GREAT DREAMS

by JoAnn Baca

Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
~ Harriet Tubman

“Laith!”

The tall, broad-shouldered man turned at the sound of his name. He smiled as he recognized the owner of the voice and waited until the tousle-headed older man who had called out shuffled up to him.

“Uncle Mouse! I didn’t expect to see you Up Top!”

Mouse panted with the effort of having rushed to catch up with his godson. “Meeting Kanin. Need special tools.” As his breathing returned to normal, Mouse’s lips turned up into his sunniest smile. “Hug?”

Laith laughed. “Of course!” He bent to embrace his godfather who, although middle-aged, and despite the grey threading through his blond locks, still bore the look of a man-child.

A glance at his watch revealed he had just enough space in his schedule for a chat, so Laith asked, “Do you have time for tea?”

Mouse nodded, although Laith wasn’t sure if that meant that he was very early, or that Kanin would be cooling his heels somewhere because Mouse had decided that tea with his godson was an even more enticing prospect than shopping for tools. He didn’t want to dampen Mouse’s spirits by asking him, though, so he settled for hoping Kanin wouldn’t be waiting too long.

Laith indicated a little diner across the street, and the two men  – Laith’s hand firmly on the older man’s shoulder – waited for the light to turn green.

After they had ordered their tea, Laith admitted, “It’s been too long since I’ve been Below. I’ll try to get down this weekend.”

“Big party!” Mouse replied, nodding.

Confused at first, chagrin set in as Laith realized it was almost that weekend. How could it have slipped his mind? True, having recently been named head of the English Department at Columbia, his days were consumed by administrative work in addition to his already full teaching schedule, not to mention finding time to conduct research on his latest book. His life was crazy busy these days, even if he loved every moment of it. But none of that was an excuse for nearly forgetting his parents’ anniversary party.

His mind tracked guiltily to the list of items his sister had asked him to get for the celebration. She must be furious with him for having waited so long. He was immensely relieved that running into his godfather allowed him to save face with her. Seeing April 12 on his calendar would have reminded him to attend the party, of course, but if his sister would have had to come Above to prod him about the one thing she had asked him to do for it, it would have been embarrassing, not to say the source of unrelenting grousing on her part.

Their tea arrived, accompanied by two freshly baked blueberry scones. Mouse gobbled his down, followed by a large gulp of his tea. Laith handed him half of his own scone, and he smiled as he watched it, too, disappear. As usual, having a snack with Mouse took very little time.

Laith laid his hand atop his godfather’s. “You go meet Kanin, Uncle Mouse. I’ll see you at the end of the week.”

Mouse had scooted out of the diner so quickly that his “OK good!” was still ringing in Laith’s ears as the door swung shut. Even as Laith smiled after him, his mind was working on the problem of freeing up his Saturday evening in order to attend the party.

* * *

“But you have to at least make an appearance!” insisted Professor Otoye, perturbed to hear that the new head of department was even considering blowing off the university president’s faculty dinner. “It’s unheard of for a department head – let alone a newly appointed one, and the youngest department head ever – to miss it!”

“I will explain to her why I can’t make it, David,” Laith promised. “Unfortunately, the timing precludes even a drop-in.”

“Ridiculous,” fumed his compatriot. “Your parents should understand. Your career takes precedence….”

Laith raised one large, strong hand to stop David’s stream of words. “Nothing takes precedence over my family. If you knew how much my parents went through before I was born…well, trust me, you would realize that my presence is much more important to them than to any ten university presidents combined.”

Grumpily admitting defeat, Professor Otoye shrugged. “If you say so. I still think you’re making a mistake.”

“Trust me, I wasn’t selected to head the department based on my ability to schmooze at parties. I’d still be a junior professor with a broom closet for an office if I had to depend on my charm to get by.” Laith smiled and slapped his old friend on the back. “I do appreciate your concern for me, truly. And if it were any other celebration, believe me, I would explain to my parents why I couldn’t be there, and they would understand.”

* * *

“Ru, you know how busy he is. Don’t expect the impossible,” Catherine admonished her daughter.

“Seriously, Mom?” Ru – Rouhi, formally – was ever at odds with her baby brother. Being in his early 30s didn’t diminish the fact that he was, and always would be, the baby of the family, at least in his older sister’s eyes. “I didn’t expect a lot from him, but I did expect at least an attempt to help out.”

“You live Below…which was your choice, Ru,” her mother reminded her. “You can make time, adjust your schedule, in more ways than Laith can. His responsibilities….”

