Coming Home

by Kimberly McKay

  Anne quickly laid her hands on Grace’s arms and pulled her into her side.

  “I’m here. It’s okay.” Anne cautiously stepped them forward.

  Andrew watched his wife hang on for dear life, wishing there was something he could do. He knew she had come to terms with her life, asking God for forgiveness for all the hurt she’d caused. This was of some comfort, but he hated to see her suffer and prayed God would take her peacefully.

  Technically, she should have passed by now, but she was clingingly desperately to life, as if holding out for something. He looked down to his stubborn wife and truly appreciated that quality for the first time. Even though he’d been telling her all night that it was okay to go and given her permission to leave, she was standing firm in the face of death and beating the odds.

  His heart surged for the fighter she’d always been and still was. He regretted that it took these circumstances to allow him to feel something he’d thought he’d lost … love for his wife.

  Although she could speak, she was heavily medicated, as the doctors were trying to make her as comfortable as possible. They weren’t even sure how she was lasting this long.

  The EMT’s, who performed CPR on her, at the family home, didn’t expect her to make it to the emergency room. They passed her off to the ER doctors, who didn’t expect her to make it through the night … yet she held on.

  You’re a fighter Lilah, he thought, wondering at this point if she was going to get better or if it was just a matter of time.

  He sat at the edge of her bed, head hung when he heard someone shuffle in behind him.

  “Grandfather,” Grace said softly, in an almost childlike voice.

  Andrew spun around to take Grace into his arms.

  “Sweet Grace, I thought we’d lost you. I’m so glad you’re safe.” Andrew’s voice broke.

  It was then that he saw Anne standing further away, unsure how to approach him. He dropped one arm from around Grace, and extended a hand to Anne.

  As she reached for her grandfather’s aged hand, Anne expected to shake it in greeting, only to be pulled strongly into his embrace. Shocked, she put her arms around the two and laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, as tears escaped down her face.

  “I’m so sorry girls,” he said sadly, burying his face into Anne’s hair. “I spent my life separating myself from Lilah’s world, hoping that being there half-way for you was good enough. Only I wasn’t really there at all, and that wasn’t good enough.”

  Anne lifted her head to see her grandfather’s misty eyes.

  “Thank you.” Anne sniffled.

  As they mended bridges, Grace sank down next to Lilah and stroked the back of her hand along her face.

  “I’m home grandmother. I’m here. And, I’m sorry I said such hateful things to you the last time we spoke,” she whispered into her ear.

  Grace would never know the power her words held, as they truly shook Lilah to her very core. As she struggled to lift her eyelids, she turned to face her granddaughter, revealing her bright blue eyes. And, although they weren’t as lively, they held clarity.

  Lilah began fumbling with her oxygen mask, mumbling something in return. At the sound of Lilah’s movements, Andrew and Anne gathered near her bed.

  “Lilah, you mustn’t…” His voice trailed, as he watched his wife pull her mask away anyway.

  In a small, pained voice, she began the words she’d been planning for weeks if she ever was lucky enough to see her granddaughter again.

  In that moment, seeing how tiny and frail she was, any resentment Anne felt fell away. This wasn’t the woman she’d battled with so many years ago.

  After such warm words had been exchanged with her grandfather – her heart was filled with forgiveness for them both. She stepped from behind her grandfather, to sit next to Lilah’s bed.

  When Lilah saw Anne emerge, her heart almost couldn’t take it. She’d held on, hoping to see Grace … but with Anne, in the same room, it was enough to send her over the edge. As her face paled, Anne reached for her arm.

  “Is it okay that I’m here?” Anne prayed she wouldn’t be rejected.

  Concern crossed Lilah’s face but she soon nodded, relieved. She opened her mouth to speak, and took a shallow breath.

  “I need to tell you both …” Lilah paused.

  Grace noticed the heart monitor spiking with each word she uttered.

  “Shhh, it’s okay. Just rest.” Grace softly ordered, stroking Lilah’s arm.

  Lilah shook her head; frowning and saying between breaths, “Don’t … know … how much … time I have.”

  Anne’s heart constricted with emotions she never knew she’d held for her grandmother. Here was a woman that never treated them like family, but objects. She was harsh and controlling, yet she still couldn’t forget the fact that she gave them a home after the death of her parents.

  Lilah brought her mask up for air, before pulling it away to continue.

  “I was wrong to treat you both the way I did. I see that now.” Lilah seemed to gain strength.

  Anne and Grace leaned in to hear better, as although she was getting her second wind … she was still soft spoken.

  “When your mother got married, I took it personally … like she left me. I disowned her out of hurt – because I cared … too much. Then when I’d learned she died – a part of me died too. I knew I had to do right by her and raise you.”

  Grace interrupted. “You did good grandmother.”

  Anne bit her tongue. Yes, she could forgive but she also remembered how it was … it wasn’t good.

  “No, I was wrong to treat you girls that way I did. I withheld love from you … to keep from getting hurt like I did with your mom.”

  Although flawed, Anne tried to understand but it was hard to see the logic.

  Lilah searched Anne’s hard eyes, and took another deep breath before asking, “Can you ever forgive me?”

