[Intertwined Souls 05.0] No Good Deed

by Mary D. Brooks

  The sound of rain hitting the window pane made Zoe giggle. The dampness caused her hip to start aching. She could feel the tightness begin to take hold in her leg muscle which had been broken when she fell off her motorcycle. “Oh yeah, let it rain!” she whispered to the clouds outside. Rain normally also made Eva ache all over, and for once, Zoe was wishing for a torrential downpour. She wanted to see the effects the rain would have on a newly healed Eva.

  “You are going crazy,” Zoe muttered to herself as she turned and watched the rain fall. Zoe’s legendary impatience was on the verge of winning, but she settled back down and waited for a few more hours. Eva needed her rest and Zoe’s good news was going to have to wait.

  Zoe found herself drifting off while she was sitting in the chair. She wasn’t sure what time it was when water droplets splattered on her feet and woke her up. She yawned and looked at the clock, which read 5:00 a.m. She smiled broadly and got out of her chair. She winced at the uncomfortable ache in her back and her legs.

  “Well, that’s close enough.” Zoe said out loud as she stood and stared intently at Eva’s face. Her dark lashes quivered in her sleep. Zoe went down on her knees to gaze at Eva. The scar above her right eye was still there. That wasn’t a surprise, since Theresa said she wasn’t removing the scars. Her hair was still very short, and the head surgery incision looked less angry. Zoe nibbled her lip and was hesitant to wake Eva, but getting healed by a saint was an unusual event in one’s life. Eva shifted in her sleep and she moved away from Zoe’s intent gaze.

  Zoe got up off the floor and went to the light switch near the door. She flicked it on and off. That was a certain way to get Eva’s attention even when she was asleep. Zoe found this was a much better way to wake her—nudging Eva awake was fraught with uncertainty as to how she would respond. Zoe once got slapped in the head when she was trying to get a little amorous and Eva wasn’t fully awake. Zoe scowled as she continued to flick the light switch on and off. Eva stirred but didn’t wake.

  “What a time to ignore the light,” Zoe mumbled as she left the light on and went to the side where Eva was facing. She knelt beside her sleeping partner. “Oh, Evy, wake up, love,” she whispered. She brushed the dark hair and gently laid her hand on Eva’s injured head. “Evy, this is important.”

  “Wha?” Eva said, her voice husky from sleep. Her eyes slid open and she gazed at Zoe with a very confused look.

  Zoe took a deep breath and grinned. “Merry Christmas and Happy birthday, Eva!” she said with a giggle. She leaned in and captured Eva’s mouth in a passionate kiss. “Hello.”

  “Hullo,” Eva said with a lazy smile as she gazed at Zoe. “Ah, why are you so happy? It’s really early.”

  “Because this is a very special day.” Zoe shook her head and tried to stay calm, but the overwhelming desire to blurt everything out was warring with her desire to see the realization on Eva’s face of what was about to become a life changing moment. “How does this feel?” She asked, and put her hand over Eva’s still tender incision. Eva grimaced even before Zoe’s hand reached her head.

  “No, don’t…”

  “Shh, it’s not going to hurt. I promise.” Zoe gently touched the area causing Eva to blink rapidly.

  “Um. Did you or Tommy give me my pain medication while I was asleep?”

  “No.”

  “It doesn’t hurt. I can feel your hand there, but it’s not tender.”

  “It’s also raining.”

  “Alright.”

  “I mean, it’s REALLY raining. Rain that gets into your bones and you hear yourself creak when you move, Evy. My hip hurts and I can feel it deep inside my leg.”

  “Huh?” Eva looked at her for a moment but her tiredness won out and her eyes began to close. “Hm.”

  Zoe reached out and propped Eva’s eyelid open. She smiled on seeing the blue orb gazing back at her. “You have to get up.”

  Despite Eva’s confusion at Zoe’s antics, Eva opened both eyes to stare at Zoe. “Zo, the village idiot wants to sleep.”

  “It’s raining and you know how much you hate the rain,” Zoe said, ignoring the village idiot tag which she hated. She gently laid her hand over Eva’s temple. “You are going to be very happy I woke you up.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Zoe removed her hand from Eva’s temple and cupped her face. “Do you know what today is?”

