Distance of the Heart

by Agnes H Hagadus

  Yeah right. At least in Abby’s case she knew it wasn’t true. She knew that it was because there were some very good looking waitresses. They didn’t wear as revealing outfits as the ones her friend Theo ran. But it was still a time of rediscovery for the nurse. Rediscovering something she wished she’d had a chance to explore in her youth.

  Her mother had destroyed those chances. Her father played a part, if only because he had never had a backbone to standup to his wife. But that was in the past. Ethan had left his wife, shortly before her horrible death at the hands of a madman. It was to support his daughter and her wife. It was something Abby would be eternally grateful for.

  “I remember it well.” Emily wasn’t about to admit to anyone how she had loved flirting with a particular redhead of the female persuasion. It wasn’t because she was ashamed. It was because she was embarrassed still by her nearly shameless flirting. It didn’t matter if her object of affection was male or female. She somehow just naturally flirted. “This works. At least I can have my car when we get there. We’ll figure something out for my brother.”

  “Brother?” Abby had heard very little about her best friend’s brother, except he was her twin and they looked and acted unlike one another. Or was that how Emily had seen their relationship all these years? She knew Sam had an entirely different relationship with her eldest brother. There had been secrets and sibling rivalry. So perhaps there was a story here as well. The nurse knew her friend was hurting. But neither she, nor Tabby, had relayed exactly what she was suffering through.

  “Rick decided he wanted to experience the hospitality of the bed and breakfast.” Emily placed her arm through her brother’s and guided him towards the exit. “We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. I can’t wait to see you.” She ended the call. “That was my best friend. She took it upon herself to give us a ride to Middletown. You’re gonna love her. But remember, she’s a married woman.”

  Rick shook his head. What his sister didn’t know about him, nor the rest of the world except the occasional lover, was the fact he was gay. He’d discovered the fact while he was attending business school. The schooling had only lasted two semesters. The love affair had been wild and amazing. It had lasted nearly two years.

  How he had managed to keep it a secret from his parents, he was uncertain. And sadly he wasn’t as brave as his older sister. She had, once she’d realized it, told her parents that she was in love with a woman, her soulmate. While Julian had turned out not to be his soulmate or love of his life, he still couldn’t tell his parents. If only because he couldn’t face their wrath. He was a coward.

  The walk to the café was made in relative silence. Emily pushed open the door. Abby was sitting at a cozy table for two near the entrance. Without thought, she pulled her best friend into a standing position so she could grace her with a proper hug. She also kissed her on the cheek. “I’ve missed you. I hope I haven’t been too much of a bother with the texts and phone calls.”

  Abby shook her head. “You could never be a bother.” Her emerald eyes looked the stranger up and down. It was true there was barely anything that indicated that Emily and Rick were related. And yet there was something in the eyes. The nurse was a sucker for an amazing pair of eyes. “So, you must be the famous Rick I’ve not heard nearly enough about.”

  Rick held out his hand only to find it gently pushed away. “None of that handshaking. We’re family.” Before he could react, he found he had an armful of petite nurse. He glanced over the top of the blonde head. It was obvious he was begging his sister for help. Emily had become quite touchy feely over the years.

  It was as if it was part of her nature. Rick, on the other hand, had become even less of a hugger since the breakup with Julian. Since Emily only smirked at him, Rick decided to relax into the embrace. There was something about his sister’s best friend. He couldn’t explain it if he tried. She was sweet, pure, sincere and loving all wrapped up into one. And he knew there was more than met the eye to this little one.

  Finally, Abby released her grasp on her new family member. Even if Rick did something she didn’t agree with, because he was her best friend’s brother, he was automatically family to her. “So are you guys in a hurry to get back to Middletown? If you are, we can grab a couple lunch wraps and some coffee for the road.”

  “I’d like to get back.” Emily made her way to the counter, followed by her best friend and brother. They quickly ordered their items to go. As they stood waiting, the former nurse couldn’t stand it any longer. She had to ask. “Since we’ve got a minute before our orders are ready, tell me how Tabby and Nicky really are doing.”

