God Bless the Child

Chapter 20

Trixie privately wondered how much more ‘taking it easy’ she could stand.  A few days had gone by since the car accident she still had no memory of, and although she’d had many visitors to talk to, what she really wanted to do was get back to the office.  Even Katy couldn’t wait to go to school today, she thought sourly.  It was Monday, which meant the start of a new story that she would ‘die if she missed’, so Jim took her into White Plains before he went to work. 

Trixie sighed—she had to admit she didn’t feel ready to get behind the wheel yet.  Even though she couldn’t remember what happened, she felt uneasy at the thought of getting in the car.  She supposed it was a good sign that her memory was returning, but at the same time, it made her anxious and impatient.  Although she had learned how to accept help over the years, it was still hard for her—it rankled not being able to do something.

Trixie stretched and took another small sip of tea.  Honey was going home today and Trixie felt like she would start screaming and never stop if she didn’t talk to her about the case soon.  She wondered if the toxicology analysis was finished, and if the results revealed anything that would help Joeanne.   She turned her head as the front door opened.

“I’m back—do you need anything before I go?” Jim asked, coming into the living room where Trixie sat on the couch.

“You mean other than the return of my memory and the will to live?  Nah,” Trixie replied.  She set down her tea.  “I’ll pick Katy up later,” she said decisively, suddenly deciding that the best defense was a good offense.  Enough was enough.

Jim stood in front of her.  “Are you sure?” he asked. 

Trixie sighed noisily.  She loved Jim with all her heart, but he could be a real pain in the rear.  She told him so with a grin.

Jim grinned back, secretly glad that her old spunk was returning.  Seeing her lie listlessly on the couch yesterday was hard.  “Is that so.  Whatever happened to ‘honor thy husband’?”

“Kisseth my ass,” she mumbled, beginning to laugh when he replied ‘as you wish’, bending down and kissing her lips.  She pulled him down to her, and it must be said that for a person who hated being late as much as Jim did, he was certainly late to work that morning.

***

“Brian, let me go!” Honey protested as Brian, after unlocking their door, swept her up and carried her into their apartment.

Brian kicked the door closed and held onto her.  “Never going to happen,” he responded before kissing her.  He was still reeling from the news they had gotten, flooded with a fierce tenderness that almost completely overwhelmed him.

He had spent that long, first night taking catnaps in the chair by Honey’s hospital bed and was sure he was hearing things when the doctor began talking to them the next morning.

“You’ll be glad to know that the baby is absolutely fine.  It was extremely lucky that not only were you wearing your seatbelt, your car was equipped with airbags,” the older woman began.  At their looks of dumbfounded amazement, she quickly added, “I know you must be concerned about the sedative we gave you last night, but not to worry—since you were already unconscious it was a relatively small amount.”  She smiled at Brian, who had lost several shades of color and appeared to be having trouble breathing.  “As a fellow doctor, I’m sure you’re aware that women frequently receive larger amounts of meds than that while they’re in labor.  And of course, no harm is done.  So please, don’t worry.  Mother and child are going to be fine.”

Honey’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out.  She looked at Brian helplessly.

“Honey’s…pregnant?” he finally managed to gasp.  He knew without asking that Honey was just as shocked as he was. 

The doctor stared at them both and then shook her head, chuckling softly.  “That’s what I get for assuming.  Yes, Honey is pregnant.  I’d say she’s about seven weeks along, but of course, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with your ob-gyn to know for certain.”  She spoke for a few more minutes, but neither one of them could understand a word.  “I’ll just leave you two alone,” she finally decided, backing out of the room with a little smile on her face.

“I’m going to have a baby,” Honey murmured, still in profound shock.  She looked at her husband askance.  “Brian, I didn’t…”

He stopped pacing and sat back down, taking both of her hands in his.  “I know you didn’t know,” he said, then stopped.  There was so much more to say, but he hardly knew where to begin; a million feelings were vying for the top spot.

“I don’t understand how this could have happened,” Honey said softly.  Brian’s reply made a huge smile creep over her pale face.

“Now Honey, I think we both know how it happened!” he said, brushing her mouth with a gentle kiss.

Honey giggled.  “Dork.  No, I mean I’m on the pill and I haven’t missed a day,” she explained. 

“Well, it’s about 95 percent effective.  Guess we fell into the other 5 percent.”  Brian finally picked a feeling and went with it.  “Honey, I love you.  When I got the call about the accident last night, I thought my whole world had come to an end.”  He stroked her cheek and went on when he was able.  “This…you being pregnant…Honey, I’m not a religious man, but it seems to me that it’s meant to be.”