  “Um, no. It’s not fair to ask me so early in the morning, love. I can barely remember who I am so early.”

  “Now you’re exaggerating. Come on, play this game with me.”

  “Um…it’s early in the morning…”

  “Christmas, Easter, your name day, my name day, all the saint name days, my birthday, your birthday, and our babies’ birthdays for the next seventy years.”

  “Um…Zo, are you on my pain medication?”

  Zoe threw back her head and laughed. She hadn’t laughed like that in so long and her heart just swelled. She sighed contentedly as a smile creased her face. “Oh, my god, I love my life right now.” She kissed Eva on the lips and started to unbutton Eva’s shirt.

  “Don’t stop, love. I’m enjoying this dream even if it’s a little strange.”

  Zoe sat up and rested on her legs. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling. “Oh, my God, I love you! I don’t like you, but THANK YOU, GOD!” she screamed out.

  “Alright,” Eva responded with a slight uncertain smile.

  Zoe giggled and shook her head. “Now, trust me.” She took Eva’s hand and placed it over her right shoulder, where Eva’s flesh was scarred by the bullet that had nearly ended her life in Larissa. “How does your scar feel? You know, since it’s raining heavily and all…”

  “What…”

  Zoe put her hands over her head. “I’m getting a headache from laughing too much,” she said with a giggle. “Trust me,” she said as she unbuttoned the rest of Eva’s top and removed it. “I missed touching you.”

  “I’m having a really, really nice dream right now.”

  “You are?”

  “Oh, yeah, we’re going to make love and I’m feeling absolutely no pain.”

  Zoe captured Eva’s mouth for a long sensual kiss. “You are going to get the biggest surprise soon.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah.” Zoe nodded. “You think I can’t do foreplay—this is foreplay, my love.”

  Eva sat back against the pillows and laughed. “I’ve never had a dream where you were patient, Zo. This is different. I really do have strange dreams,” she said while Zoe finished taking her top off.

  Zoe indicated for Eva to roll over. Eva laughed and complied. Zoe couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The scars were indeed lighter. Theresa was true to her word. She didn’t remove them, but they all looked less intense. Zoe nodded. That was the word she would use to describe Eva’s scars—intense and deep. They were now less intense, less angry looking.

  “You okay?” Eva asked.

  Zoe choked back the tears. The deepest scar, the one that caused Eva the most pain, from the Paris bombing, looked flatter than it used to be. Zoe wasn’t sure how to describe it. She wasn’t able to say anything for some time. Eva turned around and looked at her. “What’s the matter?”

  Zoe wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed back the tears. “A miracle happened last night, Evy. We have a miracle growing inside me, but a bigger miracle happened last night. Think back to last night.”

  “Last night?”

  “Yes. What were you doing last night in the Journey room?”

  “Um…Tessa and Jana were teaching me how to control the telekinesis. I don’t think our encyclopedias are going to be the same after yesterday…” Eva stopped when Zoe shook her head. “No? It’s not that?”

  “No. The encyclopedias did fall and you did rip off the top of Mount Ossa…”

  “I’m sorry about that, Zo…”

  “Shh, I’m not upset about that. I will paint it again. That’s not it. Let’s just say your aim was really off.
”

  Eva sighed. “Yes, I know, but what are you getting at? I know my aim is off…do we have to discuss this now? We’re going to make love and you want to talk about the books?”

  “No, I don’t want to talk about the books, trust me, I don’t. It was because of what happened yesterday, Mama Saint and I had a long chat.”

  “Huh?”

  “Mama Saint made a holy telephone call and got the all clear…”

  “Huh?”

  Zoe blew out an exasperated breath as the last vestiges of her patience evaporated. She leaned over and whispered in Eva’s ear. “Mama Saint healed you.”

  “Wha..”

  “Yes.” Zoe nodded vigorously. “You were finding the training difficult because of your injuries. It was too much for you to handle, Evy. Mama Saint asked permission to do something that was forbidden.”

