One Dollar and Eleven Cents
by Una Moonstar
Original ANs: This is based on an e-mail I received recently from my sister that was supposed to be based on a true story. I have no idea if that's true, but after the second time I read it I realized this would make an interesting Sailor Moon fic. There was no author attributed to my source, nor a title, but I think I've explained myself well enough. If someone recognizes this and can put names to faces, let me know. I'd gladly give credit where credit is due. Enough babbling. On with the story.
Disclaimer: Serena told me to let you guys know that she really loves the woman who created her, Darien, the rest of her friends, family and world, Naoko Takeuchi. Since that is not MY name, that can't be me. Serena said that was okay though, she'd hang around anyway. Can't have it all, I guess.
New ANs: You know, I still love this little story, my very first one-shot. I wrote it all in one sitting, and it ended up less than five pages - both facts which astounded me beyond measure. Now, I just hope you all enjoy this warm little fic too!
(fade out...)
(begin story...)
Tess Miller was a precocious eight-year-old with shining hazel eyes and thick, long brown-black hair. She sat alone in her nearly empty room one afternoon playing with one of the few toys that hadn't been packed away with the rest of her things: her plush Sailor Moon doll. She had just finished her declaration of intent to triumph over evil when the sound of her parents' voices downstairs made her pause and listen.
"Did you let Mr. Newman know about the change in address?" her mother asked wearily.
"Yes," her father replied brokenly. "But I still don't think this move is going to help us come up with the money for Adam."
"There's still a bit left in my savings, David."
"We'll need that for the rest of this month's medication; you know that, Jess. But thank you for trying," he finished quietly.
"Then… then we're completely out of money. What about those people you were going to talk to about a loan?" Jess's tear-filled voice asked with a hint of desperation.
"It all fell through." His voice stopped and Tess gasped as she heard her father break down into tears. That had never happened before!
"Oh, David! First we move into an apartment because the house is too much of a strain, the doctors tell us Adam's surgery will cost more money than we could possibly afford, and now this! No! Adam! My little boy! My baby!" Tess heard the thump as her mother collapsed to the floor and the addition of her tears with her father's.
David took a few deep, loud breaths before speaking once again. "I… I think only a miracle can save him now."
Tess gasped in dismay. Adam needed a miracle? Her little three- year-old brother with mischievous bright green eyes and unruly dark brown hair, the boy that had suddenly fallen so desperately ill and could no longer laugh and trail behind her, looking up at her in complete adoration, needed a miracle? What could she do?
Suddenly it hit her. She dashed to one of the untaped boxes in the far corner of the room and tore it open. She rifled through the various things that had sat on her dresser until she came to the item she was looking for.
A medium-sized glass jelly jar half-filled with change was placed on her bed, the pint-sized owner following suit moments later. She poured the contents onto the light blue comforter and counted it out carefully, double and even triple checking it. She knew the amount had to be perfect. There could be no mistakes. Adam was counting on her.
The small girl placed the coins back in the jar and tightly screwed the cover back on, taking great care to make sure nothing remained behind. She then changed into her best dress that she pulled out from another box in the corner and dashed into the bathroom to be sure of her hair. Everything had to be perfect.
Double-checking herself and her precious cargo, Tess slipped out the front door while her parents still consoled each other in the kitchen at the back of the house. She headed for the Juuban Drug Store six blocks away.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
When she got there, she walked over to the counter where prescriptions were normally dropped off and picked up and waited patiently for the tall, sandy-haired man to notice her.
She twisted her rubber-soled sneakers on the shiny tile floor, making a sharp squeaking sound. No response.
She cleared her throat. Nothing.
She tried again, this time making it sound like she was going to hack up the largest ball of phlegm ever seen. Nada.
She gritted her teeth and took a quarter out of her jar and started to bang it on the glass counter. Ah ha! Got him!
"What do you want?" the pharmacist asked, annoyed. A shorter blonde lady with her golden blonde hair up in two buns with streamers running from each to the middle of her calves reached out a slender hand and placed it on the man's arm. "I'm talking to my sister whom I rarely get to see because she's traipsing around the world with or without her husband!"
