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12: Parents
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2020-10-01 07:00:15Darby
By the time we finish Townsend’s sumptuous picnic, walk back to Ian’s office building to collect both laptop computers—these are a significant improvement over the computers I was introduced to the last time I left my valley—then drop Ivan’s at the hospital and get back to the hotel, it’s late afternoon.
Afternoon tea is delivered to our room on a tray, complete with creamy cucumber sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and cherry sauce and a decadent chocolate cake so rich I can’t finish it. I feed Ian by hand from the tray, giggling and wincing and moaning in response to what he does while my fingers are in his mouth, while he reviews his e-mails and documents, triaging the work he must get caught up.
Tessa sleeps belly up on a cooling vent in the corner, snoring soft
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Where Wild Things Roam 54: Postlude
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Where Wild Things Roam 53: Afterward
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Where Wild Things Roam 51: Rising Waters
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Where Wild Things Roam 50: Invaders
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Where Wild Things Roam 47: Desperate Measures
CarsonIf I thought it sucked clawing and dragging my blackened flesh out of the scraping clinging earth, I was sorely mistaken.Compared to the blinding screaming pain of crumpling every severely damaged nerve against every inch of edgy crisped flesh into the smallest iota of space, then twisting and squeezing it through a port, crawling over frozen coarse loam and grit to lay in the snow was child’s play.When I come to, I have no clue how long I’ve been draped like a wet towel over the back of a Queen Anne wingback chair in the downstairs parlor. Just that the scratchy cotton-polyester upholstery I spent a small fortune for during the renovations here feels like I’m lying on ground glass.Ahhh, home.The scent of garden violas drifts on the mercifully warm moist air and from somewhere in the distance, the
Where Wild Things Roam 46: The Call
Anna Jack’s arm tightens around me reflexively as I try to leave the bed. “Roll over, lover,” I whisper, pushing against him, and obliging even in his sleep, he does as he’s asked. His hand unconsciously seeks Lili as my replacement and he pulls her against him on the other side, allowing me to slip out. I kiss his temple, then hers.It doesn’t make any sense. I pad quietly to the French door that leads to the courtyard, ruminating. Then again, neither does what I’m about to do. I don’t know why, but it’s all I can think of since Ian’s funeral. Now that all the strangers have departed for their home territories, there’s time for me to pursue it.The bitter cold raises fierce gooseflesh over my entire body as I soon as I step outside and I shiver. Fighting th
