One hand supporting her belly Jonni bent down and reached for the stone. She paused a few inches from it and waited as if DeMorrell were some movie monster that would spring back to life for one last scare, which meant hesitating was the last thing she should have done. DeMorrell did groan, but was otherwise motionless, a spreading pool of blood between his legs. Jonni snatched up the stone and clumsily righted herself. Turning to Grandpa, she smiled and received a nervous smile in return. Once, an entire generation had seperated them. Now they were both very pretty, very pregnant young women only a few years apart. Jonni hoped the stone would be able to fix that, but this wasn't the time or the place to go about doing it. Seeming to read her mind, Grandpa gave her a silent nod of encouragement.
Jonni took a deep breath and spoke, "I wish we were back home in Lake Point, safe and sound."
Both Jonni and Nora/Jack averted their eyes, briefly shutting them with an identical wince. It had been a little while since either had been in the presence of a wish being made and the weird not-light, not-shadow flash given off by the stone took them both off guard. When they reopened their eyes Jonni and Nora were outdoors, standing beneath the interlocking branches of trees lining either side of a trail. Their leaves were red and brown and and orange. Drifts of them gathered here and there on the ground like snow, the breeze gusting over them, scattering stray leaves down the trail. Jonni's heart leaped in her chest.
Freedom!
She was back in her old hometown and she had the stone once more. No matter what happened from here on out, Jonni promised herself she would always remember this moment, this feeling. After so much confusion and torment and despair, she felt truly alive once more.
Nora/Jack turned her head to one side and with both hands on her belly noisily threw up all over the grass.
Jonni turned to the other woman with a concerned look, but Grandpa, God, it's hard to still think of him as Grandpa, waved her away. Dragging the back of her hand across her mouth Nora flashed her a guilty look and said, "I'm okay. Just the worst case of motion sickness ever. The sudden shift in location disoriented me." She shivered and hugged herself in an effort to control her shaking.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Jonni compulsively rubbed the stone in her hand with one thumb as if afraid it would jump out and run away.
"Yes, I said! Stop nattering over me like an old woman," Nora said testily even as she continued to shake.
Jonni snorted in rueful amusement, "Well, I'm not old anyway, but then neither are you."
Nora/Jack gave Jonni a withering stare, but did not deign to reply. She was not accustomed to being spoken to in such a way by, well, she supposed Jonni wasn't her grandson anymore, and she certainly no longer qualified as Jonni's elder. She was about to comment on the strangeness of it all when a voice called out to them from a short distance away.
"Hey there!" It was a man's voice and it was getting closer. There was the sound of footsteps running through the leaves. "Are you two okay?"
The newcomer seemed genuinely concerned. He was a solidly built guy in his early thirties decked out in scuffed boots, denim jeans, and a gray turtleneck sweater. There was a workingclass look to him, but his manner of speech and the wire rim glasses perched on the end of his narrow nose gave him an intellectual air. He stopped his approach about ten feet away as if afraid he would spook the two women off like frightened deer. "I was on my morning walk and I saw your friend get sick. Is she okay? Are you both okay?"
"Am I okay? What do," Jonni stopped her next question, suddenly realizing the spectacle they presented. She was standing around in her nightgown and robe. Grandpa was still dressed in the rags that were her only clothes while in DeMorrell's dungeon, puking on the leaves and shaking like one as well. Both of them were pregnant as hell, which automatically meant lots of people thought they needed help with the littlest things.
"I'm cold," Nora/Jack said unhappily, all but ignoring the stranger. Jonni felt like an idiot. No wonder Grandpa, Jack, Nora, whoever she was, was shivering! She had to wish her up some clothes, but first she had to get rid of the good samaritan. He was a distraction that was swiftly upgrading to nuissance.
"We're fine," Jonni decided to try solving this one without the stone, "Morning sickness. What can you do? Sometimes it lasts the whole pregnancy!"
"If she's cold," the man nodded at Nora/Jack and made to remove his sweater, "she can have my sweater. My house is only a few blocks from the park."
The park! Jonni thought these trees looked familiar. The last time she had seen them it was still summer. At least we know where we are now. This guy really needs to buzz off. "Really, we're fine. Thanks though. Have a nice day."
"No, I insist," the man stepped forward, once mor egoing to take off his sweater, "She needs it more than I do."
Grrrr! Jonni gave him a look that would peel paint, but the stranger couldn't take his eyes off Nora. Jonni's small fist clenched down hard on the stone, "I WISH you would just trust me and let us take care of ourselves." The stranger looked down at his feet for a tiny second. When he looked back up his face went from concerned and confused to open and friendly. He smiled and gave a little wave.
"Okay, then, I can see you girls can take care of yourselves! Just wanted to make sure your friend was alright," he turned to go, but gave one last look over his shoulder, "My name is Nathan. I manage the new hardware store by Pickett's Grocery. If you ever need anything give me a yell!"
And with that the well-meaning gentleman strolled away, hands in his pockets, whistling something upbeat and off-key. Jonni sighed and gave Nora/Jack an apologetic look, "Sorry, Grandpa. Clothes coming right up. I wish we had on some comfortable clothes and shoes appropriate to the weather."
In the blink of an eye, Jonni and Nora were smartly attired in maternity dresses, tights, sneakers, long warm overcoats and knit caps. They looked like any other two mothers-to-be out for a walk in the brisk fall weather. Nora gave a half smile, "Thanks, Jonni. Sorry I'm going to pieces on you."
"It's okay, Grandpa. Things will get better once we go home. Mom can help us."
Nora/Jack's look of horror made Jonni think DeMorrell was suddenly standing behind her or something. When she looked, no one was there. Looking back to Grandpa, she shrugged, "What is it? What's wrong?"
"I can't go to your house! There's no way I would let your mother see me like this! I'm her father!"
'See you like what, 'Nora?'" Jonni gave the other woman a level look, "Mom thinks you're dead. You don't look anything even close to the way you used to. You don't even sound the same. As far as Mom is concerned, you're just some girl I met at Lamaze class, okay?"
"O-okay, I guess," Nora looked far from convinced, but she also looked afraid to be alone. Jonni was encouraged when she stepped closer and took Jonni's hand in her own. Jonni gave a reassuring squeeze in return.
"Good, now let's go home," Jonni put the hand holding the stone in her pocket to conceal the flash of a wish made, "I wish we were at my mom's house!"
