by Rachel Burns
“Now what?” he asked the other angels.
The one from before appeared in front of him. His golden light was so bright that Martin feared he might wake up Morgan. “You aren’t finished. You still have to face your own deeds from the past.”
“How? What does that mean?” Martin asked.
“Sawyer doesn’t understand her. She’s ashamed of the way you treated her. She’ll never tell him the whole truth. But he needs to know. Go to him.”
Martin felt as if he were falling backwards.
Chapter 34
“You’re still alive?” Sawyer stated when he saw Martin, standing in his bedroom beside his bed.
“Actually, no. I’m here to show you something.”
“I stayed up too late. This is a dream.” Sawyer lay back down.
“Why does no one take me seriously?” Martin was getting better at using his powers. He plucked Sawyer out of bed and dressed in warmly too, trying to ignore the fact that Sawyer slept in the buff.
“I’m going to show you something. It will help you understand why Morgan isn’t going to come back to you. You have to go and get her.”
“What are you talking about? What’s going on here? Why isn’t my security system working?”
“The house is great. Morgan loved it when I showed it to her,” Martin told him.
“Morgan was here?” Sawyer asked, forgetting about his worries.
“Yes, I showed her your past, your present, and your future.”
“My future?” Sawyer questioned him, thinking that this was getting more and more absurd.
“Yes, it was exactly like mine. I was lonely too, but it wasn’t because I was too scared to go get the woman I loved. I preferred it that way.” Martin took hold of Sawyer’s hand and led him into the past. Sawyer kicked and fought, trying to get away.
“That’s Morgan. It was our first Christmas together.” Martin pointed up the stairs to where Morgan was sitting. She looked so tiny and Martin was reminded how scared of her he was back then.
“Then why is she alone?” Sawyer questioned him.
“The truth is that I was afraid of her. I saw her as my enemy all the while she was growing up.”
Sawyer walked over to the living room and peeked in. “Who’s in here?”
“That’s me with some woman I picked up for the holidays. She was hoping to marry me and divorce me.”
“Marry and divorce?” Sawyer repeated.
“That’s how it’s done in my circles,” Martin replied. “But look at Morgan. She’s been waiting all day for me to come and get her. She hasn’t eaten anything. Christmas presents and Santa Claus are no longer on her mind. She’s starving.”
They followed her up as she darted away to hide when she heard her father coming. Martin glanced at his former self with disdain as he passed by with that woman.
Sawyer’s eyes were on Morgan as she brought herself to bed.
They waited a long time. Neither man complained about having nothing to do other than to stare at her.
Then she got out of bed and tiptoed downstairs. She was as quiet as a mouse as she looked for something to eat.
Sawyer was surprised to see her approach the stove with confidence. He had never seen her do that before. She made herself some eggs, and all seemed well until the door flew open and Martin’s younger self appear. Martin looked away, knowing what was about to happen.
Sawyer reacted differently. He tried to stop the spanking taking place, calling Martin a monster and physically trying to grab onto his arm while Morgan screamed out in pain.
“Make him stop,” Sawyer pleaded with Martin’s ghost.
“He’s only starting,” Martin replied in shame.
Sawyer’s heart broke, watching what was happening to her.
Suddenly, they were in the study, and Morgan was presenting her father her report card. Then Martin was searching for her and finally found her in the wardrobe. Beating after beating took place. Then the last beating where Martin had punished her for being better than he was at fencing and when she came home that night happened.
Frustrated, Sawyer tried to choke the ghost of Martin, but his hands couldn’t do the damage he wanted.
“I’ve seen enough. I’ll go to her,” Sawyer told Martin, feeling defeated. “You don’t need to show me anything else.”
“I have more to show you. We aren’t finished in the past.”
“Could it get any worse?” Sawyer asked him. The doubt was clear in his voice.
“It can always get worse,” Martin stated flatly. He wanted to start explaining before the last story in her past unfolded, but the bright angel had made it clear that this was also his punishment for a life badly led.
Morgan was with Robert, smiling at him. The need to be loved was so clear in her eyes. She introduced her boyfriend to her father.
Martin told her that he would cut her off if she continued to see the guy.
Then they were in the apartment, and Sawyer saw his little dove being hurt in a way no man should ever hurt a woman. He felt sick to his stomach.
“Make it stop. I can’t see this anymore,” Sawyer begged Martin as her doll shattered against the wall.
“I was her father. I should have protected her from all this. But instead, I was the one who taught her to take a beating. Heck, I even taught her to expect to be beaten.”
“Let’s move on to the present. I need to know how she’s doing now. I have to see if she’s alright,” Sawyer begged him.
“It isn’t over.” They spun around and saw the hospital. Morgan was in bed, and Martin was coming in the door. It was clear that he was more worried about anyone finding out what had happened than if his daughter was alright. They watched him threaten her and take away everything she had left.
“That’s why she left and found you. You were the best thing that ever happened to her. Even if your relationship was based on a misunderstanding.” Martin confessed.
