The Last Stand - Brad Ferguson [48]
“Hello, Daddy,” the woman said, managing a smile for him. She looked tired and drawn.
“Grampa!” the child cried happily. She pulled away from her mother and ran to Kerajem as he came out from behind his desk.
“Ha!” Kerajem greeted her. The girl’s feet gleefully kicked the air as Kerajem swept her up in a roundhouse embrace. “How’s my precious little bug?” he asked, hugging her to him.
“I’m fine, Grampa,” she said, kissing his cheek. “I missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Kara,” he said, putting her down gently. “I’ve missed you very much. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. I haven’t had much of a chance to come see you and Mommy.”
“I know. It’s okay. Mommy told me you were busy. Mommy’s missed you, too.”
“And I’ve missed her,” Kerajem said, putting his granddaughter down. “Hello, Seletina,” he said to his daughter. He kissed her on the cheek, and they hugged each other very hard indeed. “Thanks for coming.”
“As if you could have kept us away,” she said into his shoulder. Her voice was thick with hidden tears. “We haven’t seen you for so long, what with all this going on. I’m glad you sent for us.”
“I’m glad you could get here.” Kerajem hugged her even more tightly. After a moment, he stopped and took a step back. They looked at each other, red-eyed.
“Why are you crying, Mommy?” asked Kara.
“It’s all right, honey,” her mother replied. “I’m just happy to see Grampa, that’s all.”
“There’s a little something for you over there on the desk, Bug,” Kerajem said. “Go and see.”
The girl hurried over and threw herself into Kerajem’s plush office chair. She leaned forward in the seat and grasped the small package Kerajem had placed there. She began to unwrap it. “A music cube!” she cried. “Oh!”
“What do you say, Kara?” her mother called.
“Thank you, Grampa.”
“You’re welcome, Bug,” he said. “Do you know how to work it?”
“Sure. See?” The girl pushed the black button on one side of the cube, and the device began playing a thin rendition of a simple children’s song. She interrupted it after a few seconds by pushing the button again, allowing the cube to select another song at random.
“I remember that one very well,” Seletina said. “‘The Old Miner’s Wife.’ You don’t hear it much anymore. You used to sing it to me.”
“I remember,” he said. “It would help you get to sleep after—”
“After Mother died,” Seletina finished for him. She smiled. “I guess I should finally tell you I was shamming.”
“Eh? You’re kidding me.”
“No.” She hugged him again. “I knew you’d sit up all night trying to sing me to sleep if you had to, and I’d worry that you wouldn’t get any rest at all. So I closed my eyes, and after a minute you would kiss me on the forehead and leave the room. When I heard your door close, I’d sit up and read until I could really fall asleep.”
Kerajem shook his head ruefully. “Outfoxed by a seven-year-old,” he said. “Please don’t tell Jemmagar. It could ruin me.”
“Don’t worry, Daddy. He won’t hear about it from me.”
They laughed together. It was a good sound.
“Did you two have any trouble getting here?” he asked Seletina after a moment.
“Not with that escort you sent for us,” she replied. “We got through the jams on the main roads without any trouble at all. We attracted an awful lot of attention, though. I hope no one asks you about it.”
“I just wanted to make sure you got here in one piece. Besides, everyone’s a little too busy right now to worry about my pulling a few strings for the benefit of my family. Did the movers get everything packed?”
“Everything we hadn’t sent up already, yes. The ‘spinner is full to bursting with the last-minute things.” Seletina paused. “Going to the mountains isn’t going to do much good, is it, Daddy?” she asked him,