The Touch (Healer Series) (21 page)

  
He had a hard time getting the words out,
knowing he himself couldn’t save her and how he hated himself for it.

  
“I know. I feel the same,” the gruff mechanic
said, walking towards the door and fumbling for the right key. “He’s just
human, right? Even doctors can’t save everyone.”

  
“No one can,” AJ added.

  
Stepping inside the hot office, Bob turned to
him. “You’re not working today. What’s going on?”

  
He had started to soften a bit towards AJ,
even trust him a little. He was a hard worker and a good kid and Bob decided to
give him the benefit of the doubt.

  
“Just wanted to make sure we’re cool.”

  
“We…are…” Bob managed to get out before his
face went white, his hand reaching towards his chest. It was as if Devin were
planning it so AJ would have to see what he caused.

  
AJ reached his hand quickly out to Bob. It
was the first time in over a month he was going to use his gift to try and heal
someone. He hadn’t thought until that moment about the possibility that he may
not be allowed to save his boss. Bob reached his own hand out to meet AJ’s.

  
The victim felt another shock, much like he
had with Devin. It was different; soothing even. His eyes closed and AJ’s
visions began. Bob and his wife bringing dinner to Isabelle and her family
again; going on a vacation; Bob helping Helen around the farm and Matthew,
noticeably missing, from the picture. Bob was meant to live, to be there to
help Helen and keep her dream of the B&B going.

  
AJ focused, forcing the strength out of his
own body and into Bob’s, a small light emanating from their clasped hands. Bob
was silent, unconscious as the healing took place, his mind closed down as his
body ousted the evil threat of harm from within it. AJ had to make it
believable when he was done. He gathered his breath and tried to stand tall despite
feeling extremely weak. The healing had taken more effort than he had thought
it would and he knew his focus was weakened from no practice.

  
“Bob?” he called, a little louder than a
whisper. He needed to make Bob believe that he had zoned out and AJ was
snapping him back to reality. “You okay, Bob? You spaced out on me there.”

  
“Uh, yeah, yeah, sorry,” he said, confused
and looking around. “I must be really tired. And upset. I’ll be okay. Why don’t
you head on out of here? We’re good. I’ll see you Monday, okay?”

  
“Okay. Why don’t you go home to your wife?
Stick a note on the door that if anyone needs help, they can come on down to
the B&B and see me?” AJ said, knowing full well no one had needed the shop
on a Saturday in years, and probably wouldn’t today.

  
“Sounds good.
Devin’s all set up in one of the places out there, so I think I’ll go rest.”

  
Despite the weakness AJ was feeling, he also
felt energized. A release followed by a rush of relief as he was able to save a
life. These were the moments he lived for.

  
He found it ironic that it took a being as
bad as Devin to allow him to feel something so good.

**************************************************

  
AJ and Max took shifts, watching Devin from
afar. Devin knew what they were up to as everywhere he went one of them was
within range, listening. They weren’t coy about it; they wanted him to know
they were watching.

  
AJ watched Addie from afar in his spare time,
trying to distance himself from her for fear that Devin would retaliate by
using her to get to him. If Devin thought he could care less about her, maybe
she’d be out of danger.

  
He avoided her when possible, always having
something else to do. If she waved hello, he’d wave back and then head into the
house or off to pretend to do something, sneaking around to a place where he
could watch her. He knew when Devin was near, focusing his ability to feel
Devin’s presence grow stronger if he got closer.

  
Addie wondered what had happened. They had
danced, they had gotten along, and they had gone home just friends. She hadn’t
pressured him, hadn’t said anything, and all of a sudden he had essentially
disappeared. He hadn’t even been by to see Rose, which broke her heart even
more. She hated to see her baby sad, since her daughter had already had a lifetime
of men not wanting to be in her life.

  
She caught him after work one day that next
week pulling into the driveway. She had been passive-aggressive, only waving or
smiling, not making a move to talk to him. That was about to end. She needed to
know why he was doing this to them.
To Rose.
And to her.

  
“Hey!” she said, storming over as much as her
body could storm.
“AJ!”

  
He looked at her and waved, trying to
hurriedly head into the B&B and away from her. He walked up the stairs,
through the door and was headed towards the indoor stairs when she caught up to
him.

  
“AJ, what the hell is wrong with you?” she
hollered, causing him to turn around.

  
“Addie, calm down,” he replied, turning
around to face her. He was glad Helen was out tending to the chickens and not
hearing this exchange.

  
She had wanted to be calm yet the emotions
had taken over as she worked up the courage to go to him. By the time she
reached him the hormones were raging and she was nothing short of angry.

  
“Calm down? You want me to calm down? Are you
kidding me? What’s wrong with you? What did I do this time?”

  
“It’s nothing, nothing at all that you did.
I’m just busy.”

  
“Busy?
Really?
That’s what you’re going with?”

