Page 35 of 1000 of You
“GovaDov.”
She triedto lie on her back, but the pain was excruciating. She tried not to cry out asthe man peeled away the blood-soaked cloth to examine it. He said something tohis companion. Strange words she couldn’t understand, like a second language.Instead of trying to follow them, she focused on whereMuamstood nearby, still cradling the child in his arms.
Tearssprung up in her eyes. He held the babe as if he’d held one before, gentlyrocking it as he swayed from side to side and watched the men hovering overher. He would make a wonderful father. Seeing him in that role touched herdeeply, andGovawondered if they would ever find theirhappiness long enough to have children of their own.
A baby.Muam’schild. It was a wish she’d dared not dream.
The mentouched her wound, and she couldn’t help the stifled scream that escaped her.When she was able to open her eyes again,Muamwas staringat her in shock and horror. And it was at that moment she knew he had awakened.He looked at the infant in his arms, then at her, and questions filled hisface. Some of which she could almost hear him speak.
She reachedout to him. He hurried over to kneel by her head, and took her bloodied hand inhis.
“Gova!”
“My love.”She managed a watery smile.
“The babe?”
“I found itin the rubble. Have the men take care of it.”
A soundcaught his attention, and he reared up to see what it was. Presently, anotherone of those wagons with the flashing lights drew close, and two more menappeared.Muamstood and handed the child to them.
“It needsto be examined.”
“You saidyou found the baby?” one of the men working on her queried. She nodded as heplaced a cup over her nose and mouth, and she smelled fresh air coming from thetube attached to it. Something was wrapped around her arm, and she felt ittighten.
She foughtto remain awake, if for no other reason than to gaze uponMuam.To catch a glimpse of him and see his loving face smiling back at her.
“It’s agirl, and she appears to have no broken bones or any other external injuries,”one of the other men informed them. “We’ll take her in and have her x-rayed tomake sure she’s okay. How’s the woman?”
“We’rehaving trouble stabilizing her.” The man bent over her and smiled. “One ofthese days, when that baby’s all grown up, she’s going to tell her children andall her friends about how you saved her life. If it wasn’t for you, she couldhave died before anyone found her.”
“Gova.”Muamtook her hand again,but addressed the men. “How is she?”
“She has aserious abdominal wound, and she’s bleeding profusely internally.”
“BP’sninety-six over forty, and dropping rapidly,” the other man stated.
The firstman gaveMuama concerned frown. “I’m sorry, sir, butshe’s not going to make it to the hospital. She’s suffered too much trauma.From the looks of it, the tornado must have thrown her about before lettinggo.”
She wasstarting to feel cold. The man continued to speak, but his words were nothingmore than buzzing sounds in her head. She knewMuamwas holding her hand, but she couldn’t feel it. Lifting her eyes, she tried toget his attention.
“Mu’m.” Her mouth wouldn’t work properly, and she couldn’tmake herself be heard above the hiss of air.
Maybe hesensed her distress, but he bent over her and clutched her fingers tighter. “Itwill not be long now, my beloved.”
Sheunderstood. He would remain with her as she died, after which he would immediatelyfollow her. She didn’t know how he would kill himself, but he would, so thatthey could continue on to their next life and death. And on, and on, forhowever many more there were left. They no longer counted all the lives theypassed through. They could only follow the path the gods and the Ancient Motherhad set before them.
Closing hereyes, she felt him kiss her forehead as she drifted into darkness. The lastthing she heard was the plaintive wail of a baby crying to be fed.
Chapter 19
Turkey, 2128
“…lookingforward this excursion, Dr. Tripp. We’re supposed to meet up with Dr.Beccali’steam at the site.”
Muamkept his gaze on the scenery that swept past them. Atthe vast expanse of sand and the occasional cluster of vegetation that defiantlyfought to survive in the arid, semi-barren land. Trying to act casual, heglanced down to examine himself. As usual, the clothing was unrecognizable, butunusually comfortable. Light brown breeches, another pair of those enclosedsandals, a white shirt that clung to his sweaty skin, and a second shirt hewore open, as if someone had split it from neck to hem.
He blinkedagain, and realized he was wearing something over his face that blocked most ofthe glaring light the god in the heavens threw out this time of day. Reachingup, he touched something cloth-like covering his head. Apparently he also worea helmet of some sort.
