Tracy was woken from her slumber by the ringing of the phone inches from her head. She grunted as she turned on her side and blindly reached for the infernal device that had ruined her sleep. She didn't hear anyone running for the phone, so she guessed that she was still all alone in the house. She groped for the phone with her left hand, which she wasn't used to using. She almost dropped it before she secured her grip on it. She held it to her ear and tried to say “Hello? Who is this?” But in came out as gibberish.

There was the chuckle of a young girl on the other end of the phone. “Is that English?” She heard Rachel's voice ask.

“Rachel?” She mumbled into the phone.

“And Sage.” A second voice said.

“She's at my place because we wanted to call and see how you were doing.” Rachel answered the yet to be asked question.

“So....." Sage gave a slight pause for dramatic effect and then asked. "how you doing?”

---

This poor girl may win at some point.
Thanks to Djkauf for the editing.

---

December 10th 1982
Northern California

It was mid afternoon on Friday when the family had finally got their youngest child out of the hospital. The hospital had kept her one more day to let her rest a bit more. She was partly glad to be away from there. Sure she lost the ability to watch MTV, but the food would be a damn sight better. She could only have soup for now and clear liquids, but it was better then water and bland chicken soup. She had begged her parents to make one quick detour before they went home. She had to make things right with Mr. Rivers and Jerry.

So she found herself slowly walking up to the office, making this one of two walks for the day It was her hope that Mr. Rivers was still there. Her mother moved ahead of her to catch the door for her. The secretary gasped as they entered the office. Troy just smiled at her and gave a wave to the nurse, before her mother made her sit at a bench.

“Hello, we're here to talk to Mr. Harper and a Mr. Rivers.” William said.

“Ah, they're inside, I'll go let him know you're here.” The Secretary got up and went into the Principals office.

“You sure about this honey?” Maggie asked.

“Yes Mom. It feels right.” Tracy replied.

“You can head back.” The Secretary said as she came out of the office. She opened up the little swinging door to let them through.

William let his wife and child go first, then he followed then into the small office. Behind the desk sat Mr. Harper. In front of the desk stood Jerry Rivers and a mountain of a man with a short military haircut. The Principal stood up and smiled. “Ah, young Mr. Patterson. Feeling better I hope?”

“No Sir.” Tracy replied. “I still feel sore.”

“That's to be expected.” Mr. Harper replied. He gestured to the free seat and William and Maggie let their son take the seat. This got the man who was watching them to raise an eyebrow and give him a look that Tracy wasn't to sure of. It seemed half anger and half confusion. But any questions he had were interrupted by the Principal.

“I was asked to have you and your son here by young Troy and his father.” He gestured to the child in question. “Troy, it's your floor.”

“What? What floor? What do you mean?” Tracy asked

Mr. Harper chuckled. “You can speak now.”

“Oh.” She blushed from the embarrassment, then looked at Mr. Rivers. “I asked to see if you could come in because I wanted to talk to you about your son.”

Before she could continue, Mr. Rivers interrupted her. “What did he do this time.” He grumbled, then he glared at his son who was still standing in the same spot.

“Nothing. He did nothing wrong.” Tracy said and then let out a big sigh. She wasn't ready for it to be this difficult. And the pain she was feeling didn't help matters. Her father seen her slump, so he took over.

“Mr. Rivers, I'm William Patterson, Troy's father.” William offered a hand out to the other man. “This is my wife Maggie. Our son would like to speak to you, not about what your son did, but what he didn't do.”

“John Rivers. Pleased to meet you, but what do you mean?” He took the hand and shook it.

“It was our property that your son was at when he was with the Millett kid.” William replied.

“Ah, I understand now.” He looked at William and nodded. “You want to make sure that I am going to punish my son, right?”

Tracy shook her head and spoke up. “No sir. I heard that you were going to send your son to a Military school.”

“I am. It's the best thing for him. I mean he helped to attack your grandmother, mother and you, why shouldn't I?”

“Because he didn't.” Tracy replied.

“What do you mean? He was there, wasn't he?”

“He was sir, but he didn't attack me or anyone else.” Tracy turned to face him better. “If it hadn't been for your son, I would have.....” She trailed off as a shiver ran up her spine and a tear raced down her cheek as her nightmares replayed in her head again. “Let's just say it would have been worse.”

