Chapter 65

December Twenty-fifth 5:00 p.m. E.S.T.

Mia reached out with her senses the moment she awoke. Next to her, she could hear Dana's deep breaths and the beating hearts of both mother and child. Slightly farther away, the diesel generator chugged softly, powering the ventilation system that made Dana's breaths possible. Other than that, the house was silent.

Mia sighed with relief. While she hadn't expected there to be any intruders, anything was possible in a world that had turned completely upside down in the span of an evening. On the other side of Dana, Tom stirred and stretched an arm over both women to hug them lightly enough not to disturb the living one's sleep. Mia smiled as she basked in the warmth that flowed into her from his bond, knowing that he was feeling much the same coming from her.

Being careful not to jar her injured leg, she rolled over on her side to return the hug, engulfing the sleeping girl between them. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Tom reluctantly disengaged and stood. Walking to the heavy door that sealed their panic room, he worked the crank that opened it manually; the generator didn't put out enough juice to work the hydraulics. Returning to Mia's side of the bed, he helped her to stand and sling an arm over his shoulders to keep weight off her leg.

Dana murmured in protest. Together, they reached down to replace Mia's body with a pillow and caressed their friend and lover gently until she lapsed back into slumber, clasping the pillow tightly to her chest.

With a light kiss and a whispered, "Good morning," Tom scooped Mia up in his arms and carried her to the kitchen where he deposited her in one of the chairs. For the next few minutes, he busied himself putting water on for Dana's tea, making toast and scrambling eggs.

Turning back to Mia, he draped a dish cloth over his arm and bowed flamboyantly. "And what will mademoiselle be dining on this evening? The speciality of the house is very rare hasenpfeffer with a side of coney." Spotting movement in the dark hallway that led to the basement stairs, he added loudly, "We also have sweet and sour young woman, but I wouldn't recommend it. She's far more sour than sweet and would almost certainly give you indigestion."

Smiling tolerantly at the small joke that Tom never seemed to realize had long since gone stale, Mia said, "The bunny sounds delicious, garcon."

Before he made it to the door, Dana stomped into the room. "Ha, ha. Very funny, lump. I don't know how I ever made it all those years without your brilliant wit to brighten my day," she said grumpily as she flicked on the light and shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness. "I wish you freaks would remember that not everyone can see in the dark. Either that or install a light switch outside the friggin' tomb."

"Oops," Tom said. "Sorry about that." Hurriedly, he pulled some candles from a drawer, lit one and placed it on the table. "I'm going to have to shut off the generator to conserve fuel," he explained as he headed out the door. "Breakfast is on the counter."

Grunting disgustedly at the clock on the stove that endlessly blinked 12:00, Dana asked, "How long have you been up? Have you heard any news?"

"Only a few minutes and no," Mia replied. "And how are you this evening?"

Dana's mouth came open, ready to unleash a torrent of complaints. Closing it with a chagrined shake of her head, she settled for a simple, "Hunky-dory. Or at least I would be if my back would stop hurting."

With an affectionate smile, Mia pulled a chair close to her own and tapped the seat. "Why don't you grab your breakfast and let me rub that a little for you?"

"Sounds fantastic."

A few minutes later, Dana was moaning blissfully as strong but gentle fingers worked at the knots in her lower back. "I feel bad about whining so much," she said apologetically. "I know your leg has to hurt a lot more than any of my aches and pains, and you never say a word."

Mia leaned in to hug Dana from behind, her hands sliding caressingly over Dana's distended belly. "Unlike my leg, we can do something about your aches and pains, so you should let us know about them. Besides, a little bitching and moaning now and then is good for the soul."