Teresa's Christmas Miracle Ch. 02

"WHOAAAA!" said everyone else, as one group, teasing Bonnie.

"Screw y'all." Bonnie said good-naturedly. To Tanya, she said "I can't wait to do this."

"And I have a special request of those of you not participating in the choir tonight." Tanya said...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"We start this party with a bang!"
--- Two-Face (as portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones), 'Batman Forever'

7:00pm, Thursday, December 23d. The music of Mannheim Steamroller's instrumental 'Celebration' started up, and everyone with seats took them, and everyone else found places to stand and see. The crowd was huge, and half of the massive front lawn was covered with people. It was as big as the Concert on Courthouse Square had been. (Author's note: 'Christmas In The County')

In the front area, the aisles on both sides had to be kept clear, as participants were going to come around the sides of the structure about 100 feet down from the stage. The Orchestral well was in front of the raised stage.

Around the corner on both sides came members of the GOJMC, the older ones first, followed by younger ones. They lined both aisles, then they all saluted as the Handicapable Veterans Orchestra and Choir rolled in through the gauntlet between them and took their places. The GOJMC members that were singing also stayed around the stage, including Bonnie.

Once they were in place, Teresa came out onto the stage from the back entrance. Despite KXTC's attempt to suppress what she had done with the Life Flight, the thousands of people in the crowd cheered mightily when she appeared, and those sitting down that could stand up did so.

"Hello and welcome!" Teresa said into her microphone. "Thank you so much for coming and supporting our Cancer Kids and other Kids with rare diseases!" The crowd continued cheering. "And now that you're all standing, join me in the singing of Our National Anthem! And please do not embarrass me in front of the Iron Crowbar by not singing louder than me!"

Another cheer went up, then the University Army ROTC cadets marched the Colors in, in open defiance of University President Jerry Moore, who had forbidden them to participate. And Teresa did not have to be embarrassed: everyone sang the National Anthem at the top of their lungs.

Next, just to show this was not exclusively a Christian celebration, elements of the Jewish Arts Academy from The City came in. The musical instrument players sat at the back of the stage while dancers and singers, all young women, danced and sang 'Hevenu Shalom Alechem'. It was a good, high-energy start to the Concert.

Teresa told me backstage: "I contacted the Muslim mosque in Town and the Muslim Student Center on campus, and invited them to participate. They were very nice about it, but they declined. I also asked the Buddhist Center if they wanted to participate, but I probably asked too late, and they declined as well."

"Can't get 'em all." I replied. "But the Concert is going great, so far. I'm impressed with how well you've put it all together."

"Team effort, sir. Team effort." Teresa said.

"Modesty is a human trait, Iron Wolf." I replied, and we both understood the inside joke of that.

The musical instrument players took their places in the well; they would continue adding their musical talents to the performances. They were joined by other Orchestra players. Some were The Maestro Dr. Wolfgang Strauss's students, and some were from the churches and other musical groups.

Choirs from several churches had come onto the stage around the edges, filling seats from the outside-in. They sang 'Unto Us A Child Is Born'. And then the Legend himself, T-Square, came out. With accompaniment from the choirs, he led the singing of 'America The Beautiful'. Then his sister Paulina Patterson joined him on stage, and they sang 'Do You Hear What I Hear?', a personal favorite of Your Iron Crowbar.

It was going well. The next two songs were Mannheim Steamroller's 'Joy To The World' and 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'. And yes, Cindy and Callie led hundreds of people in the audience in an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the largest synchronous line dance 'evah'. Drones were recording them, and LED lights in red, green, and silver were flashing, and I wondered if we'd get credit for this being the world's largest disco event 'evah'.

The instrumentals also served to give time to set up the next phase of the show. T-Square's electric piano was set up to the right of the stage, as one looked at it from the audience. Next to it was a smaller piano that I recognized as Marie Steele's. I saw 
The Maestro come to the backstage area, wearing all white, and with him was Carole and Marie, carrying some objects.

"The next three are gonna be doozies... I hope." said Teresa. As we watched, a corps of drum players began marching down both aisles toward the stage. Elements of the famed Booker T. Washington High School Drum & Bugle Corps were joined by drummers from Town High School... and for the first time, County High School drummers were participating, as well!