William nudged his wife and gestured to Tracy. “Troy, would you like me to explain it to him?” He saw her head move in a quick nod and he motioned to the door. “John, could I speak to you outside? This is kinda private.”

“Sure I guess.” He stood up, not really sure what was going on, but he was willing to listen.

Troy sat in the chair, waiting for the worst. Jerry looked at him, confusion all over his face. “What are you trying to do? I'm already going away, isn't that good enough?”

“I'm trying to save you from going away. You didn't do anything and the more I think about it, had you not stopped Bruce, I....” Another tear ran down his cheek. “It would have been worse, a lot worse.” Troy went silent for a moment and shut his eyes.

“Troy is sure that you helped buy him that second he needed to escape. In the end he still got hurt, but had you not stopped Bruce, it could have been worse.” Maggie supplied as she put an arm around her child.

“Really?” Jerry asked.

“Troy...Maggie, may I ask what happened?” Mr. Harper asked. “It wont leave this room.”

Maggie bent over till she could see Tracy's eyes. “Can I tell him? He should know in case of troubles and it gives you someone to talk to in case of problems.”

“Sure.” She nodded, but turned her gaze back to her lap.

“When Bruce came to the farm, he found Troy and was just going to beat him up. But he saw what Troy was wearing and he got mean.” Maggie said. She knew that both parties knew about the skirt, so this wasn't news to them, plus it was better to tell the truth. “Bruce tired to rape him.”

“What?!?” Mr. Harper was shocked. He had known of the boy's violent streak, but rape wasn't something he had expected.

“It's true sir.” Jerry replied. All he could feel was shame for his actions in the attack so his gaze went to the floor. “He was....he was going to share Troy with all of us.”

“And did he?” The Principal asked.

“No. According to Troy, Jerry here managed to distract Bruce for a moment, giving Troy that chance to break free.” Maggie replied.

“I just thought he was going to scare Troy, hell I didn't even know why he wanted to hurt Troy until Monday.” Jerry shook his head, his gaze still on the carpet in front of him. “When he cut Troy's shirt off and started to cut the skirt, I had to stop it. I...I was stupid. Ever since we moved here, no one talks to me. I had no friends till Bruce showed up and I just couldn't tell him no.”

“I understand.” Maggie nodded. “Our oldest, Vance, was a friend of his too.”

“He said that. He was going to beat him up too I think.” Jerry agreed.

“Jerry, I don't hate you. If you hadn't been there, it could have been worse.” Tracy said.

“I'm no hero.” He replied. “Hell, you still got hurt.”

“That's because Bruce chased him after he broke free. It was three on one, not good odds for anyone.” Maggie stated.

The door opened up and Mr. Rivers walked in with William. Mr Rivers took his seat again and turned to face Troy. “Your father told me what happened. He also told me that you don't blame my son, is that right?”

“Correct, Sir.” Tracy replied in a soft voice. “If he hadn't been there, it could have been a lot worse.”

“You're father said something like that.” John said with a nod. “Troy, I was raised by a military man. I grew up moving base to base. And my dad was a stickler for the rules. If I had been a part of any fight that wasn't to defend myself, I'd have been beat with my father’s belt. Normally I would have done the same thing, but your father says that you don't want him to be punished because he helped you. I had also planned on sending him to a military school so they could straighten him out. But your father said you didn't want that.”

“No sir. He didn't do anything wrong.” Tracy replied. “And wouldn't it be sending the wrong message if you punish him for helping someone?”

“But he was on your property.” John interjected.

“And he helped.” Maggie cut in. “John, my eldest was a friend of Bruce. That had a way of getting kids to follow him. All your son needs is friends, good friends.”

“And he could get them at a military school.” John replied.

“But then he'd hate you and you’re still punishing him for nothing.” Tracy stated. “I know a few older kids that are cool. Heck, he could hang out with Vance.”

John held up his hands to stop both the child and her mother. “Okay. I won't send him to the school, this time.” He turned to face his son. “But one more screw up in the next year and you go, understand me?”

“Yes, Sir.” The boy replied.

“That's settled then.” He held out a hand to Troy. “Thank you for speaking out young man. It takes a big man to stand up for what he believes in.”

“Thank you, sir.” Tracy said with a slight smile as she shook his hand.

John turned to his son. “Mr. Patterson has offered to help you with your free time. If you want that is.”

“How so?” Jerry asked, now a bit nervous.

