Childhood Fantasies

Part 4

 

The Pretender watched the woman’s blue eyes widen as she looked up at him, first looking at his face and then at the gun in his hand.

 

"Jarod?"

 

"Like I said, Miss Parker, very impressive. But I suppose you'll tell me this was just chance and your car broke down."

 

"Actually, yes, Jarod." Sydney tried to keep his voice calm. "That is precisely what happened."

 

"So why this house?"

 

"It was the only one with a light."

 

Jarod looked at them closely, taking in the fact that they both looked cold and that their clothes weren't warm enough for the storm that was raging. Fortunately the porch provided some protection.

 

"And where's the third possible member of your trio? Either one?"

 

"It's Debbie's birthday."

 

"And Lyle?"

 

"I don't think you'll see him chasing you for a while."

 

Jarod dismissed this. "And where are the sweepers that usually come with you to make sure I don't put up a fight on the off-chance that you actually find me?"

 

"No, Jarod." Sydney shook his head. "There's just the two us."

 

"Well, that's more than enough."

 

He was about to speak again when a voice from behind interrupted him.

 

"Daddy?"

 

"Go back to bed, Bronwyn," he ground out from between clenched teeth, suddenly furious that Maria would put her daughter in this potentially dangerous situation.

 

"Daddy, did Sydney come?"

 

Jarod watched the shocked reaction of the two people in front of him, unable to fully hide his amusement, despite the seriousness of the situation. Finally he spoke.

 

"Yes, he did. Go back to bed, please. Now. I'll come up and get you."

 

"Promise?"

 

"I promise."

 

Hearing the footsteps going up the stairs behind him, Jarod put out his left hand, palm up.

 

"Your gun, Miss Parker."

 

"What?"

 

"If you want my help and somewhere to spend the night that doesn't leave you with the risk of freezing to death, give me your gun."

 

As she hesitated, he took a firmer grip on the weapon in his own hand. "I have no intention of making my daughter watch you two drag me away, so either hand me your gun or try and find your way through that," he nodded into the storm, "back to your car."

 

"Parker, he's serious," Sydney urged, his eyes fixed on the younger man’s face.

 

Slowly she put her hand onto her holster, unclipping it and putting the whole item into Jarod's outstretched hand. He pocketed it and then lowered his own gun, moving aside and allowing them into the house. Walking over to the table as Sydney thankfully closed the door, Jarod placed his weapon down on it and then took her gun out, tipping the bullets into his hand before handing it back to her.

 

She looked up at him, confusion obvious in her eyes. "What...?"

 

"I'm going to trust you with it. I'd also appreciate it if you'd hang it up with your jacket so that neither of my children can find it."

 

"Children?" Sydney placed his coat on the stand and then glanced over at Jarod, a look of amazement on his face. "More than one?"

 

"Two." Jarod watched as Miss Parker hung up her own coat, slipping the gun into the pocket, and then, with a sigh of relief, he opened the window and tossed the bullets into the snow outside before he closed it. Turning, he put the gun back into the drawer and locked it, pocketing the key.

 

Walking over to the fireplace, he threw several pieces of kindling onto it, waiting until they ignited before tossing several small logs on.

 

"Get warmer in front of that. I'll be right back."

 

Going up the stairs, he walked into his daughter's room, watching as she immediately sat up in bed. "Good girl, Bronwyn."

 

She held out her hands and he swung her up into his arms, wrapping her in a blanket and handing her the teddy she had left on the bed.

 

"Daddy, you don't like them, do you?"

 

"It's not that I don't like them, sweetie. It's just that it was a surprise to see them."

 

"Why? I told you they were coming."

 

He left the room and began to walk down the stairs. "But you fell asleep before you could tell me who 'they' were."

 

She giggled. "Mommy was right again."

 

He smiled. "Your mommy's always right." Coming into the living room, he looked up to see Miss Parker standing in front of the blazing fire and Sydney leaning against the wall beside her.

 

Sitting on the sofa, he looked down at his daughter. "Did you already know what Sydney looked like, or did Mommy just tell you the name?"

 

"His name."

 

Jarod looked up, nodding his head in the psychiatrist’s direction. "Well, that's him."

 

"And who...?"

 

"That's Miss Parker."

