Lisa arrived before Dr. Goldman. She walked into Miranda’s room and then went back to the kitchen. “Bring me in a chair,” she said to Ruby, and in a moment the chair was there and Lisa was sitting in it.
“She’ll be all right,” she said to Jon. “I can’t say I’m surprised. All those chemicals she was working with in the greenhouses. No wonder the baby was born so deformed.”
“It doesn’t matter why,” Jon said.
“Of course it does,” Lisa said. “I got Miranda when we thought we were getting a greenhouse. She’s a greenhouse worker, Jon, not a domestic. She’ll be back in the greenhouses by Wednesday.”
Miranda moaned.
“It’s all right, Miranda,” Lisa said, stroking Miranda’s forehead gently. “You’re going to be fine. You just need to get your strength back.”
Miranda murmured something.
“She wants Laura,” Lisa said, and then her face crumpled. “Oh, Jon, how is she going to manage? This is all so unfair.”
Jon stared at her.
“What?” Lisa said angrily. “You think I don’t love her? She’s Hal’s daughter. I’ve watched her grow up. Of course I love her. I feel so helpless.”
The doorbell rang. Ruby ran to answer it.
“Miranda!” Alex cried. “Where is she?”
“We’re back here,” Lisa said. “Ruby, show them in.”
Alex raced past Ruby to Miranda’s bedside. Dr. Goldman followed, and Sarah came as well, lingering in the doorway.
“Alex, give me a minute to examine her,” Dr. Goldman said. “If you could all excuse us for a moment.”
“Come, Alex,” Lisa said, taking him by the hand. “Let’s wait here in the kitchen. Ruby, why don’t you take Gabe upstairs for a bit?”
“I have supper cooking,” Ruby said. “Mr. Jon told me to make supper.”
Jon realized Sarah was staring at Ruby. Ruby must have realized it also because she returned the look. “You Mr. Jon’s girlfriend?” she asked.
“That’s none of your concern, Ruby,” Lisa said. “I told you to take Gabe upstairs and stay with him. I’ll make sure supper isn’t burned.”
“All right, Mrs. Evans,” Ruby said. “Come on, Gaby. We’ll have a good time upstairs while all the grownups stand around worrying.”
“I’ll see you later, darling,” Lisa said to Gabe. “When we grownups have stopped worrying.”
Jon didn’t think Alex ever would. He was almost as pale as Miranda, and he kept shaking.
Dr. Goldman came out a couple of minutes later. “She’ll be fine,” he said. “She was in labor for over twelve hours, and that left her weak. When they told her about the baby, she became hysterical, so they sedated her. It’s wearing off now. Alex, go in and talk to her. Let her know everything is going to be all right.”
Sarah walked over to Jon and hugged him. He didn’t dare think about how soon she would be gone. There had been loss enough that day.
Dr. Goldman let Alex sit with Miranda for ten minutes before telling him they had to go. “I don’t think there’ll be any problems,” he said. “But call me if there are.”
“Thank you for coming,” Lisa said. She embraced Alex. “It’ll be all right,” she said. “Miranda will be back to normal in a day or two.”
They walked to the front door together and watched as Alex helped Sarah and Dr. Goldman into the car.
“Will he be okay?” Jon asked Lisa as they walked to the kitchen.
“If she is, he is,” Lisa said. “She’s the world to him. Ruby, it’s time for supper. Bring Gabe downstairs.”
“Yes, Mrs. Evans!” Ruby shouted.
“I’m not hungry,” Jon said. “I think I’ll sit with Miranda.”
“All right,” Lisa said. “Ruby can always heat you up something later.”
Jon went back in and sat on the bed. Miranda turned her head and faced him. “Jon?” she said.
“Yes, Miranda,” he said. “I’m here.”
“My baby,” she said.
“Miranda, I’m so sorry,” Jon said. “The baby died.”
“No,” Miranda said. “I heard it cry.”
“It lived for a few minutes,” Jon said. “Long enough for them to baptize it. I’m sorry, Miranda. I don’t know if it was a boy or a girl.”
Miranda closed her eyes, and Jon thought she was going back to sleep. “Girl,” she said. “They said girl.”
“Girl,” Jon said. Liana. Named for Alex’s sisters. Now just Baby Girl Morales, if they even bothered to make a record.
“She isn’t dead,” Miranda said, and she grabbed Jon’s hand and held on to it tightly. “Jon, she’s alive. I know it.”
“Miranda, you don’t want her to be alive,” Jon said. “She was deformed. Her death was a blessing.”
“No!” Miranda said. “She’s alive. My baby’s alive!” She began sobbing.
Lisa walked into the room. “Eat some supper, Jon,” she said. “I’ll sit with Miranda.”
“They took my baby!” Miranda cried. “Lisa, they took my baby.”
Lisa stroked Miranda’s cheek. “No, sweetie, they didn’t,” she said. “God took your baby. She’s in heaven now with your parents.”
Miranda screamed. Lisa held on to her while Jon stood frozen.
Ruby walked in and touched him. “Come, Mr. Jon,” she said. “There’s nothing you can do. Let that poor girl cry herself to sleep. In the morning it’ll all be better.”
Lisa, Gabe, and Ruby went to church while Jon stayed home with Miranda. He helped her walk around the house and sat with her in the living room.
“What did they tell you?” she demanded. “About my baby.”
“Lisa called me and then Dr. Goldman spoke to someone at the hospital,” Jon replied. “Your baby was born alive but died a few minutes later. She was deformed. Everyone’s told you that, Miranda.”
“I don’t believe it,” she said. “I don’t.” She paused. “Jon, are you sure Mom’s dead?”
“Yes,” he said shortly. “I saw her body. Alex saw her, too. She’s dead, Miranda, and so’s your baby. You have to learn to accept it.”
“Alex didn’t tell me,” she said. “I guess he didn’t have the chance. Where is she, Jon? What did they do with her body?”
“A lot of people died that week,” Jon said. “The clavers were brought back for funerals. The ones from White Birch are going to be cremated.”
“Going to?” Miranda said. “What is this, July what?”
Jon thought about it. “The nineteenth, I guess,” he said.
“And the people were killed on the Fourth?” she asked. “Two weeks ago and they haven’t cremated them yet? Was Mom killed on the Fourth? When did you see her?”
“I saw her on the Fourth,” Jon replied. “Miranda, somehow she knew she was going to die. She told me how much she loved you, loved all of us. She died a couple of days later.”
“Where did you see her body?” Miranda asked. “Where did they leave her?”
“They left her in front of the school,” Jon said. “But they say they’re clearing out the bodies today. They’ll take her to a body pit and cremate her with everyone else. Now, can we change the subject?”
“Where do you think they took my baby?” Miranda asked. “They wouldn’t bury her with the clavers. Do you think they took her back to White Birch and put her with all those other bodies? Or maybe they just threw her out with the garbage?”
“Miranda, I’m sorry,” Jon said. “But it’s just a body. What difference does it make what they did with it? They won’t let you see her, and even if you could, you can’t bring her back to life. You can’t make her whole.”