“We are not here for the tapestries.” Amanda threaded her arm through Alena’s. “Jacki has great news that I’m sure you’ll be delighted to hear.”
Annani put down the tapestry she’d been looking at. “Did David wake up?”
“Not yet. But he is off the ventilator, and his vitals are back to normal.” Amanda threaded her other arm through her mother’s. “As always, your blessing did its magic. But that’s not all.” She looked at Jacki. “Your turn.”
“I’m pregnant.” She blushed. “I just found out.”
Annani’s smile was bright enough to light up a stadium. “Thank the merciful Fates. I am so happy for you and Kalugal and for our entire clan. Every child is a blessing.”
Again, Syssi wondered about the symbolic connection. What if the two blessings were part of the tapestry the Fates were weaving?
Of course, they were. Everything was.
Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that those two blessings were connected by a thick thread. They weren’t just random motifs in the Fates’ complicated tapestry.
“We should celebrate,” Annani offered.
“The guys are already doing that with cigars and whiskey on the terrace,” Amanda said. “We need a healthier alternative. How about we adjourn to the library and have the Odus bring us ice cream from the kitchen?”
One of the castle’s cooks made ice cream from scratch, and it was the best Syssi had ever tasted. Just thinking about it made her salivate.
“I love the way you think.” Alena pulled away from Amanda. “But first, we need to finish here. After making such a huge mess, we can’t leave without buying some tapestries.”
“No problem,” Syssi said. “We’ll wait for you in the library. When you are done, we will get the ice cream delivered.”
When they were out in the corridor, Callie fell into step with her. “Back to the preschool idea. We might only have a few kids coming right now, but we need to plan for more, and since you just started developing plans for the eastern slope, you should include a building for the preschool with the option to expand. We might want to provide the village children with elementary education as well. It’s risky to send small kids to a human school.”
“If we do that, we will need another playground as well.” The gears in Syssi’s head were gaining momentum. “Perhaps it’s a better idea to move some of the offices to the eastern slope and house the preschool in the office building.”
Callie scrunched her nose. “It could work, but it’s not the best solution. Even if we remodel that building, it will still look like offices and not classrooms. Children should have a colorful, happy place to thrive in.”
Syssi shook her head. “Even if we get more children, we don’t need two playgrounds. It’s depressing to look at when there are no children to play in it.”
“The solution is easy,” Jacki said. “Once the new place is ready, you can convert the existing playground into something else. It can become another outdoor sitting area.”
The gears in Syssi’s head spun faster. “Or a new restaurant. I want to put up one in the new development, but maybe this is better.”
Callie groaned. “Now I don’t know what I want to do more, open a restaurant or a preschool. Both are equally appealing.”
“Tough choice,” Jacki agreed. “I can work in the preschool.”
Syssi snorted. “As if Kalugal is going to allow you to have a job, especially while raising your child.”
“First of all, I’m not asking him. And secondly, I can do both. Working in a nursery is the best job for a mother.”
“Not necessarily.” Syssi rubbed her belly. “I want to give Allegra my undivided attention and enjoy raising her to the fullest.”
Amanda raised a brow. “Are you planning to quit your job?”
“Aren’t you?”
“No way. Dalhu is going to be the stay-home dad. I’m going back to work as soon as I can.”
“Kian is not going to be a stay-home dad, and I don’t want Okidu to raise my child. I plan on staying home for at least two years.” She scratched her head. “I will need to find something to do from home, though. As much as I’m looking forward to motherhood, I can’t imagine doing just that.”
Amanda was still shaking her head. “What am I going to do without you? How am I going to run the lab?”
“The same way you did before hiring me.”
“It’s not going to be as fun. I need you there. How about we hire a nanny to take care of our babies in the lab while we work?”
Syssi chuckled. “That’s a ridiculous idea, and you know it.”
“Not at all. We can section a portion of the lab off and turn it into a nursery.”
“Forget it, Amanda. How do you expect to conduct experiments with babies crying in the background?”
“Why would they? If they are fed and held, there will be no crying…” Amanda stopped her tirade mid-sentence. As a tear slid down her cheek, she angrily wiped it off. “Ignore me. I’m talking nonsense. We will figure something out.”
53
David
David was getting better. He was dreaming in vivid colors, and his dreams were the normal kind, not memories of past lives. And when he was awake, he could hear Sari talking to him, as well as Steven and another doctor who he assumed was the short redhead he’d seen when he’d floated above his body.
He’d been so damn close to passing to the other side.
If not for Jonah’s intervention, he would have done it. Even now, he still felt a sense of loss whenever he thought of it. The pull had been so strong, the promise of eternal love and peace so powerful that it competed with his love for Sari.
Did that mean that he didn’t love her enough?
But he’d chosen to stay. Wasn’t that proof that he loved her more than anything?
“Hello, David.” Jonah materialized in front of him. “Are you ready to wake up?”
“I don’t know. I think that I’m getting better, but since I can’t feel any part of my body, I’m not sure about it.”
“You are getting better.” Jonah sat next to him. “Try to focus and find that thread again.”
As David concentrated and turned inward, he saw the shimmering thread he was supposed to grab on to, but he didn’t go for it.
“If I wake up in the real world, will I get to see you again?”
Jonah shook his head. “This is goodbye, my brother.”
“I’m not ready to let go of you.”
“I know.” Jonah regarded him with sad eyes. “It’s difficult for me as well, but there are rules that we all have to follow.”
“Who makes the rules?”
“I can’t tell you that. But I can promise you that we will meet again. Who knows? Maybe I will reincarnate into your new family. Several of the ladies are expecting.”
“You said that you prefer the shorter life cycles of humans.”
“There are advantages and disadvantages to both. It’s not up to me to decide, but it might be nice to be born immortal and take a break from the never-ending cycle. Frankly, I’m tired of it.”