Anna's Visions (28 page)

Tori’s tears ran down her cheeks as she whispered,
“Bye, dear sweet Grammy. We love you, too. See you later, alligator.”

Tori held her precious baby in her arms, looking deep
into her innocent eyes, and telling her, “Grammy will always be around us.
She’ll guide you through life just like she did me. She’ll do it from Beyond.
Her spirit is strong-willed and she’ll watch over us.”

Tori let her tears flow for a few more minutes. How
was she going to live without Grammy? She had to hold on to the belief that
Grammy was still around – always would be.

She wiped her face and looked into the bright eyes of
her daughter. “Just wait until your daddy gets here. He’s going to be so proud
when he sees how beautiful you are. You’re going to have a special life, just
like I had, and you’ve got the most wonderful daddy in the world.”

The baby’s bright eyes seemed to follow the movements
of Tori’s lips, and she seemed to understand every word Tori said.

A moment later, Wes walked into the room, hurried to
Tori’s side, and held out his arms. Tori handed him his new daughter. As his
tears rolled, he held his face close to the baby.
“Hi, little
lady.
I’m your daddy! I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”

Then Wes looked at Tori and took her hand gently.
“Oh, my, sweetheart.
We did
good
.
She’s beautiful – just like you!”

Tori didn’t say anything. She just marveled at the
look of sheer joy in Wes’ eyes as he held their daughter in his loving arms. He
counted fingers and toes, and announced, “I’d say we made a perfect child!”

Tori laughed. “What’s this
we
stuff? I think I
did all the mixing and baking.”

“That, you did.” Wes nodded in agreement. “But you
have to admit that I gave you some of the basic ingredients.”

“That, you did,” Tori said with a smile.

Wes pulled a chair next to Tori’s bedside and lowered
his body into it while holding the baby. They sat in silence – their first
moments together as a real family. When the baby started squirming, Wes gently
handed her baby back to Tori.

With the baby safely in Tori’s arms, Wes’ face grew
sad. “Tori, honey–”

Tori reached for Wes’ hand and squeezed it. “I know,
Wes. Grammy is gone, but it’s okay. I’m at peace with it.”

“How do you already know?” Wes asked with a puzzled
look.

“Let’s just say the angels told me and leave it at
that,” Tori said. “Where are Momma and Daddy?”

“They had to leave so they could be with Poppy. They
told me to tell you they’d be back to see the baby as soon as possible. Your
mom is taking it hard, but she’s happy about the baby. This is a bittersweet
night for her.”

“Momma is strong, Wes. She’ll deal with it, and she’s
got Daddy to lean on.”

“Yes, she does.” Wes shook his head and blew a weary
breath. “What a day! What a night!” He wiped his nose with his handkerchief,
looking as if he were ready to collapse.

“I don’t ever want another twenty-four hours like it
again,” Tori said as she patted his arm. “But it’s in the past. We’ve got the
rest of our lives to look forward to with our precious daughter. By the way are
you disappointed that we had a little girl?”

 
“Don’t be
silly. Who could be disappointed with this little beauty?”

“Good. Have you called your parents?”

“Oh, yeah, and they’ll be coming later, too. They’re
thrilled to have a granddaughter!”

“I bet they are,” Tori said, pausing a moment before
adding, “Wes, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to name her Anna Morgan. We can
call her Morgan.”

“I like it. It’s a pretty name and I think
it’s
fitting.” He smiled. “Anna Morgan Asner. The whole name
has a nice ring to it.”

“I like the name Morgan,” said a nurse as she walked
into the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to take the baby to the
nursery – and you have a visitor.”

As the nurse took baby Morgan from Tori’s arms and
turned to leave, Tori said, “I bet
it’s
Jill. I know
she’s busting a gut to see–” she stopped in mid-sentence as she looked up and
saw Tommy Hill standing in the doorway, looking unsure as to whether it was
okay to step into the room.

Tori held both arms out and said, “Tommy! Come here,
you, and give me a big hug!”

Tommy hurried to Tori’s bedside, threw his arms around
her neck, and hugged so hard Tori thought he was going to choke her.

Finally, Tommy turned loose and said, “You sure look
pretty for just giving birth.” He tucked his head and his face turned red. “But
you’re always pretty to me. You always have been.”

Tori took his hand in both of hers and squeezed it.
“Tommy Hill, I think you’re the most handsome man in the world. You have a
beautiful soul, and it shines through so strongly it’s blinding. You’re my
hero!”

Tommy’s face turned scarlet. “Ah, shucks, Tori.” He
shifted his feet, and then added, “I can’t wait to see your little girl. I know
she’s the most beautiful thing in the world.
Maybe more
beautiful than you.”
He winked.

Wes patted Tommy on the back. “You are so right, old
buddy!”

