The Strange Healing (9 page)

They enjoyed an easy, light conversation over dinner, and she decided she could in fact eat quite well while sitting on his lap.  She also had to admit she felt much more at ease than she had in quite some time. She was glad she finally trusted Heath enough to open up to him.  He didn't run away screaming like she was afraid he might.  This man truly was unlike any other she'd ever met.  She didn't deserve anyone like him, though, so she reminded herself again that she had to guard her heart and not allow herself to get too close.  Although she could already see that was going to be very difficult.

After dinner was over and they were back on the couch, he brought up a concern he had.  “Sweetie, I'd like to talk about where you're going to stay tonight.”

Sara hesitantly said, “Okay.”

“
I don't think either one of us will get any sleep tonight if you go back to the motel, so I have two suggestions, and I'm okay with either one.”

Looking at him curiously, she said, “Okay.”

“You're more than welcome to stay here.  I have an extra bedroom you can use as long as you like.  I'll be right down the hall, so if you have a nightmare I'll be there with you in moments.”

“
As tempting as that sounds, it wouldn't look very good, Heath.”

“
To other people, maybe, but those who know us would completely understand.  I do hear what you're saying, though, and I don't want you to do something you're not comfortable with.  My other suggestion is that you stay with Phil and Heather for a few more days.”

“
Heath, I can't do that.”

“
Why not?”

“
I won't intrude on them again.”

“
Again?  You haven't intruded on them at all.  Sara, I know them, and I'm being totally honest when I say they meant what they said when they invited you to stay with them.”

“
But –”

“
But nothing, Sara.  Heather said she could tell something was bothering you the other day, and they know you were missing today.  They would much rather have you with them than by yourself.”  He turned her face toward his and leaned in for a gentle kiss.  “Tomorrow's Saturday and I don't work the weekends normally, so we can spend a lot of time talking this weekend.”

“
Do you think talking more will help?”

“
I'm positive it will, Sweetie.”

“
When?  How long will it take?”

“
That's hard to say, but you'll know when you feel ready to stay alone again.” 

“
I just hate to bother anyone.”

“
I know.  I hear you, but you're really not bothering any of us.”  Looking at her seriously, he asked, “Sara, can you honestly tell me you feel like you're ready to stay alone tonight?  That it won't be a problem?”

She quickly shook her head and mumbled, “No.  The idea scares me.  I'm so afraid I'll have another nightmare.”

Pulling her in closer he said, “Honey, you've had some very traumatic events.  The incident on the beach the other day brought all those old memories and feelings back to the forefront again.  Give yourself a little time to work through all those feelings.”

“
Okay.  I think you're right.”

“
You mean you doubted me?”

The shocked look on his face made her laugh, even though she knew it was all a show.  “So should I make up my extra bed or should I call my sister?”

“I think I'd feel better about what people think if I stayed with them, if you really think they'd be okay with it.”

He laughed as he said, “Okay with it?  My sister is going to be ecstatic.  You wait and see.”

He picked up his phone and dialed Heather.  “Hi, Sis.  I've got a question for you.  What?  Yeah, Sara's here.  Yes, she's okay.  Yes, I'm sure.  No, I'm not just telling you that.  Yes, she's – Heather!  Give me a chance to say two words and I'll explain – no, nothing's wrong.  I just want – hi, Phil.  Thanks.  Hey, I know.  I know she's worried about Sara.”

Phil, who heard his wife's end of the conversation and took the phone from her, said, “Heath, she's been wanting to call you all evening.  Thank you again for calling to tell us you found
her. You said she was at your place and you were going to talk, and your sister's been trying to call you ever since.  I told her what would happen if she interrupted your talk, but I still caught her twice trying to get a call in.  I'm about ready to warm her bottom for her.”

Heath laughed.  “That's my sister.”  Sobering a bit, he said, “Don't let me stop you, my friend.  I do have a question for you first, though.”

“What's that?”

“
Would it be okay if Sara spent another two or three nights with you?”

“
Absolutely.  Everything okay?”

“
It will be.  She's got some feelings from a couple terrible experiences she needs to work through, and until we get those feelings under control I don't want her staying alone at night.”

“
She's welcome here as long as she wants to stay.” 

“
Thanks, Phil.  I told her I was sure you'd feel that way, but she keeps saying she hates to intrude on you two again.”

“
Intrude?  I want her to hear something.  Put me on speaker a minute and I'll do the same.  Hang on.” 

Heath told Sara, “Phil wants me to put the phone on speaker so you can hear this, too.”  He switched it to speaker, and said, “Okay, Phil, we're both listening now.”

“Okay, good,” Phil responded.  “Hey, Brat, if you would have let Heath get a word in you'd have realized, he wants to know if it's okay if Sara stays here a few days.  What –”

They could neither one hear anything else Phil said.  All they heard was Heather screaming, “Yes, yes, yes!  That's fantastic.  Sara, there are so many things we can do.  We're going to have a blast.  It's even a weekend.  What do you think we should do first?  We can swim some, and soak up some sun.  Of course there's always lots more shopping we can do.  What should we shop for first
? Clothes, shoes, or makeup?  Oh, there's a new candle shop that just opened that Phil says I'm not going in.  We could go there!”

Heath was laughing when Phil broke in.  “Heath, did you hear that?  She admits I said she's not to go there, so she suggests to Sara they go there first!  What am I going to do with her?”

