was handling the emotional fallout from her painful miscarriage a little over a month before.
" Huh?" She glanced up suddenly, but relaxed when she recognised me. "Oh, hey Sandy. I cut my finger this morning, and it's annoying me. It's not deep or anything, and it's not bleeding, but there's this little flap of skin. It keeps catching on everything, and it's driving me crazy."
I blinked in surprise, then laughed. I just couldn't help it. After everything she'd been through, what made her sound sad was a little flap of skin?
" Gnaw it off," I suggested. "That's what I do. It looks gross, but at least it'll stop catching on stuff."
" You reckon?" She stared at her finger dubiously, then shrugged and lifted her finger to her mouth to do as I suggested. While she was at it, I went over and sat down on the tailgate beside her. It was rare for us to have a moment alone, so I decided it was as good a time as any to check on her well-being.
" How are you doing, Skye?" I asked softly, watching her carefully to gauge her reaction. "With the baby thing, I mean. We've hardly had time to talk at all."
She paused in her nibbling and stared at me for a moment, then shrugged and glanced away. "I'm… coping. It sucks, and it hurts – both physically, and in my heart – but there's no way for us to go back and change the past. At least we learned a lesson from it – listeria poisoning is bad, and now we know how to avoid it. So, when you and Michael have a baby, you won't have to go through that."
" What makes you think that Michael and I are having a baby?" I asked, startled by the notion. We'd talked about it in passing, sure, but mostly just as a joke.
" I've seen the way you look at him, sis," she said with a tender smile. "You love him. You really, really love him. The two of you should have a baby together, because all babies deserve a mother and father that love each other that much."
I stared at her for a moment, then turned away, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. She wasn't wrong, but that was what made it so difficult to accept. Michael was so ready to be a dad, but I was not ready to be a mother.
" Maybe one day, but not today," I answered. Suddenly, I desperately wanted to change the subject. "So, anyway. I've got the kids finding some firewood. Can I trust you to take care of preparing dinner?"
" Of course," she agreed, rising to her feet. "I'll go see what I can rustle up."
" Thanks, little sis." I gave her a grateful smile. She returned it, and scampered off about her business, leaving me to ponder hard questions on my own.
Chapter Eight
The night passed more or less uneventfully. Every now and then, one of the watchers called out that they'd spotted something, and once I even thought I heard a growl, but when the sun finally rose there was no sign of danger. If the mutants had followed us, they'd retreated by morning.
We were back on the move as swiftly as possible, following the same road eastwards that we'd used previously. Once we left the earthquake zone, the going was smooth and easy. I napped in the passenger seat of the Hilux for most of the morning, leaving Michael to concentrate on driving. We stopped briefly at the cornfield to bolster our supplies, then we were back on the road again.
Shortly before noon, I felt the Hilux roll to a stop. I dragged myself out of the warm, comfortable embrace of sleep, to find that we'd already reached the point at the base of the hills where the road started to climb up into cliffs and narrow ravines.
" We can't follow the road up there," Michael said, looking at me for guidance. "Remember, there was that break we had to climb around?"
" I remember." I nodded thoughtfully. "We're just going to have to go around the base of the cliff. It's not going to be fun, but at least the rain's cleared up for now."
A few minutes later, I stood with my group spread out around me,
" Huh?" She glanced up suddenly, but relaxed when she recognised me. "Oh, hey Sandy. I cut my finger this morning, and it's annoying me. It's not deep or anything, and it's not bleeding, but there's this little flap of skin. It keeps catching on everything, and it's driving me crazy."
I blinked in surprise, then laughed. I just couldn't help it. After everything she'd been through, what made her sound sad was a little flap of skin?
" Gnaw it off," I suggested. "That's what I do. It looks gross, but at least it'll stop catching on stuff."
" You reckon?" She stared at her finger dubiously, then shrugged and lifted her finger to her mouth to do as I suggested. While she was at it, I went over and sat down on the tailgate beside her. It was rare for us to have a moment alone, so I decided it was as good a time as any to check on her well-being.
" How are you doing, Skye?" I asked softly, watching her carefully to gauge her reaction. "With the baby thing, I mean. We've hardly had time to talk at all."
She paused in her nibbling and stared at me for a moment, then shrugged and glanced away. "I'm… coping. It sucks, and it hurts – both physically, and in my heart – but there's no way for us to go back and change the past. At least we learned a lesson from it – listeria poisoning is bad, and now we know how to avoid it. So, when you and Michael have a baby, you won't have to go through that."
" What makes you think that Michael and I are having a baby?" I asked, startled by the notion. We'd talked about it in passing, sure, but mostly just as a joke.
" I've seen the way you look at him, sis," she said with a tender smile. "You love him. You really, really love him. The two of you should have a baby together, because all babies deserve a mother and father that love each other that much."
I stared at her for a moment, then turned away, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. She wasn't wrong, but that was what made it so difficult to accept. Michael was so ready to be a dad, but I was not ready to be a mother.
" Maybe one day, but not today," I answered. Suddenly, I desperately wanted to change the subject. "So, anyway. I've got the kids finding some firewood. Can I trust you to take care of preparing dinner?"
" Of course," she agreed, rising to her feet. "I'll go see what I can rustle up."
" Thanks, little sis." I gave her a grateful smile. She returned it, and scampered off about her business, leaving me to ponder hard questions on my own.
Chapter Eight
The night passed more or less uneventfully. Every now and then, one of the watchers called out that they'd spotted something, and once I even thought I heard a growl, but when the sun finally rose there was no sign of danger. If the mutants had followed us, they'd retreated by morning.
We were back on the move as swiftly as possible, following the same road eastwards that we'd used previously. Once we left the earthquake zone, the going was smooth and easy. I napped in the passenger seat of the Hilux for most of the morning, leaving Michael to concentrate on driving. We stopped briefly at the cornfield to bolster our supplies, then we were back on the road again.
Shortly before noon, I felt the Hilux roll to a stop. I dragged myself out of the warm, comfortable embrace of sleep, to find that we'd already reached the point at the base of the hills where the road started to climb up into cliffs and narrow ravines.
" We can't follow the road up there," Michael said, looking at me for guidance. "Remember, there was that break we had to climb around?"
" I remember." I nodded thoughtfully. "We're just going to have to go around the base of the cliff. It's not going to be fun, but at least the rain's cleared up for now."
A few minutes later, I stood with my group spread out around me,
Similar Books
