The Shadow of Death (Psalm 23 Mysteries Book 9) (12 page)

“Always,” she whispered back.

He picked her up, twirled her around twice, and then set her down on the bed. Her heart was racing as she grabbed the covers and laid down, pulling them up to her chin. Jeremiah turned off the lights in the room, but there was still some light filtering through the curtains over the window.

He walked around to the other side of the bed and laid down, pulling the covers up as well. “Come here,” he said, stretching out his arm.

Her heart in her throat she scooted closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close so that her head was resting on his chest. “I’ll take care of you,” he said.

“I know you will,” she answered.

“I know this is not the honeymoon you were hoping for. I’m sorry.”

“All I need is to be with you,” she said, heart pounding out of control.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. “That’s very distracting. Come on, we’re supposed to be getting some sleep. We’re both exhausted.”

She wasn’t sure if he was referring to her pounding heart or if this was just the next line in the little drama they were putting on for whoever might be watching and listening.

“I can’t help it. You know I get excited whenever I’m this close to you,” she said.

He squeezed her shoulder. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down so she could fall asleep.

“Ani ohev otach,” he said softly after a minute.

She didn’t answer because she didn’t know what he had said.

Jeremiah was awake long after Cindy had fallen asleep. He’d had the best intentions of going to sleep, but it was hard to do so when so many thoughts and feelings were crashing through him.

Ani
ohev otach
. He had told her he loved her. He hadn’t meant to, it had just slipped out. To anyone listening it would have sounded completely natural because it was. He did love her and drowsing there with her head on his shoulder it was impossible not to think about it.

There were a dozen other things he should be thinking about, but she was the only one that his thoughts would linger on. Every time he tried to think of something different his mind returned moments later to her.

He owed her his life.

He also owed her the truth. About everything.

She had handled herself really well all day and he could not have been more proud. It was funny, the marriage lie was becoming easier and easier to tell. One of these days even he was going to start believing it. Then again, that was wishful thinking.

Cindy moaned softly in her sleep and he wondered if she was having a nightmare. He’d give everything he had to keep nightmares from her waking moments as well as her sleeping ones. Somehow that didn’t seem meant to be, though. All he could do was be there to hold her hand as she walked through them.

He took several slow, cleansing breaths. The night would come soon enough and he had to be ready when it did.

Mark was dreaming that he and Traci were back on the beach in Tahiti, soaking up the sun and laughing like they didn’t have a care in the world. He kept glancing at the horizon, though, and he could see dark storm clouds in the distance. He told himself that there was no need to worry because they were so far away. So he kissed Traci’s nose and that made her smile. Then he looked again and the clouds were closer, much closer. How had they moved so
fast? He frowned, not wanting them to spoil their time together.

Traci didn’t seem to care. She didn’t see the clouds, but he did. They were large and thick and ominous and the winds of change were blowing them hard and fast until they were advancing at a terrifying pace.

The rain’s coming
, he told Traci.

She just laughed and kissed him.

She didn’t understand. She didn’t know what he knew. The clouds were coming for them and would be there before they knew it. They needed to seek shelter while they could.

Don’t leave me
, Traci said as he started to get up.

How could he make her understand if she didn’t see the storm coming? The waves began to creep higher and higher up the sand, reaching out for them with foamy hands as though seeking to pull them out to sea where they would be lost forever.

Traci, get up, we have to run!
She just smiled at him. Before he could say anything else something touched his shoulder, shaking him.

“Mark, wake up.”

He came to and realized that he had drifted off in the waiting room. Geanie was gently shaking his shoulder.

“What is it?” he asked groggily.

“Someone’s coming,” she said, voice tense.

He heard footsteps and rose out of the chair. The dream faded into the background, but the fear he had felt during it was only magnified now that he was awake.

A doctor walked in. He was haggard, had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he needed sleep just as badly as Mark did.

“Do you have news?” Mark asked, voice terse.

The doctor nodded. “You might want to sit down.”

10

Mark swayed on his feet. “Traci, is she okay?”

“She’s going to be fine,” the doctor told him.

Relief flooded him. His wife was going to be okay. A moment later, though, his stomach clenched again. If she was fine then what had gone wrong?

“And the baby?” Mark asked, barely able to get the words out.

“That’s the shocking part. I’m not sure how this happened, but every once in a while we’ll get a surprise like this.”

“A surprise? What surprise?”

“Congratulations, Detective Walters, you are the father of twins.”

“Twins?” Mark asked, not sure he had heard right.

“Yes. A boy and a girl. They both appear to be healthy and they are just beautiful.”

Geanie and Joseph were patting him on the back congratulating him. He felt like he was still dreaming. “When can I see them?”

“The nurses are cleaning up the babies and you can see them in a little while. You can see your wife now although she’s still pretty groggy. Um, just you for now. When she’s a little more with it the others can come in.”

“We’ll be here waiting,” Joseph said.

Mark nodded and followed the doctor from the room. Twins. It was unbelievable. His mind was reeling from the implications. He had a son as well as a daughter. They were going to have to get more baby furniture. In a couple of years they were probably going to have to get a bigger house.