  
“Yes, because it’s true.”

  
“If you’re so busy, why do you watch me from the
porch every night?”

  
He stopped. He had no answer. She was right.

  
“You’re sleeping outside AJ. It’s weird. And
you’re avoiding me. I don’t understand – we went dancing, I had a good
birthday, and then my only friend in town completely bails on me.”

  
The tears blurred her vision and AJ the pain in
her eyes. He knew he was wrong, although he knew being wrong and hurting her
like this might save her life in the long run - her life and that of her
daughter.

  
“Addie, I’m sorry. I’m just busy. I need you
to understand.”

  
“I’m tired of understanding you AJ. You
promised me I had a friend in you.”

  
She was fierce but still human. Her heart was
breaking, and she thought his distance was somehow her fault.

  
“I’m tired of trying. I have a better
suggestion. Why don’t you just keep the hell away from me and my little girl?
For good.
Better yet, why don’t you just pack up and head
out of town like you said you would a month ago if I wanted you to? Well, I
want you to now, so just go!” she screamed. AJ knew she was beyond hurt and he
may possibly never be able to explain or mend the damage he had caused. He
hadn’t just hurt her, he had hurt her daughter. He knew to a mother the slight
was a wrong no human could right.

  
He looked down, feeling the sting of tears in
his own eyes. He didn’t want her to see him cry.

  
“Nothing.
You have
nothing to say?” she said with a cruel laugh.
“Really
surprising.
Go home AJ, to wherever you came from.”

  
She turned and bolted out the door, brushing
past Helen. Helen looked up at AJ and he let her see the tears now staining his
cheeks. She walked over to him, not knowing what had just happened. She simply felt
he just needed someone to understand he wasn’t a bad person. She wrapped her
arms around him and held
him,
his hands limp at his sides
and his body trembling. The only person it had ever been harder to let go of
than Addie was his mother.

11
Stories

The
entire town was in attendance with the exception of two people: the newest
resident, a man AJ knew was most likely plotting his revenge; and one sweet
little girl whose body had grown too tired for the fight. Isabelle had passed, taking
her final breath the day Devin came back to town.

  
There hadn’t been a dry eye for days. Even
the men found themselves unable to stop the flow of tears. There were silent
glances and awkward hugs as the community tried to comfort each other.

  
Isabelle had been curled up in bed on her
last day on earth, her mother and father on either side of her, while her brothers
played board games on the floor. She had smiled up at her parents, her father
holding her hand as her mother stroked the side of her soft face. Dark circles
made a home under her eyes from the battle she had waged against cancer. She
always smiled through everything to try and take the pain and burden away from
her family. Max kept AJ apprised of the situation from the information he
gathered from those in town. It had been like this for weeks, and those who
loved her were torn between praying for her to continue on
or
praying for her to pass. It just didn’t seem humane to beg that she keep on
living.

  
Surrounded by those who loved her most, her
tiny heart stopped beating. AJ, through tears shed as he grieved in his bed in
mid-afternoon, imagined the angels greeted her there in her room, taking her up
to heaven with them where there would be no more pain and suffering. Her mother
stayed right there in that bed for hours holding the still body of her baby,
crying out the sadness and anger housed within her heart. She knew what every
mother of a sick child knew – there was no reason that could possibly explain
why Isabelle had died. No matter how hard she searched, she knew no plausible
reason would exist; AJ would have agreed.

  
When they took Isabelle’s body away her
mother stayed in the bed for days, her heart broken far more than most people’s
would ever be. To lose a parent is hard; to lose a child is unbearable.

  
It was in strangers that her mother found
hope. People wanted to help and asked what they could do. Their family member’s
from out of town wanted to help. It inspired Isabelle’s mother to rise out of
bed - still heartbroken but inspired all the same. The funeral would come first
and then the planning of how to memorialize their little girl so that her life
would not have been in vain.

  
AJ already knew what the future held for them
and he found relief in knowing they would be okay despite this heartache.

  
Devin had stayed tucked away in his little
corner of town since that first day he arrived back, and while Max and AJ did
keep watch, they let their guard down as they headed into town for the funeral.
They’d feel if he were coming near and, since everyone in town was with them,
they could mourn the loss of a beautiful little girl without having to be on
the prowl for the enemy.

  
Addie was there, although she avoided AJ at
all costs. She pointedly said hello to Max, hoping AJ would hear and it would
cause him a sliver of pain. She wanted him to hurt just as she did. To feel
unwanted, as she did.

  
As everyone gathered in the cemetery - the
grass a bright, lush green and the sky overhead the clearest blue it had been
in weeks - the choir began singing a song and Isabelle’s body was lowered into
the ground. AJ knew it was only a body; her soul had risen up to heaven, a physical
home no longer needed. He hadn’t known her very well at all, yet the fact that
she was just a little girl ate at him. The mortals would never know the how,
although they’d guess and wonder and make up scientific reasons to make some
sense out of it. While he himself would never have the answers of why, at least
he knew the how.

