Walking an Endless Path Pt. 01

Clara blushed and said, "The baby isn't mine. There was... an incident in the back field, and Karl and Sheriff Monroe returned to the house with him."

Shirley's eyebrows crawled up her forehead as she turned to look at the two men. Belatedly Karl remembered that Shirley was a terrible gossip. He looked over at Jeff.

"Mrs. McCalahan, this is an open investigation of which we cannot discuss the details at this time. Your assistance in the matter of the child is welcome, of course," Jeff said.

"Shirley, would it be possible for you to feed the baby?" Clara asked.

"Well, certainly! I have more than my little Daniel can use!" she laughed. The two women walked off into the kitchen for a little privacy.

Doc Watson turned to Jeff. "Are there any others I need to be looking at?" Jeff looked at Karl, who just looked down.

"No," was all Jeff said.

"Ok. I'd like you to bring the baby to the hospital tomorrow, Karl, so I can do a full examination and run some blood tests on him. He's got an odd tint to his skin and may be a little malnourished."

"Sure," Karl said.

With a glance at both men, Doc Watson packed his bag and headed home. Karl saw him to the door and walked back to Jeff in the living room after checking that Clara and Shirley were still in the kitchen.

Karl sat across from Jeff, his fifty-eight years showing on his tired face. Hell, Karl was only thirty-two, but he felt like he'd aged twenty years tonight.

"I have no idea how I'm supposed to deal with this shit," Jeff said.

Karl understood exactly what he meant. Doorways to who knows where appear in the middle of his cornfield and vanish without a trace, ray-gun-wielding green aliens who melt when they die, and black... things that completely burn and consume human bodies. His mind was spinning! He felt bad for Jeff, whose job was investigating and reporting on this. Karl was a witness, but a witness to what?

"Let's wait until we get a better look at the scene in the morning. I'll leave you and Clara to take care of the child until we can get some kind of identification," Jeff said as he dragged himself to his feet, and Karl walked him out to his SUV. Karl watched him carefully drive away, then went back into the house.

As he walked past the kitchen door, he heard an odd mechanical humming sound and stepped into the doorway. Clara held the baby against her shoulder, rubbing his back to burp him, and Shirley held something against her exposed breast. A breast pump. Probably the one his parents had bought for Clara so long ago. Karl spun in place and walked back out of the kitchen.

"Sorry about that!" he said. "I didn't recognize the noise."

A few minutes later, a smiling Shirley and an annoyed Clara walked out of the kitchen towards the front door.

"You have bottles for at least three feedings, but I'll come back tomorrow to give him another one direct from the source," Shirley said with a big smile.

"Thank you so much, Shirley!" Clara said.

With a nod, the big woman returned to her car and headed home.

Then it was just Karl, Clara, and the baby.

Clara walked over to her husband with the sleeping infant in her arms. Karl couldn't help but smile at that image. Clara smiled too, but then her brow furrowed. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

He didn't keep secrets from Clara. Never did and never would. They sat across from each other, and he slowly and without embellishment explained what he and Jeff had witnessed. When he got to the part where the baby came into contact with the black thing, he only hesitated for a second before continuing. Clara had a right to know. Instead of being frightened, tears came to her eyes, and she held the baby closer.

"I don't know what that stuff was. I think it might have been alive as it seemed to be moving on its own. The teens didn't last long when it was attached to them. But the one that landed on the baby was badly injured, maybe dying. I saw it take a direct hit from the shotgun. I don't know what effect it will have on the boy." Karl looked at the infant in his wife's arms. "We'll take him to the hospital tomorrow for Doc Watson to ensure he's healthy. If nothing bad shows up on the tests, I'm of a mind to keep it from the doctor, as well. I seriously doubt anyone would know how to treat this. The fewer people who know what happened to him, the better. So far, that's you and me, and that's how it should stay. Considering what the child has already been through, I don't want him becoming some experiment in a government lab somewhere. He deserves a chance at a normal life."

Clara's love for her husband was threatening to overwhelm her. He was such a good man. She stood up and crossed to his chair. She settled her petite body on his lap and cuddled into his shoulder, holding the boy between them. Karl could see Clara was already in love with the baby. He just prayed it wouldn't end in heartbreak.

