Laid 2 Rest Two Halves of a Whole (36 page)
Read Laid 2 Rest Two Halves of a Whole Online
Authors: Melanie Rose
That did it!
The guys all took off in different directions to search the surrounding area while I continued to question my godchild for more answers. “Did he hurt you? Touch you? Say anything… to you?”
“Noooo… he just appeared out of nowhere and shook his head at me. I was about to fall in, when I saw him… under the water… right over there.”
I turned to see where she was pointing and then rotated halfway back so I could address the remainder of the quads. “Did any of you see him too?”
“No mommy. I tried to tell her that he wasn’t a stranger, but she wouldn’t believe me. It was the Guardian of the Lake that she saw. Mommy, he wouldn’t have done anything to Jasmine… he protected her. He stopped her from getting hurt just like you told me he would,” Ty spoke up as bold as ever.
Oh my!
The Guardian of the Lake was a story I made up to ease his little mind when we scattered his papa’s ashes on this very lake… in this very spot, when he was only three years old. Could he really remember my tale from when he was so young? I was taken back for a moment to say the least.
Did Jasmine just see my dad in the water?
“Jasmine… have you seen this man before? Think hard, this is very important!” She nodded her little head in response. “Where, where have you seen him?” I said, bracing myself for her answer.
“He looked just like the man in the picture… the picture with the white horse.”
I swallowed hard. There was only one photograph that I knew of, that matched that description to the letter. It hung over the fireplace back at the ranch. I couldn’t bring myself to ask her any more questions. I had wished for two long years that my dad would appear before me or come to me in a dream and let me know that he was… at peace or
at least
something along those lines
.
I gazed mindlessly out onto the lake in front of us… w
as my dad still here then
? Was he really watching over all of us like he had promised?
“Mommy… mommy, tell Jasmine the story!” It was Ty’s sharp words that broke through my fog as he yanked impatiently on my sleeve.
“Yes, yes… of course little man, I think you’re right. I do believe it is time to tell that story again. The tale of the Guardian of the Lake. Jasmine… do you have any idea how lucky you are?”
She sat up in my lap and wiped her sweet face dry while she shook her head no. I kissed her forehead before handing her off to her mother and centered myself.
“Well… It is said that the Guardian of the Lake used to be just an ordinary man… living a simple ordinary life. That he had three great loves. His horses, this very lake, but most of all…
his family.
He loved them so much that when it came time to leave this world for the next, he couldn’t bring himself to do so… to separate himself from what he cherished most on this earth. Instead, he infused his spirit with the waters that you see before you now. So, that he could watch over and protect the things nearest and dearest to his heart for all time.
The guardian must think you are a
very
special little girl. For him to appear before you… you must have pulled at his heartstrings while he was still alive. So don’t be afraid… don’t ever be afraid of him because he’s just keeping his promise…
his promise to keep us all safe.
”
Strong, protective arms wrapped around my waist and held me close. I had been so engulfed in my story that I hadn’t realized that Tyce and the others had returned. “I couldn’t of told it better myself, Rain,” he said, snuggling his face into my neck as we rocked slowly from side to side.
How could I not love this man completely? He was my life, my world, my strength. Plus, he had a strangest knack for always appearing at just the right moment. Right when I needed him most.
EPILOGUE
“R
AIN BABY… YOU CAN DO
this! I know you can,” Tyce pleaded to me while wiping sweat from my brow.
I wanted so badly to believe him, but I didn’t know if I could. I was scared to death. The nurses had me strapped down and were prepping me for an emergency c-section. The baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around their neck and their heart rate was dropping fast. There was no time for delay… there was no other choice, but to have surgery. The baby had to be delivered immediately before they ran out of air.
The doctor informed Tyce that he would not be permitted in the operating room during the delivery. There was a good possibility that the baby as well as myself wouldn’t survive the birth. Tyce was going to be forced to wait outside to hear if we lost our child or if he had just become a widower. Or both!
The odds were not stacked in our favor.
Even with all that weight bearing down on him, he was still trying to support and reassure me. He was my rock to the bitter end. If I had a choice, I would never leave him. The thought of being separated from him was too much. The pain my absence would cause him was something that I could not allow to happen.
It was at that moment, that I made a mental pact with our unborn child. For the sake of their father and big brother, we both had to pull through this together.
There was no other acceptable solution.
Once the nurses shaved my belly and stained my skin yellowish orange with a coat of iodine, it was time for the inevitable. The look in my husband’s eyes said all that he couldn’t. If that look was the last thing that I saw in this world, I could die… a happy woman… just knowing that he loved me more than life itself.
I woke to the soft touch of someone stroking my hair. I could barely open my eyes. The anesthesia had done a number on me so I could barely feel anything from the neck down. My husband stood, beaming down at me with pride. “I knew you could do it. I never doubted you… not for a single second. I am so proud of you. Thank you for coming back to me.”
“And the baby. Is the baby…
alright?
” I whispered as my voice shook.
“She’s perfect. A little fighter. She definitely takes after her mother.”
All I could do at that moment was cry. Fat tears of joy and relief streamed down my face as I thanked God for pulling us both through this. “Where is she… can I see her?”
My whole body vibrated anxiously as I waited for my daughter’s arrival. I was the last one to lay eyes on her, but it didn’t matter.
Not one bit!
I could sense her drawing closer to me and when she finally rounded the corner and entered my room, Tyce had to hold me down to prevent me from getting up and tearing my stitches.
It wasn’t until she lay peacefully in my arms that my body began to calm itself. I hugged her close to me. She was so precious… one of the prettiest babies I had ever laid eyes upon.
My miracle child.
Latching securely onto my pointer finger, she opened her little eyes to stare up at me. My world froze. The earth stood still for a second, as our eyes locked together as one.
I knew these eyes
… I’d looked into them a million times before. I had even sworn never to forget them after they had been burned into my memory for all time.
“What should we name her?” Tyce whispered so he did not startle her.
I looked up lovingly at him and then back at her. “Kennedy. Her name is Kennedy… Kennedy June,” I said, kissing her tiny forehead. “Welcome home… my little KJ.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my family, friends, and lifelines for holding my hand throughout every step of this journey. I love each and every one of you and couldn’t have made it this far without all your support, encouragement, and all those countless glasses of wine.