“I guess I can see his point. So much of the research these days is on machines like Tipler Cylinders and the Hadron Collider. Yet, even with all that technology, there’s been no success. A true time machine is still in the realm of science fiction. Fortunately, what we’re dealing with is a natural phenomenon, not a vehicle with dials and controls. And speaking of practical, I did bring the gemstones Kota asked for. I also determined the full moon will emerge at 7:01 p.m. on the 18th.”
“I’m totally invested in this, but it’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I’ll soon be going back in time. If I hadn’t lived through this whole thing with Reno, I’d consider it to be a fairy tale.”
“I don’t believe you.” Lou shook her head and took Journey’s hand. “In some ways, I think you wished him here. Conjured him like a genie from a lamp.”
“Maybe. I wished hard enough if that counts. Still…time travel. It’s mind-boggling. Am I going to fit in to this new world? Will going through the portal be painful?”
Lou nodded, her fingers trailing through the ends of her own hair. “I can certainly understand your questions. Most scientists who give any credence to time travel at all, consider going to the past to be impossible. They site paradoxes as the problem. Of course, Reno has only come forward to the future, he hasn’t gone back in time yet. So, all of this is conjecture.”
“It’s got to work. If it doesn’t, it’ll kill him. He’ll never be able to live with the guilt.”
“Time will tell.” She took Journey’s hands. “If it does work, I’m certainly going to miss you. I won’t lie and say that being part of this event could be the opportunity of a lifetime for me, but losing my best friend is a high price to pay.”
“You’re not losing me.” Even as she said the words, Journey knew it wasn’t true. She would be gone. The same as dead and gone.
“Oh, I’ll know you’ll be out there…somewhere. Time is tenseless. The future and past are no less real than the present.”
All of a sudden, Journey began to cry.
“What’s wrong?” Lou asked with concern. “What did I say?”
Journey waved her hands. “I’m going to miss you too, if I go.”
“What do you mean if you go? I thought it was all settled.”
In a rush of emotion, Journey confessed everything. Reno’s concern and how he was acting. “He won’t discuss our leaving. We can talk about anything else in the world, but he won’t go there. It’s like he’s in denial about it. I don’t understand.”
“Well…I know he was concerned for your safety before you found out you were pregnant. I can only imagine how worried he is now.”
“Oh, hell. See? I know you’re voicing his concerns. I just wish he’d talk to me about it. This is a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Maybe he’s not so willing.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” She got up to pace the room. “I don’t think I could survive without him. I’ll go crazy if he goes without me.”
“Journey, calm down. Remember the baby.”
She wheeled on her friend. “Don’t you start! I’m pregnant, not sick.”
“Yes, but they used to call it a ‘delicate condition’ for a reason.”
She ignored Lou, her mind reeling with questions. “At one time, he said he’d come back to me. Just as soon as he did what he needed to do, he’d turn around and come back.”
When Lou said nothing, Journey rushed over to sit next to her. “Tell me that would be a possibility.”
Lou shrugged. “I told you. I can’t be sure of anything.”
“I know.” She played with the gold band on her finger. “That’s why I’ve got to go when he goes. If something happens to him, I want it to happen to me too.”
“Journey, the baby…”
“The baby is precious to me.” She touched the place where it lay beneath her heart. “Very precious.” She lifted her eyes to Lou. “But not as precious as Reno.”
When Lou didn’t look shocked, Journey leaned forward. “Is that a sin, Lou? A betrayal of my motherly instincts?”
“No. I don’t think so. You’re one of the lucky women who have found the love of her life. You don’t want to lose him. I can’t blame you for that.”
Lou’s empathy calmed Journey down a bit. “I still need to make him talk to me. Earlier, I was going to pin him down. I ended up chickening out. Instead of asking him if he wanted me to go back in time, I asked him if he still wanted to get married?”
“And what did he say?”
She stuck her tongue out at Lou. “Well, the wedding is still on. He was adamant that he wanted to marry me more than anything.”
Lou shook her finger at Journey. “You need to stop doubting your man. You’ve got one in a million there. Even if he wasn’t a miracle from the past, he’d be any girl’s dreamboat.”
Journey smiled. “You’re right about that. I need to count my blessings as Aunt Myra would say?”
“When’s your aunt coming home?”
Journey looked out the window. “Today, supposedly. Uncle Myles is still hanging in there. I know she wants to come home, but she wants to be with him too. You can’t really complain because it takes a long time for a person to die.”
“No,” Lou agreed. “That would be a bit crass.”
“When he’s lucid, they’re enjoying their time together. Still, I expect her any moment. She would’ve called if she’d been delayed.”
Journey no more than finished her sentence when Myra drove up.
From a distance, Reno saw her and came forward to help with the