  “She healed me? She asked permission? From who?”

  “Yes, I was there when she asked. She healed your head injury caused by the bucket and your back pain. She said by removing those obstacles, you could handle the training. She touched you and she healed you overnight.”

  “She healed my head?”

  “Better than that.”

  “Better than that? How much…oh…” Eva’s eyes widened in realization. “No…”

  Zoe nodded. “Oh, yeah.” She let her hands tell the story as she massaged Eva’s scarred back knowing the places she touched would normally be very sensitive to her touch, especially when it rained. Eva’s reaction was to tense up as soon as she felt Zoe’s hands, and then, when the pain did not eventuate, Zoe could see Eva’s back muscles relax. “Does that hurt?”

  “Uh...no.”

  “Let’s see what else we can find.” Zoe scrambled off the bed and set off for the bathroom. She stopped when she realized Eva wasn’t with her. Eva was sitting on the bed with a very perplexed look on her face. “What are you waiting for?”

  “For my world to start spinning.”

  “It’s not going to unless we decide to make love, and I’m not about to do that right now.”

  “So this isn’t a dream? I was looking forward to making love to you.”

  “No. This is better than making love.”

  Eva’s eyebrows rose and smiled. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “This is not a dream, Evy and you can get up.”

  “First you tell me I shouldn’t or else you will get cross with me, then you tell me to get—” Eva stopped talking when Zoe took two strides back to where she was sitting and shut her up with a kiss.

  “Hm, that was nice.” Eva waited for a moment before her feet touched the flokati covered floor. She rose and immediately sat down again.

  “What’s the matter?” Zoe asked in alarm.

  “Um…I feel light headed,” Eva replied and shook her head. “Um. I feel weird.”

  “Weird? How weird? Are you hurting?”

  “No nothing hurts...are you sure Tommy didn’t give me anything during the night?”

  “I promise you, Tommy did not come into our room and give you any medication.”

  “Why am I not feeling any pain?”

  Zoe sighed. “Evy, this is not a dream. It’s the morning and you are awake. Were you not listening when I said Mama Saint healed you?” Zoe knew Eva was not paying any attention to her. “It did happen.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Now get up very slowly so you won’t get dizzy and come with me.” Zoe took Eva’s hand and they walked to the bathroom. Zoe put her arm around Eva’s waist. It was evident Eva was hesitant with each step she took; almost afraid that the next step would cause her to fall. Zoe flicked the switch with her elbow and the room was bathed in light.

  “Turn around, love.”

  Eva turned around and Zoe shook her head in amazement, still not quite believing what had happened. Taking a deep breath, she handed the smaller hand mirror to Eva and positioned it so she could see her reflection in the wall mirror.

  Eva was silent for a long time. “Oh,” she said softly. “They appear flatter, almost the same color as the rest of my skin.”

  “Especially the big angry one down here.” Zoe tenderly touched Eva’s lower back. She gently pushed the one area she knew would cause the most pain on purpose. “It doesn’t hurt, right?”

  “No, I can feel your hand there, but it feels normal.”

  Zoe went around Eva’s back and put her arms around her waist. “I love you so much.”

  “I’m not dreaming?” Eva almost whispered her question.

  “No, love, you’re not dreaming. Mama Saint healed your head injury. She left the scars, but they don’t hurt. She removed the pain caused by them. She said if she removed the scars, it would cause more problems.”

  “Oh,” Eva said and paused for a long moment. “Should I try this body out?”

  Zoe giggled. “I wouldn’t mind testing your body out, but I think we should leave that for another time. Sure, test your body out.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Zoe nodded. “Go ahead,” she said and took a step back and sat on the closed lid of the toilet. She was ecstatically happy and she crossed her legs at the ankles. She waited for Eva.

  Eva hesitantly lifted her arms above her head and touched the ceiling. Zoe couldn't help the laugh that burst forth when she saw Eva’s eyes widen and a huge smile crease her face. Eva lifting her arms above the shoulder was normally an ordeal for her. Zoe laughed on seeing Eva’s face go from trepidation to euphoria in a matter of seconds. Eva chuckled to herself as she twisted her torso from side to side. “It doesn’t hurt when I do this.”