Tommy’s face lit up brighter than the sun when Wes
referred to him as an old buddy. It was as if he had received the highest
compliment that could have been given to a fellow human being.

Tori smiled and continued holding Tommy’s hand tight.
“I can’t wait for you to see your goddaughter either.”

“My what?”
Tommy said, and he seemed to choke on his own
spittle.

Wes patted his back. “You heard her right. You saved
Morgan’s life. I think it’s fitting that you should be her godfather. But you
know what that means–”

“I know what it means. I’m her daddy if something
should happen to you – God forbid,” Tommy said, and he glowed as if he had been
plugged into a socket.

Tori looked at Wes. “I don’t understand why Jill isn’t
bursting through the door. Is she all right? Tell me the truth. Is Jill–”

Wes placed his index finger on Tori’s lips. “Jill is
fine. I heard that she slipped off to come see you once, but she won’t do it
again because her parents are watching her like a hawk. And we need to go on
and let you get some rest.” He bent and lightly kissed Tori’s lips. “I love
you.”

I love you, too,” Tori said as her eyes filled with
tears of joy and sorrow.

As Tommy turned and headed for the door, Tori yelled,
“Hey, you better give me a kiss, too, my handsome hero!”

Tommy eased his way to Tori, bent, and tenderly kissed
her cheek. Tommy beamed as Tori
thought,
ferret-face-nerdy-turdy-Tommy
Hill finally got a kiss from snotty-hoity-toity-Tori Hicks!

Tommy turned to Wes. “You take care of them both, old
buddy – and maybe let me baby-sit sometime.”

“That, my
friend,
is a deal,”
Wes replied. “You’re the reason I still have them both.”

“Anyone would have done the same thing,” Tommy said.

“Well, I’m not thanking just anyone. I’m thanking
you.” Wes looked Tommy in the eyes. “To us, you’ll always be a hero – to me and
to
little Morgan.”

Tommy’s face reddened again. “Thanks, you guys.”

A moment later, Wes and Tommy were gone and the room
was quiet. It was the second time Tori had been alone since all the excitement
started hours ago, and it was an eerie feeling – and not one she particularly
liked. There seemed to be a cloud of emotion hovering above her – a gathering
storm that she knew might overwhelm her in her weakened mental and physical
condition.

Just as the terror of that storm began to rise, Tori
heard a voice from the doorway, softly whispering, “
Tori,
are you awake?”

Tori looked over and saw Jill, sitting in her
wheelchair, smiling that beautiful smile she’d seen thousands of times over the
years – but it never looked more beautiful than at that moment.

Tori held out her arms as Jill wheeled over to the
bedside. They hugged each other as best they could – but in spite of everything
it was one of the most special hugs Tori had ever experienced.

“Well, it looks like we can all get on with life now,”
Jill said with a sigh.

“Yeah, and life is going to be beautiful from now on,”
Tori said, and she meant every word.

Chapter Twenty-One

Tom

It had been six weeks and Tori finally had the
strength, both mentally and physically, to return to the Morgan farm. Grammy
was the most important person in her life and she couldn’t imagine life without
Grammy – but she was gone.

The harsh winter was over, spring was in the air, and
Tori noticed the jonquils were in full bloom as she turned into the long
driveway. She saw the two-story white southern-style house with large white
columns on the front porch. Tears stung her eyes, but a warm feeling spread
through her body as she sadly looked at the home that held so many precious
memories.

Tori parked the car, stepped outside, admired the
beauty of the old farm, and she could feel Grammy’s presence. She looked to her
left and saw Poppy entering the
barn,
his head hung
low, his steps slow. Her heart ached for him. He was a broken lost man without
his precious Anna. She didn’t call out to him, but decided she’d wait for him
to come into the house when he’d finished his
chores.

Actually, Tori
was
glad that
she’d have some time alone before he came back to the house. She took a deep
breath and headed for the front steps. On the porch, she stood for a few
minutes looking at the swing where Grammy and she had spent many hours. Some of
Tori’s most precious memories were of sitting beside Grammy on silky
summer
nights, listening as she explained whatever life situation had Tori confused at
the moment.

Tori stepped through the front door, stood in the
living room, closed her eyes, and she could have sworn the smell of Grammy’s
baked goods still wafted in the air. She had a sudden urge to run into the
kitchen and stick her finger into a fresh-baked pie, lick it, then feel a
gentle slap on her hand and hear Grammy tell her to stop acting like a heathen.

Instead, she walked to the staircase, climbed the
steps, and entered Grammy and Poppy’s bedroom, where she gazed at the bed that
her grandparents had shared for almost sixty years. Grammy always kept little
mesh bags of lavender in her dresser drawers, and with tears running down her
cheeks, Tori let the comforting aroma of lavender fill her nostrils.