 

There was a sudden note of fear in the girl’s voice. "She's the one who chases you, right?"

 

He nodded slowly. "Did Mommy tell you that, too?"

 

"Yup." The little girl's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "But she won't do it now, will she? You don't have to run now?"

 

Jarod wrapped his arms around her and looked up at the woman. "No, baby. I'll make sure she doesn't do it me now." Feeling her sob several times as she turned her face to his shoulder, his expression hardened and he held her more tightly. After a few moments, he looked up again. "Miss Parker, this is Bronwyn Taylor." He paused. "The one you believe is dead."

 

He looked up to where the older man stood and then back down at the little girl who was becoming drowsy as she lay in her father's arms. "Sydney, this is my daughter. As of the last few weeks, anyway."

 

The psychiatrist came across and sat down in one of the chairs, looking down at the girl with a small smile on his face. His eyes traveled over the child’s face before closely examining Jarod's features.

 

"But she's not yours?"

 

"She's not my real daughter, no. Her parents left their children to me after a car accident."

 

"When?" the woman’s voice interrupted.

 

"Like I said, Miss Parker, a few weeks ago." Jarod looked up as she sat in the other chair. "The records NuGenesis have are false. Bronwyn's real parents were killed almost three weeks ago, rather than a year ago."

 

He felt Bronwyn give a small sigh and looked down to see that she was asleep, her bear still clutched firmly in one hand. Gently he stroked her hair.

 

"And your second child?" Sydney asked quietly.

 

"Bronwyn's brother. He's almost fourteen months old." He heard a sound from above his head and got to his feet. "You might as well meet the whole family at once."

 

Jarod came back downstairs into a silent room and tried to hide a smile, knowing that they had probably been talking about him. The little boy was wide-awake and tried to climb out of his arms almost as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Jarod grinned as he clutched the back of the boy's sleeping suit.

 

"Hey, whoa, get back here kiddo."

 

He took a firmer hold on the child and walked over to the sofa, seating the child on his knee as he sat down.

 

"This is my son, Jamie."

 

Feeling the boy wriggle, he let him slip to the floor. The child crawled over to the corner where several of his toys had been put and began to play with them.

 

"And their real parents are dead?"

 

"Yes, Sydney." Jarod smiled, watching the baby. "The whole family was brought into the hospital where I've been working." He stood and took a photo album off the shelf, opening it and handing the other two people photos of the damaged vehicle. "As a result of that, both parents died several hours after they arrived. By some miracle, their children didn't." He pulled out the will and gave it to Sydney who glanced over it and then handed it to Miss Parker. "And we found that a few hours later, which provided me with an instant family."

 

"And this house?"

 

"It’s mine, yes." He grinned. "My daughter knew about it and told me to buy it."

 

"In the same way that she knew about me?"

 

"Pretty much." Jarod pulled out the picture of the house and unfolded it, handing it to Sydney. "She drew that and said that it was where we were going to live. It was only a few hours later that I found the house, which was for sale, and the Centre helped me to purchase it."

 

"You mean you hacked into one of the accounts?"

 

"Of course." He sat down and grinned. "But that should be old news to you, Miss Parker. I've been doing that since the first day I escaped."

 

"So how does your daughter know all of these things?"

 

Jarod leaned back against the cushions. "Well, you might not believe it, but she gives every impression of being a psychic."

 

"Oh, come on, Jarod..." Sydney began.

 

"Do you have a better explanation?" He looked at the older man. "Have you ever seen her before?"

 

"Well, no…"

 

"And how else would she know about Miss Parker? Or me? I might say that she had a very good idea of who I was from the word 'go'."

 

Jarod looked over as his son crawled towards him and picked him up, cuddling the infant to his chest and gently rubbing a hand on his back.

 

"And him? Is he psychic as well?"

 

"According to what I found out from their mother, no."

 

"But they call you 'Daddy'."

 

He grinned. "Well, Bronwyn does. Jamie's a bit young to be calling me anything just yet." Jarod became more serious. "She called me by my name until a few days ago, but..." He stopped. "This is kind of complicated, but the mother - Maria Taylor - was psychic as well. Apparently she knew about the fact that she was going to die and so brought up both her kids to be attached to me, and not her and her husband."

 

Jarod looked up to see the amazement in Sydney's eyes and the curiosity in Miss Parker's. A small smile on his face, he looked at her. "What is it?"