“You know what I'd do, buddy.  Again, I'm glad she's your responsibility now.”

Heather broke in with, “What do you mean your responsibility?  I'm an adult now, capable of being responsible for myself, thank you very much!”

Phil agreed, “You are indeed old enough, and I agree on occasion you've proven you're capable, but it's the other 95% of the time we're talking about, brat!”

“
What?”  Heather sounded outraged, but even she couldn't keep from joining in the laughter after a bit.

Heath eventually was able to control his laughter and say, “Seriously, you two, thank you for giving Sara a safe haven for a few days.  I'll bring her over in a little while if that's okay.”

Heather quickly said, “You can come over anytime you're ready, Sara.  We'll be here all night.”

“
I want to thank you both for letting me stay again.”  Sara talked a couple minutes with Heather before they hung up.

Heath looked at the big smile on Sara's face and said, “You look about as excited as a high school girl about to go to a slumber party.”

“I feel about like that, too,” Sara admitted.  “This could be fun.”

Grinning, Heath said, “For you and Heather, yes.  As long as you don't turn Phil's hair gray.”

Sara's eyes widened.  “Do you think I shouldn't go stay with them?”

“
No, I think it'll be fine.  I just feel like maybe I should warn you, like the high school girl probably got warned before going to her slumber party, just don't do something stupid and get yourselves into trouble.”

“
Do you really think I'd do something stupid?”

“
If Heather tried hard enough to talk you into it, yes.”  When Sara looked at him with fire in her eyes he asked, “What time did you two get home when you went shopping the other day?”

The angry look dissipated and she meekly said, “A little later than we'd planned.”  She quickly added, though, “But we didn't do anything stupid; just shopped longer than we should have.”

“Phil had told her when to be home, and she ignored his advice, even though you both knew when I was coming to get you.  That was also the first time you two went somewhere together.”  Pulling her into his arms, he said, “Let me just tell you, you know I love my sister to death, but sometimes her enthusiasm gets her in trouble.  She gets so excited about a plan or an idea, or one more store to shop in, that she doesn't think.  Maybe if you do things together you can be the adult at those times, instead of letting her talk you into stopping at one more store.”

Sara was quiet for
a while, then said, “Okay, I understand what you're saying.”

“
Good.  I just wanted to make sure you're aware that she can be very persuasive if she wants something.  So, consider yourself warned.  Now, do you want me to go with you to your motel to get some clothes and things you'll need for a few days, or would you rather just tell me what to get and I'll go?”

He watched her face turn white, and hugged her a bit closer.  “You okay?”

“Yeah.  I forgot about having to go back there.”

“
I can go if you want.  You don't have to go back.”

“
No, I have to go sometime to get everything.  I may as well go now.  Maybe I'll get it all and check out.  I can go to another motel.  Maybe that won't scare me as bad.”

Heath thought a little while, then suggested, “Honey, I don't think it's that particular motel that's the problem.  I think right now it's staying alone.  Why don't you just get what you'll need for a few days and let the rest there.  In a few days, after we've talked more, we'll see how you're feeling.  Then if you think it is that particular motel, I'll go get everything and we'll get you moved.”

Sara considered his words a while before agreeing.  “That makes sense, Heath.  A few days from now I may feel totally different.”

“
I think you will.  Then you can make some decisions.”

“
Okay.  Thank you.”  Then looking at him with a grin, she asked, “Are you always this smart?”

“
Always.  24/7.  Just ask my sister.”  He burst out laughing as he said, “On second thought, maybe you better not ask her.  She may not agree.”

“
Seriously, Heath, I think that's a great idea.  Thank you.”

“
You're welcome.  Now, if you want to go with me, let's go to the motel, then get you over to your slumber party before it's late.”

An hour later Heath was driving them to Phil and Heather's when he asked, “Do you want to see something funny when we get to Heather's?”

“What's that?”

“
After we ring the doorbell, stand off to one side.”

“
Why?”

“
Heather will assume it's us and she'll fling open the door and run out to welcome us, but we won't be there.  Phil will come out behind her, growling about her opening the door without knowing who's there.”

“
How do you know that'll happen?”

“
Because Phil has been trying and trying to teach her not to open her door until she knows who's on the other side.  If she thinks she knows who it is, she's too anxious to see them to ask first.  Phil gets so frustrated with her for that.  After all, he is a police officer, so he knows what kind of people are out there.” 

“
Are you sure you're not exaggerating, at least a bit?”

“
You don't believe me?  Let's try it.”

She agreed, hoping to prove Heath wrong.  He rang the doorbell at Phil and Heather's, and they moved over in front of the next door down.  They'd barely gotten there when Heather's door flew open and she came running out, arms open wide, ready to hug them.  She had the most shocked look on her face when no one was there.  Phil was right behind her, saying, “Heather!  Have you ever, one time, checked to see who was on the other side of that door before you opened it?”

Heather looked at him with a blank look on her face.  “Oh, yeah, right.  I forgot.”  Then she saw Heath and Sara down the hall and asked, “What are you guys doing down there?”  She ran to them with outstretched arms, very similar to how she'd come through her door, and had them both in a hug before Heath could even say anything.

He looked over and saw Phil shaking his head, looking skyward.

Laughing, Heath said, “Hi, Heather.  What's up, Phil?”

Phil answered, “My blood pressure.  It goes up every time she flings open that door without checking first.”

Heather huffed and said, “But it's my brother and future sister-in-law.  I knew it was them.”