“I plan on taking care of the woman I love.”
Heather's eyes shot open. “What did you just say?”
Sara smiled and said, “He said he loves me.” With a big grin on her face she added, “Just like I love him.”
“You two finally realized that? That's terrific. Wait until I tell Phil!” They heard a knock on the door, and Heather told Heath, “Will you go get that, please? Sara and I have to talk!” Heath shook his head, laughing, as he left the two ladies talking excitedly.
A couple minutes later he returned with Phil and another man. Heath said, “Ted, this is Sara, the lady that stole my heart.” He told a now red-faced Sara, “Honey, this is Ted.”
Ted reached out his hand, saying, “It's great to meet you, Sara. I wish it were under different circumstances, though. Let's chase these people out and see what's going on with your throat. Then we can all visit a while.” He turned to the three of them and gave them a shooing motion toward the door.
Phil took Heather's hand and pulled her to the door before she could object. Heath, however, said, “Not on your life, Ted. I'm staying. Now that I finally found her, I don't let her out of my sight very often.”
Ted laughed and agreed, “Okay, okay. I assume you're okay with that, Sara?”
Sara smiled as she said, “I'm fine with it.”
It was all Heath could do to not interrupt Ted while he did a fairly comprehensive exam of Sara. As soon as he was done, though, he asked, “How is she, Ted? What do you think?”
Ted looked at Heath, then turned to Sara. “Sara, have you ever had mono?”
Sara turned white as she asked, “Why are you asking that?”
Ted had a friendly smile on his face as he asked, “How long ago?”
Sara looked over at Heath and saw the concern on his face.
Heath saw the worried expression on Sara's face, and things fell into place. He sat down on the bed beside her and took her hand in his. “That's why you kept telling me you were fine, isn't it? You didn't want me to know you had a sore throat and were tired because I might have you checked for mono, especially if I knew you'd had it before.”
“Heath, I don't want to have mono again. I have to find a place to live." She wiped a few tears from her eyes and squared her shoulders. “Just because I had it last year doesn't mean I have it again. I'll be fine.”
He took her in his arms and gently pulled her in for a hug. “No, Honey, it doesn't mean you have it again. But it does mean it's possible.” Still holding her in a hug and running his fingers through her hair softly, he added, “It means you're more prone to it right now than other people. I'll be watching your diet a little closer now. You need to eat healthy meals so your body has what it needs to stay healthy, once we get you healthy again.”
After holding her and reassuring her for several minutes, he gently laid her back on the pillows. Turning to Ted, he asked, “I assume you're going to want to do a blood test?”
“Yes. We'll find out if she's got mono again, and I'll also do a strep culture to rule out strep throat.”
Heath nodded his head in agreement, and looked over at Sara, who had turned white again. He took her hand and asked, “What's wrong, Honey? Don't worry about mono until we see if you even have it. You may not. But if you do, we'll get through it together.”
Sara was looking toward the wall when she quietly said, “It's not that.”
“Then what is it, Honey?”
“He wants to do a blood test.”
Now understanding, he asked, “You don't like needles?”
“No. Not at all.”
Heath rubbed her arm in a soothing manner. “Honey, I understand.”
He looked over at Ted, who had taken out a needle and vial. Ted tried to assure her, “Sara, I don't need much, just one vial.”
Sara nodded her head, but was shaking. Heath suggested, “Would it help if Heather took the blood instead of Ted? You guys are good friends. Would that be easier?”
Ted suggested, “She's good at drawing blood, too. That's a good idea, Heath. You and she both seem to have some special touch for that. I remember in med school you always showed the rest of us up anytime we had to draw blood.”
Looking back to Sara, Heath asked, “Do you want me to ask Heather to come in?” She shook her head side to side. “Sara, Sweetie, I'm sorry, but we need to do this. It's important we know if you have it so we know how to treat you.”
She turned and looked at him with sad puppy dog eyes. “Will you do it?”
Heath's eyebrows rose. He looked at Ted, who was smiling. He looked back at Sara and asked, “Are you sure you don't want Heather? She does it routinely, doesn't she, Ted?”
“Yes, she does,” Ted agreed.
“But you can do it, too, right?” Sara looked desperate, and scared.
Ted offered, “Yes, he can, Sara.” Looking at him, he said, “It's like riding a bike, Heath. As good as you were at it, you'll do fine.”
Heath looked again at the scared look in Sara's eyes and asked, “Would you feel better if I did it, Honey?”
She squeezed his hand as she assured him, “Yes. Please?”
That did it. He couldn't have refused her then for anything. “Let's get this done so you can stop worrying about it.”
Ted smiled and told Sara what would be happening next, as much to assure Heath as Sara. It worked, because Sara barely felt the poke of the needle going in, and Heath emerged victorious just minutes later, with a full vial of blood, which he handed to Ted. Ted sealed and labeled it while Heath held Sara in his arms.
From his vantage point he wasn't sure which one looked more relieved, but he could easily tell how much they meant to each other.
Chapter 13
Several days later Sara was tired of staying in bed. The blood test had confirmed that she did have mono again, and she was taking different antibiotics. She was feeling better, her throat was better, just a little scratchy at times now, but she was weak.
