�I�m
here, Jake. I�m
trying as hard as I can.
I�ll get home to you.�
Vicky fought to regain consciousness but her body was working against her
will. She
wanted desperately to put her arms around Jake and let him know that she was
going to be okay, but she couldn�t.
All she could do is lay here and fight to get back to him.
Vicky�s
heart ached from the pain she heard in his voice.
He had always been there for her and here he was again and this time she
could feel his heart breaking.
Vicky slowly went to a happier place and time as she began to recall the
first time she realized that Jake was her guy....
On
The Way to the Playground in Lassiter...
�Can
I carry your books for you, Vic?�
Jake McKinnon was following Vicky home for the third day in a row since
he had seen her cry in the classroom.
�No.
You cannot.�
Vicky said as she tried her best to out-walk Jake.
"C�mon,
Vic, I told you I was sorry.
What else can I do?�
Jake had decided that no matter what, he was going to become Vicky�s
friend.
Never
once had he stopped to notice that she didn�t seem to have any friends.
When
they all went to recess, Vicky would get a book and go sit under a tree and
read. The
other girls in the class would pair off in twos and threes and push each other
on the swings or play ring around the rosy.
Jake never noticed that they didn�t try to include Vicky.
Although he wondered why, he decided not to worry about that and do
whatever he could to get Vicky to be his friend.
He didn�t know why all of a sudden it was so important to him, but
suddenly it became a challenge and if there was one thing that Jake could not
resist was a good challenge.
�You
can go away and leave me alone!�
Vicky turned to look Jake in the eye, �Why are you bothering me?�
Jake
smiled, �What, are you asking me a question?�
Vicky
shifted her weight and twisted her ponytail, �Yeah.�
�Because
I want to be friends with you and...�
Jake didn�t get to finish because just as he was about to apologize for
the millionth time, Barry Bonito and Jerry Shipman walked up, �What are you
doing with the orphan, McKinnon?
Ain�t you got nothin' better to do than play with this bast..�
Bobby didn�t get to finish his sentence because his mouth was otherwise
occupied with Jake�s fist.
Jerry took his opportunity to run as fast as he could before Jake could
get his balance.
�You
busted my lip!�
Barry exclaimed as he looked at his hand covered in blood.
�I�m
gonna bust more than that if you don�t leave Vicky alone.
What has she ever done to you?�
Jake couldn�t believe that he, too, had picked on Vicky.
He knew now that no matter what, he was never going to let anyone pick on
her again.
�She
ain�t done nothin' to me...she just don�t fit in.
She�s weird.�
Barry looked at Vicky and shook his head, �Look at her....those pants
look like boy�s pants.�
Vicky
couldn�t hold the tears back and she ran away as fast as she could.
Jake
pushed Barry and knocked him on the ground, �You ever make her cry again and I
will beat you so bad your mama won�t recognize you.�
With that, Jake ran as fast as he could to try and catch up with Vicky.
Unfortunately, she had gotten too much of a head start and she was no
where in sight.
Jake shook his head, �Where could she be?�
�The
swings.� Jake
ran to the playground and just as he thought, Vicky was sitting on the swing.
Jake
sat in the swing next to her, �You okay?�
Vicky
sniffed, �Uh huh.�
Jake
looked at her, she was so small and defenseless suddenly, �You want me to push
you?�
Vicky
smiled just a bit, �Uh huh.�
�Okay,
get ready to touch the stars, Vic!�
Jake smiled as Vicky laughed with every push sending her higher and
higher.
They
played on the swings for over an hour.
When Vicky realized that it was getting late, �I need to get home,
Bridget will be worried something happened to me.�
�Can
I walk with you?�
Never in a million years did he realize how much fun he would have
playing with Vicky.
�Uh
huh.� Vicky
walked over to the picnic table where she had put her books, �Here..� she
shoved them into Jake�s chest, �You can carry these.�
�Bit
pushy, ain�t cha?�
Vicky smiled at his question, �Uh huh.�
Jake
followed Vicky out of the playground, �Can you say somethin' besides 'Uh
huh'?�
�Why
do you want to be my friend?�
Vicky turned to look at Jake.
�Because
you need a friend and I don�t want you to cry no more.�
Jake turned and started walk towards Vicky�s house, �My mom cries a
lot. I
don�t think girls should cry.
That�s all.�
Vicky
walked next to Jake, �Why does your mom cry?�
�Why
do you?� They
reached Vicky�s house and Jake handed her her books.
�I
don�t know. I
can�t help it sometimes.�
Just then Bridget opens the door, �My goodness, Victoria, do you know
how late it is?
I have been worried to death about you�
Bridget eyed Jake, �Hello, laddie.�
�Bridget,
this is Jake McKinnon.�
Vicky and Jake followed Bridget inside the house and into the kitchen.