“We have fifteen acres of olive trees. I also have a lot of work outside that needs to be done and I'm down one child, until the doctor lifts his restrictions. How would you like to help around the farm. We'd be willing to pay you for your time, not much, but it's something.” William stated.

“Sure, I guess.” He replied.

“Be just on the weekends, that way you can do your schoolwork.” William said.

“Okay.” Jerry nodded.

“Good. We'll see you tomorrow.” He held out a hand and Jerry shook it.

“So I can tear up the transfer of paperwork request?” Mr. Harper asked.

“Please.” John said with a smile.

Tracy waited till the adults were done talking and she got up and headed for the door. She held a slower pace towards the car then her parents and Mr. Rivers. Jerry held back and began to walk with her.

Jerry cleared his throat. “Hey, um thanks.”

“No problem. I mean it, I'd have been a lot worse off if you hadn't said anything.”

Jerry looked at how slowly she moved. “Are you hurt worse because of me?”

“No. I got tripped the other day and the stitches were torn out. I’ve been in the hospital since then.” Tracy replied.

“Ouch. Where did he hurt you?” Jerry asked.

“Everyone wants to know that.” Tracy chuckled and then she gasped as her ribs reminded her of how much they hurt. She didn't want to talk about it, but she needed something from him and she was willing to trade, an answer for a promise.

She stopped and waited for him to face her. “I'll tell you, but I need you to promise something.”

“Promise what?” He asked.

“Well two things, actually. First is don't tell Mary Beth Higgins.” She smiled at him.

“Yeah, she's been bugging me for information, too.” He chuckled. “Deal.”

“The second promise is to not tell a soul about what I was wearing that day.” Tracy said.

“Well you did keep me out of military school. I so didn't want to go there.” Jerry said. “I promise.”

Tracy took a step close and dropped her voice. “They broke three ribs and sprained my wrist. But that's not the bad part.” She said. “They kicked me in the crotch so many times that they destroyed my testicles.”

His face got a bit green. “Did it hurt?” He asked.

“Hell yeah.” Tracy nodded. “I still hurt. Heck, I can barely walk half the time. It feels like someone is kicking my nuts every time I step and they kick hard.”

Jerry winced in pain. “Ow. Okay, enough of that. No wonder you can't help around your farm.” He waited for the phantom pain to leave, till he looked over to make sure the parents were still talking, as he leaned forwards and whispered. “Why do you do it? The skirt I mean? Why do you wear them?”

She sighed. She had given him one thing for two promises, plus he was asking and not freaking out. Plus she had his promise. “At first I did it to escape. See Vance used to pick on me and my Grandpa hated me. So I dressed up and acted like there was no Vance, no Dad and no Grandpa.” She said.

“At first? So why do you do it now?” He asked.

“Because I think I should have been a girl.” She replied.

“Really?” He took a step back and began to examine her closely. Then he thought about how he would seem Troy around the school. “Okay, I can see that. Do you go by Troy when you're like that?”

“No. I call myself Tracy.” She said with a smile

“I see. So who are you now?” He asked.

“I'm Troy right now and he's in a world of pain.” She said with a chuckle that made her wince in pain. “Now you did promise you wouldn't tell a soul.”

“I wont. Besides, I saw what you did to Bruce, Frankie and Kenny.” He said with a shake of his head. “I don't think I want to piss you off. You were pretty awesome in that fight.”

“Heh. Fat lot of good that did.”

“Yeah. I've been kicking myself for not siding with you when you first started fighting.” He sighed. “But next time I'll be at your side.”

“Hopefully there won’t be a next time.” She looked up and saw her mother waving for her to come over.

“Come on kiddo, we still got to get to work.” Maggie called to her.

“Come on, before my Dad gets pissed too.” Jerry said.

~o~O~o~

A short while later they finally made it home. William opened up the door to the house and let Tracy step in first. Then Maggie went in and followed her daughter.

“Okay kiddo, you heard the doc. Time for bed.” William said, resting a hand on her shoulder. She fidgeted with her sweat clothes and just sighed. “Dad will check up on you every couple of hours while we're at work.”

“You can't stay?” She asked.

“No, we took enough time off this year, and if I want that extra spending money for Christmas, I got to work.” He replied. “Plus your mom has exhausted her sick time, so we have to go to work, or we join the unemployed.”

