itching to complete.”
“Ah, yes. I understand that. Did Kaylan ever tell you I was in the Army for four years right after high school? I met Kaylan’s gran when we were seventeen. I joined the Army right after that and was shipped off for the 1958 Lebanon crisis. Eisenhower initiated Operation Blue Bat as part of his plan to fight creeping Communism. The scuffle in Lebanon began because Christians and Muslims couldn’t decide who to align with politically. Politics, religion, and money.” Pap shook his head. “More like power, passion, and greed. Many wars begin because of wrong belief in a god made of human hands and intuition. Sad really. But the Bible says that wars and rumors of wars will continue ’til Jesus comes back and makes peace. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” Pap cast his eyes toward the ceiling.
Nick shook his head. “I didn’t know any of that.”
“Forgive the ramblings of an old man.” Pap chuckled. “When I finished serving my country, I decided to dive into law, became a judge, and moved up to the state level. My Army days seemed far behind me at that point. But they taught me a lot about what to value.”
“I get that. Facing a situation where you know you could depart for eternity definitely puts life into focus.”
Nick’s stomach rumbled just as Hilda arrived with their orders. “Perfect timing.”
“Honey, I could hear your stomach from all the way over there.” She cackled, pointing at the kitchen. “I told you that you should have ordered more.”
“I’ll already have to pay for this in the gym tomorrow.”
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in dismissal. “You’re just fine. You two enjoy.”
Pap bowed his head to thank God for the meal and for their time together, and then Nick dove i
nto his plate, inhaling the food as Pap picked at his. Something didn’t add up. Nick tossed a fry back on his plate.
“All right, Pap. Spill it. Why did you call?”
The vinyl booth squeaked as Pap shifted, then sighed. “Well, I told you I was looking into your parents with some of my contacts. Benefit of retirement and all that, lots of free time on my hands.”
“Pap . . . ”
“Right, sorry.” He met Nick’s eyes, and Nick recognized regret and compassion there. “It looks like you have a sister, based on other records I found from the US Mission in Berlin.”
Nick sat back in the booth, his surroundings fading. He had a what? He couldn’t think straight. “I’m sorry. I must have heard you wrong.”
“Judging from your reaction, you heard me right. You have a sister. She tried to join the Air Force out there in California, but because of asthma, she was rejected. My contact said she still works on that base in an administrative capacity.”
Nick couldn’t think straight. All he’d wanted growing up was a sibling. He’d loved his parents, but since they’d adopted him in middle age, they didn’t have much energy to keep up with a rambunctious boy. Now he learned he had a sister who had grown up in a different family, and because of his biological mother’s choices, they’d never met.
He didn’t know whether to be angry, thrilled, or terrified. He didn’t know what to do, what to think. Would she want to meet him? Did she even know about him or their parents?
“Pap, I don’t . . . ”
Pap reached across the table and patted his arm. “I know this comes as a shock. And I’m sure there’s some pain involved. Process through it. Do you want to know more about her?”
Nick could only nod.
Pap pulled a file folder from his folded jacket. “The name on her birth certificate is Natalia, but her parents called her Natalie Grace McMurray. Her dad is pretty high up in the Air Force. She grew up moving all over the place. She’s your age. It looks like you may have a twin.”
Nick groaned. “What do I do? Are you sure? This couldn’t be a mistake?”
Pap shook his head. “They found records linking the two of you. It looks like your mom dropped you both off at U.S. Mission Berlin, which served as a type of embassy during the time of the Berlin Wall. She was also adopted as a baby. She has a younger sister by her adoptive parents.”
Nick only nodded, his food suddenly cold and unappealing.
“How could she do this?”
“Your mother?”
“Yeah. How can you just abandon your kids without even making sure they are okay?”
Pap reached over to grip Nick’s arm, the pressure causing Nick to meet the old man’s eyes so like Kaylan’s. It put him at ease, settling his soul and making him feel at home. “Son, you will never, ever hear me defend your birth mother. However, I truly think that by giving you both up, she gave the two of you your best chance at life. You were both adopted and raised in homes with parents who were present. Don’t doubt what God can do with our poor decisions. He works all things for the good of those who love Him. All things, son.”
Tears threatened to overflow. Anger overrode the heart-wrenching pain of missing out on a sister his whole life. “But why? I missed so much with her.”
“If you hadn’t been with your parents, you may never have fallen in love with baseball, never gone to USC on a baseball scholarship, never met Micah, never given your life to Christ, never gone into the Navy, never met our family. That’s a lot of nevers, son. This is the Lord’s perfect timing for this information. I don’t know why or what you should do now. But pray about it, Nick. Talk to Kaylan. Talk to Micah. And then move forward in faith.”
Nick took the file and opened it to read the name at the top. Natalie Grace. He wanted, no, needed to find his sister. Life was too short not to make up for lost time. And now he knew exactly where to start.
