Tanesha?”
She saw a man’s feet
standing in front of her. The man kneeled down. Not sure they were
real, she reached a hand out to touch the feet.
“ What are you doing out
here?”
Jeraine’s face appeared in
the slit of light. She closed her eyes and opened them again. He
was still there.
“ What are you doing out
here?” he repeated. “What happened?”
“ You jumped,” she tried to
say but all that came out was a vague croak.
“ Did you sleep walk?” he
asked. “God, T, you haven’t done that since we were
kids.”
She shook her
head.
“ Should I call Heather?
Jill? Maybe Sandy?”
Not wanting him to leave
her sight, she shook her head. He grabbed her arms and pulled her
to standing. Her knees were too weak to stand. She weaved. He held
her up.
“ Maybe I should call your
Gran?” he asked.
She shook her
head.
“ Do you need a
hospital?”
She shook her
head.
“ How about some
tea?”
She nodded.
“ I knew it,” he smiled.
“Girl, your tea addiction is off the chain.”
Expecting her to laugh, he
leaned back from her.
“ Ah well, it’s not that
funny,” he said.
He put one arm around her
and the other on her arm. Holding her up, he led her off the
balcony. They had just reached the sliding glass door when she
broke free. She ran to the safety wall and looked over. She
saw . . .
Empty street.
A police cruiser blared
past with its siren on. A woman jogged by on the sidewalk below.
Tanesha looked at the mountains. It was daylight. Jeraine joined
her at the wall.
“ Are we jumping?” he
asked.
“ No,” she began to sob.
“No. No. No.”
He pulled her to him and
she collapsed.
Chapter One Hundred and
Ninety-Five
Fathers
Thursday morning — 8:15
A.M.
“ We’re prisoners in our
own house!” Mike’s voice echoed through the Castle from the main
living room. Valerie gave him a wry look from her spot on the
couch. Jackie was asleep in her car seat next to Valerie. “This is
ridiculous!”
“ This isn’t new,” Valerie
said.
“ I can see if they want to
take pictures of me or you or the dog or whatever, but she’s not
even a day old!” Mike’s face was marked with desperation. “She
needs to see the doctor and we can’t even leave the
house.”
“ We can go by the
tunnels,” Valerie said. “You and Jake created the access for this
exact problem.”
“ I’m not taking my baby
into those tunnels!” Mike looked horrified.
“They’re . . . dusty . . . and
spirit . . .
and . . . ”
“ Spirity?” Valerie
smiled.
“ Are we ready to go?”
Delphie asked, as she came into the room. “Are you coming
Mike?”
“ He’s thinking of waging
war against the paparazzi,” Valerie said.
Delphie went to the front
window and peeked out the curtain. A wave of shutter clicks went
through the throng pressed against the fence outside.
“ They do seem a little
wild today,” Delphie smiled at Mike and received his worried scowl
in return. She looked at Valerie. “What’s wrong with
Mike?”
“ He’s feeling protective,”
Valerie smiled.
Delphie laughed.
“ Don’t laugh at me,” Mike
put his hand over his heart. “I
feel . . . ”
“ Crazy,” a man’s voice
came from the kitchen.
Agitated and on alert for
predators, Mike whipped around toward the voice.
“ I felt that way when you
were born,” Perses, Mike’s father, smiled.
“ How . . . ?” Mike asked.
“ How did I get here?”
Perses smiled. He turned his palms up as if to say, “How do I get
anywhere?”
Delphie hugged him in
greeting.
“ But . . . ” Mike started.
“ I think your first child
is impossibly hard,” Perses smiled. “Or I should say, it was harder
with your sister, Megan. I think of my life in terms of pre-Meg and
post-Meg. Your mother too. I’m sure it will be the same for
you.”
Unable to come up with
words, Mike stared at his father.
“ Come on, we’ll do it
together,” Perses put his arm around Mike’s
She saw a man’s feet
standing in front of her. The man kneeled down. Not sure they were
real, she reached a hand out to touch the feet.
“ What are you doing out
here?”
Jeraine’s face appeared in
the slit of light. She closed her eyes and opened them again. He
was still there.
“ What are you doing out
here?” he repeated. “What happened?”
“ You jumped,” she tried to
say but all that came out was a vague croak.
“ Did you sleep walk?” he
asked. “God, T, you haven’t done that since we were
kids.”
She shook her
head.
“ Should I call Heather?
Jill? Maybe Sandy?”
Not wanting him to leave
her sight, she shook her head. He grabbed her arms and pulled her
to standing. Her knees were too weak to stand. She weaved. He held
her up.
“ Maybe I should call your
Gran?” he asked.
She shook her
head.
“ Do you need a
hospital?”
She shook her
head.
“ How about some
tea?”
She nodded.
“ I knew it,” he smiled.
“Girl, your tea addiction is off the chain.”
Expecting her to laugh, he
leaned back from her.
“ Ah well, it’s not that
funny,” he said.
He put one arm around her
and the other on her arm. Holding her up, he led her off the
balcony. They had just reached the sliding glass door when she
broke free. She ran to the safety wall and looked over. She
saw . . .
Empty street.
A police cruiser blared
past with its siren on. A woman jogged by on the sidewalk below.
Tanesha looked at the mountains. It was daylight. Jeraine joined
her at the wall.
“ Are we jumping?” he
asked.
“ No,” she began to sob.
“No. No. No.”
He pulled her to him and
she collapsed.
Chapter One Hundred and
Ninety-Five
Fathers
Thursday morning — 8:15
A.M.
“ We’re prisoners in our
own house!” Mike’s voice echoed through the Castle from the main
living room. Valerie gave him a wry look from her spot on the
couch. Jackie was asleep in her car seat next to Valerie. “This is
ridiculous!”
“ This isn’t new,” Valerie
said.
“ I can see if they want to
take pictures of me or you or the dog or whatever, but she’s not
even a day old!” Mike’s face was marked with desperation. “She
needs to see the doctor and we can’t even leave the
house.”
“ We can go by the
tunnels,” Valerie said. “You and Jake created the access for this
exact problem.”
“ I’m not taking my baby
into those tunnels!” Mike looked horrified.
“They’re . . . dusty . . . and
spirit . . .
and . . . ”
“ Spirity?” Valerie
smiled.
“ Are we ready to go?”
Delphie asked, as she came into the room. “Are you coming
Mike?”
“ He’s thinking of waging
war against the paparazzi,” Valerie said.
Delphie went to the front
window and peeked out the curtain. A wave of shutter clicks went
through the throng pressed against the fence outside.
“ They do seem a little
wild today,” Delphie smiled at Mike and received his worried scowl
in return. She looked at Valerie. “What’s wrong with
Mike?”
“ He’s feeling protective,”
Valerie smiled.
Delphie laughed.
“ Don’t laugh at me,” Mike
put his hand over his heart. “I
feel . . . ”
“ Crazy,” a man’s voice
came from the kitchen.
Agitated and on alert for
predators, Mike whipped around toward the voice.
“ I felt that way when you
were born,” Perses, Mike’s father, smiled.
“ How . . . ?” Mike asked.
“ How did I get here?”
Perses smiled. He turned his palms up as if to say, “How do I get
anywhere?”
Delphie hugged him in
greeting.
“ But . . . ” Mike started.
“ I think your first child
is impossibly hard,” Perses smiled. “Or I should say, it was harder
with your sister, Megan. I think of my life in terms of pre-Meg and
post-Meg. Your mother too. I’m sure it will be the same for
you.”
Unable to come up with
words, Mike stared at his father.
“ Come on, we’ll do it
together,” Perses put his arm around Mike’s
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