 

"Is there anybody else involved or are you taking care of two small children on your own?"

 

"Do you doubt my abilities as a father, Miss Parker? I admit it's trickier than some of my other pretends, but..." He saw the annoyance on her face and stopped. "Yes, there is someone else. One of the other doctors who also works at the hospital: Samantha Childs. But she's snowed in there for the next few days anyway." He stood up. "Which has the benefit of giving you a bedroom. Sydney, I apologize but all I can offer you is the sofa."

 

"That's fine, Jarod. It's more than I expected."

 

He looked startled. "From me?"

 

"From wherever we could get accommodation."

 

* * * *

 

"Daddy, what's 'it'?"

 

Startled, Jarod looked down at her as Bronwyn crawled into bed beside him. "I don't understand, sweetie. What do you mean?"

 

"Well, Mommy was in the picture room last night and said that they wouldn't do it and I just wanted to know what the 'it' was." She scrunched up her nose. "And who's 'they'?"

 

"'They' would be Miss Parker and Sydney."

 

She nodded, snuggling close to him, and he looked down at her. "Did Mommy tell you anything else?"

 

"That you shouldn't worry. And that she keeps her pr..." She stopped, struggling with the word. "Prosmis..."

 

"Promises?"

 

"Yeah, that."

 

He kissed her. "Well, you tell your mommy 'thank you' for me when you see her next, okay?"

 

"Are you getting up now?"

 

Jarod glanced at the clock. "Are you hungry?"

 

"Mmm hmm."

 

He smiled and got out of bed, wrapping a warm bathrobe around himself and then picking her up. Immediately she rested her head on his shoulder.

 

"Hey, if I have to get up then you can't go back to sleep again!"

 

She giggled and hugged him as the two of them made their way downstairs.

 

Looking up as they arrived on the lower level, Jarod saw Sydney sitting on the sofa and walked into the kitchen, turning on the kettle.

"I hope it's comfortable."

 

"Thank you, Jarod. It's fine."

 

"Well, you'll be able to leave on Thursday, so you only need to put up with it until then, anyway."

 

Sydney walked over, a startled look on his face. "How do you know that?"

 

"I told him so," Bronwyn announced. "'Cos that's when Sam will be back and she'll want her own room."

 

"Did you go in to see Sam this morning, sweetheart?"

 

"No, Daddy." She shook her head as he put her up on the bench. "I know she's not there and that you said Miss Parker could sleep in her bed."

 

Jarod nodded and tried to hide his amusement as he saw the astonishment on Sydney's face. Filling a mug with milk, he handed it to Bronwyn. "What do you want for breakfast?"

 

"I guess I shouldn't ask for ice cream, 'cos that would tell Sydney how much of it you eat." She giggled, her face wearing a naughty grin.

 

"No, I guess you shouldn't have." Jarod smiled. "So what do you want?"

 

"Toast."

 

"Okay, no problem."

 

He pulled out the toaster and opened the breadbox, extracting the last few slices and then throwing the bag into the bin as the toaster began to work.

 

"Are you out of bread?"

 

"Hardly." Jarod opened the cupboard and took out another loaf. "There's several in the freezer as well." He lifted Bronwyn off the bench and put her down on her chair before spreading out the placemats and getting plates out of the cupboard. "I spotted the storm a few days ago and did some major shopping, so we'll even have enough food for our 'visitors', as Bronwyn put it last night."

 

"You wouldn't call us that?"

 

"I can think of several other terms I'd use." Jarod's eyes hardened. "But none of them would be quite that complimentary."

 

* * * *

 

Jarod scooped the last of the food out of the jar and put it into his son's mouth, wiping the mess off his face before putting the lid back on and handing the bottle of milk to the boy.

 

"Daddy?"

 

"Yes, Bronwyn?"

 

"I'm finished. Can I go and watch TV?"

 

"Sure. Can you manage?"

 

She nodded and slid off the seat, going over to sit in the beanbag after turning on the television.

 

"Why wouldn't she? Manage, I mean," the woman prompted.

 

"My daughter's leg was broken in the accident, Miss Parker. I only took the cast off a few days ago."

 

"She's recovered well," Sydney remarked quietly.

