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Chapter 28 :

Stitches

Everyone was worried.

It was only a week and a half after seeing Doctor Andrews that Cassidy had her first appointment at a real clinic. Her new doctor was an East Indian immigrant named Horace Batra, but he wasn't specifically an OBGYN. For that they would have had to drive several hours each way, so the small clinic and emergency room in the nearby town would have to do.

Cassidy and her mother took a liking to Doctor Batra right away though. As soon as they explained to him the unusual nature of the pregnancy, and the speed at which it was progressing, he scheduled every test and screening he could to be completed or begun before they left. His coworkers were confused by his behavior, but he said nothing to them about why. He respected their confidentiality, and they were grateful.

Everyone knew now though.

Cassidy went into labor on the first day of February. Snow was still on the ground, and it was as cold as it had ever been. Eli didn't care. He bundled up and rode in the bed of Henry's truck, shivering the whole way but unwilling to stay home while his firstborn child was brought into the world. They wouldn't let him inside, of course. He was Changed, but if the parking lot was as close as he could get, then it was where he was going to be.

Doctor Batra had already prepared for a C-Section, much to the concern of those assisting him. He knew what they didn't though...

Alice had horns. They were still small, blunt, and hadn't yet broken the skin... But they were a risk that he, the girl and her mother, had decided was too great to ignore. He was still cautioning the others about confidentiality even as Cassidy was wheeled in. The procedure went smoothly, and soon she was expertly stitched back up without complication.

It was everything else that was complicated. Just as the doctor had feared, it barely took a few minutes for one of the nurses to start gossiping about the new arrival at the front desk. Within a half hour the entire hospital knew. The secret was out, and there wasn't going to be any way to hide it now.

Their world was about to get very complicated...

Again.

"She's beautiful, Cassidy."

The girl smiled weakly at Henry's statement, her newborn daughter partially swaddled and cradled in her arms where she was sleeping quietly. Megan was at her side with a smile of her own. Henry stood off to the other side, arms folded as he nodded a couple of times, then decided there was one more thing he should say.

"I'm proud of you."

"Mr. Hoyt?" Cassidy looked back up at him now, a bit surprised by both the statement and the tone. He sounded almost... Sad.

"Catherine and I weren't able to have children. And Elsie..." He knelt down beside the bed, reaching up one hand to take up one of the baby's gently. It was so small, barely big enough to grip his index finger, but strong just the same. He smiled, and said it again.

"She's beautiful."

Megan watched him a moment longer. It was a sadness she hadn't seen from him before, "I'm sorry, Henry. You would have been a wonderful father."

"I hope so." He whispered back at her. They met eyes across the bed from each other, and they shared a moment.

And then it was over. Cassidy wasn't paying them any mind anymore. She was looking past them at the muted TV by the door, and looking about as alert as her tired body could manage.

"Mr. Hoyt..." She said, clearly a little concerned, "Why is Eli on the television?"

"What?" Henry turned quickly, his finger falling from the newborn's grasp as he looked toward the screen.

Sure enough, a female reporter was was standing with her back to the hospital, saying something as she motioned toward it, before pointing at the young man next to Henry's truck about thirty yards away. Eli was just standing there looking confused, even as it was obvious that they were talking about him.

"Oh hell..." With that, Henry was already out the door, a nice shot of adrenaline already coursing through his veins.

"Excuse me! Jennie Janson, Channel 5 news team!"

Eli blinked back at the pair as they finally approached. He'd spent the day in the parking lot, completely unaware of what was going on inside as word of the birth spread. He had no idea what this was about, and he was trying to figure out if the woman shouting her name at him had even done so as a greeting or not. He decided it didn't matter. Manners were important.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am." He said with a slight nod, "Is there... Something I can do for you?"

She moved in closer than made him comfortable to make sure she was in the shot, then stuffed the mic toward him, "Are you the father of this miracle baby?"

That stunned him back to silence, causing him to look up at the camera now, realizing exactly what this was.

They knew.

"Are you the father?" The question came again, a little louder and more demanding this time.

"He's a scared young man that hasn't even had a chance to see his newborn daughter yet." Henry was coming up fast, and looking as mad as Eli had ever seen him with Doctor Batra not far behind, "And I'd appreciate it if you changed your tone."

"This is Henry Hoyt, owner of Hoyt's Dairy Farm." She barely even heard what he said, and just kept pushing, "How did this unusual pregnancy come about, sir?"

"If you do not know how babies are made by now, Miss Janson... It's a little late to try and teach you." The good doctor was far less angry, but still annoyed, "Bring the boy inside, Henry. This has gone on long enough, I think."