  She then looked to her sweet Grace, who’d always been loyal and loving no matter her actions. Tears slowly dropped down her cheeks. “Both of you – can you forgive me? I’m so sorry.”

  Grace nodded, and turned to her sister, hoping she could let go and forgive.

  “Anne?” Grace searched her eyes.

  Although she wanted to cling to the pain from her childhood, she knew couldn’t anymore. The freedom of forgiveness slowly claimed her heart.

  She nodded to her sister, letting go of any trace of anger and stood to kiss her grandmother’s cheek.

  “You did the best you could,” Anne whispered, and then gently laid her hand on Lilah’s arm. “And truth be told, I could have done better too. I’m sorry.”

  As tears freely flowed from both girls, Lilah’s monitor started a slow but steady decent.

  “I’ll go get the doctor.” Andrew rushed from the room.

  “Grandmother!” Grace wrapped her arms around Lilah’s small frame.

  Anne took a step back, not knowing if any of it was real. She was transported to a place she wasn’t ready to revisit, and what she saw gave her goose bumps.

  Lilah’s eyes, which were normally bright blue, were dilated, in which the color was swallowed whole. Her black eyes went wide, and were full of awe. This definite shift was something that both girls were totally unprepared to witness.

  Anne’s feet were glued in place. She could hear her heartbeat pulsing through her own ears, with the fear of watching her grandmother die.

  I can’t do this again. Her chest felt like it was going to implode.

  It was then that it happened.

  Lilah, almost comatose lying in the bed, abruptly lifted her chin towards the ceiling … almost as if she was looking through it, toward something unseen. Her face filled with glory, had an expectant stare.

  The emotion was so thick, that both girls were sure she saw a host of angels coming for her. Grace glanced to the ceiling, with no vision of her own.

  “Gracey?” Anne pulled her in, letting her sister cry on
her shoulders.

  By the time the nurses rushed in, it was too late. Lilah’s head dropped back on her pillow, and she was gone.

  Within the hour, Burke, Grace, Chad and Anne left the hospital hand in hand. As the girls exited, a cameraman got a tight shot of Anne and Grace’s forlorn faces and panned out to a wide one, which showed the somber couples leaving – before the scene went dark.

  This was the world’s last parting shot of Broadcast Affair.

  Around the world, viewers were glued to the drama that unfolded in Anne’s life, as Grace’s story was unexpectedly woven in. Ned had never seen such response from America. He knew he’d never be able to top this season and shed a tear as he, too, saw the parting shot.

  Broadcast Affair watch parties set up throughout the nation placing bets on how it would end. After they filmed the dramatic rescue on the beach, everyone expected it to end with a proposal, not someone’s death.

  And although there were some in arms that they didn’t get the ending they wanted, no one could say they got an ending that was expected.

  The last message, from Chad Chamber to his viewing audience, displayed once the parting shot went dark.

  It read:

  Thank you for being a part of Anne’s and my journey. If we’ve learning anything it’s that life is short and time is precious. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. So, live like there’s no tomorrow – like you’re making every second count.

  Count your blessings and give credit to the one who freely gives them. Now that we leave the world of television and back to real life … we’re going to do just that … make every second count and thank God for our blessings.

  Chapter 38

  Six months later

  Chad stood backstage, as Anne was getting the countdown, from her floor producer, on the set of her new show. He had never been happier than he was with Anne, back in L.A., where they had the chance to begin a real life together.

  Chad, who was used to living in the public eye, had an easy transition getting back into the normal swing of things; however it took some getting used to for Anne. It wasn’t long before she came to the realization that she’d never live a private life again, but part of her knew that going into the taping of Broadcast Affair. She did, after all, sign on for this life, and at least in the end, she had her man to spend it with. It was something she was willing to compromise for.

  In the months that followed the end of Broadcast Affair, the network had approached her with an offer to star in her own show. Once the executives saw how America reacted to Anne, they knew that had to bring her back into the television arena.

  At first, she declined. She had her fill of the spotlight. But after seeing that a private life wasn’t an option, as the girlfriend of Chad Chambers and the newfound sister of Grace Aundine, she soon warmed to the idea.

  With Chad’s support, she finally came to her senses. Since this was an opportunity, which was too good to pass up, she agreed to her own show with one caveat … that it focus on food. The network quickly agreed.

  So here they were, on the set of The Good Life …with Anne LaSal, where Anne routinely gave her viewers a glimpse of her cooking style with flavorful recipes and interesting guests to help out in the kitchen.

  For today’s show, her scheduled guest had canceled at the last minute. The producers delivered the news that she was flying solo … but she knew she’d be okay, as she could always bring up someone from her audience.

  Since today was also her birthday, Chad flew in some of her closest family and friends. She happily informed her producers that she planned on asking Chad’s mom or her sister to join her.

  She thought it would be a sweet spin that the viewers would love, and her producers were inclined to agree. Of course, they knew something Anne didn’t and already had a secret planned out … without her knowledge.

  As she started to greet her studio audience, Chad peeked out to scan the room. He’d invited each person he knew to be special to Anne and him, throughout their journey.