“You’re not…unhappy?” Honey whispered, her whole body trembling.  She herself was so happy she could barely keep herself from flying out the window—their child was growing inside of her!

“You’re okay and you’re having my baby.  Our baby.  Sweetheart, I don’t think there’s a person alive who is happier than I am!”  Brian laid his cheek on her stomach and felt his eyes fill.  The old fear was still with him, but with it was the unshakable conviction that together, they could handle whatever life had in store for them.  If last night had taught him anything, it was to relish every moment and not waste time on wondering what might happen.

Honey began to cry from happiness, burying her fingers into the warm thickness of his hair.  “Oh God, we have to call my parents, and your parents, and Trixie and Jim and…” she had listed the entire population of Sleepyside before she finally started giggling from the sheer joy of it all.

Brian had known he’d loved this woman since he was 17 years old, had thought he knew what loving her meant.  But as he pressed his lips into the belly that was sheltering their future, he was awed to realize that there was simply no limit to the depth of his feelings for her.  That in the whole grand scheme of things, his understanding of love had only just begun.

***

Trixie had just walked in the front door with Katy when she heard the knock coming from the back door.

“I’ll get it!” Katy hollered, running for the kitchen.

Trixie followed at a more sedate pace, still secretly shaken from the drive home.  She had begun to breathe heavily when she saw the Sleepyside off ramp, clenching her hands on the wheel, frustrated that she still didn’t know why.  Katy had chattered happily on about her day, which helped a lot.

“Wait for me,” she called, then smiled when she spied Neil through the window.  She opened the door and greeted him warmly.

“Hi,” he said, shyly asking her if she was all right. He’d inadvertently heard Jim and Mart discussing the accident, becoming very upset.  Jim tried to reassure him, but seeing how agitated he was, finally suggested that he take a few moments to pay her a quick visit.

“Mommy had a big bump on her head, but now it’s gone,” Katy informed him solemnly, leaning her head against Trixie’s hip.  Neil could see the faint brownish traces of what must have been an ugly bruise on Trixie’s forehead.

“I’m fine,” Trixie reassured him.  She dug in the refrigerator until she found Katy her juice box, opening it and settling the little girl at the table.  “Want a strawberry pop?” she asked Neil.

Neil couldn’t stop the look of disgust on his face at the suggestion.

Trixie let out a little laugh.  “Doesn’t anybody in the world except me like this stuff?  Jim says it’s gross and Mart says it isn’t fit for human consumption.  Even Katy won’t drink it, will you munchkin?” she finished, ruffling her daughter’s hair.

“Nope.  Yucky,” Katy said flatly.

Neil accepted a coke instead and they sat down, Trixie happy to hear that he had visited with his mother yesterday.  She knew it already, of course, but wanted to hear what the boy had to say.

“That’s really wonderful, Neil.  How did it go?” Is she still taking him back? she really wanted to ask, but didn’t.

“Good,” he began hesitantly.  His mother had been so glad to see him that he was astounded.  It had been a long time since she seemed to care about anything.  “We talked for a long time and…” he ducked his head a little.  “She said she, um, loved me a lot.”

Trixie resisted the urge to ruffle his hair, knowing it would offend his 12-year-old boy dignity.  “Told ya she did,” she teased instead.

“Yeah,” he said simply.  He took a long drink of soda.  “She said that she wants everything to be different for me.”  His face reddened as he added, “She says that when I get married someday, it won’t be like…her,” he finished awkwardly.  The visit had ended with her holding him for a long time, Neil hardly daring to breathe or move, not ready to trust the rush of a love he’d thought long gone, but wanting to, very much. 

Trixie’s expression spoke volumes.  “I am so happy for you.  No matter what happens with your mother, I hope you know that you’re loved.  It took a lot of courage for her to let you stay.”  When he nodded seriously, she decided to lighten the mood.  “And Neil, you’re going to make some lucky girl a fine husband someday!” she said, her blue eyes twinkling at him.  His reply made her heart sink. 

“Nobody’s ever going to want to marry a guy like me,” Neil said, shrugging as if the idea didn’t really bother him.

“What makes you say that?”  Trixie gazed at him steadily, her voice calm.

“Ah, come on.  I’ve got nothing.  And…and I can’t help thinking that a nice girl wouldn’t want a guy whose own dad…” he broke off, shrugging again, the movement quick and studied.

