By the time Lily arrived at the hospital, Kizzy was sitting on the cement bench just outside of the emergency room doors, her right hand sporting a white cast. She saw Lily walking from the parking lot and quickly stood up to greet her.
"Lily? You're here," she said reaching her good arm around her granddaughter.
"Johnny's talking with his parents… They just got here from Montana." Lily wrapped her arms around her grandmother's plump torso. "How's the hand?"
Kizzy looked down quickly then snickered. "Well… It's broken, but it'll be a'right."
Lily hesitated, wanting to ask about her grandfather, but unsure of how that might make Kizzy feel. Kizzy saw the look on her face and decided to help her out. "The doctor's with Isaac now. Slim's gone to get his wife, but… Your mom is in there with him." She looked at her granddaughter, saw her shifting from one foot to the other and knew that she was contemplating what she should do. "I bet your mother could use a little support right now."
Lily looked up into the dark eyes of Kizzy. "Then why are you out here?"
"Child… I don't like no hospitals." She lifted her elbow and cocked her head in the direction behind her, unwilling to even look at the emergency entrance. "That's where too many o' my friends and family drew their last breath," she said with a slow shake of her head. She really did have an unnatural fear of hospitals, especially needles.
"Oh, Grandma," Lily said, reaching for the cast on Kizzy's hand. "Looks like you made it through this visit okay."
"Only 'cause I ran out o' there as soon as they finished puttin' the plaster on me. I didn't give 'em a chance to jab me wit' no needle."
The smile on Lily's face faded. "I guess… um, my grandfather's getting poked with needles, huh?"
Kizzy ran her hand down Lily's back, silently urging her towards the door. She knew that it would be in Lily's best interest to become familiar with her mother's side of her family. Even though she disagreed with the long-term disapproval of Jon and Iris' marriage, she and her family had not been overjoyed by it, either. Over time, most had come to accept Iris and even love her, but certainly not everyone in the Campbell family felt compelled to do so. A couple of the younger women had considered it a betrayal on Jon's part. After all, weren't there any colored women who were good enough for him, they had asked. And as for Isaac not coming forward until now, she completely agreed with him. Now that Dallas County had a colored district attorney, she felt that the Klan had less power, making it more likely that there would be a conviction. Besides, the Klan could be just as ruthless to white people whom they considered traitors as they did to their usual targets.
"Go on, Lily," Kizzy spoke up. "Go on inside and see 'bout 'im for yourself."
Lily's legs felt as if they were made of lead. "But, I don't know what to say."
"Don't say nothin'… Jus' be there. If somethin' needs sayin', then you'll know," Kizzy encouraged. She watched as Lily slowly walked through the automatic glass doors, disappearing down the hallway in the direction of the reception desk.
Kizzy sat back down on the hard surface. She looked up at the puffy clouds floating so far above her head. "Well… I reckon you a'ready know what's goin' on down here," she said out loud, her faith feeling more real to her than ever before. "I know the good book says that vengeance is yours, but…" She looked down at her broken hand with a wide smile. "But I did kinda enjoy throwin' the punch for ya." She looked up at the young white couple who walked past her, giving her a wider berth than was actually necessary. She simply smiled at them, offering them a friendly nod, and kept on with her audible conversation with her creator. "So, anyhow… They're still a few folks down here that need ya help, so… If ya don't mind… Could ya, you know, maybe spare another miracle, or two?" Once again, she cocked her head in the direction of the emergency department door. "Them folks in there sho could use a helpin' hand 'cause they got a lot 'o makin' up to do. I'd sho 'nuff be grateful to ya." She lowered her head, silently completing her verbal prayer. She inhaled deeply, always feeling a sense of contentment and peace after a conversation with her heavenly father.
E!
The huge steel girders rose from the concrete base, arching above Johnny and Roddy as they slowly walked in silence. Neither one could verbally express how he felt. When they reached the center, Roddy stepped to the side, leaning his forearms on the railing and looking out over the expanse of the river.