  Abby’s eyes lost their twinkle for a moment. “I was hoping to discuss everything you are going through. But I guess that will wait until we have a moment of privacy.” Rick looked away. He wasn’t embarrassed. He understood the need to keep some things secret or at least only among those you truly trusted. “Tabby’s hurting. Nicky is, in my opinion, feigning being sick. Or she would have been here herself.”

  Emily sighed heavily. She had worried her little boy would do something to keep them apart. If she had been treated as the little boy had been, she would do what she had to protect her mom and herself. “Perhaps we can make a quick stop before we stop at the bed and breakfast?” There was a pleading in azure eyes. How could anyone say no to them?

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  Tabby looked at the thermometer once again. She shook her head. Most likely her son was faking being sick. Lack of temperature didn’t prove anything conclusively. Still, it wasn’t surprising. Nicky wanted his mother all to himself. What was more, he wanted to make certain she and he were not hurt in the process of forging their relationship with Emily once again.

  “You sleep. I’ll get you some juice.” Tabby leaned down and kissed her son on the forehead. His eyes squeezed tighter. She knew it was to continue the pretense he was fast asleep. The nurse stood from the edge of the bed. She waited until she was in the hallway before she stretched. She leaned her head on the wall, tears threatening to fall.

  “She’ll be here soon.” Tabby nearly jumped out of her skin. She especially did when she saw one of the last people she thought she’d see. While Jeffery Walker, Sam’s younger brother, was around the bed and breakfast quite often because of family gatherings, he lived in his own place with his wife and two sons. To see him on the second floor was surprising.

  The look of surprise and fear must have been written across her face as Jeff quickly held his hands up in mock surrender. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you. And didn’t mean to intrude on your business. I just overheard Abby and Sam talking. I was stopping by to pick up the boys.” It was an unusual situation. One most families couldn’t handle.

  Samantha Walker had been raped. It produced her son Adam. She couldn’t handle raising him and was grateful when first her mother had agreed to raise him. Before too long, Adam had become too energetic for the grandmother to raise. Jeff had volunteered. Up until just over a year ago, he had raised the boy as his son, everyone outside the family thinking Samantha was his aunt, not his mother.

  As with all secrets, the origins of Adam came to the surface. It had led to more heartache for Sam and Abby. It was while Sam had been presumed dead, causing it to be that much more difficult for all to come to terms with. And when Sam returned, the situation became even more complicated. In the end, she and Abby adopted Adam, giving visitation rights to his Uncle Jeff. He also spent the same amount of time with Adam’s half-brother Conrad.

  It amazed Tabby how everyone so readily accepted the situation the Walkers found themselves in. It was all because of love. It was why she was having trouble remaining separated from Emily. It was why she had wanted to be the one to retrieve her soulmate from the airport. Why she hated being here, even if it was to take care of her son.

  “Sorry as well.” Tabby sighed heavily. She wished Desiree or Melissa were around. She desperately needed someone to talk to. “I was just on my way to
get Nicky some juice. He’s feigning being sick, but I have to humor him.” Without waiting for a response, she slowly made her way to the stairs. She could sense Jeff’s presence. She wondered if he was following her to offer an ear or had he been on his way down the stairs. Ignoring him, she made her way into the kitchen.

  The shadow continued. Only it stopped in the doorway and blocked her path of retreat. “What is it with you Walkers?” Tabby sat at the kitchen table. She shoved the orange juice away. Luckily none of it spilled on her friend’s pristine tablecloth. Jeff could not help but chuckle. Instead of saying anything, he went about making a cup of hot chocolate for each of them.

  It brought back a memory. It was the day after Tabby and her soulmate had had their fight. Both had been struggling. Jeff had attempted to help Emily deal with her emotions from the fallout of the words the therapist had spoken. It had been hot chocolate that had been used to comfort her.

