Part 16

After four days of non-stop action, Gretchen dropped the keys to her now ex-home with the realtor, then they headed for the airport. Cynthia, Heather, Gretchen, and BJ landed in Baltimore in the afternoon of December 14. Steven met the plane and after hugs were exchanged, sheparded his family to the brand new silver 2008 Lincoln Navigator SUV he'd purchased while they were gone. They talked as they drove. Gretchen had never been out of British Columbia and to see the leafless forests and trees and flat fields of the Chesapeake Bay were all new to her after growing up surrounded by the rain forest covered mountains around the Salish Sea north of Puget Sound.

Steven provided a state map and sitting in the back seat as they drove, Heather showed Gretchen her new surroundings. The Bay Hundred area intrigued her and she looked forward to arriving there. By the time they rolled through St. Michaels, Gretchen knew she was getting close to home. When they pulled onto Wells Point Lane, they stopped.

"You'll get to know this area much better," Steven said. "Everything east of the road we just left is part of The Clan Wells Point. One thousand four hundred and seventy five acres. Let's head up to our house.”

Soon they were pulling into the area in front of the house. Jasmine, Holly, and Ivy came out of the front door followed by Frank and Sarah. The younger girls ran over while Jasmine walked slowly but steadily. Gretchen was overwhelmed by their open welcoming hugs and excited self introduction.

"You must be Jasmine," Gretchen greeted her with a gentle embrace aware of Jasmine's ongoing recovery. "I want to thank you for asking if your father started another family. You've really saved us."

"That's what family does, Aunt Gretchen," Jasmine smiled. "You'll have a lot of family here."

Cynthia emerged from the Navigator cuddling a just awakening BJ. Holly and Ivy squealed with delight to see their half brother. Naturally, after just waking up and the long trip, BJ was startled into tears.

"Did they scare you, Benny?" Jaz sympathetically asked as she smiled and gently reached out for her half brother.

Much to everyone's amazement, Benny stopped crying and reached out for Jaz. Jaz carefully took him and rested him on her skinny hip. "Benny, these two squealers are your sisters Holly and Ivy. I'm your big sister Jasmine but everyone calls me Jaz. Welcome home."

Benny looked at the contrite girls, then smiled. "Jaz," he said as he reached up and touched her nose. "Me BJ."

With the ice broken, everyone headed into the house. Jasmine carried BJ as Heather and Gretchen followed closely just in case the plucky girl had any problems. Once inside and divested of their jackets, they began a tour of the house. BJ looked around in wide eyed wonder as he toddled along. When they reached the second floor bedroom that had been set up for him, he was ushered forward to look before anyone entered the room. It was a little boy's paradise of cars and trucks. The bed looked like a race car.

"My room," he exclaimed as he scurried inside and looked about. "BJ's room?"

"Yes, this is BJ's room," Cynthia said.

BJ jumped onto the bed and bounced around. "BJ happy," he smiled.

The girls stayed with BJ as he explored his new bedroom and checked out all the neat toys. Even though they didn't play with cars and trucks, they did so with their little brother letting him 'teach' them.

The adults knew that the girls would watch BJ while they finished the tour. Donning their coats they went outside to explore the property. Gretchen was pleasantly surprised by the pool and the dock and simply amazed that she would be living here.

When they returned to the house, instead of going inside Steven led them to the garage. Pausing in front of the door he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two key rings.

"Cynthia and I decided to give you each a gift," Steven said as he handed them the keys. "I don't know which is for which vehicle but except for the color, they're identical, so if you want to swap, feel free."

With that he pressed the opener to raise the garage door. Inside were two brand new 2008 AWD Ford Taurus X's, one in blue and one in silver. Heather and Gretchen were speechless as they looked at the new SUVs.

"Don't even try to decline accepting them," Cynthia pre-empted their protests. "We want our grandchildren to be safe and comfortable and these will do that. Since they're identical there is no favoritism. Now try them out."

Heather and Gretchen hugged and profusely thanked Steven and Cynthia then excitedly moved to their new cars. Heather had the keys for the silver and Gretchen the keys for the blue. Neither wanted to swap.

