Insight

by Jennis Slaughter

  “I could use a nap, I guess. Can I come up again? I promise I’ll be good.” Del gave a tired smile, knowing Raelin was right about her lack of sleep.

  Patting the bed, Raelin smiled as her lover all but jumped onto the bed, making herself comfortable. “Maybe you’ll sleep better here with me.”

  “I usually do sleep better with you. Promise you’ll get some rest too and won’t be up all night watching me sleep?” Del yawned.

  “I promise,” the witch murmured as the blonde sighed and Raelin began to comb her fingers through her hair.

  “Not fair, using my weakness against me,” Del said softly, knowing that Raelin was well aware that having her hair played with almost always put her to sleep. She felt her eyes drifting closed even as she fought to keep them open.

  Kissing the top of the blonde head, Raelin replied, “Sleep Del.” Carefully, she pushed a little suggestion of sleeping to the woman, hoping that it would work.

  Del felt Raelin’s influence and managed a mumbled, “You’re cheating,” before she finally drifted off.

  “I love you Delaney,” the witch murmured and soon followed the blonde into slumber.

  A Chapter 26 a

  Del woke up stretched carefully on the bed next to Raelin, not wanting to wake her. She’d gotten a good night’s rest, but knew that it had a lot to do with having slept next to Raelin. She climbed gently off the bed and retrieved her cell from the nightstand, reading the text Kasey had sent her about the box for Raelin before she checked the time.

  It was already nine-thirty, so she gathered her clothes and quietly went about taking a shower and getting some presentable clothes on. She would change into the spare uniform she kept at the office.

  She left the bathroom, pulling her still damp hair into a tight ponytail. She finished and looked up to find Raelin regarding her sleepily from the bed. “Morning. I didn’t wake you, did I?” she asked, packing her stuff into the new soft computer bag she’d gotten, not liking the regular hard cased briefcases.

  “No, I woke up just as you were closing the door. I can’t believe that the nurses let us sleep so late.” Raelin wiped at her eyes.

  “I can’t really complain. Besides, we both needed the rest,” she finished packing her things and stood awkwardly next to the bed. “You’ll be okay while I’m in town?”

  “I’ll be fine; you go take care of Leroy.” Raelin smiled. “I’ve got some soap operas and cooking shows to watch.”

  Laughing, Del gave an apologetic look to the woman in the bed. “Maybe when Kasey brings me back later I can bring a few more movies or something.”

  “That will be good. Something funny, if you wouldn’t mind,” the witch suggested.

  There was a light taping at the door and Kasey stuck her head in. “Morning folks. How are things going today?”

  Delaney turned at the knock on the door and smiled when Kasey walked through, looking all spiffy in her uniform. “Why, good morning.”

  “Woo-hoo, Deputy Dawg! I bet Jenny loves you in your uniform,” Raelin teased.

  “I...well, I guess so.” Kasey blushed, remembering the first night she came home wearing it. Jenny had taken her against the front door almost as soon as she came through it. “I miss being able to wear my leather jacket. I guess it kind of worked out because Jenny wears it most of the time now anyway.”

  Raelin bit her lip, seeing the young woman’s face and just imagined what had happened. She kept the comeback to herself and just cleared her throat.

  Del also caught the look on Kasey’s face and grinned widely. “Well, I guess we better get going before a certain deputies head explodes from embarrassment,” she turned to Raelin and motioned towards where Kasey had dropped the box. “The box from the attic is next to my cot. I’ll bring you some movies later tonight when I come back. I’ll see you later okay?” she said.

  “Okay, I hope that you don’t have any upset citizens.” Raelin smiled at her blonde. “Kasey, how are people treating you?”

  “Oh, it’s actually still going really well. I think most of the people in the town were upset by what was going on, so they are glad we’ve sorted the place out. They are getting used to have someone other than Brito and having more than one officer in town. I haven’t had too many problems, and Jenny said last night that people were really starting to trust us,” she smiled. “How are you feeling?”

  Raelin chuckled. “As long as I don’t want to go jogging, I’ll be fine. Hey, where’s Rori?”

