Daniel's Gift

by Barbara Freethy

Luke felt an incredible surge of anger at the simple gesture, at the sight of his woman in another man's arms. Good grief. Was he crazy? Jenny wasn't his woman, hadn't been in over a decade. Still, it bothered him, more than he cared to admit, even to himself.

  Jenny stopped when she saw him. The guy looked at him suspiciously. Luke felt as if they were two gun-slingers facing off on Main Street at high noon.

  "Luke," she murmured.

  The man's grip tightened on Jenny's shoulders.

  "I want to see Danny," Luke said.

  "Who the hell are you?" the man demanded, stepping in front of Jenny.

  "Who's asking?" Luke countered.

  "I'm Jenny's fiance, Alan Brady."

  "I'm Luke Sheridan, Danny's father."

  The world stopped. At least that's the way it felt to Jenny. The two men went as still as statues. Animosity electrified the air.

  "You bastard," Alan said with deceptive quiet. "You're responsible for this."

  "I'm going to see Danny."

  Luke turned to Jenny.

  Alan turned to Jenny.

  Jenny wanted to run and hide. Better yet, she wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare that was becoming her reality. She could tell Luke no, but he wouldn't listen. She could say yes, and Alan would be furious. Either way she would lose, and she was just too damn weary to think of another alternative. She swayed on her feet.

  Alan, who was standing barely a foot from her, didn't register the movement, but Luke did. He was at her side, his hands strong on her waist as she started to crumple.

  What a coward I am, she thought as she was going down. Fainting like some spoiled, pampered woman instead of acting like the tough, single mother she was.

  Luke pulled her over to one of the chairs in the corridor. Alan pushed Luke's hands away and put his arm around her. Jenny suddenly felt like a wishbone.

  "I can't do this," she muttered. "I'm too tired."

  "Come on, Jenny. Let me take you to Merrilee's house where you can rest," Alan said.

  Jenny looked up at Luke. "I don't want you to go in there without me."

  "Why not?"

  "If Danny should wake up -- when he wakes up, I don't want him to be confronted by you, unless we're both there together. It would be confusing."

  "He doesn't need to be in there at all," Alan declared, facing Luke. "You gave up your rights before this kid was born. Jenny told me what happened. What in the hell right do you have to come here now and intrude into this family?"

  "I'm Danny's father. I'd say that gives me more rights than you."

  Alan stood up. Luke stood up. Jenny sighed. Her moment as damsel in distress was over. She got to her feet. "I'm going to my sister's house to rest for a few hours. I will be back here by five, Luke. I'd appreciate it if you would wait until then before you see Danny."

  Luke stared at her for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. "All right. I'll do as you wish."

  "Thank you." She slipped her arm through Alan's. "Let's go."

  * * *

  Danny looked over at Jacob. "My dad doesn't like Alan either."

  "The cop's a good dude."

  "He's a dweeb. I drive him crazy."

  Jacob laughed. "On purpose, kid."

  Danny grinned. "Yeah, maybe. He's no good for my mom. She doesn't smile when she's with him. And Alan hates the beach. Can you imagine living in Half Moon Bay and hating the beach? I bet my dad likes the beach."

  "Your dad spends all his time at work making money."

  "And making drugs to help people," Danny said defensively.

  "You like him, don't you?"

  "I -- I want to," Danny said slowly. "I'm not sure yet. I mean I can't forget that he lives in that huge house that's five times the size of my mom's house. She's had to do everything all these years, because he didn't want me."

  "But you still think you might want him as a dad?"

  "He is my dad. And he did come to the hospital. Now that he knows about me, he wants to be with me. That should count for something."

  "Okay, we'll give him a chance then."

  "What does that mean?"

  "It means I'm tired of this hospital. Let's have some fun."

  Danny's eyes widened. "Fun? Like what?"

  "Ever wondered what it feels like to fly like a bird?"

  "No."

  "Then it's about time you did."

  Danny felt himself being lifted. Jacob pulled back the ceiling like it was a skylight, and suddenly they were surrounded by nothing but blue. Danny held on to Jacob's arms as they started to fly.

