MY HEART IN STONE

PART THIRTY-THREE:

"I had a good talk with Terry yesterday, right before dinner," Henri began as he

and Cort drove out into the countryside in the doctor's small car.

"Good," Cort replied, "I was hoping he would do that soon. What did he say?"

"Basically that he really wants me to come, not just for what I know about Mikol,

but because he needs staff that will be loyal to him, not Sid. Tell me, Son, what DO

you think of Sid?"

A dark shadow flickered through Cort's eyes. "Nothing good. The first time I saw

him, right before my original warp, he made sure I knew Rachel worked for him." 

He frowned at the memory.  "She hadn't had a chance to explain...things...to me yet,

so it was a  surprise. Really bothered me at the time, back before I understood."

Henri nodded, waiting for Cort to continue.

"Then when we warped into Gladiator, he didn't give me the right stuff, not what he

gave the others.  So I had, let's say, I had a hard time during it. Just for his amusement.

Then there was that tracking thing he had put in my hand. The way he always talks to

Rachel. No, Henri, I don't think very much of him."

"I see," Henri said thoughtfully. "All that goes along with the reports I've had of him

over the years.  I know Mikol hated him, had a sense of rivalry with him." He smiled

at Cort. "I don't think there will be any problem at all being loyal to Terry."

"Terry's a good man," Cort affirmed, "like an older brother to me.  Shows me the ropes,

kind of makes sure I get where I need to be, watches out for both Rachel and me."

They were driving along a narrow road that wound its way through rolling hills, green

with a mixture of pastureland and areas of woods.  "Really pretty here," Cort commented, settling back in his seat, enjoying the ride, Henri's companionship.

"You sleep ok?" Henri asked, deliberately off-handedly.

"Pretty much," Cort replied, looking out the window, not mentioning how in the wee

hours he'd lain there, his nerves throbbing.  Rachel still fast asleep, he'd slid his arm

out from under her and gone to the bathroom, just sitting on the side of the tub for a

long time, running his hands up and down his arms, trying to ease the vibrating tension

in his nerves, on edge in case it started to develop into something more.  The warp this

time had been more terrible than he'd been able to convey, than he'd wanted to convey,

to anyone. Dread of its possible return hung over him like some dark cloud.

He rubbed and rubbed at his arms, then his legs.  Surely the vibrations would go away? 

Just give it time and they would go away.  After all, the events in Mikol's warp chamber

had happened less than 24 hours ago.

Inadvertently, he now rubbed his arm slightly. Henri noticed.

"Not much further," Henri said softly.  "Just around that next curve and we'll be there."

Cort had told him the story of how he and Rachel had come upon the old priest sitting on

the log by the river. Henri had never met Pavel before, but he liked the sound of what

Cort said about him.

He parked the car beside a small chapel with several other buildings just beyond. They

were still getting out of the car when Pavel himself walked out the door of a structure

that appeared to be some sort of clinic.

The instant he caught sight of Cort, a large smile creased the priest's face. "Ah, and

here you are," he greeted, "my young Arizonian friend. I was glad to get your call that

you were coming today. It is good, yes, for us to speak again before the ceremony

tomorrow."  He looked at Henri.  "And you have brought someone with you, I see."

"This  is...is my...adopted father,  Henry  Dawson,"  Cort grinned,  giving  that

pronunciation to Henri D'Ausson's name that seemed more comfortable in his mouth.

"Glad to meet you, Mr. Dawson," Pavel acknowledged, extending his hand.

"He's also my best man," Cort added, then looked at Henri.  "He IS my best man."

Pavel quietly watched the interaction between the two men. "It is good," he said softly,

"to have the man who is best standing with us when we make our vows."

"Is that a clinic you have here?" Henri asked, interested. "May I take a look?"

"He's a doctor," Cort interjected, by way of explanation.

"Ah, most certainly," Pavel beamed. "Any suggestions would be appreciated."