“His choice,” she argued, cutting her mother off. “He didn’t have to take on the extra work of department head. He’s.…”

This time Catherine interrupted her daughter. “Stop it! Besides, I know you’re proud of your brother. If you’re having second thoughts about quitting your medical training, don’t take it out on him.”

Her words stung her daughter into silence, as she had no doubt intended. Ru’s plan, for as long as she could remember, was to go to medical school, complete her internship, then do a residency in family practice before returning home to care for the community. She had accomplished only part of that plan. After graduating from medical school, and with the end of her internship within reach, the lack of medical care Below had become so acute that Ru had let her heart govern her decisions: she had dropped out six months before completion of her internship to return to the Tunnels and take on the responsibility of caring for the community. Without being in a training program, however, she was severely limited in what she could prescribe and the kind of treatment she could offer – she couldn’t order hospital tests Above, for instance. Still, she was providing the kind of care the community most needed and was grateful for.

Catherine hadn’t agreed with Ru’s decision to leave her internship, to put it mildly. Abandoning her dream was hard enough. Her mother’s disapproval hadn’t helped any. Ru was frustrated and stubborn, and her brother’s recent professional successes had inspired pride and jealousy in equal measure.

Realizing she had hurt Ru with her sharp words, Catherine softened, reaching out a hand and stroking her proud daughter’s cheek. She noted, as she always did, how Ru’s eyes were the exact shade of Vincent’s, and how her high cheekbones echoed her father’s. Not for the first time, Catherine marveled at her daughter’s looks – her visage a softened version of Vincent’s, hinting at the somewhat leonine facial structure while appearing completely within the category of what passed for “normal” Above. Laith, too, possessed these features, which never failed to amaze Catherine and mollify her husband, who had feared their children would bear what he continued to think of as his facial deformities.

“Laith can be quite single-minded…and not as thoughtful as he might be,” she conceded, drawing a grim smile from her child, who, in turn, gave a reluctant nod.

“And I knew this going in. You’re right, I need to take responsibility for planning such an elaborate party and not expect him to drop everything to come help.”

Catherine smiled tenderly. “You know your father and I don’t need a big celebration. What’s most important is to have our family and friends with us.” Her eyes twinkled as she added, her voice serious, “And cake. We must have cake.”

Ru’s smile turned cheerful, as Catherine had intended. “Oh, you’ll have cake, don’t worry about that. Dad’s getting a nice big chocolate cake as a reward for putting up with you for all these years!”

* * *

The tapping, so late at night, was unexpected, but it was a message Ru was glad to hear. She rushed to meet the sender, catching him halfway to the Home Tunnels as he pushed a laden cart.

“I hadn’t heard from you since I sent you the list of what I needed. I’d nearly given up on you,” she said by way of greeting, but she reached up to ruffle her baby brother’s magnificent fall of dark gold hair to show him she wasn’t too upset with him.

“You would have been right to, and I apologize,” Laith replied sincerely. “If I hadn’t run into Uncle Mouse Above today, I would have remembered this too late. I’m so sorry, Ru.”

They hugged each other, Ru’s residual anger melting upon hearing his words, and feeling the warmth of her brother’s love surrounding her, a slight echo of a Bond imbuing them both with the certainty of their mutual affection. “You’re here, with the supplies, so all is forgiven,” she said.

Truly relieved to hear her words, Laith nodded. “I have another cartload in the garage. If you’ll help me unload this, I’ll get the rest.”

As if sensing their need for extra hands, Mouse appeared, along with half a dozen of the community’s teenagers. “Here to help!” Mouse chirped, hugging Laith.

Everyone Below was slightly in awe of the son of Vincent and Catherine, irrespective of his intellect: he was just so gorgeous. So Mouse had had no trouble enlisting helpers this late in the evening, drawing both girls and boys away from homework or video games. Anything for a chance to be in Laith’s presence for even a little while.

Their adoring faces made Ru grind her teeth. Laith never had realized how much his compelling good looks and captivating persona drew people to him – which likely was part of his charm. She knew he had gotten his most recent promotion due to the quality and breadth of his published material, but he had never factored in the reality of how dynamic his personal attributes were, and how they most certainly helped cement the assessment of his professional ones. He was, as Aunt Nancy often said, “the complete package.”

Under Mouse’s instructions, the cart was quickly unloaded. Ru advised them where to store the supplies, and she returned to the garage of their mother’s co-op with Laith, filling him in on the plans for the party as they walked.

Laith let Ru’s words wash over him, half listening but not fully engaged. Ru was terrific at organizing things, very like their grandfather Jacob in that respect. It was just one of the reasons that Laith considered his sister the heir apparent for their father’s position as leader of the community’s Council. She had not just the brains, she had the dedication to those Below that was necessary if someone was to devote their lifetime to the care of their hidden community.