Chapter 26
THE MINUTES COULDN’T tick by fast enough on the clock in Logan and Kim’s living room. She’d helped the kids with homework, fixed dinner, and put them to bed. Candles burned on the mantel, a movie played on the television, and Kaylan dozed in and out of consciousness, waiting for the knock that meant Nick was finally home after four weeks away.
As the clock slipped past ten, screaming tore Kaylan from the couch.
“Molly!” Kaylan bolted down the hallway to Molly’s bedroom and tore open the door. Molly sat board straight on her bed, her eyes fixed on her window. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. Her blonde hair hung in tangles around her face.
She whimpered on the bed, and Kaylan couldn’t bear it. She climbed in next to Molly and pulled her into her arms. “Ladybug, what’s wrong?” She stroked her hair and looked in Molly’s frightened eyes. “Talk to me, munchkin. What happened?”
“There was a shadow over there. And it came toward me and wouldn’t stop. And I screamed, and it went away. Don’t let it come back, Kaylan. Don’t let it get me.”
Kaylan looked to where Molly pointed. Her fairy night-light glowed in the dark room on the wall across from her bed just under the window. Shadows from her dolls and teddy bears on the floor flickered larger than life on the wall.
“Molly, it was just a bad dream. Just a bad dream.”
Molly sobbed in Kaylan’s arms, curling into a ball tight against her on the twin bed. Kaylan held her close, knowing that she would never let anything or anyone hurt her and wishing she could stop the dreams.
“They won’t go away, Kaylan. Why won’t the shadows go away?” Molly peeked over Kaylan to gaze at the wall again.
“It’s just your toys.” Kaylan loosened Molly’s arms and crawled from the bed. She picked up the teddy bear on the floor and made him dance in midair so Molly could see his shadow move. Then she sat him down and stretched out on the floor, making finger puppets in the glow of the nightlight.
Slowly Molly sat up. “Rabbit.” She giggled. “Worm.” She cocked her head. “What is that one, Kaylan?”
“It’s a giraffe, silly. Can’t you tell?”
“Mmm, I think you need to work on that one a little more.” Kaylan threw her hands in the air as Molly came to join her on the floor, her nightgown wrapping around her legs as she walked. She tugged her teddy bear in her lap and gazed at the shadows still looming on the wall. “How come they look smaller now?”
“Well, when we look at things clearly, they aren’t as scary anymore.”
“But where do shadows come from?” She huddled in a ball with her bear. “I don’t like them very much.”
Kaylan leaned close to her face. “I don’t either,” she whispered. She made claws with her hands, sending Molly into a giggling mess before she attacked her rib cage, tickling her until Molly rolled on the floor laughing.
After a few minutes they both lay on the floor looking up at the ceiling. Logan had stuck stars all over the ceiling that glowed a pale green. Molly rolled over and looked at Kaylan, smothering a yawn as her eyes drooped. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Shadows come from a mixture of light and darkness, Molly.”
“How do I make them go away?”
Kay
lan stood up and crossed the room. She flipped on the light switch, causing Molly to squint in the sudden brightness. “Look at the wall now.”
“They’re gone! How did you do that?”
“By turning on the light. Shadows can’t exist where the light is bright.”
“Then never turn it off. Can I sleep with it on tonight?”
“Sure thing, sweet girl.” Kaylan picked Molly up from the floor right as a breeze filtered through the window, causing the curtain to flutter. She stilled. She’d closed that window. She was sure of it.
Fear rippled through her as she tucked Molly in bed. As she turned to close the window, Molly clenched her arm, her nails digging into her skin. “Don’t leave me. It will come back.”
Kaylan sat down next to her on the bed, tugging the covers around her. “Molly, we turned the light on. The shadows can’t come back, remember?”
“But the shadow wasn’t like my bear. It moved.”
“Well, sometimes curtains or something moves in my room and it scares me, but it can’t hurt me.”
She shook her head on the pillow, her eyes closing. “But it coughed,” she mumbled as she drifted off, her fingers loosening from Kaylan’s arm.
Kaylan froze. Her gaze raked the window, before she looked at Molly. The poor thing was completely exhausted. After laying Molly’s limp hand on the covers, she tiptoed to the window, taking deep breaths to still her nerves.
“Nothing is going to jump out at you. It’s all in your head,” she whispered. Her hands shook as she lifted the curtain. A small, dusty shoe print visible on the ledge waged war with her calm. “No, no, no. Not possible.”
She pulled the window down and latched it, knowing she had done this earlier. She gazed out into the dark night. If someone had been out there, they were long gone now. Something moved in the bush. Kaylan held her breath. With a screech, a tabby cat darted from underneath, a black and white one following in its wake. She exhaled, her hand going to her heart.