The Alternate Daughter
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
Luca tossed in the bed. He'd had a bad day, but not because of anything that had happened. It had been weeks since Ria's revelation, but he'd hardly been able to think of anything else.
"What's up with you?" Carter had asked earlier that day.
"Nothing, why?" Luca had replied.
"You're always running off, you don't talk to people anymore."
"I just have a lot on my mind" Luca walked away before Carter could ask any more questions. But Abby had asked the same thing. What was wrong with him?
Ria made a noise beside him, and he was instantly alert. Was she breathing normally? Yes. Luca sighed, and rolled over again. He couldn't sleep.
"What on earth is wrong with you?" a quiet voice asked. Ria was awake.
"I can't sleep" he told her tightly. She propped herself up on her elbow.
"Oh. Do you want me to sing you a lulaby?" she asked. Luca laughed.
"A lulaby?"
"It always works. One of the elderly keepers at the home used to sing it to me and when I was older I used it on the younger children"
"Okay. Whatever" Luca agreed bemusedly. He closed his eyes and waited. She started humming, a Christmas song, Silent Night. She brushed a single finger across his cheek, over and over again, and he finally felt himself relaxing. Then she started singing.
"Silent Night. Holy Night. All is calm...all is bright....round yon virign...mother and child...." Her voice was like that of an angel. It would have shocked him to alertness again, if she hadn't been singing so softly and brushing her finger across his cheek. He started to drift off to sleep, listening to what he was sure was a saving angel from heaven.
"All is calm.....all is bright....."
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
Luca tossed in the bed. He'd had a bad day, but not because of anything that had happened. It had been weeks since Ria's revelation, but he'd hardly been able to think of anything else.
"What's up with you?" Carter had asked earlier that day.
"Nothing, why?" Luca had replied.
"You're always running off, you don't talk to people anymore."
"I just have a lot on my mind" Luca walked away before Carter could ask any more questions. But Abby had asked the same thing. What was wrong with him?
Ria made a noise beside him, and he was instantly alert. Was she breathing normally? Yes. Luca sighed, and rolled over again. He couldn't sleep.
"What on earth is wrong with you?" a quiet voice asked. Ria was awake.
"I can't sleep" he told her tightly. She propped herself up on her elbow.
"Oh. Do you want me to sing you a lulaby?" she asked. Luca laughed.
"A lulaby?"
"It always works. One of the elderly keepers at the home used to sing it to me and when I was older I used it on the younger children"
"Okay. Whatever" Luca agreed bemusedly. He closed his eyes and waited. She started humming, a Christmas song, Silent Night. She brushed a single finger across his cheek, over and over again, and he finally felt himself relaxing. Then she started singing.
"Silent Night. Holy Night. All is calm...all is bright....round yon virign...mother and child...." Her voice was like that of an angel. It would have shocked him to alertness again, if she hadn't been singing so softly and brushing her finger across his cheek. He started to drift off to sleep, listening to what he was sure was a saving angel from heaven.
"All is calm.....all is bright....."