“Oh. Okay.” Tracy began walking to her room, only to stop in the kitchen doorway. “So I have to stay in bed, in my room?”

“Yes. No getting up or we end up at the hospital again. And I'll make sure you don't see your friends for a long while if that happens.”

“But it's boring in there.” She whined.

“I'm sorry, but you're the one who pushed the limits.” William stated.

“Could I use the pull out couch in here? So I got the TV to keep me company?” Tracy asked.

William looked to his wife who was right behind her daughter. She shrugged. “What's the harm? Less chance of her getting up. Plus two weeks in bed and nothing to do while people are gone will get boring. God knows you hated it when you were in the VA hospital after 'Nam”

“Okay. Tell you what, go to the bathroom and I'll pull out the couch. Maggie, bring her blankets and pillows.” William said as he pulled the coffee table away from the couch.

Ten minutes later Tracy was walking into the living room, her mother walking with her to make sure she didn't overdo it. “Okay, go ahead and lie down. We've got a fire going and Dad will check on you in an hour to keep the fire going so you don't get cold.”

Tracy sat down carefully on the bed and Maggie helped swing her feet up to the mattress. “Mom, I can do that.” She groaned.

“Maybe, and maybe you'll hurt yourself again.” Maggie moved the phone over to the end table by the couch. “Here, in case of problems, call your grandparents. And I let Shelly know to let the girls know you’re home.”

Tracy's look turned sour. “You told them I couldn't come?”

“No, not yet.” Maggie said with a shake of her head. “We've got that appointment on next Wednesday. So we can find out then.”

“Oh. Okay.” Tracy lay back on the bed as her mother went to the TV and switched it on. “Sorry, but it's just soap operas right now. Some of the game shows should be on soon. I've put a couple of your books on the end table for you.”

“Thank you, Mama.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy was woken from her slumber by the ringing of the phone inches from her head. She grunted as she turned on her side and blindly reached for the infernal device that had ruined her sleep. She didn't hear anyone running for the phone, so she guessed that she was still all alone in the house. She groped for the phone with her left hand, which she wasn't used to using. She almost dropped it before she secured her grip on it. She held it to her ear and tried to say “Hello? Who is this?” But in came out as gibberish.

There was the chuckle of a young girl on the other end of the phone. “Is that English?” She heard Rachel's voice ask.

“Rachel?” She mumbled into the phone.

“And Sage.” A second voice said.

“She's at my place because we wanted to call and see how you were doing.” Rachel answered the yet to be asked question.

“So....." Sage gave a slight pause for dramatic effect and then asked. "how you doing?”

“I hurt?” Tracy replied, sounding less groggy as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“And whose fault is that?” Sage asked, a hint of disapproval in her voice.

“I was tripped. That's how the stitches came out.” Tracy said with a sigh.

“And what about when we were up there?” Rachel asked. “It's our fault you kept getting out of bed.”

“It's...I mean...” Tracy sighed again. “I wanted to hang out with you and it's boring in bed.”

“But you could cause problems in your body. We don't want to lose you so soon after we found you.” Rachel stated.

“Please, don't push yourself for us. We're not going anywhere and neither are the girls.” Sage added. “There's a full summer of fun coming up too.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She replied.

“Look we've bugged you enough about that.” Rachel said. “Anything you want for Christmas?”

Tracy thought about it for a moment. “Clothes? Maybe some jewelery?”

“How about some music?” Rachel asked. “Hear anything new lately? Or is your mother still watching what you hear.”

“She's been letting me listen to those tapes you brought up last week. She still wants to hear the stuff first, but so far the Go-go's are okay, same with that Rod Stewart tape you brought up.”

“What about Journey and The Clash?” Sage asked.

“She's not too wild about the Clash, but it works for now.”

"It's not hard rock." Rachel replied.

"I did get to watch MTV almost non stop while I was in the hospital this time. There's some cool videos out there." Tracy stated.

"Oh," She heard Rachel give a contented sigh. "That one guy in Duran Duran is too cute. And John Cougar is cute too."

Sage began to giggle and chant. "Rachel like's Johnny Cougar! Rachel likes Johnny Cougar!" Then there was a muffled thump sound and Sage's laughter got louder for a moment.

"What are you two doing?" Tracy asked.

"I'm beating Sage with a pillow from the couch. She had it coming." Rachel replied and there was another muffled thump.

