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Title: The Shadows Grow Long 17/18
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A week later, GW Hospital, Wash, D.C.
Stephanie rolled into Josh�s room with her parents at her side, to find more than just Josh, Donna and Danny. Charlie and Zoey were there, too, Zoey holding onto Charlie�s arm, while he stood there with his hands in his pockets.
�Stephanie, Mr. and Mrs. Abbott, thanks for meeting with us,� Donna came over to give Steph a big hug.
�Hey, Donna, you get this guy up and walking yet?� Steph asked.
Josh was still a pale shade of gray, but when he smiled at them all Sharon got a good sense of how much impact �the dimples� could have. She smiled back at Josh, then winked at Donna standing next to the bed again.
�Hey, �this guy� is sitting right here.� Josh chimed in, �And yes, I�ll be moving around. Not right now� but soon, soon,� he trailed off.
Donna smiled big at that, �Your physical therapist and I will hold you to that later, Josh,� as she put her hand on his shoulder.
�Hey, Charlie. Hey, Zoey,� Steph greeted them. She had come to be friends with Zoey and hoped that maybe they could spend some time together at school.
Charlie gave Steph a peck on the cheek. Zoey nodded and greeted Mrs. Abbott, while Charlie shook Mr. Abbott�s hand and smiled at Mrs. Abbott. �Good to see you both again,� he said. Mrs. Abbott thought that Charlie was adorable; he looked a little like Grant had when he was Charlie�s age.
�Danny, you�re the mastermind behind this meeting, what�s up?� Steph asked.
�Afternoon Sharon, Grant.� Danny greeted her parents, then turned to look at Stephanie, �Hey, Steph, how you feeling today? Did the doctors decide when they were going to spring you from this joint?�
She couldn�t wait to share her news. �I get to go home the day after tomorrow, if the incision continues to heal like it has been.� Her face was still a little beat up for all the action it saw, but Stephanie�s smile beamed through the bruises. �And I�ll probably be able to get back into classes next quarter. A few of my teachers said they would help me finish this quarter with special assignments that I can do from home.�
�If you need help, I can always get assignments or anything from them for you,� Zoey offered.
Steph couldn�t believe how down to earth Zoey was, despite being so famous. She smiled, �Thanks, Zoey. I really would appreciate it.�
With that, Danny stepped up holding a newspaper in his hand. �Think this might get you a little extra credit from your journalism teacher?� as he handed the paper over to Steph.
The media had been thrashing about, trying to find out more about Stephanie but the Secret Service had kept her under wraps here at the hospital for security�s sake. They wanted to make sure that there weren�t any other accomplices in the West Virginia White Pride coming after her. When they had finally said that it was safe enough, Steph�s parents had allowed Danny to interview her for the Washington Post. They had liked Danny as soon as they had met him, so while Steph was still in the hospital they had allowed her and Danny to meet and talk. They knew her story had to be told: she had played such a crucial role in the apprehension of the signal man involved in the shooting of the President. Even more dramatic was that she was the daughter of a white woman and a black man, the very target this white supremacist had tried to crush.
Steph had learned so much from Danny in those sessions. She listened to the types of questions he asked, and how he asked them. She noted how he had asked some questions in a certain order. It had been hard for her� he had done such a good job asking her to describe what she had gone through that she had felt some of the same emotions she had that night� only this time she was safe, so it was okay. The talent to create that feeling would be a sign of a really good interviewer, she thought. Actually, over the last two weeks she had been so impressed with Danny that he had supplanted Mr. Bernstein as her role model. Besides, Danny was cuter.
When Steph went to read the article, though, she had to look twice. The headline read: �Winning Against the Shadows� and the byline read �Daniel Concannon and Stephanie Abbott�.
�Danny!� Steph screeched in surprise, �What did you do?� as she waved the paper in her parents� face. But they had no chance to read it as it went by. Charlie, Zoey, Josh, and Donna must have already seen the article, because they were smiling and laughing at Steph�s antics.
�I interviewed you, but you interviewed him,� Danny honestly replied, �and the stories needed to be told together. I just organized your interview a bit. I hope you don�t mind.�
Steph pulled the article close to read it a little better. Of course the article was good: Danny had written it. It was really good, though. It was written in a very unique style: as 2 separate interviews, not blended together, but rather gently woven into one. The article was strong and cohesive, yet the reader could tell where her interview of Carl left off and Danny�s interview of her picked up. No wonder he had won a Pulitzer.
Stephanie looked around the room: Her mom and dad, Charlie and Zoey, even Josh and Donna. Each of them loving against the odds, facing hate bravely. In that moment she knew that as her career rolled forward - with every byline printed and every story told - that one crucial element would be her foundation: the power of love, respect, and justice.
email Teresa
mercier_beaucoup at yahoo.com
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