He often felt guilty for abandoning them all to pursue his dream of an academic career, yet to see his father’s face when he was handed each diploma, each peer-reviewed publication, each scholarly tome, each novel and book of poetry, made him realize he was living a dream that was not his alone. Still, he needed to focus better on being the kind of Helper his sister could depend on. That she had abandoned her own career Above to move back home was something that still amazed him, for he couldn’t see himself ever doing it, even though he could much more easily balance the demands of his career and those of the community Below than his sister. Hers had been an either/or situation, yet she had burned long and carefully constructed bridges Above when the need Below was critical.

He had never been able to discuss her decision with her. The prospect filled him with dread. He was not sure he had the words to express the proper support for something he didn’t entirely agree with. Years of education…squandered. Not exactly down the drain, for she was a doctor in every way that mattered to those Below, but…Above she was now merely a drop-out. She had committed career suicide. It pained him. His brilliant, dedicated sister – so talented, so perfectly suited to the field of medicine – was a wash-out to everyone she had known and worked with Above.

While his mother had made her feelings quite clear on the matter, his father had never, in Laith’s hearing, commented about it. He had merely accepted Ru’s decision with an enveloping hug. But Laith could read his father’s face – a face remarkable for containing emotion when he wished to – and it spoke loudly to Laith of despair at the loss of Ru’s dream, deflected from its path in part because of the necessity of her own father needing to remain hidden Below. His father, essentially, blamed himself. How many families, over the decades, had returned Above to live? How many children, raised Below, found new purpose and relationships in the world Up Top and left to pursue a different life? Yet their own family was bound by more than ties of affection to the community Below, despite excellent reasons to relocate Above…and it was all because of his father.

As much as his heart hurt for Ru, Laith wondered how Vincent shouldered the weight of the guilt he felt.

* * *

“More tea?” Vincent gently shook the teapot, the chamomile tea within sloshing, indicating another cup was available.

“None for me,” Catherine replied, upending her mug to finish what she had. When she had swallowed, she sighed. “Ru is having to do too much for this party. She won’t let me help even a little.”

Sitting next to her on the loveseat in their chamber, Vincent sighed himself. “It’s a party to honor us. You must relinquish your need for control this once, Catherine.” He nuzzled the side of her head, dropping a soft kiss against her ear.

Catherine burrowed deeper into Vincent’s embrace. “I told her we didn’t need a big celebration, only our friends and family…and cake.”

Vincent softly snorted a laugh. “Most especially…cake.” After a moment, he added, “It had better be chocolate…or else what were the past three and a half decades worth?”

Catherine turned to gaze up at him, her green eyes mesmerizing him anew. His azure eyes softened as he beheld her. The past 35 years had contained so much joy, so much heartbreak, so much…life. He could never put into words how grateful he was that Catherine had lived them by his side. Their Bond thrummed with the intensity of the emotions that stirred within them both, and their lips met in the timeless rhythm of their love.

* * *

The anniversary party was in full swing. Laith had just recounted to Ru how he had shown up at the university president’s door that morning with a large bouquet of tulips and an apology on his lips for having to miss her dinner party. She had accepted them and the bag of blueberry scones that accompanied them with more than good grace. He felt certain he had smoothed whatever waters might have been troubled by his absence at her dinner tonight.

Ru smiled as her little brother talked, wondering if anyone could resist those earnest blue eyes. He really was a charmer when he put the least bit of effort into it.  That university president never stood a chance of holding a grudge against him, in Ru’s considered opinion.

“May I have this dance?” Geoffrey stood before them. A Tunnel resident since his childhood, he was now the community’s lead chandler, since Rebecca’s arthritis prevented her from working full-time. Although in his 40s, he retained the same sweet freckle-faced countenance that had made him so adorable as a child. Why he had never married was a mystery to most everyone Below.

Laith considered the question. “Well, my feet are sore, but maybe my sister might accommodate you,” he replied, his face all innocence.

Ru smacked his shoulder with one hand as she held out her other to Geoffrey. “Ignore my brother. I always do,” she muttered.

Laith watched Geoffrey carry Ru away in a waltz. She was taller than their mother but not as tall as he was; he took after his father in that department. Geoffrey was not an especially tall man, but he had a head on Ru. They looked good dancing together, both graceful, both comfortable in each other’s arms. Thinking back, Laith realized that he had seen Geoffrey only ever ask two women to dance at the various parties he’d attended Below – his mother, and Ru. He wondered if Ru herself had noticed that.

