A Healing Heart (8 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

R
olling
out of bed, I turned my alarm off before it had a chance to go off. I was looking forward to spending the day at Disneyland. Eileen had been planning to take Riley for a while now and asked if I would go with them. Riley’s excitement as he saw everything for the first time would make today a very special day for him. Because of his constant chatter about Lacey after the play dates at the park, Eileen had also invited Collin and Lacey. That would make today even more exciting for me. Collin had to take care of a few things at work this morning, so they would be meeting us there.

The weather was forecast to be sunny and warm, but I knew it would probably get cooler later, so I grabbed a sweatshirt on the way out the door. Driving the short distance to the Howards’ house, it was hard for me to keep my excitement down. I parked on the street and was walking up the front steps when I heard Riley’s scream of delight inside.

“
Mom! It’s Baiwey!”

The front door opened before I could even turn the knob. I didn’t even have a chance to put my backpack aside when my arms were full of a squirmy little boy.

“
Hey, buddy! Are you excited to see Mickey?”

“
Yes! And Pwuto, and Goofy!”

Eileen came around the corner with her arms full of clothes. “I’m not sure he even slept last night, he was so wound up. I’ve just got a few more things to pull together, and we’ll be ready to leave.”

“
Okay, is there anything you need me to do?”

“
Riley’s only eaten part of his breakfast; maybe you can get him to finish it.”

“
Sure. Come on, Riley; let’s go finish your food. You want to have lots of energy so you can go on all the fun rides.”

Riley played with his pancakes but did manage to eat a few more bites. I cleaned up his dishes and washed the syrup from his fingers and face while he wiggled and squealed. Soon after, we were on our way out to Eileen’s car, and we were Disneyland bound.

Though it wasn’t that far, the trip was long for Riley. He continued to ask the same question over and over: “Are we there yet?” Eileen, who had gotten some background on Collin from my aunt, was of course trying to get as much information from me as she could, asking several questions.

I had been to Disneyland a lot as a kid but had not been back since the summer before the accident. We had come down for our yearly summer vacation, and it had been Brooke’s first visit. She had been so thrilled to see her favorite princess, Belle. I was hoping that today’s trip wouldn’t bring back too many painful memories.

“
Is Collin going to call you when they get there?”

“
Yes, he thought they might be a couple hours behind us. He was going to try to get done faster, but he wasn’t sure when they’d let him go from work.”

“
Having Lacey there will be even more fun for Riley. Those two have really bonded, haven’t they? The days you meet up at the park, that’s all I hear about, then the days you don’t go to the park, all I hear all day is ‘Can we go see Lacey, Mom, please!’”

“
Wacey’s coming right, Mom?” Riley’s little voice traveled from the back seat.

“
Yes, sweetie. We’ll meet them there.”

“
Wacey’s coming, Baiwey.”

“
Yes, I know, that’s exciting. Eileen, I just wanted to say thanks for inviting Collin and Lacey.”

Eileen glanced sideways to look at me, smiling. “It’s no problem, Bailey, really. I think it’ll be fun. I’m also looking forward to meeting this guy who seems to have come in and swept you off your feet and to finally meet Lacey, who seems to have stolen little Riley’s affections.”

“
Yeah, they really are cute together.”

The rest of the drive passed mostly in silence, with just the music from the stereo punctuated by Riley’s ever-present “Are we there yet?” mixed in with “Where are we now?”

Before long, we were driving into the massive concrete parking garage. We parked up on the Mickey Mouse level, to Riley’s delight. After unloading the stroller and our bags, we loaded Riley up and took the elevator to the ground level so that we could catch the next tram to the main gate. Waiting for the tram, my phone buzzed. It was Collin.

got out early! on my way to pick up Lacey, will c u soon

cool! we’re just getting on the tram. can’t wait til u get here! :)

I’ll text u when we get there

K

“
Collin?”

“
Yes, he just got finished with work. He’s on his way to pick up Lacey and will text me when they get here.”

“
Wow, that was fast. They won’t be far behind us then.”

Our tram arrived and we stepped in. I helped Riley into the center of the long bench seat while Eileen pulled the stroller up and tried to get settled with the bags. It was no wonder that she’d wanted some help on Riley’s first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. Keeping track of a two-year-old with all the stuff needed for him could be a daunting task for one person.

Once inside the park, we walked down Main Street toward Sleeping Beauty Castle; our first stop for the day would be in Fantasyland. Riley had climbed into his stroller, which allowed us to move more quickly through the already packed street. Dumbo was our first ride, and from there, we moved on to Peter Pan, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and the King Arthur Carrousel. We had decided to skip Snow White and Pinocchio; we weren’t sure if they would scare Riley. Waiting in line for Casey Jr. Circus Train, Collin’s text arrived letting us know they were here.

we’re in fantasyland, in line for Casey Jr then to the tea cups

k, we’ll meet u there

“
They’re walking in. We’ll meet them at the tea cups.”

“
Perfect. They made pretty good time coming down here.”

It was finally our turn, and we climbed in the Monkeys cage. Eileen and I both laughed; how appropriate for little Riley. As the train traveled through Storybook Land, the tiny castles fascinated Riley, and he had his face pushed tightly against the bars. Much too quickly for Riley, the ride was over and we walked toward the tea cups. Parking the stroller along the edge, I was scanning the crowds for Collin and Lacey.

“
Bailey, I’m going to run Riley to the restroom around the corner while we wait for them to get here.”

“
Okay.” I pulled the bag of Riley’s things out from under the stroller and handed it to Eileen.

“
Thanks, we’ll be right back.”

I was leaning against the stroller looking toward the Carrousel when I felt a pair of arms from behind wrap around my waist. I was so startled, a small scream escaped my lips. The strong arms didn’t let go, though.

