The Wrong Side of Midnight (20 page)

"I'll teach you, and if I'm out some place and you're babysitting, call Becky. She's great with kids."

"Perhaps you should just ask Becky—"

"No. No more running, Mom."

∞  ∞  ∞  ∞

They found the land they'd like to live on, and plans to start building would begin in spring the following year. Before winter hit and the roads could get bad, they moved Conner to a nice condominium that'd be near their new home, and only seven
miles away from the Burlington's. He loved the many windows and all the brightness, not to mention the yard to stroll around in. He had a neighbor named Bill, a sixty-two year old widower. Bill had four grandkids, which made Conner push the subject at Matthew and Chloe whenever he saw them. They were happy to see Conner get out of the house some with his neighbor, who happened to have a car.

Chloe scheduled regular appointments for her father-in-law with a respiratory specialist, and even though his original diagnosis was correct, he was responding very well to the new medications, and his healthy lifestyle was adding to his ability to breathe easier. He no
longer needed oxygen or his wheelchair, and he only coughed a little in the mornings, but the episodes didn't leave him feeling breathless.

Matthew and Chloe cracked up the first time they stopped by unannounced to visit Conner and he wasn't there. They waited for a while, and finally he showed up getting out of Bill's car. He casually mentioned to Matthew how nice it was to get out, but he always had to wait until his neighbor was free. The following week they took him to a dealership to test drive some cars. Matthew sat in the front while Chloe rode in the back, and Conner drove nicely until he ran up a curb, taking out some woman's mailbox. They
gave her a hundred dollar bill and returned the car with a damaged fender to the lot, along with their insurance information. The next day, not wanting him to feel discouraged, they went looking for cars again. Conner hit an SUV on the way out of the parking lot. Chloe made an appointment to have his vision checked and found out he was in desperate need of glasses. After that, he drove without problems in his new little Ford Focus he picked out himself.

John decided to rent a nice apartment near Burlington Enterprises until he could find a house he wanted to buy. He had no desire in going through all the headaches of building, and after
watching Matthew and Chloe squabble over what room would go where, he was sure he made the right decision. He loved his new job and all the responsibility that came with it. The men and women who worked directly underneath him offered nothing less than respect. One thing he learned from watching Matthew run the roofing business was that you're treated by others how you treat them. His office was on the floor below his friend, and he never hesitated to take the elevator up just to rob his candy dish. As a joke, Matthew started leaving a dog bowl full of candy on the floor outside his office door. He threatened anyone who even thought about removing it. The playfulness and liveliness the
staff was exposed to with their two new bosses really raised the office morale.

∞  ∞  ∞  ∞

On a cold day in January, Chloe poured Matthew a bowl of cereal and sat it in front of him. He got up a little late and still had to pick up John before heading to the office.

"Baby, you forgot to give me a spoon."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Here it is." Chloe reached in her pocket and pulled out the positive pregnancy test and sat it down next to his cereal.

"Have you seen my briefcase? I
remember bringing it inside last night but—"

Chloe gave him a shy smile and wink.

"Really?!"

"Really!"

Matthew picked up his wife and sat her on the kitchen counter. The whooping and hollering caused Sylvia and Earl to jump out of bed and come running.

"Is everything okay?"

"As long as you want a grandbaby, then yes, yes it is…" said Chloe playfully.

By the time all the hugs and kisses went around, Matthew was going to be an hour late at least. He picked up his phone.

"John, you have to hold down
the fort for me, man. Chloe just told me that we're pregnant!"

"Damn, does that mean you're not going to leave her for me? I don't have a hope in hell now, do I?" John began congratulating him left and right, promising to take care of everything at the office.

"Thanks, John. I'll wait for about an hour to wake up my dad and tell him. He's going to be in heaven."

"Matthew, since you met Chloe, I think we're all in heaven." John smiled just thinking about the little blonde that walked into their lives, and regardless of what she saw, she decided to stay.

"I'll see you later, John. Be good."

