HERE IN MY ARMS

Alistair held her in his arms all night, often lying awake because of his nap that afternoon. Ahnna slept restlessly, waking from time to time herself and snuggling into him. His wife. She was going to be his wife. They'd decided, since he had to drive her into Coffs in the morning to the morgue, to stay at a hotel there until the marriage license could be processed, then the pastor of the church where he used to be minister would perform a quiet ceremony for them. It was what they both wanted, quiet and simple. Then he would bring her back to the mill. Yes, back to the mill where she belonged.

"Let us know," Joimus said at breakfast the next morning, "and if it's all right, Maximus and I will drive down for the ceremony. You both are very dear to us."

"I'll give you a call," Alistair nodded. "I'd like to have you there."

Ahnna agreed. "Oh, yes, please do come." She'd hardly touched her breakfast, the dread of going to the morgue hanging heavily over her since she'd awakened. Joimus had packed each of them a bag at their respective dwellings, and they simply took those with them to Coffs.

"After you get back, we can all go together to your apartment, Ahnna, and help you move your things to the mill."

She thought Alistair's solution to where Ahnna should stay was perfect. For some time now she'd witnessed the two of them falling ever more deeply in love. And, she smiled to herself, a side benefit would be that Alistair would no longer have burnt toast for breakfast.

As she sat in the passenger's seat beside Alistair, Ahnna grew steadily more tense the closer they got to Coffs. Alistair drove with one hand, keeping the other curved around hers that lay nearest him on the seat.

"I couldn't do this without you," she said, "I couldn't do it at all."

"I'll be right there with you, darling. I'll always be right there with you."

He'd lived in Coffs for two years and knew right where the morgue was. Siobhan was there, waiting for them when they arrived. Ahnna stood outside the door, closing her eyes, trying to breathe slowly before Siobhan opened it. The drawer had already been pulled out and Marce lay there, covered by a simple cloth. Coming closer, Ahnna started to tremble, and Alistair tightened his arm around her. Siobhan pulled the cover back just enough to reveal Marce's face. Alistair's breath hissed sharply in. Even he might have taken her for Ahnna. He'd heard they looked alike, but hadn't expected it to be so remarkable.

Ahnna pressed against his side, staring at her sister. Marce had bruises and scratches on her face as though she'd fought hard. Ahnna blinked, trying to replace the image before her with the living, smiling face of her sister. "It's her," she murmured. "It's my sister."

Such a vast pit of loss and horror opened up at her feet, she couldn't help herself. She fell headlong into it. Alistair's grip on her was all that prevented her from crashing to the cement floor. Lips pressed tightly together, he caught her up in his arms. Siobhan pulled the cloth back over Marce's face and guided him to another room where there was a couch.

Instead of laying her on it, he sat, still holding her in his arms. Pressing her to his chest, he bent his head over her, closing his eyes. He was quite shaken himself, thinking how close Ahnna had come to joining Marce in this very place. Seeing Marce in there had made that even more real to him.

Ahnna began to stir, and he kissed her face lightly here and there. "It's over, darling. You did it. I've got you. I've got you right here in my arms."