Johnny followed his father's lead, mirroring the older man's stance. He gazed down the river bank, his eyes landing on the place where he had been photographing the bridge when his life suddenly changed forever. Johnny squeezed his eyes shut, slowly shaking his head as if to rid his mind of the unbidden images that this place conjured up.
Roddy knew what was happening to his son and patted Johnny on his shoulder. "Is this where it happened?" Waving his arm in the direction Johnny had been looking before he closed his eyes.
Johnny nodded, encouraged by his father's show of support. He opened his eyes, looking beyond the place where Phillip died. "Yea..."
As the two stared down the river, their attention was drawn to the flapping wings of an eagle leaving its perch in the distance. The large bird flew down from atop a tree, its keen eyes having spotted its next meal. The men watched as the skillful hunter gracefully dipped its talons into the water, plucking a wriggling fish that had ventured too near the surface.
Johnny's anxiety level was rising exponentially with each minute that passed in silence. Roddy watched the graceful bird, immediately realizing how he could explain his feelings to his son.
"They're really beautiful birds," Roddy commented, grateful that the bird had provided the perfect topic with which to start the emotional conversation.
"Mmhmm," Johnny grunted, watching as the eagle carried the fish back to the tree before devouring it.
"They're a very strong spirit guide. It's the messenger of the Creator. It's swift, strong, and courageous. It's creative, intuitive and… It brings healing, Johnny.
"Yea," Johnny replied, glancing at his father and seeing all those traits in the older man.
"They are light in weight, but very strong. They are compelled to soar upwards, not fearing heights. The wind beneath their wings holds them aloft, navigating their way through where ever the wind may carry them, always finding the right course."
Roddy continued watching the eagle in the distance as it finished up its meal. "It's the protector of all the others around it, both animal and man, those who are more earthbound."
Johnny thought about what his father was saying. His father had always been a protector, and he had taught Johnny from the time he was a small boy about the importance of protecting one's family, one's people. His shoulders slumped a little more.
Roddy raised one foot onto the railing, a stance Johnny had assumed often. It felt comfortable, natural. "Eagles are social birds, but they do need isolation at times."
Johnny remembered the numerous camping trips his father had taken him on when he was a boy. Perhaps that was his father's way of isolating himself from the rest of the world. Johnny understood that, often feeling completely connected with the universe when he was alone on a hiking excursion.
"The eagle's eyes are much more powerful than ours, Johnny. They can see a small rabbit a mile or more away. That kind of vision also allows them to see the past, the present, and the future. They can see the bigger picture; they see the world from all angles. They do not fear the unknown, they quickly adjust to their surroundings, able to leave restricting beliefs in the past and ride the air currents to whatever new environment where the Creator desires them to go. They can soar so close to Grandfather Sun that they learn to love the shadows as well as the light."
Johnny wanted to snicker. Was his father referring to Johnny's mother? Johnny's parents had taught him to love people of all races, and Johnny was a mixture of two - Indian and white. Shadow and light.
"The eagle is a creature of intense devotion. They are very territorial and they mate for life, weathering the storms together," the older man continued.
Johnny thought about how long his parents had been together, weathering storms that many marriages would not have survived. Then he thought of his own dismal record with relationships and another wave of failure washed over him.
Johnny felt the backs of his eyes beginning to sting. He watched the eagle, stalwart on its perch overlooking the beauty below. It represented everything his father was… and everything he wished he could be.
"Ahem, yea… Dad I remember all those camping trips you and I went on when I was jus' a kid." He looked down at his legs, chuckling at the way their positions were mirroring each other. "When you told me all about the eagle, I could see so many of the traits in you." Johnny turned to his side, looking at his father directly. "On our first camping trip, we found the eagle feather floating down the river – remember? That's when I knew that the eagle was your spirit guide."
