starts to melt, it won't
leak."
'Yea!" Hope cried, and settled back in her seat as Daniel accelerated
through the intersection. Mary felt herself nodding as she turned around, but
her heart was hammering in her chest. With a near-silent moan, she leaned back
against the seat and closed her eyes.
Like before? Where in hell had that come from?
Almost an hour later, they were on their way home. Hope was asleep in the
back seat of the car and the taste of praline and pecan ice cream was still on
Mary's tongue as Daniel turned right.
'Where are we going now?"
Daniel frowned. "Home."
'But this isn't the way to our house."
Daniel's frown deepened. The confusion on her face was real. Once again, he
knew he should have ignored her resistance to a checkup and taken her straight
to the emergency room. Something wasn't right.
He pulled into the circle driveway and parked beneath the portico, then
turned to face her.
'Honey, we've lived in this house for almost three years."
Mary's eyes widened as she stared at the brick two-story house and the tall
white columns bracing the roof of the portico. Then she closed her eyes and
took a deep breath before she was able to face him. "Isn't that silly of
me? For some reason I was thinking of our old house over on
Lee Street
."
Daniel leaned across the seat and felt her forehead, as if she might have a
fever.
'I still think you need to see a doctor."
Panic shifted, then receded. "And I think we need to get Hope in
bed," she said.
Before Daniel could argue, Mary was out of the car and opening the door to
the back seat. Gently, she unbuckled Hope from her booster seat and took her in
her arms.
'I'll carry her," Daniel said.
'No, you get the door," Mary said, certain there were no keys to this
house in her purse.
Daniel sighed, then shook his head and quickly did as she asked.
The shaded rooms were cool, a welcome respite from the sweltering heat of
afternoon. But Mary's relief was short-lived when she realized she had no idea
where her daughter's room was supposed to be. She stared up at the circular
staircase and wondered if she could bluff her way through, but the worry was
taken out of her hands when Daniel took Hope from her arms.
'You're not carrying her up those stairs," he muttered. "In fact,
you need to take a nap, yourself. Come on, honey. I'll unload the groceries and
put them up. I want you to rest."
Mary followed Daniel up the stairs, not because she particularly wanted to
sleep, but because she needed to see the layout of the house without making a
complete fool of herself.
As she watched him laying Hope on the bed in her room, she couldn't help but
wonder about this constant confusion. This was her dream. So why didn't she
just know this stuff?
She backed out of Hope's room into the hall and then turned around, staring
blankly at the series of closed doors. As she stood, certain things began to
emerge. The door directly across from Hope's room was a bathroom, decorated in
three shades of blue. She didn't know how she knew it, but she was positive she
was right. When she opened the door and peeked in, her heart skipped a beat.
Just as she'd thought it would be.
Quietly, she backed out and then walked a few feet down the hall to the
first door on her left. This was the spare bedroom. She closed her eyes,
picturing what was behind the door. Immediately, she focused on a pink and gold
comforter on a four-poster bed.
And she knew that, in the corner, there was a matching armoire she and
Daniel had found on an excursion to
Atlanta
two years ago.
Taking a deep breath, she looked in. It was there, just as she'd envisioned.
When she closed the door she was smiling.
Okay, I've been making this too hard. It's still my dream. It can be any way
I want it to be.
Daniel was coming out of Hope's room as she turned around.
'Why aren't you in bed?" he asked.
'Because I was waiting for you to tuck me in, too."
Breath caught in the back of Daniel's throat. The invitation in her
leak."
'Yea!" Hope cried, and settled back in her seat as Daniel accelerated
through the intersection. Mary felt herself nodding as she turned around, but
her heart was hammering in her chest. With a near-silent moan, she leaned back
against the seat and closed her eyes.
Like before? Where in hell had that come from?
Almost an hour later, they were on their way home. Hope was asleep in the
back seat of the car and the taste of praline and pecan ice cream was still on
Mary's tongue as Daniel turned right.
'Where are we going now?"
Daniel frowned. "Home."
'But this isn't the way to our house."
Daniel's frown deepened. The confusion on her face was real. Once again, he
knew he should have ignored her resistance to a checkup and taken her straight
to the emergency room. Something wasn't right.
He pulled into the circle driveway and parked beneath the portico, then
turned to face her.
'Honey, we've lived in this house for almost three years."
Mary's eyes widened as she stared at the brick two-story house and the tall
white columns bracing the roof of the portico. Then she closed her eyes and
took a deep breath before she was able to face him. "Isn't that silly of
me? For some reason I was thinking of our old house over on
Lee Street
."
Daniel leaned across the seat and felt her forehead, as if she might have a
fever.
'I still think you need to see a doctor."
Panic shifted, then receded. "And I think we need to get Hope in
bed," she said.
Before Daniel could argue, Mary was out of the car and opening the door to
the back seat. Gently, she unbuckled Hope from her booster seat and took her in
her arms.
'I'll carry her," Daniel said.
'No, you get the door," Mary said, certain there were no keys to this
house in her purse.
Daniel sighed, then shook his head and quickly did as she asked.
The shaded rooms were cool, a welcome respite from the sweltering heat of
afternoon. But Mary's relief was short-lived when she realized she had no idea
where her daughter's room was supposed to be. She stared up at the circular
staircase and wondered if she could bluff her way through, but the worry was
taken out of her hands when Daniel took Hope from her arms.
'You're not carrying her up those stairs," he muttered. "In fact,
you need to take a nap, yourself. Come on, honey. I'll unload the groceries and
put them up. I want you to rest."
Mary followed Daniel up the stairs, not because she particularly wanted to
sleep, but because she needed to see the layout of the house without making a
complete fool of herself.
As she watched him laying Hope on the bed in her room, she couldn't help but
wonder about this constant confusion. This was her dream. So why didn't she
just know this stuff?
She backed out of Hope's room into the hall and then turned around, staring
blankly at the series of closed doors. As she stood, certain things began to
emerge. The door directly across from Hope's room was a bathroom, decorated in
three shades of blue. She didn't know how she knew it, but she was positive she
was right. When she opened the door and peeked in, her heart skipped a beat.
Just as she'd thought it would be.
Quietly, she backed out and then walked a few feet down the hall to the
first door on her left. This was the spare bedroom. She closed her eyes,
picturing what was behind the door. Immediately, she focused on a pink and gold
comforter on a four-poster bed.
And she knew that, in the corner, there was a matching armoire she and
Daniel had found on an excursion to
Atlanta
two years ago.
Taking a deep breath, she looked in. It was there, just as she'd envisioned.
When she closed the door she was smiling.
Okay, I've been making this too hard. It's still my dream. It can be any way
I want it to be.
Daniel was coming out of Hope's room as she turned around.
'Why aren't you in bed?" he asked.
'Because I was waiting for you to tuck me in, too."
Breath caught in the back of Daniel's throat. The invitation in her
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