was finer. Said he was ‘foine’…Then, she dared me to kiss him, and I did…almost twenty years ago…
Her breathing deepened and Rissa closed her eyes and drifted. He was more than ‘foine.’ He fell out of that tree trying to get my cat that time—I guess that’s the first time I knew he was special, right for me. He’s funny and sweet, and he loves me. Promises that he loves me like Jesus loved the church and I guess I’ve always known it. Fingering the rose, she floated off to sleep.
And would have slept far later, if not for the annoyingly insistent alarm of the clock at her bedside. Rissa stirred, wanting to get rid of the heinous sound, but…maybe it wasn’t a sound so much as a feeling, and the feeling was wrong. She knew it the second she moved her head.
Her body was hot and felt like it was…Her mind floundered, searching for the right word. B uzzing , she thought. Why would I be…buzzing? The pain that knifed through her back made a sudden detour down one leg and she gasped, her hands flying to her belly. My baby?
Her usually agile mind stumbled into stupid and her mouth filled with salty water. This is not right. Something is wrong… Sitting up, she pushed back the bed sheets and stared in horror. This is wrong, horribly, horribly wrong…
Wadded around her legs, the bed sheets lay where she’d pushed them, sodden, soaked with her blood. Rissa closed her eyes and tried to keep breathing. “Dench?” His name was a deadened croak when it crossed her lips, and she knew he wasn’t there.
Terrified and fearing the damage, her eyes refused to leave what she didn’t want to believe. Reaching without looking, she found the phone and pressed buttons. She babbled something to the 911 operator and pressed more buttons. Sitting in the bed with the awful sheets growing cold and stiff around her, she held the phone and prayed, afraid to move. Feeling her body begin to shake, Rissa ignored the lightning galloping through her body and made herself still. Maybe being still would save the baby. Maybe…
“Hi, Rissa,” Marlea finally answered the phone. “What’re you still doing at home? Don’t you have any…” The line was too silent, for too long. Marlea’s eyes went to Mrs. Baldwin, who stopped in her tracks. “Rissa?”
“What?” Mrs. Baldwin looked concerned when Marlea shrugged.
“Rissa, are you alright?” When she heard nothing, Marlea pitched the phone to Mrs. Baldwin and ran.
“Mommy runs fast!” Jabari told the housekeeper.
The 400-meter run had always been Marlea Kellogg’s best event; she’d even won gold medals and set a world record. Running to Rissa’s house, she proved that she was as fast as she’d ever been. Running the distance, her feet only slowed when she jammed the keys in the door and pushed it open. Running through the house screaming Rissa’s name, she was too afraid to wonder what she might be running toward.
“Rissa!” Marlea nearly fell over her own feet when she reached the master suite. The set of rooms, shaped so like those in her own home, were different this morning—quiet, except for muffled sounds from the bedroom. Slowing, her heart pounding, Marlea trailed her fingers along the wall, not knowing what to expect. “Rissa?”
“Here.”
Sirens wailed in the distance, and Marlea’s stomach wrenched when she stepped fully into the warm and stylish bedroom. Eyes adjusting to the sun-filled room, she looked toward the bed and her mouth dropped. “Rissa…”
Sitting in the middle of the bed, still holding the telephone, fat tears spilled down Rissa’s face and she swallowed hard. “I don’t know what happened, Marlea. My baby…” Her eyes dropped and the tears came faster. “My baby…”
“Help is coming,” Marlea promised and hoped she was right. In the distance, she heard people talking, paramedics, she hoped. Somebody told them to go to the bedroom. Maybe Mrs. Baldwin followed me , she guessed, not concerned with whether she
Her breathing deepened and Rissa closed her eyes and drifted. He was more than ‘foine.’ He fell out of that tree trying to get my cat that time—I guess that’s the first time I knew he was special, right for me. He’s funny and sweet, and he loves me. Promises that he loves me like Jesus loved the church and I guess I’ve always known it. Fingering the rose, she floated off to sleep.
And would have slept far later, if not for the annoyingly insistent alarm of the clock at her bedside. Rissa stirred, wanting to get rid of the heinous sound, but…maybe it wasn’t a sound so much as a feeling, and the feeling was wrong. She knew it the second she moved her head.
Her body was hot and felt like it was…Her mind floundered, searching for the right word. B uzzing , she thought. Why would I be…buzzing? The pain that knifed through her back made a sudden detour down one leg and she gasped, her hands flying to her belly. My baby?
Her usually agile mind stumbled into stupid and her mouth filled with salty water. This is not right. Something is wrong… Sitting up, she pushed back the bed sheets and stared in horror. This is wrong, horribly, horribly wrong…
Wadded around her legs, the bed sheets lay where she’d pushed them, sodden, soaked with her blood. Rissa closed her eyes and tried to keep breathing. “Dench?” His name was a deadened croak when it crossed her lips, and she knew he wasn’t there.
Terrified and fearing the damage, her eyes refused to leave what she didn’t want to believe. Reaching without looking, she found the phone and pressed buttons. She babbled something to the 911 operator and pressed more buttons. Sitting in the bed with the awful sheets growing cold and stiff around her, she held the phone and prayed, afraid to move. Feeling her body begin to shake, Rissa ignored the lightning galloping through her body and made herself still. Maybe being still would save the baby. Maybe…
“Hi, Rissa,” Marlea finally answered the phone. “What’re you still doing at home? Don’t you have any…” The line was too silent, for too long. Marlea’s eyes went to Mrs. Baldwin, who stopped in her tracks. “Rissa?”
“What?” Mrs. Baldwin looked concerned when Marlea shrugged.
“Rissa, are you alright?” When she heard nothing, Marlea pitched the phone to Mrs. Baldwin and ran.
“Mommy runs fast!” Jabari told the housekeeper.
The 400-meter run had always been Marlea Kellogg’s best event; she’d even won gold medals and set a world record. Running to Rissa’s house, she proved that she was as fast as she’d ever been. Running the distance, her feet only slowed when she jammed the keys in the door and pushed it open. Running through the house screaming Rissa’s name, she was too afraid to wonder what she might be running toward.
“Rissa!” Marlea nearly fell over her own feet when she reached the master suite. The set of rooms, shaped so like those in her own home, were different this morning—quiet, except for muffled sounds from the bedroom. Slowing, her heart pounding, Marlea trailed her fingers along the wall, not knowing what to expect. “Rissa?”
“Here.”
Sirens wailed in the distance, and Marlea’s stomach wrenched when she stepped fully into the warm and stylish bedroom. Eyes adjusting to the sun-filled room, she looked toward the bed and her mouth dropped. “Rissa…”
Sitting in the middle of the bed, still holding the telephone, fat tears spilled down Rissa’s face and she swallowed hard. “I don’t know what happened, Marlea. My baby…” Her eyes dropped and the tears came faster. “My baby…”
“Help is coming,” Marlea promised and hoped she was right. In the distance, she heard people talking, paramedics, she hoped. Somebody told them to go to the bedroom. Maybe Mrs. Baldwin followed me , she guessed, not concerned with whether she
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