"Yes, Princess?"
She smiled.
"It's the prettiest thing I've ever seen."
For a moment, Doc couldn't speak.
Then he whispered, "I'm glad."
Ellie looked toward the vehicle again.
"Did you build all of that?"
Doc shook his head.
"Lots of people helped."
She looked around at the mechanics and riders.
"All of you?"
Virginia smiled.
"Quite a few of us."
Ellie's eyes grew even wider.
"Just for me?"
The upholstery specialist wiped her cheeks.
"Just for you, sweetheart."
Ellie looked back toward Doc.
Then she said something nobody expected.
"I wish every kid could have one."
The biker froze.
For an instant, he heard another little girl's voice from eight years earlier.
I want everybody to have a turn being happy.
Doc looked toward the pink passenger seat.
Then he closed his eyes.
He knew exactly what Sophie would have said if she had been standing there.
And for the first time in eight years, imagining her voice brought him more love than pain.
For nearly half an hour, Ellie did nothing but look at the motorcycle.
She asked about every visible detail. She wanted to know whether the windshield would keep bugs away, whether the pink seat could get wet, and whether the little teddy bear was allowed to ride without a driver's license. She asked Virginia why the vehicle had three wheels instead of five, and Virginia explained that the design had been chosen for reasons far more important than Ellie's original arithmetic.
The little girl listened seriously.
Then she announced, "When I'm a mechanic, I'm making one with five."
Virginia laughed.
"I'd like to see your drawings."
Ellie nodded.
"I have lots."
Rachel watched the conversation with a feeling she could barely describe. For months, nearly every discussion about Ellie's future had centered on what she might lose. Now she was listening to her daughter talk about becoming a mechanic, designing vehicles, and making plans that stretched beyond the next medical appointment.
Rachel knew those plans might never happen exactly as Ellie imagined.
But she no longer wanted to silence them simply because the future was uncertain.
Doc stood beside the motorcycle while Ellie examined the pink seat.
At one point, the little girl noticed the faded ribbon peeking from beneath his vest.
"What's that?"
Doc looked down.
He had forgotten to fasten the lining properly.