 

"Considering the state of the car, she's doing well to just be alive." He got out of his seat and picked up the plates, clearing the table and starting the dishwasher while Miss Parker and Sydney watched silently.

 

* * * *

 

"Where's Miss Parker?"

 

Jarod asked the question without looking up as Sydney appeared in the doorway of the bathroom where the younger man was bathing his son.

 

"Downstairs."

 

"If she so much as lays a finger on my daughter..."

 

"Jarod, please." Sydney shut the door. "She won't."

 

"I'm glad you're so confident, Sydney. I wish I was." Jarod picked up a small cup, filled it with water and tipped it over his son's chest, listening to the boy giggle in delight. He placed a finger on the tiny stomach and gently pressed, watching as the boy cooed.

 

"I know that you're nervous..."

 

"And you think I have no reason to be?" Jarod looked up. "I'm pretty much all these kids have to depend on in the world now and, although this might seem a little strange to you, I'm not mad keen on having to take care of them within the confines of the Centre after the two of you drag us all back there."

 

He lifted the baby out of the warm water and wrapped him in a towel, opening the door and carrying him across the hall into the bedroom, knowing that Sydney was following.

 

"I can understand..."

 

"No, you can't," Jarod told him from between clenched teeth. "Maybe you could have understood me and my feelings once, but you don't understand the way I feel now, not the way my circumstances have changed. So I'd rather not hear the old psychiatrist's line about the fact that you know what I'm going through, because you don't."

 

After carefully drying the baby, Jarod dressed him and then looked up, the anger evident in his eyes.

 

"I can't just up and disappear the way I normally would, Sydney, and I'm not going to expose my kids to a life like the one I've lived for the last five years. They're the most important things in the world to me and I swear to you here and now that I will kill to protect them."

 

* * * *

 

"Daddy, why are you mad?"

 

"It's all right, sweetie, I'm not mad with you." Jarod put Jamie down in the playpen before walking over to pick her up.

 

"But you're mad with someone." Her lower lip began to tremble as tears filled her eyes and he kissed her gently.

 

"I'm not mad with Jamie either, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." He looked down at her. "Did Miss Parker do anything to you?"

 

Wide-eyed, the little girl shook her head and Jarod smiled at his daughter, gently stroking her hair as he ignored the look the woman gave him.

 

"Do you want to watch the new video I bought for you?"

 

She nodded and he turned on the television and put the tape into the machine.

 

"Can Jamie watch too?"

 

"Of course he can." Jarod picked up the little boy and brought him over to the corner of the room, putting him on his sister's lap. With a final glance at the two children and then another at the snow that was blocking most of the light, Jarod returned to the sofa.

 

"What did you think I'd do, Jarod?"

 

"Does the word 'blackmail' mean anything to you, Miss Parker? Such as, in a random example, me for the life of my daughter?"

 

"Jarod, she wouldn't!" Sydney exploded.

 

"I wouldn't put it past her." Jarod's eyes glittered with the same angry light they had had earlier. "I wouldn't put anything past her." He swallowed hard. "Strangely enough, this image came into my head of me coming downstairs with my son in my arms to find my daughter with an arm around her neck and a gun at her temple." He looked over at his children and then back to see that Miss Parker’s eyes held a hurt expression.

 

"Jarod, I'm not my brother."

 

"Oh, if Lyle was here both of my kids would be dead already. I know that." Jarod spoke flippantly. "I suppose we should all be grateful for small mercies." He looked up. "Speaking of which, what, exactly, did you mean when you said that I wouldn't be seeing him for a while?"

 

Miss Parker looked at her hands. "Lyle's dying...probably dead by now, in fact."

 

"Is that meant to be a joke?" Jarod demanded.

 

"No." She shook her head. "He was plotting to overthrow my father, but Cox, who was supposed to be helping him, betrayed him and Lyle was found at home the night before last, having been poisoned."

 

"Who did it?"

 

"It could have been a lot of people. My brother wasn't exactly Mr. Popularity with anybody at the Centre, or out of it for that matter."

 

"You don't seem overly devastated."

 

She shrugged. "I'm not, but, after making sure that Broots and Debbie had left Blue Cove, we felt it would be safer if we left too."

 

"Which will, I can only presume, put the two of you fairly high on the possible list of assassins."