While Henri went off to check out the medical facilities, his motivation actually being

to give Cort time alone with Pavel, the other two men walked toward the chapel, sitting

on its front steps. It was a simple structure of white stucco, though there had been some elaborate painting done in blue around the edges of its tall, thin windows.  "So," Pavel

began, "the wedding is to be under the ancient lime? This is so?"

Cort nodded.  "Is that all right, with you, I mean?"

Pavel looked past the small parking area to the woods. "I often think how our Lord

did not have so fine a structure as even my humble chapel here.  It is why I go out

walking  as I do, along the river, through the trees. He always walks with me. I think

He likes it there."  He smiled at Cort. "I know this ancient lime well. Over the long

years, many, many people have invited Him to attend them there beneath its branches. 

I think," his smile broadened, "He likes it there, too." He spread his hands broadly. 

"Even if I were the sort of man who prefers the structures people build for themselves,

who am I to tell Him that He should not do what He wishes beneath a tree that He

Himself has made?"

"I take that as a 'yes'," Cort grinned, completely reaffirmed that he had asked the right

man.

"It will be my good pleasure.  And His," Pavel laughed.

Cort reached in his pocket, pulling out some folded papers. "I sort of wrote this up...for

kind of how it should go. For things I wanted included."  He handed it to Pavel.  "But I

trust you to add whatever you think...right.  Fix it up, you know."

Pavel scanned it briefly, then tucked it away.  "He and I will look over it together this

evening."

"Is...is there something else I need to do?"

Pavel leaned back, looking at the younger man. "The shadow that you carried...that unforgiveness of yourself...I see that has not come back."  He was silent a long moment,

still looking.  "But there is something else, something that was not there by the river. 

You are keeping a thing close, not sharing.  Is it your lady, your father, you are not

sharing this with?  I think this may be your 'something else', my brother."

Cort sighed. "It's...it's too big, too complicated to explain, Father Pavel."

"Try, with what you feel you can.  Try that much."

Cort rubbed his right hand up and down his left arm. "It's...this...a thing...happened...

yesterday morning. In Kamen."

"Ah, the castle in the forest," Pavel nodded. "Not a good place."

"No," Cort agreed, "not good at all. I was there, you see, brought there against my

will.  And yesterday," he paused, not at all knowing how to say anything about it. 

"Yesterday we were back there and...and...well, there is this room, this place, that

takes people places, places far away...very far. I'm not really at liberty to say much

about it.  But.  Well, it tried to take me yesterday." He rubbed his arm some more.

"It's left me like this...kinda...raw inside. But that's not what's really bothering me. 

It's...that I don't feel confident any more.  That I am really free of that thing." He

looked at Pavel's open face. "I'm about to get married, to promise my life to the woman

I love. And all the while I'm...afraid.  Afraid that I won't be able to stay with her, that

some day when I'm not even thinking about it, it will...start.  I can't do that to her. I

can't...."

"So you have not mentioned this fear to her, then? Or your father, the doctor?"

"They're happy, Father Pavel. I don't want to take any part of that away from them.

They both know about it but neither of them have any idea of how it is consuming me."

"You feel you can promise your life to her and yet not tell her of your fears connected

with that life you are promising?"

"That's what is bothering me."

"I can see that. And that must not be the case when you stand under the lime tree."

"I know," Cort sighed again.  "I don't know what to do."

"First you and I will talk about this thing, and then you will speak of it with them."

"There's no help for it, Father. Henri destroyed the room, hoping that it would be

enough.  But even he does not know if it actually is enough. There just is no way to

know that. He knows, however, that it will kill me. If it does it again, I won't make it."

"It is a big thing. I see this. It is good, then, is it not, that our God is the God of big

things? Yes?"  He put his hand over Cort's where it was still rubbing his arm.  "There

by the river when we met, you were still struggling with your past.  Unforgiveness,

even of ourselves, is a big thing...possibly the biggest thing because it wastes the Act

that was done to remove it. Wasting the Act...the sacrifice of God Himself...that is what

breaks the heart of our Creator." Pavel looked up, noticing Henri standing outside the

clinic, obviously wondering where he should go next to stay out of Cort and Pavel's way.