"How'd you pull that off?" I asked Teresa.

"I didn't." she replied. "They contacted me. I imagine Bill Redmond and Kelly Carnes will be furious, but a lot of County residents despise what Jerry Moore and Lionel Carmela are doing with the Climate Change Center and the 'loyalty documents', and maybe a whole lot of other things he's been doing. So here they are."

"Good." I said. The drum contingent wasn't all that large. Teresa said "We asked for volunteers to do this first song, as it's religious. Then more of the Drum Corps will come in for the second song, which is an instrumental."

As the Orchestra began playing and a chord hit, T-Square came out, to applause. He sang "My God is an awesome God!" This was Michael W. Smith's 'Awesome God':

"My God is an awesome God
He reigns from Heaven above
With wis-dom, power, and love,
my God is an awesome God!"

T-Square led the audience in singing that refrain over and over, with the drums being featured as the orchestra played. After it was done, Marie Steele came out and joined T-Square at the pianos. And Marie showed that her piano skills had skyrocketed as she played the intro to Two Steps From Hell's 'Evergreen'.

Then five people in the middle of the stage stood and 'sang' "Ahhhh!" (that was all). Bonnie was in the middle, using her surprisingly beautiful singing voice, and the others were GOJMC people with excellent singing voices.

As they serenaded the audience and T-Square and the Orchestra began playing more of 'Evergreen', more elements of the various high school Drum Corps began marching down the aisle and also from the back of the stage. They fell in with those already there. And then they led the Orchestra in an outstanding display of drum synchronicity. I could even tell the melody and underlying structure of the song from them.

The applause at the conclusion of 'Evergreen' was tremendous. When it settled down, the BTWHS Drum & Bugle Corps did BTWHS Drum & Bugle Corps things, executing their marching routine as T-Square sang 'Little Drummer Boy' like he did every year.

(Author's note: Your author suggests watching on YouTube Michael W. Smith's 'Awesome God' with the drums, and the Bands of HM Royal Marines's version of 'Evergreen' with the drums, to get where the inspiration for the above part of the story came from.)

After everyone settled down, it suddenly became quiet. T-Square and Marie helped as Carole and The Maestro came onto the stage from behind. Carole and Marie set up the easel they'd brought in, then T-Square and The Maestro helped them put a painting that was covered by a cloth onto it. As they were doing that, Teresa was accompanying a middle aged couple onto the stage and next to them. T-Square and The Maestro helped the girls take the cloth off the painting, to reveal...

... Alice, the teen violin virtuoso that had lost her battle with cancer the previous Spring. And the couple Teresa had brought in were Alice's parents.

The painting showed Alice in all white, and the sky behind her was painted as to look almost like angel wings. She was playing the violin. This was one of Marie Steele's best painting efforts, and the quality stood out.

As the audience stood and solemnly applauded, Alice's mom began crying. Teresa said into her microphone "The next part of our show is dedicated to Alice, and is the part of the show she loved the best. Alice is no longer with us in the world, but she is not gone from inside our hearts... and her beautiful music will go on."

Teresa then told her parents they were giving them this painting, and Alice's mom took the microphone and said "Alice loved playing for the other kids, and at this Concert. I'd like for you to find a place in the Hospital to put this, so other kids can be inspired to make their own music, and to fight to live as hard as Alice did." More applause from the crowd, who were feeling the emotion, too.

And now I saw what Carole's role was. She had her violin out, and she stood by The Maestro as they began playing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's adaptation of Johann Pachelbel's 'Canon in D Major'. Carole only played the simple bas harmony line while The Maestro and experienced Orchestra violin players played the more intricate melody parts, but there was my daughter, participating in this moving tribute., and participating well.

And as they played, Cancer Kids began filing onto the stage, wearing white robes as they always did. Some were cured graduates, but had come back to lend their hearts and voices, especially to this performance:

"This night, we pray
Our lives, will show
This dream, he had

Each child, still knows... "

"Weeee arrrrre waaaiiit-ting... Weeee have, not for-gotttennnn... " sang part of the Kids group. Then "On this night, on this night, on this very Christmas night... from another subset. Voices of angels, I thought to myself.