  But it was more than comfort. It was an attempt by the youngest Walker to show exactly how both of them were responsible in their own way for the conflict. Neither was completely wrong. Neither was completely right. It was a situation filled with gray areas. Yet it still lingered, how many months later.

  “I know it’s not my place.” Tabby’s blonde eyebrow rose. “But I have a touch of my mother in me.” The joke caused the nurse to chuckle softly. “I’ve been where you are. I did and said some things I regret.” Jeff took a moment to take a sip of his hot chocolate. “I can say that kids make it difficult. I can only imagine how much of a greater pull he has since you two have been alone for so long.”

  “And had an experience neither of us will ever be fully over.” Tabby smiled sadly. Nothing Jeff had said to her was anything new. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t thought herself. It was simply the need for everyone to take a moment and think things through. Perhaps have what one was thinking said aloud was enough to realize it was what it was.

  “I don’t know what I did to become part of this family, but I appreciate it.” Tabby finished off her hot chocolate. Before she could place the empty mug in the sink, Jeff had beaten her to it. “Such gentlemen in this family.” The editor chuckled at the description of himself. “Seriously, thanks for telling me what I already know.” She held out her hand.

  Jeff looked at the offered hand before pulling the young woman in a hug. “Remember, this family is full of huggers. The only one that never was into hugging was my sister.” When the sandy blond pulled back to look into sparkling emerald eyes, he chuckled as if he knew the answer to a secret joke. “But that changed in a hurry once she met her soulmate.”

  There was another hidden message. There are so many things we think of as one way in life. It could be our romantic relationships. It could be the relationships with our family. We think of them one way, only to discover we are looking at them completely wrong. Or that we are missing something so miniscule, yet it changes everything.

  That one thing is when one meets their soulmate. In Tabby’s case, the moment she had taken a chance on propositioning Emily in the diner that day had turned everything she knew around. It was her relationship with her son. It was her relationship with the Walker clan. It was the relationship with her bosses and friends.

  Most importantly, it changed how Tabby thought about her relationship with her ex. While she hadn’t been able to confront Helen until now, her thought process changed completely. She now knew what exactly she had with Emily. What she had once shared with Helen. Now she just had to remember that and to convince Nicky.

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  Emily was beyond nervous. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was. It wasn’t over seeing Tabby, though they had quite a few serious issues to discuss. What was making her so petrified was facing down little Nicky. His age was a factor. When you are almost seven, there are only so many ways of getting your point across.

  The biggest was emotional blackmail of some kind. As Abby had already suspected, Nicky was feigning being sick, just to keep the two soulmates apart. Emily fidgeted with the package that sat in her lap. The small box of coffee flavored fudge was in the back with her brother. She should have stored the present for Nicky back there as she was about to unwrap it herself.

  The therapist felt a sure hand settle on her nervous ones. Emily glanced at her best friend. Abby was fully concentrating on the road, driving one-handed. Yet there was a knowing twinkle in those emerald eyes. Eyes that reminded the therapist of her girlfriend’s. “I’m being silly.” She continued to stare at the hand covering hers.

  “You’d be even sillier if you weren’t concerned or nervous about seeing both Tabby and Nicky.” Abby removed her hand. While she was talented, she hated not having both hands on the steering wheel. It was for safety reasons. A handful of drives flashed in her mind. One as she eluded someone attempting to get to her boys. One as she drove her wife and friend away from danger.

  Emily noticed the change in the emerald eyes and the expression on her face. It was her turn to reach out. Cautious because they were about to turn off the highway, the therapist grasped Abby’s bicep for a brief moment. She was impressed with what she felt. Not that her best friend had ever been lax in taking care of herself, it was now that she had a pair of guns on her.

  It wasn’t long before their surroundings changed from the somewhat familiar to the buildings Emily had grown to love. Middletown was a decent sized town. But there were the buildings she looked for. There was the hospital which contained mostly negative memories. There was the school which contained mostly pleasant ones. There was the road that would take her to her best friend’s home.