Conner was combing his hair and splashing on a little aftershave when the phone rang. He whistled on his way to pick it up.

"Dad, you're
gonna
be a grandpa."

"Are you serious? Man, I can't wait to tell Bill!"

"Sweetie, who's on the phone?"

"One sec, Sheila, it's my son."

"Dad, who is that?"

"Never
you mind
, Matthew. I'm old but I
ain't
dead. I expect to see the both of you soon!"

Matthew listened as Conner said he loved him and then quickly got off the phone.

"Chloe, I think dad has a girlfriend."

"Margaret? I've met
her,
she's really nice and pretty."

"Margaret…no this one's name is Sheila."

"Oh, I haven't met her. I've met Margaret and Nancy, but not Sheila."

"Okay, we need to talk."

"He's an attractive man, Matthew. Let him have some fun."

"What if they take him for everything he's got?"

"We'll give him more, in the meantime, stop trying to be your dad's dad. Besides, you've already got that job." Chloe took Matthew's hand and held it to her flat stomach.

Chapter 19

On their first wedding anniversary, Chloe stood in her new home looking at the rough walls and wood floor. She had a small, rounded belly, and sometimes got sad that she wasn't showing very much yet. She worried that the house wouldn't be finished by the time the baby was born, but Matthew promised her it would be, even if he had to do all the work himself. Chloe put color swatches on the walls and stood back to study them.

"I think I want a soft pastel blue for in here. What do you think?"

"I like green."

"I'm putting green upstairs. I want the living room to be different."

"Where?
Show me where the green's going."

Chloe led Matthew upstairs by the hand, down the long hallway, past the nursery, and into their bedroom.

"
Here.
Our bedroom and bathroom will be a pretty shade of green."

"Oh, right here…I like this green," whispered Matthew as he turned her to face him, looking into her beautiful green eyes.

"You said that to lure me up here, didn't you?"

Matthew gave her a seductive smile as he backed her slowly up
against the wall and softly kissed her neck.

"What if the builders show up?"

"They'll get something to think about for a while."

He gently turned her around to face the wall, slipping her shirt over her head. He unhooked her bra and let his tongue trace her delicate spine, before reaching around to unbutton her shorts, letting them fall to the ground. She moaned in anticipation and when he heard her provocative sounds, Matthew dropped to his knees, moved her pink lace panties to one side and began to massage her thighs as he taunted and teased her with his tongue.

"Matthew…"

He stood up and pressed his hard member into the small of her back, and with his body, he slowly leaned forward, causing her moisture to dampen his jeans.

"You want me?" he whispered.

"Yes, I want you," could barely be heard over Matthew's deep breaths, and low growls.

He went back on his knees and slid the lace to the floor and spread her legs, allowing his fingers to find all the places reserved only for him.

She wanted his mouth on her and knew exactly what he was capable of doing…the ecstasy he could cause to grow inside of her, filled her with an unimaginable longing.

Matthew knew. He could tell by
the way she moved her hips and bowed her back that she wanted to tempt his appetite. He was more than willing to comply. With a willingness to please, he lifted her up the wall and placed her legs on his strong shoulders. Holding her hips steady while her back rested against the wall, he feasted and dined until she called out, begging for him to be inside of her.

Lifting her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist, she reached down her hand and guided him inside of her.

"Lover…" he said to her face as her head went back, and her legs grasped tighter around him. With a steady motion, he moved her, loved her, gave to her, thanked her, and
filled her with the very essence of his soul.

"Marry me," she softly uttered as she received all the love she never thought she'd ever see.

∞  ∞  ∞  ∞

In the early hours on the first Sunday in October, John and Becky paced the hospital floors until the nurse came by and told them it could be a few more hours.

"She's already been in labor for six hours! Are you sure she's okay?" Becky was trying to remain calm. When Chloe was first brought in, she'd feasted before bed on ice
cream, fruit, cheesecake, and juice. When the labor intensified she was vomiting up a storm. The nurse had asked them to let the patient rest because she'd need her strength.