"Thank you, Horace."

It was a small town in a rural county. Everyone knew everyone.

Henry moved to Eli's side to start ushering him towards the building, as well as to place himself between the boy and the reporter that was still barking questions at them. About halfway though, Eli paused. He had spent so much time thinking about this. About his girl and his daughter, and what it all meant. He hadn't told anyone the conclusions he had come to, but he decided now was as good a time as any.

Henry watched as he turned, taking a step back towards the camera with a sigh.

"You all are curious, and I understand that, but don't go assuming we're the first. We don't know if that's true." He took a brief look back at Henry as if to help muster his courage, which is exactly what it did, "What I do know is that we won't be the last. The first to Change couldn't have children with humans, but their sons and daughters, people like me... At least some of us might."

"Are you saying there are others out there?" Came the blurted reply from the reporter.

"What I'm saying, Ma'am..." He looked her in the eye this time, "Is that soon enough this will be commonplace, and once it is you're going to forget all about me and my family. It won't be news anymore."

She started to say something else, but he had already turned away to join Henry once more, "You have a fine day, Miss Janson."

The doctor stayed back by the door once they were inside, talking with a security guard to make sure no one was allowed in or out who wasn't supposed to be there. Henry and Eli moved in a bit further before pausing, and the older man regarded the younger one for a long moment with his arms crossed.

"Look at you, all grown up." He smiled, suddenly feeling the need to say what he had said to Cassidy earlier, "I'm proud of you, son."

"Thank you, Mr. Hoyt." Eli swelled a bit at the compliment, but there was still something he needed to know more, "The baby, though... And Cassidy?"

Henry nodded once back at him, "They're both doing great, Eli. Don't worry."

He relaxed a little at that, but not completely, "What does Alice look like, though?"

"She's beautiful, son. Absolutely beautiful. I think she's going to have Megan's hair." It was true. There was only a little tuft of it so far, but it was already starting to curl. Henry reached up to clap him on the back as he started them moving out of the entryway to sit. "She has your horns though."

"My horns..." A small smile came to Eli's face for the first time today. He had always endeavored never to be vain, but he had always had a sense of pride regarding his horns.

Henry chuckled at the reaction, but there was still a lot that needed to be done. He took his cell phone out of his breast pocket with a sigh, "I better call Sophie and give her a heads up. Looks like we just became famous."

Eli nodded as he settled down to sit on the floor, appreciating how much warmer it was inside than out, "What about that Sheriff friend of yours? Would he help?"

"Reggie..." Henry paused a second, "That's not a bad idea. I'll check in with him."

Henry set about getting things sorted. Back in Cassidy's room the television was still on, and now the volume was up. The news crew was broadcasting on a delay, and mother and daughter were watching the last moments of Eli's time on camera.

"You have a fine day, Miss Janson."

As one they both smiled. It was perfect. The best reply he ever could have come up with, and one that left the reporter struggling for what to say next.

"I love the hell out of that boy, mom." Cassidy said quietly, starting to cry a little at the joy of it. She was stroking the little tuft of hair on top of Alice's tiny head, and coming to much the same conclusion Henry had. She had her grandmother's hair.

Megan leaned in to kiss her daughter on the forehead, then leaned her own against it.

"You know what, Cassidy?" She said quietly, letting it hang for a moment...

"I love him too."

The farm was practically a circus by the next morning. The reporters showed up first, and it was all Henry could do to keep them off the property until Reggie arrived with a couple of deputies to enforce order. A handful of protesters had shown up soon after to set up in the now empty grain field across the road. Barely more than a half dozen at first, but with plenty enough outrage to give Henry a headache before breakfast.

It all seemed pointless. Cassidy wasn't even due back from the hospital yet, and she wouldn't be for another couple of days. Both the new mother and her daughter were doing well, but the doctor wanted to keep them both for observation just in case.

Millie had fled the guest house once the commotion had gotten unbearable. Any movement at all was being filmed and commented on as if it had some significance, including her peeking through the curtains. It was more attention than she needed, so she did her best to sneak out the back toward the bunkhouses while everyone was preoccupied with the children leaving for school.

No one would realize until much later how many people's hearts softened at the sight of ten little girls, all in their nicest school clothes, climbing into the back of the military surplus vehicle that acted as their bus... All while being insulted and berated by grown men and women from the protest.

But the world saw, and even many of the most jaded couldn't believe how cruel it was. The world saw those ten little girls just trying to go to school, some of them crying at the names they were called...