A distinctive presence behind him caused Laith to say, “Father” before turning around. A thread of Bond, similar to the one he shared with his sister, fluttered between him and his parents, as well. It was nothing more than a feeling of closeness, but it served to bind the four of them in a way unique to their family. “Are you enjoying your anniversary?”

Vincent’s blue eyes scanned the Great Hall, finding his wife in the arms of his old friend Pascal. As she twirled in the dance, her face turned toward Vincent, and the warmth of her gaze made her son slightly uncomfortable to have witnessed it.

“We have had a wonderful day, yes,” Vincent murmured, breaking the connection with Catherine with an effort, and turning to Laith. He inhaled sharply, as if forcing his attention back to the conversation he was having instead of the memory of how he and Catherine had spent their morning…and afternoon.

Laith caught the faintest tendrils of his father’s emotions and blushed. His parents always seemed like newlyweds to him. At first, he didn’t realize how different their relationship was from most other kids’ parents. But gradually, as he got older, he understood how unique his parents were. It was as if their struggle to be together all those years ago had been so fierce that, ever since then, they treasured every moment of togetherness. As an adult, Laith now understood how hard-fought the battle to achieve the dream of their joined lives must have been, but more because of their profound attachment to each other even after decades of familiarity than due to the stories he had heard growing up.

“Ru has done us proud,” Laith said, surveying the laden tables, the decorations, and the guests from near and far. Uncle Devin had arrived just an hour before, surprising everyone but Ru. She had displayed a secret smile all afternoon, a harbinger of some special present that she had shared with no one beforehand, despite Laith trying to wheedle it out of her.

“My brother…” Vincent began. His eyes filled with tears. Laith leaned toward his parent, wrapping one powerful arm around his father’s strong shoulders. “Devin said he was thinking of settling down,” Vincent finished.

Laith’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the implication. “Here?!”

Vincent nodded, then sighed. “But…this is your Uncle Devin we’re talking about. So…we’ll see.”

Laith narrowed his eyes, considering this sudden change of heart from his peripatetic uncle. “Y-e-e-s-s,” he said, drawing the word out to indicate he was skeptical, as well.

Changing the subject, Vincent noted, “I see that Geoffrey is keeping to his usual practice. He waltzed with your mother earlier, and now he is escorting your sister around the dance floor.”

Laith gave his father a side-eye. “Is there something happening there I should know about?”

Shrugging, the older man replied, “This has been going on for a decade. He has always danced with your mother, of course. They’ve had a special connection since your grandfather Chandler died. He added Ru to his dance card after she left for college, when she came home for Winterfest or Father’s birthdays.”

“And now that she’s back for good?”

“Nothing’s changed,” Vincent reported. “They dance at parties. That’s it.”

The waltz ended, and Geoffrey escorted Ru back to her brother’s side. “Perhaps when your feet are recovered, you’ll take me up on my offer,” Geoffrey murmured to Laith, his lips twitching with humor.

Laith gave a bark of surprised laughter. “It’s a date!” he agreed.

Geoffrey nodded his head, smiled, and turned away. Laith noticed that Ru stared after him for a moment, before her mother’s arrival attracted her attention.

“Thank you, Pascal!” Catherine kissed her old friend on the cheek, eliciting a blush, and Pascal waved as he backed away, only turning once he had melted into the crowd.

“I think Pascal’s always been sweet on you, mother.” Ru nudged Catherine with her elbow.

“Your mother has always attracted more than her fair share of admirers,” Vincent admitted.

Catherine rolled her eyes. “Your father thinks every man looks at me twice. In case you haven’t noticed, my love, I have more than my fair share of wrinkles these days, not admirers!”

“Nonsense,” he retorted. “I see no wrinkles.”

“The secret to a long, happy marriage,” Ru confided to her brother in a mock-serious tone.

Lath motioned her aside with a tilt of his head. To his parents, he said, “We’re getting something to drink. Can we bring something for you?”

They shook their heads in tandem then turned to each other, immediately becoming engrossed in their own conversation. Over the years, Laith and Ru had become used to how their parents could cocoon themselves like that, even amidst a swirl of noise and activity.

As they made their way to the refreshments, Laith bent his head to murmur, “What’s up with Uncle Devin?”

Ru’s brow furrowed, puzzled by his query. “Nothing, as far as I know.”

“He told Dad he’s thinking of staying Below…permanently.”

Her eyebrows shot up as she replied, “Really?! He didn’t say a word to me about it. I called to invite him to the party and he said he’d come, but we’ve barely exchanged more than hellos with each other since he arrived.”

“Okay.”