Chapter 2

It had taken two years of legal headaches and bureaucratic red tape, but Clara was finally holding a document stating that Joseph was theirs. She felt a weight she hadn't realized she'd been carrying for so long lift from her shoulders. She felt like laughing and dancing and whooping to the skies above. But mostly, she felt blessed. Little Joseph had opened up her life in ways she could have hardly imagined two years ago. Her new life began the night Karl had rescued the baby. She'd been happy before as Karl was the love of her life, but when he brought her that child, her life just... blossomed.

Karl and Jeff had returned to the scene the following morning with several of the Sheriff's deputies to gather evidence. What they found was scorched earth. Sometime during the night, someone or something had burnt the entire flattened section of corn to ash. Nothing remained. While Karl and Jeff had witnessed the deaths of the two teens, there was no physical evidence left for proof of death. There was no way they could explain what happened that would be believable in court. They finally settled on a story that could fit their evidence: illegal drug operation in the field, coming under fire from assailants using some kind of homemade flame thrower, and finding an abandoned newborn. It wasn't what they wanted to say, but the truth was too bizarre to be accepted.

It wasn't until three weeks later that a man canoeing down the river spotted a submerged car a few miles upstream from the site. The Sheriff had it pulled out of the river and ran its plates. It turned out to have been stolen three states away. Security footage from the truck stop where it went missing showed a young man popping the lock and letting in a young woman holding a small bundle to her chest. It took another month to identify the young man from a still of the video footage. While he had no living next of kin, the girl he was with, who'd had his child and ran off with him, had a mother in New York State.

When the police finally tracked her down, they found a woman deep inside a heroin addiction. They discovered that she had a record for prostitution and child abuse, the victim being her daughter. Initially, she wanted nothing to do with the new baby, but when she was approached about Karl and Clara's wish to adopt it, she suddenly saw her chance to make some money out of the deal. This was when Karl's lawyer stepped in. Karl and Clara didn't know what was done, but a month later, the woman signed the forms relinquishing custody of the child and walked away with a tidy sum of money. Two weeks later, Karl received word from his lawyer that the woman had been found dead from an apparent overdose in her apartment, but her pimp was caught at the airport fleeing with her money.

Their lawyer assisted them through the adoption process and expedited it as best he could, but it still took two years to complete. Clara had been told to expect up to five years, so she was very grateful.

Joseph slept in a bassinette in their room for the first few months, and often Clara would wake in the night and sit on the edge of the bed to watch the child sleep. The doctor had given him a clean bill of health but noted that he was in the lower percentile for weight and size. They estimated his age and got him a birth certificate assigning him May third as his birthday.

When he roughly reached twelve months, Joseph began to experience breathing trouble, and for a while, they had to make him sleep in an oxygen chamber. Then it was digestion issues that eventually cleared. A few months later, Karl and Clara had a scare when Joseph developed a heart arrhythmia and was rushed to the hospital. There were some tense days, but Joseph eventually pulled through that as well. His weight and size remained in the lower percentile through the following year, even though he seemed to be feeding well.

Then Joseph developed a rash that covered his little body. It terrified Clara as it looked like Joe was losing his skin. Every surface was affected, from his scalp to his tiny toes, and Joseph had been so uncomfortable and unhappy. The doctor had prescribed a strong medicated moisturizer as the samples he'd taken indicated the boy's skin was drying out. Clara applied the cream three times a day for a week, and Joseph could not wear clothes as they irritated his skin so much. Even diapers were an issue, so Clara had a few messes to clean up.

Almost a week into this new dilemma, she went to scoop him up first thing in the morning and discovered that his hair had fallen out. All of it, from the top of his head, eyebrows, and eyelashes to the fine, downy hairs on his torso and limbs. Karl suggested they hold off on informing the doctor of this latest development as it would be harder to explain, and they should give it a day in case it was just a transitional state. That was extremely difficult for Clara, but she respected Karl's assessment and agreed a day would be okay. Their caution paid off as Clara found Joseph finally comfortably sleeping in his crib on a pile of dead skin the following morning. She carefully lifted the sleeping child and was amazed at the softness of his new skin. He was pink and healthy-looking, and the few moles he'd had were no longer there. His skin was completely free of any blemishes. There was also a fine peach fuzz of new hair on his scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes but nowhere else. They let the doctor know the cream worked, and he was pleased.

