The Strange Healing

by Malone, Misty

  Sara and Heather looked at each other, scared to move. In the next moment the guy that seemed to be the leader said, “Okay, they're on break. Let's go.”

  The girls stood still against the wall, but both watching outside. Luckily the curtain was shut on most of the door, so hopefully they wouldn't be noticed. They watched as two men carrying armloads of tools walked across the common area and through the two buildings across from them.

  Still afraid to talk very loud, Sara whispered, “Now what do we do?”

  “I don't know. Phil said they had a report a couple days ago about someone stealing things from a construction site, but they didn't know how they got in to get the tools because the doors were all locked when they got there in the morning. Maybe it was these same men, and that's how they get in. They take the stuff out during the day, when the doors are still unlocked. The workers probably simply go through and lock all the doors before they leave, without looking inside the ones they worked on earlier.”

  “Should we leave?”

  “I don't know. What if the men come back and see us leaving?”

  Sara thought a minute before saying, “You're right. We're probably safer if we stay right here, but let's hide in a closet. Then they won't see us when they go past the door again..”

  Heather agreed. “Good idea.”

  They were both quiet a few minutes. Shaking, Sara suggested, “Heather, we need to call Phil, don't we?”

  “Yeah, I think so, too.”

  “He isn't going to be happy, is he?”

  Heather shook her head. “No, he isn't. He's going to see this as trespassing, and he won't be happy.”

  “And he'll tell Heath, won't he?”

  “Oh, yeah. We're screwed.” After a minute she said, “Unless we sneak out and don't get caught and don't tell anyone we were here.”

  “Yeah, that might work,” Sara agreed. “Or if we get caught we could be in all kinds of trouble. If the thieves see us we could be in danger, and if the workers see us and call the police, the men will be really upset when we call them to bail us out of jail.”

  “Ooh, you're right. I hadn't thought of that.”

  “I say we call Phil. I'd feel too guilty if I try to keep something from Heath, anyway.”

  “Yeah, and Phil can always tell when I'm lying or hiding something. You're right. We better call Phil quick before the thieves come back.”

  She took out her phone and was soon talking to Phil. Sara could tell from Heather's end of the conversation that Phil was not happy, but was giving instructions. She hung up and said, “Phil said he's on the other side of the city, but they're sending a couple cops that are closer. He said in the meantime we should stay in the closet, but leave the door cracked just a bit so we can hear them if they come back. If we hear them come back and then leave again we're to call him so he can relate it on to the officers who come here and they'll know where they are. But he said we should stay in the closet and don't come out until a police officer comes to get us, no matter what we hear.”

  The two huddled together in the closet, listening and shaking. Everything was quiet for what seemed like forever. Then they heard the two voices return. “This door's still wide open like we left it, so we know no one's in there. You go in and stay there until I come back. I'm going to sneak around the front and listen in. If they're still going to be working on this building the rest of the night I'll come back and get you. It'll be a piece of cake to get that stuff from building 3.”

  “What if some of them are going over there to work?”

  “Then I'll come get you and we'll leave for the day and come back tomorrow to hit the other building. Now stay quiet until I get back.”

  Heather took out her phone and very carefully texted Phil with what they'd heard. Then they waited. After what seemed like forever they heard the man return. “Okay, Sam, let's go. Coast is clear. The bozos are going to finish up some stuff in building 1, so we're safe. They won't be in this building or building 3 tonight.”

  “How about the copper in this building; aren't we taking it?”

  “Nope, too risky. They might see us moving around over here. We got the tools in this one. That'll have to be enough. We can clean out building 3, though. It faces the opposite direction, and with this building in between us and them they won't see a thing. We'll just have to be quiet. Now come on.”

  The girls listened as the men left. When they'd had plenty of time to be out of hearing range Heather called Phil. She whispered everything they'd heard. After hanging up she told Sara, “Now we wait for an officer to come get us.”