Sawyer shook his head in disgust for himself. “She needed someone to take care of her. She would have done anything for someone to tell her that he loved her. I twisted that to fit my own needs. I swear I will never hurt her again.”
“Keep in mind who sent me here. He thinks you’re the right man for her. What you two do in the bedroom is your business.” Martin didn’t want to talk about sex either. There was nothing wrong with what they did together as long as they both liked it.
“But I continued to hurt her, exactly like everyone else did. I should have tried harder to get her to tell me the truth.”
“She would never tell you the truth. That’s why I’m here. She’s so ashamed of herself. Deep down, she thinks she doesn’t deserve better.”
“I don’t deserve her,” Sawyer announced, coming to the conclusion that perhaps Morgan was better off without him.
“Listen to me,” Martin snapped at him. “I need you to be there for her. I need you to be the father that I never was. You need to teach her to expect love and know that she deserves it. You have to do that for me.” Martin begged him.
When Sawyer didn’t reply, Martin took hold of his hand again. “I’ll take you to her.”
They traveled forward in time to earlier that evening. Morgan sat up perfectly straight and ate her meal in solitude. Then without saying a word to anyone, she went to stare at the tree. They watched her go to bed and fall asleep.
“Tomorrow she plans to do the same thing. She’ll be all alone again with no one to talk to,” Martin confessed.
“I’ll go to her. This can stop.”
“No, I only have one more thing to show you. Her future.” Martin grabbed Sawyer’s hand and off they went.
It was Christmastime again. Morgan was clearly older, and she was still alone. She was in front of the tree again, but tears were running down her face. She turned off the Christmas tree lights and went into the office. There she got a piece of paper out of her desk and signed it. She left it laying out with another note.
Slowly, she
went up the stairs to her bedroom. It was still the small room she had while growing up.
Martin rolled his eyes. It was as if she were punishing herself and felt she didn’t deserve the big bedroom.
She went into her bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror for a long time. It was clear that she didn’t like what she saw.
A single tear rolled down her cheek as she looked down and opened a drawer. She took out a bottle of pills and took them one after the other as Sawyer screamed and begged her not to do it.
Morgan was dizzy as she walked to her room and laid down on her bed. She grabbed onto her doll and held it tightly to her heart.
Sawyer knelt beside the bed, telling Morgan that she needed to get up. “You have to get the pills out, baby. Come on. I’ll go with you. Please, get up, baby.”
Martin laid his hand on Sawyer’s shoulder.
“She’s gone. We have to go now too.”
“No. I’ll fight for her. I swear, I will. I won’t let her do this,” Sawyer pleaded with him.
~
Sawyer sat up in bed. His heart was pounding. He looked around his new bedroom, trying to get his bearings straight. That had been some weird dream. Already, it was getting difficult to remember the details of it.
Could it be true? Could Morgan need him?
But what if he were wrong, and she pushed him away like he had done to her?
That didn’t matter. If it happened, he would come home and lick his wounds. But he would know the truth. As it stood, there was a possibility that she still loved him and needed him. He got up and got dressed. He was in a hurry to get to her. There was no time to waste.
He drove through the night, ignoring the heavy snowstorm going on around him. If it were true that God sent an angel to him, he would get through safely.
The wipers were on as high as they could go, but the visibility was down to zero. The car was only creeping along, definitely not going as fast as Sawyer would like it too.
Then he heard a terrible sound behind him. The snow on the trees was so heavy that they were cracking and falling. Three trees fell behind him already. He was right in the middle of the storm.
Sawyer heard one cracking and falling in front of him. He was able to swerve around it, but it was clear that he needed to call it quits for this evening. It was too dangerous to be out tonight. He needed to get to Morgan in one piece.
He checked into a motel and got a room for the night. Tomorrow, they would clear the roads, and he could continue his journey to Morgan. He wondered what her face would look like when he showed up at her door. He pictured her jumping into his arms and holding him tightly.
“If you get hungry or need a cup of coffee, we have a truck stop across the road,” the owner of the motel told Sawyer.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you,” Sawyer replied. He went to his room, thinking that a motel right across from his restaurant might not be a bad idea. He could invest in that.
After all, he had been able to chase away the company that wanted to build a spa easily enough. It was as if they had suddenly lost interest. He had heard something about them being bought up by another company.
Sawyer went right to bed, hoping that Martin Swift wouldn’t disturb his sleep again. He needed to be up early so he could go to Morgan.
But the wind was howling through the walls, and he couldn’t stop imagining what Morgan’s face would look like when he stood at her front door.
But then again, she would know that he was coming because he would have to ring the bell at her gate to get her to open it. That wouldn’t be as romantic, but he wasn’t in a position to complain as long as he got her in the end.
He was too excited to sleep.
Sawyer decided to get dressed and go over to the restaurant to get a bite to eat. The roads would probably be closed all night. The crews wouldn’t be able to clear the road until daylight anyway.
