Tracy

031:

The concert went as planned. As concerts go, it was decent. Well attended, standing room only, Casey noticeably absent.

A professional makeup artist hired by Michael had come and made Tracy's face look passable if you didn't get too close. She didn't stay and greet anyone, and the excuse was given that she was actually suffering from stomach flu, even though she'd sung like a song bird, with her back mostly to the audience, as she played the piano.

While not exactly subdued, Monday had taken Danny home to his grandparents via commercial airplane and to avoid him seeing Tracy in such a broken and bruised state. She was very sore the following day. Bridget and Julian, unfortunately could not change plans or flights, and promised to return as soon as they could. The former finishing finals.

And to top it all off, Tracy had been planning to leave after the concert with Raine who needed to spend part of Thanksgiving with his surrogate father, General Colby. Neither she nor Raine was up for travel, but after enjoying the catered Thanksgiving dinner, had both turned in early.

In her room, Tracy slept, read and wrote in her music journal, missing Danny terribly. She kept her curtains open, looking out at the cold and windy night sky. The backyard reflected the lights of the ski slopes facing the front yard, but a slight snowy incline kept colors and patterns slowly vibrating in an uncanny dance, capturing her attention.

Her ice pad had long since melted, and her throat was parched. She had left her tea bags upstairs and her herbal pain killer. In cut off sweats, and a very lightweight loose fitting t-shirt, she padded up the stairs, listening for any movement, hoping everybody was deeply asleep. It was well after the witching hour.

A dim light over the stove guided her way once she ascertained no one else was in the room and no tell-tale lights cracked beneath doors in the hallway. The tea kettle was still on the stove, and she turned it on, retrieving a mug and a tea bag softly.

This had been the scene.

The scene of her final altercation with her former band leader and the man who had tried to run her life, even marrying her. How had it come to this? Sorrow lanced through her. She didn't want to hate Casey. He wasn't hate-able. He'd once been a very fun friend, and someone she could talk to and lean on when things got hard. She'd once considered marrying him---- to be with Danny, it was true.

The water boiled quickly, and she took her Plum Flower and Valerian, hoping for a speedy entry to her blood stream as she was aching all over. Then, barefoot and silent, she took her warm mug over to the front floor to ceiling windows, blinds open, and gazed out over the ski slopes.

*****