The Shadows Fall: Chapter 43

In the church, Devon could feel himself sweating, under the covering of the wig and the pressure of knowing that Mac was in the building.  Clearly there to attack, hurt, or take Jessica, Devon could barely hear anything except his own heart.  His eyes, fixed on Jessica, almost burned from his staring.  Nevertheless, during the rosary, things were basically quiet and he could keep tabs on her, simply by sitting and watching.

Todd was mocking every one of Blair's motions, as the rosary continued.  He whispered, "How long is this prayer?"

Blair said, "Shhh, it's long.  Just do what I do."

He looked to his left, and Sister Rebecca Katherine had her eyes closed, almost as if drifting off to sleep, with the beads fixed in her hands.  Looking back to Blair, he continued to do what he was supposed to, and at the same time, kept his eyes peeled for trouble with Jessica, Devon and the tall man.  Without warning, Blair said, "Oh!"

Todd said, "Oh!"

Blair stood.  Todd stood.  Blair said, "Oh my God!"

Todd said, "Oh my God!"

The church was filled with heads that whipped around at them.  Sister Rebecca Katherine woke up and stared at the two of them.  "My goodness, lasses, that's no way to carry on!"

Blair, hand on her belly, cried out, "My water broke!"

Sister Rebecca Katherine stood up also, scrambling to put her rosary away and pushed her glasses up her nose.  "Saints be praised, Lord have mercy, it's a virgin birth!"

Todd lost his nun voice, "The Hell it is!"

Devon, seeing the commotion begin, grabbed Jessica's hand and ran toward the exit.  Todd, standing next to Blair, said, "Good diversion."

Blair said, "What diversion?"

He looked down and saw a trickle of liquid on the floor.  He whispered, "Jesus, Blair, why now?"

"Like I can help it!  It's all the hot tub sex you've been after," she whispered angrily.

Sister Rebecca Katherine said, "Sister Elizabeth Arden!"

Mac was making his way through the aisle and the mobs of people to follow Devon and Jessica, when Blair cried out, "Stop him, he's a killer!"

"I'm getting you out of here, Blair," Todd, back to his own persona, pulled his headpiece off, and grabbed her hand.  "Can you walk?"

Before she answered, Sister Rebecca Katherine backed herself into Mac's path, and pulled back with her fist throwing a right hook directly upward below his jaw.  The man went sprawling onto the floor, in the center aisle, and a crowd formed around him.

"That a girl, Sis!"  Todd yelled.

"Hurry," she said, "And I'm coming with ya!  I have to be there for this miracle!"

The three of them pushed through the crowd, and burst through the front doors.  Devon, wigless, had the SUV started and in place.  Jessica, shaking, was in passenger seat.  The scene was memorable; Todd, his long hair flying behind him, Blair moaning and complaining in his arms, and Sister Rebecca Katherine, following behind, with Todd's headpiece, holding her skirts so she could run down the stairs.

Jessica simply said, "Oh.. my... God.  Is that my uncle?"

Sister Rebecca Katherine pushed in front of Todd, opened the SUV door, and helped get Blair inside.  Looking back, she noticed no sign of Mac.

After all three were inside the vehicle, Todd said, "You got a mean right hook."

"And you're a man!  At first I wasn't sure, what with that hair and all."

Jessica turned to them.  Blair, doing her Lamaze breathing; Todd, tearing the nun clothing off; the Sister, crossing herself, "Blessed be, blessed be, blessed be."

Jessica said, "Sister, this is my Uncle Todd and his wife, Blair."

"We've met dear, in a manner of speaking.  Devon, ya gave ya'r girl here quite a scare disappearing like that."

"I had to get help.  It's a long story, sister."  Devon said.

"I'm not his girl,"  Jessica said.

Todd said to Blair, "Does she take lessons from you?"

Blair said, "Shut up and get me to the hospital!  The contractions....the baby's coming."

"Not this again,"  Todd said.  "I'm not delivering this one."

Blair said, "I know, you don't know nothin' about....birthing babies!"  She groaned through the words.

"That's all right, I've delivered plenty of them,"  The nun said.

"Bless you,"  Todd said.