  They at once heard a scuffling in the box and Del ran over to open it. An indignant cat poked his head out.

  “Rori, I’m so sorry I totally forgot about you in there,” Kasey said sheepishly.

  Del laughed at the glare the cat threw at her friend.

  Patting the bed, Raelin waited as the feline jumped out of the box and bounded over to the bed. “Tell her that I don’t appreciate being put in a box.”

  “Rori, she can’t exactly walk in with you under her arm,” Raelin explained, scratching the cat under his chin.

  “You’re in trouble now, Kasey. My duffel bag would have suited his highness better,” Del laughed to a blushing Kasey. “We should head back now before we lose any more day. I’m sure you’ve left a wonderful stack of files to go over.”

  “Actually it’s not that bad. We could probably just wander around the town a bit and get a feel for things,” Kasey said thoughtfully.

  Del nodded and turned to Raelin to say goodbye. “I’ll see you with rescue movies later tonight. I love you,” she said softly, leaning down to give the witch a gentle kiss.

  “I love you too. Play nice with the Mayor,” the witch murmured against her lover’s lips.

  “The man just likes to hear himself talk,” Del mumbled, giving Raelin another, longer kiss before finally pulling away. “See ya Rori.” She gave him a light scratch under his chin before leaving with Kasey to head out to the Jeep.

  Sitting in the silent room after Delaney left with Kasey, Raelin felt the loss of her lover almost as a physical pain. She looked out the window and could barely see the top of some trees and the rest was blue sky. Looking out, she missed the feel of the sun on her face and the wind in her hair. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture the glen, but was unable to do so.

  “She’ll be back before you know it child,” Rori purred from his new perch next to her head.

  “I know that Rori. It’s just that I need to get outdoors. I need to feel the sun on my face and the power of the lines. We were able to find our link last night, but I don’t know how long it will last here in the hospital.” Raelin shook her head and leaned her head back against her pillow.

  “For as long as you both keep working for it. You got it back once. I have faith you can do it again. Have a little patience; I’m sure they’ll let you go home soon,” he replied, curling up next to her head, nipping lovingly at her chin before he put his head down for a nap.

  Making up her mind, she pressed the call button for the nurse, and when she came in, the witch asked what time the doctor would be making his rounds. After being told that he was on the floor, she sat back to wait. The nurse’s had caught Rori in the room a couple of times the first week, so they ignored him and let her keep him during the day.

  The older gentleman came in and gave her the once over. “You seem to be healing nicely, but for some reason not healing as quickly as I would expect.”

  “I believe that I know the reason for that,” Raelin stated. “I need to be at home. I am a practicing Wiccan, and my home is filled with positive energy, and I believe in the homeopathic way. Here I am surrounded by machines and buildings, and I cannot feel anything. Do you understand?”

  He smiled. “I do. I remember my grandmother with all of her home remedies, and I agree that you might improve at home. I would have to insist that you be confined to the bed for at least another week with very limited walking. I would want to see you in a week to see how you are doing,” he petted Rori before he left to sign her release papers
.

  Raelin thanked him as he left and as she reached for the phone to call Jenny.

  j

  Jenny jumped at the sound of her cell phone ringing and winced as she hit a wrong key as she played. Leaning over to grab her cell phone off the nearby stand, she grew concerned when she saw the number for Canal City hospital. She flipped it open and hit the talk button. “Hello?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.

  “Hey, it’s me. How’s your day looking? Wanna help me pull off a surprise?” Raelin couldn’t keep a giggle out of her voice.

  Jenny’s eyes narrowed playfully even though Raelin couldn’t see her. “Why? How much shit am I going to catch for it from Del?” She laughed, knowing her friend.

  “You won’t catch a thing, I promise. The doctor is letting me out, so I want you to grab the keys to my truck and come spring me from this joint. And if you wouldn’t mind, bring me a pair of sweat pants, my softest button down shirt, and my sneakers.” The woman bit her bottom lip trying not to laugh aloud.