"Good. Beat her once for me." Tracy said, half a second later, one last thump was heard.

“Done. We could always just save money and take you to the movies when you come down too.” Rachel asked.

“That could be fun.” Tracy replied.

“Hey! What about Marriott's Great America?!?” Sage exclaimed. “I mean we'd need our parents too, but that could be fun!”

“What's that?”

“It's an amusement park South of Frisco! It's got roller coasters and other rides and it's so much fun...or there's the Winchester Mystery House?” Sage's voice bubbled with excitement.

“Mystery House?” Tracy repeated. “Um, what's that?”

“It's this place that some old lady built and had to keep building or she thought that spirits would kill her. The place is huge. It's got all sorts of stuff like stairwells to nowhere, doors that open to brick walls and a huge maze made of hedges.” She could almost see Sage smile. “We went last year, it was cool.”

“Um...are there real spirits there?” Tracy asked.

“Who knows. That's the mystery.” Sage said in a spooky voice. What she didn't know was Sage had been wiggling her fingers in an almost mystic move, trying to enhance the words. In the background Tracy could hear someone talking to the girls, then Sage spoke up. “Hey, We'll try to call tomorrow or Sunday, We're going to my aunt's place.”

“What about Rachel?” Tracy asked.

“Sorry, headed to my Grandma's house for the weekend. But we'll try to call tomorrow or Sunday.” The other girl repeated.

“Oh, okay.” Tracy said as Vance stepped into the house. “Talk to you later. Bye Sage, Bye Rachel.”

“That's Sage on the phone? Tell her hi from me.” Vance said with a huge smile.

“Sage, Vance says to say Hi.” Tracy said with a huge grin.

“Ugh. Tell him I say hi.” She replied.

“Bye Tracy.”

She heard the phone click and then the dial tone sounded in her ear. Tracy looked to her brother as she hung up the phone. “She said hi, but they had to leave in a hurry, had to go to an Aunt's place.”

“Aw. I wanted to talk to her and see how she's doing.” Vance said as he headed to the kitchen.

“I'm sure we'll see her again.” Tracy lay back in the bed and decided not to tease him about having a crush on her friend.

“Yeah, I guess.” Then he stopped and came back to the living room, his lips pulled back into a huge grin. “Hey! I could go with them if you get to go down there. You know, when they drop you off?”

“Maybe. I'm not sure if I get to go.” Tracy stated. “I have to be a good girl to go.”

“Be good then.” Vance hooked a thumb to the kitchen. “You need anything? Water? Some soup?”

Tracy smiled at him. “Water is good. And could you check on the fire, it's getting chilly in here.”

He stopped to put fire in the stove before he headed to the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, she heard him exclaim from the sink. “HEEEEYYYYY!” A moment later he was walking towards her with the water. “How about I go with you? You know, to make sure you don't over do it?”

“Um, would you be watching me, or Sage?” She asked taking the glass.

“Well um...You I guess.” He blushed and quickly turned away from her.

“Vance, it'll be a sleepover. Each night we may be at a different house. I don't know if the other girl’s parents would let a boy be there.” Tracy picked up the glass to take a drink.

“What about you then? I know you want to be Tracy, but you're still a boy.” He stated. “What if they get mad when they find out?”

At first she wanted to yell at him, but then she thought about it and he was right. What if they found out? But then they knew Sage. It was a question to ask, if she got to go. “I...” She shrugged. “I don't know.”

“Maybe you should have Mom and Dad ask then? And I can go help.” He said before walking to their bedroom.

“I'll think about it.” Tracy said with a shake of her head.

~o~O~o~

December 15th 1982

On Wednesday morning she awoke to the usual sounds of the morning getting going. Her father was headed off to work and Vance was headed for school with some of her homework to give to her teacher. Tracy had been in the bed almost non stop except for bathroom breaks and two fifteen minute walks daily since Friday. It had been like a type of torture to her. The highlight to her weekend was the phone call from Sage and Rachel on Sunday where they talked more about music and places to go to.

Her mother stopped by her side and handed her a cup of water. “Okay. I'll be back at noon, your appointment is at one. We'll get lunch while we're out, okay?”

“Okay, Mama.” She replied.

“Is it Tracy today?” Maggie asked with a smile.

“Well, while we're here it is.” She said. “Even if I'm just in sweats. Should I change for the appointment?”

