Finding Gracie's Rainbow (35 page)

“
Neither.” Gracie still
sat at the table as he walked towards her. “I just have a lot going
on right now.” She grew quiet when she saw anger in Jackson’s
face.

“
So?” Jackson asked as Kim
saw Gracie lose her nerve.

“
I can’t talk to you like
that.” Gracie looked down at the table.

“
Like what?” He sat down
at the table. “Gracie, why can’t you talk to me?”

“
Because you're angry.”
Gracie looked at him and then at Kim, who had been about to answer
Jackson for her. “Your eyes are angry.”

“
Jackson, I need your help
for a minute.” Kim glanced at Gracie worried that she would never
be able to do her own talking.

“
What is going on, Kim?”
Jackson looked at her seriously as the kitchen door had shut behind
them, and Kim started to hand him lemons to squeeze.

“
She’s starting to feel
suffocated, Jackson.” Kim started to pour sugar into the pitcher as
she talked.

“
And why couldn’t she tell
me that?” He frowned as some acid from the lemons filtered into a
scratch on his finger.

“
She wanted to. Gracie is
always scared of making somebody mad or angry.” Kim started to stir
the lemonade. “Between her job, the publishing of her book, and
Bea’s case coming to trial it's enough to drive her crazy. Then
there is this new relationship that she added to the mix.” Kim
paused as she poured some lemonade in a glass for Jackson to taste,
“More sugar?” Jackson nodded, and she added more to the pitcher.
“Gracie is afraid that now since you now know that she wants and
needs space that you're going to throw your temper and give her too
much space.”

“
I wouldn't do that.”
Jackson smiled as he tasted the lemonade she had just poured. He
put a thumb up in the air.

“
Yes, you would. Don’t
forget just how long I've known you and your family.” Kim watched
as Jackson looked straight at her. “Remember what happened when you
followed Steven’s advice? It almost backfired on you.”

“
I promise I won’t do that
this time.” He smiled as he took the pitcher of lemonade out to the
living room where Gracie was still sitting.

“
I think that’s supposed
to go outside for the children.” Gracie looked into his eyes noting
that the anger was gone.

“
And I'm inviting you to
join us. Then I need to go home.” He saw the relief wash over
Gracie’s face. “You could've told me what was going on in that
pretty little head of yours.”

“
I try; I just find that
it isn't as easy as other people make it look.” Gracie accompanied
him outside.

“
What’s not so easy?” He
put the pitcher down next to the tray of glasses before he looked
at her.

“
Sharing.” Gracie hugged
Bea as she walked up to her.

Kim looked over at Annie,
who had raised her eyes as she heard them talking. Annie looked
back over at Kim wanting to ask questions and watched as Kim just
shook her head.

Annie walked over to her.
“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“
I mean she froze.” Kim
informed her. “So I had to talk to Jackson for her.”

Annie turned to watch
Gracie. “Has anyone ever suggested to her that she should see a
head doctor?”

Kim groaned and turned back
towards the house as Annie followed her. “Gracie is a level-headed
person. Why would we suggest that she talk to a
psychiatrist?”

“
The entire trauma she’s
been through is why she can’t talk about what she's feeling.” She
watched as Kim turned towards her. “Her river runs deeper than you
think, Kim.”

“
I have always thought
so.” Kim looked up as Gracie walked into the house. “Is Jackson
still here?”

“
No, he walked down to his
car.” Gracie answered while she studied them. “Can’t you find
someone else to talk about?”

“
No one that we care
about.” Kim pointed to a chair across from her. “Why did you freeze
like that when Jackson got upset?”

“
Because I didn’t want him
to…” Gracie looked up as she thought about what she had been about
to say. “Oh, my goodness.”

“
Jackson would never hit
you.” Annie looked at Gracie seriously. “Nor would he hurt you in
the other way.”

Kim looked over at her
sister. “What other way?” Her jaw dropped after Gracie told her
about what her marriage had been like. “That is why you took that
vow.” Gracie nodded as Kim stood. “Maybe you should see a
shrink.”

“
Maybe not,” Gracie
snapped. “If Jackson was the only thing that I had to concentrate
on, I might be able to figure it out on my own. Unfortunately, he
is not. Bea’s case is coming up, and it has opened a lot of things
that I had buried to forget them.” She glanced at Annie while she
talked.

“
I am sorry.” Annie looked
apologetic. “If it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else
asking you those questions.”

“
And you've said that all
of this is going to be coming out in the trial.” She paused as she
glanced to the back door before looking back at Annie. “Bea is
going to hear all of that.”

“
I can have her removed
during your testimony.” Annie told her before Gracie had started
pacing again. “Or we can have her there only when we need her to
testify about her time spent with Mark.”

“
You can do that?” She had
stopped to look at her.

“
I’m pretty sure we can.
I'll call Christian to make sure.” Annie picked up her phone and
dialed Christian’s number. “He is so flipping arrogant.” Annie hung
up, looking over her shoulder at Gracie. “He agrees about having
her there only for her testimony.”

“
Thank God.” Gracie
finally sat down and looked at Kim. “I still don’t understand why,
with all the testimony and statements, there even has to be a
trial.”

“
It's his constitutional
right.” Annie glanced over at Kim as she looked down at her
watch.

“
The victim doesn't have a
constitutional right, but the criminal does.” Kim stood as she
looked over at Gracie. “Paige will be here in a bit. She said
something about your hair.”

“
She thinks I'm going to
let her cut it.” Gracie was feeling a little better knowing that
Bea wouldn't have to listen to any of the testimony.

“
Let her.” Kim smiled as
she looked at the bun that Gracie always sported.

“
Sure,” Gracie said as she
watched Kim. “It’s time for Bea’s hair to be trimmed.”

