“The plane, it went off the runway
and exploded.”  Helena explained and she nodded to Tina, who nodded back.

            “Everyone, Sam Vance, Sam everyone.”  Sam put a hand up in hello, feeling rather out of place
even if she did know a few of the players.

            “Hi Sam, not playing doctor any more?”  Dana asked and Shane giggled.

            “We have to have a memorial.”  Peggy said softly, the statement hanging as the room fell
into silence.  The reality of the death
finally settling in on everyone.

~*~*~*~*~* 

            Jayden rolled the sleeves of her
jean jacket up and moved around the triage center, being directed to a woman
with a severely broken hand.  She was
blonde, pretty and her eyes seemed far off from the place.  She’d seen that look before, many trauma
victims had that look after something like this happened to them.

            “I saw your X-Ray, its bad, but I’ve
seen worse.”  Jayden said with lightness
in her voice, “I only have pink for plaster, hope you don’t mind.”  The woman shrugged, there were no charts,
just treat ‘em and street ‘em, as Sam liked to say.

            “Whatever.”  She said, disconnected and in 30 minutes, she
had the hand cast and had yet to learn the woman’s name.  She kept talking, but the blonde was stoic.

            “Well, Jane…” 
Jayden said, pointing to the bus transports that were getting people
back to their homes.  “You can go, have
that checked in the next few days with a regular doctor.”

            “Yeah…”  Was all she said and she watched as the young
woman walked away, leaving Jayden to wonder what the blonde woman was thinking.

~*~*~*~*~*

            It was nearing midnight, all the lights were off at the Peggy Peabody home, and Daisy and Alice were upstairs in Quin’s room.  Alice begging tearfully to Tina and Cass to allow the teen to stay with her.  Everyone else had left, checked in and they
were all fine. 

            Alice sat on the bed, Daisy holding her.

            “You know, at least you had the time
you did.”  Daisy finally spoke, and Alice nodded, there were no more tears for
her, at least until tomorrow.  Another
day without Quin without the woman who seemed to have just wormed her way into
her heart without effort.

            “I know it wasn’t enough
time…”  Alice said again, laying down on the bed and
pulling Daisy with her.  Daisy hesitated,
but then she curled her body around Alice‘s, holding her. 

            “You know, when I was younger, I
always thought I’d be alone forever.  Now
I have a whole bunch of people who are there for me and for you too.”

            “I don’t want anyone but Quin.”  Alice sighed, and Daisy kept her tongue,
holding Alice as she finally drifted off to
sleep.  Dreaming of things that never would
be and had never been.

            Daisy’s mind drifted to Ro, who’d
saved Cass today. 
The insane Barrio girl that was straight, she smiled to herself well
most girls were straight.  Until they
weren’t.  Daisy thought, falling away
into a dream.  The last song that Quin
had shown her playing in her head, a song she’d written the day she’d allowed Alice into her heart, pounding piano and
soothing guitars in her mind as she dreamt.

~*~*~*~*~*

Beaconing

Long
ago, I was the one to carry the world

On
my slight little shoulders

Bearing
the weight of everyone around me

I
use to lie in a room

Wondering
what had happened to me

The
chill that runs through my veins

Once
was the warm blood of love

I
felt the frigid soul

Begin
to shatter away from me

You
are my warm summer wind

Breathing
into me

You
are the sunlight

That
cascades down and blinds my eyes

I
use to dwell on the wrongs in my life

Counting
every nickel

Saving
for the rainy day

That
never came

I
kept those I loved

At
bay

I
never had the time

For
emotional entanglements

Always
making them stay away

I
walked the streets of life

Alone,
the sidewalk

More
my home

Than
the bed I lay in every night

All
alone

I
was overtaken

By
the fright

Of
being alone on this dark night

Inside
my soul

I
heard the voice of your love

Beaconing
me into your arms

You
are my warm summer wind

Breathing
into me

You
are the sunlight

That
cascades down and blinds my eyes

I
shed the weight of the globe

Left
it rolling down the empty streets

Let
someone else be the bearer of all souls

I
reached out for you

The
blue sky in my endless night

You
are my warm summer wind

Breathing
into me

You
are the sunlight

That
warms my heart and fills my soul

jadedrogue