  Sara nodded and they waited. And waited. And waited. They heard a bunch of commotion, men yelling, but then it quieted down again. They waited some more.

  Finally they heard footsteps in the condo they were in. They were shaking as they waited, hoping the footsteps were the police officers and not the thieves. Then the closet door flung open and the girls looked into the anxious eyes of Phil and Heath. The men's expressions turned to a look of relief, and they held out their arms. The girls rushed into them, welcoming the big hugs.

  Sara was so relieved to see Heath she grabbed his shirt and just held on. She had been running on nothing but adrenalin and fear. Now that she was in Heath's arms, her energy was totally depleted, her legs refused to hold her up any longer, and she collapsed.

  Heath caught her, easily picking her up in his arms. He asked Phil, “Is it all right if I take her out to the car? I don't know if they have to go to the station or what, but she's exhausted. I'd like to have Ted check her over.”

  Phil was so interested in making sure Heather was okay that he hadn't seen Sara collapse. He turned now and saw her as limp as a rag doll in Heath's arms, looking extremely pale. Heather saw it, as well and said, “Oh, my gosh. Sara, are you okay?”

  Heath looked at Sara, then at Heather and said, “She certainly wasn't ready for all this yet. She shouldn't have gone out anywhere without me yet, but especially not here.”

  Heather felt bad, and said as much. “Heath and Sara, I'm sorry. I should have known you weren't ready to come here yet. I'm sorry.”

  Sara whispered, “No, it's my fault. I talked you into it.” Looking at Heath, she said, “I thought I'd be okay to come here. My fault.”

  Heath was shocked at how weak her voice was. He quickly assured her, “Sssshhhh, Honey, just rest right now. We'll talk about all this, why you felt you had to come here today, later, when you have your strength back.” He looked over at Phil. “Do they need to go to the police station?”

  Phil sighed and said, “Yeah, actually they do.” Looking at his wife, he said, “There's a pretty good chance they'll be charged with trespassing.” When Heather started to say something, he said, “No, Heather, not yet. Trust me, we will talk. I want to hear everything, what made you think it was okay to trespass, but not yet.”

  Turning back to Heath, he said, “Sara's not up to answering questions now. I can't let her go home, though, until she talks to an officer, so why don't you take her to the hospital. Call Ted and see if he can meet you there. I'll tell the officer in charge where you'll be and he can send someone down there to talk to her.”

  Heath nodded and turned with his precious bundle still in his arms. Phil added, “Sara, right now the only thing you need to worry about is feeling better.” She nodded slightly. “Take care of her, Heath.”

  As they left, Phil turned to his own little miscreant. “Sara didn't look very good.”

  Heather had tears in her eyes as she agreed. “No, she didn't. I shouldn't have brought her.”

  “No, you shouldn't have. We'll discuss all that later, though. Right now I have to know, what were you two thinking?”

  Heather quickly explained about Sara's phone call, the condo she thought sounded perfect, but she had to move on it right away, and all they were going to do was look at it and go home. She explained that they planned on taking a quick look, not hurting anything, and then Sara could talk to them tomorrow.
She ended in tears, saying, “It all seemed so easy and innocent. We'd never hurt anything or steal anything, and Sara needs to find a place to live quickly. She hasn't been able to look because of being sick. We never thought of this as being illegal.”

  Tears were coming down now as she said, “I'm sorry, Phil. I know I've embarrassed you.”

  After hearing the whole story, he knew everything she just said was true. Heather didn't always think things through, and he knew this was one of those times. She really was trying to help Sara, who truly hadn't had a chance to look around for a place to live, and was running out of time. It made sense that if they just saw it tonight she could talk to them on the phone tomorrow. And he knew they would never vandalize the condos.

  He knew that in their minds they weren't doing anything wrong, but he also knew the law was the law, and they broke it. There was a good chance they'd be charged. He was torn between feeling sorry for them, and thinking they needed to go over his and Heath's knee for a good long spanking. He couldn't speak for Heath, but he knew his wife was certainly getting a spanking, and a good one at that. She needed to learn to stop and think first, and this was an excellent example of that. She also put her friend's health in jeopardy, and as a nurse she should have known better.

  Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present. All that would happen later. Right now he had a suspect he had to take down to the station for questioning and possible charges. He took Heather's face in his hands and said, “Honey, we will be discussing all this later, but I am so glad you're okay.” He gave her a kiss that showed how worried he'd been. Then he warned, “We have to go down to the station. Tom's going to have a bunch of questions for you, and you'll probably be charged with trespassing.” He saw the tears in her eyes and assured her, “It's okay, we'll deal with it all, whatever happens. But I wanted to warn you, so you know what to expect. Now, I want you to answer all his questions honestly. Tell them what you told me, why you did what you did, and be polite to them. Don't let any of them upset you, because a temper tantrum won't help you a bit. Do you understand?”

  She bowed her head and said, “Yes.”

  “Good. Do you have any questions for me before we go?”

  “Can you be with me?”

  “Not for all of it, no. I'll be there with you when I can, but you need to be strong, and be honest. Okay?”

  “Okay. I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be.”

  Chapter 14

  Heath sat Sara down gently in his car. “Are you okay?”

  Sara nodded and yawned. “Yeah, I'm just tired.”

  “Okay.” He leaned over her and fastened her seat belt. “Why don't you lay your head back and rest?”

  He pulled out his phone and called Ted. “Hi, Ted. Yeah, this is about Sara. I think she's okay, but could I get you to meet us at the hospital and check her out? No, nothing like that. It's a long story that I'll explain when you get there. Okay, thanks, Ted. We'll be there in about ten minutes.”

  Heath was not at all surprised when Sara fell asleep shortly after they left. When they got to the hospital he went to her side and carefully picked her up. She woke up and put her arms around his neck, but didn't object that he was carrying her. That told him how exhausted she was.

  He carried her into the emergency room, where Ted was waiting for them. “Bring her in here, Heath. I've got a room ready for her.” When they got her settled on the exam table he asked, “Now, what happened? She looks exhausted.”

  “She is.” Ted and a nurse were already checking her temperature and heart and lungs while Heath explained Sara's adventure.

  “So, Sara,” Ted asked with a smile on his face, “I understand you didn't begin your afternoon adventure with the idea of catching two thieves, but tell me, do you generally ignore doctor's orders?”

  Heath quickly offered, “I can't speak for other doctors, but she's certainly ignored mine a time or two.”

  Ted laughed. “So Heath, you thought you'd have smooth sailing once Heather got married and became Phil's responsibility. Then along comes Sara, who steals your heart and gives you gray hair, all at the same time?” He smiled at Sara and winked, making sure she knew he was teasing his old pal.

  Heath grinned. “Yeah, the two of them have become best friends.”

  More laughter from Ted as he said, “Best friends and partners in crime?”

  Sobering a bit, Heath said, “Exactly, which reminds me, there's probably going to be a policeman down here soon to question my little criminal. Is she up to that right now?”

  Ted got serious, as well. He'd been checking Sara while they were talking, and he now turned to Heath. “No, not yet anyway. I want to do a more thorough exam, but she's clinically exhausted. Did you check her eyes?”

  “No, not yet,” Heath answered. He took the instrument Ted had been using and did a quick check of Sara's eyes, and checked the chart Ted and the nurse had been writing their findings in. “She has a fever again. Anything we need to be concerned with?”

  Sara's eyes fluttered open a bit. “I have a fever again?”

  Ted tried to reassure them both. “Yes, but it's still low grade. It's probably from being up and doing too much. We'll watch it, though, and make sure it goes back down. Sara, you need to get some rest. I'm going to watch the fever, but you go ahead and take a nap if you can.”

  They barely heard a quiet, sleepy “Okay.”

