The Strange Healing

by Malone, Misty

  He smiled a bit as he said, “Yes, Honey, you did. I want to talk about what you just said.”

  “What did I just say?”

  “You said we look good like this, together.” He hugged Sara to him a bit tighter. “I want you to know something. We talked quite a bit tonight, and it seems we're both attracted to each other. I want –”

  “I knew it! That's fantastic. See, I told you –”

  Phil broke in. “Heather, be quiet and let your brother finish what he wants to say.”

  “He already did. Didn't you hear him? I knew it!”

  “Heather, I don't think he's done yet, and I want you to listen carefully to what he says, because I have a feeling he's about to tell you what I planned on telling you later tonight. Only I'd be telling you again, for the second time. So listen carefully.”

  Heather didn't miss the warning in her husband's words, and she quietly turned to Heath. “I'm sorry, Heath. Go on.”

  With a stern expression, Heath said, “Thank you. As I was saying, Sara and I both feel an attraction for the other, but our relationship is young. It's just getting started, and I want you to let it be. Give it a chance, and see if it develops on its own. I know you think we're perfect for each other, and to be honest with you, I'm very hopeful myself. I'm eager to get to know Sara better because I've very much enjoyed the time we've spent together. But if we're meant to be, it will happen on its own.”

  Heath saw Phil nodding his head and knew this was what he intended to talk to Heather about as well.

  “As much as I know your intentions are good, please don't keep telling me what a wonderful person Sara is or how suited we are for each other. And I know you've done the same thing to her because I caught her trying to cover for you today.”

  Sara spoke up with a soft, “Sorry, Heather.”

  Heath immediately jumped in. “You don't have anything to be sorry about, Sara. You didn't do anything wrong. I've asked Heather not to push this relationship, but she did anyway. She had good intentions, but she still did what I'd asked her not to do. When I realized what she'd done, you jumped in and tried to cover for her so I wouldn't get upset with her. Why would you apologize for that? All you were doing is trying to keep her out of trouble, something a friend would do.”

  Phil chuckled when Heath added, “A misguided friend maybe, but still a friend. Anyway, you don't have anything to apologize for, Sara.”

  Phil took over next. “Heather, on the other hand, does have something to apologize for, since Heath asked her to butt out, and her husband didn't ask, but told her to butt out.” Looking at his wayward wife, he asked, “Anything you'd like to say, Heather?”

  Heather looked from one to the other, and said very sincerely, “Heath, Sara, I'm sorry. Heath, I really was just trying to help, and I'm glad you know that, but you're right, I had no business interfering. I'm sorry.” Phil was smiling as he headed over to give his wife a kiss. He paused, though, when she added, “For what it's worth, I still think you guys are meant for each other and it will work out, but I promise, I'll try and let you two do it alone.”

  He finished crossing the room to get to his wife as he said, “You just couldn't stop yourself from adding that last part, could you, brat?” He swatted her butt once when he got to her, and then pulled her into his arms. “I still love you, Heather, but we'll be talking more about this later tonight.”

  Heather's shoulders slumped and her eyes went to the floor, but she returned Phil's hug.

  Sara was shocked when she saw Phil swat Heather. She'd never seen anyone do that before, but Heather didn't object, so she assumed Phil must have been playing. But then she noticed Heather's subdued reaction to what Phil said, and she wondered about it.

  Heath watched Sara's reaction to Phil and Heather, and had to smile. She was obviously not accustomed to the practice of spanking. She could be in for a surprise over the next few days.

  Not wanting either of the women to dwell on that one swat too much, he asked, “Heather, do you want me to take this coffee tray into the living room?”

  “That'd be great. Thanks, Heath. You guys all go on in and get comfortable. I'll be right in with the cake.”

