"I guess it wasn't all bad for you on the road with your uncle."

"No, but as Mrs. Westington says, you can't stay on the road forever and run from yourself, put your head in the sand."

We saw Echo yawn.

"Time to go to sleep," I told her. I nodded at Destiny, whose eyes closed.

Echo asked Tyler if he was returning in the morning and while he glanced at me, he told her he would see her at the hospital because he was going to visit her grandmother. too. That pleased her. She asked me if I was going to sleep now as well and I told her I would be coming up soon. I wanted to put away my magic show. She looked at Tyler and then at me and nodded. After she left. Tyler helped me take the tricks and illusions out to the motor home.

"Destiny stays in the house with us," I said.

We then went upstairs to check on Echo and found her asleep, embracing Mr. Panda.

"I see you have a dream catcher, too." he said.

"Not taking any chances. huh?"

"Not anymore."

He smiled. All that had happened appeared to have freed him inside so that he wasn't as guarded about his feelings and as afraid of trusting them.

We went downstairs again. I saw how he was hesitating.

"You don't have to hang around any longer.

Tyler. We'll be all right."

"If you don't mind. I'd like to," he replied. "It helps me to feel better."

"Okay," I said. surprised.

We sat on the sofa in the living room and talked about his new plans and mine. I tried to keep awake.

but after a while, my eyelids just shut down and I felt myself leaning more and more against him. He rose and fixed a pillow under my head and then he sat across from me in Mrs. Westington's chair. When I opened my eyes with the morning light streaking through the window, he was still there, asleep himself.

I sat up and he opened his eyes.

"Hey," he said, looking about. "What time is it?" He checked his watch. "Wow. I guess I was more tired than I thought, too."

"I've got to get Echo going. I'll get her some breakfast and then we'll drive over to the hospital."

"Right. I'll meet you there," he said. He rose and stretched. Then he smiled. "Great show last night."

"Thanks."

"See you soon." He hurried out.

I wondered what he would be telling his mother when he got home or if that even mattered anymore.

Echo and I showered and dressed. I made some coffee. I was unable to eat very much. My stomach felt as if it were full of baby snakes. Echo had some juice and a little cereal. I thought she was suspicious about my moving her along quickly and getting us out so early, but she didn't ask anything about it. We got into my car and started away. I couldn't stop my nerves from tw.a.n.ging. Although getting a pacemaker was usually not a terribly dangerous procedure, it was for Mrs. Westington at her age and under her circ.u.mstances. As she would be the first to tell me. I knew enough to be dangerous. Mostly. I knew the doctors were afraid of her having a much more severe stroke.

Tyler was already in the parking lot waiting for us when I drove in. He got out of his car quickly to greet us. Echo was happy to see him, but very surprised as well. She kept looking at me for more of an explanation. I knew we could hold back the truth only a few more minutes because once we were inside and she saw we weren't going to her grandmother's room, she would know something more was happening. I was glad I had Tyler with me to help explain it all with his expert signing.

At the reception desk, we found out where to go to wait. When we reached the lounge. Tyler and I finally told Echo exactly what was going on. She sat there absorbing it all and looking very frightened and small. I held her hand and tried to rea.s.sure her. By doing that I was rea.s.suring myself. A little after eight o'clock, Doctor Battie appeared. I held my breath until I saw him smile. As he spoke. Tyler signed to Echo.

"It went well," the doctor said. "That woman's got s.p.u.n.k. Give her a few hours and then we'll have you visit. I'll let her know you were here and were updated."

Joyous and feeling as if a ton of trouble had been lifted from our shoulders. I declared I was finally hungry. Tyler confessed to not having had much breakfast either so we headed down to the hospital cafeteria. Echo had a better appet.i.te as well. The three of us sat at a table and watched hospital staff, other visitors, and doctors going in and out.

"I'd like to work in a hospital someday." Echo told us. "and help people."

"After you go to school, you can be anything you want." Tyler signed, and she smiled.

"What is it really like for the hearing impaired as far as careers go?" I asked him.

"Their opportunities have improved considerably. She's a ways off from making a career decision, but you'd be surprised at how much she can do. Maybe she will work in a medical lab someday, or even become a doctor."

"A doctor?"

"Who knows? She's bright enough to do most anything."

Suddenly. Echo's eyes widened. I turned to look in the direction she was facing and saw Trevor coming toward us. He looked angry enough to tear the cafeteria into shreds. His eyes went to Tyler and then to me.

"She's all right. We're all right," I said quickly.

Trevor's shoulders relaxed. "Why didn't you have the police call me at my cousin's home?" he asked. "When I phoned the house and couldn't get anyone. I called a friend of mine in Healdsburg at the Mars Hotel. Seems the whole town's talking about what happened. When I heard the grisly details. I got an earlier flight out and just drove right to the hospital."

He sat. "They both in jail then?" he asked me.

"Yes, Trevor, Skeeter was wanted for a lot more and Rhona's in big trouble now."

"I'm not surprised and not disappointed either,"

he said.

"Can I get you a cup of coffee. Trevor?" Tyler asked.

Trevor glared at him a moment and then nodded. "Sure. Black, no sugar." he said. and Tyler leaped to his feet. "How's Mrs. Westington doing now then?"

"She had a pacemaker put in this morning and the doctor says she's doing well, Trevor."

"And the little one here?"

"She's all right now. She's going to be fine. We all are. Trevor."

"That's good. I'm sorry I wasn't here," he said, shaking his head. "I knew I shouldn't have left you with those two. You didn't tell me the whole truth about what was going on in that house. I bet. You didn't want me to stay and you knew I wouldn't leave if I knew everything,"

"You were where you had to be."

