Part 13

Everything around her was beautiful. The endless field was covered in wildflowers of every color imaginable, moving ever so gently in the slight breeze. The temperature was perfect. She felt safe and relaxed as she rested in the flowers. Their aromatic scent wrapped her in a soft blanket. Birds were tweeting off in the distance and every once in a while the buzz of an insect reached her ears.

The serenity was broken when off in the distance she heard the sound of hoof beats heading in her direction. She sat up and saw a black horse with two riders coming toward her. The closer they got, Trixie realized it was a redheaded man with a blonde woman behind him.

The man brought the horse to a walk and then finally to a stop near her.

“Hello,” Trixie said, surprised to hear her voice. It had been silent for so long.

“Hello,” the man said as he dismounted. He turned and helped the woman down.

Trixie looked at the two of them. For some reason they looked really familiar, but she just couldn’t place it. They were an adorable couple with the man wearing tab pants and a white shirt and the woman in an ankle length white cotton dress.

“I didn’t think there was anyone else here,” Trixie said.

“This place is here for anyone who wants it,” the woman said as she sat down in the field beside her.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” Trixie said, glancing around. “I don’t want to ever leave.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” the man said. “You have a choice. If you want to stay here, you can. But you also have the choice to leave.”

“My family is probably wondering where I am,” Trixie said. “I haven’t seen them.”

“They are around,” the man said. “They are waiting for you to make a decision.”

“If they are around, they should come here,” Trixie said.

“They can’t come here,” the woman said. “At least, not at this time.”

Trixie looked closely at them. “You seem familiar to me.”

“You know us, but we’ve never actually met,” the woman said.

“You look like someone I know,” Trixie said as she focused her gaze on the man.

“You’ll figure it out,” he said.

Trixie looked at the woman and then scanned the field. “I do wish the others were here.” Her gaze stopped at an area at the far edge of the field. A grove of trees were clumped together and a shadow covered them. Trixie got to her feet. “What’s that over there?”

“The path home,” the woman said.

“But it seems so dark.”

“The path home is not always easy,” the man said. “It’s sometimes a challenge to find your way home.”

Trixie looked at them “Can’t they come here?”

“You have to go to them,” he said.

“But I like it here,” Trixie said.

“You make the choice,” the man said.

Trixie made her way across the field. She felt drawn to the darkness, but part of her longed for the peacefulness amongst the flowers. She stood on the edge between the two. She thought she heard voices coming from the darkness.

“Son, you need to get some sleep.” It was a male voice.

“I can’t leave her.” Another male voice, this one emotional and tired.

“Son, you need to get some sleep,” the first male voice repeated. “Tomorrow is graduation.”

“I’m not going.”

“Jim.”

“No. I’m not leaving her,” Jim said. “I can’t.”

“You need to get your diploma.” A female voice.

“They can mail it to me.”

“You can’t miss the ceremony,” the female voice said.

“Wouldn’t she tell you to go?” the first male voice asked.

“But she won’t be there,” Jim said, sadly.

“You know she would tell you to go and then come back to tell her all about it,” the female voice said. “You can’t let her down. You need to go have this experience to share with her.”

“She’s right, Jim,” the first male voice said.

“I just wish she’d come back to me,” Jim’s voice broke. “I need her.”

The voices faded out and Trixie felt torn.

She turned and saw the man and woman were standing behind her.

“He sounds so sad,” Trixie said.

“He only wants one thing,” the man said. “His heart is breaking without you.”

“His love is a forever kind of love and without you, he will be a lonely man,” the woman said.

Trixie looked at them carefully. “You seem to know Jim really well.”

“We don’t know him, but we know him from the past,” the woman said. “You know him in the present.”

She knew who this couple was.

“You’re Jim’s parents!” Trixie exclaimed.

Winthrop put his arm around Katje. Winthrop said, “We are.”

“And you want me to go back,” Trixie concluded.

“We want you to decide what is best for you,” Katje said. “No one can make that decision for you.”

Trixie glanced at the darkness, then back at Jim’s parents. She knew what she had to do. As beautiful as the place was with Jim’s parents, she knew where she needed to be. No matter how challenging it was to get home, she knew that was her path.

As she looked into Katje and Winthrop’s eyes, he said, “We understand.”

“Please let him know we love him dearly and that we will always be with him,” Katje said, stepping forward and giving her a hug.

“I am so glad I got the chance to meet you,” Trixie said.

“We are thrilled you are in Jim’s life,” Winthrop said.

Katje leaned back and looked her in the eye. “Be safe on your journey.”

“Thank you for being here with me,” Trixie said.

“It was our pleasure,” Winthrop said.

Trixie stepped back and turned toward the woods. She took several steps into the darkness and glanced over her shoulder. Winthrop and Katje were gone. She knew this was the right decision.

She moved slightly, her body felt as if it was weighted down by concrete blocks. Her eyes fluttered and after a moment they opened to a dimly lit room. Pulling energy from somewhere, she turned her head.

Resting in the chair beside her bed was Moms. She was covered with a blanket. Helen had her hand on Trixie’s. She turned her hand over and gently gave the other a squeeze.

Helen’s head rolled against the chair back and her eyes opened slowly. After a moment, Helen’s eyes went wide when she realized Trixie was awake.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so glad you’re awake,” Helen said, squeezing her hand tightly as she shifted closer to the bed. “We’ve been so worried about you.”

Trixie squeezed her hand.

“What is it?” Helen asked. “Do you want to try to write?”

Trixie nodded.

Helen bustled around the room and found a pen and paper. She put the pen in Trixie’s hand. The pad was placed under the point.

“Go ahead.”

Trixie felt her hand tremble, but she needed to get the words out. The words appeared shakily and brief. “No tell Jim.”

