Chapter 1 #2
Something bright shone above her, but the ceiling was no longer there when she looked up.
Warmth spread through her as Stacey felt an overwhelming sense of unconditional love radiating from that brightness.
Where was it coming from? For once, her mind was calm.
She didn’t understand, but she didn’t need to.
She let herself continue to rise, leaving everything else behind.
The glorious light began to shift, coalescing into a grassy green lawn with wildflowers swaying in the breeze. A fluffy white dog galloped up to her, his eyes bright and his tongue lolling.
“Tricky?” Stacey hadn’t seen Tricky in years, not since she was a little girl. They used to play outside for hours, and her mind stumbled. Wasn’t Tricky gone?
The dog wagged his tail and stomped his paws before turning back the way he’d come, and then he returned to Stacey to repeat the little show.
“All right, boy. I’ll come with you. Is our fort still there?”
But Tricky didn’t lead her to the makeshift fort Stacey had created all those years ago by throwing a blanket over the slide at the end of the swing set.
He trotted happily in front of her until he was swirling around the legs of a man, tall and handsome with deep green eyes and a wide smile.
He spread his arms out wide. “Come here, Gumdrop.”
“Daddy?” Stacey fell into his arms, tears slipping from her eyes as she felt his embrace. It’d been so long, and she’d missed him so much. A cloudy fog had settled over her mind, and she still didn’t quite understand what was happening. “Where have you been?”
“Here.” He swept one arm out wide to encompass the parklike surroundings of green trees and brilliant flowers.
“It’s beautiful.” She moved back from her father just enough to bend down and touch the petals of a bright pink peony. It looked just like the ones that grew outside her first apartment.
“Yes, it is,” her father agreed. “It always is, and the flowers bloom all the time.”
“I like it.” Stacey’s body felt so good and relaxed. Her usual tension knots had vanished from her shoulders, and she couldn’t think of anything she needed to do other than exist. “A lot.”
“There’s nothing more I’d like than to have you here with me,” he replied, taking her hand, “but you’ve come too early.”
“What? What do you mean?” Her father was there, and so was Tricky. Time didn’t seem like it mattered at all.
“There are people who rely on you, people who need you more than anything. Some you know, and some you have yet to meet. You might be happy here, but they’d be lost without you.” His brows scrunched with sympathy, the way they used to when she went to him with a scraped knee or a broken heart.
Stacey immediately thought of her children.
Vivian was always so bright and excitable.
Elijah was quieter and incredibly smart.
Then there was her mother. The two of them had been so close over the recent years.
Her heart suddenly yearned for those who weren’t there with her, and she understood. “I have to go back.”
“You do,” he confirmed, “but it was so wonderful to see you.”
“You too, Dad. Will I see you again?” She hugged him, pulling him close and inhaling the scent of his cologne. She missed him so much, and though she couldn’t quite put her thoughts in order, she knew she was about to miss him again.
“Eventually,” he promised. “I’ve got something for you before you go.
” He held out his hand, and in his palm sat a small statue of a black bear.
It sat up strong on its haunches with its nose in the air, looking up toward something.
The glaze was glossy and smooth, and the soft eyes that’d been set into it were perfect.
As she gazed at the bear, the feeling of unconditional love surrounding her blossomed in her heart, radiating in all directions.
“What…what’s this?” Stacey reached out her hand to grasp it but missed.
“Don’t worry, Gumdrop. You’ll meet him again soon enough.”
“What?” She tried again, but her father’s hand was growing further and further away.
Something was dragging her backward. Stacey cried and reached out, but her father waved goodbye.
Wind rushed past her ears as she fell, tumbling down for an eternity.
The entire weight of her existence landed on her when she hit the bottom.
A steady beeping sounded in her ears. She wanted someone to turn it off but couldn’t make her lips or tongue work in order to ask.
Pain washed over her, shooting through every bone in her body and pulsing in her skull.
It turned her stomach. Bright light still washed over her, but it wasn’t the soft, gentle glow she’d experienced a few moments earlier.
It was a harsh illumination that made her squint.
She opened her eyes to see what it was, knowing Tricky was no longer there with her. Neither was her father.
“Mommy!” Two little arms wrapped around her.
Someone elbowed her on the other side, followed by more arms and hands. “Mommy’s awake!”
“Nurse! Nurse!” A familiar voice called, and then her mother’s face appeared before her. “Stacey! Oh, honey. I’m so glad you’re back with us.”
Me, too. She couldn’t say it, not out loud, but when she looked down and saw both of her children clinging to her, she knew she meant it.
The nurse rushed in, checking her vitals and testing her reactions.
Stacey lay there and went through the motions as best she could, but her eyes were on her mother and two children, where they’d retreated to the corner of the room to stay out of the nurse’s way.
Vivian had tears clinging to her long lashes.
Elijah’s little frown was so deep it looked like it might be permanent. They needed her so badly.
At that moment, she knew everything had to change.