I'll Walk

                                         I'll Walk


It was prom night. Everyone always tells you it one of the most fun nights of your life. Those people were dead wrong.

In the beginning I believed them. I was going with my girlfriend Jeanette Miller. It was going to be perfect, not even my brother, Alvin, could screw it up.

The night started out as I expected. We danced, we hung out with our friends and siblings, and we had fun. I believed those idiots. It seemed like nothing could go wrong.

We left the dance and planned on going to our friend's house for some bonfire he was having. That's when everything started going downhill.

We got into an argument. I can't remember what it was about now. I do know it was our first big fight and ended up being our last.

"Pull this car over." I remember her demanding. Tears in her emerald green eyes.

I obliged and pulled over to the side of the road. I should've comforted her but instead I snapped, "I don't see what you're crying for."

She shook her head angrily as she reached for the door handle. I grabbed her hand before she could open the door. "Netta, wait. Let me take you home. It's not that far away."

She jerked her hand out of my grasp. "No Simon. I'll walk. Like you said, it's not far."

"Why do you have to be so difficult?" I exclaimed.

She climbed out of the car and turned to face me, her eyes glaring while tears streamed down her cheeks. "Because I'm hurt and," She paused to shake her head before she continued. "You know what; you don't understand this kind of stuff Simon. So just shut up and let me go home. We can talk later."

I let out another frustrated breath. "Just get in the car Jeanette and let me take you home."

She continued to glare. I had never seen her that mad before. The image still burns in my memory of the anger clearly seen in her eyes, despite the tears falling down her cheeks, ruining the little makeup she had worn for the evening. If I had known what would happen later that evening I would've done everything I could to get her back in the car. But I didn't do anything. I met her glare with a glare of my own as I listened to her spat out, "I'll walk."

She slammed the car door closed and I let out a frustrated breath as I watched her stomp down the side of the road all by herself before I began driving in the other direction.

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Later that evening, I was at the bonfire when I finally decided to call Jeanette and see if she had cooled off. I noticed that Theodore, Eleanor, and Alvin had all sent me texts and I grew worried. I quickly decided to listen to the voice-mail that Alvin had left me.

"Hey Si, it's Al." Alvin's voice said. "Come to the hospital A.S.A.P. Oh, and you're a tool."

I ignored his comment at the end and just figured that Jeanette had told her sisters what had happened and they told my brothers. I quickly said goodbye to my friend before I hopped into my car and drove as quickly as I could to the hospital, unsure what to find there.

When I arrived at the hospital I was met by a distraught Theodore. I asked him what was going on but he didn't reply. He just wiped the tears out of his eyes with his sleeve before he led me to where everyone else was waiting.

I was relieved to see my other brother and a patiently waiting Dave. Though, I grew scared again when I saw Alvin comforting a sobbing Brittany, and an upset Miss Miller comforting a crying Eleanor.

Then it hit me. The only person was missing was Jeanette.

"Where's Jeanette?" I asked, scared to know the answer.

Brittany's head snapped up. "You little son of a-"

"Britt!" Alvin interrupted.

The auburn hair chipette's gaze didn't budge. "It should've been you."

"What should've been me?" I asked confused, though looking back I kind of knew what was going on.

"Simon," I turned to my father scared of what he had to say. "Jeanette was walking along the side of the road,"

"Because you wouldn't give her a ride." Brittany spat.

I didn't even bother retorting. I could feel it in my heart that something had happened to Jeanette earlier and what Dave had started telling me only confirmed it. I could tell that Brittany was upset by her voice and the fact that she was just sobbing into his brother's arms when they don't get along and she hardly lets anyone see her cry.

"What happened to Jeanette?" I demanded to know, looking into Dave's eyes.

I remember it being forever-even though it couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes- before Dave continued. "She was hit by a car."

I felt like my world came crashing down. "No, no, no. You're lying."

"It's true Si." Alvin told me quietly, as he held a once more sobbing Brittany close to him.

Eleanor nodded sadly. "Apparently her dress was too dark and the driver was drunk and he didn't see her until it was too late and now," She broke down into sobs like her older sister and I watched my little brother sit on the other side of his girlfriend and wrap his arms around her comfortingly.

"She's gone." I somehow managed to croak out. I was in shock. Jeanette was the only chipette I had ever really loved. She couldn't be gone, I couldn't lose her.

Miss Miller shook her head sadly. "Thankfully the Lord didn't take her from us."

Relief washed over me when I heard she was still alive.

"He didn't take all of her you mean." Brittany pointed out.

Miss Miller looked at her eldest daughter and sighed. "We should be glad she's still here. No matter what the circumstances are."

"Wait, what's going on?"

"Her legs still won't move." Eleanor said between tears.

"You mean she's paralyzed?" I asked in shock.

Brittany glared at me. "Yes, and it's your entire fault. If you had just given her a ride instead of kicking her out of the car,"

"Brittany," Miss Miller cut her off. "That's enough."

A nurse entered the room. "Has Simon Seville arrived yet?"

"I'm Simon." I spoke up, somehow finding my voice.

"Jeanette wishes to see you." She told me with a sympathetic smile.

I nodded before I followed her, ignoring the glare Brittany was shooting me.

I stopped in the doorway of the hospital room. My breath hitched and tears came to my eyes as I saw her lying helplessly on the bed. She looked so small and fragile, so much different the Jeanette I saw earlier.

She looked over and her face lit up. "Simon, you came."

I rushed to her side. "Of course I did. I'm so sorry about earlier. This is my fault,"

"No," She interrupted me. "You were insisting on giving me a ride and I refused. It's my fault."

