"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched-they must be felt with the heart. -Helen Keller
"Lacey! Please! Don't hurt her! Let her go" Danny struggled as Vikram held him tightly by the arms pinning him to the ground.
His body sunk deep into the mud around him. His face was stuck in the mire below his body as he tried desperately to raise his body from the murky earth. Rain peppered them all as thunder sounded and lightning flashed. The four were near Tara's grave as Tara pulled the red jump rope around Lacey's neck. Danny could taste the mud that penetrated his mouth when Vikram pushed his knee into Danny's back. Danny's hands were held behind him as he watched in horror as Lacey begged for Danny's help.
Tara's gravestone revealed haunting words that had always plagued Danny since the day he read them in a newspaper clipping. The clipping was a report of Danny's conviction thus Tara's death.
There is nothing in the world so wonderful as to love and be loved; there is nothing so devastating as love lost.
"Help me, Danny." Lacey's voice was weak as she stuck out her hands reaching for Danny.
"PLEASE Don't do this to her! I'm so sorry, Tara! I'm sorry." Danny's eyes filled with tears. His voice cracked as he struggled to no avail. "Don't hurt her. I'll do whatever you want just don't hurt Lacey."
"Why are you crying, Son? This will only make you stronger. " Vikram chortled mischievously as he leaned to whisper in his son's ear. "Remember how Tara beat the crap out of you many times. She deserved to die. Tara was going to send me to prison. She was going to ruin our family. She was going to ruin my marriage and Tess's marriage. Jo wouldn't like that. Jo is so fragile. She would break."
"I don't care." Danny felt tears stinging his cheeks. "I'll take it back. I'll take it all back if you don't hurt her. Don't hurt Lacey!"
"Poor little Danny." Tara's voice caused Danny's pleading to halt momentarily. "You always were looking for happiness in your life. But you can't have it. Your father and I won't let that happen."
"You're forgetting, dear sister of mine." Vikram's voice was taunting his son. "She makes him happy."
"Please!" Danny struggled making no headway to get to Lacey. "I love her!"
"Aww. That is so sweet. Did you hear, Tara? Danny loves Lacey." Vikram chuckled again as he looked at Tara then he glanced at Lacey. "He loves you. Is it worth it? Is it worthy loving such an unworthy soul, Lacey? Is he worth dying for?"
Tara stared at Danny as she pulled the rope tighter around Lacey's neck. Danny heard Lacey gurgle as she strained to breathe. "Well, look here, Vik. She can't even answer your question. Too bad. She was such a pretty thing too."
Lacey's eyes stared begging Danny as she gasped her last breath. Blood poured from her nose and mouth as her eyes lost any sign of life.
Danny screamed out in a pained voice when Lacey's eyes became vacant. It was the same vacancy he saw in Tara's eyes when he was eleven. "NO!"
Vikram and Tara threw back their heads as they laughed wickedly.
Sweat had accumulated on Danny's forehead. He was breathing rapidly due the intensity of the dream. He felt for the light beside the bed he was sleeping in. It didn't help that he woke up in a strange environment rather than home. He had been two weeks at Blake Simms' house. However, it felt strange when waking up from a haunting nightmare.
Danny's nerves were getting the best of him due to this dream. He saw his beautiful Lacey being choked to death by Tara while his dad held him at bay. In the dream, Danny was crying and screaming Lacey's name while both Tara and Vikram laughed and mocked him. It was his worst nightmare to date.
Danny felt his stomach twist and turn causing him to jump from his bed. He ran to the trash can in the corner of the room where he emptied the contents of his stomach. Then he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wet his face with water. Blake had been awakened by Danny's sudden rush to the bathroom.
Blake waited until he saw Danny come out of the bathroom and settle back into the bedroom. He lightly knocked on Danny's door.
"Are you okay, Danny?" He asked as he peered in the open door.
Danny smiled weakly as he took in a shattered breath. "Nightmare." Danny felt the one word was enough.
Blake nodded and approached Danny cautiously not wanting to overstep his boundaries with the sixteen year old. "The reason you started on drugs was the nightmares. Wasn't it?"
"Yes." Danny admitted as he motioned Blake to sit in the antique den chair adjacent his bed. Danny wasn't sure why he needed Blake to be there. Danny felt like a toddler who was afraid of the dark.
Blake sat down slowly in the chair then glanced at Danny. His face showed concern for the sixteen year old boy. Danny swallowed at seeing such a kind look from a man he barely knew.