"I'm not so sure. You can give me the details later." he said. He jerked his shoulder toward Tyler. "I thought he was gone from the scene."

"He's sorry he left us," I said. "He's taking a job at the school Echo will attend. too. It'll make it easier for her."

"That so? What's his mama got to say about that?"

"Not much it seems," I said. smiling.

"Looks like a lot more than I knew went on right before my eyes," he said, smiling.

"Mrs. Westington's going to be even happier when she sees you and knows you're back," I said to change the subject.

"Oh, she'll find something to blame me for.

Don't you worry about that," he said. and I laughed.

Tyler brought him his coffee. "Sorry to hear about your mother. Trevor," he told him.

Trevor looked up at him. "Thank you. April here told me about your new career plans."

"Yes," he said.

"Sounds good," Trevor said.

Tyler nodded. "Maybe the jury's finally in on me." he told me, and we both laughed. Even Trevor thought that was funny and Echo laughed because she was wrapped in our good feelings.

When sufficient time had gone by, we went to see Mrs. Westington. Normally, the ICU nurses wouldn't have let us all in at once. but I think they were just as afraid of hearing Mrs. Westington complain as they were of hearing their superiors complain. We gathered around her bed. She looked at our faces and nodded. Then she turned to Trevor.

"How did you get back here so fast?"

"Put my whole mind to it," he replied, and she smiled.

"Don't you all stand there looking down at me like I'm hovering above my grave."

"What are you telling us?' Trevor asked her.

"That old man you saw through the window of your soul ain't looking in on you anymore?"

"He'll come around when I tell him he can and not a minute before." she replied.

"I bet he won't," Trevor said. laughing. "I just bet he won't."

The doctors wanted Mrs. Westington in the hospital one more day. Of course she complained, but she gave up when she realized she was actually going to walk out of there. She promised and swore that she would behave and not do too much too quickly, but we all knew those promises were as good as the air they were written on, as she would say about other people's promises. After she came home. I tried staving on her, taking things out of her hands, moving to do things before she could, and constantly pleading with her to sit and rest. She bawled me out for being a Nervous Nelly.

Trevor gave me as much help as he could with her, and so did Echo, who probably had the most influence. Tyler came over almost every night and we had some fine dinners and times together. The day after Mrs. Westington came home. Detective Temple came to see me again and to tell us that Rhona and Skeeter had been arraigned and a hearing before trial was being scheduled. Skeeter was also wanted in two other states and would be extradited to stand trial there as well.

Despite her anger and disappointment, Mrs.

Westington suffered some quiet moments of regret and sorrow about Rhona. She talked about the mistakes she might have made bringing her up and declared that she bore some responsibility for her whether or not she liked to admit it. In the end she decided to pay for an attorney, not to get Rhona off scot-free as much as to provide for her having some hope somewhere down the line, "It's throwing good money after bad." she told me. "but I can't help it. You'll discover that you do many things you don't want to do because of your parental obligations sometimes. April."

Who said I would ever be a parent? I thought.

She saw the doubt in my face.

"Don't count yourself out of anything, girl.

You're too young to come to any of those kinds of conclusions," she advised.

Maybe she was right. I decided.

When Mrs. Westington was strong enough, we all went to the school Echo would attend to meet with the headmaster and some of her prospective teachers.

We were shown the dormitories as well. I watched Mrs. Westington's face the whole time. I could see the battle going on in her mind. She was impressed with the facilities, the achievements of the students and their interaction, but she also saw her granddaughter drifting away from her. The ties that had bound them together were snapping loose. She was wise enough to recognize that some of those ties kept Echo far too constricted and trapped her in a little girl's world when she should be expanding, growing, maturing, and becoming independent.

"Funny." she said as Trevor drove us home that day. "but I think I'll have had more success bringing up a girl with a hearing disability than one who was healthy in every way."

"Not every way," Trevor said, scowling back at her. "She inherited some rot from some ancestor. Of course, not on your side of the family." he added, and she smacked him playfully on the shoulder. Echo and I watched it from the rear and both laughed.

"Stick to our grapes," she told him.

"Our grapes? Now they're our grapes?"

"They always were. I just humored you so you'd do a good job."

"Well, I'll be... you hear that. April? Is this woman the mother of all deception or what?"

"Oh, go eat your hat," she told him.

The following day we returned to the mall to buy Echo some more new clothes. It was Mrs.

Westington's idea after she saw what the other teenagers at the school were wearing.

"I guess if they all want to go on looking foolish and clownish with those baggy pants and cut up blouses and pants, there's nothing I can do about it," she decided. "I just hope she doesn't go and get rings put through her nose."

The purchases delighted Echo. I couldn't remember seeing her happier and neither could Mrs.

Westington. Echo and I carried everything up to her room and I helped her organize her things for her move to the school in what was now two more days.

Her preparations reminded me of my own first days at school: the antic.i.p.ation, the nervousness, and the hope.

Late that same afternoon. I received a phone call from the lawyer who had been taking care of Uncle Palaver's estate. He told me it was now possible to put the motor home up for sale and he had arranged for someone to come by in the morning and drive it over to the auctioneer. He wanted me to be sure I had taken everything out of it that I wanted.

I had known this news would be coming anytime, but actually hearing it put a chill in my heart.

I told Mrs. Westington and she saw it all in my face.

"You've got to let go now, April," she said.

"You've got to cut the past away. I know what I'm talking about. I've done it many times and I'm doing it now. Sometimes it's painful and sometimes it's not, but it has to be. We move on.'