Outlaw - By Nicole James Page 0,122

a story on Melissa’s Ride. Wouldn’t that be something?

*****

Natalie and Angel pulled off the interstate at about dinnertime. They’d been driving all day, and were ready to stop for the night. There were several motel chains to choose from at this exit.

After getting checked-in, Natalie drove the SUV around, and parked it in front of the room they’d paid for. They both climbed out of the vehicle, and stretched. Angel turned and opened the rear passenger door.

Natalie opened the one behind the drivers seat, and leaned in. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Angel looked up at her with a frown as she reached for her bag. “I’m getting my bag.”

“Oh, no, you’re not. I’ll get it. I know you think you’re perfectly healed now, but you don’t need to be lifting anything yet.”

“Natalie, the doctor said I’m fine. It’s been weeks. It’s healed.”

“Never the less. I’ll get the bags. Here.” She reached across the seat, and handed Angel the room key. “Go open the door.”

“Yes, ma’am. Boy, you sure have become bossy, lately.”

“Yes. It’s my new persona. Get used to it.”

They entered the room, and Natalie set their bags down. “I’m beat.”

“Me, too.”

“I don’t even feel like going out for food,” Natalie added.

“Maybe we could have a pizza delivered,” Angel suggested.

“Sounds perfect.”

Angel fell back on one of the beds, and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow she would see her children again, and Cole. She wondered how that would go. Would he be happy to see her? Or cold and distant? She was betting on the latter.

Natalie checked her watch, and picked up the television remote, and turned it on. She flipped through the channels. They had crossed the California state line, and the local channels were all California stations. She kept flipping until she found the one she was looking for. It was a newscast from a station broadcasting out of San Jose.

“Angel, look!” Natalie exclaimed excitedly.

Angel rolled her head on the mattress to see what she was looking at. What she saw had her sitting up, stunned. Staring back at her from the television was a close up of Melissa, smiling, and waiving at the camera, her face pained with flowers on her cheek. Angel looked at the screen, dumbfounded. “Why…why is my baby on TV?”

The camera zoomed out, and Angel could now see a reporter holding a microphone, and talking to the camera. What she saw in the background made Angel move closer to the screen. The reporter was standing in the parking lot of Cole’s clubhouse. Angel would recognize the two-story redbrick building anywhere, even if she hadn’t seen the rows of bikes parked in the lot. But in this shot there were some things she’d never expected to see at that location. Some things so out of place, it was laughable. Her eyes took in an inflated jumping house, a clown making balloon animals, kids running around with cotton candy? What was going on?

She listened intently as the reporter described the event that had taken place earlier that day, the first Leukemia charity run, called Melissa’s Ride, named after the daughter of one of the club’s members.

Angel’s mouth dropped open.

She watched as they cut to footage of the run, showing hundreds of bikes heading out for the ride. Then it cut to a shot of Melissa, Cole and TJ sitting at the collection table. The reporter was talking about the money raised, and then the story cut to another reporter, who was standing in front of a medical center, and was interviewing one of the personnel. Angel listened as the director of the center’s bone marrow donation program explained how they had been overwhelmed with members of this club showing up to be tested as possible donors. The director was telling the reporter how centers all across three states had been seeing the same thing today, and that she had never seen anything like it in all her years as director.

Angel watched as they cut back to the reporter standing live at the clubhouse. The camera zoomed out, and Angel saw Mack standing next to the reporter. She began interviewing him about the event. He was saying how he wanted to thank a special someone who helped him organize today’s event, Melissa’s aunt Natalie.

Angel looked over at Natalie. She was looking at Mack on the screen, and smiling like he was talking directly to her. “You…you knew about this?”

Natalie looked over at Angel, and nodded, tears in her eyes. “It looks like it went very well.