Izzy's feet dug into the sand, kicking it up in a spray behind her. The wind hit her face, grabbing tears from the corner of her eyes and spreading them across her cheeks. Mara and Sister Mary Helen turned as she raced down the beach towards them.
"What is it?" Sister Mary Helen called, "have you found her?"
"We have to call the police!" Izzy's voice came out in jolts. The baby was hitting her bottom area with every stride, but she ignored the pain.
The nun put her hand to her brow, squinting at her. "What? What for?"
Izzy didn't answer. Following Sister Mary Thomas' orders, she turned down the path towards the home before the two could catch up with her.
She'd almost hit the woods before she heard Mara behind her.
"Slow down Izzy," she called."You're too far along to be running like that."
Izzy couldn't help but run. Her heart was nearly bursting with with a mix of joy and terror. Mara's plan was brilliant. The nuns were on the beach panicking behind her. They were convinced Dottie had gone out into the lake.
"Izzy." Mara slowed to a jog beside her. "Slow down before you trip over something and send yourself into labor.That's all we need right now."
Izzy cast a look behind them. On the beach, Sister Mary Helen rushed over towards Sister Mary Thomas.
"I can't help it," she giggled, almost hysterically. "It worked. I can't believe it. It really worked. They think she's drowned. They won't look any further now. Dottie's safe."
Mara gave her a stern look. "It's not over yet. Now wipe that grin off your face before someone sees it."
They rushed through the woods towards the home. It was only when they hit the clearing and the dark, stone building came into view, that the enormity of the situation hit Izzy. This was no game. This was real. A whirl of adrenaline and fear closed in on her.
Her throat grew tight as they neared the looming home. Surely what they were doing was criminal. What would her parents say if she was caught? Or thrown in jail, for that matter? Her ears pounded simultaneously with the beat of her heart. She'd never told a lie this big in her entire life. She slowed, placing her hand to rest on the ragged bark of one of the last trees before the open yard.
Mara paused, eying her. "What is it? Are you alright?"
"I'm winded," said Izzy, feeling dizzy. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to set the world straight.
Mara's hand grasped her arm firmly. "Take a deep breath," she instructed, a worried look in her eyes.
Izzy sucked in the cool, pine scented air, her eyelids closing again. She pressed her lips together firmly, straightening. "It's okay. I'm fine, let's go."
They didn't have to look far for Sister Martha, she met them at the door. Her thick eyebrows raised as she studied the two of them. As they came closer, she stretched her arm across the entrance, blocking the doorway.
"Sister Mary Thomas told me to tell you to phone the police," Izzy blurted, her breath coming in spurts. "They think that Dottie has gone into the lake."
"Is that so?" the nun frowned, shooting Mara a questioning look.
"Yes," said Izzy, confused by the nun's reaction. "Yes it is. There's no time to delay. It's an emergency! She may have drowned or..."
The nun huffed and crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowing on Izzy. "Drowned? Well now, that would be convenient, wouldn't it? It was you who quickly suggested she may be at the beach, was it not? That was quite intuitive."
"Well, yes." Izzy shifted, uncomfortable under her stare. The dizziness was setting in again. She raised a hand to cover her eyes, trying to make it go away. She struggled to draw in air, but all she could manage was a shaky breath.
Sister Martha turned to Mara. "How many of these girls have you involved in this grand scheme of yours?"
An ice cold chill spread through Izzy at the nun's words, snapping her to attention. She gawked at the nun. How could she know?
Mara sighed. "Three girls. All of them care for Dottie and wanted to help."
Izzy gasped, shooting Mara a dark look. Why had she given up so easily? After all they'd gone through for Dottie. How could she? Surely she could have lied and convinced the nun otherwise.
Mara rested her hand on Izzy's arm. "Sister Martha knows Dottie went to stay with a friend of mine," she explained. "She saw me with her this morning as we were leaving."
"She's safe," she said, turning to Sister Martha. "She has a chance at a normal life with a loving family. Please don't deny her that."
"First you sneak her out, now you fake her death!" Sister Martha shook her head, crossing her arms around her chest. "I will not be a part of this."
"Please," Mara pleaded. "I'm not asking you to be a part of it. I'm just asking you to be silent."
"Silence is a part of it." The nun twisted her hands together, her face hardening. "It's deception and it's a sin. Not one of us should be part of it. Not for any reason." She stepped backwards, clearing the doorway. "And now you've completely overstepped your boundaries and involved these girls. As if they don't already have enough troubles of their own." She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Mara, have you gone mad? What were you thinking? You'll lose your job."