Roddy knitted his eyebrows together. Johnny missed the look of confusion on his father's face as he returned his gaze back out across the river. He felt so inferior in the presence of his father, but he continued on with his comments, letting Roderick know that he had been listening to the lessons his father had been teaching him when he was just a small child.
"Yea… Mine is the bear. It's strong, but grounded. It encourages and provides stability. It protects others and I'm a fireman – that's what I do, protect others. It's confident…," he snickered a bit, dipping his head. "Okay, I missed that one," he admitted, realizing that all his bravado on the job was merely his way of overcompensating for his lack of self-confidence. "But… it seems like it's always been with me in some way. I mean, I have a bear claw on my keyring and... I even have a bear poster in my locker at work. I jus' feel… I dunno… safe when I open my locker and see it there."
"Son… the eagle isn't my spirit guide."
Johnny ran a nervous finger beneath his nose. "Huh?"
"MY spirit guide is the bear. It's strong, but sometimes feared. It inspires us to take leadership roles and I have always held a respected position within our tribe. It's courageous. It stands up for what it believes in and doesn't back down."
"Oh, yea… well, we both know that I didn't do that," Johnny mumbled, morosely. He tapped the toe of his boot along the edge of the sidewalk, pushing tiny bits of rock into the river below.
Roddy inhaled, watching as the rocks fell into the water. "I stood up to society's expectations that the races not intermarry, and I followed my heart. Afterwards, others followed me, marrying for love, not for the tribe."
Johnny continud swiping his boot across the cement, listening to his father, swallowing hard against the bile that was rising in the back of his throat. He cleared his throat, wishing he could somehow measure up to his father.
Roderick turned to face his son, placing an aging hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Johnny... my precious son, you have felt the presence of the bear all this time because I have asked my spirit guide to protect you. I didn't know all the details of what happened here, and I didn't know how you felt about yourself until just a few weeks ago. Now I know... and I understand why I felt such a strong desire to have my spirit guide protect you all these years."
Johnny looked away, feeling the pain of his father's disappointment. "I don't guess there's a spirit guide for a failing coward, is there? Perhaps a field mouse?" He looked down at his feet, remembering Herbert, the mouse that had somehow found its way into the station. Just as Herbert had easily squeezed through the smallest openings, Johnny wished he could simply disappear into one of the many cracks along the sidewalk that flanked the bridge. He snorted in disgust.
"Johnny, there is a spirit guide for those who show amazing courage at a young age. For those who rise above the rest, looking out for those around them. There is a spirit guide for a man who brings healing, both physical and emotional. It's light, but stronger than it looks. It loves the shadows as much as the light. It shows extreme devotion. It soars without fear of heights or falling. It's social, but also needs solitude."
With that comment, the eagle appeared to leap from its perch once more, flapping its enormous wings until it was high enough that it soared effortlessly on the breeze.
"You see," Roddy said, pointing in the direction of the eagle as it moved towards them. "It doesn't allow its circumstances to weigh it down. It follows where the air takes it, adjusting itself to the elements. It leaves restricting beliefs behind, keeping its keen eye on the future – not the past. It is admired for its incredible beauty. It has a strong sense of nest fidelity, but when that nest may become threatened, it will actually abandon it, seek out a new nesting site because it's what's best for the future of its kind."
Roddy looked over at his son, finally looking deeply into the familiar brown eyes he remembered. He hoped he was reaching his son through the use of the spirit guide metaphor.
"Johnny... My son… You didn't allow white men to run you off your land… You made a conscious decision to leave, to move on to a place that would not jeopardize your family… us," Roddy said, placing a flattened hand on his own chest. "In nature, it is not uncommon for one of the strongest members of the species to pretend to be injured or weak, and then lead a predator away from the rest of the group, especially those who are younger… weaker. It's self-sacrificing in order to save others." Roddy looked at his son with an overwhelming sense of pride. "You have shown amazing courage, not just in your chosen profession, but by leaving the reservation to make sure that the Ku Klux Klan stayed away. Then your incredible valor came through again by coming back here and facing them… telling the truth to achieve justice for those who have been wronged."