Even though there should have been eleven.

Millie paused once the bunkhouses were before her, regarding the left door for a long moment. A few of the women would be inside this early, getting ready for the morning shift. They would all be happy to see her, but...

She turned to look at the right door instead. The children were off to school. No one would be in there for some time, and Millie didn't want to be social. She looked around to see if anyone was looking, then made her way over to the children's bunkhouse to slip inside. She made sure to close it quietly behind her, before turning to take stock of the room.

To their mutual surprise she found Mimi staring right back at her, sitting up in her bed close to the door. For a moment they just stared at each other, until the younger girl broke it off to rub her eyes... Not to clear the sleep from them, but in an attempt to hide the tears she had been crying.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would be..." Millie folded her hands in front of herself politely, "I'll leave, if you like."

"No. You can stay." The reply came with a sniffle as she tried to reign her emotions in, "Mom wants me to thank you for helping me the other day, but I don't leave here much anymore."

The little dog nodded, watching her a bit longer before speaking, "Are you alright?"

Mimi looked away. She didn't want to talk about it, so she snapped back instead, "Are you?"

"No."

The answer came so quickly that it took the little girl by surprise, causing her to look back once more. Millie was emotionless. She still looked empty. There wasn't enough of her left even to be hurt anymore, much less ever believe she could be happy again.

"I'm sorry." Mimi said quietly, "I shouldn't of said it like that."

At first Millie just nodded, standing there for a few moments more before stepping forward and sitting at the other end of the bed, "Did they... Tell you what happened?"

Mimi shook her head, "Not really. My sisters don't know, but I'm good at figuring things out. Not as good as mom, but..."

It was true. The curse wasn't the only thing Mimi had inherited from her mother. She had a knack for understanding more than simply what was said, but also what was actually meant. She understood consequences in a way that her sisters did not. They often looked to her to for advice, or to mitigate arguments, or just to explain what it was that the adults were hiding from them this time.

But it was more than that. Ever since her episode, her ears had been hurting. Even over the unstoppable ringing, she had started to hear snippets of things she shouldn't be able to through the walls. She could hear her friends worrying about her. She could hear the adults next door talking. Not all of it, just fragments of conversations... But enough.

"I needed to believe that he loved me. He was the only thing I had to look forward to. He made it all seem like... like I could bear everything else, as long as I had him." Millie was still cold, but let her head drop to look at the floor before her as she considered what Charlie had said, "None of it was even real. He knew I had a family. He knew how much I missed them. If he loved me, then why? Why would he leave me there?"

The younger girl knew it wasn't a question that needed an answer, so she stayed silent.

"All the things they made me do... What could I possibly know about love?" Millie shook her head with a sigh, "I'm just a... Just a dumb whore. That's all I ever was to him. It's all he wanted me to be."

Whore.

She had never used that word before. She never used such harsh language, much less ever cursed. It came from a place of disgust and anger. It came from a place of self loathing. It came from a place of loneliness that had become so much a part of her that even being with her family again couldn't wash it away completely.

Mimi could see it, and it worried her. She was concerned for Millie, but also afraid.

That loneliness was her future.

"I wasn't very nice to my sisters this morning." Mimi finally said quietly.

There was a coldness to it that mirrored Millie's, and it caught the little dog's attention. She turned to regard the girl now, sitting with her knees pulled up under the blanket to hug them tightly.

"They don't want me to go to school for a while, they said. They want to make sure it's not going to happen there." She sniffled a little, "They keep saying it's going to be alright, but... It's not. I can feel it now. It's waiting.

There's a monster inside me, and I can't make it go away."

Millie's brow scrunched up. She felt a bit of the empathy that was so much a part of her nature return. More than that... She felt something. Anything at all was welcome to her now.

"My sisters woke up, they got dressed, and they left... Without me." Tears had started to form again as Mimi spoke, "That's how it is now. That's who I am."

Mimi met her gaze, and spoke again...

"Isn't that kind of the same? I don't want to be alone." She said waiting for her lip to stop quivering before finishing, "Do you?"

"No."

Again the answer came quickly. This was what she needed. Someone who could understand the loneliness, and the despair at the thought of it never going away. Her family, for all their love, couldn't comprehend it... But this child understood somehow. She was wise beyond her years, and hurting more than anyone knew.

But she was still just a little girl. A hurt little girl that needed someone to comfort her. Her arms came up, holding them out to Millie to beg for the hug that she wanted so much. Her eyes watered over completely, and her voice cracked as she said only one word. A word that struck at the very core of what Millie was, and demanded she give in to it...

