Free Luanne Rice by Summer's Child Page B

to be so scared, so worried about losing her.
    But this
year, Rose wished for just two things. They were so, so small—not so very much
to ask, considering all the gigantic wishes she had made over the years. Two
small, secret wishes …
     
    At
eight-thirty, Marisa and Jessica drove past the sign NEILL FAMILY WHALE-WATCH
CRUISES and into the gravel parking lot. Marisa still hadn’t completely stopped
looking in her rearview mirror, checking to see that she wasn’t being followed.
She had chosen this location because it was so remote—the likelihood of Ted
stumbling upon them—if he was searching at all—was so very small. But at the
same time, she had a secret reason for coming here that would shock him if he
ever figured it out.
    Her
husband’s great-grandfather had been a whaler from Canada. And in one of his
old photo albums, there had been a picture of the whaling ship—right here at
this same dock, in winter—with the snowy cliffs of the fjord rising
majestically behind the ice-coated spars. Marisa remembered staring at that
picture, thinking it looked like a port at the end of the world. Beautiful, austere, and mysterious.
    Now,
parking the car, she backed into the spot—so she could see what was coming. She
didn’t like anyone coming up from behind her.
    She had
left a man so brutal, he had killed her daughter’s
puppy—just because she barked at night. Marisa had had to uproot her child, run
away from their home, make up pretend birthdays to
throw him off the track. She had learned to be careful, always.
    Opening her
purse, she pulled out a small box.
    “Honey, I
know we said we would stay completely true to our story, and our new lives, but
I couldn’t resist this. Happy birthday to you …”
    “Mommy!” Jessica said. “It’s for me? Can I open it?”
    “Yes. Your
real birthday is in just a few days. I thought we would use Rose’s party for a
secret celebration of our own.”
    Jessica
pulled off the ribbon, tore the paper, and opened the little velvet box. The
look in her eyes was worth every minute of trouble they’d been through: sheer
and total happiness.
    “It’s
Grammie’s ring!”
    “That’s
right, honey. Her nursing school ring …”
    “She wore
it when she was a Navy nurse, and a pediatric nurse, and a private nurse,
right?”
    “Yes. You
know all the stories. She loved helping people so much, and that’s what
inspired me to become a nurse too. Maybe it will inspire you.”
    “So I can
help Rose?”
    Marisa
nodded. She had been up late last night, reading as much as she could about
pediatric cardiac care. She didn’t know Rose’s diagnosis, but from the symptoms
she had exhibited and the fact she was scheduled for surgery, she knew that it
was serious. Maybe having Marisa’s mother’s ring would give Jessica a feeling
of some control, in the face of her friend’s serious illness.
    “Mommy,
will we get seasick on the boat?”
    “No. That’s
why I got you this bracelet,” Marisa said, slipping the elastic circlet over
Jess’s thin wrist. “The little bead rests against your pulse, and it keeps you
from feeling motion sick.”
    “What about
you? Will you wear one?”
    Marisa
didn’t reply, concentrating on getting the bracelet into position.
    “Mom,
you’re coming, aren’t you?”
    “Honey, I
have things to do at home.”
    “Like what?
Sleeping?” The words snapped out before Jessica could call them back—Marisa saw
the regret in her eyes.
    “Don’t say
that,” Marisa said, but Jess was right; since moving to Cape Hawk, Marisa had
spent most of her time lying down. Depression did that to a person: sapped her
strength, stole her hopes, made her feel like hiding in the darkness. And when
she thought about the causes of her depression—the same reasons that had driven
her to uproot herself and Jess, move hundreds of miles away—well, it made her
feel so exhausted and helpless, sleep seemed all the more alluring.
    “If you’re
not going, I’m not going,”