Johnny pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting his emotions. Was it possible that his father was telling him that his spirit guide was the eagle? He felt the familiar hand clamping him on the back of his neck and squeezing in a loving gesture.
"But… Dad, I…"
"I know what you thought, son, but I am your elder. I have known since you were a small boy that you have the heart and the skill of a stealthy warrior. I am not as strong as you, nor am I as fearless. You have risen far above your circumstances. You have risen above the bear. You have proven that you are worthy of the eagle." Roddy held Johnny's upper arms with his hands, looking proudly into the face of his little boy who had become a man at an early age. "John Roderick Gage… Your mother and I are so proud… of you…," he sniffled, tears pooling along his lower lids. "And we have… always been… so proud of… you. We… love… you, son." Roddy felt the tickle in his throat, but he fought past it, needing to explain more to his son. "Johnny, when you left Montana, back when you were just sixteen, you told us you were on a mission, a quest. All these years, your mother and I have assumed that your quest was continuing... And in a sense, it has continued." The older man inhaled a breath, his face reddening. "You've not been running though. You've been continuing to fulfill your destiny."
The decade that had separated them disappeared as they embraced each other. Johnny released even more of the emotions he had been holding inside of him for years. His sobbing was gut-wrenching, unable to silence his wailing as he cried onto his father's shoulder. This time, the tears were cleansing his soul. His father, his anchor, his protector, his bear had been with him all along. He felt his father's hand running down the back of his head, clutching him just like he had done when Johnny was a child. He couldn't believe that this nightmare, this separation had come to an end, and he had been reunited with his parents.
Roddy held onto his son with all his strength. He felt Johnny's shoulders shaking, hearing him struggling to inhale as he let go of years of self-loathing and shame. "Let it go, John. Release the negative thoughts and pain that have filled your heart and darkened your soul." He felt Johnny nodding and sniffling, then sensed him pulling back. "Let your spirit guide carry your pain away on its great wings, separating you from the sorrow forever."
"I… I dunno," he sniffled. "I dunno what to… say," Johnny replied.
"Please say… that you… for-forgive me… for making you feel…"
Johnny looked into the bloodshot eyes of his father, swiftly shaking his head from side to side. "Dad, there's nothing to forgive. I… I love you and Mom… so much. I… I made some assumptions that… I shouldn't've made… That's all."
"And we love you, son. And," the older man continued, turning to begin their walk back to the entrance of the bridge. "And I believe that… there is a certain young woman… who loves you… and you, like the eagle… are devoted to her. Am I right?"
Johnny snickered, slipping his fingers into his front pockets as they headed back to the park bench. "Yea… I do… And I am." As they continued their return walk, he thought back over everything he had said to Lily during their lunch together. His own words had come back to haunt him. Lily wasn't the only one who had been making erroneous assumptions – just like she had told him. He would have to tell her that she had been right all along.
"Perhaps we should head over to the hospital to check on Lily and her family?" Roddy suggested, breaking into Johnny's private thoughts.
"Yea…"
The two walked side by side, their hearts feeling much freer on the return trip to the place where Sharon was waiting. "You should tell Lily how you feel… and show her. The eagle is not bound by society's so called rules and norms."
"Ahaha," Johnny cackled, enjoying his newfound lightheartedness. "Well, nobody's ever said I was normal… 'specially not Chet."
"And who is this Chet?" Roddy asked, following the cobblestone sidewalk towards the park bench where his wife was waiting.
"Maybe you can come see me soon and I'll introduce you to all the guys," Johnny suggested, seeing his mom standing up to greet them.
"We certainly hope to do that, Johnny," Sharon replied, standing up to meet the two most important men in her life. "Is everything… okay?" she asked, her eyes moving from Johnny to Roddy and back again.
Roddy allowed a crooked grin to spread across his face. "Never better."
E!
