her?” the little girl replied and there were more tears in Meredith’s eyes at how grown up her baby girl sounded just then. “I love you, momma.”
“Oh, I love you too, baby girl.”
“All the way to the stars and moon?”
Meredith tried to hide her tears as she wiped them away with a tissue. “All the way to the stars and moon. All the way to the stars and moon and back a hundred hundred times.”
She didn’t know why she said it exactly like that. It was just something they said to each other and it always made Sarah’s face light up.
Meredith heard the door to the women’s lavatory open with a bang and she called out. “Um, occupied. Almost finished. Do you mind? I need some privacy.”
Though she didn’t hear a response, she did hear the outer door close again, so she went back to her phone call. In the moment that she’d looked away, Sarah must have handed the phone to Peg and she said silently to herself, “Bye-bye, baby girl.”
To Peg, she said, “I know it’s late and I promised to call earlier. I’m sorry. Have you heard from him?”
Peg pursed her lips. “It’s not late. It’s after 8 in the A.M. here in Utah.”
“I didn’t realize. So much has happened—” Meredith tried to tell Peg she couldn’t call before, that she’d tried to get away so many times but hadn’t been able to, that she’d lost track of time.
Peg didn’t want to hear any of it. “That no account son of mine hasn’t been around if that’s what you’re wondering. Dead in a ditch somewhere maybe.”
“He’s my baby’s daddy, Momma Peg. Please don’t talk like that when Sarah’s around.”
Peg turned away from the camera on the phone. “Aw, she’s off watching her shows. She didn’t hear nothing.”
“Did you give him the gift I sent for our anniversary?”
Peg wagged a finger in front of the phone. “Broke up means broke up and no I didn’t give him nothing. I gave it to baby girl instead.”
Meredith put on her brave face. “I still love him, Momma Peg. He can’t help who is. Don’t hate him for me. Love him for me.”
“You mark my words, child. He’ll break your heart again if he doesn’t break your head first next time.”
Meredith frowned. “I fell, Momma Peg. He didn’t push me down the stairs.”
“Like he didn’t break your arm? Like he didn’t—”
“I have to go,” Meredith cut in. “I love you, Momma Peg. Take care of my baby girl.”
“You know I will, child,” Peg said as she hung up.
Meredith put away the phone. She broke down, sobbing, crying into her hands.
Eventually, she opened the stall door, wiping her eyes with a tissue with one hand while opening the door with the other. Her head was down but her eyes went wide all the same. Someone was standing outside the door, waiting for her.
Meredith pointed at the door. “This isn’t the only lady’s. There’s another just around the corner.”
“So sorry about this,” the woman said as her arms grabbed and twisted Meredith’s neck around.
Meredith felt an instant of sheer terror and pain before nothingness found her.
Chapter 17
Bluffdale, Utah Morning, Tuesday, 19 June
In the administration building of the National Cybersecurity Initiative Data Center complex, senior data mining and analysis specialist Dave Gilbert sat in his private cubicle and noted the data stream from the Med was coming from a mindboggling assortment of sources. Everything from US and allied military, insurgent militias, and foreign governments to civilian emergency response. He hadn’t gone home yet from his swing shift of the previous day. He was beyond tired but he had just confirmed the data was real.
Thinking there was a problem with the updates was a rabbit hole he’d fallen down
“Oh, I love you too, baby girl.”
“All the way to the stars and moon?”
Meredith tried to hide her tears as she wiped them away with a tissue. “All the way to the stars and moon. All the way to the stars and moon and back a hundred hundred times.”
She didn’t know why she said it exactly like that. It was just something they said to each other and it always made Sarah’s face light up.
Meredith heard the door to the women’s lavatory open with a bang and she called out. “Um, occupied. Almost finished. Do you mind? I need some privacy.”
Though she didn’t hear a response, she did hear the outer door close again, so she went back to her phone call. In the moment that she’d looked away, Sarah must have handed the phone to Peg and she said silently to herself, “Bye-bye, baby girl.”
To Peg, she said, “I know it’s late and I promised to call earlier. I’m sorry. Have you heard from him?”
Peg pursed her lips. “It’s not late. It’s after 8 in the A.M. here in Utah.”
“I didn’t realize. So much has happened—” Meredith tried to tell Peg she couldn’t call before, that she’d tried to get away so many times but hadn’t been able to, that she’d lost track of time.
Peg didn’t want to hear any of it. “That no account son of mine hasn’t been around if that’s what you’re wondering. Dead in a ditch somewhere maybe.”
“He’s my baby’s daddy, Momma Peg. Please don’t talk like that when Sarah’s around.”
Peg turned away from the camera on the phone. “Aw, she’s off watching her shows. She didn’t hear nothing.”
“Did you give him the gift I sent for our anniversary?”
Peg wagged a finger in front of the phone. “Broke up means broke up and no I didn’t give him nothing. I gave it to baby girl instead.”
Meredith put on her brave face. “I still love him, Momma Peg. He can’t help who is. Don’t hate him for me. Love him for me.”
“You mark my words, child. He’ll break your heart again if he doesn’t break your head first next time.”
Meredith frowned. “I fell, Momma Peg. He didn’t push me down the stairs.”
“Like he didn’t break your arm? Like he didn’t—”
“I have to go,” Meredith cut in. “I love you, Momma Peg. Take care of my baby girl.”
“You know I will, child,” Peg said as she hung up.
Meredith put away the phone. She broke down, sobbing, crying into her hands.
Eventually, she opened the stall door, wiping her eyes with a tissue with one hand while opening the door with the other. Her head was down but her eyes went wide all the same. Someone was standing outside the door, waiting for her.
Meredith pointed at the door. “This isn’t the only lady’s. There’s another just around the corner.”
“So sorry about this,” the woman said as her arms grabbed and twisted Meredith’s neck around.
Meredith felt an instant of sheer terror and pain before nothingness found her.
Chapter 17
Bluffdale, Utah Morning, Tuesday, 19 June
In the administration building of the National Cybersecurity Initiative Data Center complex, senior data mining and analysis specialist Dave Gilbert sat in his private cubicle and noted the data stream from the Med was coming from a mindboggling assortment of sources. Everything from US and allied military, insurgent militias, and foreign governments to civilian emergency response. He hadn’t gone home yet from his swing shift of the previous day. He was beyond tired but he had just confirmed the data was real.
Thinking there was a problem with the updates was a rabbit hole he’d fallen down
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