Flowing fields of life after the island

  Juliet had to admit, it was strange being off the island. But she was grateful she was home. A cruise ship of all things had somehow miraculously managed to find them. Hoisting her three-year-old daughter Cara from the rented car seat they'd gotten from the car rental place, she nervously looked up at the house her sister Rachel lived in. Cara brought Juliet out of her thoughts.

"Mommy? Where are we?"

Kissing Cara's forehead, Juliet responded to Cara's questioning.

"This is your Auntie Rachel's house. Remember the lady we talked to on the phone? We're going to see her."

Cara gave a grin as Juliet rang the doorbell. The door flew open and out came Rachel into Juliet's arms.

"Oh, my god Jules! You're here! Oh, and this must be Cara. She's beautiful Juliet."

James sat quietly next to Juliet and then cleared his throat. Juliet parted from Rachel's embrace and gestured towards James.

"Rach I'd like you to meet my husband James. James this is my sister Rachel."

James stuck his hand out for Rachel to shake. As the two women made their way into the house Rachel leaned in and whispered in Juliet's ear.
"Your man is absolutely gorgeous. Does he have a brother?"

Juliet almost snorted and shifted Cara in her arms. Cara looked at Juliet with a look of impatience.

"Mommy put me down."

Complying with Cara's wishes, Juliet put her down and Rachel turned her attention to Julian.

"Julian honey, can you take Cara to the other room and play?"

Julian nodded and took his cousin's hand. Cara squealed and followed Julian down the hall to his room. The adults now having entered the kitchen began having a conversation and catching up.

"Make yourselves comfortable, I'll get some drinks started and you can start at the beginning with what happened to you."

As Rachel set Juliet's lemonade in front of her she smiled.

"For a second there I thought you were going to give me something else to drink. Something stronger. I'm only asking because I can't have that right now."

Rachel's eyes got as wide as tires and she whirled around on her heel, putting her hand over her mouth. Taking it away, tears were glistening and streaming down her face.

"When did you find out?"

Juliet fidgeted in her chair slightly and then gave a nervous laugh.

"The timing would just confuse you. Fourteen weeks. I'm due in July."

Rachel wanted to almost scoff at Juliet.

"That's it little sis, no morning carrying that little munchkin of yours around."

Juliet giggled and sat back in her chair after taking a sip of her lemonade.

"Hayley's only forty pounds."

Rachel became confused and so did James.

"Who's Hayley Jules? Don't you mean Cara?"

Now Juliet was equally confused.

"Yes Cara. I don't know why I said Hayley. Why does that name sound so familiar to me?"

As Juliet took another sip of her lemonade, she saw flashes of a little blond girl dancing. When the girl flashed before her eyes again, she could clearly see her face. So you're Hayley. But when did I have you? Juliet was left to wonder about the little girl she was seeing flashes of and she chalked it up to flowing fields of life after the island.

End