At the hospital, Lily and Iris had just taken a seat in the waiting area when an elderly woman walked in, rushing to the receptionist's desk. Iris felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly rose to her feet, but felt as if they were planted in cement. When the older woman turned around, following the directive of the receptionist, she locked eyes with Iris.
Time seemed to stand still, and yet Iris felt as if she were being transported in time back to her childhood. Her throat was scratchy, but somehow she managed to get one word out.
"Momma?"
Colleen Jones raised a hand to her quivering lower lip. "I-Iris? You… You're really h-here," Colleen said in a husky whisper, unsure of how she might be received by her daughter… and her granddaughter.
Iris looked into the eyes of her mother for the first time since she was a teenager and she wept openly for all the time that had passed them by. "Momma, I'm…"
"Oh baby," Colleen wailed, rushing to the place where Iris stood, nearly knocking her off her feet when she enveloped her in a hug. "I've missed… you so… much," she said, crying into her daughter's shoulder. When she pulled back, she saw Lily standing a couple of feet away, her eyes downcast. "Oh, Iris… She's…" Colleen reached out tentatively, wanting to embrace her granddaughter, but keeping her distance. "She's so beautiful… and she looks so much… like you."
"Momma," Iris said, running her fingers beneath her eyes. "I want you to… meet Lily… your…"
"My granddaughter," Colleen whispered, feeling the icy rejection she had anticipated from Lily. She looked at the young woman. "Lily… I can't… even begin to… apolo-"
"Don't," Lily interrupted, raising her hands with her palms face outward. "Just… don't say it. I don't want to hear it."
Colleen, feeling the sting of Lily's comment, took a step back. She would have to take this very slowly. She nodded her head in silent understanding. Looking over at Iris, she spoke up. "Have you… heard anything, yet?"
"No… The doctor's with him now," Iris explained. "But he was feeling better a little while ago."
"And Kizzy?" Colleen questioned.
Lily's face contorted in confusion, then morphed into defensiveness. "What about her?"
"Lily, please!" Iris said a little more harshly than she had intended.
Colleen held up her hand, halting her daughter's chastisement. "She has a right to feel the way she does. She… doesn't know us."
"And whose fault is that?" Lily shot back. She had been feeling better about meeting her maternal grandparents, but now that Colleen Jones was actually in front of her, the old feelings of bitterness were bubbling up.
"All mine… and Isaac's… Not your mother's… and certainly not yours, Lily," Colleen said softly. "We… have a lot to discuss. I hope you'll allow us… the chance to… get to know each other."
Lily was about to make a smart aleck remark when a treatment room door opened. Iris looked beyond her mother's shoulder, seeing a nurse waving them over.
"I think... I'll wait with Grandma Kizzy," Lily commented, her emotions swirling around like a twister. This was all too much for her to take in.
"Lily…," Iris said softly, not wanting to create a scene in the small emergency department.
Lily shook her head, rubbing her temple as she walked away. Her headache was returning, and she still couldn't make sense of what she was feeling.
As Colleen and Iris walked into Isaac's room, Lily hesitated in the waiting room. For several long moments, she tried to muster up the courage to face the Joneses in order to make an informed decision about whether or not she would accept them as her family. She was a grown woman, no longer a rejected innocent baby, and now the choice of a relationship with Isaac and Colleen was hers to make. If Johnny could face his parents, then surely she could face her maternal family, starting with her grandparents. When Iris looked back, holding the door open for her, she pressed her lips into a thin line, quickly turning away, darting towards the emergency department exit.
Johnny and his parents pulled into a parking spot near the emergency department. Immediately, he saw Kizzy, noting the cast on her hand. He quickly got out of the car and stepped over to the place where she sat.
"Broken, huh?" he asked, unnecessarily.
"It's a'right," Kizzy responded, standing up to greet the Gages.
"Um, Kizzy, I want you to meet my parents… This is Sharon and Roderick Gage."