“Trixie, I don’t understand. He’s been here every day, waiting for you to wake. He’s barely left the hospital unless his parents forced him.”

“Graduation.”

“Graduation? The ceremony is tomorrow. Jim will come by once it’s over,” Helen said.

“Need to go.”

“Trixie, you just woke up. You need time to recover until the doctor releases you. You have a serious head injury.”

“Need to go,” Trixie wrote again.

“Trixie.”

“I’ll go alone.”

Helen sighed. “You need to let the doctor tell you if you’re physically able to go.”

“Alone,” Trixie wrote.

“It’s not possible.”

“Mr. Wheeler,” Trixie wrote.

“Trixie, I don’t think there is anything Matt can do.”

“Please.”

Helen looked at her. After a moment, she sighed. “I will ask, but, you have to understand that there might not be a solution.”

Trixie slowly nodded her head.

“Now, I need to get your doctor and call your father.”

Trixie squeezed Helen’s hand before she left the room. Trixie closed her eyes and said a silent prayer she could get to the ceremony.

Trixie sat patiently, her eyes focused on the scene before her. The keynote speaker was addressing the seniors as she sat in a wheelchair at the back of the auditorium. She was thrilled to be there and she was anxious to let Jim know she was awake.

Her parents and the Wheelers were seated in the audience. They had arrived with their sons just before the ceremony began.

Trixie knew the doctor wasn’t happy about this, but the determination he saw in her eyes swayed him. He had consented after Matthew claimed a private nurse and ambulance service had been contacted to take her to and from the school. Dan had been her companion and now stood behind her.

They were waiting for the right moment when they would alert Jim to her presence.

Applause forced Trixie to focus on the events at the front of the auditorium. Now was the presentation of diplomas. As names were called, the seniors made their way across the stage. They shook Principal Stratton’s hand and accepted their diploma from the assistant principal.

Trixie could feel the butterflies as Principal Stratton called the names alphabetically. She applauded softly when Brian was called and Principal Stratton announced he had received a scholarship to medical school. She was proud of what he had accomplished even with all that had happened.

“He’s next,” Dan said.

Trixie looked at the stage and saw Jim was making his way up the steps. He stopped at the top, waiting for his name to be called. Her heart went out to him. From that distance, she could see his pale face. There were shadows under his eyes and it looked like he had lost weight.

“James Winthrop Frayne the Second, with a full four-year scholarship to New York University,” Principal Stratton announced.

The audience cheered and he made his way across the stage. They could see he was forcing the smile on his face.

As he shook Principal Stratton’s hand, Trixie squeezed Dan’s.

“Bob, Bob-White. Bob, Bob-White.”

Jim’s head spun out to the audience as his hand tightened its hold on his diploma. She saw his gaze lock onto hers and she gave him a small wave. Shock, disbelief and pure joy crossed his face.

She saw Principal Stratton cover the microphone and speak to Jim, who nodded.

Jim climbed off the stage, his gaze never wavering. Instead of returning to his seat, Jim continued up the aisle toward the rear of the auditorium.

Trixie was vaguely aware that everyone was watching Jim as his pace quickened toward her. He reached her side, dropped his diploma to the floor as he fell to his knees and pulled her into his arms.

“I’ve missed you,” Jim choked out.

Trixie clung to him as everyone in the auditorium started clapping.

Jim leaned back and looked her face over. “How did this happen?”

Trixie lifted her hands and drew a heart on her chest. She mouthed, “Love.”

Jim hugged her again.

After a couple minutes, Dan said. “Let’s go outside so the ceremony can continue.”

“All right,” Jim said as he released Trixie.

Dan grabbed the handles of the wheelchair as Jim picked up his diploma. They stepped into the hallway. They moved over to the bench and Jim sat down with Trixie facing him. He took her hands in his and just stared at her.

“I’m so glad you’re awake,” Jim said. “When I left last night, the doctor had no idea when you were going to wake.”

“She opened her eyes a little before midnight,” Jim heard the female voice behind him.

They turned and saw both of their parents standing there.

“She wanted to surprise you,” Helen continued. “She even knew she was going to do it at graduation.”

“The doctor must have protested,” Jim said.

“He was against it,” Matthew said. “But when he understood Trixie’s reasoning, he agreed.”

“With a couple calls from your father, we were able to get her here,” Peter said.

Jim looked at Matthew. “Thank you.”

“I would do anything for you, son,” Matthew said. “Anything.”

“We should probably get Trixie back to the hospital,” Helen said. “We did promise the doctor.”

Trixie nodded. She had been granted her wish and was going to follow her doctor’s conditions.

“I’ll ride with her,” Jim said.

“We will meet you there,” Matthew said.

They made their way out to the private ambulance. Once they were inside, the driver started the trek back to the hospital.

Jim held her hand as they rode along. Trixie watched him and knew if she asked the question on her mind, Jim would tell her the truth. She had posed the question to her parents the previous night, but they had quickly changed the subject.

Trixie wrote, “I have a question.”

“Go ahead,” Jim said.

“Honest answer.”

Jim nodded. “Of course.”

“What happened to Amelia?”

“You remember what happened?” Jim asked, surprised.

Trixie nodded.

Jim sighed. “Let’s just say that Amelia’s father won’t be bailing her out for her actions, especially since he resigned the day after the incident.”

Trixie’s eyes went wide.

Jim nodded. “He realized he’d been fooled for years by his daughter and that he couldn’t in good faith continue on.”

“Wow,” Trixie mouthed.

“All that is in the past,” Jim said. “You are alive, and for me, that is the best graduation present ever.”

“I love you,” Trixie mouthed.

“I love you, too.” Jim leaned forward and they kissed.