"All of you knew why Dottie was here," Izzy cried, her eyes boring into the nun. Her chest tightened as she stepped forward and tears stung her eyes. She couldn't believe it was all falling apart. In one instant, the whole thing was going to shambles. "She's only fourteen years old and she was forced to carry her own father's baby. She's completely innocent. She didn't deserve to be here. She's not like the rest of us. But you were all silent. Knowing she would go back to that monster. That is the sin."
Sister Martha's eyes softened and she looked away, swallowing hard. "I can't. I'm sorry."
"Sister," Mara said in a soft voice. "Think this through. Do you really want Dottie to go back?"
"Of course I don't!" cried the nun. "But this isn't the way to do it. We need to tell the police what we know. Tell them Dottie's story. Let them handle it from there."
"You know as well as I do who Dottie's father is," Mara said, her voice low. "He has connections. Many people depend on his donations and one of them is the police chief. We won't get far, if we get anywhere at all. And it may make things worse for her if she had to return home."
Sister Martha put her hand to her lip. "You don't know that for sure. It's worth a try at least. Much better than kidnapping and faking a child's death, I should think."
Mara looked back towards the woods before stepping through the doorway. Sweat had started to bead on her forehead. Her face held a look of desperation.
"Fine," she choked. "Tell them. Tell them. I will lose my job. I can live with that. But can you live with yourself, having to look that precious little girl in the eyes, knowing it was you who sent her back?"
"That isn't fair," Sister Martha said under her breath, her eyes dropping to the floor.
"Life isn't fair, Sister," Mara said sternly. "And right and wrong aren't always divided by a straight line. It's not always easy to tell the two apart. I know I won't be able to live with myself if I let that little girl go back to her father. Can you live with yourself?"
Izzy realized she'd been holding her breath as Sister Martha leaned forward and opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm sorry," the nun whispered. "I just can't."
Something warm ran down Izzy's leg. She stood, looking at the two of them, paralyzed. She barely noticed the sensation, thoughts of Dottie filling her mind. Maybe the family would hide her. But, they'd be risking a lot to do that.
Her stomach twisted hard, bringing her back from her thoughts. She was wet. Wet all over.
"Izzy," Mara said. "Izzy. I think your water broke."
Izzy stared down at her legs, fear boiling up from her stomach. "Oh God!" It was happening. It couldn't be happening now!
"Come on Izzy, we need to get you to the delivery room. Sister Martha, call the doctor."
Something inside Izzy snapped. No, not the doctor, she thought, the police. She had to call the police. She wouldn't let them find Dottie, she couldn't have the baby knowing that everything was falling apart.
"No." Izzy shot the two of them a defiant look despite the rising trepidation of her impending labor. "Call the police. Tell them that Dottie's in the water."
"Izzy," Mara said softly, "you're having your baby."
Izzy bit her lip, her hands beginning to shake. "I will not! Not until you tell me that Dottie's safe!"
Her stomach tightened. She let out a gasp, her hand instinctively clutching it. Regardless of her own determination, the baby had plans of its own.
"I can't," she choked, fear closing in on her. "I can't have this baby..." Her voice trailed off in tears. She'd meant to say she couldn't have the baby until she knew Dottie was safe. But halfway through, she'd realized she'd meant more.
She was nearly at the end.All of her fears were coming to a head. All of the emotions she managed to keep in line. It had been easy to push them aside to save Dottie. Her shame, her heartbreak, her unsafe love for the thing inside of her that had caused her so much pain.
The nun looked from Izzy to Mara and swallowed hard, her hand very discreetly following the sign of the cross against her chest. "Go," she said. "Go on then. I'll call the police. Then I'll call the doctor." She turned away from them mumbling, "God forgive me."
Tears filled Izzy's eyes. "You're doing the right thing," she burst out.
The nun didn't answer. She walked down the hall, hands at her sides, defeated. Izzy imagined she was wrestling with herself as she made her way to the phone. She prayed her compassion would win.
Convinced that Dottie's fate was secured, Izzy let Mara help her to the delivery room. The painful cramping in her stomach was growing more and more intense. With each grinding pain her mind turned from Dottie to the terror that loomed in front of her.
Her mouth grew dry, and the blood drained from her face by the time they made it to the room. "I'm not nine months," she whispered, shuttering as Mara helped her undress. "It's not supposed to happen yet."
"Shush now," said Mara, helping her into the bed. "Try to relax. Tell me when you start to have a pain in your stomach."
First I want to say thank you so much to those of you that stuck around during the long break I took from this story. I fell into a rut for a while. I'm hoping to update weekly again, can't make any promise (sorry), but it won't be months. Let me know what you think of this chapter. It's Izzy's turn to have her baby, and there's so much more to come!