Roderick stuck his hand out, then realized that Kizzy's right hand was unavailable. "It's… Oh… It's nice to meet you. Please call me Roddy."
Kizzy smiled warmly, looking at the red-rimmed eyes of the three Gages. "Iris tol' me y'all was comin'. Y'all have a fine son right here," she said, patting Johnny on his back with her good hand. "Y'all should be mighty proud."
"We are," Sharon spoke up, her heart melting at the way Roddy and Johnny looked at each other.
The group made small talk for a couple of minutes until they saw Lily slowly walking towards them, her eyes swollen and her cheeks tear-stained.
"Oh, no," Johnny murmured, rushing over to her. "Lily? What… What did the doctor say?"
"Mom and… um, Mrs. Jones are in there with him now. I… I just couldn't do it, Johnny."
"Do what?" he asked.
"I couldn't go with them. I couldn't even… talk to… um, her," Lily said, feeling Kizzy's arm wrapping around her waist.
"It's all gonna be okay, baby girl," Kizzy responded, hoping to reach her granddaughter with her words. "But you've got to let go o' all this anger and bitterness. It'll eat ya up inside.
"That's just it, Grandma," Lily explained. "I… I want to be angry at them... hate them, even… I really do, but… I just… can't. She," Lily continued, waving her hand back in the direction of the hospital. "Mrs. Jones… she just seemed so… understanding."
Kizzy rubbed her hand along Lily's back, exchanging a look with Johnny. They both knew what Lily needed to do, but neither knew exactly how to convince her to do it.
"Lily," Kizzy spoke up. "Honey, whether you like it or not, Colleen Jones IS your other grandmother."
"I know," Lily replied, twirling her hair around her finger.
Johnny used the crook of his index finger to lift Lily's chin until she was looking at him. "Lily… You were right about me. I had been makin' a lot of assumptions… and I hadn't talked to my parents about any of them." Johnny just stood there, looking into the eyes of the woman he loved. He had a lot more he wanted to say, but he didn't want to say them here. "And I was wrong... so wrong... about them."
"I know… You're right…" Lily hugged her grandmother and then wrapped her arms around Johnny's neck. "I love you."
"I love you too, baby." He released her, pulling back so that he could look at her again. "We'll be waiting right here."
Lily nodded, offering a brief nod to the Gages before returning to the hospital. She had to join her mother and grandmother, and pray that it wasn't too late for her to talk to her grandfather.
Kizzy sat back down on the hard bench, examining her swollen fingers protruding from the cast. "My, my, my, Johnny…" She hesitated, looking up at the tall lanky man who was standing beside her. "You sure do have your work cut out for you with that one," she said, nodding her head and raising her elbow in the direction of the entrance.
"Whatcha mean?" he asked, gesturing for his mother to take a seat beside Kizzy.
"I see how the two of you look at each other… I done seen them looks before… You love her, right?"
Roddy chuckled softly. "Ms. Campbell, he and I just had this same conversation a few minutes ago."
"Nah, jus' call me Kizzy... Jus' plain ol' Kizzy," she laughed.
Johnny looked at them both. "Yea… I do love her," Johnny replied, offering the small group a wistful smile. "I sure do." He looked back in the direction of the emergency room entrance. "I jus' hope she has the chance to… to get to know them… Even if she chooses not to pursue any kind of relationship with them."
"Me too, Johnny," Kizzy added. "I think there might be things that don't none o' us know 'bout… things that might make her feel better 'bout her momma's family. Most folks got some good in 'em, even if we have to look real hard to find it."
"Obviously, Isaac has some good in him, as you say," Johnny agreed. "Or he wouldn't be comin' forward now."
The small group continued talking for several minutes, each one offering their own views to the conversation. The consensus among them was that Isaac and Colleen had redeeming qualities and deserved a chance to tell their side of the story.
As the conversation shifted back to Johnny and Lily, Kizzy suddenly yelped. "Oh LORD… Oh, sweet baby Jesus!"
