Link To The Past

Chapter Thirty

A day had come and gone since Thomas's return. His shoulder was still hurting but he was able to move around on his own and getting out of that tent was the first thing he did. Second, breakfast was in order and he was given a heaping pile of oatmeal and some bread. It might not have seemed like much but to Thomas, it was more than enough. It was then when he noticed he hadn't seen Kristine yet. He had woken up with her gone from his side. At the time he didn't think much of it, but now he was really starting to wonder where she was.

Suddenly, a sinking feeling landed in the pit of his stomach. What if Kristine had gone back to the future? What about their unborn child? Thomas left his half-eaten breakfast for the birds to finish off and hurried to find his wife.
"Abigail! Have you seen Kristine?" He asked his devoted servant and friend as he came across her.
Abigail thought for a moment. "Last I saw her she was having breakfast. Is something wrong, Thomas?"
Thomas rubbed the back of his head out of worry and frustration. "Uh, no."
Abigail knew something was up. "Thomas...I'm sorry about your father. Kristine may be with the rest of the family over there." She pointed at a small hut. "That's where they took your father to clean him up. I imagine they will bury him soon. Don't worry, I will be there too."
Thomas didn't want to think about his father being gone. It was too surreal. He tried to contain his emotions as he did not want to appear weak. "Thank you, Abigail."

Thomas ran off to be with his family, and just as Abigail had said, his family was there. They were all crowded around their father. He had been cleaned up very nicely.
"Thomas!"Margaret was the first to see him and she ran up to put her arms around him.
"Ouch..."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Margaret quickly apologized. "How is your shoulder?"
"It's better." He forced a smile.
From there the rest of his family slowly approached him and all embraced him with loving arms.
Nathan wiped a single tear from the corner of his eye. "I knew you'd be okay." He smiled.
Thomas gave his brother a pat on the back before looking at Samuel, William, and of course Susan. Thomas knew he would have to talk with her one one one eventually and confront her about the diary. What happened that day Kristine almost burned it to ashes? "Where's Kristine?"
"She needed some fresh air." Everyone turned to the door and saw aunt Charlotte. "I was with her just now on the beach." She walked up to Benjamin's body and caressed his hair.
"When will he be buried?" Thomas asked his aunt.
Charlotte did not answer right away. Instead, she sighed and sniffed as she fought to hold back her tears. "We want to wait for Gabriel, but we don't know where he is. We've sent out men to look for him but..." Her words became silent.
"I'll go get Kristine." Before leaving, Thomas reached for his father's hand and squeezed it gently. It was cold and stiff. His death still didn't seem real.

As Thomas made his way down the sandy path and to the beach, he saw Kristine standing inches from the shore.
"Kristine," Thomas called out, but she did not turn to look at him. "Kristine." He said louder this time.
"Oh, Thomas..." She turned about to face him and dried her wet cheeks. "How is your shoulder?" She forced a smile.
Thomas reached for her with his good arm as it was hard to lift the arm where his shoulder had been wounded. He brought Kristine in for a long hug. He took in her scent as he kissed her soft forehead. "You scared me. I didn't know where you were, I thought you had gone back."
Kristine knew what he meant by that and apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry." She snuggled closer to him and buried her face in his chest.
"We'll be burying my father soon."
"And Gabriel? Has he come back yet?"
Thomas shook his head. "...No."
Kristine sighed as she grabbed on to Thomas' shirt. She was afraid of letting him go. "It's been five months now."
Thomas pulled away from his wife a little so he could get a better look at her tummy. He got down on one knee and gently rubbed her belly with his hands. "I can feel the baby." His face then turned to a surprise as he felt the baby kick. "It moved!"
Kristine chuckled. Even in these trying times she still found a reason to be happy. "She has been feisty lately."
Thomas looked up at her with a smirk and raised a brow. "Oh? What makes you think it will be a girl?"
Kristine smiled back. "Call it a hunch."
Thomas then examined her tummy more closely. Being the second oldest, he remembered well the pregnancies and births his mother went through with his younger siblings. He didn't think his mother had ever been this big at five months. Perhaps he wrong and his memory of it had just gotten hazy.