Bloodchild (37 page)

Dana's mental recovery occurred simultaneously with her physical recovery. She quickly returned to her old self. When Colleen visited her in the hospital with Harlan, she was as friendly and as warm as she had ever been.

"I feel like someone who just came out of a coma," Dana said. "Everything is so vague in my memory. It's almost as if… as if I'm still in the maternity ward and I dreamed it all."

"I wish you had," Colleen said.

"I know. Poor Mom. Still no trace of her?"

"Nothing." Harlan said. He had asked that Colleen not tell Dana they had found Jillian's robe in the basement of the old house. There was nothing with it—no bones, no dust, nothing.

"Somehow I feel responsible," Dana said.

"Knowing what we know now," Harlan replied, "there's no reason for you to feel that way. You had no control of your actions or thoughts. I think your mother understood that, and that was why she was so upset and wanted so much to do something about it. But," he added, looking away quickly, "even I couldn't help her. Even I was under their control to a certain extent."

He had thought about telling her of his sexual incident with Nurse Patio, but he resisted, partly out of his own feelings of guilt and partly out of his desire to spare her any more pain.

"All we wanted," Dana said in a small voice, "was a child."

He embraced her. Colleen turned away. She would be the one to embrace Lucy Carson. She would be the one to stand beside her at Audra's funeral. Afterward, alone with Lucy Carson in her home, Colleen would tell her about Audra's power over the forces of evil.

"She was special," Colleen said.

"Thank you, dear. Thank you for giving me the comfort and for caring so much about Audra," she said.

Weeks went by. Dana got stronger and once more became her vibrant, beautiful self. She talked about returning to work at the accountant's office. The labor dispute at the college was settled, and Harlan dived back into his teaching with vigor. Colleen studied hard and made some more friends. They didn't have their first snowfall until nearly Christmas, but Teddy and she both had joined the ski team. The terror they had all lived through began to thin out, even though it never really left them.

Harlan took the crib apart and they closed the door to the baby's room. Everything that had to do with the infant was removed from the house. Lieutenant Reis called again to report that they had made absolutely no progress with the case.

"Nurse Patio and the baby seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth," he said.

"Hopefully," Harlan replied. He knew that the detective still couldn't understand his lack of interest in the baby, but he didn't care about it anymore. Reis never called again. He figured if they had any questions, they would call him.

One day late in January, Colleen and Teddy returned from a ski meet. It had been snowing softly all day, one of those snowfalls that makes people think of sleigh bells and Christmas lights. Both of them were energized from their vigorous afternoon of exercise. Colleen's face in particular was red, her eyes sparkling with life. She and Teddy were beginning to regain their momentum. Shadows were merely shadows again.

They burst through the front door, exploding with laughter and energy. Harlan was already home from work and the house was filled with the delicious aroma of a roast turkey dinner. Teddy had been invited the day before. As they took off their winter coats and removed their boots in the alcove, Harlan and Dana came out of the living room and stood before them, holding hands and smiling.

"Men lost, women won," Teddy said.

"Figures," Harlan said. "That's the way it's going to be for the rest of your life, buddy. Get used to it."

Teddy laughed but Colleen held her smile. She looked from Dana to Harlan, sensing something. "What is it?" she said. Instinctively she felt for Teddy's hand.

"We have a surprise. An announcement," Dana said. "I was going to go back to work, as you know, but Harlan told me to hold off making that decision. Well, I'm glad now that I did."

Colleen squeezed Teddy's hand so hard, he looked at her, puzzled.

"Why not?" Colleen asked.

"Because I worked a miracle," Harlan said, smiling.

"Harlan Hamilton…" Dana said.

"I mean,
we
worked a miracle."

"I'm pregnant again," Dana said. "I didn't think it could happen, because it took so long the first time, but it did."

"Well?" Harlan said when Colleen didn't respond.

Colleen's lips trembled, her smile widening.

"Congratulations," she said. She went forward and embraced Dana, and Teddy shook Harlan's hand.

"Extra celebration tonight," Harlan said. "Wine at dinner." He slapped his hands together. "And, boy, am I hungry!"

"I'll second that," Teddy said.

"Come, tell me about the ski meet," Harlan said, and he and Teddy headed for the living room.

Dana stood smiling at Colleen. "If it's a girl," she said, "I'm going to call her Jillian."

"Oh, I hope it's a girl," Colleen said.

"Me too. Don't tell Harlan. Come, help me with the dinner," she said, and Colleen followed her into the kitchen.

Later that night, just before she went to bed, Colleen looked out of her bedroom window. She stared down at the shed and thought about Jillian.

And she thought about Dana's pregnancy.

And she hoped—no, she prayed—that it was what Harlan and Dana thought… a miracle.