by Ava Miles
Okay, he was getting the hang of this texting flirting thing. It wasn’t his normal. Usually he was too busy to send anything but perfunctory messages—the time he’d pick up a date or a thank you after they shared a meal or more. This felt…nice.
LOL. I still have to give Evan points for calling Bonnie Helga. Brilliant.
He had to agree. He’s a moron, but well intentioned.
Look, I have to go. Gary wants to show me this new catering app he discussed with Natalie. He wants to use it to share information for the party. Sometimes I miss the simplicity of spreadsheets. See you later. Oh, and happy healing sessions.
There was an odd feeling in his chest, and it took him a moment to figure out what it was. He missed her. He…oh shit…they’d seen each other last night, but he already missed her. He felt his heart rate increase slightly. Was he panicking?
No, he decided, it was this unusual sense of connection and longing. He didn’t recall feeling this way with anyone before. Best proceed with caution.
Later then. Pick me a big steak.
But of course. Bye.
Bye.
He looked at those three letters. B-y-e. Apart they weren’t anything significant, but together they meant something, like he was longing for her arrival. Yeah, he was in trouble.
“Chase,” Bonnie called out. “If you’re done texting, Dr. Sarah has arrived.”
Right, the acupuncturist. “I’m ready.”
The acupuncturist wasn’t what he might have imagined. She was five ten with a runner’s lean frame. Nothing woo-woo about her at all. In fact, she seemed pretty nice.
Until she had him lay out on Bonnie’s portable massage table and started sticking him with needles.
“Why in the hell do you need to stick a needle there?” he finally asked, wincing from the one she’d stuck ruthlessly to the left of his right big toenail. “Isn’t the cast enough torture?”
“Spleen line,” she said. “You don’t nurture yourself much, do you?”
Bonnie bit her lip to keep from laughing. He’d insisted she stick to his side like glue during his meetings with her so-called healing friends. “I’m a guy.”
“Being a guy isn’t an excuse. To some men, golfing is nurturing. What do you do that’s like golf to you?”
She was like Bonnie’s twin when it came to the tough-love bedside manner. “I work. That’s my golf.”
“Work isn’t nurturing,” Dr. Sarah said. “In balance, it can be, but I can tell by your liver pulse you don’t have much balance in your life.”
He gazed up at her quizzically from his position on the massage table. She had taken his pulse, but it had been different than a normal doctor. Instead of holding one place on his wrist firmly, she’d palpated her fingers around the area, keeping them about a quarter-inch apart. “My liver? How in the hell do you know that from my liver?”
“The liver is the general,” she said. “Your general is overtaxed with too many battle plans and strategies. Don’t worry. I have just the point.”
She stuck another needle in him, this time in his baby toe.
“Ouch!”
“Take a deep breath,” she said in a softer voice, a decided change. “You’re resisting. That’s why it hurts more when I put the needles in.”
“Seriously? You’re sticking needles in my body. Isn’t it supposed to hurt?”
She shook her head and took another needle out of its sanitized plastic wrap. “Actually, most of my repeat clients don’t feel anything unless I hit a particularly sensitive spot.”
He wanted to call bullshit, but the woman had needles.
Dr. Sarah started walking around his head next, eyeing his neck in a way that made him nervous. “I thought you were just going to put needles on the areas where I have a cast.”
“You hurt your head, right?” she asked, although it was rhetorical.
“Great. So you’re going to stick needles in my head.”
She smiled. “Yep. A lot of them. This will help the headaches, the nausea. After a few more visits—unless you keep resisting—you won’t have any issues. That I can promise. Now close your eyes and try to relax.”
Her demeanor was softening, and since Bonnie trusted the woman, and he had come to trust Bonnie, he closed his eyes. From then on, the doctor worked in silence. Her fingers would gently touch the area she was planning to needle, which he realized was his cue to prepare himself.
