Page 59 of Full Circle

“How’s my sugar bee doing?” he asked. “Better than last night, I hope?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Throwing my girlfriend over my shoulder like a ragdoll in front of her father wasn’t exactly my finest hour. But hey, it got my point across, didn’t it?

Celeste and her dad discussed how school was going briefly before she asked hesitantly, “Where’s Desiree? I haven’t seen her in a few weeks.”

Mr. Hendricks’ face quickly soured. “She said she had to head back to River’s Run this weekend to help Hillary get ready for prom. How come you’re not going, by the way? That’s an important rite of passage, sugar bee.”

She frowned. I could tell from the way her mouth was puckered that Celeste was trying to hold back what she really wanted to say. “I’d rather be here with you, Daddy,” she promised. “There will be other dances.”

He scratched his jaw as he considered her answer. “Or you could give this ol’ man some joy and let him see his only daughter all spiffed up.”

At that, Willow walked in, followed by a glam squad with a rack of designer dresses. They all grinned at her mischievously.

It was probably the corniest thing I had ever done or would ever do in my life, but I got down on one knee in front of my girl, holding a single light pink peony that Willow had discreetly handed me upon her arrival. “Celeste Renee Hendricks,” I drawled, my voice as smooth as butter, “will you be my date to prom?”

Tears filled her eyes as Celeste beamed down at me. “You want to fly back to River’s Run just for a dance?” she finally laughed tearfully.

I shook my head, standing up and handing her the flower. “We’re gonna have our own prom right here.”

If I didn’t know any better, I would say Doug had some water rimming his eyes, too. Celeste merely looked confused.

“Here? At the hospital?” she asked.

Willow stepped forward. “There are some other teenagers here for treatment who can’t attend prom because they can’t leave the hospital. After Wesley suggested it, we invited all of them to attend, too! The hospital staff has arranged everything, thanks to Wesley’s generous donation. All of the girls have a selection of dresses to choose from and we have professional hair and makeup artists here. The boys have real tuxes to wear! We even picked a theme and decorated.”

Celeste’s astonishment was adorable. As if I hadn’t shown her yet that I was willing to make her every dream come true. What I wasn’t expecting was her mouth to quiver and more big, fat tears to leak from the corners of her vivid green eyes as she turned to her dad and whispered, “Will you be there, too?”

If Mr. Hendricks was surprised, he didn’t show it. Instead he smiled at her and replied, “I’d be happy to chaperone your prom, sugar bee. But I gotta tell ya—you’ve already got the best date there.”

Now it was my turn to get emotional. All I had ever wanted was this guy’s approval and it meant the world to me that I had it.

“Why don’t you come pick your dress, Ms. Hendricks?” Willow suggested.

“Wesley, you better go get settled, too,” directed Doug. He gave me a pointed look.

I shrugged. “I’ve got plenty of tuxes.”

“That wasn’t what I was talking about, young man,” he replied. “I don’t want any more photos of you with that wild mane to grace my mantel.”

Everyone in the room laughed, including me. My hair was always long enough to pass my chin, but it tended to crest out in untamable waves. It never bothered me, but more than once Nana and Mr. Hendricks had suggested I needed a haircut.

“We could also use your help with the rest of the set up since the staff here still has patients to mind,” Willow advised. She and Celeste were flipping animatedly through the rack of dresses as the salesperson from Saks described which designer and style she chose. It should have been Mrs. Hendricks helping Celeste decide on a prom dress, but at least Willow was a better replacement than Desiree. That bitch probably would have insisted Celeste needed to be covered from neck to toe in a wool shroud.

Pulling Celeste close, I whispered, “Is this okay? I didn’t want you to miss your prom.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck, delicately weaving her hands in my hair and pressing her body close. The scent of jasmine, her preferred body wash and lotion scent, wafted around me and I knew I was home. Right here in her arms was where I was meant to be.

“This is perfect, Wes,” she murmured in my ear. “I’m so grateful my daddy can be a part of it.”

I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and headed up to the rooftop terrace where we were holding the prom. The hospital had a designated conference center up there with movable walls. There was a small outdoor area where the patients who were able to go outside could rest with tables and a small garden. I helped decorators hang pale blue lights along the perimeter wall before adding some glittery fish that the patients too young to participate in the prom had decorated. The theme was ‘Under the Sea’ because I wanted Celeste to remember how fun her birthday had been.

With the help of some hospital staff and parent volunteers, the inside was transformed into a water wonderland fit for Aquaman himself. A makeshift dance floor was marked off with a row of tables to dine at circling the corner. One of the parents had a friend who was a DJ and agreed to provide music for free. He was busy setting up his equipment on the edge of the dance floor. There was a photo booth area along with the stereotypical stage for the keepsake prom picture that had blocks identifying the year and the theme. More shimmery fish hung from string at the ceiling along with tissue paper designed to look like seaweed. Long banquet tables were being set up for the food offered. Due to some of the dietary restrictions of the other patients, different tables would have different options to ensure everyone could have something to eat.

All in all, things were shaping up pretty well for the Prom Do-Over as I dubbed it in my head. It would be nice to have other teens here, too, even if it was hard to swallow that they might not all be here a year from now. I knew my girl wouldn’t want to dance in a huge room alone and it definitely meant a lot to Willow when I suggested it for the teenagers hospitalized here.

It took several hours, but when everything was ready, I was pretty sure it would give Smithson County High a run for its money. Prom Do-Over knocked it out of the park and then some. And according to my watch, I had just enough time to clean up and change into my tuxedo.

I felt bad for using the bathroom in the employee lounge, but Willow insisted it was fine. There was a shower and everything, so after another quick clean up, I stared harshly at my reflection in the mirror. Combing my hair felt like the right thing to do, but I didn’t even own a brush. I dialed Phillip in a panic and asked him what I should do. I could practically hear him roll his eyes on the other end of the phone before agreeing to send one of the stylists in to help me.

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