"What? What's wrong, Kizzy?" Johnny asked. He wondered if Kizzy was in pain from her broken hand, or if a sudden memory had been conjured up by the events of the deposition that morning.
"I jus' realized somethin'," the plump ebony woman exclaimed.
"What?"
"If you and Lily get married, it'll be in California… I'll hafta get on an airplane!"
E!
Iris withdrew a tissue from her purse, dabbing it to her eyes as she slowly exited the treatment room in the Selma hospital. This day had not turned out the way she had anticipated it would. Slowly she walked down the corridor and through the double glass doors into the parking lot.
Sharon was the first to see her exiting the hospital and quickly alerted the others.
"Ohmygod, no," Johnny mumbled, seeing the look on Iris' face. Her make-up was smeared, giving her eyes the look of a racoon. Her hair was somewhat disheveled and Johnny feared the news he was about to hear from her. She looked as if she didn't have the strength to walk the short distance from the emergency entrance to the place where the Gages and Kizzy were waiting.
Johnny rushed over to meet her, wrapping his arms around to keep her from falling down. "Iris… What's… what happened?"
Iris struggled to regain her composure. "He's… gonna be… f-fine," she hiccupped, pulling away from his chest so she could see him. She saw the others gathering around her and quickly greeted Roddy and Sharon. She saw the questions on their faces.
"Then… Why're-" Johnny began, silenced by Kizzy.
"Is Lily still in there… with them?" Kizzy questioned.
Iris nodded. "His cardiac enzymes were… normal… They want to keep him… a few more hours and… repeat the test… You know… just to be sure, but it seems that… Daddy had... angina. He'll need to follow-up with a cardiologist but-"
"Iris… Lily?" Kizzy reminded her, concerned about her granddaughter.
"They're… ta-talking," she smiled, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "It… It wasn't safe for… me to come… home and… and my parents… couldn't move to California because… they would've looked for them."
"The Klan?" Johnny asked, trying to make sense of the broken message Iris was giving them.
"Yes… They didn't agree with Jon and me getting married, but… They just didn't… really know how to… accept it… accept us… and Lily… and have a… a relationship without," she hesitated, refolding the tissue and dabbing it at her eyes again. "Without risking the Klan finding us."
"Is that what they told you?" Johnny asked, skeptically. Even though he had done something very similar, he was still doubting the sincerity of the excuse.
"I know, Johnny. It sounds so… lame, but… After a while, it was just easier to stay apart than to admit being afraid of… of those… bastards," Iris said in a whisper.
"I'm glad she's givin' them the chance to explain things to her," Johnny replied, speaking of Lily. "I was afraid she wasn't ever going to listen to them."
"I think... I have you to thank for that," Iris said, looking into the face of the young man she had cared for for such a long time.
Johnny enveloped her in a hug once more. He and his parents had been reunited after a decade apart. It seemed that Iris and her parents were also beginning the healing process – a process that obviously was going to be difficult, but certainly possible, and it looked as if Lily was going to be included in the reunification, too. As he stood there, holding Iris' head against his chest as she wept tears of relief and joy, he thought about his other family – his station brothers. So much had happened to them over the last year. Was it possible that what was happening in Selma was just the beginning of a new chapter in all their lives? Could it be that his work family was on the verge of experiencing a healing too? He closed his eyes, praying silently that the Station 51 A-shift would no longer be a house divided. It was time for them all to come full circle – moving from a house divided to a house united.
The End
A/N: I know this probably isn't the ending you were expecting; I've left a lot of loose ends that obviously need to be tied. While this is the final story in the "A House Divided" series, there will still be one more story. I hope you will join me for "A House United" – a story, not a series, that will carry our favorite firemen and most of the original characters to a settled place in their lives.
I want to thank everyone who has read this story and has followed this series through the years. It certainly took on a life of its own. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions with me. I really appreciate it more than you could ever possibly know.