A Time of Seasons
Page 7
Chapter Six
It was three days before Christmas and time for Dalton and Misty to leave the cabin. The road was cleared of the snow, and the vehicle was loaded with everything they would need. Misty's car had been damaged beyond repair by a snow plow so the three would be traveling to Texas in Dalton’s SUV. Misty looked around the small cabin that had been her refuge for the last nine days. A part of her was sad to leave. She felt Dalton's hand on her shoulder and looked up at him. He had done a lot of talking the last couple of days. Mostly to assure her that everything would be ok. "I'm sad about this."
Dalton had to agree. "I am too. It was great hanging out with you and Rachel. I mean it when I say we are friends now. I was not lying when I stated that I plan on visiting often."
Misty smiled up at him. She was more at peace than she had been. "I will hold you to that Doctor."
Dalton walked over and picked the car seat up. Rachel was covered up and ready to go. He knew they would need to stop during their trip for her to eat and Jamie to do her business. He put his hand on the small of Misty's back and guided her to the door. "It's time to go."
Dalton opened Misty's car door for her. After that, he hooked Rachel's seat in the back of the car and then got in behind the wheel. Looking over at Misty he smiled gently. Tears were running down her cheeks. She had become very special to him these last nine days. He wished that she understood this was not the end of their friendship. Though she seemed to understand it more now than she had before.
Misty looked over at Dalton and tried to smile. She didn't understand why her heart was hurting so much. She was going home but the thought of not seeing Dalton again hurt. "You won't forget us, will you?"
Dalton shook his head no. "I told you I will not ever forget you. I will be visiting you and Rachel as often as I can. You may end up getting sick of me."
Misty shook her head no. "I will never get sick of you."
Dalton put the car in drive and headed down the long windy drive to the highway. He reached over and grabbed Misty's hand. "It will be ok."
Misty nodded as she brought his big yet gentle hand to her heart. She knew her hormones were still off and hoped that all of these emotions would settle. She took a deep breath. Feeling more in control she looked over at Dalton. "How long will our trip be?"
Dalton smiled. "We will drive seven to eight hours today and then stop. You really shouldn't be cramped up in a car like this. We will finish the second half of the trip tomorrow."
Misty held Dalton's hand on her lap. She knew he would need it to drive but wanted to hold it just a little longer. "Does your family live in Houston with you?"
Dalton shook his head no. "They live in Tennessee."
"Will you be able to stay with us a couple of more days and be with us for Christmas?" Misty asked hopefully.
Dalton looked over at Misty. He had planned on being alone at the cabin but realized that he would enjoy being with her during Christmas. "If I'm welcome I would love to stay for Christmas."
Misty reluctantly let go of his hand. She looked out the window at the passing landscape. "I'm going to miss this."
Dalton looked over at her as he pulled onto I-25. "I know you are having a difficult time believing me, but I really am going to stay in your life.”
Misty looked over at him and shrugged. “I want to believe you.”
Dalton thought about what she was saying. "I really want to stay in touch and be friends. You will always have a special place in my life. Misty, you need to talk to someone about all of this. It is not healthy or normal to have this much anxiety. I do think some of it could be the fact that you just gave birth but not all of it. You need to work through this fear. Some people are able to come back. You have to start understanding and believing in that. Don't miss out on what God has for you by not dealing with not just Brent’s death but the feeling of abandonment his death caused. I honestly believe that almost all of the fear you harbor can be tied back to you not dealing head-on with Brent not coming home."
Misty thought about what he said. What if God wanted her to open herself back up to love? It was too much to think about. She loved Brent so much. They had planned on raising their child and growing old together. They had planned on ‘happily ever after.' She was not sure she could find love only to lose it again. She also knew that she could never let Brent entirely go. He was the father of her child. He would always have a special place in her heart, but she could still see what he was saying. She was terrified that those closest to her would not come back. She knew the fear was not reasonable but couldn’t seem to stop from feeling it. Dalton’s friendship was almost overwhelming to her. She had let him in, but the fear didn’t let up it intensified. He was right. She needed to seek help.
Dalton could tell she was deep in thought. He could not imagine the fear and pain she must hold. He knew that he could not understand totally what she was going through but he was aware that she needed to tell someone what she was feeling. "What is your biggest fear in seeking help to work through your grief?"
Misty looked at him. "I'm afraid that they will tell me I need to forget him. How do you say goodbye and forget your first love?”
Dalton thought about it for a moment. "I don’t think that is what they would tell you to do. If I had to guess I would say that they would say it is ok that Brent occupies a place in your heart, but I also think they will want you to portion that space correctly. If God sends you someone to love you, you need to be able to see that it is ok. You are allowed to let someone else in.”
Misty agreed that it made sense but could she really do that? Could she make room for someone in her heart? "I feel like even talking about this is betraying Brent's memory."
"I don't think Brent would have wanted you to mourn him forever. You said that too. He would want you to live. If a man comes into your life that you start to have feelings for you need to pray and seek Christ first. If Christ is the One that sent him you need to open yourself up to him. The man that God chooses will be understanding and gentle about Brent's memory."
Misty hoped he was right. She suddenly smiled. "We are kind of the strangest friends, aren’t we? I didn't even know you and then…boom I have a baby at your cabin."
Dalton had to laugh at the picture. "It will always be an interesting story when people ask how we became friends."
The rest of the drive that day went by fast. They continued to talk and laugh. They stopped a couple of times to feed Rachel and let Jamie out, but they still made excellent time on the road. Before they knew it, it was time to stop driving and seek rest for the night.