Pavel stood, motioning him over. "Come, Mr. Dawson. Fathers are welcome here." To

Cort he said, "I hope that is all right, my brother. When I saw him there, I felt that he

should be here, too. I believe that is why he came out of the clinic just at this moment."

Cort smiled at Henri as he approached. "Yes," he replied, Henri now in easy hearing

distance, "my father should be here."

"Good," Pavel beamed. "Come, sit, Mr. Dawson. Join us. Three is a very good number.

I am quite fond of it myself."

Henri was slightly hesitant. "I...I don't want to intrude...."

"No, no, Henri," Cort added quickly. "You should be here. I know that."

"What's going on, then?"

"Your son here has a 'big thing' that is bothering him."

Henri twisted where he sat, looking quickly at Cort's face. "Are you all right?"

"Ah," Pavel answered for him, "that is the question we are dealing with. It seems our

young man has a great worry and knows that he should not carry that worry with him

under the lime tomorrow."

Henri heaved a large sigh. "I've thought so."

"See," Pavel said, looking between the two men, "a good father is aware when his son

has a 'big thing' hovering about. I think," he studied the way Henri was gazing at Cort,

"that your father will not be that much surprised when you speak of it."

Cort chewed his lip a moment, then sighed himself. "It's the warp, Henri. It makes me

feel like the foundations of the life I'm trying to build, that they're built on sand, that

they could slide out from under me any time."

Henri slid up a step so that he was right beside Cort, put his arm around Cort's shoulders,

and said softly, "I understand, Son. I know those vibrations you've been feeling have done nothing but keep that worry alive. You didn't sleep well last night, did you?"

Cort shook his head mutely and not until Henri urged him did he explain about sitting on

the edge of the tub, feeling terribly alone. "Do you not think Rachel would have rather

you had awakened her than that you sat there in the night like that?"

"She was tired, Henri, and if I told her, she'd just be more afraid of it herself."

"Do you see this woman as your other half?" Pavel asked softly. Cort nodded and the

priest continued. "Is it right, it is even possible that half of a thing can be in pain and

the other not share in it?"

"You...you think she knows?"

"What do you think, my brother?"

Cort put a hand over his eyes. Of course she would know. How could he think he was

really keeping it from her? "So you are saying that my not telling her about it is worse

than thinking I'm protecting her from knowing?"

"Almost always, this is true," Pavel said. "And it is true, always true, that two halves of

one thing  do not fit  smoothly together  if the edges of one of them are...rough.   You

understand what I mean?"

"Listen, Son," Henri added, "I really do think that when the control room was destroyed,

the ability of the warp itself ever to manifest again was...eliminated. I don't see how it

could form again, not without those controls. And Rachel has the syringe. It's going to

be all right.  Truly, my son, truly it is."

"I can't leave her like that, Dad, I just can't ever do that to her."

Henri's heart still quickened at the sound of that word. Pavel saw the light that sprang

into the doctor's eyes at Cort's use of the term. A good earthly father, he thought, was

often the best reflection of the heavenly One. "So," he said aloud, "you have, my brother,

a heavenly Father who gave His life for you and I see plainly you have an earthly one

who would also not hesitate to do such a thing."

"He's done that," Cort said, his voice breaking a bit, "already. He's put his life in

danger several times for my sake. I wouldn't be here, be getting married, if it weren't

for him."

"Such a father, has he not earned the right to be trusted with our fears?"

Cort put his hand over Henri's where it still rested on his shoulder.  "I'm sorry. I

should have...."

"No, no, Son. Let's don't deal with 'shoulds'...all right?"

"I believe, then, there is a bride-to-be somewhere in the village, who can also be trusted?"

Pavel smiled, standing. "And you, I will see you tomorrow...beneath the leaves of the green

tree that, though it was smitten through its heart, yet lives.  Yes?"

"Yes," Cort nodded, also getting to his feet. "Yes to both."

It was still only mid-morning when Henri and Cort began their drive back to Hromada.