When he walked into the hospital room and saw Traci laying in the bed, pale, but awake and smiling at him all the pain and fear of the last several hours evaporated. He rushed to her side and kissed her.

“Are you okay?” he asked when he finally pulled away.

“Better now.”

“It’s a good thing we painted the nursery green,” he said with a sudden laugh.

“It is,” she said, her smile broadening.

He pulled up the chair and sat down on it. Then he reached forward and took her hand. “You really had me scared there for a while.”

“Sorry. A nurse told me that sometimes twins come early. I guess they got tired of sharing a room.”

“Well, they’re going to have to share one at the house, at least for a little while,” he said.

She nodded.

“And don’t worry. I’ll do everything I can while you’re recovering to make this easy on you.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, easier.”

She raised the other eyebrow.

“Okay, not as nightmarish as it could possibly be.”

“That sounds about right.” Her smile faded. “I’m sorry you weren’t there to see it.”

“It’s okay. As tired and scared as I was, maybe I would have just passed out and embarrassed you.”

“I have a hard time picturing the veteran police detective passing out at the sight of a little blood.”

“It could happen. Wouldn’t be the first time something like that did, I’m sure,” he said.

“I’m glad you’re okay with it.”

“You’re healthy, the babies are healthy. We have more than one baby. What more could a man ask for?”

“Well, I don’t know about a man, but a woman would like to settle on names so we can call them by their names.”

“Okay. I know you’re leaning toward Rachel for a girl’s name.”

“And you prefer Crystal.”

“How about this? We name our daughter Rachel and our son Ryan?”

Traci nodded. “Ryan, I like it.”

“Then it’s settled. We can tell them what to put on the birth certificates.”

“Ah, but what about middle names?”

“This is going to sound crazy, but I was kind of thinking Rachel Jean and Ryan Joe.”

Traci smiled. “Variants on Geanie and Joseph’s names?”

“Well, they have been in the waiting room with me all night. And we know that Jeremiah wouldn’t approve of us using his name as long as he’s alive, so there you go.”

“I like it.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“Do you think they’re okay? Cindy and Jeremiah?”

“I hope so,” Mark said fervently. “I just wish there was something I could do to help them.”

“You were saying that you thought one of your older cases could be linked.”

“It’s possible. It’s also possible that I’m crazy.”

“Well, that’s more than possible, it’s probable. I don’t know, though, I keep getting this strong feeling that you should keep digging. Who knows, maybe you will find something that will help them?”

Mark nodded. “I will, but tomorrow. Right now all I’m interested in doing is being with my beautiful wife and our amazing kids.”

“Look who we have here,” a female voice said behind him.

Mark turned and watched as two nurses walked in, each carrying an infant in their arms. “Your daughter,” the first nurse said, handing Mark the tiniest baby he had ever seen.

“Your son,” the second nurse said, carefully lowering the second baby into Traci’s arms.

“They’re so small. Are you sure they’re going to be okay?” Mark asked.

“The doctor was checking them over. So far, so good, although we’ll be keeping them here for a little while just to make sure. Plus, there are still several important things to do like see if they can feed.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Traci asked.

“And afterwards we need to introduce them to the Aunt and Uncle who are getting them ponies,” Mark said.

Jeremiah was scared. He hadn’t felt this way in a long, long time. Everything that was going on, the disaster that he had been called in to help avert, having Cindy here in the line of fire were all making him sweat. He was terrified of losing her. But he was almost more terrified of her finally seeing him for who he really was and realizing she wanted no part of him.

She was asleep on his shoulder and he wished they could stay like that forever. He liked looking out for her, protecting her. He kept having the terrible, sinking feeling that this would be the last few moments they ever spent at peace with life and each other.

There was a high probability that one or both of them would get killed. There was an even higher probability that they would be forever changed or scarred by what was to come. He wanted to savor this moment, make it last forever.

Because as soon as they woke up and faced the day everything was going to change. She would look at him differently. She would see the monster inside. These few moments before that happened were a sanctuary, stolen treasures for him to lock up in his heart and ponder for the rest of his life, however long that might be.

Even now he could feel her waking, though. Her breathing was shifting. Any moment now and he’d lose her. He ached inside, already feeling the loss. It was as though he was a drowning man, clutching at straws hoping that he could still be saved. He only wished he could be.

Cindy woke with a start. She jerked hard and twisted her head to see Jeremiah staring intently at her.

“Good afternoon,” he said without smiling.

“Afternoon.”

She had her head on his shoulder and an arm flung over his chest. Flushing she started to sit up, but he pulled her back down. He ran his hand slowly up and down her arm. Her skin felt hot and cold where he was touching it.

“Things are going to get a lot worse from here,” he said.

“I know.”

“I can’t let the destruction of the shrine occur. I can’t have the world plunged into war.”

“Of course not. That would be unthinkable.”

“Everyone is going to have to do their best, be their best in order to stop this.”

“I understand,” she said, still distracted by his hand stroking her arm.