“What your dad…did is not a reflection on you.  It’s a reflection on him.  It has nothing to do with who you are, or what you can do.  Or be.”  Trixie laid a hand on his arm and smiled.  “Jim had practically the same thing happen to him and look what a great girl he married!”  She struck a pose, glad when Neil let out a surprised laugh.

“That’s different.”

“Why?”

Neil’s forehead wrinkled in concentration.  “Because.  Because…well, I’m sure by the time you met him things were a lot different.”  He wanted to believe that he had good things to look forward to, was, in fact, working on believing it, but it was hard.  So hard…

Trixie leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.  “When I first met Jim, he was on the run from his stepfather, as I’m sure he’s told you.  His only living relative was dying, so he had nowhere to go and nobody to run to.  He had little more than the clothes he was wearing.”  She knew that he wouldn’t mind her telling him this.  She stole a glance at Katy and was glad to see that she wasn’t being upset by the seriousness of a discussion that was most likely beyond her three-year-old ken.

“That’s when you met him?”  He sounded so incredulous that she almost laughed.

“Yep.  As a matter of fact, Honey and I used to sneak him food.”

Neil was stunned, the first blossoming of hope causing a warm sensation in his belly.  “And did you, um…”

“Love him then?  Oh yes, I sure did.  I thought he was the most wonderful boy I had ever met.”  Trixie’s eyes were so soft with remembrance that Neil knew she was telling the truth.

“How’s school?” she asked, sensing that a change of subject was needed.

Neil lit up.  “It’s so cool.  I never thought I could like school so much.”  He went on and on, the sun sparkling through the windows, filling up the homey kitchen with a pure light as he spoke.  As if eating regularly and having clean clothes to wear weren’t miraculous enough, he was experiencing a level of care that he had never experienced in his short life.  He didn’t know that the new sensation he felt had a name, was too young to fully understand that without it, life is only a thin shadow; that without that wonderful something called ‘hope’, you’re aren’t really living at all.

All of Trixie’s anxieties about her memory loss vanished under his youthful enthusiasm.  Even Katy listened without interruption, enchanted by the purity of expression that filled Neil’s sensitive face.

“We should put you in a commercial for the school!” she gently teased when he paused for breath. 

Neil grinned in embarrassment.  “I guess I should get going,” he said shyly.  Then he started as he remembered something.  “Oh! Jim wanted me to ask you if the letter from his parents came today,” he said.

Trixie let out an annoyed noise.  “Darn it—I was just by the mailbox and I forgot to pick up the mail,” she said, shaking her head.  Great—now my short-term memory is going down the toilet too, she thought in exasperation.

“I’ll check it for you,” Neil offered eagerly, wanting to do something for the woman who had done so much for him.

“Thanks Neil, that’s nice of you,” Trixie said.  “Do you know where it is?” she asked, referring to the large mailbox at the end of their long driveway.

“Sure,” he said, jumping up. 

“Can I go too?” Katy asked.

Trixie smiled at the girl who, like her, wanted to be part of everything.  “If it’s okay with Neil,” she said.  At his nod, the little girl put her hand trustingly in his and gave it a tug.

It was such an unusually beautiful day—Trixie left the front door open and took deep grateful breaths of the clean air, her thoughts drifting to baby Sammy.  If what she and Honey suspected was true, there was certainly no way he’d have to remain with his mother.  And if Mr. Lewis doesn’t want him, I’ll adopt him myself she thought fiercely, not liking the idea of Sammy going off with a man who may or may not have attacked Meggie. 

She smiled as she pictured Sammy living in her house.  She and Jim hadn’t meant to keep Katy an only child—she had a miscarriage when Katy was a year and a half old, and until recently had been scared to try again.  It wasn’t anybody’s fault, ‘these things sometimes happen and we don’t know why’ her doctor had told her, but it still had the power to make her feel sad sometimes.  As with her pregnancy with Katy, she fell deeply in love as soon as she knew she was expecting.  And love wasn’t something that could be switched off like a lamp you were no longer using.

Trixie shook her head, taking another deep breath and letting the sadness gently slide away.  She had her beautiful Katy and a wonderful life.  She was, she knew, a very lucky woman.

She would later think that it was pretty ironic that she was thinking about luck at that particular moment. Trixie thought she understood fear, thought she had plumbed its slimy depths, but realized she knew absolutely nothing about it when Katy’s scream of sheer terror split through the afternoon air, startling the nearby roosting birds into panicked flight.

