An Inch Of Infinity

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 18

We sprint into the hospital. Tyler is nowhere in sight and the doctor stops us as we enter. Its nearly night. We aren't allowed to see her because we are not family. We wait in agony for an hour. Then two. Time goes by slowly, each second a minute. Around 9:00 pm a proud Tyler following a rather tired doctor walk into the waiting room. We all sit up.

"It's a girl!" the doctor announced then has a few quick words with Tyler and leaves to tend to his other patents. Tyler leads us to Lilly. Nurses are rushing around her as she holds a little bundle of pink blankets.

"The pregnancy is much farther along than the doctors thought. Whoever thought it was only seven months along was dead wrong." Tyler explains in a hushed whisper. Lilly is rocking the bundle and simultaneously we all creep over to get a good look at the little bundle of joy. She has the chubbiest little cheeks I ever saw and just a few wisps of hair. Her eye are are closed and she breaths slow. In. Out. In. Out. Breathing as faint as a butterfly's wings, soft like a summer breeze, and calm like a still pond. Peaceful.

Lilly seems tired but happy as she gazes down on the infant. The baby whimpers then starts to cry. Lilly looks alarmed and looks around. A nearby nurse offers Lilly a pacifier which calms the little girl back into contentment. Lilly goes back to rocking her daughter.

"Whats her name?" Emma asks. Lilly and Tyler look at each other with panic in their eyes.

"We don't know. We haven't decided. We thought we had a month and a half left. The doctors said she would be a boy, so now, we, uh, for now we will just call her daughter. I guess. I don't know! Oh my gosh, Lilly, we need to find a name." Tyler rambles on and on and on about names. Emma starts volunteering names and Lulu snoops around the room until she finds an unopened granola bar and claims it as her prize. Faith interjects and starts offering names, but almost all of them sound like cat names.

"Emma!"

"Trixy!"

"Speckle!"

"Luna!"

"Ruby!"

"Faith!"

"Lilly the second?"

Lilly can't take it and everyone but Tyler is escorted out. We all go to our rooms. Faith reads in bed, or should I say nest? Lulu is messing with an empty bottle, bowing in it like a flute. I try to read a botany book, but I'm not Emma so it makes no sense. Next I try an arts and crafts book, but all the materials inside are things only people like Faith can locate. Finally I try a survival book. The idea of it is cool, but I'm not comfortable with the thought of eating plants I don't really know anything about, or braiding vines into ropes- I can't braid to save my life- and I can't, wouldn't, shouldn't and won't drink my own pee. That is nasty. I go back to reading another one of my favorite adventure novels. I'm not Emma, or Lulu, and I definitely not Faith. I'm me, and I might not have one specific hobby but I have a few, leaving me well rounded.

The next day is our last on the island. We gather as much as we can and give the last lessons on, well, everything. We all are going our separate ways. Lilly and Tyler are on the family boat because their baby. I might not see them again until we reach Australia.

We spent most of fall, all of winter and some of spring on this island. I feel like life has gotten to complicated as of late. Leaving seems like its just, simple. The Keeper will stay here and will do any jobs that nobody else wants to do. He isn't a slave, he is exactly what he deserves. He is a prisoner.

I walk along the beach for the last time. I am breathing in the crisp air, and I smile. We will make it to Australia. I just know it. I feel happy because I know that we will survive this. Somewhere inside I know we will find it.

That's when something went wrong. Something always goes wrong. I saw it before I even heard the dreaded words. I saw a tiny black dot on the horizon and then another, followed by one last one. No more came after that, but these were able to make my heart skip a beat. That's when I heard those dreaded words. I thought I would never have hear those words again but that always happens. Never once will I be able to say I forgot this day. As I hear someone shout out I wish I can't hear those few words, that make such a difference.

" CODE ORANGE! CODE ORANGE! AIR RAID! THEY FOUND US!!" somebody screams. More screams follow. After last time I don't want to be on the boat, they'll kill us within seconds. I don't think, I just run. I run straight into the canopy of the dense jungle. All I can think, hear and feel, is fear.