Forsaken - An American Sasquatch Tale (18 page)
Read Forsaken - An American Sasquatch Tale Online
Authors: Christine Conder
Sage had already knocked once before, seemed more eager for an answer than she to give one.
“Yes?”
“Anything yet? It’s been almost an hour.”
“Uh uh, not yet.”
“Okay,” she heard Sage sigh, watched her shadow move in the gap beneath the door.
“Hey mom? I know you said you wanted to be alone, but I have something for you. I didn’t know when would be a good time, but I figured probably now was as good as any to give it to you.”
Liberty raised her brows as Sage pushed a book under the door. She leaned over and picked it up. Spiral bound and royal blue, a cartoon pink owl sat in the center of the cover over one word, DIARY.
“What’s this?”
“Well, so much happened, you know, when I was…away. And Mitch had given me that book, thought I might want to write down my thoughts. So, after a while I did. I wrote stuff down since I couldn’t talk to you. It helped.”
Liberty heard something swish, watched the shadow grow larger as Sage sat on the floor on the other side.
“So, anyway, like, I knew I was going to see you again soon. Except Mitch hung on a little longer than we expected. Which was good, of course.” She paused and spoke softly, sadly. “Even if you didn’t know I was here, I knew you were there, so it made us not being together more bearable.”
Liberty’s eyes blurred as she flipped through the book. It was almost full, drawings and doodles were in some of the margins. Her nose started to sting from the tears she knew were coming. “Thank you, baby. I’ll read it today.”
Sage laughed. “Oh, you probably won’t get it all read this afternoon, but, you’re welcome.” She paused, then added, “Anything yet?”
Liberty got up, dried her eyes on a velvety yellow hand towel, disengaged the lock, and opened the door. She nodded at Sage. She’d already known, but wasn’t ready to come out yet. She tipped her head toward the sink.
Sage got up, stepped inside, picked up the stick and with wide eyes turned. “Dad! Come quick! I’m going to be a sister.”
Sage threw her arms around Liberty and was still jumping up and down when Nathaniel appeared in the doorway.
She waved the stick like a magic wand in front of him. “Look! It’s positive!”
Nathaniel looked at Liberty, a gentle smile on his lips. “Guess it’s a yes then?”
Rubbing her belly, Liberty nodded. “Guess it is. And an answer to all the nausea and fainting.” Truth be told, she felt a little faint then.
“I’m going to call Becky.” Sage rushed out, already on the phone. “I’ll tell her she’s going to be an aunt,” she called over her shoulder.
Nathaniel led Liberty to the adjoining bedroom, sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her shoulders.
“I suppose we have lots of plans to make, huh?”
She looked at her feet, wondered whether the baby would be a part of her, or Sage and Nathaniel’s world. Wishing, hoping, for the latter. “It seems we do.”
Sage bounded back into the room, the phone pressed to her ear. “Aunt Becky says congrats and she wants to know what you and Dad are hoping for.”
She and Nathaniel looked at each other, and then back at Sage.
“A baby,” they said in unison.
Laughing, they hugged each other. Maybe they were gathered together in a basement, but it was a step up from the caverns. They’d take it, for a day, a week, a year. Perhaps, sometime in the future, there’d be another step up for them.
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Forsaken – An American Sasquatch Tale
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Places to connect with Christine Conder;
www.facebook.com/authorchristineconder
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or, email
Deep appreciation goes to the editor of
Forsaken
, Jessica Dall. Any mistakes contained within this manuscript are the author’s and are no reflection of Jessica’s incredible skill and dedication.
Book formatting by Istvan Szabo, Ifj.
(Sapphire Guardian EBook Formatting and Conversion Services)
www.crystalshadeangeni.com/sapphireguardian
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