That evening, the entire Clan Wells Point gathered in the main farm house to meet their newest members over a grand supper. BJ discover Wanda and DJ. BJ and DJ were nearly the same age and immediately became friends.

Gretchen was impressed by the open welcome and genuine caring of the Clan Wells Point. But it was Krista who really amazed her. Before her arrival every time they had talked about their new home and the Clan Wells Point, Krista had been intimately involved. Now that she had met Krista, she was puzzled. Krista appeared to be a fairly normal bubbly outgoing young teenage girl with an attentive boyfriend. It seemed impossible that Krista was a transsexual. Of course, she felt the same about Kylie and Larry who were clearly in love. Jamie on the other hand fit Gretchen's idea of a stereo-typical transsexual. Gretchen had never been exposed to transsexuals before and while her family had issues with anything outside standard heterosexual relationships, she was open enough to let others live as they saw fit. Krista intrigued her, especially as the young girl was clearly, at least to everyone but the two directly involved, playing matchmaker between her gram Jane and Kevin Stewart. The pair seemed to mesh quite well.

For her part Krista noticed the frequent inquisitive glances and suspected it was because of her adventures. After things settled down, Krista let Heather and Kylie know the pair needed to talk.

Kylie quietly led Heather, Gretchen and Krista to the new third floor master suite to show it off. Once the brief tour was over, Heather smiled. "Gretch, we know you want to talk to Krista. Krista knows the look of curiosity she often evokes from others and has no qualms about answering your questions and concerns. We'll leave you two here to talk things out."

Gretchen was clearly anxious but Krista smiled warmly. "I know I'm an enigma. I had a hard time figuring myself out until I realized it wasn't worth the effort. I learned to simply trust in God and be myself. If doing something feels right, do it, if doesn't, don't. That's made me an open, welcoming and caring person."

"I can see that," Gretch replied. "I find it hard to believe someone your age could blow the lid off the Apple Tree Scandal and saved Jaz and her family and through them my family. You didn't know any of us."

"True, but I was helped by the Spades and I knew they were nearly overwhelmed with guilt about what happened to Jaz and her sisters," Krista answered. "I simply decided to see what I could do to help. I didn't really do much other than getting the ball rolling."

"But it was a big ball and it's still rolling," Gretch said. "You've probably helped hundreds of people beside my family. Then there is your little sister Sandi, and Jamie, and Kylie. You literally saved their lives. Then you choked out that big man and killed that escaped criminal. All in a few months. You've done more good than most people do in a lifetime."

"It's all because I stopped fighting myself. I opened my soul to God and let myself be me," Krista smiled. "When I thought I was a boy life was tough. I was a good kid but life kept kicking me in the butt. I was seldom happy and always on edge. When my mom got sick, I felt hopeless. Then when she couldn't go on, she charged me with getting myself and my sisters here. It was my odyssey. I discovered that being a tough guy got me no where. It was only when I finally hit bottom that my macho facade crumbled. All I had left was me, a frightened but determined kid who was determined to get my sisters here. Once I stopped being such a hard ass, everyone thought I was a girl. I went along with it because it worked while we were on the road. By the time we got here, being a girl wasn't an act. It was natural. Everyone saw it but me but they let me discover it on my own and supported me fully and without judgement. It was only when I accepted in my heart that I was a girl did my odyssey end. Since then I've tried to encourage everyone to be true to their heart."

"You make it sound so simple," Gretch sighed.

"It is that simple," Krista replied. "Stop trying to be what you think others think you should be. Look into your heart to see what you like, then go for it. Here with The Clan Wells Point you have the freedom and support to do it."

"A freedom and support you've instilled," Gretch smiled.

"I've had a hand in it," Krista smiled. "You'll learn that everyone here is willing to talk and help. Don't ever be afraid or ashamed to speak up."

Gretchen smiled and nodded. Krista was wise far beyond her years. But then she had experienced more in the last six months than many people do in a lifetime.

The pair hugged and headed downstairs. Everyone looked up at them and smiled as they rejoined the group. They all knew they'd had a heart to heart talk. Gretch realized these were indeed a very special group of people, a true caring clan, and was glad to be here.