The womenfolk would be at their shopping for a while yet. As they neared a small dirt

road, leading off into the woods, Cort suddenly said, "Turn there!"

Henri turned, asking, "Why, Cort? What's down here?"

"Nothing. I hope...nothing."

"Nothing? What are you thinking about, Son?"

"Give me just a minute. Let me see if we come upon the right place."

Henri drove slowly, silently, flicking his eyes sideways from time to time, wondering what

was in Cort's mind.

After several minutes Cort spotted a wide place off the right-hand side of the road. Just

beyond it rose a towering evergreen that dominated the surrounding forest of smaller

trees.  "There," he pointed, "pull off there."

Henri turned off the ignition. "What's up?"

"Me," Cort replied. "I didn't really sleep at all last night. Maybe just lightly dozed a few minutes here and there, but didn't really sleep."

"What are you getting at, Son?"

"OK, it's this vibration thing that's driving me crazy, keeping me focused on the warp

instead of the things I want to be thinking about."

"I understand that. But...."

"Listen to me a minute here, Henri.  You told Rachel that if the warp were trying to

take me, that the only way to stop it would be if I were no longer conscious, right?"

"Right. But where are you going with this, the warp isn't...."

"What about the vibrations? Could it be because I haven't slept, could that be keeping

them going?"

"But you took a nap when we left Kamen, a little bit in the car and then a longer one in

the hotel."

"That was immediately after, Henri. The vibrations didn't manifest until later. And I

haven't slept since they started."

"Do you want to go back to the Mini, then, and take a nap before the women finish

shopping?"

"I can't sleep, Henri. I just can't.  It's like something scraping inside me and it keeps me

awake.  I can't be feeling like this, not with the wedding tomorrow."

"So, what are you saying?"

Cort looked out the window at the evergreen.  "It's private here. No one around for

miles." He turned his eyes back to Henri.  "I want you to give me one of those shots of

yours."

"Here?" Henri's eyes widened a bit.

"Yeah, why not here?  I'll do anything, Henri, anything it takes to be everything Rachel deserves me to be."  His eyes were pleading, desperate. "Is your bag in the trunk?"

"I always have it with me, Son. Especially nowadays."

"Will you do it?"

Henri looked at his watch. Ten-thirty. He did have a milder version of what he'd given

Cort that day in the main keep when his terrible headache started. "You think it's worth

a try, then?"

"I don't know what else to do," Cort sighed.

"It might just...work.  The warp latches onto  the mind,  spreading out through the

nervous system. Evidently what happened to you yesterday was interrupted when I

destroyed the control room, but the tentacles of it still remain wrapped around your

nerves. That's the only explanation I can come up with for what you describe."  His

own mind was racing, trying to calculate just what would be required. It would actually

need to be more like what happened with anesthesia, that dreamless black blankness. 

The brain was more cut-off during that from what was going on in the body. That's what

he needed to do, interrupt the signals that were still causing the reaction in the nerves.

"You sure you wouldn't rather do this back at the hotel, Son?"

Cort pressed his lips together. "I'm sure.  If this works, I want it done before I see Rachel

again. I don't want any more of that look of worry I see in her eyes.  She's had enough

of that." He opened the car door, reaching into the back seat for a plaid wool blanket

that was folded there.

Henri went around and got his medical bag out of the car as Cort spread the blanket

under the branches of the evergreen. He stretched out, crossed his ankles, and looked

up through the tree, focusing on the bits of blue sky. Henri studied the contents of his

bag carefully, choosing the syringe he wanted. He blew out a long breath, not really

liking that he had no real monitoring equipment other than a blood pressure cuff.  He

looked at Cort, lying there, trusting him again with his life. He'd already rolled up his

sleeve and was waiting quietly.

Cort didn't even look at Henri as the doctor knelt beside him, didn't take his eyes off

the branches, the sky. Within seconds his body relaxed and his lids closed. Henri slid

on the blood pressure cuff, taking a reading every few minutes. How utterly strange it

was to be out here in the countryside, doing what he was doing. A bit of breeze blew

Cort's hair across his face, and Henri gently pushed it back. Every day he loved this

young man more than the day before.