  "This is actually cool," he shouted with some amazement. "Can I do it by myself?"

  "Give it a try."

  Danny let go of Jacob's arms and started to free-fall. He flapped his arms in wild abandon, feeling like a cross between a bird and a very heavy elephant. "I can't do it," he said in panic.

  "Just believe in yourself, Danny boy."

  "Okay," Danny said doubtfully. "I'll try. I can do it. I can do it."

  He flapped his arms, kicked his feet, and repeated the words over and over again, feeling more like the "little engine that could" than an angel.

  Finally, Danny started to take control of his actions. In fact, when he slowed the movement of his arms, he could actually feel the air around him. As his anxiety eased, everything became clearer. He felt like a bird, wild and free.

  After a few moments, he began to try out new things, flying low and kicking at the branches on the tallest tips of the trees, disturbing a bird's nest, scattering a group of sparrows with a shrill whistle.

  Jacob vanished from view, and Danny felt suddenly alone and afraid -- again. What was he doing? Would this be his world forever -- caught in a place between life and death with only Jacob to talk to?

  Danny missed his mother, missed Christopher, missed Uncle Matt, and even his nerdy cousins, William and Constance, although Constance was a definite pain, and Aunt Merrilee was right up there with the Wicked Witch of the East. Uncle Richard wasn't bad, not around much though. Danny barely knew his grandfather. John St. Claire didn't have time for them, and when he did speak, it was usually to criticize.

  Still and all, they were his family, and it was sad to think that he might never see them again, might never feel his mother's arms around his body, smell her perfume, laugh at her stupid lullabies.

  Actually, he didn't mind hearing her sing. He just couldn't tell her that, because it was definitely not cool.

  Danny's heart felt heavy. It might be too late to tell his mother anything ever again. Had he told her he loved her before he left for school on Friday? No, he had been mad because she didn't want him to see Luke. He had just walked out on her. If only he could go back and tell her he loved her. If only he could turn back time and do Friday completely differently.

  Suddenly, Danny looked up and the ground was inches away. He landed with a thump in a rosebush, his legs tangled in the vines. Even though his skin didn't show a scratch, he felt a tingling of pain where the thorns touched his flesh. He looked up and saw Jacob sitting in a swing that was attached to nothing, going up and down and all the way around, laughing like a boy instead of the old, ornery man that he was.

  "You started thinking about your mom, didn't you?" Jacob slid off the swing and walked over to Danny.

  "I can't help it. I miss her."

  "I know, kid."

  "Don't you miss your mother?"

  "She's dead, too."

  Danny looked at him with curiosity. "Can you be with her -- up here or wherever it is that we are? Since you're both dead?"

  "Not yet. But someday, I think. There are a few things I have to do first."

  "Like what?"

  Jacob tugged Danny's cap down tighter on his head. "Like set you on the right path."

  "What does that mean?"

  "That means, kid, that I have to help you learn a few things during the time we have together. I have to sort of prove myself to the Big Guy upstairs. See, I haven't always been the perfect ang
el ..."

  Danny snorted. "I can believe that."

  "Hey, I taught you how to fly, didn't I?"

  "Yeah. But next time you better teach me how to land." Danny untangled himself from the bush. For the first time he looked around him. "Look, we're at my Aunt Merrilee's house."

  Jacob grinned at him over his shoulder. "Imagine that."

  "And there's my mom and Alan," Danny said, pointing to the Ford truck pulling up in the driveway.

  The truck stopped and Jenny got out. She stood for a moment, shielding her eyes against the midday sun. Alan came around to her side and took her hand. Then, the front door flew open, and Merrilee rushed out.

  "Oh, thank goodness," Merrilee said.

  "Why? Has something happened? Did the hospital call?" Jenny asked in panic.

  "No, no, I'm just relieved that you decided to finally get some rest."

  "Oh." Jenny let out her breath.

  "Are you hungry? I made some fresh pasta and a salad."

  "Oh, Merrilee, I wish you hadn't gone to the trouble."

  "No trouble at all," Merrilee said firmly. "Good nourishment will get you through this."