After a while, he was surprised to feel a swirling of…what had she called it? Energy? Chi? The dull ache at the back of his head moved to the right side and then disappeared. He was amazed that such a profound change could be due to a handful—okay, more than a handful—of carefully placed needles.
She periodically reached for his good hand again and checked his pulses. He thought about making another joke about the little general she believed lived in his liver, but his body was feeling heavier. Relaxation, he realized. A deep, yawn-inducing relaxation.
“You’re going to sleep well tonight,” she told him. “I’m going to leave you alone for a while. Just keep your eyes closed. Take a cat nap if you’d like.”
He opened his eyes to make sure Bonnie was still with him. She was standing at the foot of the table, holding Barney. When she gave him a wink, he slammed his lids closed again, not wanting her to realize how much he wanted her to stick around. Barney meowed and then he was out.
“Chase,” Dr. Sarah called quietly by his ear. “Time to wake up.”
He opened his eyes slowly. “I fell asleep.”
Her smile was warm and sunny, he thought. Maybe it was her blond hair. She looked peaceful. Everything looked peaceful.
“We’re all finished. You did great. I told Bonnie I want to see you two more times this week to build some momentum. I know you have appointments with her other faves. You’re going to be back on your feet in no time.”
He raised his head. Sure enough, there wasn’t a needle stuck anywhere in his body. “I’m glad you take them with you. The needles.”
“Of course,” she said, helping him sit up on the table. “Take it easy and drink lots of water.”
“Got it,” he said, shifting until he was on the edge.
Bonnie was right there to make sure he didn’t put any weight on his casted leg. Together they got him into the scooter.
“I’ll see you soon, Chase. Bonnie, always a pleasure.”
“Bye, Sarah,” she said as the woman left. “Why don’t you rest a little? I’ll grab you some water while we wait for the Qigong master.”
“Sure thing,” he said, testing the rotation of his head. “Hey, I can move my head without it hurting.”
“It’s a miracle,” Bonnie said dryly. “I told you this would work.”
“All right, I like proof.” He had to smile when he thought about Moira asking him for proof that their attraction was worth pursuing. It was rather nice to know it was something they both valued.
More proof came in the form of the Qigong master. Chase had kind of expected the man to be Asian. Instead, he was a short, squat, middle-aged man named Carl, originally from Minnesota. But Chase could actually feel the punch of energy when the man moved his hands.
Carl walked him through some movements designed to increase the healing in his body. They were all exercises Chase could do while sitting down.
“I won’t tell you the Chinese names,” Carl said. “They aren’t important. Qigong is like making your own home remedy for a cold. You get to heal yourself. Nothing is needed other than the recipe.”
Chase liked the independence of the practice. The movements made him feel like he was also getting a little exercise beyond the short physical therapy sessions Bonnie ran him through every morning. And they didn’t seem to require the same effort.
“I wrote out the ones for you to try on your own. To start, I’d recommend doing the movements at least twice a day. Let your body tell you if you can do more. There is no limit to healing. We only need to honor the body’s progression.”<
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“I’m all about no limits,” Chase responded. “Let’s go through the movements one more time. I think I have them down.” In fact, his mental concentration and retention felt normal for the first time since the accident. God bless those needles and Dr. Sarah.
“You’re a fast learner with a willing heart,” Carl said. “You strike me as a man who likes to cut to the chase. Haha. Get it?”
“I get it, Carl,” he said dryly.
“I don’t like to mess around either. The more I practice Qigong, the more simple everything has become. Do you want one more key to unlocking your full healing?”
That sounded like a trick question. He found his former skepticism returning.
“I don’t think he’s ready for that yet, Carl,” Bonnie said, and they shared a look.
Okay, he didn’t like that. Not at all. “I want to know.”
This time Bonnie stepped forward and studied him. She held the tabby against her belly and was stroking him behind the ears. “Are you sure?”
He found his chest growing super tight at Bonnie’s seriousness. Why was she acting like this? “Yes.”
She took another minute to study him. Then she turned to Carl.
“Tell him.”