Doc Watson was their constant champion as he treated each of Joseph's conditions. It seemed like one after another of Joseph's little organs had to fight a battle in an ongoing war. All Clara could do was stay by his side and remain vigilant for the next symptom.

And provide him with hugs and kisses, of course!

Joseph was officially theirs today and hadn't had any health issues in over two months. He was a little over two years of age and still small but a happy, curious child. Clara felt like they'd finally exited from a long tunnel into the light. She felt like celebrating.

She made Karl his favorite meal and set the table with candles. As a final touch, she chilled a couple of bottles of their favorite wine.

Karl knew something was up when he entered the house that night as the scent of a delicious pork roast had his mouth watering as he stood in the entranceway. He looked into the dining room and saw the good china and candles. His face split into a grin, and he knew what it meant.

"Clara!" he called out with a smile.

She came out of the kitchen with Joseph on her hip and a huge smile on her face. She handed Joseph to Karl, who kissed the boy into giggles, then she dug the letter from her apron pocket.

"He's ours!" she said, holding up the letter and squealing with glee!

Karl scooped her up with his right arm, and the three did a little dance at the entrance of their home. They all laughed, and Karl and Clara had tears of joy in their eyes.

Dinner was delicious, and they enjoyed the wine very much. Perhaps a little too much, but it was a magical night. Karl and Clara were never more in love than at that moment when their family was complete. They were giddy with joy and an overabundance of good wine. Once Joseph was in bed, they returned to the master bedroom and made love with energy they'd never experienced before. Perhaps it was fueled by their joy, their relief at having won the battle for Joe, or just their fierce love for each other. Maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the wine, but whatever the cause, they made love three times that night and fell into a deep, satisfied sleep in each other's arms.

Clara missed her next period and became concerned due to her history. She made an appointment with her gynecologist Jillian who'd helped her through her two miscarriages. The doctor took blood and did a urine test to confirm if she was pregnant.

"Clara, the blood work will take a few days, but the urine test confirms you are very likely pregnant. The pill isn't one hundred percent effective, and you may have just proven that. What do you want to do?" Jillian asked.

The woman put her hand on her stomach and thought about the joy Joseph brought to her life. She also thought of how much she loved Karl and what giving him his own child would mean to them. She had a chance to bring even more love into her home, but her history frightened her. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I want this baby so much!"

Jillian nodded and took Clara's hand. "Then we do everything we can to make this as smooth and routine as possible for you. This means plenty of rest, a good diet, gentle exercise, limiting your stress, and lots of hugs and kisses for Joseph!" she smiled. She knew Joseph was the best medicine for Clara, who absolutely glowed when she spoke of her adopted son.

Clara laughed and hugged Jillian, then wiped the tears from her eyes. She had big news for Karl.

Chapter 3

Karl paced the waiting room floor. He'd wanted to be in the operating room with Clara when she gave birth to their child, but there hadn't been time after he rushed her to the hospital. The phrase, third time's the charm, kept repeating like a mantra in his mind. Clara's third pregnancy had seemed charmed in comparison with the first two. Holding and being with Joseph really calmed Clara, and she remained serene throughout her pregnancy. There had been no issues at all until today. Then her water broke, and the baby had been in an awful hurry to join the world. It was February fourteenth, so it must have wanted to be a Valentine's Day baby! Karl barely managed to get to the hospital when Clara was scooped up by Jillian and her team and rushed into the delivery room. They were taking no chances.

So now, he paced.

He'd called Shirley McCalahan, who had Joseph at her place for a play day with her son Daniel. He let her know that Clara was having their baby. The news was likely all over town by now. Maybe the county.

He looked up as Jillian walked into the room with a big smile.

"Hi, Karl. Both Clara and the baby are fine. You can see them in recovery room one," she said.

Karl gave her a big hug and ran down the hall to see his wife.