"I'll go in and see if she's up for visitors again, and then you can see for yourself. Everything's coming along just fine."

"What about the father, is he alright?" asked John. He could only imagine being in his friend's shoes.

"New fathers are always so much fun to watch…" laughed the old, seasoned nurse as she went through the doors. A few minutes later she poked her head out in the waiting room and motioned for them to follow her.

Chloe was yelling while
Matthew was holding up a picture for her to focus on.

"Look at your focal point, honey. Come on, you can do it. See the beautiful orange and yellow? You love those colors."

"Let it rest, Matthew!!!"

"Okay how about this, baby. Look at this picture of the young family in the park. Soon we'll be able to push our baby on the swing, too."

"Matthew!!!"

"Here, let me rub your—"

"Don't touch me!"

Becky and John stood at the door trying to contain their laughter. No one got along better than Matthew and Chloe, so it was funny to see her turn into a spider, and Matthew a little fly.

"God, I feel bad for the guy," whispered John. He walked over beside his friend and patted his shoulder. "Can I do anything to help the situation?"

"The
situation
?!
The
situation?!
This isn't a situation, John! I'm having my insides ripped out."

"Chloe, I'm here, love." Becky held her hand while Chloe cried out in pain.

"Becky, don't ever do this! Get drugs. As soon as you step foot in the door, get drugs!"

"Look at me and breathe, sweetie. Come on, look at me."

Chloe looked at Becky and listened as she softly sang one of her friend's favorite songs. Her voice was low, beautiful, and soothing.
While she sang, Chloe began to control her breathing, and when contractions came, Becky put her face closer so she could focus on her eyes.

"I have to push!"

Matthew ran to the hall to yell over to the nurse's desk for them to get Sylvia Burlington into the birthing room. He was a wreck and couldn't think of the words. All that came out was "HELP!"

More staff than was necessary
came
flying down the hall. Luckily, Sylvia was already coming through the doors and overheard Matthew yelling. The doctor checked Chloe and asked Matthew to help deliver the baby. Becky got behind her as they'd practiced, and Sylvia stood
behind Chloe with a camera. John stepped back in the hall to wait and pace.

"I love you, sweetheart! Push for me!" encouraged Matthew.

Chloe pushed while Becky leaned forward to support her back. She whispered in her ear what a great job she was doing.

"Come on, love…the baby has a lot of dark-colored hair!" Matthew was having a hard time coaching through the tears.

"You can do it, Chloe! Give me one
more good
one.
One more!"

With the last push, a beautiful, healthy boy with a bunch of dark hair came out in the doctor's and Matthew's hands. The proud daddy cut the cord and took the baby to his
mother.

Sylvia, with Chloe's prompting, lifted her grandson, cradled him close to her, and kissed his little face.

John came in the room with water on his cheeks and embraced Matthew in a hold that let him know,
out of all your accomplishments in life, this was the greatest one of all.

Later that morning, Conner and Earl would hold their grandson, Conner Joseph Sharp, in their arms. Earl's middle name was Joseph. Neither thought they'd ever live to see a third generation.

The pictures that were taken of the baby, family, and friends were added to the wall in the front
entrance, and Sylvia put the final touches in the nursery for when she got to babysit. The millions of dollars in statues and art were sold, and the Burlington's went to great lengths to turn the mansion into a home instead of a museum. Earl had a gate put in around the pool, and Lois made sure there were safety locks on all the cupboards.

A few days after she came home, Chloe walked in the front door, followed by Matthew carrying baby Conner, and stood staring at the wall. It was now full of pictures. She loved the close ups of her baby's tiny face, Matthew holding his son's hand, and the ones of Becky and John kissing little Conner after he
was born. Off to the side was a picture of her mother and father holding her child with big smiles on their
faces.
The smiles were real, and that, Chloe knew, was her favorite photograph of all.

The End

Thank you for reading The Wrong Side of Midnight. I want to thank you, my readers, for your amazing support and encouragement. There's no one greater than you.

I love you guys!

