“I know,” he replied with a cheeky grin, which was also pure Gavin and made Julia’s heart lurch.
Her eyes caught Douglas’s to see he was watching them, his expression soft and thoughtful and she was just about to say something, do anything to dispel the moment when they heard a piercing, blood-curdling scream.
Not a ghostly woman’s scream.
A child’s scream.
Julia’s blood turned to ice but before she could move to the stairs, Douglas was there taking them three at a time, leaving Julia, Lizzie and Willie well behind.
By the time she skidded to a halt at Ruby’s opened door with Lizzie and Willie at her heels, Douglas was standing in the middle of the room with Ruby in his arms, the child’s limbs wrapped around him tightly.
Ruby was crying uncontrollably and through her sobs, Julia heard her say, “I was a good girl, Santa came and everything. I thought if I was a good girl, Mummy and Daddy would come home for Christmas. They said that Mummy and Daddy went far away where I can’t see them but I’ve been shouting…” she hiccupped pitifully, “shouting all the time so they could…” more hiccups, “hear me but they didn’t come back. I thought for certain on Christmas they’d come back and know exactly where to find me because I’ve been shouting and shouting and shouting!”
Douglas turned and looked over Ruby’s shoulder at Julia. The tears Julia wouldn’t allow herself to shed earlier pricked the backs of her eyes and then they were there, falling silently down her face.
Julia stood where she was and reached out blindly to grab Lizzie and Willie’s hands. Douglas would have to do this alone; she needed to see to the other two. They moved into her body, pressing themselves to her, she dropped their hands and wrapped an arm around each as she heard Lizzie’s soft weeping.
Douglas’s hand moved slowly on Ruby’s back until her uncontrollable wailing turned to mere sobs and hiccups and then he said in a soft, gentle voice filled with pulsating tenderness, “They can hear you Ruby, they can even see you, they just can’t come back,” he hesitated a heart-stopping second before saying, “ever.”
At that announcement, Ruby’s breath hitched and so did Lizzie’s.
Douglas turned so his back was to Julia and the children in order that Ruby could see them. He was still cradling her in his arms. “They trusted you to us, sweetheart, we’re your family now.”
It was then, Julia’s breath hitched painfully too, the ache in her chest that she had been enduring for months broke open, searing her soul.
She could take it no longer and rushed forward, pulling the children with her. Once she arrived at Douglas’s side, she carefully reached for Ruby. Without comment, Douglas moved the girl into Julia’s arms and Ruby slid her body around Julia with such fierceness that it made Julia’s broken heart shatter into a million more pieces.
“Shh, Ruby-girl,” she hushed her, absorbing the girl’s wracking sobs into her body and holding her firmly as she hiccupped wetly into Julia’s neck. “We’ve got you,” she promised.
After several long, tense minutes, Ruby finally controlled her emotion and the little girl asked quietly, “Auntie Jewel?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Do you think the man and his lady can see Mummy and Daddy?”
Julia couldn’t help herself, her throat emitted a noise of pure grief.
With great effort, she composed herself. “No, Ruby-girl, your Mummy and Daddy are in a much nicer place than Sommersgate.”
Ruby’s head came up and Julia looked into her tear-streaked eyes.
“There’s someplace nicer than Sommersgate?” she asked as if she couldn’t imagine it.
Julia nodded and gave her a tremulous smile. “Much, much nicer, honey. And they’re there.”
Ruby studied her aunt for a moment soberly before she laid her cheek on Julia’s shoulder and when Julia finally looked at Douglas, Lizzie was holding on to him like she’d never let him go. Her face was pressed into his side and his arms were wrapped tightly around her. Julia watched in fascination as he bent low to kiss Lizzie on the top of her head.
Willie was standing to the side but he moved forward.
“Auntie Jewel, I’ll take care of this now,” her ten year old nephew said, his hand on Ruby’s back indicating he wanted Julia to put the girl down.
Julia looked into her brother Gavin’s eyes that just happened to be in an altogether different being’s face, and, without a word of protest, she bent down and put Ruby on the floor.
Willie gathered Ruby to him and then gently moved to Lizzie, taking charge of her and leading them all to the bed where he sat them down, one, two, three.
Douglas moved to Julia and Willie raised his eyes to them.
“I’ll take care of this now,” he repeated.