  “You want me to kidnap you, not tell your crazy overprotective cop of a girlfriend, and then not expect to catch hell? Right, we’ll just see.” Jenny laughed, already moving through the house to collect Raelin’s things. “I’ll grab you some clothes and then I’ll be there in a half hour with the getaway vehicle.”

  “Deal. See you then.” Raelin hung up the hospital phone. “Done, I’ll be home within a couple of hours. Yes!”

  “Are you sure this is wisest course of action? Won’t you be in better hands here in the hospital instead of home?” Rori worriedly asked.

  “I don’t know, but what I do know is I can’t feel my power and I’m not healing as fast as I should. I can do bed rest at home surrounded by the lines just as well as I can rest here.” Raelin leaned back and closed her eyes.

  Rori placed his head atop hers. “It’s gonna be an interesting evening in the Montrose household.”

  Raelin enjoyed twenty minutes of silence before Jenny walked into the room, one hand pushing a wheelchair and the other carrying a duffle bag. “Hey guys, your getaway driver has arrived.”

  Carefully swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Raelin reached out to hug her friend. “Thanks so much for doing this. And don’t worry; I’ll take all the heat from Delaney.”

  Jenny returned the hug, glad her friend was recovering. “I’m glad to see your doing better. Now let’s get you packed up and back to the house where you belong.” Jenny smiled as she packed up some things around the room, placing them in the box Kasey had brought that morning. Thankfully, there wasn’t a lot to pack up and most of it was going to fit.

  Pulling her clothes out of the duffle bag, Raelin started unbuttoning her nightshirt. “I can’t wait to get into my own bed with my own things around me. And I can’t wait to see Delaney’s face when she sees I am home.”

  “She’s going to be very happy. She misses you being there. You can see it whenever she stops into the house for anything. You want a hand with that?” Jenny asked, putting the last few things into the box and watching how Raelin gingerly worked the buttons of her shirt one handed.

  “If you wouldn’t mind. The doctor said that I have to stay in bed for another week, but I can walk around just a little. But I know that once I’m home, things are going to move a lot faster than they did here.” Raelin looked at the young woman in gratitude.

  “That’s good to hear. It’s really awesome to see you being a little more yourself,” Jenny replied, working the remaining buttons of Raelin’s shirt. She got it undone and quickly slipped the clean shirt on, buttoning it back up for her friend.

  “I’m getting there, but I’ll be much better soon.” The brunette slid off the bed and with Jenny’s help, slipped on her sweatpants, and tied her shoes. Sitting in the wheelchair, she held Rori in the duffle bag on her lap and Jenny was soon pushing them out to her truck.

  Jenny placed the box she carried out to the truck first and then set the duffle bag containing Rori on the middle seat, unzipping it so he could pop out. Turning to Raelin, she helped her up into the truck and got her settled. “I'm just going to return this to the inside and then we can get you home,” she quickly returned the chair and then hopped into the driver’s side, starting them back towards Leroy.

  They had been on the road for a few minutes, when Raelin asked her friend a question. “What did you feel the first time you saw Kasey?”

  Jenny smiled, thinking back to that first introduction. “I thought she was gorgeous. She was wearing this well fitted T-shirt and jeans and that leather jacket of hers. I caught her glancing at me during that whole discussion, and every time I caught her eyes, there was this little hitch in my chest. It was like somebody had sucked the air right out of my lungs. Then she would see that I’d caught her looking, blush, and look away shyly. Every time that happened, my chest felt warm, and I wanted nothing more than to climb in her lap and kiss her. That’s pretty much when I decided she was it. Why?” Jenny asked as they left Canal City and hit the back road that would take them home.

  Raelin turned towards her friend and grinned. “The first time I saw Delaney was amazing...actually, I felt her looking at me first. It was her first day in town and I was talking with Jasper when I felt someone looking at me. I felt her gaze start at my calves and work its way up. I could have sworn that she was touching me. In fact, the cards had told me the night before that someone was coming, and boy, were they right.”