Heath was spending as much time as he could with her, even suggesting she stay in his extra bedroom until she was better. She appreciated all the time he was with her, but was tired of being in bed all the time. She tried to convince him she could rest just as much sitting on the couch or in a chair, but he wanted her in bed.
Ted was no help, either. He agreed that she needed lots and lots of rest. He didn't even think it was a good idea yet to her to work on illustrating books. He told her in a few more days he'd consider her request again.
Even Heather didn't seem to be on her side in this. She told her much the same thing; rest now and get strong enough to be up and about sooner.
Sara decided what they didn't know wouldn't hurt her, so the next morning Heath stopped in as usual. After they visited a few minutes he again made sure she had everything she would need until lunchtime, which included water, coffee, ginger ale, energy bars in case she was hungry, juice, a book, and her phone, which of course was fully charged.
After he left she got up and went to the living room. She sat in her favorite recliner, put her feet up, turned on the TV and promptly fell asleep. A noise on the television startled her awake. She quickly looked up at the clock and started to panic. It was almost time for Heath to come with her lunch. She quickly turned off the television and got up and hurried back to bed. She barely got the blankets over her when she heard his key in the door.
She had barely gotten her breathing back to normal when he came in smiling. “How's my girl doing?”
“I'm doing fine. How was your morning?”
They quickly fell into their normal routine. He brought her soup and a smoothie, which she loved, and a sandwich for himself. Also as usual, he allowed her to have some of the smoothie, then took it and put it on the table behind him, saying, “After you eat some of your soup you can have the rest of your smoothie.” She pouted, acting angry, and he laughed. “Sweetie, I love you to death, but you are so darn cute when you pout, you're just irresistible.” He gave her a big hug,
and she couldn't help but smile.
He handed her the soup, but she set it back down while they were talking. He casually picked it back up and fed several bites to her, talking and distracting her the whole time. After she'd eaten ten or twelve bites she realized what he'd done and objected. “Heath, cut that out. I wasn't hungry when you got here, and now I feel stuffed.”
“Should I just dump out the rest of your smoothie then?”
“No, give me that. I think I can get that down.”
He was grinning as he said, “Stuffed, huh?” He handed her the smoothie, though, and said, “Enjoy it, Honey.”
She took it and started sipping it immediately.
Smiling at her love of smoothies, he asked, “So what did you do this morning?”
Sara paused just a moment before answering honestly, “Surprisingly, I took a nap.”
“Why is that surprising?”
“Because I didn't think I was tired.”
“Honey, you have mono. Did I forget to mention that to you?”
Frowning, she said, “I know, but I slept all night. How could I be tired again this morning?”
He gently pulled her up from her pillows and into his chest, holding her tightly. “Baby, I know you're frustrated, and I hate that you're going through this.” At that moment she realized this was just as hard on him as it was her. He was stopping in every morning, bringing her lunch every day, and dinner every night. He was going above and beyond the call to be with her and help her through this. He was proving his love for her in a big way. She clutched onto him a little tighter.
He felt her grasp tighten and kept his tight hold on her. “Are you okay, Honey?”
“Yeah, I am now. I love you, Heath.”
He wasn't sure exactly what brought that on, but he wasn't complaining. “I love you, too, Baby.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two weeks later she was going nuts. She was feeling good. Heath was now okay with her being out of bed during the day some, as long as she took at least one good nap during the day and didn't do anything strenuous. She was back to illustrating her books, which made her feel better, like she was getting back to normal in this one way, at least.
She was going stir crazy stuck in the house, so he stepped in. He took her out for a smoothie, which she really enjoyed, but she had to admit she was ready to rest when they got back home.
He still didn't want her to venture out of the house without him, though, and that upset her. John's stay in Italy was drawing to an end, and she still had to find a place to live. Heath kept telling her not to worry, he'd help her find something, but she wanted to find something now.
She spent a few days coming up with a plan, and then waited until the perfect opportunity presented itself.
She had spoken with a real estate agent, who understood what she was looking for and was sending emails and pictures of places Sara might be interested in. The agent called to talk with her about a new condo complex she thought was exactly what Sara was looking for. Unfortunately, though, they were selling quickly. They were still under construction, but most had already been sold. She told Sara if she was interested she better go look at them soon, before they were sold out.
Sara knew she'd love these condos and she didn't want to miss them. She called Heather to enlist her help. “Heather, is tomorrow the day you only work until noon?”
“Yeah, why? What have you got in mind?”
“There's a condo I have to look at. The pictures and description sound like exactly what I'm looking for, but my real estate agent says if I don't get over there tomorrow I'll probably miss them. They're selling fast and they only have a couple left.”
“What would Heath say? I didn't think he wanted you going anywhere yet.”
“He'll be okay with it.”
Heather was doubtful. “I don't know, Sara. If I take you somewhere and he gets upset about it, we both know what'll happen. To both of us.”