  As they walked up the path to the house, Merrilee stopped abruptly. She looked at the rosebush in front of her living room window. "What on earth happened to my roses? They're -- " She took a step closer. "Why, they're completely smashed, as if someone sat in them."

  "Oops," Danny muttered, looking over at Jacob. "Guess I did that."

  "I may have to replant," Merrilee added.

  Alan cleared his throat. "Merrilee, uh, do you think you could worry about your roses later?"

  "I'm sorry. Let's go in the house."

  Jenny didn't move. She stared at the rosebush for a long moment. "It's odd," she murmured, putting a hand over her heart. "I feel strange."

  "Do you think she can see me?" Danny asked.

  Jacob shook his head. "No, but she might sense that you're here, if you're as close as you say you are."

  "We've always been close. Two peas in a pod, my mom always said."

  "Danny," Jenny said.

  "What's wrong?" Alan asked in concern.

  She pointed at the bush. "That looks like something Danny would do. I almost feel like he's here -- right now."

  "Of course, you do," Merrilee said, patting her arm reassuringly. "He's on your mind."

  "Remember last Easter, when Danny kicked the soccer ball through your window?"

  "How could I forget?" Merrilee muttered. "I love your kid, but he's accident-prone."

  "I am not accident-prone," Danny said, making a face at Merrilee.

  "Ooh, watch out, here comes your mom."

  Jacob pulled Danny off to one side as Jenny walked over to the bush and picked off a perfect red rose. Lifting it to her nose, she inhaled the scent then looked around the yard. "I feel as if Danny's going to pop out from behind a bush any minute."

  "Can I?" Danny asked.

  Jacob shook his head. "Not on your life."

  "Jenny, let's go in the house," Merrilee urged.

  Alan sent her a strange look. "Are you all right? You look funny."

  Jenny smiled. "Actually, I feel better now. In fact, I think I could even eat something."

  Jacob turned to Danny. "Do you want to go inside?"

  Danny didn't answer. He was already disappearing through the wall into the living room. Being invisible was beginning to have its moments.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Merrilee's living room was completely white -- carpet, sofa, drapes, and paint. The only color was the stark black grand piano in the corner. It was a stupid room, Danny thought, looking around in disgust. Certainly not a place where a kid could hang out and play video games. He wondered how his cousins could stand living in a house that was always clean.

  Jacob picked up an antique vase on the coffee table and twirled it around.

  "Hey, be careful," Danny said. "That's probably a hundred years old and worth a million bucks."

  "It's a vase," Jacob said, tossing it in the air and deftly catching it with one hand. "You stick flowers in it."

  Danny ran over and grabbed it out of his hand. Jacob laughingly pulled it away. It slipped between both their hands and crashed to the floor.

  "Oops," Jacob said.

  "Oh, no!" Danny cried, looking at the broken vase on the floor. He knelt down in dismay, then glanced up at Jacob. "How could you do that?"

  "You grabbed it out of my hand."

  "Are you sure you're an angel?" Danny demanded. "You don't act like an angel."

  Jacob drew himself up in height, stretching his body into such thinness that his head touched the ceiling. "And just what do I act like?"

  "A jerk."

  "You could get into trouble for that, kid."

  "Yeah, right. What are you going to do? Kill me?"

  Jacob laughed in a long guffaw. "Good one, Danny boy."

  "Come on, help me clean this up," Danny said.

  "I can put it back together. I do have some power."

  Danny raised an eyebrow. "Really? Cool. Let's see it."

  Before Jacob could move, Merrilee rushed into the living room with Jenny close behind her.

  "I thought I heard a crash," Merrilee said. "Oh, my." Her hands flew to her cheeks. "My vase, it's broken."

  "How did that happen? No one was in here," Alan said.

  Jenny stared at the broken vase. "Danny," she murmured. "This is too weird."

  "Constance, William," Merrilee yelled. "Come down here this instant.

  Danny watched as his cousins came into the room, Constance moved slowly, with definite annoyance on her face. William bounded in with bright eyes and a cheerful smile.

  "Yes, Mother," he said.

