The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) (49 page)

             
“Yes,” he smiled and was about to seal it with a kiss, when Roy’s voice came out of nowhere.

             
“You still haven’t learned to watch out for that button on your shoulder radio, Rookie.”

             
Ronnie grabbed the microphone, “So what?  I just got engaged.  I want people to know about it,” she replied and kissed her fiancée amidst a round of radio cheers and applause. 

             
Four weeks later, Alex was sitting in a wheelchair next to the elevators.  He was waiting for Veronica, who was dealing with the last of his discharge papers. 

             
His stay had been extended by two weeks after a mysterious secondary infection had caught him and the doctors off guard.  It had taken a round of heavy antibiotics and a stay in the ICU to bring him to this day.

             
But something about the whole episode had been troubling him.  There had been no sign of an infection anywhere in his system earlier.  And it seemed to hit right after he’d made a call to Cassandra who was still in California with Julie.  He’d had a terrifying vision about her being in danger.  The white-haired man from the bridge had been in it, and he had been watching her from…

             
The rest of his train of thought was derailed at that moment as loud wail, erupted from a nearby corridor.  “No way!” he muttered, recognizing not only the sound but the presence behind it.  But there was a difference.  He’d heard it with his ears, not his mind, and there was no chill accompanying it.

             
Grabbing the wheels of his chair, he turned and headed off in the direction of the sound.  Somewhere behind him, he could hear footsteps coming up fast.  But he ignored them and kept going.  The presence was growing stronger. 

             
Turning a corner he saw a small dark bundle resting next to large potted plant, and headed straight for it.  

             
It was a jacket, one he knew all too well, and there something was moving inside of it.  Locking the wheels of his chair, he carefully got out of it and knelt down to pick up the bundle. 

             
A slightly out of breath Veronica came up behind him saying.  “Why did you take off like that?  And why didn’t you stop when you heard me comi…”  Suddenly her voice trailed off.  “Alex is that… no it can’t be.”

             
But he knew better.  Opening the folds of the jacket they found a newborn baby girl with glowing red eyes.  The moment the infant saw them, she stopped crying.

             
“IT IS!” Veronica cried excitedly, taking the baby from him and holding her close.

             
As he watched the two begin their bonding, Alex sensed another presence nearby and turned around.  “You may want to take a look down the hallway,” he told his love.

             
There at the end of the corridor a teenage girl with long black hair was disappearing through a pair of doors.  She paused briefly to look back at them, and then disappeared.

             
“Rachel?” he heard Veronica whisper in wonder. 

             
Smiling Alex nodded and looked down at the child in his future wife’s arms and said, “Shall we take a turn in the park and smell the pretty flowers before we all go home little one?”

             
The baby cooed and turned a pair of beautiful blue eyes, filled with love, at him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allan Krummenacker was born in 1964 and spent the first
22 years of his life in Levittown NY on Long Island.  He grew up on Dark Shadows, Doctor Who and classic horror movies, as well as going to Wantagh Park.  In 1985 he moved to California where he rediscovered Doctor Who and joined a fan club where he met his wife Helen.  They have been married for 23 years and are still heavily into Doctor Who, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Conventions and costuming.  Allan’s years of being a fan-boy, and his wife’s wide range of science and literature knowledge, all led to this book which is the beginning of his writing career. 

              You can follow his exploits on Facebook and his two blogs.

              Musings of a Creative Mind is all about writing and getting published and can be found at: allankrummenacker.blogspot.com

akrummenacker.wordpress.com is a blog about his works in progress.  It includes videos and photos.