  “So it was like something straight out of a movie then, huh? Keep in mind, I use the term ‘straight’ very loosely here,” Jenny giggled, keeping an eye on the road as she drove.

  “Ha, ha. And later on, Jasper actually did something nice. He asked for her help to bring out the desk, and that’s when we actually met. And for that alone, I will be eternally grateful to him.”

  “It’s about all you need to be grateful for. Although, I’m sure you would have fallen into each other’s orbits eventually, Miss ‘Person of Interest’ in a missing person case.” Jenny laughed, referencing Sumner’s comments about her.

  “Yeah, well I don’t care how we came into each other’s orbits, because she has become the sun in my life, and I don’t want to live without her.” Raelin sighed, knowing how sappy that sounded.

  “That was the corniest thing I’ve ever heard. Sadly, I think the same thing of Kasey so I guess I’m not much better. We’re a pretty love sick pair, aren’t we?” Jenny smirked, finally turning onto the road that would take them to Raelin’s house.

  j

  Kasey and Delaney had just finished lunch and were on the way to town hall for a meeting with the mayor when Del stumbled, one hand shooting up to her forehead and a small whimper escaping her lips.

  Kasey reached out to steady the blonde. “You okay, Boss?” She looked worriedly at her friend.

  Del took a moment, trying to get the thrumming in her mind to settle. She wasn’t as adept at feeling the lines as Raelin was, but even she’d been able to tell that they’d been disturbed. She’d felt a surge and the usual humming in her mind had intensified in a sharp spike before settling down into a calm state that they hadn’t been in before. Eventually her head stopped ringing and she was able to look up into the worried face of her friend. “Yeah Kasey, I’m fine.”

  “You’re fine, or you’re okay? Which one?” The brunette was attempting humor.

  “A little of both I think,” she grinned. “Come on; let’s get that meeting with our esteemed mayor out of the way,” she said, rolling her eyes. The new mayor was nice enough, but he tried way too hard to impress them every time he called them over.

  j

  Stepping out of the truck, Raelin had to hold onto the door as the power of the lines surged up before they settled into a familiar hum. Briefly, her skin glowed and her hair floated above her shoulders, and she smiled. Things were getting back to normal.

  “That’s the biggest smile I’ve seen out of you yet.” Jenny smiled, offering her arm to the witch in case she wanted it
.

  “It’s good to be home,” she took her friends arm and they slowly made their way towards the house.

  Rori jumped out of the cab and bounded for the back porch. “I felt that. Ding-dong, the witch is back. Which ol’ witch? The beautiful witch.”

  Chuckling, Raelin had to stop so that she didn’t stumble. “You are a bad puss.”

  “And you love me.”

  “You know, I’m not sure I want to ask.” Jenny grinned, watching the interaction between witch and familiar. “You want to be set up on the couch or in the bedroom?”

  “The bedroom please. I know that it’s gonna take a bit to get me up the stairs, but I think I need a nap.” The brunette took a deep breath as she considered tackling the stairs.

  “Sure, we’ll just make sure we take our time, and you can rest whenever you need to,” Jenny assured her aunt as they paused at the bottom of the stairs.

  Closing her eyes for a moment, Raelin carefully reached out to the lines and allowed them to flow through her. The energy was so pure and clean that for a moment, she felt like she had imbibed in a few too many glasses of wine and was almost giddy. It had been a very long time since she had felt this clear untainted power.

  Taking a step, they slowly made their way up the stairs and into her bedroom without stopping until Raelin was standing beside her bed. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and slowly sank onto the mattress. “Whew! That feels almost as good as...”

  Jenny quickly held up her hand to stop the witch. “I love you Raelin, but there are just some things I don’t need to know about my aunt,” she laughed. “Now what can I do to get you comfy? Sleeping clothes perhaps?”

  “Yes, please.” The brunette giggled. “Sorry about that. The lines are untainted for the first time in years, and it’s like I’ve got a good buzz going on.”

  Jenny grabbed some comfy sleeping clothes for Raelin to wear and helped her aunt get changed. “So can you feel Del? Or is she too far off?”