Tess drew back momentarily, then caught sight of the lady's eyes behind the irritated man. They were a rich, deep, sapphire blue, shining with innocence, life, and a love beyond anything the little girl's eight-year-old mind could comprehend. She found the courage to continue. "I want to talk to you about my brother," she retorted, sounding as annoyed as the man had before her. "He's really sick… and I want to buy a miracle."
"Excuse me?" the blond man asked in shock as the lady behind him gasped in surprise and sympathy.
"His name is Adam and he's three years old and he has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy said only a miracle could save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?"
There were tears in both blondes' eyes as the pharmacist responded. "I'm sorry, little lady, but we don't sell miracles here. I wish I could help you, but there's nothing I can do."
"Listen," Tess said desperately, "I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I'll get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
The lady that had been standing behind the pharmacist wiped her tears away and stepped forward. "What kind of miracle does your brother – Adam, you said his name was?" The girl nodded. "What kind of miracle does Adam need?"
"I… I don't know," Tess replied, tears threatening to spill from her hazel depths. "All I know is that he's sick and Mommy says he needs an operation and Daddy says we can't pay for it, so I'm going to use my money and buy Adam a miracle." The tears began to fall down the rounded cheeks of the child.
The lady's sapphire blue eyes searched the girl's face gently as she came out from behind the counter. "How much do you have?" she asked softly, dropping to one knee before the stricken child to look her in the eye.
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered, her words barely reaching the golden-haired lady in front of her. "It's all I have, but I can get more if I need it."
"Well," the lady said with a bright smile, "that sounds just about right. Let me make a phone call and check." She winked at the small hopeful face as she pulled a cell phone out of her purse and dialed a number.
"Come on, come on, answer it, Darien," the blonde lady muttered under her breath as she stood to her full height. "Oh! Darien! I was hoping you'd still be there!"
She rolled her eyes as she listened to the response. "Stop it. I have something serious to talk to you about." Pause. "Yes, I am capable of being serious, now knock it off! I mean it!" Another pause. "Well, if you'd stop teasing me for a minute, maybe I could tell you."
She smiled during the next pause, her love for the person on the other end of the line shining through. "You can be so silly, Muffin. Now listen, I need you to come down to the drug store." Pause. "I know you wanted me to have some time alone with Sammy but something else came up." She shot a look at the nervous-looking Tess next to her. "Please, Darien, I'll explain everything when you get here, I promise." Another pause. "Thank you, sweetheart. I love you too. I'll see you when you get here. Bye."
She pressed end and put the phone back in her purse. "We just have to wait for a bit and we'll have all the answers we need. Is that okay?" She knelt back down to the child's level.
Tess nodded, her spirits already beginning to lighten.
The golden lady reached out and pulled the girl into a hug and held her close. Tess suddenly realized that everything was going to be okay, that her miracle was within her grasp. And all because of the golden lady.
About ten minutes later, a man walked into the deserted store. The lady rushed forward to meet him and talked hurriedly to him, gesturing in the girl's direction every now and again. The tall, ebony-haired man ran a hand through his unruly locks, briefly pulling his bangs out of his midnight blue eyes. He glanced over the lady's shoulder and smiled at the suddenly nervous Tess.
He finally gave the golden lady a loving smile and nodded. The couple then turned and walked toward the anxiously waiting girl. She noticed he was wearing a black suit jacket and slacks, like her daddy wore to work, with a navy blue necktie that was slightly undone along with the top button of the white dress shirt he wore with the outfit. His black patent leather loafers clacked on the floor as he walked. He seemed a complete opposite to the golden lady beside him. She wore a light, knee-length white sundress with red outlines of roses as a pattern. Her soft-soled white leather sandals made no sound as she moved with the dark colored man at her side. It was like she was light to his dark. They were perfect together.
The man Tess guessed was Darien from the lady's phone conversation stopped in front of her and crouched to her height. "I hear someone around here is in the market for a miracle. Would that someone be you by chance, little lady?" he asked with a smile, bringing out a perfect red rose from behind his back and handing it to the surprised girl.
