Arriving

A crisp knock raps on the door. “Madame, your carriage awaits.” Wyatt bows low, producing a pink carnation from behind his back with a ribbon around the stem. “For you.” Grinning, he steps behind the wheelchair and takes her down the hall, to the elevator and finally outside. The evening is warm and a gentle breeze is blowing. The sun is sinking a little low in the sky, but still much light is left.

Wyatt pushes Katie up to his jeep, opens the passenger door and ever so gently, lifts her up and sets her inside, helping her get buckled. Folding the wheelchair, he slips it into the backseat. Finally getting settled behind the steering wheel, Wyatt smiles. “Ready?” He starts the engine and pulls away, leaving the hospital behind. It takes just a short while to reach the next town.

The park is large with several acres of grass and trees. Lines of tables are set up with foods and drinks, and a crowd of people is already there, with more streaming in. A stage is set up near the edge of some trees, with lights and equipment prepared for the live entertainment, a small tent set up for the band off to the side.

Wyatt parks the jeep at the edge of the grassy lot and gets out, helping Katie back into her wheelchair. “So…I got a blanket here we can sit on…you want to get settled down somewhere around where the music will be, and I can get our food?”


“You got that extra cord?”
“Mike, where’s those strings?”
“Jason, here’s your mic.”
“Yo, Kyle, where’s that song list?”

Jason shifts in circles with the three other guys, trying to get last minute preparations finished and ready to go. They would be on stage in just a few minutes, and it was going to be a long night.

“You ready?”

Jason turns to the drummer, Mike. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

The blonde grins, slapping Jason on the back. “Good. If we sound half as good tonight as we did at practice, we got it made.”

“Here, here!” Kyle, the keyboard player holds up an extension cord as a toast, making all the guys laugh.

Jason takes a deep breath, a smile spreading on his face. This was fun…this was what he’d been waiting for…and for the first time in a long time, he was excited about something. The adrenaline was starting to stir in his veins, giving him the energy and drive to get hyped up, kicking himself into overdrive.