As
they sat at the kitchen table, Bridget gave them each a plate of cookies and a
glass of milk, �Are you a friend of Victoria�s, Jake?�
�Yes
ma'am.� Jake
looked to Vicky for confirmation which she gave by shaking her head.
�My,
what a polite young lad.
Well, I�m glad that Victoria has a friend,� Bridget kissed the top of
Vicky�s head.
Vicky
rolled her eyes,
"Can Jake stay for supper?�
�I
don�t know, Jake, you�ll need to ask your mother.�
Bridget smiled at the young boy sitting at her table, he seemed so rough
around the edges but something told her that
underneath he was a teddy bear.
Jake
smiled at Bridget, �She won�t care.�
�Still,
I want you to call.
Now you two go out and play while I start dinner.�
Bridget smiled as she watched Jake whisper something into Vicky�s ear.
�Ms.
Connell?� Jake
walked over to where Bridget was standing, �Could I get some more milk?�
Bridget smiled, �Why, of course, Jake.�
As Jake stood watch and Bridget turned to get him more milk, Vicky sliped
four cookies in her jacket pocket and gave Jake the all clear.
Jake and Vicky ran from the kitchen, �Never mind, Ms. Connell.�
Bridget
turned as the two bounded out the back door and noticing the change in the
number of cookies on the plate, smiled to herself, �Those two are going to be
a handful. Thank
you, Lord, for sending her someone.�
In
The Backyard...
They
sat beneath a huge oak tree in the backyard and Vicky gave Jake his two cookies
and he put an entire cookie in his mouth, �Man, she sure knows how to make
good cookies.�
�Jake?�
Vicky too taking a bite of her cookie.
�Yeah?�
Jake had finished his second cookie and was mad at himself for eating
them so fast.
�You
ever watch the Brady Bunch?�
Jake
laughed, �Sure. Don�t everybody?�
Vicky
looked serious suddenly, �Do you think that is what a real family is like?�
Jake
turned to look at her, �I don�t know, Vic, no family that I know is like
that. I
guess there could be families like that.
Why?�
Vicky
shook her head, �I don�t know, I just wonder what it would be like to have a
mom and a dad and brothers and sisters living in a big house with a maid and a
dog.�
Jake
finally understood what Vicky was getting at, �You have Bridget.�
�Yeah
and I love her.
It�s just not the same.�
Vicky got up and started to pace back and forth in front of Jake, �When
I grow up, it�s going to be me and my husband and our kids, my kids won�t
ever wonder if I love them.�
�Bridget
loves you, Vic.�
Jake sat looking up at Vicky.
She
calmed down some and sat down across from Jake, �Yes, she does, but why
didn�t my mother and my father?�
Jake
shook his head, �I don�t know.
But I�m sure they had to love you, Vicky.�
Then trying to cheer her up, �One day, you and me, we are going to find
your mom and dad and we are going to ask them, then you�ll have all the
answers you need and you won�t be sad anymore.�
�You
really want to be my friend?�
Vicky had to admit to herself that she liked having a friend and she
didn�t want Jake to go away.
�Sure.
You want to be my friend, Vic?�
Jake looked at the remaining cookie sitting on Vicky�s lap.
�I
sure would, I�ve never had a friend before, Jake.�
Jake smiled at her, �Well, you do now.
It�s you and me against the world.�
Vicky
tore her cookie in half and gave part of it to Jake, �You and me against the
world!�
Vicky
smiled at Jake as he ate the other half of her cookie.
BACK
AT THE HOSPITAL....
�She�s
smiling.� Sarah
had walked over to the bed to make sure that Vicky looked comfortable when she
noticed the smile on her face.
�Huh?�
Jake looked at Vicky and smiled when he saw her face.
�You
hear me, don�t cha, Vic?
I know
you do. Well,
I�m gonna sit here and talk until you come back to me.�
Jake kissed Vicky�s hand.
He
looked up and smiled at Sarah, �She hears me, Sarah.�
�I
believe she does, Jake.
So was that the beginning?�
Sarah knew that there were tons of things that she needed to do and at
least three people she needed to talk to but she could not tear herself away
from this story.
Jake
laughed, �Yes, and there wasn�t a day after that for 10 years that we
weren�t together.�
�What
about that Barry guy?
Did he ever bother Vicky again?�
Sarah doubted that he had.
�No,
he wasn�t a problem, no one was after that.
Vicky still didn�t have any friends that were girls and I didn�t have
any friends that were boys, but we had each other and we were enough.
�Jake,
when did the two of you start dating?
I mean, was there ever anyone else during that time?�
Sarah laughed as Jake started to laugh hysterically.
She looked down at Vicky and she too, seemed to be laughing, but that was
impossible, or was it, with these two she was beginning to realize, anything was
possible....
To be continued.