Laith would have to take a more direct approach to the situation, he could tell. As they picked up mugs of hard cider, he turned his mind to the other question he wanted to ask his sister. Sipping the cold brew, he smacked his lips, causing Ru to jab him in the ribs. “Act like an adult,” she admonished him with a smile on her face. Then, when she took a sip, she smacked her lips, too.

“So…Geoffrey,” he said.

“Did you really want to dance with him?” Ru asked, still acting silly.

“I was thinking more that he really wanted to dance with you,” her brother replied.

Frowning, she said, “He always asks me to dance.”

“He never asks anyone else, though, except Mom. Haven’t you noticed that?”

“What?”

“Ru, you can’t be that unobservant,” her brother said. “This has been going on for years. Every party. You and Mom. That’s it. I’ve seen women ask him to dance, and he’s shaken his head. Mom, I understand. They’ve been close since he was a kid.”

“But you can’t imagine why he’d want to dance with me?” Ru was beginning to feel affronted.

“Oh, I can imagine. I’m just wondering if you’ve given any thought to it. Or if maybe there’s something going on you’re keeping from all of us.”

Ru rounded on her brother. “You think I’m carrying on some kind of passionate affair in secret…around here?! Like that’s even possible!” She burst into laughter.

“Don’t laugh about this. And no, I don’t think that. I’m just…concerned, I guess. Geoffrey is a good person, and if he’s carrying a torch, well…I keep thinking of Mom and Dad, and how long it took him to move forward with her. You’ve heard the stories. Years. Years. So if there’s an attraction there, I think you shouldn’t sit on it.”

Stunned, Ru began to cast her thoughts back over the past few years. Geoffrey had been a quiet presence in her life since college. She had found him easy to talk to, so sometimes she had sought him out as he worked in the chandlery, to chat about issues she didn’t feel comfortable talking to her parents about – nothing major, just personal things she didn’t want to worry them over, especially since she was no longer living at home. He was always a solid, dependable counselor, sympathetic, never spilling her secrets. Since she’d given up her internship, she had used him as a sounding board more often, mostly because she knew how upset her mother was with her decision, and because she suspected just how much her father felt responsible for her abandoning her dream. If she had problems coping Below these days, the last people she wanted to burden with her concerns were those two. Her friendship with Geoffrey had deepened in the past six months, as a result.

Laith had seen she was thinking over his comments and didn’t want to rush her into a reply. He waited while she ruminated. They sipped their ciders, leaning against the rock wall in a cozy niche away from the main action of the party. Finally, she looked up at him. “I think you’re right. I just never focused on it.”

“Is it love?”

He wasn’t being flippant, but the suddenness of that word being spoken aloud felt like a slap in the face, waking her up to a possibility she had not consciously considered.

“I’m not sure.”

Ru narrowed her eyes, considering the question further. She felt a tug on her heart and, looking across the room, saw Geoffrey quietly studying her. When he noticed her noticing him, he blushed and dropped his gaze. That was enough for Ru, who had seen examples of selfless love in the faces of her parents since her earliest years.

“I think I need to see a man about a dance,” she remarked before handing her empty mug to her brother and making her way across the room towards Geoffrey.

Devin came up beside Laith as the latter was watching his sister. “About damned time,” he commented.

“Huh?”

Devin pointed with his chin. “Ru realizing Geoffrey has it bad for her.”

Laith turned to gaze at his uncle in astonishment. “You’re never around! How could you know?”

“Doesn’t take a genius…obviously,” Devin said, shrugging. “But sometimes it takes somebody who isn’t around all the time to notice these things. The man adores her. Well,” Devin drained his mug of cider and smiled, “our family is all pretty adorable. Me, for instance. I’m insanely adorable.”

Laith laughed and, getting in on the joke, said, “Oh, I am, too!”

Devin face turned serious. “You really are, you know. Or maybe you don’t realize it. You’ve got…something. Your father has it in spades. An animal attraction – and I don’t mean that in any disparaging way. He’s got a certain something that draws people to him. You have it, too. And your sister, in many ways. And your Mom, well…goes without saying, she drew men like flies. That was part of the reason it took your Dad such a long time to step up to the plate. Idiot.” He burped. “Think I may have had too much hard cider.” He stopped talking and wandered over to where his brother was standing with Catherine.

Laith watched as they all embraced. Their shared history was an amalgam of amazing accomplishments and frankly incredible exploits. He wondered if, several decades from now, he would share with anyone something like what the three of them had. It didn’t seem likely. Devin moved on, entering a clutch of giggling teenaged girls and saying something that had them all laughing – that animal attraction in action, Laith realized.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention to a couple standing on the landing overlooking the Great Hall, where those mysterious tapestries hung. They were not inspecting the scenes depicted, however; they were not paying any mind to the tapestries at all. Ru was speaking intently to Geoffrey, who was staring into her eyes as ardently as Laith had often seen his father look at his mother. He realized with some surprise that his sister had taken his advice…an unusual, not to say rare, occurrence. And from the man’s body language, he and his uncle had read Geoffrey correctly. It did not surprise him in the least when Geoffrey lowered his gaze to Ru’s lips and his mouth took hers in a slow, gentle kiss.

