Read Online The Greatest Gift by Michael John Sullivan - Free Book Online

pots and cups crashing and breaking downstairs. Elizabeth crept down a few steps. She leaned and saw Leah struggling with a soldier, her face etched in horror. The soldier swung his spear, missing her head as she fell to the ground.
    Haven’t we done this before?
    Leah screamed.
    “Let her go,” Elizabeth yelled, racing down the remaining steps. She picked up a water jug and rolled it toward the soldier.
    He pushed Leah to the ground and leaped over it.
    The jug hit Leah in the back as the soldier chased Elizabeth back up the stairs. She climbed to the top and crawled toward the steep portion of the rooftop. The soldier took three big steps and lunged toward her. Elizabeth rolled out of the way and the Roman tumbled several feet, falling off the roof.
    She lay on her stomach and held onto the edges with her hands. She looked down and saw the soldier groaning, his helmet bent into his cheek, blood pouring from a big gash. Elizabeth took a deep breath and saw the ladder shaking. Eyeing the proximity of the roof to the ground, she prepared to make her escape with a leap.
    As two soldiers climbed up, one ordered, “Stop, woman!”
    Elizabeth held her arms up in a gesture of surrender. “Stick it.” She turned, held her breath and sprinted off the roof.
    Her legs stung as she fell to the ground. She protected her head as she tumbled several feet. “That wasn’t so bad,” she said, wiping off her legs as she looked around. “Leah,” she cried out.
    Elizabeth took several steps back inside the courtyard. “Come with me, hurry!”
    She turned to look toward the well as a sharp ping opened a gash on her back. She grimaced. A soldier grabbed her arm and spun her around. Another Roman pulled her hair and pushed Elizabeth to her knees.
    “Halt,” one soldier yelled, pointing his spear at her throat. Leah was behind them, her hands tied. She lowered her head as the soldiers picked Elizabeth up.
    Another Roman took his helmet off and sneered. He pulled back his arm, spear in hand. Leah struggled to get loose. A soldier struck her in the side of the head. She fell to her knees. A Roman on a horse galloped into the courtyard and put his arm up. He dismounted and grabbed the spear pointed at Elizabeth, pushing the threatening soldier away.
    “I am trying, Yochanan,” Elizabeth said. She struggled to get loose from the Roman holding her arms. “Where is the weapon, Yochanan? Tell me.”

Chapter 13

Modern-Day Long Island

    Connie stopped along Main Street and walked into a medical office. She watched a woman sitting on a bench, dabbing her eyes with pink tissues. The woman fidgeted and kept reaching into her purse, fishing her cell phone out of the bag, looking at it and placing it back inside. She repeated this process three times before Connie looked elsewhere.
    She then stared at an old lady wearing a black overcoat holding a young girl’s hand. The lady had one arm wrapped around the girl’s shoulder whose face was mashed into her chest. Must be her granddaughter.
    In the far corner of the room, a man paced back and forth. He was talking quietly on his phone, wearing a big smile while holding a small teddy bear.
    Connie smiled. At least someone is happy here.
    She looked back at the woman with the cell phone issues. She was weeping. I wonder what’s wrong. I’ve seen that look before. I should probably get up and go talk to her. No , it’s none of my bus i ness. Would I want some stranger bothering me while my world was falling apart? Who knows what types of issues she has.
    The woman pulled two more tissues out of her purse and wiped her nose a few times. Connie sensed the woman staring back, so she lowered her head to avoid eye contact. She brushed a lone fuzzy off of her coat and looked up. She’s still crying. Poor soul. I wonder if it’s a guy problem.
    “Denise Ranakowski,” the woman behind a glass partition called out. The old lady and young girl went up to the front desk. A nurse greeted and guided them