Precious reluctantly said good night to her fish. Michelle got her settled in then sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her damp curls from her face.
“If Charlie had died, would he have gone to heaven with Mommy?”
Michelle briefly transferred her gaze to the photo of a very pregnant Cassie LaCrosse in the picture frame on the nightstand. She was standing on the porch of a summer cottage, and seemed one with the blue open ocean behind her. “I’m sure, honey,” Michelle said, smiling at the little girl. “But he didn’t die. He’s fine now, and probably will be sucking on the rocks again tomorrow. We just have to keep an extra eye on him.”
Precious giggled. “That’s what Mommy used to say. But we don’t have extra eyes.”
We do now, Michelle thought to herself as she glanced at the picture of Cassie again. She was sure Cassie was watching over her daughter, just as she was sure her own mother had been keeping a watchful eye on her throughout her life. She just wondered where she’d been the night her father walked into her apartment and destroyed her life. She must have blinked.
“Night, Precious,” Michelle said as another cramp ripped across her stomach. She started to rise from the bed.
Precious grabbed her hand. “Don’t leave, Michelle. Please stay with me.”
She didn’t want to be kicked in the stomach tonight. And knowing that Erik always came in to check on his daughter when he came home late, she couldn’t risk being caught asleep in his daughter’s bed. He wasn’t home, yet. “I can’t, Precious.”
“Pleeease...”
Michelle softened when she gazed at the pitiful face. “Okay, just until you fall asleep.” She shooed Precious over, eased under the covers, and turned off the bedside lamp. Moonlight slivered in through the open window.
Precious fitted her body into the curve of Michelle’s, and settled down.
Michelle wrapped her arms across the small body, welcoming the feel of the warm bundle in her arms. Actually, the warmth from Precious’ body was a healing balm for her aching belly. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes.#p#分页标题#e#
“Michelle?”
“What?”
“I miss my mommy.”
“I know.”
“Do you have a mommy?”
“No. She died a long time ago.”
“Is she in heaven with my mommy?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Go to sleep, Precious.”
A tired sigh echoed in the darkness.
“Good night, Michelle.”
“Good night, Precious.”
“I love you.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Have you spoken with Dad since you returned from your cruise?” Erik asked his mother as they sat in the living room of her condo. The television hummed in the background, but neither paid it any attention.
“We spoke today. He took Danielle home a few days ago.”
Erik leaned back in the recliner and eyed her through half-closed lids. He loved his parents, all three of them, but he would forever remain in a state of bafflement over their unorthodox relationship and the circumstances surrounding his birth. It had caused him much pain and ridicule throughout his childhood.
“When was the last time you saw her?” his mother asked.
“I drove up last week when she was hospitalized. I can’t believe how much she’d deteriorated in such a short time. She used to be so vibrant.”
“It’s difficult for your father to watch her on a daily basis. He says there are days when she’s lucid and others when she doesn’t even know her own name. At least she’s home, in a place that’s familiar to her.”
Erik pushed out of the chair, strolled across the room and stared thoughtfully at a picture of his and Cassie’s wedding sitting on a grand piano. He pressed his fingertips into his temples as their last moments together surfaced in his mind. “I don’t know which is worse, Mother, having someone you love die tragically in your arms, or watching them fade away slowly and painfully and not being able to do a darn thing about it.”
“Cancer is a brutal disease, Erik,” his mother said, coming to stand beside him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Especially when it attacks the brain. But it doesn’t matter how you lose someone you love, the pain is the same, I believe.”
Erik knew his mother was still in love with his father. She’d never stopped loving him even after he chose Danielle over her. As far as he knew, she’d never become seriously involved with anyone else, which was a real pity, since she was such a beautiful, loving woman.
He placed a hand over hers. “Precious hasn’t been to Granite Falls for a while. Do you think it’s a bad idea for her to see Danielle in that condition?” he asked, recalling the last time he’d taken Precious to see Cassie’s mother, who was institutionalized. It had been an upsetting experience for his little girl. Erik had never taken her back to that institution.