“
New hairdo equals a new
attitude.” Her sister smiled as Bea came into the house.

“
Do I need a new attitude?
My co-workers would have to argue about that.” Gracie laughed as
Paige walked into the house with her hair supplies.

“
A new attitude wouldn't
hurt every once in a while.” Paige smiled when she placed her bag
on the table and took down Gracie’s bun. “Just us girls
today?”

“
Garrison is here.” Annie
said.

“
But no grown-up men,”
Paige was still smiling when she started to brush out Gracie’s
hair. “Say good-bye to all of this.” She showed Gracie her senior
portrait. “I love the way you used to wear your hair. It’s chic.
It's business, and it is so totally you.”

“
Did you ask if you could
donate what you cut off?” Gracie had looked over at Kim, who was
holding the picture.

“
I had already checked
because I knew you would want to do that.” Paige held a bag out for
Kim to hold as she took the scissors out of her bag. “Are you
ready?”

Gracie nodded and closed
her eyes when she heard the scissors cutting through her
hair.

“
Open your eyes, Gracie.
The deed is done.” Paige closed the bag that was holding the hair.
“Now let’s style what is left.”

Kim and Annie both watched
as Paige transformed Gracie into a different person.

“
Wow! She looks like she
did while she was in school.” Sammie had walked into the house and
stopped as Gracie stood. “She needs to try on that dress we bought
the other day.”

“
What dress is that?” Kim
asked her daughter while she walked around Gracie.

“
You know. The one you
said is too grown up for me.” Sammie answered as Bea walked into
the room, stopping short to stare at her mother.

Paige watched Bea stare at
her mother trying to figure out if she liked the new look. “Would
you like your hair that short?”

“
I think I want to keep my
hair.” Bea had still not taken her eyes from Gracie.

“
Just a trim then,” Paige
motioned for Bea to sit in the chair before looking back over to
her sister-in-law. Paige thought Gracie looked at least ten years
younger. “You could pass for Sammie’s sister now. How about we go
shopping after I finish with Bea?”

“
How about we don’t and
say we did.” Gracie sat down as Sammie made eye contact with
Kim.

Kim grabbed Gracie’s hand,
and they walked down to Sammie’s room where Sammie took down the
dress that she wanted Gracie to try on. Gracie took the dress and
walked into the bathroom to try it on. She strolled back into
Sammie’s room with the dress on, and Sammie elbowed Kim to get her
attention. “Jackson had better watch out.”

“
That’s no lie,” Kim
smiled as she agreed with Sammie. “Maybe that dress is too grown up
for her as well.”

“
I would like to see
before she takes it off.” Paige yelled as Annie walked down the
hall to the room where Gracie was standing.

“
Bowsers.” Annie said as
she sat down beside Kim on Sammie’s bed.

“
Bowsers?” Gracie looked
over at Annie. “Where did that word come from? Jackson used it the
other day."

“
Off of some cartoon, and
when did Jackson use it?” Annie quizzed her.

“
When he tried to catch
the kitchen on fire and used my shirt to put it out.” Gracie
answered laughing at the look that Kim shot her. “I was in my
bathing suit.” She walked out of Sammie’s room and into the kitchen
where Paige was finishing Bea’s hair.

Paige glanced up and
noticed Gracie as she poured herself a glass of water. Gracie had
started to walk back to Sammie’s room when Paige stopped her.
“Freeze! Turn around.”

“
What do you want me to
do? Do you want me to freeze or do you want me to turn around? I’m
confused.” Gracie turned around, and Paige stared at her as
smiled.

“
Welcome back, Gracie.”
She had Bea stand up as she walked over to where Gracie was
standing. “That’s the way I remember you. I picked that dress out
for you, by the way.”

“
I thought it was
Sammie’s.” Gracie watched as Paige took her phone out and took her
picture.

“
I wanted you to have
something that didn't yell out that you worked in an office.” She
sent the picture to Steven’s cell phone. “You aren't allowed to
hide anymore.”

“
Maybe I like hiding,
Paige,” Gracie walked back to Sammie’s room and grabbed her clothes
to change. “Sometimes hiding is a good thing.”

“
Not anymore,” Paige
studied her as she followed close behind her. “I would want to
remember the times when you danced for charity or played piano at
your recitals. You were good.” She studied the dress. “No, you were
awesome. That part of your life needs to come back.”

“
That was over a decade
ago.” Gracie walked away from her. “That person doesn't exist
anymore.”

Kim shook her head. “She
does. We just need to find her. All of a sudden, I feel like doing
the Macarena.” Sammie and Bea both looked at her and laughed.
Gracie had taught them both how to do the dances that they talked
about.

~

Christian was sitting at
Janet’s table talking to Gracie's parents trying to learn more
about how Mark’s Amish family fit into what was going on
now.

“
Why are you asking about
Mark’s family?” Chandler looked angrily at him from across the
table.

“
I can’t tell you
everything but there have been a few things said that I can't put
into place.” Christian had his file open. “The day that the
hospital called and told you where Gracie was. . .”

Janet stared at him because
she hadn't given Chandler every detail about where their daughter
had been or what had happened to her. “What about it?”

“
Before I go any further,
how much do you know?” Christian had noticed that Chandler was
puzzled whereas Janet wasn't.

“
Mark had taken Gracie to
his parent’s farm up in Pennsylvania. He had been beating her, but
his parents didn't know until Mark’s sister had called his mother
upstairs to look at Gracie.” Janet looked over at Chandler. “I'm
sorry, but she asked me not to tell you.”

Chandler got up from the
table feeling hurt that he hadn't been told. “We don't keep secrets
about our children. At least, that was what I had thought.” He
walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a Miller Lite.
“Please, do go on, so I can hear all the details nine years later.”
He glanced over at Janet angrily.