He looked at his watch again. Eleven-fifteen. Would an hour be enough?  Fifteen more

minutes?  Perhaps it actually only required that slide into unconsciousness itself and

timing had nothing to do with it? How was he to know? He took another BP reading.

So far so good. A bee came, hovering near Cort's cheek and Henri waved it away.

Surely, yes, an hour should do. Another few minutes and he prepared a second syringe.

Within moments Cort's lids flickered. "Ready when you are, Doc," he murmured.

"It's done, Cort, it's all over."  That was the effect of this sort of drug. There was no

sense of the passage of time. You closed your eyes and in a mere blink you opened

them again.  Henri helped Cort to sit up.

Cort braced his forearms on his bent knees, waiting for the grogginess to pass. Several

minutes later, he tipped his head back, looking up at the swaying dark green branches

just above, trying to tune in to his own body.  He breathed slowly, aware of each breath,

aware of the beating of his own heart. It all seemed quietly steady to him. He waited

longer, closing his eyes, waiting for what his body would tell him. It was not there, that

horrid scraping was gone. A tear squeezed out from under a lid, slipping down his cheek.

Henri instantly lay his hand on Cort's shoulder. "It didn't work?"

Cort opened his eyes, a smile starting to curve the corners of his lips. "It worked. I'm

all right. It's gone!"

Henri flung his arms around Cort, almost knocking him over.  Cort laughed and hugged

him back.  "Now, he said happily, "now I'm ready to get married!"

Cort was up first, quietly moving about to get dressed while she languished, she only

moving when he came to sit at her side on the bed and kiss her in the dim light  She was

too sleepy to put a name to it, but it seemed to her that Cort was tense, withdrawn,

despite his assurances to the contrary.  He hushed her gently when she asked if he was

all right, and told her he would be back in the middle of the afternoon after talking with

Father Pavel.  Wishing her a happy day with Deidre and Lisa, he quietly left to meet

with Henri, leaving her to ponder his mood. 

It occurred to her then that standing in front of the cross the night before, his words had

struck her as being oddly subdued, not quite his usual openness; but no – she had realized

what that was when he told her of the sensations in his arms.  Rachel propped herself up

on her elbows to think, trying not to let irrational fear suggest all manner of possibilities. 

He couldn’t be having second thoughts, could he?  No.  Was he falling ill?  Not impressed

with her family but didn’t know how to tell her?

Rachel  rolled  out of bed when  she looked at the clock,  squelching as much of that

speculation as possible.  Once the light of day came, she’d be able to see things in

perspective.  It was because the room felt empty without him, she told herself.  Then,

she got dressed.

Glen, Lisa, and Finn were already eating breakfast when she arrived at the Angel;

Terry and Deidre joined them several minutes later.  Much to Lisa’s surprise (and

quiet pleasure), Glen said that Finn would stay with him during the day, an idea that

Finn was not hesitant to show his own relief because being with a bunch of girls all day

was not his idea of fun.  “I still love you, Aunt Rachel,” he said.  But doing girl-stuff? 

Yech!

So, leaving the three men to amuse themselves, Rachel, Lisa and Deidre went out into

the day and began a trip to strike off each item on a list of things Rachel had made:

Floral shop

Pick up ring

Show Deidre and Lisa the dress

Bridal shop

Gift shop

Anywhere else that struck their fancy

…was how it read.  At the floral shop, they spent so much time changing their order that

the proprietor finally handed them a piece of paper and a pen to write down which flowers

they definitely wanted and that he would see about making up nosegays for the next day.  Settling on stargazer lilies, blushing pink roses, white freesia, and purple larkspur, they

left the poor man in peace.

“It’s perfect for him,” Deidre said as they stood outside the jewelers, looking at the simple

white gold band Rachel had chosen for Cort.  She held it up to read the inscription on the inside.  “A star shines upon us,” she read aloud.  Lisa rolled her eyes. 

