My Lost Hero (Angels of War Series #1) REWRITING 2024

Chapter Twenty-seven

I had one more shift left at work before my two-week holiday. I had some pretty big plans for it, the most important task being my sister's wedding. My bags packed and ready in the boot of my car, all I had to do was pick up the customised bouquet from the florist down the road and head up to Louth. I spent ages searching for ideas on a wedding gift for my sister, choosing the flowers because I knew she had a soft spot for them.

I moved the pile of Biology books from the box in the learning quarter and loaded them onto the shelves, positioning each book in order by the numbers printed on the front cover. I swear half of them were always missing in another department, a lot of the times because people got lost in this enormous place and gave up trying to find where the book lived.

"Excuse me," a timid voice said from behind me. "Can you point me toward the Physiology section?"

I glanced up at the young girl who was a regular here from the local college and used my finger to guide her in the right direction. "Physiology is on the far right, honey."

"Of course, it is." She palmed her forehead. "What an idiot am I? Is the sign not big enough to see?"

I giggled and rested my palms on my knees, thinking she wasn't the only one to do that. "Not to worry. It's late, and I'm sure you've been studying all day."

"Yeah, thanks!" She scuttled off in the direction I told her to go and disappeared from view.

I put away the rest of the books, checked up on library cards and noted who was overdue before Diane came in at five o'clock to relieve me. My stomach turned with nerves. This would be my longest drive to date and knowing it was rush hour didn't help. I hurried along to the staff room and collected my belongings, giving a few other students a wave when they told me goodbye in the couch corner.

"Wait, a second." Diane met me near the entrance door holding a gift-wrapped box. "This is for your sister and her husband from all of us here."

How touching. I took the gift from her hands with a warm heart. "Wow, thank you, Diane. They will be so touched."

She smiled before giving me a quick hug. "You take care and enjoy yourself, okay? That is an order."

"I will. See you in a few weeks."

The road heading towards the dual-carriageway wasn't as bad as I expected and before I knew it I was driving towards Hanna's house and parking next to their Land Rover. My car door was halfway open when the front door flew open and my sister was near the hood of my car. The swell of her belly noticeable with the tight jumper she wore.

"How was your drive up here? Any problems?" she said, giving me a long squeeze.

My family were still wary of my driving alone since it wasn't all that long ago that I passed my test. I rested my hand on her belly. "All fine. Look at you."

Her hand brushed around her belly with a grin. "Oh, I know. Time is going by too fast, but I'm not sad about that. Not when we'll have our little boy in our arms sooner."

I stopped dead. "Boy?!"

Her eyes sparkled in my direction. "Yes! We're having a baby boy."

"Stop it." I wriggled my hands about as my feet left the ground on a big jump. "Shut the heck up."

Not wasting any time, I sprang forward to hold my sister again, burying my nose in her hair, whispering, "Stop it."

"Oh, Tabby," she whispered back, and we must have stayed there for a good ten minutes, laughing in each other's arms, high on freaking life. A nephew. The thought sent me into a spin. "A real life baby boy that's all ours."