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to live this way, I wanted to be someone's equal. I'm no one now- I'm
nothing." She pushed her coffee aside, uninterested in it now as she laid
her head down on the table and cried once more. After last night, she couldn't
believe she had any tears left to cry.
    She felt calm and collected, and peace filled her to the
brim. Wiping her eyes, she was unsurprised to find RaeLynn's hand on her knee.
She scooped the nearly 7-month-old baby onto her lap and rubbed her chin over
the soft curls. "Hey, baby girl," she said softly. "And I'm
sorry the most for how I treated you. I love you, sweetness."
    A tinkling of bells sounded in her head as a high, sweet
voice said, I love you, Mommy .
Lizbeth let out a shriek, careful to tighten her grip so she didn’t drop Rae.
    "What?" Diandra demanded, as her whole body tensed,
prepared to defend her loved ones. "What's the problem?"
    Lizbeth held a hand up, asking for a moment. Tentatively she
tried to broadcast her thoughts to that tiny pulse she could almost see in her
head. The pulsing glowed lavender and she knew instinctively that was RaeLynn. Baby girl, was that you? Her only
response was another tinkling sound followed by a very familiar giggle.
    "Start talking," Diandra demanded as she tapped
her fingernails impatiently on the table top. She knew something was going on
that she didn't understand, and her posture relaxed slightly. She knew Lizbeth
never would have gestured for her to be quiet if there was an actual problem
she could defend them against, but she didn't like not knowing what was going
on.
    "Well, it appears RaeLynn has another talent I didn't
expect," Lizbeth said dryly, bouncing the baby on her knee and making her
giggle. "She was just speaking to me."
    Everyone just stared at her, as though what she said didn't
make sense to them. "I didn't hear anything," Diandra said, her
confusion written across her pretty face.
    "That's because she chose to talk in my head, the way
you used to, and the way Eamon did earlier." Lizbeth was grinning widely,
every inch the proud parent as she kissed the top of RaeLynn's head.
    Eamon, Adrian and Diandra stared at the baby as if they were
waiting for her to give them confirmation. Never one to disappoint, she gave a
big baby grin and broadcast her thoughts to the room. " I love you !" Tears of joy streamed
down Diandra's face as she doubled over with laughter. Eamon and Adrian
laughed, too, and everyone ran to the baby at once, each wanting to be the one
to hold her. For now, all serious conversation had ended. There were too many
things to celebrate to worry about petty insecurities and the pressing weight
of doubt. Lizbeth was never more grateful for a change in conversation as she
was at that moment.

 
Chapter
Seven
    "You're not off the hook so easily, Lizbeth,"
Eamon admonished her as she attempted to slip from the room unnoticed.
"That's only part of the story, and we all know it."
    Lizbeth opened her mouth to protest but Adrian cut her off. "It's
eating you inside, like cancer," he said quietly. "Why not let us put
our heads together and help you? You don't need to do it all yourself, you
know. You said you're nothing- to all of us here, you're everything. None of us
would be the same if we lost you, so please, come sit back down and let us
help."
    Diandra just glared at her over the top of RaeLynn's head,
having won the fight over who got to hold her first. Defeated, Lizbeth returned
to her seat and picked up her now-cold coffee, sipping at it and making a face.
Adrian chuckled as he went to dump her cold brew out and bring her fresh. Everyone
waited quietly for him to return, and the silence weighed heavily on Lizbeth.
She squirmed uncomfortably in her chair, hating being the center of attention,
especially when the reason wasn't a pleasant one. Even after Adrian came back
and took a seat the silence continued.
    Unable to take it anymore, Lizbeth broke the silence.
"What do you people want from me?" she burst out. "I've told