*****

Saturday morning was sunny and mild with temperatures in the fifties. At breakfast, Heather called to see if Gretchen would like to tour The Clan Wells Point land on horseback. It had been years since she'd been riding but Gretch thought the idea was brilliant and that her pregnancy shouldn’t be an issue as long as they maintained an easy pace and made frequent stops. Pat, Heather, Jasmine, Krista, Holly, and Ivy rode up to the house about 9:30. After Krista gave the excited BJ a ride around the yard, Holly and Ivy took the boy back into the house to play while Gretchen took one of the horses the girls had ridden. Krista led the spare mount by it’s reins as they rode.

Deciding to stay on the roads they ambled up Longs Cove Lane past the tenant farm then headed north to the Rehab hostel. They stopped and talked with Cora, Barney, and Freddy. The boys definitely liked being near the horses and both petted and spoke to the animals. Jasmine reached into a saddled bag and gave each a carrot to feed the horse. Barney was anxious to recover enough to ride. Freddy appeared frustrated. Krista quietly resolved to research saddles to see if any were available for double amputees.

After leaving the hostel, they headed west to the storage barn where Longs Cove Lane previously ended. The extension to Longs Cove Lane the Clan had added ran north to the tree line where it met the extension of Apple Lane. They then followed Apple Lane West and soon reached the Olsen family home. Once more they visited for a few minutes allowing the boys to ride around the yard while seated in front of Krista and Jaz. Leaving the boys with their father, Grace mounted the sixth horse and joined the ride.

They then followed Apple Lane out to the Bozman-Neavitt Road. They walked south in the grassy berm as the passengers and drivers in the cars and trucks passing by waved. At this time of the year, anyone on horseback had to be a local as were most of the motorists. When they reached Wells Point Lane they turned in and rode through the forest edged lane listening to the clip clop of the horses on the gravel and the singing of the winter birds as they foraged.

They talked about life in general and about the closeness and hopes of the Clan Wells Point. As the new-comer, Gretchen listened more than spoke but once more marveled that the opinions and ideas of Jazmine and Krista were respected as much as those of the adults. For the first time in her life, Gretch began to understand the true meaning of HOME and how a clan supported it's members.

The tour led past Robert and Sheila's home, then to the first farm where Kevin was checking out the remodel. They headed down Dougherty Lane and angled off onto Bills Lane. Bill waved them out to the end of the dock where he was lazily fishing while basking warm December in the sun. Heather uncoiled a rope from her saddle as Krista went to Gretch and showed her how to hook the lead rope which they had stored behind the saddle to the bridle and then tie it to the rope Heather had by then tied between two trees about thirty feet apart. The horses could graze while the riders relaxed or in this case headed out the pier to Bill.

Soon they were back in the saddle and soon headed south on Johns Cove Lane to the main farm. After riding past the farm buildings they headed south to the landing. As they reached the small house just before the landing, they waved to the Ewells and who were in the process of moving into the home. The horses thought they were heading back to the barn but easily followed the rider's directions to keep moving. Riding through the farm yard they headed east out across the field until they reached Locust Neck Lane, turning south for a short distance till it ended where it met Steves Cove Lane. From there they headed north to the O'Brien farm on Wells Point Lane. Once more they dismounted and headed into the barn to greet Kylie and Tony who were busy working on the DUKW. Gretchen was stunned by the size of the behemoth and the fact that diminutive Kylie was the chief mechanic. Krista explained the history of this particular DUKW and that the repairs would be complete in time for Kylie and Larry to be married on board in the spring. Kylie smiled and blushed demurely.

Kylie and Tony washed up and joined the others as they headed across Wells Point Lane to the house. Jane with help from Lyndi, Teri, and Sandi had prepared lunch. Krista beamed to see Kevin arrive for the repast. LJ and Pete had to be pried from playing 'Madden NFL 07' to join the meal. Gretchen was surprised by the large family not having realized they were all living together. There was no whining or arguing, only cooperation and sharing.

When they were once more in the saddle Pat explained they occasionally had spats but that between Jane and Leroy, compromise and love held sway. The ride to the end of Wells Point Lane was pleasant and conversation flowed. After tethering the horses they walked over to the small stone walled cemetery.

