“I’ve been holding her for a week now,” the wet nurse said.
“Well, you won’t be anymore,” Jon said. “Now move it!”
Mr. and Mrs. Stockton stared at them as they walked down the stairs. Mrs. Stockton was crying uncontrollably, but her husband was doing nothing to comfort her.
“Give me the baby,” Sarah said. “You carry the bags.” She stared directly at the guard. “What are you waiting for?” she asked. “Open the door.”
“Do it,” Mr. Stockton said. “Get that damn grub baby out of here.”
The guard let them out. Sarah and Jon walked briskly to the car. Alex stood by the door, waiting for them.
Sarah handed him the baby. “Give her to Miranda,” she whispered. “We have to get out of here fast.”
Alex held his daughter for the briefest of moments before handing her to Miranda. He hopped into the car. “Let’s go,” he said, and began driving away.
Sarah and Jon pulled off their surgical gear. “He’ll call his father first,” Sarah said. “But even if his father calls the hospital, they won’t know what to tell him. They’ll say to wait to talk to someone in charge in the morning. I think we have two or three hours.”
“Left turn here?” Alex asked.
“Yeah,” Sarah said. “Then another left and drive straight to the town gate. Do you have the travel pass?”
“Right here,” Alex said.
“Alex, she’s so beautiful,” Miranda said. “Look, she’s awake. Do you think she knows who we are?”
“She knows,” Alex said. “She knows we love her and she’s safe.”
PART THREE
Chapter 13
“This should do,” Alex said a couple of hours later. He pulled the car over to the side of a country road.
“Should we be stopping so soon?” Miranda asked. The baby was sleeping contentedly in her arms.
“This’ll only take a minute,” Alex said. “See that brook? We’ll use the water to baptize the baby.”
“They baptized her in the hospital,” Jon said.
“That’s what they said,” Alex replied. “They also said the baby was deformed and dead. I’m not taking any chances. Come on everyone. Let’s do this.”
“Gabe’s still sleeping,” Sarah said. “I’ll stay in the car with him.”
“Gabe will be fine,” Miranda said. “Sarah, you have to join us. You’re Liana’s godmother.”
“Oh no, I can’t be,” Sarah said. “I’m Jewish. I can’t be your baby’s godmother.”
Miranda laughed. “I wouldn’t be holding my baby if it wasn’t for you,” she said. “You and Jon. You’re the godparents, like it or not. Right, Alex?”
“Right,” Alex said. “Everybody out. Except Gabe.”
They left the car and, holding on to each other’s hand, walked down the slope to the brook.
“Are the godparents here?” Alex asked.
Jon squeezed Sarah’s hand. “We are,” he said.
“Alex, do you know what you’re doing?” Miranda asked.
Alex grinned. “I’m winging it,” he said. “But I don’t think God will mind.” He bent over, wet his fingers with the water from the stream then made the sign of the cross on the baby’s forehead. “I baptize thee…”
“Liana Hope,” Miranda said. “Liana Hope Morales.”
“Oh, I like that,” Sarah said. “Oops. I’m sorry.”
“I like it, too,” Alex said. “I baptize thee Liana Hope Morales in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
“Amen,” they all said.
“Can I hold her?” Jon asked. “Just for a moment?”
“Of course you can,” Miranda said. “You’re her uncle. Make sure to support her head. Yes, that’s right.”
Jon stared at his niece. Dawn was breaking, and hazy sunlight made it possible for him to see what she looked like. Her hair was dark like Alex’s, but her eyes were Miranda’s. “Liana Hope,” he said. He held his pinkie out, and the baby grabbed it. “Look at that,” he said. “That’s amazing.”
“I think all babies do that,” Sarah said. “But Liana Hope is the most beautiful one ever.”
Jon kissed his niece on her forehead and then handed her back to Miranda. “The most beautiful one ever,” he said.
“We’ve got to get going,” Alex said. “We can’t take any more chances.”
Jon nodded. “You go on,” he said. “I’m going back to Sexton.”
“Jon, what are you talking about?” Miranda asked.
“I can’t let Lisa face this alone,” Jon said.” You keep going. I won’t say anything about where you are. You can trust me.”
“It’s not a question of trust,” Alex said. “Jon, do you have any idea of what you’re risking?”
“You might never see us again,” Miranda said.
“I know,” he said. “But I can’t ask Lisa to take the blame for something I did.”
“I did it, too,” Sarah said. “I’ll go back with you.”
“Sarah, go to Virginia,” Jon said. “I want you to be safe, remember?”
“Matt will know where we are,” Miranda said. “Take care of Lisa, Jon. And thank her for everything she did.”
“You’ll have to walk back to the highway,” Alex said. “You should be able to hitch a ride with a trucker. Tell them you were going to visit family, but the car broke down, and your driver vanished, so you need a lift back. Give us until tomorrow. Lie low today. All right?”
“All right,” Jon said.
“Will you see my father?” Sarah asked.
“I’d better not,” Jon said. “We don’t know how this is going to play out. Maybe no one will care, and Lisa and I will get away, no problem. But if there is trouble, I’ve got to do what I can to protect her.”
Alex nodded. “Take care, Jon. Do what you can for Lisa.”
“I love you,” Jon said, hoping that each of them, even the sleeping children, knew he meant it. “I’ll find my way back to you, somehow. I promise.”
Sarah embraced him, but she broke away and walked with Alex and Miranda to the car. Jon stood by the stream and watched as they drove off. He thought he heard Sarah crying, but Alex pulled away so rapidly, he couldn’t be sure.
It didn’t matter. They were all about to start new lives, better lives. Jon was starting his own new life. Just not a better one.
He’d gotten a lift with a trucker who was hauling a couple dozen grubs to work in the greenhouses. From the sounds in the back, the grubs weren’t too happy about it, but the trucker said he was earning a lot of overtime hauling grubs from all over to replace the ones who’d died during the riots.
Jon thought about the truck Alex had wanted so badly, but he couldn’t imagine him hauling grubs. Carlos would have, though, and Alex would have taken his share of the money. He wouldn’t have told Miranda where the money came from. Bad times made for big secrets.
The trucker let Jon off at the greenhouses. From there Jon had to walk to the nearest claver bus stop, about four miles. It was dark by the time he got home, but he didn’t mind. He felt safe being in Sexton. It wasn’t safe, but for a little while at least Jon was a claver, and clavers were safe.
Still, he felt uneasy when he saw the house was dark. He called for Lisa, then Ruby, but there was no answer.
Most likely Lisa was at work, he told himself. Ruby might have taken off when she saw Gabe was missing. Or Lisa might have sent her back to White Birch or to some clavers who needed another grub. Jon couldn’t picture Lisa scrubbing floors, but maybe without Gabe around, Lisa didn’t care if the floors were clean.