  But there was the road that led to the bed and breakfast. It was home for Emily. Not because it’s where she chose to lay her head each night. It was because it was where Tabby and Nicky were. At the thought of her soulmate and her son, once again Emily began to fidget. Her palms were sweaty and no matter how many times she rubbed them on her dress slacks, they remained sweaty.

  The gravel beneath the tires informed Emily she was home. She closed her eyes for a moment. A warm hand was on her arm. “Thanks for bringing us here. I suppose you and Sam have plans for tonight. If memory serves correctly, you and Dark and Dangerous won’t have the boys. You going to take advantage of it?”

  “You should know me by now.” Abby held her friend’s gaze. She did indeed have plans for a certain wife of hers. Melissa was already planning on having Miss Alex for the night. Yup, it was going to be a special night. “I don’t kiss and tell.” Emily shook her head. Leave it to her best friend to say something to that. “We do have plans. I hope you and Tabby can too.” She turned to Rick. “It was nice to meet you. Just give me a call or text if you need a ride. Nearly everything is in walking distance, but I’ll always be there to help anyone out.”

  Rick was glad they were separated. He knew Abby would once again attempt to hug him. Not that it hadn’t been pleasant. It went back to the fact he wasn’t a hugger. Heaven help any of his boyfriends if they were. Perhaps one day he would be. “Thanks. I appreciate it. I might just do a walk around, if the weather holds up.”

  “It’s summer. It’ll hold up. And you never know who you might run into.” Abby winked at her best friend’s brother. Rick began squirming. The nurse couldn’t help but chuckle. “You are definitely not like your sister, at least when it comes to certain things.” Another wink caused Rick to blush profusely. “I’ll leave you alone.” There was a pause. “For now.”

  “Rick, why don’t you head to the door? I’ll be right behind you.” Emily took pity on her brother. He wasn’t used to the love being shown via teasing. It was amazing she had given into it so easily. Or had it come naturally to her? Either way, she was glad she wasn’t easily embarrassed anymore.

  It seemed Rick was as he practically tore the door open. “Abby, you’re horrible.” The nurse laughed. “Again, thanks for coming to get me. I’ll text you later. And if I need…” Emily trailed off. Sam and Abby had a night alone. How mu
ch alone time would the soulmates have with a young child. It wasn’t fair to ask, was it?

  “Emily Dunst, don’t even think about not calling or texting.” Abby took her friend’s hand. “We’ve been through so much over the years together. We got through nursing school. You supported me while I suffered through a loveless marriage. You didn’t even blink an eye when I told you I was attracted to women or falling in love with Sam.”

  “True friends.” They managed to hug, even with the middle console in their way. “I guess I’ve stalled long enough. Say hi to your better half and give her a hug for me.” Abby smiled at the thought. “Wish me luck.” Before her friend could say anything, Emily had extricated herself from the vehicle. She was grateful Rick had already taken the candy and her suitcase. It left the present for Nicky and her carryon.

  Emily waved, stalling a little longer as she watched Abby’s vehicle drive out of sight. Already the kitchen door was open. Already Rick was inside, sitting at the table. A fresh coffee was sitting in front of him. Another was waiting for the therapist. Melissa didn’t hesitate a moment. The innkeeper pulled her adopted daughter into a hug. So that only Emily could hear her, she whispered, “They both missed you. Don’t let how Nicky acts tell you differently.”

  There was a smile on Emily’s face. “I know you’ve met him, but now for the official introduction. This is my younger, twin brother, Rick.” She watched her brother. There was apprehension in his eyes. “Rick, this is Melissa. She’s Abby’s mother-in-law and owner of the bed and breakfast. She won’t make you hug her. But she’ll keep you well-fed and as happy as she can.”

  Rick seemed to relax. “I look forward to some true home cooking.” He nodded his head as he held out his hand. It was no surprise to him that the handshake was quite firm. “I was hoping for a private room, if it’s not too much trouble. I thought I’d then take a little walk around your wonderful town.”