"Floor it!"  Sister Rebecca said.  On the rest of the ride, Devon filled in Jessica and Sister Rebecca, as well as Todd and Blair, on all of the details he could muster regarding the plot to kidnap her.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Todd carried Blair through the light crowd that had formed by the entrance.  Reporters, police and security personnel were gathered outside the doors.  Pushing through, Todd, in the remainder of the habit; Blair, in full nunnery garb; and Sister Rebecca Katherine pushed through the group, the latter yelling, "Make way!  There's a baby coming, move out!"

Todd set Blair down carefully, and Sister Rebecca came to her side to steady her.  Bringing her a wheelchair, Todd made it back to them in time to see Blair double over in pain and lose her footing.  Grabbing her by the arm, he sat her in the chair, a few reporters coming around them to see about another story.  She looked up at him, "Todd, there's something wrong."

Sister Rebecca turned to the press and said, "I have a story for ya!  Ya'r Mayor, she's corrupt as they come.  She's not what you think she is!  She's connected to The Break Bar murder!"  As the reporters swarmed around The Sister, Todd crouched in front of Blair, as the nurse came to see to her.  "What's wrong, Babe?"

"I don't know, I'm scared, Todd, I can't lose Moonbeam.  Something just feels, something's not right."

He petted the hair on the side of her head, and shushed her.  "It's going to be okay."

"Sir," the nurse said to him, "Sir?  Please complete these papers."

"We don't have time for papers, something's wrong with my wife, please, I have all the money this hospital needs, I can buy this place, please just help her!"

Sister Rebecca Katherine, embroiled with the reporters, was shouting details about the story involving Devon and Jessica, as they pushed through the doors after parking the car.  Jessica went to Todd and Blair, immediately.  Blair cried out in pain and said, "Oh my God, Todd, please."  She began crying, "No, please, don't let us lose this baby."  Her tears fell.  She looked up the nurse, "Something's wrong. I can tell."

The nurse said, "Ma'am, you have to quiet down, it's not going to help you or the baby."

She sobbed and Todd was a bundle of shaking limbs.  Trying to quiet her, he himself was terrified and unsure of what to say.  Jessica walked along side the wheelchair that the nurse was pushing, with Todd racing along the other side, and Devon trailing behind.  Jessica said, "Blair, you've done this before, it's going to be all right.  Do your breathing, you have to stop getting upset, your blood pressure will go up, and you don't want that do you?"

Blair said, "No. Owww."  She panted.

Todd was literally grayish green, as the wheelchair turned the corner, and they moved Blair into an emergency delivery room.  Jessica and Devon had stopped in the hallway to call Addie and Viki.  The doctor, coming up along side her, watched as her habit was cut from her.  Looking Todd up and down, he said, "I guess anything goes these days.  All right, Mr. Manning, is it?"

"Yes?"

"Go put these on."  Right now, we have to attend to your wife.  Let us do our jobs.  You can come back in for the delivery after we check her out."

Todd took the package that was thrust at him, and backed toward the door, shaking.  He was losing control and not sure what to do about it.  The door shut and he was standing, alone, in the silence of the hall.  He stared at himself in the reflection off the metallic door.  This is it, Manning.  You didn't really think everything would be all right, did you?  You didn't really fool yourself into thinking that this baby would be all right and that you and Blair would be happy.  Get ready.  Get ready, again.  He backed away to the other side of the hall, and found a bench there.  Sitting, he put his head into his hands and cried.

"You musn't," a voice said.

He looked up.  A kindly, older face, now surrounded by graying curls, was looking into his.  It was Sister Rebecca Katherine, and her hand was on his shoulder.  "You musn't do this."  He sniffed, wiping his tears on his sleeve, and fondled the package.  "What's that you have there?"

"The scrubs."  He leaned over, and sobbed again, between his knees.  Her hand moved to his back and she patted him, gently.

"You must get them on, and be there for the birth of your child.  Todd, is it?"

"Yeah."

"Ya can't decide already what God has planned for ya.  You musn't do that.  You must go and be with them, whatever comes."

"I don't deserve it, Sister.  He's going to take it from me, because I don't deserve it."

"Is that the way ya think God is?  Well, you're wrong.  He's not out to punish ya, my lad.  Ya do that yourself, enough, I can see.  All of us deserve love, Todd, and all of us have bad and good in us.  Clearly, ya have enough good to be making this child.  Now, go and be there for this moment in that child's life, and never look back."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Your comments are 'payment' for the work of the authors. Our writers like to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment when you read.