"I dreamed that my Dad and Tara killed Lacey." Danny ran his hand through his sweaty hair. "This was the worst yet. I saw Lacey die."
"It was only a dream." Blake assured him as he crossed his legs to get comfortable. "Do you want to call her to hear her voice?"
Danny glanced at the clock sitting on the nightstand. It was 2:43 A.M. He sighed out. "No. She's probably sleeping and I don't want to push it with her mom."
Blake shook his head in understanding. "Why do you think you dreamed that? If you don't mind me asking?"
Danny closed his eyes as his thought about it. Danny opened his eyes then glanced at Blake then down at his hands. His heart raced at that simple question.
He gulped before stating. "Because I love Lacey. It is all I have left to take from me. They want to take my all."
"I see." Blake stated simply because he was afraid to say too much causing Danny to stop talking. Blake felt the boy needed to talk.
"No one sees." Danny whispered as he glanced at Blake briefly. "No one knows."
"Oh." Once again, Blake didn't interrupt with a long monologue. He prayed silently for God to give him the right words of comfort for this young boy. Sometimes the right words were silent in nature.
Danny bit his bottom lip as he swallowed trying to gain his bearings. "Tara burnt me with a cigarette once. She didn't even smoke. I should've known what she was up to if she didn't smoke. It was the first time she hurt me. I was eight. I told Dad." Danny's eyebrows furrowed together as he continued. "Dad said I needed to be more on my toes if I were a Desai. I needed to watch for things out of place. Tara was just trying to keep me alert for danger. She was helping me. Mom questioned the burn mark and dad said he had got a new Cuban cigar from a friend. He had caught me smoking it. I was sneaking and burnt myself trying to put it out." Danny's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed again. "Mom grounded me for a week."
Blake turned in the chair slightly trying to keep from speaking. He had to fight not to curse Vikram and Tara.
"I never told mom after that when Tara hurt me." Danny looked up at Blake trying to gage his reaction. He laughed when he noticed Blake had on a pair of Superman sleep pants. "Nice pants."
"Yeah." Blake rubbed his knees. "My wife bought these for me. She said she wanted me to be comfortable for all the hours I sat in this very chair watching her in her sickness. She also said I was her hero."
"It must be really hard losing the woman you love." Danny allowed his mind to flitter back to the dream and how bad it hurt to see Lacey die.
"It is." Blake sighed out but smiled even if the thoughts of his wife's death hurt. "But I knew she had cancer when I married her."
"You did?" Danny sat up straighter. "Knowing she was dying."
"Sure." Blake said as if it was a no brainer to do that. "I wanted to be happy with her as long as we had. I had lost one woman I loved by not taking a chance, I wasn't going to lose another."
"Judy?" Danny asked as he leaned against the headboard of his bed.
"Yes. I loved Judy. I always have. I never got over her completely. My wife knew that but we had our own love to last for the moments we had. It was worth the pain for the moments of happiness."
Danny remembered Lacey's words of 'Being worth it' during his party a few months back. He wondered if Lacey still thought that now.
"I killed Tara." Danny blurted out. "I killed her. It wasn't an accident like killing Dad was. I took the rope and I pulled. She had hurt me. She was trying to ruin my life, dad's life, mom's life and Jo's life. I think I may have told Lacey the truth when I was high. But it could be a dream. But I lied to make Jo and Lacey get over the nightmare of that day. I wanted the nightmare to stop for them even if I couldn't make it stop for me. Dad told me to pull the rope and I did. I did." Danny peered up at Blake. He was expecting repulsion. Danny saw none. "So I'm not worthy of Lacey. Tara and my dad will forever remind me of why I can't have happiness. They will always try to keep that from me just like when I was a child."
Blake stared at Danny trying to think of words to help. He prayed again for guidance. He felt Danny was done talking. "If I were you're dad, I'd protect you with my life, Danny. I wouldn't expect you to protect me if I was blessed enough to have you as a son." Blake stood up and walked to the door. He stared at Danny before starting to leave. "They're dead, Danny. They can't take anymore from you than you are willing to give."
Blake started to pull the door closed. Danny spoke up. "Can you leave the door open and the hall light on?"
Blake nodded as he pushed Danny's door open wider. Danny turned off his light and slid down in his bed. Then he did something he wasn't even sure why he did. He prayed to a God that he didn't believe in.
"Please, God. If there is a you, let me not have another nightmare tonight. Please."