"Puppy?"

Millie half stood to scoot down the bed, letting the girl lean into her arms to weep openly now. She held her tight, rocking with her slowly, but unable to share in her tears. It couldn't make the hurting stop, but at least they wouldn't face it alone.

Mimi was the first stitch. She was a loop of thread that laced itself into Millie's broken heart. Not enough to mend, but enough to keep the pieces from falling away completely. Just enough to hold it together for the stitch that was to come.

It was a stitch that would bind them forever.

It took Henry far longer than he would have liked to get everyone home from the hospital a couple of days later. Annabelle followed along behind him, mostly just to keep the other vehicles a bit farther back. Getting into their own driveway was an even greater challenge, as the whole entryway to the farm now had a makeshift fence of police tape across it to keep everyone back. It required Wells and his deputies to herd everyone out of the way just so they could take enough of it down to let them pass.

The crowd had gotten bigger. The local news crews were now bumping elbows with national coverage. The protest had grown in size to more than three dozen now, and they weren't planning on going anywhere judging by the tents.

He pulled right up next to the guest house to park, but Annabelle stopped next to Sophie just barely inside the property. She waited for Wells and one of the deputies to come back before dropping out of the cab, her arms folded and eyes narrowed to shoot the younger officer a look of pure venom.

Sophie had been wondering why she hadn't parked in the shop like she normally did, but it all made sense now. Annabelle was making a statement.

"Oh... This must be the one, huh?" Sophie had moved around to join her friend, grinning a bit, "How awkward for him right now."

Wells regarded the deputy curiously, "Something you ladies know that I don't?"

"Keep an eye on the old girl for me, would you Reggie?" Annabelle turned and started to stride away, "She tends to lose tail lights around that one."

"Hey, I didn't..." The deputy started to stammer.

"Yeah you did." Wells cut him off, "Dammit, Eddie... I was really hoping you'd grow up one of these days."

The officer started to try and say something else to defend himself, but Reggie cut him off again.

"We're going to have a long talk about this, but it ain't going to happen right now." He motioned with his head toward the line of police tape, where one of the reporters was clearly considering stepping over it to get closer to the guest house, "Get back to work."

Sophie couldn't help but chuckle as the younger man shuffled away, waiting for Reggie to come up beside her before speaking, "Such authority... That was actually kind of sexy, Reg."

"I always suspected you had bad taste." Wells chuckled back, "Too bad, really. That kind of makes you my type."

Sophie half turned to look at him, one elbow resting casually on the roof of the Fifty Four, leaning just enough on it to jut out her hip. She had a kind of flirty grin on her face that not many had ever seen, but he had. More than once.

"What would be so bad about it?" She winked down at him, "Afraid I'll hurt you?"

"I'm afraid you wouldn't even know I was there!" He laughed back at her, "Tell you what though, Sophie... If it weren't for the fact that I'm elected..."

Sophie chuckled again, "Yeah, yeah... That's what you always say."

"Because it's the truth." Much to her surprise, he became oddly serious as he said it, "I'm not just blowin' you off, here. You and I... I don't know. I think there's something to it."

She couldn't think of what to say. For all their joking and teasing, she never imagined he really meant any of it.

He sighed, and continued, "All I ever wanted to do was serve my community. This is my home. Its people are my family. I could make one hell of a statement by being with you, girl, and it would be worth every minute of it, but..."

She put her hand on her hip, seeming almost sad, "Then why don't you?"

"Because the people ain't grown up yet. They haven't gotten over what you all are." He looked back at her and his smile returned, "I don't want to be voted out and replaced by someone who looks the other way when the tail lights fall out of a cow's truck."

Her smile returned now too. She had always liked him. She had even entertained thoughts of maybe being with him one day, and always dismissed them as a childish fantasy. Now all at once she realized that he felt the same way. He was just afraid to act on it without possibly putting them at more risk.

"We're lucky to have you, Reg."

He moved away from her now, but turned around to give her one more smile, "And I'd be lucky to have you, Sophie. Don't think I don't know it."

It was almost odd that none of the reporters caught any of the exchange between them, but all eyes were on Henry's truck. Eli had been riding in the bed again, and hopped out quickly to open the passenger side. He gave Cassidy a smile, but he only wanted one thing...

She carefully freed Alice from the car seat in the center of the cab, and turned to hand their daughter over to the man she loved. She was so small compared to him, barely a loaf of baby in the arms of a gentle giant, but it was only the second time he had held her now in her short few days of life, and he never wanted to let her go.