She gingerly took her gift. "Yes, sir. My brother Adam is sick, and my daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So I'm here to buy one."
The man before her looked thoughtful. "And how much did you say you were willing to pay for this miracle?" he asked, his voice as thoughtful as his expression.
Tess held up her jelly jar. "I have one dollar and eleven cents here. If I need more, I can get it."
"Hmmm," Darien said as he rubbed his chin. "I believe we can do business, young lady. What did you say your name was?"
"Tess, sir."
"It's a pleasure, Tess. My name is Darien, and you've already met my wife Serena and her brother Sammy." They both smiled and nodded. "Today is your lucky day, Tess. One dollar and eleven cents just happens to be the going rate on miracles for little brothers." He took the jar of coins in one hand, and one small palm in the other. "Now why don't you take me to your house so I can meet your brother and parents. We'll see if I have the miracle you're looking for."
Tess smiled up at the man holding her hand, then at the golden lady that took her other hand. Her spirit soared as she led them back the way she came, knowing the miracle she sought was almost here.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
The well-dressed man was Dr. Darien Shields, the world-famous neurosurgeon, and the golden lady was none other than Serena Tsukino-Shields, the famous photographer. The operation was done without charge, and Adam was home and doing well in no time.
Tess sat at the top of the stairs, gazing lovingly at the scene of both her parents watching her energetic brother crash his toy cars together with gusto.
"That surgery was a real miracle," her mother said just above a whisper as she leaned back into her husband's arms. "I wonder how much it would have cost?"
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost: one dollar and eleven cents… and the faith of a little child.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Tess Miller-Jackson sat behind the desk in her office, glad for the chance for a rest. Her bright hazel eyes slowly circuited the room, taking in details she hadn't been able to in a long time due to her hectic schedule. She was a world-respected neurosurgeon, bringing miracles wherever she went.
She ran a slender hand through her brown-black locks as her eyes finally landed on the clutter of photographs that took up at least one quarter of the space on her desk. Her wedding photo jumped out at her, causing a smile as she thought back on that day two years ago. She sighed wistfully. Her shift would be done soon, and she could go home to him; it was a pleasant thought.
An older shot caught her attention next; it was of her parents, her brother Adam, her newest sister Faith cradled in her mother's arms, and her kneeling in front of them all. She was… ten years old in that picture. Which made Adam five. An age he never would have reached if not for a certain miracle…
Tess smiled as her eyes caught the picture directly behind the one she had just pondered. An eight-year-old Tess stood beside her brother, his head in bandages since he had just come home from the hospital, and in front of her parents and another couple, a tall man with ebony hair and bangs that seemed unable to avoid falling into a pair of midnight blue eyes and a smaller woman with golden blonde hair done up in two buns with streamers reaching almost to her ankles and shining sapphire blue eyes, radiating hope, innocence, and love.
Her miracle workers. The couple that had not only saved her little brother but made it possible for her to achieve her dreams. They had taken that one dollar and eleven cents, and, with a bit of their own money, started a trust fund in her name. That surprise stash of cash paid for her medical training, and now she continued to make miracles for others.
Tess' eyes fell upon one last picture, and her grin nearly split her face. It was a photograph of the royal family, Neo-Queen Serenity, King Endymion, and Neo-Princess Serenity. The couple was familiar, and their pink-haired child stood before them, holding one of her parents' hands in each of her own. Rini was… five years old in the picture. An age she never would have reached if Tess hadn't been able to return the gift of a miracle to the wonderful people who had taught her to believe in such things.
"A miracle for a miracle. I'd call that a fair exchange." She looked from the image of her little brother to that of the small pink-haired girl. "Definitely fair." Her gaze rose to the couple behind the girl. "God bless you, Your Majesties, for all the miracles you've helped create. You and your love are truly the greatest miracles of all." She kissed her fingers and laid them gently on the photograph.
Smiling, she stretched and checked her watch. Sighing, but not losing the grin, she stood, patted a medium-sized glass jelly jar half-filled with coins, and returned to the bustling halls of Crystal Tokyo General Hospital, where she continued to give the gift of miracles to those in need… and especially to those who believed.