Chapter 21

For one long, horrible moment, Trixie was completely paralyzed.  It was like one of those dreams where you need to run, you need to run as you have never needed to do anything in your life, but your legs will not cooperate.  They each weigh a thousand pounds; making lifting your feet an impossibility.  And all the while your brain screams, "Go go go go, for the love of God GO!"

Trixie flew out of the house and down the porch steps, running down the drive faster than she'd ever run before, completely unaware of the low moan escaping from her throat, her heart in her mouth.  She saw Katy lying on the ground in front of the open mailbox, and the moan became a wail as she screamed out her daughter's name, reaching her side at last.  Her first awful thought was that she'd been struck by a car and thrown to the side of the road, but it was with indescribable relief that she didn't see any blood or worse.  Neil was nowhere to be seen.

"Katy," she gasped, running frantic hands through her hair and down her body, searching for signs of injury.  There weren't any.  The little girl was sobbing, tears making clean tracks through the dirt clinging to her cheeks from the ground.  She dimly recognized the feel of her mother's hands and flung herself towards the love and safety she knew were there.

Trixie sat on the ground and cuddled her on her lap, rocking her and murmuring soothing words.  Obviously something terrible had happened—other than the normal tears of childhood, Katy never cried like this and had certainly never screamed.  Trixie shivered as she recalled the awful sound—it had sounded so chillingly adult.

"Shhh," she crooned, rubbing her back gently and kissing the parts of her face that weren't buried into her stomach.  "It's okay, angel.  It's okay.  Mommy's here.  Tell me what happened."

Katy's sobs subsided into the occasional hiccup.  "Nnnneil," she managed to say, burrowing into her mother and breathing in her comforting, familiar smell.  Her short life filled with adoring love had not prepared her for what she had just seen, her brain unable to fully process the sequence of violent events.

Trixie carefully stood, keeping her daughter close to her.  "What about Neil?" she said gently as she slowly walked back to the house, carrying her.  She felt Katy's body stiffen in fear and added quickly, "You're safe, I won't let anybody hurt you.  You can tell me."  She entered the house, hoping that the familiar surroundings would help.  She sank on the couch and covered them both with the homemade blanket her mother had made for her long ago.

Katy's voice came in little hitches as she told her mother that a bad man had gotten out of his car and yelled out mean words at them.  Neil had told her to run, but she froze as the man reached them, punching Neil several times in the face, dragging him to the car with him.  "He hitted him, he hurted him, Mommy!"  Katy was so upset she reverted to her earlier rhythms of speech that, thanks to the attentions of her Uncle Mart, she hadn't used for quite some time.

Trixie closed her eyes and let out a little moan; she knew instantly what must have happened.  No doubt, Neil's father, newly released from jail, had somehow found out where Neil was living and had come for him.  Trixie shivered—there was only one way he could have gotten that information.

Trixie automatically thought of Dan as she hastily stood and made her way to the kitchen telephone with Katy still clinging to her. Then she remembered he wasn't with the White Plains Police Department anymore.  She called them anyway—Annabel lived in White Plains and she was sure that's where Neil's father was headed.  She reached dispatch, recognizing the voice as belonging to a young officer named Anna Thompson.  She quickly and urgently gave her Annabel's address, apprising her of the situation and begging her to please call her as soon as she knew what happened.

"You got it, Trixie," the young woman promised, ending the call.

"There now," Trixie spoke soothingly to Katy.  "The police are going to catch up with that man and Neil's going to be just fine."  Oh God, please let that be true!  She sat the little girl on the counter by the kitchen sink, wetting a paper towel and washing her face.

"Why did he hit him?" Katy asked, looking at her mother with teary, confused eyes.  The man had pushed her out of the way, causing her to fall on the ground while Neil said no, no Dad, don't, run Katy.  It made absolutely no sense—daddies didn't do those kinds of things.

Trixie felt her own eyes fill with tears—she had seen something no child should ever have to see.  And once seen, it could not be unseen.  She lifted her off the counter and squeezed her hopelessly.  "I don't know, Katy bird.  He shouldn't have done it," was all she could think of to say.

"I want Daddy," Katy wailed, burying her face into Trixie's neck.  She had a new book in her backpack because she had the most gold stars on her chart.  Neil had given her a backride to the mailbox—he was Willie and she said giddiap. Why did this have to happen?