Spirit Board

by

Liberty Blake

“Make them leave, Witch Woman.” A cold hand touched Sara Jane
Marafae’s
leg as she turned the corner onto her street. A quick glance at the ancient
Pemigewasset
battle field showed her the shades of native warriors moving through the trees. Abby, the specter floating in the passenger seat of Sara’s cute little Fit, passed her spectral hand through her disheveled blonde locks; her blood streaked face glowed with
the power infused into her spirit on this night.

“Abby, you know they come twice every year to avenge their brother. They can’t rest until the Blackstone family has made amends.” Sara glanced at the other corner of the road which held the town’s old cemetery. Angry spirits floated in the curls of clammy fog which always filled the grave yard. Some townies had tried to blame Sara Jane for the fog, claiming she brought in dry ice or a fog machine, but the older locals knew the fog preceded Sara’s arrival in the neighborhood, which is why Sara was able to buy her house and land so cheap. It was too eerie for anyone else to appreciate.

“The savages must go, too, Witch Woman, but I mean all those who gather beyond, in your dwelling. They stir the temper of those who can find no rest.” Abby paused to take a breath she did not need. “There will be bloodshed tonight.”

The tingle of electricity raised the hairs on Sara’s arms and the back of her neck as the dramatic Abigail Blackstone dissolved into the night.

Abby’s prediction worried her, but Sara didn’t have time to track down the talkative ghost. It was
Samhain
and she had to grab her robes and get to the upper river to meet her family at the bend where the white water crested. The confluence of wind, water, fire, and
the spirits of the night were the perfect way to welcome the New Year, but not if she didn’t get there on time. One parent had been over an hour late picking his child up from her after-school care center, and then he had the nerve to give her attitude because the kid was crying.

She wove around a couple of cars parked on both sides of the dirt road as she pulled into her driveway. One of her neighbors must be having a party. Or had Abby meant there was going to be a party in the woods around her house? Sara really hoped the party was in someone’s house. She didn’t want a bunch of drunks in her woods on Halloween. They’d probably start a forest fire and she
didn’t want to lose her lovely trees, especially the oaks.

After pulling the car into her driveway, Sara stood in the middle of her yard with arms spread. “Hestia, Goddess of hearth and fire, protect the woodlands and my home from a dangerous pyre. Under the light of the Moon I beseech thee to protect all that I see. So mote it
be
.” After a bow to each quadrant of her yard she headed for the door.

He shin collided with a solid animal body. Sara looked down with a gasp. “Clarabelle, what are you doing out here? I thought you were sleeping on my bed when I left this morning.” She bent down to pick up the white cat whose glare sent a
lightning bolt of guilt through Sara’s body.

When she was closer to her door a red glow fused with the fog. Clammy tendrils of fog moved and covered the red glow. Sara’s chest squeezed with panic, as she wondered what had caused the glimmer. When she reached the steps a large plastic spider flashed his golf-ball sized red eyes at her. In spite of her heritage, Sara hated spiders. They gave her the creeps. A large cobweb plastered on her beautiful oak door made Sara gasp. The cotton monstrosity hadn’t been there when she’d left for work that morning.

“Must be the Ames kids getting their tricks in early,” she stanchly told Clarabelle.

The blood froze in her veins when she pulled the cotton gauze away and saw the sign underneath it. A wart faced crone bent over a cauldron proclaimed, “Welcome to the Witch’s Cavern.”

Sara put Clarabelle on the stoop while her shaking fingers tore the sign off. If her mother saw it, there would be hell to pay. Although the hag in the picture didn’t look a bit like Rachel
Marafae
, Great Granny was offended by such things and Mama was very protective of Granny and her feelings. Granny Rachel made a special cream that kept her ninety-three year old skin soft and vibrant. All the women in the family used it. Mama, the oldest of her generation, at fifty looked as young
as twenty-five year old Sara Jane. Granny Rachel still had to prove she could qualify for senior discounts! Cosmetics companies had been trying to get the formula for years, but Great Granny refused to sell it to them.