 

Sydney shook his head. "We were all - Broots included - in a meeting with Mr. Parker when the poisoning took place."

 

"They know when it was already?"

 

"A dart through the window into the middle of his back at the time when all three of us were sitting in my father's office puts us pretty well in the clear," the woman explained. "They found him before we left the office."

 

"So that little action keeps your father at the head of the list of the Centre's most powerful, makes sure that I'm still sitting up there at number one on the most wanted list and, last but not least, keeps the two of you working there."

 

Miss Parker looked up at him. "Actually, we didn't leave to find you."

 

He raised an eyebrow. "After five years, I'm supposed to believe you when you sit there and say that."

 

"I would have thought that the fact I am sitting here and saying that would have been reason enough to show you that things can change."

 

"So why did you leave?"

 

"Because Mr. Parker ordered us to."

 

Jarod couldn’t help looking surprised. "He's thrown you out?"

 

"No. His stated reason was that he didn't want us involved in the 'mess' that he knew was coming."

 

"And what did he mean by that?"

 

"I don't know."

 

"Daddy?" a small voice piped up at this point.

 

"Yes, baby?" Jarod looked over to where his daughter was watching him.

 

"Why isn't Miss Parker listening to what her mommy wants to tell her?"

 

Jarod stood up and walked over, picking up his two children and bringing them back over to the sofa. He placed his sleeping son in the corner and put Bronwyn on his knee.

 

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

 

"Mommy just told me that Miss Parker's mommy has a really im...imp..."

 

"Important?"

 

"Yeah, that." She smiled at her father. "A 'portant message for her and that she won't listen to it."

 

"Did your Mommy know Miss Parker's mommy?"

 

"No, but she knew about her, like she knew about you."

 

Jarod nodded his head slowly. "And do you know how Miss Parker should listen to her mommy's message?"

 

The little girl turned and looked over at the other woman. "She has to go into the room."

 

"Like your picture room?"

 

She nodded and turned back to her father. "Are you still mad?"

 

"Not as mad as I was, sweetie." He kissed her gently.

 

"But you were mad with Sydney?"

 

"Just a little."

 

"'Cos you thought he was going to take you back to the Centre." She turned and looked at the older man. "But you aren't, are you?"

 

Sydney shook his head. "No, Bronwyn, I'm not."

 

"And is Miss Parker?"

 

"No, Bronwyn."

 

She looked back up at Jarod. "You see."

 

He smiled at her. "Okay, sweetheart. I won't be mad anymore."

 

"Promise?"

 

As he nodded, she slid off his knee and went back to the television.

 

"What room?"

 

Jarod tapped the side of his head. "When Maria Taylor was trying to explain to her daughter how she 'knew' things, she would say that she had a picture room in her head that would allow her to see what was going to happen. Apparently Bronwyn also 'sees' her mother there sometimes."

 

"So she's getting messages from the dead?"

 

"Basically, yes." He smiled half-heartedly. "And she's not the only one."

 

"What do you mean, Jarod?" Sydney demanded.

 

The younger man stood up. "I'll show you."

 

* * * *

 

Jarod shut the computer, looking at the two people sitting opposite him. "Obviously either she's making promises she can't keep," he glanced at his daughter, before looking back, "or both of you actually meant what you said to Bronwyn just before."

 

"You don't believe us?"

 

"What reason do I have for doing so?" Jarod looked at Sydney. "The fact is that trying to capture me puts money in your pockets every week. What reason could I possibly have for believing you when you say to a little girl, who has sat opposite and begged you not to, that you won't take me back there?"

 

"The fact that we did say so."

 

He snorted. "I'm sorry to sound skeptical, Miss Parker, but I don't believe that."

 

"Jarod, if she can help me..."

 

"You'll use her and then take her back to the Centre so that they can exploit her like they exploited me." He turned away and stared through the window at the snow that fell outside. "Sorry, no deal."

 

"Jarod, why would you doubt her?" Sydney leaned forward and gently tapped the computer. "She's been right so far, hasn't she?"

 

"Frighteningly so, yes," the other man admitted.

 

"Well then?"

 

"Besides, Jarod, we couldn't do anything now, even if we wanted to." Miss Parker broke the uncomfortable silence that had followed Sydney's last question. "What would you do if I said that I was going to take you back at the end of the storm?"