Once they were done, the Kids surrounded Alice's parents, T-Square, and The Maestro, and gave them hugs. Then they got back into place to sing the chorus of the next song as T-Square, Marie, and Carole exited stage back. The Maestro stayed on stage as Teresa took the microphone. It was time for 'Oh Holy Night', as only Your Iron Wolf could sing it.

And she did sing it. She belted it out. She hit every high note, and put every bit of passion in her body into every word. Sleep deprivation had no way to win; this was coming out of Teresa's very soul. And it was good to see, I thought to myself.

When she hit the final "No-elllllll" and finished up, and was receiving her near-dogpile group-hug from her Kids, Sheriff Griswold, Carole, and I stepped out on stage, our badges on necklaces around our necks.

"Stay right here." I said to Teresa as I came up to her. I took the microphone from her hands and said "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Commander Don Troy... " Applause broke out, and I was grateful to hear it. As it died down, I said "... and I am Teresa Croyle's boss in the TCPD."

I continued: "As many of you know, on Tuesday night Teresa flew a Life Flight mission out West to bring two critically sick children here for treatment of their rare disease... treatment made possible by her Croyle Trust." Thunderous applause ensued.

Me: "As the flight was returning here, it dropped off radar. No one knew if the plane was lost, had crashed, or what. But on Wednesday morning, the plane popped out of the clouds and landed safely at County Airport... with no fuel left in the tank. The kids, who would have died without Teresa's help, received treatment and are improving." More applause.

Me: "Sheriff, would you do the honors?"

"I sure will!" said the Sheriff, most happily. He read a proclamation, which ended "For her actions and service above and beyond the call of Police duty, resulting in the saving of lives, Lieutenant Commander Teresa Croyle is hereby awarded the Town & County Public Safety Lifesaving Medal!"

Carole held the box, and I took from it the beautiful, blue-draped medal. "You got me, you got me good." Teresa said quietly as she turned sideways to face me, and I pinned it on her white pullover just below her collarbone. Once done, we turned to face the audience. They were already applauding, but the volume shot up when I pointed at the top of her head and made the 'raise the roof' sign.

And it shot up even more when Cancer Kids rushed up to give Teresa hugs. They also either hugged or high-fived me, Carole, and the Sheriff.

Last but certainly not least, all the choirs, the singers within the GOJMC, Bonnie, and Your Iron Crowbar participated in the singing of 'Hallelujah'... wait, what? How did I, your humble, friendly neighborhood Iron Crowbar get caught up in that?

The Iron Wolf is a sneaky Iron Wolf, and between herself, Carole, and the Kids, I was trapped on the stage as the song started up. So Carole and I stood next to Teresa and everyone sang. I did note that Bonnie had a wonderful singing voice herself...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

10:30pm, Thursday, December 23d. As always, I felt a sense of melancholy that the Concert was over. T-Square and the various Drum Corps and the GOJMC executed Police Call, and cleaned the Hospital ground of every speck of trash left by the crowds... which wasn't very much in the first place.

When the show had ended, Bonnie had come up to Teresa and hugged her. "You're amazing! You do so much! I wish I could be like you, and do more, and help more."

"But you did help!" Teresa replied. "You sang with us, and very beautifully."

"I know." Bonnie said. "And I'll never be able to create a trust fund like you did, unless I win the lottery or something. But I still want to find a way to do more."

"Splendid! I have just the thing for you." said a voice behind them (and me and Carole, too). Everyone turned to see the founder and great leader of 'The Vision' self-help empire, Dr. P. Harvey Eckhart, standing there, his daughter Cindy Ross and her wife Callie Carrington beside him.

Dr. Eckhart said "I know of your past, young Bonnie. And I have been considering doing more for at-risk girls, trying to help prevent them from being swallowed up by bad people and bad things, like you were. I believe you would be ideal for helping me with this. Why don't you spend a night or two at The Vision, and we'll talk about it."

"There you go." Teresa said to Bonnie. "Thoughts become things. Now you can help."

"Okay." Bonnie said. She hugged Teresa again, then went off with Dr. Eckhart and Cindy and Callie...

Part 13 - Wind Chimes, Interrupted

"Still, still, still
One can hear the falling snow
For all is hushed, The world is sleeping
Holy Star its vigil keeping
Still, still, still
One can hear the falling snow"
--- 'Still, still, still', a Christmas lullaby, attributed to Georg Götsch

Dawn, December 24th. Christmas Eve.

