Read Online Deadshifted by Cassie Alexander - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cassie Alexander
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them and think too hard. Would that be me out there in a year? What will she look like? I thought, half a second before I realized I desperately hoped we’d be having a girl. I’d never thought about that before. Ever.
Claire looked back up at me, expectantly. I’d stopped without warning. “Sorry,” I apologized, and started walking again.
Please please please, may it be a girl, I prayed fervently, to anyone who could be listening, with a smile.
“We have to go now, Thomas.” The wind carried a voice I recognized over to me, and I looked back to see Liz scooping her arms toward her child, who began crying.
He was fighting her, reaching back for the water she was pulling him away from. “Stop that, honey. Come on, it’s time for lunch.”
He went into full-on tantrum mode, and she was having none of it, folding in limbs as fast as he could free them while he fought her to stay.
Then came a moment when he stopped fighting her and went limp. I could see him accept defeat, tears streaming down his face. And then he looked at me, looking at him—and beyond, to the ocean at my back. I could almost read his thoughts. If he was being made to leave one body of water—so what, when there was a much bigger one nearby? His hand slipped out of hers and he barreled toward the nearest railing, twenty feet away from Claire and me.
CHAPTER NINE
“Claire, hang on.” I trusted her wheelchairing skills to save her as I let go and raced to stop him. It was silly really, he was just a kid, and I was so much bigger. I beat him easily and swooped down to catch him just as Asher had the night before. He barreled into me, let me pick him up, and then tried to climb over me, to use me as a launching ramp to get out to the sea.
“Hey!” I tried to pry him off me while he fought like a monkey to stay on and climb higher. The ship rolled with a wave and I fell to the deck with a yelp, taking Thomas down. He knocked my breath away as he landed on top of me; it was all I could do to breathe and keep him still.
“Thomas!” Liz warned at full volume. He didn’t stop fighting me until she was near enough to cast a shadow over us both, like a passing hawk.
“Woman, restrain your child!” Claire chastised, wheeling over.
“It’s okay—” I let go of Thomas carefully, like passing a baton, only releasing him when I knew Liz had a firm hold.
“It’s not okay. What kind of mother are you?” Claire went on, squinting up at Liz. “Who lets their child do that?”
“Edie?” Asher arrived just as I was managing to stand.
“That monster knocked over your fiancée.” A bony hand emerged from under Claire’s blanket to point at the offending child.
“I’m so sorry. I have no idea what’s gotten into him lately,” Liz said. I could see she was on the brink of tears—and I heard Claire inhale, to give her no quarter.
“It’s fine. Honestly. It’s fine,” I said, trying to cut things off.
Asher looked me over, his eyes dark. “You’re okay, right?”
“Completely.” I gave Liz as warm a smile as I could. It wasn’t her fault that Thomas was unruly; kids his age were just like that. Toddlers were supposed to be scared of strangers and new things—being on a cruise ship must be terrifying for him.
Not to mention his dad being some kind of cold scientist. That had to be rough, on both of them. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there to catch him,” she said, shaking her head, Thomas clutched near.
“He probably would have run into the railing, like a bird into a windowpane, is what,” Claire said.
“Yes, exactly,” Liz agreed, trying to smile us into liking her again. It was working on me. I gave her another smile back, and she seemed fractionally relieved.
But Asher was looming nervously, worried about me. She shied away from him in a skittish-horse kind of way, spinning Thomas to her other hip. “Why don’t you come to dinner with Nathaniel and me tonight?
Claire looked back up at me, expectantly. I’d stopped without warning. “Sorry,” I apologized, and started walking again.
Please please please, may it be a girl, I prayed fervently, to anyone who could be listening, with a smile.
“We have to go now, Thomas.” The wind carried a voice I recognized over to me, and I looked back to see Liz scooping her arms toward her child, who began crying.
He was fighting her, reaching back for the water she was pulling him away from. “Stop that, honey. Come on, it’s time for lunch.”
He went into full-on tantrum mode, and she was having none of it, folding in limbs as fast as he could free them while he fought her to stay.
Then came a moment when he stopped fighting her and went limp. I could see him accept defeat, tears streaming down his face. And then he looked at me, looking at him—and beyond, to the ocean at my back. I could almost read his thoughts. If he was being made to leave one body of water—so what, when there was a much bigger one nearby? His hand slipped out of hers and he barreled toward the nearest railing, twenty feet away from Claire and me.
CHAPTER NINE
“Claire, hang on.” I trusted her wheelchairing skills to save her as I let go and raced to stop him. It was silly really, he was just a kid, and I was so much bigger. I beat him easily and swooped down to catch him just as Asher had the night before. He barreled into me, let me pick him up, and then tried to climb over me, to use me as a launching ramp to get out to the sea.
“Hey!” I tried to pry him off me while he fought like a monkey to stay on and climb higher. The ship rolled with a wave and I fell to the deck with a yelp, taking Thomas down. He knocked my breath away as he landed on top of me; it was all I could do to breathe and keep him still.
“Thomas!” Liz warned at full volume. He didn’t stop fighting me until she was near enough to cast a shadow over us both, like a passing hawk.
“Woman, restrain your child!” Claire chastised, wheeling over.
“It’s okay—” I let go of Thomas carefully, like passing a baton, only releasing him when I knew Liz had a firm hold.
“It’s not okay. What kind of mother are you?” Claire went on, squinting up at Liz. “Who lets their child do that?”
“Edie?” Asher arrived just as I was managing to stand.
“That monster knocked over your fiancée.” A bony hand emerged from under Claire’s blanket to point at the offending child.
“I’m so sorry. I have no idea what’s gotten into him lately,” Liz said. I could see she was on the brink of tears—and I heard Claire inhale, to give her no quarter.
“It’s fine. Honestly. It’s fine,” I said, trying to cut things off.
Asher looked me over, his eyes dark. “You’re okay, right?”
“Completely.” I gave Liz as warm a smile as I could. It wasn’t her fault that Thomas was unruly; kids his age were just like that. Toddlers were supposed to be scared of strangers and new things—being on a cruise ship must be terrifying for him.
Not to mention his dad being some kind of cold scientist. That had to be rough, on both of them. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there to catch him,” she said, shaking her head, Thomas clutched near.
“He probably would have run into the railing, like a bird into a windowpane, is what,” Claire said.
“Yes, exactly,” Liz agreed, trying to smile us into liking her again. It was working on me. I gave her another smile back, and she seemed fractionally relieved.
But Asher was looming nervously, worried about me. She shied away from him in a skittish-horse kind of way, spinning Thomas to her other hip. “Why don’t you come to dinner with Nathaniel and me tonight?
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