Revenge So Sweet

Renewed

A cool hand touched her face.
"Rani?"
Danielle could hear the ocean.
She opened her eyes slowly and flinched at the brightness of the light that stung her eyes.
"You're safe dear.  I'm here, Honey's here."
It took a minute to register.
"Honey?!" Danielle bolted up right.
Honey was hovering nearby her.
Danielle stared wide eyed at the woman as if she had seen a ghost.
"Yes dear.  It's me."  Honey said her kind eyes showing concern.  "Are you alright?"
Danielle could not hold back the sobs that ripped through her.  It racked her body and she caved in to her sorrow.  She cried and cried, gut wrenching cries.
In Honey's natural motherly way she opened her arms and her heart and gave space for Danielle to finally grieve.  And grieve she did.  She cried about the loss of her family and how alone she felt.  She cried about the baby that grew inside of her, and how despite the terrible circumstances she wanted to keep the baby.  She cried about finally finding the love that she had waited for all of her life only to lose them.  She cried for herself, for the constant string of tragedies that plagued her and made her shut down completely.
Honey held her close like a mother would her daughter and Danielle felt the weight that only a mom could handle, lift off of her shoulders.  The immense relief she felt after allowing herself to finally let go completely, finally eased the pain that festered.  She had not coped well with any of it until just that moment when she had reached her breaking point.
Honey held her for several moments even after Danielle had calmed down.  And once she was sure that the girl was in control again, she pulled back still holding her by the shoulders and said,
"Danielle.  You are going to be ok."
And for the first time, maybe ever, Danielle felt like it.  Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red as she nodded at the woman.  She took several deep steadying breaths.
"Honey, where am I?"
Honey smiled serenely.
"I took you home."
Danielle realized she had been sitting on the couch that Honey said she could take when she came to visit.  She peered out the window and saw the ocean that Honey had said she lived near.
"The captain of the cruise ship had called in the rescue and recovery teams with their approximate coordinates of when you had gone overboard.  The ship was already turning back to Haiti when the storm had gotten so bad.  It was terrible to be sure, but it was also short.  The ship had stopped in the calm seas as the teams scoured the surrounding areas looking for you.  You were spotted not too far from where we were stopped."  Honey explained.
"The doctors had checked you out and found you were completely fine but that you needed rest.  Unfortunately you hadn't listed anyone as your emergency contact, so I volunteered to take responsibility of you."
Danielle bit her lip remembering that she had thought  about listing Michelle but decided to leave the space blank for no good reason.
"Our tour guide had corroborated that we were friends."  She said giving Danielle 2 thumbs up.  "They medi-vac'd you to a nearby hospital in Florida and you were released into my custody."  She finished.
Danielle sighed and relaxed.  She reached for her chest searching for the coin and was relieved to find it was still there.  She absentmindedly rubbed the coin between her fingers.  Had she dreamed it all?  Was Rani just a figment of her wild imagination?  She wondered.  The very the thought brought fresh tears to the surface.
"Now I'm going to brew us both up some nice Earl Grey Tea.  And warm up some left overs in the fridge to eat.  Because I have a feeling you have a very interesting story to tell me Danielle."  Honey said patting her knee. And then she placed in front of Danielle a very sharp long blade, gazania flowers decorated the hilt.

Danielle walked barefoot along the beach that fronted Honey's property.  It had been almost a week since she sat at Honey's kitchen table and unloaded the fantastical story that had turned out to be true.  The sword Rani had made for her stored in the garage on a shelf right next to Honey's late husbands dusty tarp covered boat. 
She wrapped her arms around herself.  Danielle missed Rani.  She missed the way she looked at her.  She missed her laugh and her witty, teasing humor.  She could close her eyes and picture the woman that had stolen her heart in detail.  She often did close her eyes and picture Rani.  The last time Danielle had seen Rani she was her most magnificent.  She recalled her defiant stance and that strength that radiated off of her in waves as she stood before her family's killer.  Her dark eyes held no fear and no shame as she bared her chest stepping intentionally into her own unmasked identity.  She was proving to herself that Blackheart was the weaker of them, and that she had already won.  Danielle had never been more awestruck or proud of another human being as she was of the woman captain of the Venganza.  Her Esperanza.  Her love.
As of late, Danielle herself had felt stronger than she had ever felt before.  Accepting her circumstances and taking control of her life was her new goal and her unborn child was her priority.
Honey had been such a great help to her.  She along with Danielles memory of her own mom had been the inspiration for her renewed outlook on the future and her own upcoming role in motherhood.  Honey had even offered to allow her and the baby to live with her for as long as they wished.  Danielle had thought seriously about that offer but settled instead on the idea of getting a place nearby so that she might visit often. 
Today, she would finally be meeting Honey's step daughter.  Up until now the girl had been an absolute enigma.  Danielle was so caught up in her own drama that she hadn't even thought to ask questions about the only immediate family left to the old woman.  Nonetheless today she would find out personally.
The water lapped at her feet and Danielle wiggled her toes, watching her feet sink into moving sand.  A dog barked in the distance.  Danielle looked up shading her eyes and saw the happy grin of a gray and white dog running joyfully up the beach.  It squeezed at her heart because the happy dog looked just like Perra.  Uncannily like Perra.
The dog stopped near her feet and sniffed, her tail wagging so hard it looked as if her whole butt was wagging too.  Danielle bent down and pet the adorable baby, scratching her ears and giving her compliments just as she had once done to Perra.
"Come."  A voice commanded and the dog immediately obeyed going over to stand near her owner.  Danielle looked up intending to tell the owner how precious her dog was.  She almost collapsed.  Her knees went slack at the sight  before her.