“
Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, but it was too good to pass up.”

“
Collin, you almost gave me a heart attack! Hey, Lacey, are you ready to go on the rides?”

“
Yes, where’s Riley?” she asked, looking around shyly. Lacey was dressed in jeans and a cute red shirt with a big black lacy heart in the center. Her black hair was pulled back into two pigtails, her natural curls forming perfect little ringlets.

“
Riley’s in the bathroom with his mom, he’ll be right back. I like your shirt. Hearts are my favorite, you know.” Collin had released me long enough for me to crouch down to Lacey’s eye level while I talked to her. “Your hair sure is cute in those pigtails.”

“
Thank you. Collin did it.” Lacey’s crystal-blue eyes, so much like Collin’s, finally looked up at me. She was still so shy but had at least warmed up to me a little. It was Riley who had won her over entirely, though.

I looked up at Collin. “Really? Collin put your hair in pigtails? Wow, I’m impressed.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s better if it’s out of her face. I can handle some pigtails, but that’s about as far as it goes. None of those fancy braid things you girls do.”

I stood back up to face him. “Still very impressive.”

“
RILEY!” Lacey yelled.

Turning, I could see Eileen coming around the corner holding Riley’s hand, his bag over her shoulder. Riley pulled out of her grasp and ran the last few feet to us.

“
WACEY!” He stopped just short of Lacey, and hugged her.

“
Well, I guess there’s no question that’s Lacey, so you must be Collin. Very nice to meet you. I’m glad you guys could make it today.”

Collin had reached over to shake Eileen’s hand. “And you must be Eileen. Thanks for inviting us. Lacey’s very excited. My dad and I brought her here back in November right after they got the Christmas stuff up, but we didn’t stay very long, ‘cause it got too cold and started to rain.”

“
Alright, so teacups next?” I asked.

“
Sure, let’s go. Come on, Lacey, we’re going to go get in one of those big teacups and spin.”

Collin pulled my hand into his while we stood in line. As we waited, Lacey and Riley debated which color teacup we were going to get in, at last narrowing it down to the green or purple. In the end, the only color left for us was red, and I wondered at first if they were going to be upset, but as we climbed in, Lacey declared that red was the best color anyway. We all crammed in, knees bumping against each other, the space very tight for three adults and two kids.

The ride got started and Collin pulled hard on the little wheel, sending us all into a high-speed spin very quickly. Riley and Lacey were both squealing with delight. Eileen was holding on to them so they wouldn’t bash into each other. I was laughing but then had to focus on the center of the teacup and not look out at the spinning world around me. I could feel the queasiness starting.

“
Ahh... Collin...”

“
Yeah? Oh, geez, are you okay? You look a little green.”

“
Just need to slow it down a bit, please.”

Collin let the wheel go, and the cup started to slow down to a more manageable speed. I was relieved when the ride came to a stop shortly after, but the kids were begging to go on it again.

Eileen helped Riley and Lacey out. I followed them, still feeling a little dizzy. Collin reached around me and steadied me as we walked toward the gate.

“
Sorry, I forgot how easily I can get sick on the spinning rides.”

He just chuckled. “It’s okay. I’ll remember that for next time. You’re already getting color back in your face, so that’s a good sign.”

We got to the exit gate where Eileen and the kids waited for us, both of the little ones jumping up and down.

“
Please, can we go again?” Lacey asked.

“
Pwease? Pwease?” Riley chimed in.

“
It’s okay, I’ll sit this one out; you guys go. I’ll wait over by the stroller.”

“
Are you sure?” Eileen asked.

“
Yes, go. They had fun, and this time Collin can spin it fast the entire time.”

The four of them got back in line. The line had been short enough that they were able to get right back on, again in one of the red teacups. They waved after they got seated. Pulling out my camera, I shot a picture of them sitting in the teacup smiling. The ride got started, and I could see both of the kids laughing. Collin had the teacup spinning so fast they were like a blur passing by. Even Eileen was laughing. I knew it was good for her to get out and have a good time too.

I walked over to the exit with the stroller and waited for them to get out of the teacup. We then walked over to Alice in Wonderland. Lacey loved the caterpillars, and we ended up in a pink one. Eileen had squeezed in the front with Lacey and Riley, and that left the back for Collin and me. I climbed in first, and Collin slid in next to me. As we ventured down through the rabbit hole into the world of Wonderland, Collin placed his arm around me and pulled me against him. Leaning my head against his shoulder, I felt content. It was going to be a great day; one I knew I would never forget. In the front seat, Riley screamed with delight at the Cheshire cat, with his purple and blue stripes and moony, grinning face.

Once the ride was over, we collected the stroller, and Eileen led the way over to the Mad Hatter, where she proceeded to purchase Mickey ears hats with our names embroidered on them for each of us. Both Collin and I tried to pay for ours, but Eileen refused. After trying to slip money into her purse and getting it promptly returned to me, I let her finish paying.

By the time midafternoon rolled around, we had already ridden It’s a Small World, been to Toontown, visited both Mickey and Minnie in their houses, had lunch in New Orleans Square, and were in line for Pirates of the Caribbean. Lacey had warmed up immediately to Eileen, and I could tell she was in seventh heaven with the attention Eileen gave her. Lacey had grabbed Eileen’s hand and held it while we walked between rides and waited in lines. I was also discovering that Lacey could be quite the chatterbox. It warmed my heart, as I knew that Lacey needed a mother’s attention. I looked up at Collin and could see he was thinking the same thing, his face marked with pain but also relief that she was truly having a great time.

I caught his eye, and he smiled. “She really likes Eileen. This is good for her. I’m so glad Eileen invited us.”

“
Yeah, me too. This is by far my favorite trip to Disneyland.”

“
Mine too.”