“No, go for comfort. No one will care if you're in sweats. We can get take out if you want, so no one will see your sweats.” Her mother brushed some of the hair out of her face. “It beats wearing tight pants and hurting yourself.

“Okay Mama.” She took a drink then sat the glass down and prepared to watch morning TV. “I'll see you at noon.”

“That's good. Now don't push yourself and we'll see if we can get you to your friends this weekend.” Maggie said.

“Hey Mom?” Tracy asked, taking her attention from the TV for a moment. She had waited to discuss the question her brother had raised in her mind. “Mom, if I can go, should I go down there?”

“Honey, you've been looking forward to that for the past two weeks now. Why wouldn't you go?” Maggie sat on the edge of the bed.

“Vance said that they may find out I'm a boy. What if they do? What if their parent's find out.”

“Well we could ask Persephone, she seems to know the parents the best. But Sage's cousins know about her, so I doubt they'd care about you.” Maggie said. “We could always have her tell the parents, that way we can see if it's okay.”

Tracy nodded. “Okay.”

“Good. Then we'll figure out what's going on with you first. I know two girls who'll be calling about four this afternoon, so we need to get the final answer from the doctor first.” Maggie stood up. “Till then try and relax and only get up when you need to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay, Mama.” She said and went back to the TV. “Have a good day at work.”

“I'll try, Tracy, you be good while you're here.” Maggie said as she gathered her purse.

“I will, Mama.” She replied.

~o~O~o~

Tracy lay on another examination bed for what felt like an eternity. She had once more been put into a skimpy gown again. Doctor Davis was busy checking out her young patient once more. Tracy lay there, still wondering why they didn't ever have anything cool on the ceiling. So she began to count the pin holes in the tiles.

“Okay. Things are looking a bit better then last week.” The doctor said as she got up and pulled off her gloves. She went across the room and looked at the records

“So does that mean I can go to visit my friends?” Tracy asked.

“I'd advise against it.” The Doctor replied. Tracy raised her head and looked like she was ready to burst into tears. “Unless you can promise me you'll walk just thirty minutes, twice a day for the next week and no lifting.”

“I can promise the lifting part.” Tracy said, not making eye contact. “But can I only walk thirty minutes? Or can it be more?”

“You need to limit yourself, so no. If you can't keep it at two thirty minute walks, then no, you shouldn't go.”

“Dammit.” She let her head fall back. “I just wanna be with my friends.” This time the tears began to fall. Her chance to be one of the girls was ruined.

“We discussed this before. If you push yourself, you could be a lot worse off.” Doctor Davis said.

“I know.” She replied as she began to cry.

“Sweetie, it's not the end of the world.” Maggie put a hand on her shoulder.

“Mom, my one chance to be one of the girls.” She shut her eyes tight. “Stupid Bruce. Stupid Bobby.”

The Doctor looked at Maggie. “Who are Bruce and Bobby?”

“Bruce is the boy who put her in to the hospital the first time. Bobby is the kid who tripped her last week.” Maggie replied.

“Oh. You know kiddo, there is one more person to blame.” The Doctor looked down at her. “You pushed yourself, so part of the blame is yours, too.”

“Just isn't fair.” She muttered as she lay there.

“Doctor, could I speak to you outside?” Maggie asked.

“Sure.” She followed Maggie out of the exam room and shut the door.

“I was afraid this would happen.” Maggie said.

“I'm being honest. If he goes down there, he'll be tempted to walk and dance and play with his friends.” She looked both ways in the hallway, then lowered her voice once she was sure the hall was clear. “He is still going to see the Doctor about wanting to be a girl?”

“That's Friday.” Maggie replied with a nod. “We were going to go there before we took her to Livermore.”

“I see.” Doctor Davis leaned against the wall. “I know she should see the other Doctor, but honestly, if he is wanting to be one of the girls, the chance of him trying to keep up with a couple of healthy girls could put a bigger strain on his body.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Maggie asked.

“Aside from tying her down to where she can't walk, dance, run and jump, not much.”

Maggie turned and looked down the hall. She wasn't looking forward to telling Tracy that the trip was off. Then her eyes landed on something at the end of the hall. She turned around and smiled.

I really don't mean to make this one a cliffhanger, but when I was writing it, I hit page 12 at this point and figured I had enough for one post and the rest can go into the next one.