“It’s love, Chase,” Carl said in all seriousness. “You have to be willing to receive love. From yourself and others. It’s that simple.”
Bullshit, he thought. Love? Really? Were Bonnie and this Qigong guy really going all cliché on him? “Thank you for sharing that,” he said instead.
“It’s taken me decades to realize,” Carl said. “Maybe it won’t take you as long.”
“I didn’t think you’d believe us, Chase,” Bonnie said, her gaze steady on him. “Go ahead and finish up the sequence, Carl. Ally will be here in fifteen.”
The man’s mouth twitched, but Chase didn’t ask him why. They did the movements in tandem, and he felt his body grow warm—a warmth that almost went down to his bones. While it didn’t hurt, it definitely felt weird.
When Carl finished, Chase shook his hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re most welcome, Chase,” he said. “Good luck with everything.”
After he left, Chase turned to Bonnie. “Why do I have the idea he won’t be coming back?”
She set the kitten in his lap. “He’s taught you everything he can.”
Somehow Chase got the impression Carl was holding out on him. “Because of this love thing? Come on, Bonnie. We both know that’s taking things a little too far.”
“So you say,” she responded. “How about another glass of water? Ally should be here any minute.”
He decided to allow the change in subject. What grown man wanted to talk about love, anyway? Even happily married men didn’t gush out loud about it. Certainly not about self-love. Hell, there was nothing wrong with him because he didn’t want to be all lovey dovey.
Barney distracted him by rubbing his small, pointy head against Chase’s belly. Animals knew about love, he supposed. They were naturally affectionate unless they’d experienced abuse. He’d always been able to count on the cats or dogs on the ranch.
And the horses…he couldn’t forget them. His horse, Kerrick, had been a Tennessee Walker crossed with a Mustang. His gait had been unusual, but he’d had so much speed and power Chase had been able to win a few country races. His father had taken a photo of him crossing the finish line at the Jarvis ranch. Of course, that picture had perished in the fire along with every other happy memory he’d had of his childhood.
Love wasn’t dependable. He’d decided that a long time ago. Respect was more important, and Chase had plenty of that.
A discreet knock sounded on the door, and Bonnie walked over to open it. The short, white-haired woman behind the door looked more like Mrs. Claus than some Merlinistic healer from Avalon. Shoot him, he’d liked fantasy novels when he was a kid.
Bonnie had embraced both Dr. Sarah and Carl in greeting, but this embrace went on for minutes. In fact, Chase found himself averting his eyes from the oddly intimate moment. They were holding other like only lifelong friends would, and it made him a little uncomfortable.
“So you’re Chase,” Ally said, her smile soft yet bright. “Bonnie has told me a lot about you. She said this is your first experience with a healer.”
“Only if you don’t count the woman who gave me that hot-rock massage in Tokyo,” he joked half-heartedly. “She had magic hands.”
Ally held hers out. “No magic here. And I won’t even touch you with them. Does that make you uncomfortable?”
Bonnie hadn’t told him about this in her briefing. Heck, now that he thought about it, she hadn’t said much beyond her assertion that Ally was the real deal. Chase hadn’t asked any questions. “Don’t most healers…ah…lay their hands on people?” God, he sounded like an idiot.
“Many do. Neither way is better. We all have our preferences.” Her light blue eyes continued to gaze at him. “Would you prefer to stay where you are or lie down somewhere? I see Bonnie brought a table.”
She could do her thing with him in the scooter? “Ah…whatever you think is best.”
“How about we go over to the couch? You stay in that incredible machine you have, and I’ll sit down.”
A healer who sat down? Clearly he had no idea what in the hell was supposed to happen.
“Relax, Chase,” she said. “I know all of this is new, but I can promise you there’s nothing to fear. We’re going to boost your body’s ability to heal. Okay? I’ll be talking to you throughout, so you’ll know what’s happening.”
He glanced at Bonnie. “You’d better take Barney.”
