Part 16 (2/2)
He looked at Celeste, his dark-brown eyes holding love. ”Of course.”
”Olivia is, too.”
He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against their daughters golden curls. ”You think she's like Celeste?”
”I wasn't sure until I held her.”
John opened his eyes and stared at Maxine. ”Meaning?”
”I believe she's an old soul. Mother and daughter have been together for years. Time will tell if Olivia's gift will be as strong as Celeste's, but don't you want to ensure that your daughter has the proper guidance, should that be the case?”
”I told Celeste to meet with you as much as she needed,” he said, his tone defensive. ”I married Celeste knowing she was psychic. It never occurred to me Olivia could be, only because Celeste hasn't had a vision since she moved to Chicago.”
”Does this mean you're willing to open your mind and home to other possibilities?” Maxine asked. ”Even if there's no logic or proper science involved?”
John continued to hold Celeste's gaze. ”I love my wife and daughter. I couldn't live without them.”
Celeste used her napkin to wipe the tears from her cheek. She quickly stood, then rushed to John and Olivia, and hugged them. The doorbell rang as John embraced her with his free arm.
”Remember what I said about opening your mind and home to other possibilities,” Maxine said, as she moved past them.
John kissed Celeste's cheek. ”What do you think she's talking about?”
”I have no idea.”
”Dog,” Olivia said.
Stunned, she looked to John. ”Did she just say 'dog'?” Olivia's vocabulary consisted of Mama and Dada, and everything else was babble.
”Sure sounded like it. Has she ever-”
”Dog,” Olivia repeated, and pointed a finger over John's shoulder.
They both turned, just as Maxine and a man, leading an adorable black Lab, made their way into the kitchen.
Olivia wriggled in John's arms. ”Dog,” she said louder.
”It's okay,” the man said. ”Ruth's a good girl and well-trained.”
John set Olivia on the floor and held their daughter's hand toward the dog. She giggled when Ruth licked her hand.
”This is Jim Compton. He trains service dogs,” Maxine said.
”You mean like Seeing Eye dogs?” Celeste asked.
”Yes,” Jim said. ”Only Ruth is special. She's trained to detect seizures.”
Celeste looked to Maxine, who shrugged. ”Jim has trained Ruth to be a companion to people with epilepsy. She will detect a change in her person fifteen to thirty minutes before a seizure. I know you're not p.r.o.ne to seizures, but I spoke to Jim about what you do experience.”
”That's right,” Jim said. ”Ruth's trained to detect abnormal electro-magnetic energy changes. She knows the difference between normal and abnormal movement and can even hear changes in her owner's breathing patterns.”
”Are you telling us that this dog would know when Celeste is slipping into a trance?” John asked.
”I'm telling you what she can do for epileptic patients,” Jim said. ”Based on what Maxine described, I don't see why Ruth couldn't detect a s.h.i.+ft in Celeste. I'll be honest, this will require a bit of training for all of you. But once we get Ruth acclimated to Celeste, we'll find out for sure if she'll be suitable for your family.”
”Done,” John said. ”How much?”
Celeste grabbed John's arm. ”Don't you think we should discuss this?”
”What's to discuss? If this dog can help you and Olivia-”
”Olivia?” Celeste asked.
He turned to her and took her hand. ”If this dog can do what Jim claims, think about how different things would've been the day Kelly came to the house. And if Olivia has your gift, she might need Ruth, too.”
Celeste looked to Olivia, who was hugging the Lab. The dog's tail thumped against the hardwood, her tongue hung out and her eyes were closed as if she were loving the embrace. ”I'm game, but it sounds expensive.”
”Don't worry about the cost.” Maxine smiled. ”Ruth is my gift to you.”
Celeste went to Maxine and hugged her. ”Thank you.” As she held the woman, she wasn't sure if Ruth was the answer to her trances, but prayed the dog would help. If she didn't, at least they had added protection in the condo and a new friend for Olivia.
Later that night, Celeste and John stood in the doorway of their daughter's bedroom, watching Ruth doze in front of Olivia's crib.
”I thought Ruth was supposed to be your dog,” John said, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
”If you think about it, our main concern is Olivia's safety should I slip into a trance. Maybe it's not such a bad idea that Ruth has taken to Olivia. I like the idea that she has someone to look out for her.”
”Me, too.” He kissed her temple. ”Come on, let's go to bed.”
When they entered their room, Celeste slipped out of her robe, then crawled onto the mattress. John met her in the middle and snuggled her close. ”I can't believe we own a dog,” she said, thinking about how tomorrow she'd have to go to the pet store and buy doggie supplies. Jim had given them food, but only enough for a couple of days.
”I know a dog wasn't your idea of how we'd expand our family,” he said, settling his hand on her hip. ”And I know we haven't finished discussing having another baby.”
She turned in his arms and wished the room wasn't dark so she could read his eyes. ”After everything that's been going on, that's the last subject I wanted to bring up.”
He pressed his forehead against hers. ”Please don't ever be afraid to talk to me about anything,” he began, ”but there is something we should consider.”
”What's that?”
”We live in a two-bedroom condo and have no yard for a seventy-pound dog.”
”You want to move?” she asked, both excited and nervous. She loved John's condo, but it wasn't a house, and it still had that bachelor pad feel to it. They could afford to move. Only that would place a hold on the second bakery she'd hoped to open at some point during the next few years. Besides, the Sugar Shack made her money and she'd sacrifice her business plans for a new house and baby.
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