She sat on the edge of the bed, ran her hand over the
homemade quilt, and gently patted Grammy’s pillow. Then she walked over to the
window, pushed back the curtains, and admired the beautiful Sweet William
blooms that covered the pasture. She could even see the Thompkins’ cows
grazing.

Tori found
herself
wishing
that she could see the Paradise that Grammy was living in now. Tori knew that
it wasn’t possible to comprehend that kind of Paradise until she had reached
Grammy’s side.
 
Tori truly believed that
someday she would be by Grammy’s side, and they’d sit under a palm tree
together and shake a few coconuts down.

Tori noticed the bedside table drawer was partly open.
She pulled it out and saw what looked like loose pages from a ledger. Then she
recognized Grammy’s handwriting. Tori picked up the pages and thumbed through
them. They were notes about her.

Tori took a deep breath as she realized she had found
a precious treasure. She arranged the notes according to the dates, and then
she stacked two pillows against the headboard, leaned against them, resting on
Grammy’s side of the bed and began to read.

Tori’s tears poured like rain as she read. She had put
her precious Grammy through so much heart pain. Tori read the last one, and
then neatly restacked them. In the ensuing quiet, she could almost hear
Grammy’s voice say, “It’s about time. What took you so long?”

Poppy call from the bottom of the stairs, “Tori, are
you up there?”

“I’m up here, Poppy,” Tori replied, “trying to pull
myself together.

Poppy walked into the bedroom. “I thought I might find
you in here. It’s easy to feel close to Grammy in this room, but to tell you the
truth it’s too much for me at times. In fact, I haven’t slept in the bed
since–” He dropped his head.

“I understand, Poppy.” Tori stood and put her arms
around him. Then she pointed to the pieces of paper. “I found all these notes
in the top drawer of the nightstand. I’ve been reading them. I hope that’s
okay.”

Poppy smiled. “Of course it’s okay. After all, they’re
about you. I think Grammy put them where she knew you’d find them – and there’s
a special one you haven’t read.”

“I’ve read them all,” Tori said.

“Not yet.” Poppy walked over to the chest. He opened
the top drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. “I wrote the last one.”

“You did?” Tori said, as he handed it to her.

Before Tori could begin reading, Poppy turned. “I’m
going back downstairs. Read it, and then come down and we’ll have a cup of
coffee, okay?”

“Okay, Poppy. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” Tori
said as Poppy left the room.

The last paper was indeed in Poppy’s handwriting. His
penmanship wasn’t as neat as Grammy’s, but Tori began to read.

February 12
^th
, 1979

Tonight, Anna and I were sitting on the sofa, gazing
into the fireplace that she loved so much. She sighed, and said, “I can
remember the day when I became Mrs. Tom Morgan – young, beautiful, and full of
life and hope.” She paused, and then continued, “And I remember my reflection
in the mirror this morning. I was astounded at how my beauty has been washed
away by the acid winds of time.”

“You’ll always be beautiful to me,” I told her.

She smiled and patted my cheek as she turned her head
toward the large picture window and said, “Look, Tom. A white dove is perched
on the sill. Isn’t it beautiful? Look at the way it’s bobbing its head. It’s
like it’s trying to tell us something.”

“The moon is so bright it probably thinks
it’s
still daylight and its wondering why this day has been
so long,” I said with a chuckle.

Anna put her
head on my shoulder and said softly, “Ah, Tom.
Tori’s baby has entered the world!”

Then she sighed deeply, and when I looked at her sweet
face, she was wearing one of the most angelic smiles I’d ever seen. Only then
did I realize that she was no longer breathing. Anna West-Morgan had gone home
to Glory.

The white dove flapped its wings and flew away.

Thomas Eugene Morgan

“Are you ready for a cup of coffee?” Poppy called out.

“I’m coming, Poppy,” Tori said. She dried her eyes,
checked herself in the mirror, picked up Grammy’s pillow that still held her
sweet smell, and then went downstairs to join Poppy in the kitchen.

Poppy was sitting in his usual chair at the kitchen
table.

Tori pulled out Grammy’s chair, placed Grammy’s pillow
in her lap, and sat beside Poppy.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, drinking
coffee, and then Tori reached out and patted Poppy’s hand. “I read your note.
It was beautiful. It means a lot to me – it’ll mean the world to Momma, too.”

“I felt it was only right that I put her last words
down on paper.” Poppy took another long, thoughtful drink, and then added,
“Tori, I know you’ve been through so much in the past six weeks, and I know you
have to be concerned about life and what might be coming next.” His eyes became
misty but he continued. “I’m going to tell you something that I think Grammy
would say if she were here. Don’t worry about what the future might bring. We
only get one day at a time, so take that day and do your best to make it the
best day you can. If you do that, tomorrow will take care of itself.” He paused
again, and then smiled as if he’d just been given the right words to finish his
thought. “Because you never know when there won’t be a tomorrow.”

