“That’s fantastic. How did you get that detail?” Doug asked.
“Now I seen everything,” Old Man said.
She scrubbed the other pieces, then put what she called jump rings through the holes at the center of the medicine wheels to attach the feathers. When she was done, she handed one to Old Man, who chuckled, and one to Doug. “You gave me a medicine wheel. I’m giving you one back.”
Doug nodded. “Thank you, Naomi. Good trade.”
Chaska saw her reach for her cell phone again. It wasn’t yet noon, so there was no chance that—
Her head jerked up, her eyes wide. “The results. They’re here.”
Chapter 21
Naomi lookedup at Chaska and then Doug.
Doug gave her a nod. “Go head. Open the email.”
Hands shaking, Naomi tapped her screen. The email itself said nothing, but there was an attachment. She clicked on the attachment, which took a moment to download. The text was small, so she had to enlarge the document, her pulse racing as she read it, her gaze moving over the page, searching for the relevant part. Then she found it—the news she’d been waiting for.
Oh, God!
Her eyes filled with tears, relief and joy rushing through her with such force that her world seemed to tilt on its axis.
Chaska was there, holding her, trying to comfort her. “It’s okay, Naomi. We’ll keep looking.”
But he didn’t understand.
She drew back, laughing through her tears. “Look.”
She handed him her cell phone, then sought Doug’s gaze. It was right that he be the first to know. “You’re my father.”
Doug’s eyes shut, and his head fell back. He muttered something in Lakota. “Pilamayayelo.”
Chaska read through the email, then thrust one fist into the air and let out a whoop, the excitement on his face bringing tears to Naomi’s eyes again. He sent off a quick text message—probably to Win.
Yes, she should be here, too.
Then Chaska read the document aloud. “The alleged father, Doug Otter Tail,cannotbe excluded as the father of Naomi Archer. Based on the genetic testing results, the probability of paternity is 99.99 percent!”
He drew her into his embrace again.
Naomi came completely apart this time, sobbing against his shoulder, the fear and grief and loneliness and pain of the past twenty-seven years spilling out of her.
She had a father. She had afather. And hewantedher.
She could hear Grandpa Belcourt singing in Lakota somewhere nearby, smelled burning sage, and knew that he was praying.
Then the back door flew open with such force that it hit the wall, and Winona rushed in, wearing green scrubs. “You got the results?”
Naomi fought to get the words out, her throat tight. “He’s my dad.”
Chaska made way for his sister, who hugged Naomi tight, tears spilling down her cheeks, too, a smile on her face. “I am so happy for all of us. It’s like finding out you and I are sisters or something.”
Chaska handed Naomi and Winona tissues.
Naomi wiped her eyes, tried to pull herself together. “I want to dance and sing and run down the street, screaming, ‘I have a dad!’”
“You’ve got more than a dad.” Doug made his way around the table. “You’ve got a family. You’ve got a stepmom and two little brothers and two little sisters. You’ve got … I don’t know how many cousins. You’ve got aunties and uncles. You have apeoplenow. You are part of the Oglala Lakota nation.”