He didn't even hear the shouted questions from the news crews as he waited for Megan and Cassidy to exit the truck. He didn't hear the calls of 'abomination' from the protests as they made their way inside. He'd been so afraid leading up to the birth. Worried about what might happen, and whether he was strong enough to be a father... But not anymore.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He was her father. It wasn't something he had to try to be, it was just what he was.

Only a few of the farm's residents were waiting for them inside. Megan quickly made her way off to one side to latch onto Clairibelle. Penelope had managed to make the walk, though she was about to pop herself. Her own pregnancy had progressed even faster than Cassidy's, and she was due any day now. Daisy had helped her, of course, and that's who Eli wanted to see most.

"Momma, come look!" He said, somehow whispering and yelling at the same time as he knelt down in front of his mother with tears in his eyes, "She's... She's..."

All the doubts she had ever had were gone now. She moved over to kiss him on the forehead, one hand reaching up to rub his neck as she looked on her grandchild for the first time. Yet for all her acceptance, she still felt the need to atone.

"I know it's all water under the bridge. I know I was awful and you all have forgiven me for that." Daisy stroked a finger from her free hand across Alice's cheek, "But I'm sorry. How could I have ever thought she was a mistake?"

"Momma..."

Everyone was lost in the moment. Everyone but Cassidy.

"Where's Millie?"

"She'll be here, honey." Clairibelle broke away from her love to move to Cassidy's side and put a hand on her arm, "She's been spending a lot of time with my daughter. They're both hurting right now, and I think they... They need each other."

Cassidy sighed, letting her eyes drop, "What do I do, CB? How do I help her?"

"I don't know this time." Clairibelle said quietly, "This is too big, even for me."

Everyone went quiet as the back door opened. Millie had heard the commotion of their arrival and made her way back to the guest house. Part of her didn't want to, but she felt it was what was required of her. She walked up the hallway with everyone watching her, stopping just inside the living room as everyone tried to think of what to say next.

Clairibelle, for once, didn't have the answer... But someone else did.

Eli rose back to his feet, moving away from his mother toward the little dog girl. He didn't want to let go of his daughter for anything, but he would... For this.

"Hold her."

He held Alice out to her gently, even as she took a step back, "I couldn't. I'll just... I'll..."

"Millie... I want you to." He said, pleading at her with his eyes, "Please."

Nervously she let him press the tiny thing into her arms, looking up at him uncomfortably as he took a step back. At first she just glanced around the room at all of them, wanting to escape from this...

Until a little noise drew her attention.

Eli was covered in hair that was smooth and cool, and not unpleasant to the touch. Alice had felt him, and she was comfortable in his arms. This felt different. Millie was soft and warm, and her longer fur felt good against her skin. It made her curious. As the little dog watched, her eyes came open for the first time. They were still unfocused, a shade of blue so pale that they seemed almost grey, but still more developed than they would have been for a normal human newborn. The first sight those eyes ever saw was a blur of light brown, and the aunt she already adored.

Alice smiled.

Millie's breath caught in her throat.

"I love her."

She couldn't look away. The words were barely a whisper, but enough to bear the weight of the sudden and powerful emotions they carried.

Mimi had been a single stitch to keep her broken heart from falling away completely...

Alice was the second. The one that would piece it back together, so that it could beat once again. With that first beat came a smile. With it came affection. With it came joy, and with that... Came everything. Every emotion that had been repressed, all at once. A Pandora's box that had been opened inside of her, and couldn't contain it all any longer.

Her mouth fell open, eyes filling quickly with tears as she was suddenly wracked with a silent sob. She practically hunched forward with the second, unable to hold back the sound of it this time as she said the words again in a tone of pure and absolute anguish.

"I love her..."

Cassidy shuffled over as quickly as she could, still sore but not caring one bit. She hooked one arm underneath the one holding her daughter, while the other hand reached up to pull her sister's head down to her shoulder. No one said a word. They all just watched as the flood overtook her. They just watched as the pain all tried to let itself out at once.

Millie would never be the happy little girl she had been all those years ago, but she would recover. The world had taken more than its share from her. More than she could afford, but it was finally over. She would no longer live by what people could take from her, but by what she was willing to give.

She let her tears soak into Cassidy's shirt, pressing herself against her with the most wonderful being she had ever known cradled in her arms.

Millie would survive, not for herself... But for the new purpose she had found.

For Mimi...

And for Alice.

The two little girls that had stitched her heart back together, so that she could remember what mattered most... The people she loved, and the people who loved her. The way people were supposed to love each other.

Laika was finally dead.

Millie would live on.