 

Jarod coldly eyed her. "I don't think you want me to answer that question, Miss Parker. What I say might haunt your dreams."

 

"So, having a pretty good idea of what you'd do, why would I?" She stood up and walked towards him, watching as he instinctively took a step back. "Jarod, I know that the last five years haven't given you much of a reason to trust me, but you used to, once."

 

"Things change."

 

"I'll say." She looked over to where the small girl was watching them, concern on her face. "It wouldn't have seemed possible a month ago that you would have children, so why is it so impossible for me to stand here and say that I won't take you back to the Centre?"

 

"For how long, Miss Parker? Three days, and then, when Thursday comes, you'll ask me to fix your car 'as a favour' and bundle me into the back of it, or a few more days, giving you time to get back to the Centre and collect a big team of sweepers so that I can't get away?"

 

"Or forever, so you get the chance to do for your children what Momma always wanted for me?"

 

"What?"

 

The word was a faint whisper as he stared at her and he could see the tears that glittered in her eyes. Miss Parker walked over to her coat and took her gun out of the pocket, keeping it hidden from the young eyes that watched her anxiously. As she approached, Jarod stepped further back, pressing up against the window, breath caught in his throat as his eyes were fixed on her hand. She stood so that she blocked the little girl's view of her father before reaching out and gently picking up Jarod's hand, putting the unloaded weapon into it.

 

"Put it with yours, so that they don't find it."

 

He looked up at her, meeting her gaze, and she could see the anger that still burned in his eyes and the fear that lurked behind it. Slowly his fingers wrapped themselves around the weapon, pulling it gently out of her grasp and slipping it into his pocket.

 

"Why, Parker?"

 

"Because you love your children, Jarod. You love them as much as my mother loved me and I couldn't do to them what should never have been done to you."

 

* * * *

 

"Daddy?"

 

Jarod looked down with a smile as Bronwyn tugged on his jeans. "What is it, gorgeous?"

 

"What are you making?"

 

"Lunch."

 

"I know that." She giggled. "But what?"

 

"Soup."

 

"What kind?"

 

He knelt down in front of her. "What's my little girl's favorite type of soup?"

 

"Tomato."

 

"Lucky that's what I'm making then, isn't it?" He leaned over to tickle her and she giggled as she wriggled out of his grasp, running over to the far side of the room. He stood up and continued to slowly stir the contents of the saucepan.

 

"You know, you were right, Jarod," Sydney stated softly from his seat on the other side of the dividing wall between the kitchen and dining area.

 

"Oh?" The other man raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"

 

"I didn't feel like I knew you this morning. I always thought I would know what you were thinking, but then I really couldn't follow you at all."

 

Jarod looked over his shoulder, meeting the man's eye. "Were you afraid of me, Sydney?"

 

"I never thought I would say this, but yes, Jarod, I was."

 

Nodding, Jarod turned back. "As long as my kids are never afraid of me, that's all that matters."

 

Suddenly Jamie began to cry softly and Jarod looked up. He met Miss Parker's eye, watching as she hesitated.

 

"Go ahead."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

Jarod nodded and Miss Parker moved towards the sofa, gently picking up the child and awkwardly holding it close to her. The soft cries continued for several moments before they slowly ceased and Jarod turned back to the saucepan, a slight smile on his face. When he felt the meal was hot enough, he looked around again to find his daughter sitting on the floor, playing with a doll that had arrived in a package at the hospital a week earlier.

 

"Bronwyn, can you ask Sydney to help you set the table?"

 

The girl came over and held out one hand. Sydney glanced at Jarod out of the corner of his eye before taking it and finding himself almost pulled over to the table. "Can you help me? I can't reach the plates."

 

"Bronwyn, what do we eat soup from? It's not plates. What are the other things called? The same things we eat ice cream from."

 

The girl frowned for a moment before looking up. "Bowls."

 

"Good girl."

 

Jarod pushed down the large toaster, watching as the eight slices disappeared into it, and then stirred for several moments before he poured the soup into the large, pre-warmed tureen and put the lid on, carrying it to the table. As he got the ladle out of the drawer, the toaster popped up and he removed the slices, putting them into a rack before picking up a small jar of baby food.

 

"Lunch is ready."