"So you can't feel anything?" I asked feeling stupid as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

She shook her head as tears came to her eyes. "No, not a thing."

I slipped off my shoes before I laid down beside her on the bed. "It's going to be okay. We'll get through this."

"Can we talk later?" She asked in a small voice. "I really don't understand what's going on and I just need some time to think. Let's just be quiet and we can talk later."

"I understand." I told her quietly as I began to get up.

"No!" She suddenly cried out. "I mean. Can you stay here?"

I nodded. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

She rested her head against my chest and I took her paw into mine as we sat in silence.

"I'll walk." I heard her whisper right before she fell asleep.

I kissed the top of her head and held her close to me. A part of me knowing there was a slim chance she would ever walk again.

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The years went by and I stood by Jeanette through therapy and everything else that came our way. Just the night before I had finally conjured up the courage to propose to her. We were out with our siblings and our nephew celebrating our engagement.

I couldn't help but shake my head as my nephew David hit Jeanette in the leg. "Did you feel that?"

Jeanette smiled amused as she shook her head at my nephew David. "Sorry, don't feel a thing."

He hit a different place on her legs before he asked again, "How about that?"

Again Jeanette shook her head. "I can't feel anything from here down." She told Alvin and Brittany's curious son as she placed her paws on her hips.

"Why not?" David asked.

"Because I'm paralyzed." She explained.

Instead of further questioning Jeanette on what she meant he hit her leg again.

"David, what have I told you about hitting your aunt?" Brittany asked sternly.

David scrunched up his face as he thought back to what his mother had told him, or at least pretended to think. He finally shook his head. "Nope, sorry. Don't remember."

"David, what did your mother tell you?" Alvin asked him sternly.

The little boy sighed. "Not to hit her."

Alvin nodded and David shoveled a spoonful of macaroni and cheese into his mouth.

Jeanette sighed next to me and I grabbed her paw and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You okay?"

She nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah, of course."

I frowned. She didn't honestly think that would fool me. "Netta, what's wrong."

"Nothing, I'm fine. I think I'm going to go talk to Marcy for a moment." She said referring to her friend she had met through therapy. Marcy had been sitting with her family when she entered the restaurant.

I reluctantly agreed. She left the table and I watched her maneuver her way through the tables in her wheelchair.

"Is she okay?" Eleanor asked concerned.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I think she's still upset about earlier."

"What happened?" Alvin asked.

"Jeanette realized that instead of walking down the aisle with Miss Miller like she always dreamed of doing, Miss Miller will walk beside her while she's in her wheelchair."

"She just realized that?" Theodore asked surprised causing his girlfriend to hit him in the arm.

I sighed and stared at my food, my hunger suddenly gone. "It's just always been her dream."

I looked back up and remember the first thing I saw was Brittany glaring at me from across the table. "It's your entire fault, you know." She reminded me.

Brittany never let me forget what had happened before Jeanette got to the hospital. Of course, I didn't need her to. Every time I saw Jeanette in her chair the bitter memories surfaced in my brain. I knew Brittany would never forgive me. She would always blame me for Jeanette's accident. I blamed myself too. I had a feeling Alvin, Theodore, Eleanor, and everyone else did as well. They just hid it better than Brittany did. The only person who didn't blame me was Jeanette. She always said that it was her fault for being stupid enough to walk along the side of the road wearing a dark violet dress when it was pitch black outside.

I didn't reply to Brittany's comment. It hurt too much to think about that night and I wasn't going to let my sister-in-law of all people ruin this day for me. I had just asked the love of my life to marry me and she accepted. I wasn't going to dwell on the past. Instead, I just forced myself to eat, even though I wasn't hungry.

Jeanette rejoined us at the table and gave a cheerful smile. "Marcy and her family say hello and congratulations on our engagement."

I smiled, my spirits immediately lifted when I saw the smile on her face. "What did you need to talk to her about?"

She shrugged, a mischievous smile, which I had never seen on her before, tugging at her lips. "Just stuff."

I narrowed my eyes unconvinced but didn't question her further.

I remember starting up a conversation with Alvin when I heard Jeanette whisper next to me, "I'll walk."

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So many bad days have occurred in my life but without a doubt the happiest was the day I married Jeanette.

I remember standing at the front of the church with my brothers, Jeanette's sisters, Dave, my nephew, Marcy, and my best friend Peter.

The wedding march began to play and Jeanette appeared with Miss Miller by her side.

She looked breathtaking. I knew I was smiling like an idiot but I didn't care. I was too focused on her as she began going down the aisle with Miss Miller.

The next thing I would have never expected to happen. She stopped halfway down the aisle.

I grew nervous thinking she was going to leave. I heard Alvin whisper to Theodore, "Dumped at the altar."

I would've hit him but I was too focused looking at Jeanette. She seemed to be pleading with Miss Miller about something. I just didn't know what.

About fifty scenarios played in my head about what was going to happen but none of them came true.

Miss Miller helped Jeanette out of her chair and Jeanette clung to her mother as she took a step down the aisle.

I could see the pain in her eyes but I could also see the determination as she took each step down the aisle slowly.

A smile lit across my face and tears came to my eyes as I watched her.

She looked up at me and smiled, tears in her own eyes.

It took a little bit longer than a normal wedding march but she finally reached me. I was only focusing on Jeanette at the moment but I was later told that there wasn't a dry eye in the church.

I took Jeanette from Miss Miller and helped her stay steady as she stood beside me. She looked at me, her eyes shining with happiness and love. She then smiled smugly at me. "I told you I'd walk."