“I know what that’s from!”  She said knowingly.  Rachel just grinned at her.

“Does this have anything to do with the brooch?”  Deidre asked, lightheartedly.  This

prompted Rachel to gasp and search her purse, pulling out the star brooch she had

borrowed. 

“Your brooch, Miss Montgomery,” Rachel said, unable to resist turning it in her hand

one more time so that the prism-edges of the stones caught the light and sent a spreckle

of white spots across the wall next to them.  “This meant a lot to me while I was here. 

It has many memories connected to it that I’ll always be grateful for.  Thank you for

letting me use it.”  She returned it to Deidre.

“Then you shall have it,” her friend said, taking Rachel’s hand and pressing it back

into her palm.  “My gift to the bride…and groom.  Especially since it meant so much

to them.”

“But…but you said it was your good luck charm,” Rachel stammered. 

“I wasn’t wearing it when Terry came across me, and even though it didn’t feel like it

at the time, I think it was because my luck had run out and he became the brooch’s replacement.  At least, that’s how it feels for me,” Deidre said, with a wink.

“This sounds interesting,” Lisa broke in.  “Rachel’s been closemouthed about how she

met Cort…I’ll have you telling me sooner or later, Rache…but maybe you’ll tell me

how you met someone like Terry.”  She leant in towards them with a conspiratorial air. 

“I could use a few pointers.”

So Deidre told of climbing a Peruvian mountainside in search of a treasure box and

finding herself entangled by a thorn tree, and eventually, an Australian soldier. 

“Is that why he made the comment about catching fiery…what was it?  Nolias? 

Magnolias?  Catching fiery nolias in a thorn bush?”  Lisa asked.

“Oh, we can laugh about it now, but both of us were not at all happy with each other at

the time!”  Deidre said, and she went on to tell the rest of the story.  Rachel had already

heard much of it and so tuned them both out as they strolled toward their own destination, thoughts turning toward Cort and where he must be, and whether or not he was feeling

better.  Even though the day was bright now and movement and excitement in gaining

those last  few items  to make a  wedding day complete  had erased all but the most

persistent of worries, Rachel felt the most as though she had failed in seeing something

that Cort had been trying to tell her. 

“Worried about Cort, Jedi?”  She heard Deidre ask and looked up to see the red-head

gazing at her with sympathy. 

“Where’s Lisa?”  Rachel could not recall her leaving.

“She stepped inside the toy shop across the way to look for something for Finn.  I told

her we’d join her whenever you returned to earth,” Deidre said, patting her arm.  They

had actually stopped at a small café with bistro tables aligned along the avenue for full advantage of the view of the medieval street and an arching gateway with a tower above

it.  A side of the tower had a Roman style sun-dial painted on its side.  “I’m sure Cort’s

fine,” she added.  “Where is he now?”

“With Henri.  They both went to talk to Father Pavel.  He’s marrying us.  I don’t know,

Dee,” Rachel said, sitting down in one empty café chair.  “Something’s not right with him,

not since yesterday.  He told me what it was, but late, late last night.  Side effects from the

warp that tried to take him.  He tried to brush it off as something that would pass, but I

think its worse than that.  I just can’t put my finger on it.  And stupid me was too tired

and too frazzled by yesterday myself to really pay attention to him!”

“What was wrong?  Did he still feel like the warp was going to take him?”

“Yes…no.  Not exactly.  He described it as a ‘scraping’ feeling.  Deidre, I used to be so

angry with Sid and what he would do with his warp, all the times he forced me to go

without protection against it.  And what he did to Cort going into Gladiator…,”  Rachel’s

fists balled up momentarily, but she relaxed as her thoughts moved on, “but I have to tell

you, I don’t think any deceitful torture Sid’s come up with was half as horrible as Mikol’s operation!  Nothing NanoCorp’s warp did had effects like Mikol’s!”

“That I can believe,” Deidre answered, her own expression reflecting her memories of

watching Cort become transparent.  “What does Henri say?”

