And You Will Find Love

"I wish there were something I could do."

"Actually, there is," Edna said as they continued holding hands. "When you're well, later. You said George has finished working on your two planes and you and Leila have been flying them."

"They're okay. Safe enough for anyone to fly."

"Then maybe you can do this for me, and Buck. Remember he asked you, when we all first met, to take him up for a loop-de-loop sometime?"

Barbara remembered. "I intended to do it, soon as one of the planes was safe to fly. Then I just got all wrapped up in work."

"After you're well, then? I'm not so much afraid we'll be losing him physically. But mentally..."

Barbara promised. "The very first thing, when they let me out of this place. And that better be tomorrow!"

The next day, before her doctor said she had sufficiently recovered from her bout with mono, Barbara checked herself out of the hospital. She went right back at work at the Jackrabbit Cafe and getting her two businesses running again.

Once she had her work life back in place, although her head hit the pillow after midnight each night and she lifted it off again at the rooster's crowing the next morning, she fulfilled her promise to Edna.

Barbara drove to the Genda ranch and found her friends again sitting in their front porch rockers. Buck, who had been staring off blankly into nothing, recognized her but didn't stop slowly rocking.

Edna leaned over and asked him, softly, "Want Barbara to take you up in her airplane for a loop-de-loop?"

Buck seemed to come alive. "Let's go!" he said, starting to get up from his rocker. When he became a little wobbly, Edna helped him. One he was up and held the cane he walked with by then, he was more steady on his feet.

Edna said she would stay behind and make them lunch for when they got back.

Barbara drove Buck to her airport and, after putting a leather cap and goggles on him and strapping him in a parachute, she helped him climb into the Flying Jenny's front cockpit. She felt a little more confident doing aerobatic maneuvers in it than the Piper Cub, because she had spent more time practicing them in the Jenny.

Buck didn't say a word on take-off or while they were flying high above the clouds. Barbara wondered if he knew where he was, or if he was enjoying the ride. He wasn't asleep, because she didn't see his head bob.