“No need,” Ally said. “Cats are very sensitive to energy. He’ll probably fall asleep in your lap.”
Maybe Chase would too, like he had with Dr. Sarah.
“I’m going to leave you both alone,” Bonnie said, surprising him.
“I want you here,” he told her.
“You might want to speak with Ally alone,” she told him. “Like you did with Andy.”
He couldn’t imagine why. “Stay.” He didn’t want to be alone with this stranger. Suddenly this whole thing felt too weird for words.
“Go ahead and stay, Bonnie,” Ally said. “We want Chase to feel comfortable.”
The healer walked over to the couch and sat down. Not on the edge of the seat, but reclined against the back cushions. He wheeled his scooter around until it was facing her.
“Good,” she said. “I can already feel some of the areas in your body we want to work on, but I’m going to tune in to your energy field a little more. You work with a scientist from what I understand, so you know everyone has an energy field around their bodies. It’s pretty amazing, actually.”
He was aware of what quantum physicists called an energy field, but he couldn’t pretend to know more than that. “Evan—my scientist friend—is likely better informed.”
She nodded. “Sometimes I close my eyes to listen and feel what’s going on with you. Don’t worry. I’m not falling asleep on the job.”
He had to give her points for humor, something he hadn’t expected from a healer. “Take your time.”
She closed her eyes. “Take a couple deep breaths, Chase. It will help you relax.”
Why was everyone so focused on him relaxing today?
“You deserve some relaxation after all the hard work you’ve put in,” she said. “Your body was trying to slow you down.”
That comment pissed him off. He’d gotten distracted and careened down a hill. His body had suffered from his stupidity. End of story.
But then he felt something…something like deep relaxation settling over his body, accompanied by a soft buzzing in his ears. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was unusual.
“The bones are healing nicely,” she said in an encouraging tone. “I can see the fractures reknitting. The one in the tibia is going to need a little longer, I think, than the humerus, likely because it’s farther from your heart. It’s not just t
he circulation of the blood that heals, but the energy of the heart.”
Here we go again, he thought. Was she going to talk about love too?
“Your head still seems a little hot to me,” she said. “That’s the swelling in the brain. But it’s getting better. Sarah cleaned a lot out earlier. I can feel it.”
How did she know that? His day had gotten progressively more woo-woo with each session. Maybe this was too much.
“Take a couple more deep breaths,” she said. “I’m going to start with your physical issues and then get to the source of them.”
The source? What could she mean by that? The source had been the tumble he’d taken down the side of a mountain.
The soft buzzing continued, but it faded to nothing but background noise as deep relaxation spread throughout his body. Soon he couldn’t keep his eyes open.
“That’s right,” she said softly. “Just relax. There’s nothing you need to do right now.”
There was a feeling of tightness at the base of his skull, and then it was like someone had opened a door holding a vacuum and sucked everything out. His breath shuddered as the tightness evaporated.
“Good,” she said in that same even-tempered, soothing voice. “Your head is feeling so much better. So many thoughts. So many responsibilities.”
“Dr. Sarah talked about a general in my liver,” he said, his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth.
“You’re a master general,” Ally said. “It’s not just your liver. It’s who you think you are. You have the gift of leadership, but you carry everyone on your back. There is an easier way for you if you want it.”
He heard what she was saying, but his brain wouldn’t form a reply. It was weird. He had no thoughts. Everything inside him was calm. He’d never felt this way before.
“You’ve done a lot of good in the world,” she said. “And you’ve traveled. My goodness, you’ve seen some incredible things, haven’t you? I see London, Berlin, Paris, and another city with a red tower that looks like the Eiffel Tower.”
“Tokyo,” he mumbled. “Red Tower. Business.”
“You’re tired of doing it all,” she said. “Making it all work right and successfully. Every day. There never seems to be a break. There’s always a new battle to fight. Another city to travel to. Another government official to manage. Another meeting. Goodness, your whole life is a series of meetings, isn’t it?”