  The four of them had cake and coffee, mixed with lots of talk and laughter. Heath kept a watchful eye on Sara until he felt comfortable leaving her for the night, after making plans for breakfast.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Phil, Heather and Sara visited a little while longer, until Phil saw Sara yawn. “Sara, I know Heath said you had some bad experiences you need to work through, but he didn't tell me anything about them. He said that's entirely up to you, that if you want us to know about any of it you'll tell us. I want you to know that we agree completely. Heather's experience as a nurse may be of help to you, and my experiences as a police officer may be of some help, I don't know. I just want you to know, though, that that is entirely your choice. Don't feel like you need to talk to either one of us about anything that happened until and unless you're totally ready to. Okay?”

  “Thank you both,” she said sincerely. “You guys have meant so much to me, I can't explain it. I want to tell you both about it eventually, but I just don't think I can yet. I'm still surprised Heath got it out of me, but I'm glad he did.”

  Heather nodded as she said, “I'm glad he did, too, Sara. He could always get me to talk when I didn't want to, either, but I was always glad he did. So I hear what you're saying. But don't worry about telling us. When you're ready to talk to us about it you'll know.”

  “That's right,” Phil confirmed. “But having said that, we don't have to know what happened to know how terrifying a nightmare can be, so if you have any problem like that while you're staying here, let us know. And I'll warn you now, if we hear you in what sounds like distress we'll be in your room to check on you.” He grinned as he said, “So I guess I'm suggesting that if you normally sleep nude, you may want to consider a nightgown tonight.”

  Heather watched Sara turn red and admonished, “Phil! You embarrassed her.”

  He grinned again as he said, “Well, I would have embarrassed her more if I'd gone in to make sure she was all right and she was lying there naked.”

  Sara giggled and assured them, “Not to worry, either of you. I sleep in pajamas. And thank you. It's comforting knowing I won't be alone tonight if I have another nightmare. Hopefully I'll sleep better knowing that I'm not alone. And I do feel better after talking to Heath.”

  The three said their goodnights and went to their respective bedrooms. Sara took a shower and climbed into bed, exhausted.

  Phil followed Heather into their bedroom, shut the door, and turned to see a nervous little lady watching him. “Nervous, wife?”

  “Yes,” Heather admitted. “I'm sorry, Phil.”

  “I'm glad. But tell me, what are you sorry about?” When Heather didn't respond immediately, he asked, “Are you sorry because you're about to get your cute little butt spanked, or are you sorry that I was there and heard Heath admonish you for ignoring his wishes? Or is it something altogether different that you're sorry for?”

  Heather shrugged her shoulders as if defeated. “All of the above.” At Phil's raised eyebrow, she explained, “I'm sorry you heard Heath yell at me because that's probably why you're going to spank me, and I'm sorry about that because obviously, I don't want to be spanked. But more importantly, I'm sorry because I see now that I disappointed Heath, and you know I hate that. I'm also sorry because I should have had more faith in Heath and Sara. I mean it when I say they're meant for each other, but I don't want it to look like I think they need my help for it to work.”

  Phil held his arms open to her and she quickly stepped into his embrace. “Honey, this is what drives me crazy.”

  “What's that?”

  “Now that Heath called you on the carpet, you stop and think about it. You're right; you shouldn't have interfered in their blossoming relationship, for several reasons. One of those reasons, of course, was that your brother asked you to bu
tt out. Also, Honey, they need to discover all the good traits the other has on their own. It will mean much more to them to see it for themselves.”

  “You're right.”

  “Okay, let's get this over with then and get to bed. I'm sure you're going to want to spend some time with Sara tomorrow, so we need to get some sleep.”

  “Phil, do we really have to? I see now that I didn't do them the favor I thought I was doing.”

  “And I wouldn't be doing you a favor if I didn't consistently give you a reason to stop and think first next time.” He waited until he saw her accept what he'd said before saying, “Okay, Honey, go get ready for bed, but leave your nightgown off. I'll expect you back here, ready to lay your cute little butt over my knees within ten minutes.”