Krista opened the gate and walked over to her mother's grave. "Mom, I'd like to introduce you to Grace, Jasmine, Heather, and Gretchen. I guess you already know about them but they've never met you. I want to thank you again for helping Jasmine wake up and I guess this is as good a time as any to tell them about you."

Heather and Jasmine looked confused at the part about helping Jaz come out of the coma.

Krista proceeded to tell them about her mother walking into the sea to save her children from going into children's service. Then she explained how once she arrived here, it was while at the grave that Krista first met her father. It was also here that she later confessed to him that she was a boy not a girl and that her mom's spirit had helped give her the strength. Then she told how her mother's salt water soggy, seaweed dripping ghost had delayed Kylie's attempted suicide long enough to let Larry reach her and save her. Then she sheepishly glanced at Pat. “The night I first saw you, Jaz, in Requard before we got your family, I was so upset I couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed, dressed, and came here to talk to mom to ask her to help you.”

"Oh my God! Your mom... she was the woman who led me out of the darkness," Jaz exclaimed. "She was wearing a long nightgown that was wet and had seaweed clinging to it! I could smell the ocean! I thought I'd imagined it! Your mom... she saved me! She's why I woke up while you guys were singing MICKEY!"

Krista and Jaz hugged as tears of joy flowed from their eyes. The others tearfully joined in a massive group hug. Once they recovered, Jasmine explained in detail how she had been rescued by an angelic voice from the void of her coma. How the voice had encouraged and guided her as she struggled to pull herself together. Then at the end the mystery woman had appeared and hand in hand helped her escape the void as the cheerleaders started singing MICKEY.

"In all the excitement of waking up and everything that happened I forgot about being in that void," Jasmine confessed. "But as you talked about all your mom did, I remembered and I realized she had been the one who lead me back to life! She heard you ask to help me!"

"Carol was a wonderful person who always cared for others," Pat nodded with a sad smile. "We were best friends. I can see her asking God to let her help you. Krista, it also proves she's keeping an eye on you and is happy with all you're doing. Your faith in God is as strong as hers. However, sneaking out after midnight is NOT something you should be doing.”

Krista nodded her head fully expecting to be punished but willing to accept it.

Everyone could see Krista had revealed her night time escapade knowing she would face discipline. Again they marveled at how strong she was.

“Next time you even think about sneaking out of the house during the night to come here,” Pat chided then smiled. “Wake me and we’ll come down together."

"Thanks, mom," Krista hugged her step-mother.

Heather and Gretchen exchanged smiles realizing that Krista had no qualms about referring to her stepmother as mom while still retaining and honoring the memory of her birth mom. It was yet another reason Krista was so inspiring.

After they all collected themselves, they walked over to Nelsons where they were welcomed with cups of hot chocolate. After a pleasant discussion, they mounted the horses and headed back to the landing and the barn.

"Before I met Benny, I had been going to the uni to become a physical therapist," Gretch said as they road back while the hot chocolate warmed their tummys. "Seeing Freddy and Barney this morning reminded me about what I had wanted to do. Grace, what are the requirements for becoming a Physical Therapist in Maryland?"

"It depends on how far you want to go," Grace answered. "You can become a PT assistant after two years of schooling. To function on your own requires four years of undergraduate study, but to really have any sort of indepence and control over your career you'll need a master's degree, MPT, which is another two years. From there it takes another year to get your doctorate, DPT. Then if you want to go further, you'll need to become a medical doctor which would take another two years. That's where I'm at."

"Geeze," Jasmine gasped. "You mean that after twelve years of school, you had to go another nine years in college?"

"Yes," Grace chuckled. "Plus there are refresher courses that have to be taken every year to keep your license current. Without a current license, you can't be a physical therapist."

"That's not too much different than what I was looking at before I met Benny," Gretch said. "Do you think a local uni would accept the credits I've already earned?"

"You attended the University of British Columbia for a year," Grace stated to be sure she had her facts straight. "I would say that any courses you took as a first year student and earned a minimum of 'C' would be accepted by the University of Maryland. The Requard Rehab Center where I work is affiliated with University of Maryland. I'm sure I can pull a few strings to get you enrolled for next fall."

