Healing Faith (45 page)

“Well don’t expect to come crawling back here when he
isn’t as kind and gentle as you say he is,” he rebuffed and stood
from the table. “No one’s forcing you to stay. So go whenever you
want.”

He tossed his napkin on his plate and walked out,
leaving me disappointed and embarrassed in his wake. We heard him
head back to his office, the door slamming with a sense of
finality. Stacy slowly rose from her seat with Nathan immediately
following. She hugged me tight, and I could tell she was watching
Nathan as she spoke.

“I don’t understand everything about your kind, but I
know you love my sister,” she said and then pulled away to eye me.
“I have to leave this morning to go back to school. I don’t want to
leave, but I want more time with my sister. If this is the last
time I get to see her…”

Nathan stepped close and rested his hand lightly on
her shoulder. She looked up at him, surprised.

“I will see to it that you may visit your sister.
Please know that I would want nothing less than your support and
love for your sister,” he murmured and was surprised himself when
she reached for him to hug him as well.

When she pulled away, she excused us so that she and
I could speak alone. She hovered by the door, glancing at her bags
and shaking her head.

“Do you want this? To live with him and live that
life?” she asked.

“I was never like you, Stacy,” I said and chuckled
when she pursed her lips at me. “I like the quiet life. And I care
for Nathan more than I have anyone, except maybe you and Mom.”

Mentioning our mother made her nod slowly and look
back to see Nathan cleaning up our ruined breakfast. She laughed
quietly and reached for me, hugging me again.

“If he’s what you want, I can’t argue. Just promise
me you’ll write or call,” she whispered into my ear. “I don’t want
to leave until I know you’ll be all right.”

“I’ll be all right,” I assured her and pulled away
when I heard Nathan drawing near. “I found my home.”

He blushed at my last comment and slid in beside me,
smiling that tender smile I loved so much.

“Then, I’ve got a plane to catch,” Stacy said and
moved to grab her bags. Nathan moved in quicker and took her bags
for her, the three of us moving towards the door. I hadn’t noticed
the rental car parked on the street when Sean had delivered me, and
now I was sad to know that I was saying good-bye to my sister.

Nathan put her bags in the trunk while I hugged her
one last time, trying hard not to cry. When he approached, she
pulled him close and hugged him again.

“I’m holding you to your promise,” she said. “I want
to see you both again.”

“You will,” he replied simply.

Stacy let out a breath and slid into the front seat,
starting up the car and rolling down the window to offer one last
bit of encouragement.

“Get out of here as soon as you can, Kate. This isn’t
where you’re meant to be. I love you,” she said and put the car in
gear, waving as she pulled out.

I felt Nathan’s arms around me again, his lips
brushing along my hair to comfort me as I watched my sister’s car
disappear at the curve in the road.

“Your sister is right, Kate. This is not your world.
It is time to go home.”

I nodded, feeling his words soak into me.

I was ready to go home.

With my father’s blessing to leave, as Nathan put it,
I realized there was a lot to do before I could actually pick up
and leave forever. Nathan sat with me at the table while I wrote
down all the things to do, smiling in encouragement whenever I
would get frustrated at just how much I needed to deal with.

I needed to pull out the rest of my savings from the
bank.

I had to pack and decide what to leave behind,
although that seemed to be the easiest task as I had little I could
bring back with us.

I needed to be sure Sean would stay in jail, speak
with Deputy Stevens about what came next.

I needed to do so many things when all I really
wanted to do was simply leave.

"Things will be better, I promise. We will leave this
place and our lives will be ours again," he whispered and kissed me
on the forehead before allowing me to retreat upstairs to
shower.

I let my thoughts ramble as I washed my hair, feeling
my fear and confusion slowly disappear down the drain. With each
moment closer to leaving, I found more courage to do just that.

I would leave, and start anew.

I felt a surge of energy course through me at the
thought. I smiled into the mirror, seeing the bruises had faded
more, a sign that I was indeed moving on. I stepped out of the
bathroom full of hope. I retreated into my room and changed
quickly, wanting to find Nathan and get out of the house, finally.
I found him in the living room, standing in the middle of the room,
his eyes transfixed on the television. I smirked and stepped in the
room, Nathan coming out of his daze and shaking his head
apologetically.

"I turned it on by accident, then it would not shut
off. It is troubling what they show on your television," he said
and let me take the remote from his hands. I patted the back of it,
jarring the batteries before shutting it off.

"I won't miss TV. It rots your brain," I retorted and
laughed when he could only nod.

He was dressed already, having found the clothes in
the dryer. I took a moment to appreciate him in his English
clothes, now that I was less distracted by the events of yesterday.
He stood there and smiled sheepishly, looking over his own outfit
and glancing at mine.

The T-shirt he wore was cut nicely for his broad
chest, the v of it allowing some of his chest hair to peek through.
I hadn't registered last night how beautiful he was when we had
been in the bathroom. But the English clothes revealed his strong
arms, his long neck that needed a shave, and his strong legs whose
jeans form fitted to him just so.

He really was quite...

"Beautiful."

I looked up in surprise at his voice.

"You are so very beautiful, Kate," he whispered and
shuffled in place, bashful once more.

I didn't know how to react.

I never thought of myself as beautiful, but from the
first moment Nathan had looked on me, he had been transfixed. Even
if at first it had been fear of what he did not understand. We had
grown so much in the last month, and had this detour in our lives
not occurred, I wondered where we would be. I tried to look at the
positive to having been taken from him, to acknowledge that it had
made us stronger in our relationship. I would be able to show him
some of my world, for good or bad before we committed to his.

“We should call Emma before we go out,” he murmured
against me.

From his pocket he pulled out a small scrap of paper,
and smiled shyly.

