"I can't believe we're coming back here." Roxy looked out the window of the plane as it made its final descent into Springfield.
Rusty wasn't paying attention. His eyes were locked on the woman sitting across the aisle from him. Her long blonde hair and blue eyes, combined with their present locale, made him think wistfully of his deceased wife, Rose. It had been a long time since she had invaded his thoughts and the memories were making him uncomfortable. The whole flight had given him a weird vibe and he felt like he was unable to shake the past.
Roxy touched her brother's arm. "What are you thinking about? There are a lot of old memories, aren't there?"
She would have to wait for her answer, as the plane they were traveling on had landed at the Springfield airport. The siblings gathered their luggage and headed to the waiting taxi.
"Rusty, do you think anyone will remember me?" Roxy nervously checked her makeup for the third time and ran her hand up and down the bottle of water she was carrying. "It's been such a long time."
Breaking out of his daydreams Rusty smiled at his sister. "Of course, honey. Reva and Josh will be thrilled to see you. And Hawk. This will be fine. You'll be fine."
She gave him an uncertain smile and felt a lump forming in her throat at the thought of seeing her sister and her father. It had been so long and things had changed so much. The one constant thing in her life was always her brother. Although she didn't remember it, he was there the day she was transferred from the hospital in Switzerland to be closer to home in Tulsa. And he was there the day she was finally healthy enough to be released.
While Roxy had been anxious to return to Springfield and see how things had changed, Rusty would have preferred for her to make a life for herself in Tulsa. He knew she was better now, but he still worried about her. They hadn't talked about it yet, but he could see the pain she carried knowing that she was never able to say goodbye to her mama.
It had been eighteen years since her breakdown, and Rusty knew how much could change in that time. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and in some ways it was. The last five years had been a roller coaster ride for Rusty. His sister's condition had improved drastically, but then she had suffered a setback that nearly destroyed him. He had lost his wife and his mother. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his sister.
And now, he was faced with the knowledge that his other sister was suffering and he feared what that would do to Roxy. He hated to think of her as fragile, but he was afraid of Roxy's reaction when she found out that Reva had cancer. The doctor's had told him that Roxy's treatment had been slow, but extremely successful. But he couldn't help but worry that memories of the past would collide with fear of the future.
