Page 44 of Destiny Reclaimed
His dad spun on his heel and headed back to his chair near the fire. Jack followed, set his glass down on the slim table between the matching captain’s chairs, then snatched two small pieces of wood from the curved, wrought iron rack next to the fireplace, and placed them into the dying flames.
Once the fire was stoked, he sank into the leather chair and stared at the mesmerizing flames as he waited out his father’s silence.
After a few moments, he circled the amber liquid in the snifter, and then took a sip. “As I said earlier, I’m worried about Gwen.” He turned his head in his direction. “Your mom convinced her to come down for dinner tonight. But again, she didn’t eat much. She’s thin to begin with but even more so now. And she didn’t stay at the table very long. Not even through the entire meal. Plus...” He paused and turned his head back to the fire for a few beats before continuing. “Plus, I’m worried about her mental health.”
“She’s in mourning,” Jack replied as if trying to offer a legitimate excuse for her behavior.
His dad nodded and returned his gaze to him. “She is. But, unfortunately, I think what she’s experiencing goes a bit beyond, and I think...”
Adrenaline shot through his veins, and he sprang to his feet. “How would you feel if you lost two brothers? One atwin?” Jack snapped in his wife’s defense.
It took only a moment to realize he’d bit a tad hard. Yet, his father sat calmly in his chair and took another sip of his brandy as he stared at him over the rim of the glass.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Sit. When you’re ready. We’ll talk more.”
His dad had the patience of a saint. Sometimes he wished he were more like him. Calm and collected in even the worst of situations. Funny, his mom always told him he was like his father, reserved and careful. Conversely, Dad always told him he was like his mother, daring with a splash of caution. Right now, all he felt was helpless, which was not a trait of either of his parents. They always seemed to know the right thing to do and say.
Jack downed the remainder of his brandy. His dad did the same, then rose, grabbed Jack’s empty glasses, and poured another round. A rarity and a maneuver by his father, letting him know they’d talk when Jack was ready like he’d said earlier, but it would be before they did anything else. Like, go to bed. His dad had his subtle ways of getting what he wanted accomplished.
Jack cleared his throat. “I’ll talk to her again tomorrow. See if I can get her to see her general practitioner.”
“Good,” his dad replied with a curt nod.
“Gwen said something odd to me the other day.” Jack took a sip, then set the glass down. “She said she actually knew the moment Gary had been killed. Said she felt it. A deep, painful sensation in her heart that almost tore it open. I believed her, but I didn’t know what to say. I think she thought I doubted her, so she continued to tell me how as kids they often knew what each other thought and when one felt pain the other did as well. She claimed she didn’t have that kind of connection with Marvin, only Gary. I’ve heard stories of twins having that kind of bond. Do you believe it?”
The father’s nod came slow. “The science in me says no, but, the one thing I’ve learned firsthand during my time on this earth is that anything is possible.”
He knew exactly what had caused him to make that statement. Most people would never believe them if they let their secret out.
Time travel.
The very thing that could be the answer to Gwennie’s problem. He’d thought about it non-stop since the moment they’d been informed of Gary’s death. If only he could travel back in time and change that piece of history, Gary would be alive, and his wife would be happy again.
Jack stood, grabbed the poker, and rearranged the wood to stoke the flames. Then, he turned back to look at his dad.
“I know what you’re thinking,” his father answered before the question was asked. “No. This Preserver role we play comes with great responsibility and dedication to the cause, and the only cause is to preserve history for the greater good.”
Jack blew out a long sigh. His father knew him too well. He’d been racking his brain to find a way to travel on demand to a specific point in time to change history—preserve Gary’s life.
“I know. It’s just...Gwennie is taking this so hard. And nothing I seem to say or do helps. She’s so weak and thin.”
“I understand your desire to want to help her, but traveling in time tochangehistory that is as it should be isn’t the answer. The ripple effect of a change like that could turn out to be disastrous, not only for the greater good, but for you or Gwen as well. One change, even the slightest, could impact so many things, so many people’s lives.”
His father had spoken to him about the butterfly effect before, but the thought of changing history to help his wife still consumed him.
“Well, I guess there’s no sense in giving it any further thought since I don’t know how to force a travel.” He kept his gaze on his dad. A small part of him felt his dad knew more than what he let on.
Thinking back through their conversation just now, and the couple they’d had in the past about their roles as Preservers and time travel in general, he couldn’t recall him actually saying itwasn’tpossible to travel on demand. Instead, he just gave warnings of the ripple effects of changing history.
An overwhelming need to push his dad a bit further to see if he did indeed know more caused him to open his mouth. “Even if I did know if it were possible to travel on-demand, how would I know how to travel to a specific spot and point in time?”
“Right,” his dad replied as he averted his gaze.
Looking away was not something the confident man normally did when in a conversation with someone. A sure sign he knew more.
Jack took a swig of his brandy, emptying the glass, using the liquid for support. “But if—”