As the first gloaming of pre-dawn light turned the eastern skies pink, Teresa and Carole sat on their knees, Japanese-style, facing west on towels in front of the Angels statue at Ward Harvester Park.

Carole was already 'in the zone' as she let her mind go and concentrated on her breathing. Teresa was working harder to achieve inner peace, then realized she needed to work less hard and just let go. Her mind quietened. She could hear the silence of the outside world around her, and felt the peace within her.

And then she heard the wind chimes.

It was as if dozens of beautiful wind chimes were playing... but there were no physical wind chimes at the Park. Teresa tried to just relax her mind into their music, and soon began hearing certain notes here and there that formed a faint pattern, the most beautiful of patterns she'd ever heard. But the more she concentrated on the music, the more disjointed and less coherent it would be. It faded in and out with her breathing...

"That's Alice, playing her violin on the other side." she heard Carole's voice say, more as a projection into her mind than her actual voice. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yesss." Teresa whispered. "Do you hear Amy, or Alexis?"

"No." Carole said, this time her voice sounding normal, earthly. "They're on the other side. You've fulfilled your Destiny on this earth, and no longer need their help. Now... it's all up to me."

Teresa missed that last part. Her soul was filled with sadness, that she would not hear Alexis or Amy's voices again. But she didn't feel abandoned; quite the opposite. She felt... at peace somehow, a satisfaction that they were releasing her, and that she needed to release them. She remembered what she had also been told on the plane, that her Destiny had been achieved.

She listened to the wind chimes some more... and then they went away. Coming out of her reverie, she looked over at the cars by the gate to the Park...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My Police SUV was parked behind Teresa's. Riding shotgun was Clarissa Belvedere Esterson, and Sheriff Griswold was in the backseat. I was standing outside the vehicle, trying to clear my own mind as I watched Teresa and Carole kneeling in front of the statue, and I thought I heard the faint sound of a wind chime.

A moment later, I heard another sound, and it was unmistakeable. Another vehicle pulled up behind mine and parked. It was a black sedan with U.S. Government license plates. A second later, FAA Agent Darryl Green and NTSB Agent Gary Weller exited the vehicle. Sheriff Griswold told Clarissa to roll her window up as he got out of my vehicle.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, keeping my voice low so as to not disturb Teresa and Carole, and connoting menace.

Gary Weller said "We're here to take Commander Croyle to the Federal Building for questioning."

"Is she under arrest?" Sheriff Griswold growled.

"Not yet." said Weller. "But she is coming with us, and we will arrest her if need be."

Darryl Green said "Hold on. There's no need to be so confrontational. But Sheriff, we do need to talk to Commander Croyle, and it needs to be right now."

"Crowbar?" the Sheriff said simply, turning things over to me. Smart Sheriff, I thought to myself. I'm going to vote for him next November.

"First of all," I said, having maneuvered myself to be between the Federal Agents and Teresa and (especially) Carole, "she's not going to the Federal Building. At all. She told you that herself. So! It's either Police Headquarters, or the Airport. Your correct answer is 'Police Headquarters', especially if you want decent coffee."

Darryl Green chuckled at that. Weller stayed silent. Green said "Police Headquarters is fine, Commander."

At that moment, Teresa and Carole came up behind me. Teresa's face looked normal. Carole had her little arms crossed and was glaring at the Federal Agents with irritation bordering on anger on her little face.

"You messed up Aunt Trreesa's meditation." my daughter complained.

"I apologize." said Agent Green placatingly. "We can wait until you're finished, Commander Croyle."

"Are you done?" I asked Teresa.

"Yes sir." Teresa said. "Let's go to Headquarters. I'll call Agnes Spires."

The Sheriff drove Teresa's vehicle, and she rode shotgun with her cellphone in her hand. The Federal Agents followed in their vehicle, and I brought up the rear with Clarissa and Carole in tow.

"What do you think of those Federal Agents, Carole?" I asked, which put a little smile on Clarissa's face and a twinkle in her eye; she knew what I was doing.

"That one guy is pretty mad." Carole said, meaning Weller. "He doesn't understand why you and Aunt Trreesa don't trust him. The other guy is pretty calm... but he's the one you really need to watch out for..."