  “Touch your toes.”

  Eva gazed at Zoe in the mirror and hesitated before she leaned down and was able to barely touch her toes. “I’m not in good shape.”

  “You’re over six feet; I would have been surprised if you could touch your toes.” Zoe laughed as got up from her seat and put her arm around Eva. “You’re in better shape than yesterday, when you could barely touch your knees without your back hurting. That’s going to change now. I’m sorry she couldn’t remove the scars.”

  “She healed me from the pain. I’m ecstatic with that. I haven’t been pain free in fourteen years.”

  They held each other for a long moment. Zoe could almost feel Eva’s euphoria as she held her. She could feel Eva shaking as she looked up into bright blue eyes and smiled.

  “Oh!” Zoe exclaimed and smiled broadly on how active her babies were this morning. They also knew the significance of the day and Zoe hoped they were celebrating because she was so happy her heart was ready to burst.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Um…” Zoe took Eva’s hand and placed it on her stomach. She watched Eva’s eyes widen when she realized what was happening. Eva dropped to her knees and rested her cheek against Zoe’s belly. Zoe laughed when she felt another kick, this time where Eva’s hand was.

  “Uno or Due is kicking!” Eva said as she looked up.

  “Yep, they’re happy this morning. Come on, off the floor,” Zoe took Eva’s hand as she got up off the floor effortlessly. Zoe was ready to cry on seeing the euphoric look on Eva’s face.

  Eva put her arms around Zoe as they gazed at each other. Eva closed her eyes and chuckled. “Zo, this better not be a dream.”

  “Nope, it’s not a dream.”

  “If I wake up and find it is a dream…it will still be the second best damn dream I’ve ever had…”

  “Second best?”

  “Best dream I’ve ever had was picking you up and holding you in my arms as I was taking you to our bed,” Eva replied wistfully. “Best dream.”

  “Well,” Zoe said as she unbuttoned the first two buttons of Eva’s pajama pants and looked up. “Forget dreams for now; I have other things on my mind.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to test out your new body and see how well it runs. Come on.” Zoe took Eva’s hand and began to walk out of the bathroom only to be s
topped when Eva didn’t move. “Is there a problem?”

  “We have to tell...”

  “No.”

  “But Zoe…”

  “No.” Zoe shook her head and grinned. “We don’t have to tell anyone yet.”

  “But…”

  “Evy, I love you, but you talk too much.” Zoe threw back her head and laughed. “I have better things to do,” she said and hurried them both out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

  CHAPTER 41

  Stella quietly made her way from her home and crossed the road. The sun had begun its ascent and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful sunny Sydney day. Her thoughts were on Eva–her niece had been foremost in her mind since her accident. Eva had been struggling with her concentration and memory at the best of times, but now she had to deal with the gift training as well, and she wasn’t coping. Theresa’s early morning wake-up call and announcement that she had healed Eva had caught her and Tessa by surprise. To Stella this outcome was the most obvious. She opened the gate and heard raucous laughing coming from the house. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, so she went around the back and entered through the kitchen door. She followed the laughter to the bathroom.

  She stood at the threshold and stared inside. Eva was on the floor next to the toilet with her back to the wall, her long legs stretched out before her. She had one arm around Zoe, who was leaning against her, and in the other was a bottle of beer. Sitting next to Zoe was Henry. Directly opposite them was Tommy, who also had a bottle of beer. She saw a pair of boots and legs she assumed belonged to Earl, who was behind the door. Theo was sitting in the bathtub and drinking from his beer.

  “Goddess! What are you doing? Are you all drinking at this time of the morning?”

  Eva looked up, saw Stella, and started to make hand gestures that Stella didn’t understand, but it looked like she was trying to depict waves on the ocean. Everyone in the bathroom burst into hysterical laughter.

  Stella leaned against the doorjamb and shook her head. Theresa had come to her and Tessa late in the evening and told them of her plans to heal Eva. Eva’s exuberance was not a surprise. What was surprising was everyone else’s behavior.