Richard

Moving to his wife's side, he reached out and took her hand in his. Her head moved slightly as she felt him beside her.

"Richard," she whispered almost too low to hear. "Our baby, Richard..."

"I know, my love," he said as he took the baby from the midwife, who'd returned to the room with her cradled in her arms. "But look here, darling. Here's Madelyn. She's just fine, and she's perfect, darling, with your eyes and hair."

"Our baby, Richard," she whispered, looking into his eyes with her half-closed violets. "She's so special."

"Aye, my love, she is," he said to her. "Just like her mother."

"Richard, take her," she labored to tell him something. "Care...care..."

"Yes, my love, she will be cared for."

"No, Richard, you..." she fought for breath. "You don't...understand..." her eyes closed momentarily before she finally took one long breath and whispered, "Careful. She is no ordinary child." Her eyes closed.

"Please, my love," Richard said softly, dismissing her words. "Please rest, save your strength."

A small smile touched the corners of her lips as she whispered to him, "I love you, Richard. Remember, my love: I am yours, always."

"And I am yours, my love, always," Richard said to her. And as her last breath left her, she whispered along with her husband those words that had sealed their union only 12 short months before this night: "Malit zho."

***

Five days later, Richard sat in a small cafe with his newborn daughter cradled in his arms. It was Christmas Eve and he was alone with an infant and wondering over the words his wife had whispered to him about their baby girl. "She is no ordinary child," she'd said to him that fateful night.

The bottle he fed his daughter was empty and she stirred, kicking him as if to say "I'm still hungry, daddy." Smiling down at his little treasure, he reached into the diaper bag to find he hadn't packed the other bottle. Cursing himself for being so careless, he began packing his and his daughter's things to return to the hotel room when he looked up upon hearing a soft giggle.

"I thought you - and she - could use this," the young woman who stood there said softly, holding a full bottle out to him.

"Um, yeah," Richard stammered as he reached for the bottle. As he grasped the warm bottle, his fingers brushed hers and he started as a tingle made its way up his arm and through his body. Pausing, he looked into her face as he tripped over a soft "thank you." She smiled brightly to him then sat across from him.

"What's her name?" the woman asked him.

"Maddy...um...Madelyn," he said softly.

"She's beautiful."

"Thank you." He looked at the young woman a moment then back at his daughter, who was nursing hungrily on the bottle. The infant's eyes opened a moment to look into his. He stared into those beautiful violet eyes, tears threatening to fall from his blues, as they reminded him so much of her mother's eyes. Glancing momentarily at the young woman sitting across from him, he asked softly, "Would you like to hold her?"

"Really?" she said, smiling. "I certainly would." She reached across the table as he held Madelyn out for her to take. Cradling the infant to her breast, she held the bottle firmly as he watched her speak softly to his daughter. He felt as if he should understand what she was saying to his child, but couldn't for some reason.

He ate his meal in silence as he watched the young woman hold and feed Madelyn.

"What's your name?" he eventually asked between bites.

"Marie," she said softly, not looking away from the infant she held except to grab a burp cloth from the diaper bag on the table. Setting the empty bottle on the table, she tossed the cloth over her shoulder before settling Maddy's belly against her breast, tucking the infant's little legs under her with her left hand as she patted her back with her right hand. A small satisfied burp erupted from the tiny baby and Marie smiled and praised Maddy before settling her in the crook of one arm as the infant slipped into a contented sleep.

"Would you like a job, Marie?" Richard said suddenly.

"A job?" she repeated, looking at him curiously.

"Yes. A nanny job," he replied. "Would you be a nanny for my Maddy?"

"Well, I could use a job," Marie said. "But will her mother be ok with another woman caring for her child?"

Richard flinched at the mention of his dear wife.

"She doesn't have a mother," he whispered, fighting back tears.

Marie looked at him, then at the baby in her arms. She smiled gently as she glanced back up at Richard and said, "I'll care for your child, Richard, on one condition." He never realized he'd not given her his name.

"What is your condition?"

"We marry on the morrow and I adopt Maddy and raise her as my own daughter."

Richard was tempted to snatch his daughter back and leave immediately, but something stopped him. One side of common sense told him this woman was a stranger and he should look at this demand as being unacceptable, given that they'd just met a few minutes ago. The other side of it told him Maddy needed a mother. His eyes moved from studying Marie's face to the face of his daughter who slept in the woman's arms.

In a split second, he made his decision. For better or for worse, it was the only option he felt he had. Upon agreeing to the arrangement, they left for the local clerk's office to obtain a marriage license. The next day, they returned and a local judge officiated. The same judge arranged for Marie to adopt Madelyn and the day after Richard and Marie were married, Marie's adoption of Madelyn was final.

In a span of 7 days, he'd gone from happily married and expecting, to a widower with an infant daughter, to married to a complete stranger who he trusted for a reason he could not explain.

Eight months later...

Richard and Marie sat in the office of an attorney they'd recently retained for legal advice and the handling of their affairs. They also inquired as to a trust for their daughter, Madelyn. Attorney Brian Hemming glanced at the infant cradled in her mother's arms, and was alarmed to see the eyes his late wife had once told him to watch for, those beautiful violet eyes that were so very rare.

The young couple looked at one another lovingly, then back at Brian as they handed him all of their paperwork. They watched as he looked it over, signed on a few lines, made two copies, and filed one in his personal files before handing the other back to the couple. As he did so, he glanced at the child from time to time, puzzling over this development and why they'd specifically placed him on retainer over any of the other capable attorneys in the city.

"So, is everything on track for that property you told us about when we first spoke?" Marie asked as she bounced the little girl on her knee. Brian smiled as Maddy smiled up at him.

"Yes, it all appears to be in order. But, you won't be able to move in just yet, as there are a few more formalities to go through. I'll call when you can move." He smiled to Marie and Richard as they rose and thanked him.

Richard smiled to the woman beside him who had truly become his wife over the past months as they rose then shook Brian's hand. They left the office, confident they were on their way to their new life together, with this beautiful little girl and with each other.

As Brian watched them leave, he couldn't help but wonder what was in store for him, the couple, everyone back home, but most especially, he wondered for Madelyn. At that moment, he made the decision this family would remain his personal clients and no other attorney in the firm would touch their affairs. As for Madelyn, he knew fate had special plans for her and would do everything in his power to ensure her safety.