Page 9 of Her Honorable Hero

“Daddy saved Mommy. Then somebody had to save me, cause I was outside the train. I was going to fall a long, long way down into the water.” With every word, Hope’s voice got softer and softer. “Mommy said that Randa saved me.”

Miranda started as Susan grabbed her arm. Miranda leaned into Griff and pulled Susan close, knowing her friend needed comfort as much as she did to get through Hope’s story.

“Then what?” Hope asked her brother.

“They got rope,” he whispered.

Miranda could feel the bite of the nylon leash digging into her ankle.

Hope’s face broke into a grin. “Oh yeah! Randa used a rope to come get me.” She threw out her hands, hitting Mike in the face with one. “It was great! There was a helicopter and everything.”

Then her little face fell. “But then everyone had to go to the hospital.”

“Not me,” Jeremy said. “I just visited.”

“Randa had to stay the longest. But Uncle Griff stayed a long time with Randa. He married her too, but I wasn’t a flower girl cause I was a baby.”

Hope held up the now-crumpled paper. “And everyone lived happily ever after.”

A thunder of applause shook the room.

Susan let go of her arm, and clasped Miranda’s shoulders so that she was looking up into Miranda’s face. “I will never, ever forget what you did for my baby. Never.” Tears were streaming down her friend’s face.

Miranda’s stomach hollowed out and she panicked. “You would have done the same thing for Livvie,” she protested.

“Listen to me, Miranda. For once, fucking listen to me.” Susan’s fingers dug grooves into her shoulders. “You. Are. A. Hero. You’re my hero. My children’s hero. I love you.”

Before Miranda could respond, Mike tugged Susan into his arms.

Thank Fuck.

Griff turned Miranda into his arms, his hand running up and down her back.

“We have cake!” Leslie’s voice called out as the lights went out.