Laith’s eyes darted to his parents, standing nearby. Their gazes, too, were fixed upon the tableau on the landing. His father dipped his head to listen to something his mother was saying, then Vincent turned to face her, and Laith watched his mother’s face alight with love. His heart nearly burst with tenderness as he witnessed his parents kiss like new lovers.

Man, there was a lot of that going around tonight.

Suddenly, Mouse’s voice rose above the din of music and animated conversation. “Cake!”

* * *

Few Tunnel dwellers were up and about early on Sunday morning. The anniversary celebration had lasted long into the early hours, and those Below, unaccustomed to such late nights and strong drink, were catching up on their sleep. Laith, used to deferring the comfort of his bed in order to plan lectures or write in the quiet of the evening, had risen at 5:00 as usual. He entered the dining chamber, intent on finding something caffeinated to drink.

Devin was sitting in a corner of the chamber, a pot of tea in front of him, a book lying open beside his mug. He looked up as Laith entered.

“I’m in the wrong time zone for a lie-in,” he commented, and pulled out the chair beside him in invitation. He marked his place and closed his book as Laith grabbed a mug and settled in beside his uncle.

Without preamble, Laith remarked, “You’ve got Ru’s antenna up, Unc. If you’re really planning to stick around for a while, or permanently, you can expect some not-so-subtle inquiries from your niece.”

Devin grinned. “I’d expect no less. And I do have an ulterior motive.” He waggled his eyebrows at his nephew.

Laith didn’t know if he was being set up for a joke or not. “Look, I’m not down here enough anymore to catch a lot of the drift. So if I need to know something, please tell me straight out. I can keep a secret if you need me to.”

Devin’s grin faded, and he looked around to ensure they weren’t being overheard. With complete candor, he admitted, “I’m not happy about your sister giving up her medical training.”

“I don’t think anybody is,” Laith remarked, “Ru most of all, if she would be honest about it. But not having anyone medically trained and living Below in recent years has meant suffering. And when one of the children died a preventable death because care wasn’t available quickly enough, Ru was so upset that she quit her internship that day and moved back home.”

Devin shook his head. “I understand it, even though I don’t like it. It’s just…well…I have a suggestion to make to her, which I hope she’ll accept. I just need to figure out a way to approach her about it.”

“And the suggestion is…?”

Turning to face Laith, Devin murmured, “While I was caring for Charles, I attended nursing school. It was a way to get meds and equipment for him on the sly but, mostly, it was because I’d promised the Old Man I’d go legit…and nursing school gave me a path to an honest career. Over the years, I’ve kept up my certification. I won’t say I’m the greatest nurse ever, but if I didn’t think I was good enough, I wouldn’t make the offer.”

“So…you want to be Ru’s assistant Below?” Laith didn’t see how that would really help.

His uncle’s face was as somber as Laith had ever seen it. “I want to replace her…while she goes back Above and finishes her medical training.”

Devin must have realized the audacity of the suggestion, but his eyes showed his nephew that it was a dead serious one. Laith sat back, contemplating the idea. Of course, the whole concept was predicated on one huge what-if.

“Would getting back into her internship even be possible?”

Devin exhaled a gust of breath. “Maybe not the one she was in, but she could try to find another. It would be possible, if not exactly easy. She’d need a good explanation for why she’d dropped out – family emergency, illness…something pretty significant.

“Completing an internship, going through testing, and getting licensed would make a big difference in the kind of care she could provide, of course. But even more, going on to a residency – although it would take several years to complete – would give her the kind of specific training and experience which would most benefit those Below in the long run. “

Laith mentally calculated the timeframe involved. “Uncle Devin, we’re talking maybe five years, possibly more. I know it’s been Ru’s dream her whole life. But this is a major life change you’re suggesting for yourself. I’m not criticizing here, just being honest: you aren’t used to staying in one place for so long and doing just one thing, are you?”

His uncle laughed drily. “I know. Leopard. Spots. But for my only niece, I’m sure I could handle it. And who knows? Maybe I’m at that age where settling down wouldn’t feel like drowning. Besides, when I was caring for Charles, the sense of purpose I had kept me going for several years, until his death.”