  Watching the love of his life shuffle off dejectedly to the bathroom about broke his heart. He disliked spanking her just as much as she disliked being spanked. But he also knew she needed them, and she knew it, as well. Heather tended to be very emotional, and as such she often acted before stopping to think. He knew that's why she was way too willing to open her door without checking who was knocking, and she often put her foot in her mouth, saying something she shouldn't. After she thought about what she'd said she felt bad.

  She admitted to him one time that without him keeping her in check, and Heath before him, she felt like she was spiraling out of control. So although she hated the spanking at the time, she always felt grounded afterward. And although she fought to get away at the time, she always respected not only his right to do it, but was grateful afterward, cuddling up to him as she recovered. He loved her with every breath he had.

  Unfortunately, he knew she wouldn't be happy with him tonight, though, as he retrieved the paddle from his nightstand and laid it on the bed. They had several things they needed to discuss.

  As if on cue, Heather walked out of the bathroom looking forlorn and walked toward him where he sat on their bed. She stopped short when she saw the paddle. “Phil, no, not that, please.”

  “Come on over here, Heather.”

  “Phil, no, please? Why?”

  “Heather, you know you're just making it worse for yourself. Come over here and let's get this started so we can get it done and behind us. We'll go over everything, including the reason the paddle's here, and you know that. Have I ever spanked you without you knowing exactly why you were getting spanked?

  She sighed and dropped her head. To her credit, though, she shuffled slowly, as slowly as she thought she could get away with, over to Phil.

  As soon as she was close enough he gently took her hand and pulled her over his left knee, resting her upper body on the bed. He did that anytime he planned on giving her a longer than normal, or harder than normal spanking, and that along with the paddle had her extremely concerned. She didn't know what she'd done that warranted this.

  He knew she was worried, so he didn't make her wait. He settled her over his knee and rubbed her bare bottom a few moments while he said, “We have several things we need to discuss, Heather, starting with the way you treated your brother. He asked you to let him and Sara find their own way, but you wouldn't do it.” With that he started the spanking. He let her know he was serious right from the start. He varied the speed of his spanking, as well as the location. That kept her off balance. She never knew where the next swat would land or when. He knew she hated that, but he was out to make a point today.

  He kept his lecture up all during the spanking. “Heather, it's not just your brother you haven't been listening to, lately, and that's going to stop.”

  She was crying now, but she asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Did you ask who it was before you opened the door tonight?” When he didn't get a response he asked, “Heather?”

  “No. Sorry.”

  “When you took Sara shopping the other day were you home in time for her to be ready on time?”

  This time she answered with a whispered, “No.”

  “And this evening once we knew Heath found Sara and they were talking, I told you to let them alone and don't bother them. How many times did I catch you trying to call him?”

  “I don't know.”

  “Once, twice?”

  “Several.”

  “That's right, several.” He picked up the pace on her spanking now, having made his point. She was crying and squirming, trying to end the spanking.

  When he was sure he had her attention, he picked up the paddle. Laying it on her bottom, he said, “Heather, you've been on a slippery slope lately, and you're just about to lose control. Well, Honey, I'm going to help you gain your footing again, right now.” He picked up the paddle and gave her three quick, no-joking-around swats.

  “Ow! Oh, Phil, no. That hurts too much!”

  “Honey, you know I'll never give you too much, but I do mean to get your attention tonight. Are you listening carefully?”

  “Ouch! Yes, yes, I'm listening.”

  “We have a guest staying with us now, and Sara's got some problems of her own right now. If anyone can help her it's your brother, but I want you to give him a chance to do that. Give them time to themselves to talk. Don't be bugging them to do things together if they want to be alone. Do you hear me, Heather?”

  He gave her three more quick, hard swats as she yelled, “Yes. Yes, I hear you. Owww!”

  “Remember, Heather, if you give them time alone and they work out her problems, they'll be working on their fledgling relationship at the same time.” After three more quick swats he said, “So you be on your best behavior, don't push them on each other, and remember, your spiraling out of control, ignoring what you're told to do ends right here, right now.”