He found Clara resting in a bed with a tiny bundle in her arms. She smiled up at him, and he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. "Hello, Mama," he said gently.

"Papa, may I introduce your daughter, Amy Lynn Neumann," she said with tears of joy.

"She's beautiful! Takes after her mother, clearly," Karl rumbled, his voice thick with emotion. His beautiful wife Clara, his happy boy Joseph, and now, his delicate daughter Amy. How could a man be so blessed with joy?

Chapter 4

Joe was the smallest kid in his grade five class, but that didn't really seem to bother him. He did well in his lessons, and his marks were good, aside from gym class, where he struggled to keep up. Overall, not an A student but definitely a solid B, maybe even a B+.

Though he was typically quiet, serious, and shy, he did have a few friends. Mostly girls, truth be told, as he couldn't keep up with the other boys with their games and sports. The girls thought his chocolate brown eyes and long lashes were dreamy, but girls mature faster than boys, so he was unaware of this.

Amy was three grades behind him, but he took his responsibility as her big brother very seriously. From the moment his parents brought her home and introduced him to his new sister, they got along famously. He was right behind her when she was learning to walk, ready to catch her if she fell. His parents were delighted though they made sure Joseph gave Amy room to fall occasionally, as that's part of growing up too.

They were sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch together when Robbie Wexler passed by. He was in grade six, and the Wexler brothers were known for being bullies. Robbie, the youngest of the brothers, was especially cruel and targeted some younger students this year. He reached out and took Amy's sandwich with a smirk. He took a bite, spit it out on the floor, and tossed the rest of the sandwich back at Amy's head. His eyes were on Joe the entire time.

Joe picked the bits of sandwich from Amy's hair and saw a tear roll down her cheek as she noticed the stain on her favorite dress.

Joe stood up and looked him right in the eye. Robbie was getting excited. This was exactly what he wanted. He hated how the girls talked about Joe and wanted to put the puny little squirt in his place. He'd show the girls what a real man was when he pounded this little turd into the ground. His smile faltered a little when, for a second, he thought he saw Joe's eyes turn completely black. He'd never seen that before.

Suddenly, he was falling back as Joe launched himself at his face. Robbie felt Joe's fist strike him in the cheek and became dazed. He tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. Joe followed him down, a flurry of punches striking his upraised arms and shoulders. Robbie couldn't think straight. He was so frightened and started to scream and cry.

Suddenly Joe's weight left his body, and Robbie looked up through his tears to see his two older brothers, Ray holding Joe from behind by the arms and Randy throwing punches at Joe's face and stomach. Robbie struggled to his feet, needing to salvage some of his pride. As he got closer, he saw Joe slam his head back into Ray's face. There was a sickening crunch as Ray's nose broke with a spray of blood. Ray screamed and grabbed at his face releasing Joe's arms. Randy's next punch missed, but Joe's wild flailing punch caught him right in the throat. Randy went down on his knees, choking and clutching his neck. Joe spun around to look at Robbie.

"Apologize to Amy," Joe said with deadly calm.

Robbie froze. Joe's shirt was torn, and the collar was smeared with Ray's blood. He was breathing hard, but his eyes had turned cold and black again, and they were locked on his. Then he blinked, and the black was gone, but the cold was not. Robbie couldn't move, and he'd never been more frightened in his life.

His body betrayed him one more time. He wet himself.

He moaned as the wet heat spread through his pants and down his leg. Some of the kids who'd gathered around to watch the fight spotted the dark stain and started to laugh and point at Robbie.

Vice Principle Franklin and Coach Rawlings suddenly waded through the crowd of students. They saw the Wexler boys and immediately grabbed them by their collars, assuming they were the instigators. Then they saw Joe's torn and blood-splattered shirt. Ray's nose was clearly broken, Randy was holding his throat, gasping and looking a little green, and Robbie's cheek was puffed up, and... he'd wet himself. The coach looked at the VP with eyebrows raised. Tiny little Joseph Neumann in a fight? Against three older boys and on his feet at the end? It made no sense.

The school nurse arrived with several other teachers, leading the Wexler brothers off to the nurse's office.