Tori squeezed Poppy’s strong callused hand and nodded.
“That’s exactly what Grammy would have said, and you’re right. I won’t waste my
days worrying about what tomorrow will bring. I’ve got a lot on my plate now
that I’m a mother, and it’s easy to dwell on how I’ll manage to handle all that
is lying in wait for me. Being a mother is a harder job than I realized. And it
sure makes me appreciate my momma more than ever.”

Poppy smiled, nodded, and took another drink, and then
his expression turned serious. “Tori, I’ve been giving this a lot of thought,
too, and I have something I want to run past you and Wes.” He took a deep
breath and sighed. “This is a big house – too big for just me, so I was
wondering if you and Wes would like to move in with me. You need a home of your
own and this house is plenty big for all of us.”

Tori’s eyes brightened and her heartbeat quickened,
but before she could say anything, Poppy added, “You and Wes could have mine
and Grammy’s bedroom and the small room across the hall would make a great
nursery. The small bedroom at the end of the hall that was my room when I was a
boy would make a great playroom. The bathroom up there is plenty big enough,
too.”

Tori could have sworn she heard Grammy whisper, “Say
yes, now!”

Poppy continued, “I can use your bedroom downstairs.”
He swallowed hard. “That’s where I’ve been sleeping nowadays.”

Oh, Poppy!”
Tori threw her arms around Poppy’s neck. “You know
I’d love to live here, and there’s no place on earth where I’d rather raise my
daughter – and I know Wes will feel the same way. So, yes! We’ll move in with
you.”

“Well,
good
. We’ll get the
whole thing started.” Poppy patted
Tori’s
back.

Tori hugged him as if she never wanted to let go,
which was exactly the way she felt at that moment. When she finally did let go,
Poppy looked at her again, his expression kind, yet serious. “Tori, there’s one
more thing.”

“What’s that, Poppy?”

“If you think it’s a good idea I want to buy a colt
from Benny Thompkins. Henry is too old and tired for little children to ride
anymore. I’d like it for little Anna, she’s little Anna to me, you know.
Anyway, I want her to have a horse to ride when she’s older. What do you
think?”

Tori felt lightheaded. “Whew! You’re hitting me with
too much good news. I think I might swoon.” She laughed. “Buy that colt as soon
as you can!”

“Then I better go make old Benny an offer.” Poppy
laughed. “Of course he won’t take my first offer. He’ll have to
dicker
a bit just for the heck of it – but I’ll get it for a
good price. Oh, by the way, it’s a female. I thought a mare would be fitting
for a special little girl.”

“Then I guess I better get on home and let Wes in on
the good news. I have no doubt that he’ll be as happy as I am. And Jill! She’ll
probably want to move in with us,” Tori said as she resisted the urge to do her
pee dance.

“Jill is welcome,” Poppy said. “But she’s got a life
with Billy. It wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t have a wedding to attend before
long.”

“Yes, I think you’re right. She would have come with
me today, but Billy won’t let her out of his sight since–” Tori tucked her
head, and then said, “He clings tightly.” Tori kissed Poppy’s cheek. “Okay,
I’ll get going and I’ll call you later tonight.”

Poppy kissed Tori. “Oh, I forgot. I’m planning to put
all the notes into a scrapbook, and I was wondering if you’d like to write the
last one.”
  

“Oh, Poppy, I’d be honored,” Tori said, tears suddenly
filling her eyes.

“Good,” Poppy said. He picked up a piece of paper and
a pen from the counter. “You’ll probably want to think about it for a second,
so while you’re doing that, I’ll go feed Henry.”

Tori watched Poppy leave, and then began to think
about how to summarize all the thoughts running through her mind. As she sat
thinking about her days with Grammy, she began sobbing harder than she’d ever
cried in her life. “If only Grammy could have had just a little more time. I
only had twenty-two years with her,” Tori whispered.

She dried her tears and took comfort in knowing that
Grammy had passed on with no regrets or fear of the unknown. It seemed as
though Grammy had always known what was waiting on the Other Side. It was just
one of her many gifts. Tori lifted Grammy’s pillow, inhaled deeply, and savored
the familiar smell of her hair.

Finally, she set the pen to the paper and began to
write.

February 12
^th
, 1979

On this day, a beautiful soul entered the world, and
an equally beautiful old soul left it. Just as the new soul was seeing the
light of her first day, the old soul was winging its way to a place of peace
and glory.
A place of everlasting understanding.

As the new soul began to discover the world around
her, the old soul was finally being given the answer to a question that had
eluded her for a lifetime: the mystery of the man in black, the pool of blood,
the gun, the knife, and the coffin.

The coffin was for Anna West-Morgan.

Tori Hicks-Asner