Trixie glanced at the clock—he wasn't due home for another hour or so.  "Let's call him, okay sweetie?  Stop crying now, everything is going to be fine."  She picked up the phone with her free hand, awkwardly tucking it between her ear and neck so she could dial.  When she was put through, she tried to make her voice as calm as possible when she told him to please come home.  It didn't work.

"Oh my God, what's happened?" he said urgently.  He could easily hear the dismay in Trixie's controlled voice, and knew whatever it was, it was bad.

The events caught up to her with a rush, and Trixie suddenly realized that Katy wasn't the only one who needed comforting.  "Neil's dad made an appearance," she began shakily and he didn't need to hear anymore.

A few minutes later he came through the back door, slightly out of breath.  Katy twisted in her mother's arms and reached for him as he entered the kitchen.  "What happened; where’s Neil?" he asked Trixie as he gently pulled his daughter into him, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly.

Jim paled as she told him about Neil’s father and what he’d done, his eyes taking on a strange glitter.  "What's this guy's address?" he said when she finished, his voice dangerously soft.  "Soundview Manor, right?"

"No," Trixie said, distressed.

"Yes it is, I remember you telling me."

"No, I mean you're not going there," Trixie cried, frightened at the darkly cold expression that was so out of place on Jim's normally open face.

"He's scared Katy out of her wits, he's hurting Neil, what do you mean I'm not going there?  I'm going there," Jim said firmly.  Inside he was shaking all over.  He wanted life to be different for Katy than it was for him—he never in a million years wanted her to be exposed to the ugly violence he himself had lived through.  Didn't want her childhood clouded with adult sorrow the way his was.  He thought of the look on Neil's face when he said he hated his father and felt his heart shattering all over again.

"I've called the police; let them handle it.  How many times over the years did you say that to me?  That it was their job and to let them handle it?  Well let them handle it, damn it!" Trixie's voice was slightly hysterical.

"Stay," Katy sobbed, pressing harder into him, and the frantic little voice broke him out of the spell of darkness he'd fallen into.

"Poker should not be played in a house full of women," he muttered and Trixie drew in a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank God," she breathed, putting her arms around them both and closing her eyes.  Katy, sandwiched in the middle of her parents, stopped crying, beginning to relax. She knew nothing could possibly happen to her, the security seeping into her pores like warm honey.

"I understand what you're feeling," Trixie went on.  "I wouldn't mind a crack at Neil's dad myself."

"He's a bad man," Katy said against her father's chest.  "Mommy said he shouldn't have done it."  With the fear subsided, there was indignance and disapproval in her tone.

"That's right, he shouldn't," Jim replied, kissing her forehead.  "It was very wrong and he's in a lot of trouble.  He'll be put somewhere he can't hurt anybody, so I don't want you thinking about him anymore, okay?"  He held his breath until she replied, "Okay, I won't."

Trixie sat at the table, releasing a shaky sigh.  "And so now, we wait."  Please let Neil and Annabel be okay, she silently prayed.

Jim sat across from her, settling Katy in his lap.  He reached across the table and took her hand as they sat in tired silence waiting for the phone to ring.  They didn't have to wait long.

"Hello?" Trixie answered, her pulse fluttering in her throat.  She smiled with relief at the words coming from the other end—Mr. Griffin was back in custody and Neil and Annabel, although shaken and bruised, were basically okay.  "Where are they now?" she asked, giving Jim and Katy the thumbs up.

"They're here at the station.  Neil would like to spend the night with his mother and return tomorrow if that's all right with you," Officer Thompson relayed.

"Of course it is.  May I speak to him?" Trixie asked.

"He and his mother are in with the arresting officers right now.  She's filing charges and there's a ton of paperwork to be filled out."

Trixie nodded—how well she remembered Dan complaining about the unbelievable amounts of paperwork involved in police work.  "It's okay.  Just tell him that everything is fine and we'll see him tomorrow, okay?"

"No problem.  Oh, and one more thing.  I have a message from Mrs. Griffin for you."

"For me?" Trixie said, puzzled.  "What is it?"  A huge smile of understanding and glee lit up her eyes as the young officer replied.

"She says to tell you that she wants to take you up on your offer.  Do you know what that means?"

Trixie felt like jumping up and down.  "Oh yeah!  I sure do," she replied.  Apparently, Neil wasn't the only one who had decided to give hope a fair shake.  Trixie suddenly felt so happy she could hardly stand it.  She hung up the phone and beamed at Jim and Katy.  "See Katy? Neil is just fine."

