The Interviews

When the leaves changed color and fell to the ground, they kept each other warm at night. This began when Peyton awoke one night with a frightened scream from a nightmare about being chased by demons through empty hospital corridors. Tracy was at her bedside in a flash, ready to do what she did best and help calm her down. “Want to tell me what it was about?” Peyton told her. “Come on,” Tracy said a moment later. Peyton followed her into her bed, where they fell asleep holding each other in minutes. Peyton never thought she’d ever have mixed emotions about having a nightmare, but she did. She hated nightmares as much as anyone else did. She also hated disturbing Tracy’s sleep. The woman worked hard and had been put out enough by her. But if it led them to her bed and brought them even closer, then it wasn’t all bad in the end. Peyton was called upon to testify in court as a victim and witness for the state’s prosecution against the doctors responsible for drugging her and a few others. The doctors lost their licenses to practice and had to spend a little time in jail. Not as much time as Peyton would have liked to see them spend, but it was better than nothing, and it was the first time in her life she felt someone was actually held accountable for wronging her. The surprising part was the money she was awarded. It was enough to sustain her in a decent enough place for many years, not that she would ever want to live alone again. Also, the longer she remained with Tracy, the less likely it seemed she would want her to move out. They got along so well and had nothing but good things to offer one another. They had a good thing going and neither was ready to give it up. The new memories she formed with Tracy didn’t replace the ones she had of her life with Jon, but they pushed them down just under the water’s surface enough to allow her to adjust to and even enjoy her new life with this new person who genuinely seemed to care about her. Peyton's ability to return the support would be put to the test the day Tracy experienced her own loss, the loss of her mother. They flew to San Diego, where her mother had lived in a nursing home. Peyton's head rested on her shoulder, and she held her hand. Tracy’s sad brown eyes looked at her gratefully. Tracy was able to say goodbye to her mother, who passed on just a few hours after her arrival. They stayed in a hotel since her mother’s house had been sold the previous year and returned home after the funeral. Tracy expressed her gratitude at having Peyton by her side. One day after arriving back home, Tracy sat Peyton down on the couch after dinner and said, “Thanks for making dinner this time since I was so late in getting home.” “You’re very welcome.” Looking into Tracy’s eyes of chocolate, she could sense something else was amiss. “What’s up?” “Well, I was wondering something.” “What’s that?” “Well, I think you could really use some better insurance than what the county has to offer.” Peyton's heart quickened. Where was she going with this? Someplace good, she hoped. “And then there’s the fact that I’ve really come to love you and find it harder and harder to imagine not having you around.” Peyton's heart leaped with joy, and tears sprang to her eyes. She smiled widely. “I love you too, Doc Abrams.”