  The nurse stayed with Sara, and Heath followed Ted out of the room. Ted explained, “Heath, she is just plain wiped out. That whole ordeal was frightening, and she didn't have enough reserve energy to call upon. But I want to do a couple things. She's dehydrated, no doubt from her illness, coupled with the adrenalin rush. I know she isn't going to like this, but I'd like to start an IV to get fluids in her, and I want to get her back on antibiotics. We can put one through her IV drip. I think she'll perk back up once we get fluids in her, but I do want to watch the fever pretty closely, because as you know, she's pretty vulnerable right now to just about anything in her weakened condition. I'd like to keep her overnight so we can watch her.”

  Heath was quiet for a minute, then agreed. “You're right, she won't like the idea of an IV, but I think you're right. Fluids are going to be the fastest way to perk her up. Let's go get this done. Maybe we'll all luck out and she'll be half asleep through it.”

  They turned to go back in her room, but Ted stopped him. “I know you're concerned about her. Do you feel up to starting the IV if she asks, or should I take the choice away and tell her a nurse will do it?

  Heath sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Let's suggest the nurse first, but I don't want her to panic. If she's adamant, I'll do it, or at least give it a try.”

  “You'll do fine, Doctor.” They turned and went in to talk to Sara.

  An hour later she was sleeping peacefully in her hospital room, IV in place, thanks to Heath, with fluids and an antibiotic dripping. Heath sat beside her bed, holding her hand, watching her sleep.

  Phil and Heather walked in, concerned. Heather asked, “What's wrong, Heath? Why is she staying overnight?”

  Heath explained Ted's concerns, and Heather nodded her head in agreement. “It was harder on her than I realized, Heath. I'm sorry.”

  “She was weaker than I realized, too, Heather. She wanted to be up and about so badly, I thought she was more fully recovered, as well. Ted said that since she just had mono a year ago, it's hit her harder this time. She's a little bundle of energy that doesn't like to be held down, so she was trying to get all of us to believe she was okay. And to be honest, she probably thought she would recover as quickly as she did last year. We took another blood sample and Ted's having it tested to see how low her white cell count is.”

  Heather said, as much to herself as anyone else, “We'll just have to make sure she stays in bed this time when she gets home. Maybe the three of us can take shifts or something, and keep her entertained and in bed.”

  Heath smiled at his sister and said, “M
aybe. We'll come up with something.” He watched her sleeping a while again, and had another thought. He looked up at his sister and asked, “So what's going on with you two, anyway? Are you out on bail? Is Sara going to be recovering in jail?”

  Heather looked at Phil lovingly as she said, “My husband went to bat for us.”

  Phil explained, “I talked to the owners of the condo complex and explained that although what they did was wrong, they had no intentions of vandalizing anything, and when they realized what was happening they did the right thing by getting the police involved, even though they knew they'd be in trouble. He was a nice guy, and agreed that the girls did do them a favor, so he's not pressing charges. I assured him the girls would be paying for their crimes, and he was good with that.”

  Heath smiled. “So no charges at all?”

  “No charges,” Phil agreed. “We just need a statement from Sara when she's up to it, but it can wait.”

  Heath meant it when he told Phil, “Thank you for your help. I'm glad Sara doesn't have to face that. She's got enough on her plate right now.”

  “Yeah, she just needs to focus on getting better right now,” Phil agreed.

  Heath said, as much to himself as to them, “And she's facing one heck of a spanking when she's up to it. That's enough for her to worry about.”

  Phil looked over at Heather as he said, “Yeah, I have a wife that's facing the same thing. Only she'll be facing it much sooner.”

  Heather lowered her eyes, suddenly silent.

  Phil asked, “So Sara's going to be okay?”

  Heath answered, “She has a fever again and they're watching that, but mainly I think she needs lots of rest. If her white cell count's too low Ted said he'd give her something to help build it back up.”

  “Heath, if you want to go get some coffee or something, we'll stay with Sara.”

  “Thanks, Phil, but I'm okay.”

  “How long are you planning on staying here?” Phil was concerned about his friend.