A Different Blue(115)

“Hey! I'm the one who makes the jokes. Be quiet. I have to tell you this story before I can't

talk anymore.” I gave him a long look, and he made the motion of zipping his lips. “After a

while, White Hawk saw a large woven basket descending from the sky. Twelve beautiful girls

climbed out and began dancing in the clearing. As White Hawk watched them, he noticed that all

the girls were lovely, but the most beautiful was the youngest, and White Hawk immediately fell

in love with her. He ran out, trying to catch her, but the girls screamed and climbed back into

the basket, which rose high into the sky until it disappeared in the stars. This happened three

more times. White Hawk couldn't eat or sleep. All he could do was think of the star maiden who

he had fallen in love with.

“Finally he hatched a plan. He transformed himself into a mouse –” I reached up and placed my

hand over Wilson's mouth when he began to speak. “He had powers, okay?” Wilson nodded, but his

eyes gleamed with mirth. We had made it back to my hospital room, and Wilson helped me ease down

to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. I stayed sitting, holding onto him as I felt my

insides start the slow clenching that would build until I was holding back tears. I tried to

talk through it, clinging to Wilson's arms as the pressure became almost unbearable.

“He . . . waited,” I panted, speaking in little gasps, “until the star sisters . . . . . .

descended from the sky again. He knew . . . they wouldn't . . . . . . be afraid of a small

mouse.”

“Of course not. Women love mice,” Wilson amended agreeably, and I laughed and moaned and tried

to continue. Wilson smoothed my hair back from my face, following it down my back in steady

strokes as I pressed my face into him, trying to escape the pain that was only mine to bear. But

he didn't interrupt again as I told the story in fits and gasps.

“When the sisters climbed from the basket and began dancing . . . . . . White Hawk . . . crept

closer and closer . . . . . . to the youngest, until he was right . . . next to her. Then he

transformed . . . back into a man and swept her up in his arms.” The pain began to ease in

increments, and I took several long breaths, unclenching my hands from around Wilson's arms. The

man was going to have some serious bruises when all this was over.

“The other sisters screamed and jumped into the basket, which ascended into the sky, leaving

the youngest behind. The star maiden cried, but White Hawk wiped her tears away and told her he

would love her and take care of her. He told her life on earth was wonderful, and she would be

happy with him.”

I stopped talking as a nurse hustled into the room, pushing the curtain aside with a swoop of

her hand.

“Okay, sweetie. Let's see where you're at.” I looked up at Wilson as I was eased down onto the

bed. He sat down on the stool by the bed and leaned into me, ignoring the nurse and the

discomfort of the intimacy I had forced upon him. His face was only inches from mine as he again

took my hand and met my gaze.

“You're moving along. You're at a loose seven. Let's see if we can't get that anesthesiologist

up here to get you some relief –”

The lights flickered, and suddenly there was a cessation of sound and the darkness was complete.

The nurse swore under her breath.