Laith sat back, thoughtful. The way his parents had described this man’s exploits, he had always had the impression of a beloved but undependable scamp. And over the years, his Uncle Devin’s visits had done little to change that notion. Finally, he said, “You would have to be sure, Unc. Really sure. It would be terrible to whipsaw my sister if you decide later that you can’t hack it here.”

Devin had the grace to look abashed. “My reputation doesn’t leave much room for credibility, I know.”

Head down, Laith contemplated the situation. The man before him would be making a considerable commitment – and giving a solemn promise – to allow another person to fulfill her dream. Devin’s eyes had told him that his uncle understood both what was involved and how much he would be giving up to give Ru this chance. The cost to his uncle would be considerable: putting pursuit of his own dreams, however ephemeral, on hold for a significant portion of his future.

The man had the love in his heart to do it, of that Laith was sure. And Laith had always put his faith in love to get someone through the roughest of times.

“Look,” Laith replied, turning back to his uncle and placing one large hand on the older man’s shoulder, “I’m a big believer in second chances, and in things taking as long as they take, and in love making the biggest of differences in our lives. Look at my parents. I wouldn’t be here if those concepts weren’t important. So…if you think you can do this…I believe in you.”

He leaned over and kissed the cheek of the man who had dreamed his earliest dreams with a Tunnel-bound brother. And who now hoped to give that boy’s daughter the chance to fulfill her own dream.

The relief and gratitude in his uncle’s eyes surprised him. He could feel the man’s taut shoulders relax under his palm. Until this moment, Laith hadn’t understood just how important it was to his uncle that someone in the family would take it on faith that he could do this thing.

* * *

“Oh. Um…that’s nice.”

Ru’s response wasn’t what anyone expected. After getting a buy-in from Vincent and Catherine – following more than a little intense discussion – Laith and Devin had been joined by them in proposing Devin’s plan to Ru. Now the four of them sat in Ru’s chamber, open-mouthed at Ru’s complete lack of enthusiasm over the possibility of picking up the threads of her dream and weaving it anew.

Laith was the first to recover his voice. “What are we missing here?”

Vincent’s eyes softened as he gazed at his daughter. “Geoffrey.”

Catherine picked up his thought. “Your new relationship – we never even considered how your dreams might have changed, literally overnight.” Tears came to Catherine’s eyes. “All I could think of was how this plan could free you.”

Ru eyed them all. “Did you think I wanted to be free of you?”

Laith said gently, “You know what she meant – free of this very noble gesture of yours that completely upended your plans for your future.” He caught her gaze and held it. “You have been sad and frustrated since you returned home, and you know it. Part of you has been dying, Ru. Why don’t you talk to Geoffrey about this before making a decision?”

Someone in the doorway cleared his throat, causing them all to turn toward the chamber entrance. There stood Geoffrey, basket in hand. “Ru and I had a picnic date,” he said, explaining his accidental interruption. He turned to Laith specifically. “I would have backed away, but when I heard you say my name….”

Ru had risen when she saw him. As if no one else was in the room, she said, “They want me to pick up my medical training…to spend several more years working Above. I can’t do that, Geoffrey. Not now that….”

He entered the chamber and set the basket down beside Ru. Taking her hands in his, he said, “You are a doctor, Ru. You need to do this if you can.” He stroked her cheek with one hand. “I’m not going anywhere. Become who you are meant to be. Then come home…to me…to all of us.” He kissed her while her family watched. Even Devin was quiet in the face of such an intimate moment.

Geoffrey enveloped Ru in his arms. She clung to him, shaking her head against the idea of leaving. “How can I? How…?”

Although she had been with her family, with the community she had been part of all her life, she had truly been alone since she’d abandoned her training and returned to them. Now here was someone holding her who she could finally trust with all that she was. And he was offering to let her go until she became all she had hoped to be. To leave him behind. To leave him alone.

It was too much. And all the emotions she had held so rigidly in check for months were shattering her like glass. Ru began to weep – such deep, shuddering sobs that it hurt them all to hear her.

As Geoffrey held her, the others slipped out of the chamber.

When they were far enough down the passageway that his voice wouldn’t carry back to Ru and Geoffrey, Devin announced, “I need a drink.”

Laith grunted his agreement, saying, “I think there’s some hard cider left in the storeroom.”

Vincent strode past them. “I’ll get the cask. Catherine, could you gather some mugs?”

They assembled in Vincent and Catherine’s chamber, a place filled with memories for all of them. It was once the space shared by Vincent and Devin for all of their young lives. Then for years it was Vincent’s alone…until he brought Catherine to it as his joined companion. Laith had learned to walk while tottering on the worn oriental carpet here, his big sister holding his hand so he wouldn’t fall. Laith felt the bonds of kinship that seeped from the very walls of this special place, the golden light from the arched window casting a warm glow across the well-worn furnishings and the faces of the people he loved.

