CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Ellie recognized the observer dream now. She was standing in the corner of her bedroom in Linda’s house, but she knew that this was a much earlier time in the house’s history. She thought it was funny how it looked exactly the same, right down to the canopy bed and pastel, floral wallpaper.
She looked across the room and gasped. Emma was lying prone on the bed. The entire bottom portion of the bed was soaked in blood.
“There, there. There, there,” she heard a voice murmuring close by.
She looked next to her and saw Lillian standing in the doorway, coddling an infant in a blanket. Lillian was speaking in those hushed tones to the baby
“Lillian,” Emma croaked from the bed.
Ellie had the distinct feeling that she had been screaming. Emma reached out, but her arms trembled. Ellie could see that she was weak from the childbirth.
“See, Emma. I don’t know what you were fussing about. I told you we didn’t need a doctor. Women have been doing this since the beginning of time,” Lillian said, but she didn’t look up from the baby in her arms.
“Lillian,” Emma said, more loudly this time. “Give me my baby. I’d like to hold him.”
Lillian ignored her, and took the baby over to the vanity table where a bowl was sitting on top. Ellie watched her gently wipe the birthing residue off of the child, and then rewrap it in another blanket tightly. Lillian had not stopped her cooing and caressing of the baby.
Emma tried to sit up. She swooned weakly and fell back against the pillows.
“Lillian, bring my child over here!” she said.
Her sister finally turned in her direction.
“Why, Emma, you look awful,” Lillian said, “You can’t be trying to care for a child in the state you are in. Let me take little Jack off for a nap, and then I’ll be back in to take care of you.”
“I want to hold my baby,” Emma said through clenched teeth. “I have spent the last two days in labor, and he is the last bit of Henry that I have. And his name is Henry Junior, after his father.”
Ellie had no idea what to make of the exchange. The tension in the room was thick.
“You are delirious, sweetie, and it’s no wonder. You’ve been in a lot of pain over the last few days. You’ll make a lot more sense after you’ve had some time to rest,” Lillian said. Without another word, she left the room.
Ellie could tell that Emma was stunned. Her stomach twisted in disgust when she realized that Lillian wasn’t planning to come back and help Emma get cleaned up any time soon. Emma looked pale and helpless in the middle of the huge bed. Her lips quivered, and even though Ellie was sure she was exhausted, she didn’t break down. Then she saw a glint of determination in the young woman’s eyes. Her next words raised the hair on Ellie’s arms.
“I know you’re there,” Emma said flatly. “I don’t believe in you, but I can feel you. I need help. Can you help me?”
Is she talking to me? Ellie thought. “Hello?” Ellie said tentatively.
Emma didn’t reply. Ellie slowly approached the bed. Emma sat waiting expectedly, but didn’t seem to see her.
“I need to get out of this bed,” Emma said. “I need to go find my baby. But I’m feeling pretty weak.” Her lips quivered again, but then she went still and pulled herself under control. “Dammit, help me!”
Ellie reached out and touched Emma’s shoulder. She watched the other woman jump. So she could feel her, but not see or hear her.
Emma’s breaths were coming in short gasps, “Okay. Okay. I can do this. God, I hope you aren’t here to hurt me.”
Ellie wanted to hug the girl and tell her how sorry she was for everything that had happened to her. No one should have to go through what she was going through alone. It was that thought that propelled her into action. She gently reached over and took Emma’s hand. She could see goose bumps fly up the girl’s arm, but she didn’t pull away. Emma’s breath was still fast and sharp, but she was cooperating.
Then Ellie sat down on the bed next to Emma and took her arm. Now it was time to wait.
Emma took a deep breath and then pushed herself toward Ellie’s side of the bed. She swung her legs over the bed. Ellie’s heart ached seeing the streaks of red up and down her thighs.
“I’m going to try standing up now,” Emma said. “I hope you are strong. Don’t let me fall, okay?”
Ellie waited patiently as Emma pushed herself off the bed and to her feet. Ellie watched Emma’s face contort in pain. No sooner had she settled onto her feet than Emma’s knees seemed to give out and Ellie quickly placed her shoulder under Emma’s arm and brought her back up.
“Thanks,” Emma whispered. Then she pointed toward the bathroom. “That way.”
Ellie slowly took each step with Emma and after a few steps Emma seemed more steady. They made it to the bathroom and Emma flipped on the light. “I think I’ve got it,” Emma said as she pushed herself way from Ellie’s solidness and crossed to the sink and mirror.
Ellie watched her slowly touch her face. It was drawn and gaunt. Her cheekbones stood out, and it looked like she had not eaten in weeks. Her nightgown clung to her slim form, and from the waist down was covered in dried blood. Emma braced herself against the sink and bowed her head.
“I’m probably crazy,” Emma said a few moments later. “My husband’s gone. I think my sister has hated me since before I was even born, and now she’s trying to take my baby away from me. And I’m asking for help from ghosts.” She shook her head and then turned on the faucet. It was obvious she didn’t expect a response, even if Ellie could have given her one.
Emma pulled the nightgown over her head and tossed it on the floor. Gently, she started to clean herself. Her face got pinched and red, but she did the task slowly and methodically. Ellie turned her head away, being respectful of her privacy even though Emma couldn’t tell the difference. She wondered where the girl was drawing the reserve of strength to go on.
Then Emma started to speak again, and Ellie realized it was in an effort to distract herself. She said how happy she was going to be when she could hold Henry Jr. in her arms. She talked about Henry Sr.’s smiling face and how he had kissed her silly every time they had dissolved in laughing fits over something ridiculous. She spoke of her family’s home in Louisiana, and playing in the backyard with her younger brother and the kids from the neighborhood.
The water in the sink turned pink as she rinsed off the cloth each time, but she was somehow disconnecting herself from it, and finally she just started humming. Ellie thought she had heard the song before, but couldn’t place it.
After what seemed like an eternity, Emma seemed satisfied that she was clean enough for the moment. She limped past Ellie back into the bedroom, and pulled a clean nightgown from the bottom drawer of the dresser. Her dressing robe hung from the bed, and Ellie saw that she was avoiding looking at the bed itself as she pulled the pink terrycloth robe from the bed post. Emma found slippers underneath the foot of the bed and carefully wedged her feet into them. She ran her fingertips through her hair.
She took a deep breath and shuffled out into the hallway, which was dark. Ellie followed closely behind her. It seemed like the house was empty.
Emma cocked her head and listened and then Ellie heard it too. It seemed to be coming from Joseph and Lillian’s bedroom across the hall. Then Ellie heard a baby’s squall. It was Emma’s son.
Emboldened by the noise, Emma made her way to the French doors that opened into their bedroom. She paused and put her ear to the door. Ellie could hear mumblings and low voices, but nothing from the baby again. Emma raised her hand to knock, when suddenly the door opened in front of her.
Something inside pushed Ellie off to the side and seemed to suck Emma into the room. All Ellie could see were bright auras of red and black and orange shimmering from inside the room and she raised her arm to block out the fiery light. She heard Emma screaming.
Then she felt her body lifted off the floor and slammed back dow
n and felt blows all over her body, each one bringing a fresh hell of pain. Her screams joined Emma’s. Henry Jr. was still crying. And as her world went black, she thought she could hear Lillian laughing.