  His eyes panned the front row, where he saw his mother and sister, who both beamed at him, from across the studio. They knew the real reason why they were here today, and were almost bursting at the seams.

  Next to them sat Guy Masters, the man who submitted Anne for Broadcast Affair, as well as Chastity and Timothy, from Oklahoma. He warmly smiled, happy that her friends could make it.

  If it weren’t for them, Anne wouldn’t have been encouraged to do the show that brought them together, and he definitely wanted Guy to have a front row seat for what came next.

  His eyes lit up when they landed on Grace and Burke, who were holding hands and smiling toward Anne. Chad looked to Grace’s tiny pregnant belly and grinned in remembrance of their wedding.

  Immediately after Lilah’s funeral, the four returned to Oahu, where Grace and Burke married on the beach, at the exact spot where they met, behind Burke’s house.

  They now lived on Oahu and tried to live as simple of a life as they could, considering the media storm that still hounded them.

  He looked to Grace’s left and spotted Andrew, the girls’ grandfather. Although still grieving his wife’s death, he was active in trying to be a part of both girls’ lives. He waved at the man, who was doing his part in mending Anne’s past and silently thanked him.

  The only person they couldn’t fly in was their friend, Kamryn, who was off on location for the travel channel. She’d secured a gig as a travel correspondent, and was currently on location somewhere overseas.

  Chad took one more deep breath, and watched from behind the scenes. He would be called out from backstage at any minute, and needed to keep his composure.

  Anne watched her producer count her down to ‘go time’, then looked to camera one as the red light popped on. This was her cue to start smiling.

  She looked to the teleprompter, briefly scanned her intro, and then ignored it. This was still one part of her job she preferred to adlib, which she did as much as possible.

  Anne mentally reviewed her production schedule. She’d memorized it and knew what was slated for each segment.

  Once her producer pointed in her direction, she started in.

  “Welcome back, before the break I showed you how to make my famous Chinese chicken salad and promised you a surprise guest, but first I’d like to offer you one of my favorite desserts. In just a minute, my surprise guest will join me and we’ll show you how to make it.”

  Anne intended on bringing her sister up in a few minutes but waited until her interns rolled in from each side of the studio, with carts filled with desserts for the audience members to sample.

  She loved watching their faces, as they gleamed with anticipation. Even more, she loved that some of the most important people in her life were a part of today’s show.

  Anne’s heart warmed at the fact that Chad flew in her family and friends for her birthday. Not only was today going to be a fun show because she had Chad by her side, but she got to have a reunion with her favorite people as well.

  When she didn’t see Chad in the audience, she chalked it up to him waiting for her backstage, as sometimes he liked to hang out with her crew.

  “My staff has enough for every one of you, so enjoy.” She smiled and watched the desserts being passed down each row.

  Chastity grabbed hers and looked up to catch Anne’s eye, sending her a little wave. She had no idea, when she urged Anne to be on Broadcast Affair that it would lead to such an exciting life for her friend.

  Anne winked at Chastity in return, and then realized Guy was sitting next to her and Timothy.

  Her brow furrowed. What in the world? Why is he here?

  Since she was on camera, she quickly recovered and started the segment by saying, “Please join me in welcoming a few special friends and family in the front row. My sweet boyfriend, who seems to be amiss at the moment, flew them today for my birthday.” She paused as the audience clapped. “… so thank you Chad, wherever you are.” Anne chuckled, thin
king he’d poke his head around the corner. He didn’t.

  Although she thought that was odd, she didn’t have time to second-guess. The collective murmur of the audience drew her back in. She watched her family and friends wave to them before getting back on point.

  “Now those of you, who know me best - know that I’m not a big pastry fan. So, for dessert, I’ve made you my chocolate min-tini pudding. It’s nothing fancy, but it looks the part. It’s really simple to make, and considering it’s March – the colors are perfect for any St. Patty’s Day party. Plus, I’ve added a beautiful garnish on top that will add to any festive occasion.”

  Anne waited for one of the interns to approach and hand her a dessert. She promptly took the champagne glass, which was filled with layers of pudding and cookie crumbles.

  Her producer cut into her ear prompt, “Anne, lift the pudding so we can get a tight shot.”

  She raised her glass, realizing there was no garnish inside.

  Great. She laughed to herself, knowing mistakes happen, but here it was two months into her new show and she hated having to cover up another embarrassing flub.

  “Well, we must have run out of supplies folks. Can someone bring me another one, so everyone at home can get a good look at it before the studio audience inhales theirs?”

  As her guests laughed, she released some of the tension she’d been holding inside and smiled for the camera.

  “And while we’re waiting, I want to bring my sister up here to help me make this yummy dessert, so you folks at home can learn how to.”

  In her ear bud, Anne heard, “Cut to camera two and get Anne her garnish.”

  She expected her cameraman to swing in for a tight shot on the audience, to capture Grace’s approach, but instead it swung toward the corridor, which was at the back of the studio.

  “Okay. Don’t you just love television folks? You never know what’s going to happen.”

  She faced her audience, wondering why Grace was still sitting down, smiling like a Cheshire cat. Why was she not getting up to come help her? And where was Chad?