by J Elizaga
Miles knew that the hotel manager arrived after the ambulance and provided an “eyewitness” account of what happened. There were a few theories, the strongest of which was that lightning struck near the resort and the occupants on the top floor were injured. As soon as Miles heard the word lightning, he found his story.
“It was a beautiful day. We had gone up to check the top floor suites,” he barely started when a scream reverberated through the quiet facility.
Richelle wanted to get out of her bed. Her arms flailed while she repeatedly demanded, “Get it off me! Get it off me!”
Miles ran to his wife’s side. Two nurses held her but she proved strong.
“Chelie! Chelie! I’m here!” he wrapped his arms around her. “I saw it. Listen to me. I saw it too.”
Richelle lay back down clutching on to her husband, her body wracked by sobs. “Get it off me, Miles. Get it off me!”
“It’s gone, Chelie,” Miles soothed her.
But his wife continued to be so terrified that she vomited. The attending physician and nurses took over to attend to her.
Unaware to Miles and the ER staff helping Richelle, a medic arrived at the municipal hospital looking for a few supplies. He heard the commotion and spoke with the triage nurse. In less than a minute, the Catalan doctor was speaking with Richelle’s attending physician. They called Miles over to huddle.
“Mr. Penchant, my name is Dr. Rafa. I’m with Doctors without Borders on a current assignment in this town. I came to get a few supplies and saw your wife in distress. I’d like to help her, if I can. Here is my ID,” and he handed his identification.
“I heard about a lightning strike and possible delusional visions from your wife. Is that correct?” He looked closely at Miles.
Richelle’s husband faced a conundrum of telling the truth a second time.
“I am not sure what happened, myself. One minute all was fine, the next second, the room turned black and I lost consciousness.”
“Where did you regain consciousness?” the doctor asked.
“In the ambulance on the way here.”
The doctor led him to the cot beside Richelle, produced a flashlight and stethoscope and quickly checked his vitals. “I do not see any physical damage from the lightning strike. That is also what the attending physician reported, by the way.”
“That’s what he said to me too. I’m glad, I guess. But what about my wife’s condition?”
“I’d like to order tests for her before both of you are transported to the nearest city hospital. Also, the attending doctor gave me permission to peruse the pharmacy room for a sedative that I think her condition can use, is that alright with you?”
From the corner of his eye, Miles caught the attending physician nod, “Yes.”
The physician handed Richelle’s chart to Dr. Rafa who took a few minutes to scribble notes on it before handing it back. With a slight nod to both men, the medic wordlessly walked to the pharmacy room. Miles returned to Richelle’s side, holding close her still trembling body.
Dr. Rafa returned minutes later with a syringe and explained the medication to Richelle. He was very calm and assuring when he spoke with her. Miles was too exhausted and worried about his wife that he did not recognize the foreign doctor in disguise.
After his wife was medicated, Miles left and sat in the waiting area. One of the nurses handed him a cup of coffee. He drank the warm liquid and felt his stomach relax. He felt as though a thorn was taken out of his chest after Richelle calmed down. He could see his wife laying quietly.
The nurses took blood samples in order to complete the simpler tests that could be performed there while the rest would be done at the city hospital. An ambulance arrived to transport them. Dr. Rafa said he needed to get back to his community service and left.
As Miles sat, he glanced down on his hand and noticed the slightly red knuckles. His mind instantly recounted what had happened at the resort. It was a punch in the gut when he saw Richelle with another man. He could not believe she would do something like that especially after their conversation in the car. But it was quickly replaced by the desire to throw his fist at the man on top of her. Then, beyond the emotional jolt he felt when he saw the man he threw on the floor looked like him, the man turned into something unholy.
And somehow, he fought it. He fought a monster!
He knew it was real, because the pain his body felt was real. He placed a hand over the shoulder that was dislocated and the side of his torso which had the fractured rib.
Why did the monster target his wife? Where did that other voice come from? And the three strangers—he remembered the woman introduced herself as Gabrielle. But the two men with her did not. Did she really say that they were from another world?