“Oh, I know. But he's taken me out a few times. He took me out for a smoothie just a couple days ago. He just said he doesn't want me to go anywhere by myself, in case I get too tired. He doesn't want me to drive anywhere yet.” She tried to sound confident as she continued. “That's why I'm asking you. He has to work all day tomorrow or I'd ask him to go with me.”
Heather thought about it a few minutes. “He's taken you out more than once?”
“Yes, he took me to get a smoothie a couple times, and to get more paper for work.” Trying not to sound too desperate, she said, “Come on, please? It won't take long just to look at a condo.”
“That's all you want to do, is just look at the condo?”
“That's it. I'm running out of time to find somewhere to live, and this sounds perfect. I don't want to miss it.”
“Okay, you convinced me. I'll be over to get you about 2:00.”
“Thank you so much, Heather. If I like it I want to buy it, then tell Heath he doesn't have to worry about finding me somewhere to live any more.”
“So he doesn't know you're going?”
“No. The realtor just called me to tell me about it, but she said I have to act fast or I'll lose it. Heath has to work tomorrow, so I thought I'd call you. Then if it works out I can surprise him.”
Chuckling, she said, “Okay, we'll show the two big strong guys us two frail girls can do something on our own. I like it.”
Giggling, Sara said, “Me, too. Thanks, Heather.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The girls talked eagerly on their way to see the condo the next day. If Sara liked it they were anxious to tell the guys they took care of this by themselves. They got to the condo complex, though, and were disheartened. The sales office was closed on Wednesday afternoon. They stood staring at the closed sign, when they heard someone yelling.
Afraid someone needed help, they went to where the sidewalk ended, where they could see behind the building. They were surprised to see that the gate at the side was open, and beyond the gate were the condos that were still under construction. Various construction workers were there working. That was who they'd heard yelling. No one needed help, they were simply working. Working on the very same condos they came here to see.
They looked at each other, then grinned. Heather asked, “Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”
“Maybe. If we look at them today while we're here, I can call them and talk to someone on the phone. I can tell them I've been there to see them, and we can talk price. If I like what I see and the price seems okay, wouldn't you think they'd hold one for me, or bring the paperwork out to me? Especially if I tell them I have the money and don't have to wait for loan approval from a bank?”
“Probably. You have the cash?”
“Mom and Dad both had good life insurance policies, and I'm an only child. Plus the man that pulled out in front of Mom had insurance, and they made a pretty decent offer to me to avoid a lawsuit. I wasn't interested in filing a lawsuit because it wouldn't have brought Mom back anyway, so I took what they offered. I don't want a real big or fancy place, so, yeah, I have enough money in the bank to pay for a condo.”
Heather smiled and assured her, “I think if you tell them you can pay cash, they'll be happy to make an appointment for you to sign the papers, and bring them out to you if you can't go to them.”
“Then do you think we should go look at them now, while we're here?”
Heather shrugged. “I don't see what harm it can do. I mean, it's not like we're going to hurt anything. The workers are here so they're not locked. It looks like the first couple are done, or close enough you can tell what it will look like. I say while we're here we may as well.”
“I agree. Let's look at this first one.” They were happy that the door to the first condo was open. They went in and walked through each room, commenting on things here and there.
“Heather, I love this layout. What do you think?”
“I'm with you, Sara. This is nice. And I love the kitchen.”
“I know, I love that kitch
en. And the appliances are exactly what I'd pick out.”
They finished walking through the first one and Heather asked, “Do you suppose they're all basically the same?”
Sara said, “Oh, you know, they aren't. She said there's a two bedroom, a three bedroom, and a larger two bedroom with a den.”
“That must be the two bedroom we saw. Is that the one you think you'd want?”
“Probably. Or maybe the bigger two bedroom. The den would probably make a nice office, since I work at home.”
“That's a good point. Let's go see if one of those is open.”
“Good idea.”
They walked around to the back of the building and went into the first condo they came to. They could tell immediately it was different, so they went further into the condo. They walked out onto the balcony off the master bedroom and looked at the common areas. They went back in and attempted to close the door, but it kept catching on something and wouldn't close completely. Sara made a mental note to tell them about the door the next day when she called.
They started to leave the bedroom when they heard voices in the next condo over. Heather motioned for Sara to be quiet. She whispered, “It's probably some of the workers. Let's be quiet, just in case they'd get upset at us being in here.” Sara nodded, and they stood still so the floor wouldn't creak, and listened.
They heard two men talking fairly softly. They had to listen closely, but heard, “Okay, get ready to go. We'll go over the balcony and back this way while they're all out front taking a break. If anyone sees us, we're taking these tools over to Building 3. If no one sees us, just take them to that grove of trees over there. There's a steep hill right behind the trees and no one will see a thing from here. We'll leave them there until it's dark and the workers are all gone. We'll come pick them up then.”
Another voice said, “Okay, I've got it. What do we do after we ditch the tools behind the trees?”
“We come back the same way and see what the bozos out front are doing. If they're all working out front, like they said they would be, we'll go hit building 3. Did you see how much copper piping and electrical wire they dropped off today? That stuff will be easy to get to the trees, and it's worth a ton of money.”
The Strange Healing Page 17