 

* * * *

 

"Did you find your room?" the childish voice piped up from beside Miss Parker's chair, where she had been trying to get interested in one of the books that lined the shelves of her temporary bedroom.

 

Miss Parker looked down to see the little girl standing next to her chair and then glanced up at Jarod who sat opposite, watching her, a book in his hand.

 

"Which room?" she asked.

 

Bronwyn reached up and gently tapped Miss Parker's forehead. "The one there, where your Mommy is."

 

The woman smiled faintly. "Can you tell me what my Momma wants me to know?"

 

The girl frowned for a moment before shaking her head. "I only know what my Mommy wants me to know. You have to ask yours."

 

She looked up and then climbed into the woman's lap. Miss Parker glanced at Jarod and saw that he had started to read, but she suspected that he was still listening.

 

"My Mommy's dead too, like yours, but she still talks to me."

 

"When, Bronwyn? When does she talk to you?"

 

"If Daddy asks her something or I have to tell him something, then she tells me."

 

"And what else do you see in your room?"

 

"Pictures. That's why Mommy called it a picture room. I even saw Daddy in there lots, before the accident when I got to meet him and he brought us here."

 

"So you already knew about him?"

 

"I've always known about him. He was kind of like a present that you want lots but have to wait for." She looked up. "Did you ever have presents like that?"

 

Miss Parker smiled. "Sometimes."

 

"Like the bunny." Bronwyn smiled back at her. "You wanted him for a long time and then finally Daddy gave him to you."

 

* * * *

 

"How did she know that?" Miss Parker demanded softly.

 

Jarod looked up to find the woman staring at him. "She told you, Miss Parker. It was in her 'picture room'." He smiled. "She knows a lot about me, even to the extent of sometimes knowing my memories or feelings."

 

"And… is it really a room?"

 

He closed the book. "She sees it as a room. I asked her about it one day and she said that she would imagine a door she could open and go through. These are my words, not hers, but it's kind of like a cinema or a theatre. The images are projected on a screen so that she can see them, or the person - her mother - is in front of her and she can ask her questions or be told things. When she was learning about the room, her mother told her that she had to make sure no other thoughts were allowed to come in, and the walls that she sees in the room block those out." Jarod smiled faintly again. "Basically, Maria taught her daughter the same kind of deep concentration that people use in meditation."

 

"To a four-year-old?"

 

"Actually, her first memory of the room is as a two-year-old, but I would suggest that she's been told about it her whole life."

 

"And… why?"

 

"Maria Taylor knew about her abilities, and knew that her daughter would share them. Also, she knew that she would be dead before the girl turned five. For these reasons she either created or shared the idea of the room and it serves two purposes. First, it's given my daughter somewhere to focus her knowledge of the future and, second, it provides a constant link to her mother so that Bronwyn will never feel that she's been deserted or 'left' on my hands."

 

"She told you all that?"

 

Jarod laughed softly and shook his head. "She didn't tell me any of it. I did a little deep thinking and that's the result." He became serious. "I hadn't thought about it until just now, but it's the perfect metaphor for you, Miss Parker."

 

"Oh really? Why?"

 

"Well, I seem to remember Thomas telling me that the work he ended up doing at your house was on your mother's studio." He studied the pattern of the floor to avoid looking at the tears in her eyes. "So you have the room. You just have to transfer it into your mind so that your mother has a place to talk to you."

 

* * * *

 

"Daddy, did it work?"

 

"I don't know, Bronwyn." He sat down beside her as she sat up in bed, snuggling close to him. "We'll have to wait and see."

 

"I think it'll work."

 

He looked down and saw the small smile on his daughter's face. "Bronwyn, were you telling the truth when you said that you didn't know what her mom wants to tell her?"

 

She shrugged. "Kind of."

 

"In other words, you do know, but your mommy said not to tell anyone until we find out whether Miss Parker can do it or not."

 

"Daddy, you aren't s'posed to know what she said!" She gently tapped the back of his hand and he laughed.

 

"Of course I know, Bronwyn." Jarod gently kissed the top of her hear. "Because I know what you're thinking!" He tickled her, watching her roll on the bed until she gasped for breath and then threw her arms around his neck.

 

"I love you, Daddy."

 

"I love you too, Bronwyn."
 
Part 5 

 

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