Epilogue

Awkwardly he moved through the cemetery, leaning heavily on his cane. He reached the gravesite and let out a sigh of accomplishment. It had taken nearly 9 weeks of pain and healing and therapy and stubbornness to come this far, to stand in this place. Of course, he hadn’t done it alone… he owed much to his wife and brothers.

Lovingly he placed a huge bouquet of flowers near the headstone and smiled. They were all of a beautiful purple, just like the flower his father had shown him when the whole thing had started: Anna’s flower. Now, more than ever, Kevin had every intention of working hard to make his ‘garden’ grow and expand and thrive.

Gently, he spoke.

"Well, Dad, here we are again. I know it’s been a while since my last visit... I wish I could do more to tell you how grateful I am for our talk. I want to thank you for encouraging me to hope again, to treasure life for what it can be rather than despair at what it is. A lot has happened since the accident.

"I’ve noticed a real change in Nick, if you can believe it. A lot of that out-of-control prankster attitude is gone, he seems to be more… serious, I’d say. Not depressed or down, though, it’s a kind of mature seriousness. I sure can’t explain it, but he took everyone by surprise with his reaction to the accident. AJ tells me how scared he was when I was brought in... from what I hear, he handled it really badly at first. But something happened soon after, although he won’t tell any of us details, not even Brian. Whatever it was, it made a big difference. All I know for sure is he isn’t acting like a kid any longer. I think you’re right, about him wanting a friend rather than a father. It’s kind of strange, but we’re sort of getting to know one another on a new level. There’s a deeper side to him than I… than anyone… ever suspected. He still has his weird sense of humor and likes to goof around, but that desperate drive for attention is gone.”

He rubbed at the plain gold band on his finger and gave a slight smile.

“Kris and I are closer now than ever before, something I didn’t think was possible. We actually talked about some of our fears, and I think it made things stronger between us. We’ve even made tentative plans for a vacation… a real vacation, not one filled with painkillers and physical therapy… early next year. I’m thinking we’ll start discussing kids soon, although the idea seems… incredible.”

He shifted a bit, and gazed across the lawn. He gave a sigh and spoke in a low voice.

"What I really came here to say is you were right, Dad. About the comfort thing. I hadn’t realized how much I needed everyone’s support until the accident. At first I didn’t really have a choice in the matter, with all the physical stuff I had to deal with. But then I discovered that there was something else happening. By allowing other people to take some of the burden, by letting them offer comfort to me, I… I relaxed. In a way I hadn’t in a long, long time. I realized that the world didn’t rest on my shoulders, and that it felt good to let go.” He gave a small grin. “Not that I’m giving up being the ‘authority figure’ of the group. Someone’s got to keep my crazy brothers in line, and I have years of practical experience.”

He fell silent, feeling a sense of contentment he’d never had when visiting this place. A faint breeze stirred the flowers he’d put on the ground; just for a second he felt the lightest brush on his arm... or had he imagined it?

With a smile he turned and headed back down the path. Suddenly, the day seemed warmer, the sun a bit brighter. Soon he saw the figures of the five people that made his life truly worth living. He called out and gave them a smile, letting them all know that things were okay. Really okay.

Kevin Richardson was, most definitely, glad to be alive.

Fin