Chapter 35
Morgan tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn’t anymore. She wasn’t sure about what had happened. Had it been a dream?
That was the only logical conclusion. Her father wouldn’t care about her love life. If that had really been her father, he would have at least asked how the company was doing.
Nevertheless, she got up and got ready for the day. It was Christmas Day. She was alone in the house. All of the servants had the day off.
Before she knew what was happening, she found herself in the garage, getting into her sports car. She had her purse with her, but she hadn’t packed. Would Sawyer still have her old clothes?
It didn’t matter. She would talk to him and find out if he was happy or not. She was going to give their love a second chance, even if that meant that she might be breaking her heart. It was a chance she had to take. The dream just might mean something.
As she drove, she thought about Sawyer. She hated the thought of him being so alone. The radio played Christmas music, and she was actually getting into the Christmas spirit. Would he really be in that cozy-looking house, waiting for her?
If he were, then it meant that her father had really been with her. She wasn’t certain how she felt about that. The idea of her father being able to see her all the time, spooked her. Chances were that Morgan would find Sawyer at the truck stop, feeding the hungry masses. She’d get there in time for breakfast the day after Christmas.
She planned to slip into a booth and pretend to be a regular customer and order one of his amazing meals. It would do her soul good to have something that he made for her. His food was the best she’d ever tasted. She’d kill for a hamburger and a portion or two of his homemade fries. If they did get back together, she’d spend the next couple of weeks trying everything again and filling her belly.
Then her mind wandered, and she wondered what they might do in bed. Whatever it was, it would leave her starving and in need of one of his home-cooked meals. Their life together was going to be perfect.
Was this really going to happen? Would they get back together?
If they did, Morgan would sell her father’s company and his house and move in with Sawyer and live happily ever after. It was a shame that her father hadn’t shown her Sawyer’s bedroom. She was curious what it looked like. Would it have a headboard where he could tie her wrists to? She loved it when he tied her up.
Then she thought about getting pregnant. They had been lucky in the beginning. She hadn’t gotten pregnant, but she might get pregnant tomorrow. She thought about her cycle and realized that it was the perfect time to get pregnant if she wanted to have a baby.
Did she?
She wasn’t sure. Chances were she wouldn’t be a great mother. She couldn’t remember her own mother, and her father hadn’t been a good example either.
Maybe if she read a lot of books while she was pregnant, she might be an okay mother?
Would Sawyer want to have a child with her? What if he felt that he was too old?
Did she want a baby or not? She just didn’t know for sure.
It would be something for them to talk about. That is if he wanted to talk with her. She was putting the cart in front of the horse. This might end up being a complete failure.
If it were, she’d blame it on her father. She already blamed him for everything else that was wrong with her. It would be a hit to her pride, but she would thank him for everything she did for him and go back home if Sawyer rejected her.
The radio sounded an announcement telling people not to travel if they didn’t have to. Did they mean her area? She wasn’t sure where she was, but the snow was really coming down. Chances were the radio meant the people going in the other direction and not her. She was heading the right way, where it was warmer, but first, she had to get through this area. She sped up and pressed on, wanting to drive away from the snow and get somewhere safe.
~
Morgan’s car had the best tires available on them, but even she was slowly losing her grip on the road. There were hardly any other cars on the road.
&nbs
p; Still, she wanted to remain persistent and get to Sawyer as soon as possible. This was too important to quit now.
But even she had to admit defeat when the police set up a road block because of fallen trees. They told her to drive back to town and get a room for the night.
She turned around, promising herself she would be the first one out of here when they lifted the road block in the morning. At the motel, she was informed that they were booked out, but that the town was setting up beds in the school gymnasium for people stuck here. He suggested that she go over to the diner and get a bite to eat while the gymnasium was being made ready.
That sounded like a great idea to her hungry stomach. The truck stop was full, but she managed to get a spot at the counter.
She was delighted to see that they had similar food to what Sawyer had served. She ordered one of her personal favorites, chicken in a basket with fries. Her cook at the house only cooked the healthy food that her father had eaten. She never thought to change anything. But smelling the food here was making her think that she should’ve had cheat days.
It was as if she had been in a daze, and now she was waking up and seeing clearly again.
Morgan enjoyed her meal, thinking that she hadn’t actually enjoyed a meal since she was last with Sawyer.
“Excuse me, do you know when the gymnasium will be ready?” Morgan asked the waitress.
“Not for some time. They’ll let us know. Can I bring you some coffee and perhaps a piece of cake while you wait?” the waitress asked as she cleaned up Morgan’s empty basket and wiped the counters.
“That would be great, but you don’t have to hurry. Take care of the others first. I know how hectic your job is. I used to work at a truck stop too.”
“Thanks. It’s a madhouse in here. Normally, we would be closed by now, but people don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Morgan looked over her shoulder and saw that even more people had come in. People were eating in standing. “If you need extra help, let me know. I can pitch in,” she offered.
“Do you mean that?” the waitress asked her.
