by Clara Moore
“What was that?” a gruff voice asked loudly outside the room.
“Be quiet, idiot,” another voice snapped. “We don’t want them to hear us.”
Isadora and Doran shared a look. Not like they hadn’t heard already.
“I heard something coming from there,” the gruff voice continued.
“From the wall? You hear something inside the wall?”
“Well, isn’t the Roselli guy an architect? Maybe he built a hiding place into the wall.”
“Yeah and maybe he’s a wizard.”
Gunshots blasted through the wall, making Doran jump out of the way. The cat scattered, knocking over something in a clatter.
“What are you doing, you idiot!” The voice yelped.
“I heard something!”
“They’re not in the wall. Come on.”
Footsteps stomped out of the closet and further away from them. Isadora crawled forward to Doran on the ground, checking him over with her hands. His breathing sounded heavier than usual, as if he were hurt. He took her hand, dragging it along his body. She thought he might be guiding her to a wound, but her hand moved lower and lower until it got to his waist. Her hand darted back and punched him in the arm. He chuckled softly, slowly rolling over and rising to his knees.
“I’m going out there,” he told her quietly.
“Don’t do that,” she responded. “We can wait it out.”
“I don’t want to wait it out. I want this done.”
“Doran, that’s stupid.”
He crawled toward her. She got onto her knees and crawled toward him. In the darkness, they reached out for each other.
“If anything happens to me, I need you to know that I have loved you from the first day we met,” he took her face in his hands and touched his nose to hers. “You told me I looked like a ‘low-end, ginger James Dean,’ and I knew you were different than other girls.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t nice to you after we… you know,” she felt herself blush. He chuckled. “I like to alienate myself from others so I can’t get hurt.”
“I took it a little hard, but my dad said if I really wanted something, I had to fight for it. So I came back.”
“You can’t go out there.”
“Why not?”
Before she could reply, another gunshot rang through the wall from the other side (her room.) They both dropped to the ground, the cat again crashing around the room in fear.
“Why shouldn’t I go?” he whispered, the intruders now screaming at each other. She paused, nerves and terror bubbling into a brew inside her. “Do you want to make a romantic confession?”
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered flatly.
The room went completely quiet (with the background of the intruders yelling slicing through the silence.) The cat even seemed to stop skittering around the room.
“You’re what?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“Sweet Jesus, that’s why you had the puke bucket. It makes so much sense now!”
“I’m glad you’re so excited.”
He reached out to hug her close to him. In his arms, all her fears about the child melted away. Even the fear from the danger outside softened. With him, she knew she and her child would always be protected and loved. He kissed her tenderly, sweetly.
“Stay here, okay?” he whispered. “Don’t come out, no matter what. Understand?”
“I understand.”
He kissed her forehead before rising, listening at the wall, and then slipping out. She crawled toward the bat and searched for the cat.
“Tess,” she whispered. “Tessy darling.”
She heard no response.
“Tess?”
Nothing.
“Tess!” she tried to hiss as loudly as she could.
A small “meow” came from the loveseat. Isadora kept crawling on her hands and knees until she touched the soft sofa fabric. The cat emerged from under the couch and rubbed against her. Isadora hugged her and listened as the intruders’ voices move down the hall.
One of them yelled in surprise and more gunshots rang out. Tess didn’t jump this time; rather, she allowed Isadora to clutch her closer.
VII.
One year later...
“Doran fought valiantly,” Isadora said to Fiona softly as she laid on a picnic blanket in the sun. “The house went completely silent, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s it, I guess. It’s all over.’”
Fiona watched ducks float along the pond water. “It sounds frightening.”
“Tess was curled up in my arms – the two of us the lone survivors.”
“Uh huh. I am totally listening to this.”
“And then he burst into the room like some kind of action hero. It was like he was Ben Affleck from Armageddon.”
“God, that movie sucks.”
“It does suck. Anyway, it turned out the hitmen that came to our house were the same ones that killed the Rosellis. They were actually just supposed to scare them, but they accidentally killed the hostess, and then had to kill them all.”
“I definitely haven’t heard this story a hundred times.”
“They actually started killing other mafia members to make it look like Doran did it. It was all a conspiracy because they knew what he’d done in Europe.”
“Right. I didn’t write a whole article about this and win an award or anything.”
Isadora smiled, “Every time I tell that, it takes you a little longer to tell me to stop.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “You’re evil.”
“Izzy, Gaea’s hungry, I think,” Doran appeared with a baby in his arms. “She humored me, but I think she wants her mom.”
“I was telling a story,” Isadora snapped playfully.
“I’m sure it was fascinating, my love,” he smirked. “Your child wants you though.”
She rose and held out her hands. Doran kneeled down to kiss her before placing the baby in her hands. She reached for the cooler near her and pulled out a bottle.
“Thank you for saving me, Doran,” Fiona grinned. “You really are Ben Affleck from Armageddon.”
“I don’t know what that means, but okay.”
“Doran, come over here and help me with the barbeque,” Mario called.
The small park grill smoked more than normal. Angela threw up her hands and stomped off to sit next to the other girls on the picnic blanket. Doran held back his laughter and jogged to help.
“I don’t think Dad can be trusted over there,” Isadora said as the baby finished her bottle. “Can you take Gaea?”
Angela smiled wide and held out her hands, “I would love to.”
Isadora laughed and gently handed the baby over. She moved to grill and tapped her father out. He happily abandoned his failed pursuit to sit with his wife and the now sunbathing Fiona.
“Hello, stranger,” Doran smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist. “It looks like it’s up to you and me to feed the masses.”
“I think we are up for the challenge,” she smiled back. “Can you believe it’s been a year since you got back from overseas?”
“No, I can’t,” He said, smiling. “I can still taste the coffee grounds.”
“It adds nutrients.”
He smiled, “You know, when I was on the plane coming back, I tried to imagine what you’d look like after all that time. Then when you approached, I realized you were better than any of my fantasies.”
“And then you drank the coffee, and realized maybe the fantasies were better.”
“No, I realized I’d always have to stay on my toes,” he laughed. “And that made me want you even more.”
“I love you, Doran.”
“I love you too, Izzy.”
In the heat of the day, he stepped forward and kissed her. The year before, she only dreamt of having Doran so close and felt frozen with the promise of his love. Now, she felt warmed and sustained by it. Her life had completely changed thanks to the boy she once despised.
&nbs
p; The sun sparkled against the pond, reflecting their shadows across the park grass. Their shadows held each other, converging into the other to appear as one single being. For the first time, Isadora no longer longed for the past – instead, she excitedly embraced the future.
***
THE END
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