"I'm hungry, Mommy!" Katy cried, a little puzzled when both her parents burst into laughter.  As her Uncle Mart once told her, hunger is no laughing matter.  She smiled anyway—if Neil was okay then he'd play with her some more.  Besides, she liked it when everybody was laughing.  She laughed too although she didn't know why.

They dug out all the Sunday night leftovers and had a happy meal, their hearts light at the thought of Neil and his mother.  "It's kind of cute how concerned Neil was about my well being," Trixie commented, scooping some more mashed potatoes onto Katy's plate.

"He was pretty upset about it, actually.  That's why I told him to come over here."  A shadow crossed Jim's face, but how could he have known such a thing would happen?

"You know, he's worried that no nice girl will ever want to have anything to do with him because of everything that's happened."

Jim winced.  "Oh boy.  What did you tell him?"

A mischievous smile built on her face.  "Oh, I pointed out that you'd had a similar experience, and look what a great girl you ended up with!" She laughed merrily.  Neil had a long way to go, but she was sure that he would get there in time, even if they both had to nudge him along the way.

Jim smiled.  "Well if that didn't convince him, nothing will!"

Jim and Trixie surreptitiously watched Katy for the rest of the evening, relieved when she didn't appear to be suffering any negative side effects from her experience.  But when Trixie tucked her in that night, she suddenly looked uncertain. 

"You want me to stay with you until you fall asleep, angel?" At her nod, Trixie peeled the covers back.  "Scootch over," she said, sliding in next to her. Katy snuggled up to her contentedly. "I forgot to show Daddy my new book," she said, beginning to yawn.

"You can show him tomorrow."  She bent her head and kissed her.  "Close your eyes now and think pretty thoughts."

"Will you read it to me?" Katy wheedled.

"Daddy already read you a story,” she began, then smiled softly as big green eyes turned up to hers.  “All right; if you promise to go right to sleep afterwards," Trixie bargained.  "Where is it?"

Katy reached under the covers and triumphantly pulled it out.  "Here it is!"

Trixie laughed.  "You little con-artist!  You knew I'd say yes, didn't you?"  She thanked the God of little children everywhere, who protects little personalities from life's darker moments.  She sat up against the pillows and opened the book while Katy leaned her head against her stomach.  She cleared her throat and began to read.

Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.  So he said to his mother, "I am running away."

"Why did he want to run away?" Katy asked.

"It doesn't say," Trixie replied.

"Oh."

"If you run away," said his mother, "I will run after you.  For you are my little bunny."

"If you run after me," said the little bunny, "I will become a fish in a trout stream and I will swim away from you."

"If you become a fish in a trout stream," said his mother, "I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you."

"If you become a fisherman," said the little bunny, "I will become a rock on the mountainside, high above you."

"If you become a rock on the mountainside," said his mother, "I will be a mountain climber, and I will climb to where you are."

"Wow!" said Katy.  She was valiantly trying to keep her eyes open.

"Pretty good, huh?" Trixie replied, smiling a secret little smile.  Her own mother had read this to her when she was a little girl. "Should I stop now?"

"Nooooo," Katy protested.

"All right then."

If you become a mountain climber," said the little bunny, "I will be a crocus in a hidden garden."

If you become a crocus in a hidden garden," said his mother, "I will be a gardener.  And I will find you."

"Like Grandma!" Katy said, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Mmm hmmm."

Jim leaned into the doorjamb, enjoying the homey scene.  Trixie turned the page and sent him a little smile.

“If you are a gardener and find me,” said the little bunny, “I will be a bird and fly away from you.”

“If I ran away would you find me too?” Katy murmured sleepily.

“You wouldn’t stand a chance,” Trixie assured her.  “I’m VERY good at finding Fraynes!”  The look she sent Jim was positively wicked.

“More, Mommy.”  Very sleepy.

“If you become a bird and fly away from me,” said his mother, “I will be a tree that you come home to.”

Jim felt a certain, not-so-secret worry slip away; understanding that there is a happiness that comes from letting go, that sometimes, in giving up, there is much to be gained.

There was more to the story, but Trixie could tell that Katy was fast asleep, her mouth slightly parted as her breath deepened into the rhythm of rest.  Trixie carefully got out of the bed, easing the little girl’s head onto the pillow.

“Good night, my little bunny,” she said, brushing her forehead with a soft kiss as she turned out the light, laying the book on the dresser.

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