"I'd like to check it out," Gretchen said. "Is it close by?"

"The University of Maryland main campus is in College Park just outside Washington, about 80 miles one way. I always plan two hours travel time when we lived in Easton but it usually took ninety minutes, from here I'd add twenty or thirty minutes. You have to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on US Route 50 and pay the toll of $2.50 per crossing. It'd be difficult at best to commute."

"I guess I'll have to talk to Cynthia and Steven," Gretchen sighed.

"If your intention in becoming a PT is to work in the rehab hostel, as a member of The Clan Wells Point I'm pretty sure we'd pay your tuition," Krista spoke up. "You could even intern here under Dr. Olsen which would cut some away time."

Gretchen gave Krista a funny look as once again she was amazed a thirteen year old would speak so boldly about committing the Clan to such an obligation.

"Krista is right," Pat agreed. "While we haven't made it a policy, we have agreed in principal to aid clan members in getting the education, permits, certifications and licenses needed to make our enterprises stronger."

"I'd have to live on campus during the week," Gretch said. "Someone would have to look after BJ and my new baby."

"We'll work it out, Aunt Gretch," Jasmine smiled. "That's what a clan does. We take care of our own."

"I'm really taking to this concept of The Clan Wells Point," Gretch smiled.

"By starting this now, you'll be able to scout out the campus and living spaces," Grace added. "Freddy and Barney have both expressed great interest in becoming PTs and staying on to work at the hostel. They'll be high school seniors next year which means they'll need housing that's convenient to the campus and accessible when they go there the following year. If you can't find anything suitable, we'll have to find something to remodel."

"Actually, that sounds like a more practical idea," Krista piped up. "If we can buy a suitable older building and make it accessible, we can use it to house anyone from the clan who wants to go to UM. Any empty rooms we can rent to students that need accessible housing that's convenient to the campus. If the place is big enough, we might be able to recoup most of the investment from the rentals."

"If we start now, we should be able to have it ready by the start of the next year's fall semester," Pat chuckled. "With all our youngsters, we'll need decent and safe housing and by starting now, we'll be ahead of the curve. Sounds like we need a full Clan meeting.

"So this is how you do things in the clan," Gretch said in amazement. "A small, simple discussion evolves into spending probably at least a quarter of a million dollars and no one blinks an eye."

"Oh we blink an eye," Pat chuckled. "We're still getting use to the fact that most of these good ideas emerge from one thirteen year old head. But we've learned to trust Krista. Her idea to provide Freddy and Barney with a place to live out here morphed, with Jasmine's assistance, into the rehab hostel. Krista and Jasmine still have the positive outlook on life that for many of us older folk has become tarnished by too many disappointments and frustrations. They reinvigorate us and keep us motivated. To be quite honest, after all the two girls have been through, I find it hard to believe they haven't become jaded. But as you can see, they're as bubbly and upbeat as any other innocent teen."

"I have faith in God," Krista said. "I learned that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When one door is shut, another opens. You just have to be flexible and follow your heart."

"Krista is right," Jaz spoke up. "Trust in God is locked in my heart. Carol's spirit taught me that and Krista has reinforced it. As long as you keep God in your heart, you can't stay depressed or sad. That's not to say you won't become depressed or sad or frustrated, but with God in your heart there is always hope and once you face being depressed, sad, or frustrated, you leave it behind and move forward. Too many people get stuck being down and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"Trusting in God and keeping him in the front of your heart becomes a self fulfilling prophecy too," Krista added. "You can take the simplest idea like Gretch needing a place to stay at UM and with God's input it balloons into a just off campus dorm for Clan members with open spaces being rented to students who need accessibility."

"So it all boils down to a matter of faith," Gretch nodded. "I believe in God but I confess I've never given him such prominence in my heart. But you're right, the times I did, I felt wonderful and was doing good. When I pushed him to the side things went down hill."

"Just trust God," Pat smiled. "That's why I have six children while I only gave birth to two. I won't trade any of them in."

*****