“I called him last night when Cort told me why he was a bit…off.  Henri gave me a couple

of things I could do but…” Rachel took a deep breath, so many things that could go wrong looming up in her mind.  “Scared me to think that at any moment, the warp would kick

into action and I’d have to watch him…disappear…” Rachel pressed her lips together in

an attempt to stop the tears. 

“I thought that…Henri took care of that?  He said he destroyed all the of the computers,

the warp, everything.”  Deidre asked, worried as well.

“It's what he said, but until someone goes down in there and looks to make absolutely

sure…I mean, what if it didn’t work?  What if someone else comes along and figures

out…?”  Rachel stopped because she saw Lisa emerging from the toy shop and searching

for her companions.

“I’ll speak to Terry about it,” Deidre said, rapidly and under her breath.  “Although, I

can tell you, he and I have already been talking about checking things out when we get

you two off to your honeymoon.”

“Is everything all right?”  Lisa asked as she approached, sensing something from Rachel’s expression.  “Have you heard back from the others?”

“We should call them, shouldn’t we?”  Rachel said, grateful for a diversion. 

It was mid—day and Cort and Henri were not back yet.  Glen amused them with

anecdotes of Finn and Terry, who had struck up a good rapport with each other  The

girls still had much to do, Rachel told them, even though the clock was reading noon,

and all of them were becoming easily lured by stray wafts of cooking food.  They made

a promise to try and make it back by three o’clock.  “We want to see your dress,” the

girls told Rachel and so they tromped back to the Mini for a quick bite and an even

faster look at the bridal dress.

“You don’t think Cort will walk in on this, do you?”  Deidre asked, checking the door

for a lock, which she promptly fastened.

“I have no idea!  He should be back by now, don’t you think?”  Rachel replied, laying

the bag that held her dress, veil and shoes on the bed.  She had persuaded Volos to let

her bring it up to her room, as he had it stored in a separate space upon Henri’s request.

“Well, let's see it!  I need to know what to set out tonight,” Lisa commanded. With an

eager laugh, Rachel folded back the unzipped flaps to reveal the dress Henri had helped

her pick out.

 “Oh!  Oh!  Rachel!  You are going to be stunning in this!”  cried Deidre, lifting up one

sleeve of the dress to examine, a delicate filigree of cobwebby Irish crochet, an ankle-

length sheath that would fit over a like-wise cut buff-colored silk dress.  The veil was even

more delicate in form, a knee-length expanse of embroidered net lace. 

“Do we need to go shopping for the two of you now?”  Rachel asked as she zipped it

back up. 

“Not me,” Deidre said, “but that doesn’t mean a thing.  Lets go to the bridal shop anyway,

just for kicks.”

“You know, I could have brought Mom’s, you had asked for it,” Lisa said.  Rachel nodded, trying to think hard how to express her reluctance.

“I had thought of that,” she replied.  She and Lisa had been so at odds with each other

in the past, Rachel was never certain she knew her sister very well, especially when they

had gone their separate ways in life.  “But you wore it for your wedding and…and…”

“You feel like it's cursed?”  Lisa joked, but Rachel knew there was a certain amount of

cynicism behind Lisa’s comment that hit far too close to home.

“No!”  Rachel immediately protested, and fervently hoped Lisa would not make an issue

of it.  “That dress belongs to you now.”

“Then, I want to buy the cake for you.  Let me buy the cake, as my wedding gift,” Lisa

replied.  Rachel stared at her, astonished.  She had not planned on a cake, thinking it

was a detail she would not have time to plan for.  Lisa looked in askance, smiling.  “Isn’t

the bakery next on your list?”

“It is now!”  Rachel exclaimed, looking at both Deidre and Lisa with the biggest smile

she had ever made.  “I don’t know what to say for all you’ve done for me, except that

being here is the best gift I could ask,” she laughed and flung herself at them to hug both

of them until they protested  “I feel like I have fairy godmothers.  Thank you,” Rachel

told them.  It was the best she could do at the moment.  “Thank you!”

ON TO PART 34

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