“What do you think?” Devin asked when they were all seated with filled mugs. “Should I break out those sturdy white shoes nurses wear?”

“Does Geoffrey really want her to leave, now, after they’ve finally come to an understanding? Or is he just saying what he thinks she wants to hear?” Catherine mused.

Vincent said, “As much as he would wish her to stay, he loves her enough to want her to have a life without limits.”

His words caused his Bondmate to frown. “This is an old argument of ours,” Catherine told the others, exasperated. “He expects Geoffrey to be self-sacrificing, whatever the cost to their relationship.” She turned and addressed her husband. “Maybe Ru needs to hear him tell her what he wants, so she can decide for herself based on the truth between them.”

Laith regarded his parents, locked in their own long-unsettled argument. Replaying history would solve nothing, he knew. Perhaps this situation brought up old memories, but they were decades from those times, those decisions…those people.

When Vincent’s visage darkened, and he was about to respond, Laith forestalled him, holding up his hands, reminding him, “He isn’t you, and she isn’t Mother.”  To his mother he added, “Whatever Ru decides, we must accept it.”

Abashed, Catherine nodded. “You’re right.” She grasped Vincent’s hand, lifting it and kissing his palm. “We raised her to think rationally but to lead with her heart. Sometimes we’ll like the decisions she makes and sometimes we won’t. But they are hers to make, just as we made our own, for better or worse.”

Vincent turned their clasped hands and kissed the back of Catherine’s. “We raised two strong-willed children – as strong-willed as their parents.” He smiled at Catherine. “We have only ourselves to blame.”

Devin’s two cents ended up being prophetic. “I think I’d better invest in some white shoe polish.”

* * *

Laith finally made it back to his apartment after dinner. He switched on the lights and tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter, then went into the bedroom to change into well-worn sweats – his “work clothes” when he was home. It was time to catch up on grading essays.

Perhaps the effects of a late night and too much hard cider had finally caught up with him, because he stared without his usual enthusiasm at the pile of paperwork he had planned to work on. No amount of telling himself he should get to it would make him move toward his desk.

He visited the refrigerator for a cold beer, changed his mind about it, then sat in the den and flipped on the television. After scrolling through dozens of channels, he turned the television off. He began wandering around the apartment, picking up the book he had begun a few days earlier then putting it down without cracking the covers, grabbing up the unread Saturday mail and then tossing it atop the pile from Friday without looking at any of it. The newspaper he had taken off the front porch offered the Sunday crossword puzzle, but even that held no allure at the moment.

Laith had no idea why he was so restless.

He caught his reflection in the hallway mirror and stared into his own eyes. Who was he seeing? To some he was a child of Below: friend, brother, nephew, son. To others he was Professor Laith Chandler: author, teacher, administrator, colleague. The lives of so many people were intricately interwoven with his – those who encouraged him, those who depended upon him, those who challenged him, those who loved him. He appreciated the whole messy bunch, each of whom would describe him in different ways.

But if he were to describe himself with one word, he was, first and foremost, a dreamer. He had planned and worked and he had achieved his dream, and it was big and beautiful and fulfilling. It made him happy. He loved everything about it.

So why was he now prowling around his apartment like a caged animal, like the lion he was named?

For his parents, the dream – their Dream – was everything to them. It made him warm and happy just to know they had achieved what they had most desired. Whatever else their lives contained all stemmed from that singular and shared, hard-won and cherished dream. It fulfilled them, it nourished them, it informed every decision they made.

Uncle Devin had been chasing his dreams his whole life…but seemingly had never caught any. Or, if he did, he had found them hollow, or not big enough to hold him for long.

His sister was about to live two dreams – one she had been striving towards for nearly her whole life, and one that had caught her by surprise but was as welcome as it had been unexpected.

Were some dreams more worthwhile than others?

Was fulfilling one’s dream enough?

Was there an upper limit to how many dreams one could follow?

Was losing one’s dream the way to determine if it was the most important thing, or was attaining it the only way to decide?

Was the mere act of chasing a dream enough to sustain you – was the journey and not the destination most important?

Could someone truly achieve more than one dream, or would they find that one would ultimately have to give way to the other?

Could an old dream make room for a new one?

He shook his head, all those questions crowding out any hope of figuring out answers. His mind was too full to concentrate on anything else, he decided. That’s why he couldn’t focus.

Sleep beckoned, a respite from thought. Perhaps morning’s light would reveal the answers. Perhaps…he would dream.