  Danny rolled his eyes. "Geek."

  "Did you break my vase?"

  "No, Mother. I'm not allowed to play in the living room."

  "I know the rule," Merrilee said crossly, turning to her daughter. "Constance?"

  "I was on the phone. Can I go to the mall?"

  "What? No." Merrilee shook her head. "I want you here."

  "Mother. You wouldn't let me go out last night, and you won't let me go out today. Why are you holding me prisoner?"

  "I want you to be here in case we all need to go to the hospital or something," Merrilee said.

  Constance sighed. "Can I go now?"

  "No, you can't. Someone in this house broke my vase."

  "Maybe it was sitting close to the edge and just tipped off," Alan suggested.

  Merrilee immediately shook her head, disregarding his comment completely. "I want the culprit to confess right this instant."

  No one answered. Finally Jenny spoke. "Danny did it."

  All eyes turned to her in surprise.

  "I don't know how, but he did it. I can feel it. I can feel him in this room, right now."

  "You mean like Danny's a ghost or something?" Constance asked, with new life in her voice. "Awesome."

  "Jenny, you're not thinking clearly. You're distraught," Merrilee said. "Danny is in the hospital. He's not here."

  "Look, this isn't getting us anywhere. I brought Jenny here to rest. Maybe I should take her to a hotel," Alan said.

  "Don't be ridiculous. Let's go back to the kitchen. Jenny can eat, then lie down in the guest room."

  Merrilee led the way out of the living room, followed by her children and Alan. Jenny was the last to move. She paused in the doorway between the living room and dining room, glancing back one last time.

  "Danny," she murmured.

  "Can I let her see me, please?" Danny asked.

  Jacob shook his head, his expression suddenly serious. "I'm sorry, kid. Not yet."

  "I love you, Danny," Jenny whispered. "Wherever you are." She walked back to the kitchen.

  "I want to talk to her, Jacob. Tell me when I can."

  "Maybe soon."

  "Maybe soon or maybe never?" Danny's voice trembled. "I'm going to die, aren't I? Aren't I? When is it going to h
appen? Today, tomorrow? Next week?"

  "You haven't learned anything yet, have you?"

  "What am I supposed to learn?" Danny shouted in frustration. "Tell me, and I'll learn it."

  "That's the problem. I can't tell you."

  "Then tell me this -- who gets to decide if I live or if I die? Do you?"

  "No, not me."

  "Then God. I want to see Him."

  "This isn't Mars, Danny. You can't demand that I take you to my leader. You know, you've had things pretty much your own way all your life. Your mom didn't have much money, but she scraped to get by, to give you those shoes you wanted that were what -- ninety dollars?"

  "Seventy-two," Danny said grumpily.

  "And what about that trip to the mountains with Christopher's family over -- Thanksgiving, no less? Do you know what your mom did that holiday?"

  "Yeah, she spent it with my Aunt Merrilee."

  "No, she served drinks at the Acapulco Lounge every night till two a.m. to prevent the check she wrote for your skis from bouncing. She didn't get one bite of turkey. And what about that window you broke last Halloween and blamed on Christopher?"

  "All right, I get the picture." Danny frowned at Jacob. "So I'm being punished?"

  "No. But you have to admit you've been pretty selfish."

  "If I promise to be a better kid, do I get to live?"

  "If it were that easy, there'd be very few of us in heaven. You can't bargain for your life, Danny."

  "You know something, I don't like you very much," Danny said, crossing his arms in front of him. "And I'm not sure I even believe there is a God. No one answers my questions."

  "But sometimes your prayers are answered. Do you remember the prayer you said on the bus trip to your father's house?"

  Danny thought back. "I don't know. I probably said I wanted to meet my dad."

  "Have you met him?"

  "Sort of."

  "Do you think you would have met him if you hadn't had this accident?"

  "You mean I brought it on myself?"

  Jacob didn't answer him. "What do you want more than anything else in this world, Danny?"

  "I want to live."

  "And?"

  "I want my parents to get back together."

  "What if you had to choose, Danny, between living and your parents getting back together? What would you choose?"