  He gave her six more sharp swats with the paddle, all to her sit spots. “Understand?”

  “Ow, ow, ouch. Oh, Phil, please stop. Yes. Yes, I understand.” With that, she gave up the fight and slumped over his knee, sobbing.

  Phil dropped the paddle to the floor and rubbed her back while she caught her breath. She was still sobbing softly when he gently picked her up and held her against his chest, being careful to keep her sore bottom off his lap. He whispered reassurances of his love and told her she was forgiven. When she calmed sufficiently he picked her up and laid her in bed, and quickly undressed and climbed in beside her, pulling her to him. He kept his arm around her protectively while she calmed.

  “Phil, I'm sorry.”

  “I know you are, baby. I'm sorry, too.”

  “For spanking me so hard?”

  “No, you deserved every bit of that. I'm sorry I let you go so long. I didn't know Heath had already talked to you about letting the two of them get to know each other on their own. If I had known that I would have spanked you then. This evening when you kept trying to call Heath, and then you flung open the door without checking first, I knew you were spiraling out of control. But I didn't realize how bad it had gotten until I heard Heath talking to you about butting into their privacy. I never should have let you go that long, and for that I'm sorry.”

  Heather cuddled in a little closer to her husband. In a strange way, she felt comforted by his words.

  “You're worn out, Honey. You go to sleep now, but keep in mind, I'm going to be watching you much closer for a while. I'm going to be stricter than normal with you for a little while until we get you back on track.” He was touched when his little minx turned her head and kissed his arm that was wrapped around her. He hugged her tighter and said, “Go to sleep now, Sweetheart. I love you.”

  She yawned as she said, “I love you, too, Phil.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Sara was sleeping restlessly in the other bedroom. She was at the beach when two men started chasing her. She ran down an alley and hid behind a dumpster, trying to lose the men. Just as the men got closer she heard a noise. It sounded like a drum. She listened again, but now it sounded more like a gun, or a car backfiring. She tossed and turned, and woke up when she heard someone scream.

  She sat up, looking a
round her. It took her a moment to remember she was at Phil and Heather's. She sat there a minute, trying to remember the bad dream she'd had. It was different this time. She was wondering what it could mean, when she heard another scream, only this time she was awake.

  She froze. Was someone in the condo? She didn't know what to do. Then she heard another scream. It sounded like Heather. But that didn't make sense. Phil was a police officer. If someone broke into the condo, wouldn't Phil have stopped him? Maybe they made it in without Phil hearing anything. What if they got Phil? She had to go see what was going on. She was shaking as she quietly put on her bathrobe and slippers and tiptoed out into the hall.

  She listened closely, but didn't hear anything. No screaming, no talking, no nothing. She stood outside Phil and Heather's door, afraid to move. She stood still for five minutes, but never heard a thing. She decided she had to do something. What if they were in there hurt, unable to move or yell for help? She mustered all her strength and slowly turned the doorknob. She hoped it didn't creak, as she slowly turned it enough to open their door just a crack.

  What she saw was unexplainable. Phil and Heather were in bed asleep. Heather was wrapped in Phil's arms. Both looked happy and everything looked fine.

  She slowly tiptoed back to her room, trying to figure it out. She was sure she heard a scream, and she didn't think it was in her dream. She was confused, but decided there was nothing she could do about it tonight. Maybe tomorrow she'd talk to Heather about it. She lay down and went back to sleep.

  She slept the rest of the night, but not well. When she woke up the next morning she remembered her dream, and decided she would talk to someone about it. But should she talk to Heath about the dream, or should she ask Heather about the scream? She thought about that as she took a shower and dressed.

  When she went out to the kitchen she was surprised to see Phil, Heather, and Heath all sitting at the table having coffee.

  Heath greeted her immediately. “Good morning, sleepy head.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Did you sleep well last night?”

  Looking at all three of them, she quietly said, “Yes, fine.”