Chapter 8 - The Healing of Saint Jude’s
Six months later.
Spring had returned to Chicago, filling the city with blooming tulips and bright, warm sunshine.
Inside the auditorium of Saint Jude’s Academy, the annual Third-Grade Spring Musical was underway.
The stage was set like a bright fairytale forest, filled with children dressed as trees, flowers, and woodland creatures.
Sitting in the front row of the audience were Luca and Maren. Luca wore a grey suit, holding a massive DSLR camera with a professional telephoto lens, his eyes glued to the stage like a giddy child. Beside him, Maren wore a beautiful floral spring dress, holding a large bouquet of pink peonies.
Beside Maren sat Victoria DeLuca in a wheelchair, wrapped in a soft cashmere blanket. Though frail and thin, her face was bright, filled with a peaceful, gentle light that had never been there before.
On stage, seven-year-old Wren stood in the center, dressed in a bright yellow sunflower costume, holding a microphone.
Her voice rose clear, sweet, and flawless through the auditorium as she sang the solo verse of the spring song.
In the second row behind Luca, Mr. and Mrs. Vance sat quietly, watching their son Julian sing in the chorus. When Wren finished her solo, Julian Vance was the first child on stage to clap loudly, smiling brightly at Wren, who giggled and bowed gracefully.
The entire auditorium erupted into thunderous applause.
Luca stood up, cheering louder than anyone in the room, taking dozens of photos as Wren beamed from the stage, waving her small hand directly at her mother, her father, and her great-grandmother.
After the performance, children and parents gathered in the bright sunlit courtyard outside the auditorium.
Wren came running out of the dressing room, still wearing her sunflower headband, holding her pink peony bouquet.
"Grandma Victoria! Did you see me?!" Wren squealed happily, running up to the wheelchair.
Victoria smiled softly, her thin, trembling hand reaching out to touch Wren’s cheek. "You were the brightest sun in the whole sky, my darling girl," Victoria whispered, her eyes shining with tears of pure, unadulterated joy. "The very brightest."
May you like
Wren turned and threw her arms around Luca’s waist, burying her face into his coat. "Dad! Did you take pictures?!"
"I took three hundred," Luca laughed, scooping her up into his arms and lifting her high into the air, making her scream with laughter before pulling her down into a warm embrace. "You were amazing, baby."