There will be another time for us to delve into your newly-discovered anomaly.
“Mr. Penchant.”
“Yes,” Miles looked up as the attending doctor sat beside him.
“We completed one of the tests that Dr. Rafa ordered. Your wife,” he started. “Your wife is pregnant.”
CHAPTER 16
The single line of tear rolling down from the outer tip of Richelle’s eye tugged at his heart. Miles asked for privacy to speak with his wife after the attending physician relayed the news to them. Her condition would require special medical care and there would be more monitoring ahead. But for now, she was calm and stable.
“I asked them to double check and they said the result was another positive.”
While the news of being pregnant rocked Miles, Richelle’s reaction was compounded with fear. She was still focused on the poltergeist who kissed her. She was beyond repulsed by the experience. “I don’t know what to think, Miles. Why me? And will it come back?”
“We don’t know why, Chelie, but I will search for an answer. We both saw it, and we were both attacked.”
Richelle sobbed quietly. “I don’t know what it did to me.”
“It did nothing to you, honey. I got it off you and,” Miles remembered what Gabriel said and assured his wife. “It’s not coming back, I promise.”
Richelle nodded before she changed the topic to the pregnancy. “I did have a couple of dizzy spells for the past few weeks.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” Miles asked.
He did not catch her slightest pause as images of Luc flashed through her mind. But she quickly discarded them. “I think they happened when I stood up too fast. I thought nothing of it. I was so focused on that business proposal.”
Miles gently cleared strands of hair on her face which were stuck on the wet line of tear that had rolled down. He felt his wife squeeze his hand.
“I don’t know whether I’m happy or scared. I don’t know what to feel right now.”
Miles pushed all thoughts filled his mind from the time they arrived at the hospital aside. After the attending physician’s revelation, he knew he had one purpose for the next nine months.
“We will be okay. I will make sure that we will be okay.” His eyes welled up as his heart begged him to release the joy he kept inside, “Because we’re going to have a baby, Chelie.”
CHAPTER 17
At the center of a rice field near the municipal hospital where Miles and Richelle recuperated, three unearthly beings convened, hovering just above the sea of golden grains. From a distance, they looked like scarecrows standing at equal arm lengths from the other.
Michael listened as Rafael provided new information. “His full name is Miles Michael Penchant, and his anomaly was traced back to your strand, Michael.”
Michael remained silent while Rafael continued, “As we witnessed, he did not know his anomaly. The only recorded incident mentioning him was extracted from the old woman’s memory who thought she discovered a young seer. By the way, he did not recognize me in the emergency room. It is understandable, after fighting with Lucifer’s minion.”
“He fought a supernatural entity with only his heart, without skill or knowledge.” Gabrielle re
marked before turning to Michael. “That is impressive, but he will need your guidance, Archangel.”
Michael was not enthusiastic about the situation. “He will need more than my guidance. Lucifer knows what he is and where he is.”
“We can handle Lucifer. Taking care of his new family is more important,” Rafael added.
“I will resume contact at the appropriate time,” Michael stated.
Gabrielle and Rafael agreed before Gabrielle repeated the name aloud using another language. “In Latin, the name Miles Michael provides a revelation.”
“Or simply a coincidence,” Michael replied.
She ignored Michael’s remark. “I am increasingly curious with this discovery. We have not encountered an Anomaly as this. What is the breadth of his power? Is he a human who might have the ability to move through our universes? I feel rather excited at the possibility before us.”
Michael wanted to share in the excitement but he had none for the moment. Instead, he revealed a lingering concern.
“He does not seem fit for the anomaly he possesses.”
The archangel knew that time was of the essence; he needed time to introduce his newly-discovered descendant to many unknowns as an Anomaly yet allowing him time to experience fatherhood. And he also knew he did not have too much time before the universes discovered this new existence.
But when he found himself muttering the Anomaly’s name in Latin as Gabrielle did, he could not deny the spark of interest forming in his mind.
Miles Penchant, Michael’s soldier.
###
Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won’t you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer?
J. Elizaga
Twitter: @jelizaga1
Facebook: Miles Penchant