"I have never had to call the phone before," he
explained. I handed him the house phone and watched as he dialed
the number, holding the phone to his ear.

I could hear it ringing as I stood close to him,
anxious to hear Emma.

Two rings and then Emma's excited voice boomed out of
the phone.

"Nathan! Have you found her?"

"Emma," he said and I could hear in his voice the
strain of finally speaking to her.

He cleared his throat and looked towards me, tugging
me closer to him as he spoke.

"I found her. She is safe. I am sorry I am just
calling. I arrived last night.”

"Can I speak to her? Oh please, I do not mean to be
rude, but I need to hear her voice!"

He paused a moment and grinned as he handed me the
phone. I took it gratefully and felt the lump in my throat when I
said her name.

"Emma."

It took her a moment through her crying before she
could say anything. Hearing her so upset made me hurt that I was so
far away and could not comfort her.

"Are you all right, Katherine? With what happened
when you were here, we were so worried," she asked quietly.

"I'm okay, Emma. Really. Are you okay? How is
Abigail? Is Fannie all right?" I asked and choked up again when I
heard her clear her throat.

"We will be well when you are home again. When are
you coming home?" she asked, almost desperately.

"As soon as we can," I murmured and closed my eyes
tight. I felt Nathan take the phone from me gently and talk softly
with Emma.

I hadn't realized how torn up I was until I felt his
hand rub along my back, trying to console me. First my real sister
leaving and then to hear my adopted sister upset, it was too much.
I looked up into his eyes as he watched me while speaking with
Emma.

"I will call again tomorrow, Emma. We are still
waiting here to finish up. We will know soon," he was saying.

But once again, I just wanted to get into the car and
head back.

I wanted to get there and put the Bergers at
ease.

He quietly ended the call and pulled me into an
embrace while I pulled myself together. We had things to do, and
crying over it wouldn’t get us there any faster. He took my hand,
smiling as we neared the door. Nathan opened the door and stood
beside me, looking out at the sunshine.

"It is a beautiful day to start anew," he
whispered.

I looked out, seeing the sun as it shone bright. It
was not the same warm brilliance of Iowa; it held something a
little cool being so close to the ocean. But it was bright. And it
offered a newness I hadn't felt in the last few days here.

"A beautiful day," I repeated and held his hand a
little tighter and stepped out into it.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the feeling of freedom
and laughed when he paused beside my car. Sliding in to the
driver’s seat, I motioned for him to get in. He looked dubious for
a moment before getting in, touching the front dash lightly before
smiling.

"I am not sure I want to know this part of your
world, Kate," he said and laughed when I scowled at him.

“Is it because I’m driving? It’s not true what they
say about female drivers,” I retorted.

“I trust you. Just do not tell my horse I did this,”
he replied with an amused look on his face and leaned back with his
arm at on the window ledge.

I rolled my eyes and put it in gear before pulling
out onto the road at a careful pace. I had to admit the one thing I
had missed was driving my car. I had worked hard on weekend shifts
at the diner to buy the car in the hopes of being able to work in
the city. It seemed strange to think that after I left, I would
have no need for it. I’d have to sell it, but perhaps that was a
good thing. It could help to pay for anything we needed in our new
life.

I pulled into the police station and killed the
engine, turning to Nathan to catch him eyeing me in amusement. He
chuckled and looked away briefly.

"It is interesting to see you like this. I like it,"
he said and slid out of the car to come around to open my door.

"I'm still me," I whispered as he held my hand and
closed the door behind me.

"I know. But you are more confident when you have
your mind set on things. I cannot wait to see you like this when we
get home," he replied.

I wondered if I would be like this when we got back.
Had I really changed? I didn't feel so different. But Nathan seemed
sure of himself in regards to my confidence, and his faith gave me
the courage to see things a little better.

Deputy Stevens was walking out from the back rooms
when we walked into the police station, her smile quivering when
she took in Nathan beside me.

"Kate! So glad to see you! I was just going to call,
but figured your dad might have filled you in on some of what has
happened," she said and came up to us, looking again to Nathan.

"He told me some," I replied and then motioned to
Nathan. "This is Nathan, Deputy Stevens."

Nathan extended his hand to her and shook it
cordially.

"Very nice to meet you, Nathan," she said, smiling
again.

"Thank you for assisting Kate with this," he replied
before stepping back to hold me loosely.

"It's my job. I am just glad she has someone to be
there for her," she said and motioned us toward her desk, off to
the side of the station.

I sat down carefully, noticing the folder sitting on
her desk labeled with my name on it. All the sunshine from the
drive over seemed to disappear at the thought of why that folder
looked thicker than it should. She noticed me looking at it with
trepidation and slid it to the side, drawing my attention back up
to her.

"You know that Sean is in custody?" she asked
carefully.

I nodded. She let out a sigh and rubbed her eyes,
trying to hide the fatigue I could see there. She looked like she
had been burning the midnight oil.

"Did your dad tell you what happened?" she asked, not
moving her hand from her face.

"Just that he took care of it and that Sean was in
custody in the Emergency room," I replied, not sure if I should say
anymore, because Deputy Stevens simply grunted.

"What happened?" Nathan asked, taking the lead. She
opened her eyes and looked off towards a darkened office to the
side. From where I was sitting, I could see Deputy Miller’s name on
it. A moment of trepidation filtered through me, having not
realized I could have walked in to find him here. I didn’t think I
could handle seeing him. Deputy Stevens pulled me back into the
conversation with a clearing of her throat.

"You dad came in last night, upset about something
you had said at home. He confronted Sean’s father about it.
Something about Sean going too far. Which, if you ask me was
obvious when you were at the hospital. But your dad seemed more
upset at Sean last night. He went into Miller’s office and they
argued for a bit before your dad came storming out, Deputy Miller
close behind him," she said and shook her head again.