  
The tears were so many that
morning
, AJ imagined they could fill an ocean. Adding to the
pain he felt at this little soul being lost was the uncontrollable urge to
watch Addie from across the gathering. She’d made eye contact only
once,
to be sure he caught her glare and took notice of how
angry she was. While her look was stoic and punishing, her heart felt a slight
wince of regret for the things she had said. She hadn’t lied; she wanted him to
leave. At least her mind did. Her heart had second thoughts and very much
wanted him to stay. She was left wondering if he would, and being angry at
herself for caring.

  
The feelings AJ had were new. While he still
felt the Grim in town, his nausea was amplified by the fact that Addie held so
much disdain for him. He wished he could tell her he was only protecting her.
He knew she would never understand it.

  
The ceremony ended and the town gathered for
a meal. AJ simply hadn’t the courage to attend. Max didn’t want to leave him
unaccompanied, either. As they made their way in the opposite direction from
the crowd, both men felt Devin at the same time, only moments before he was
directly in front of them. He was getting stronger.

  
“Lovely to see you boys.
Great day for a funeral,” he said.

  
His voice was an evil drawl. AJ thought he sounded
like a snake; a very poisonous one.

  
“Nice,” AJ said
,
his
hands tucked firmly in his pockets to resist the urge to belt Devin. After the
incident with Bob, he didn’t want to cause any more strife through his own
actions. “I thought
Grims
were supposed to keep a
system of checks and balances with us, without taking so much joy in it,” AJ
hissed, his voice low so others wouldn’t hear.

  
“Ah, an old-
schooler
.
I see you’ve been hanging around Max too
long. Really AJ, do you think the world still operates that way?”

  
“We’re not the world. We’re separate. We have
our own laws and obligations.”

  
“And laws were made to be broken,” Devin
scowled back, leaning towards AJ as if to show he wasn’t scared. “The world is
changing and so must we. Adapt or be taken advantage of is my motto. It’s
working out quite well, really. Anyway, I don’t break laws. I just stretch them
to their brink.”

  
“You’ve broken laws already, Devin! You
touched Bob in revenge.”

  
“Did I? I don’t think so. He’s been
overweight for years. Definitely hasn’t worked out. I was merely giving him a
little wake up call to be a better person.”

  
AJ grimaced. He hated Devin with every inch
of his being.

  
Devin had a smaller stature. However, he
didn’t seem to be afraid. Addie had been watching the interaction from behind
and instantly knew how she could find an opportunity to get under AJ’s skin.

  
“Devin!” she called, snapping the boys out of
their pre-wrestling stare-down.

  
AJ shot a look back at Addie, incredulous
that she was going to stoop to this level to get back at him. He knew what she
was doing. She came jogging over just as Max touched AJ’s arm to keep him calm.

  
“Hi boys,” she said sarcastically, her head
tilting to emphasize the point.
“Hi Devin.”

  
“Hi, Addie,” he replied. “It’s nice to see a
friendly face around here.” He looked back at AJ, the sneer upon his face even
bigger than before.

  
“Care to join me? You look like you could use
a friend.”

  
“I could. And I’d love to,” he replied
happily.

  
He enjoyed this torment of AJ nearly as much
as Addie did. As they began to walk away, she looked back towards Max and AJ.
AJ faced the opposite direction. He could feel her eyes boring into him and he
didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of looking. He thought she had just
been mad at him; he was beginning to think she hated him, now.

  
“Let it go,” Max said, squeezing AJ’s arm.
“He won’t hurt her. Not yet at least. He’d rather enjoy watching you writhe.”

  
AJ was silent. It seemed the safest way to exist
at the moment. Any words he uttered would show the pure hatred and contempt he
was beginning to feel for certain aspects of the world.

  
He took a few deep breathes, trying to lower
the adrenaline running through his veins and causing him to shake with the
anger he felt. When he had calmed down enough, he shook Max’s hand off and
started walking.

  
“AJ, wait up,” Max yelled, walking after him.

  
AJ’s pace grew faster and faster, into a jog
and then a full out sprint. Max knew he couldn’t keep up so he slowed to a stop
and shook his head. He couldn’t blame the kid; he’d never asked for any of
this.

  
AJ ran, and then ran further, the dress
clothes he had put on growing heavier as he went. Covered in sweat and with his
tie half undone and flapping in the breeze, he focused only on the road ahead.
He didn’t care.

  
To Helen and Matthew’s, out past the fields
and around acres of fields that surrounded town. His feet carried him as fast
as he could go. Out past the home he knew Devin was staying at. He stopped in
front of it, his hands going through his hair and bracing his head as if he
were about to explode. He kicked the fence, breaking one of the old railroad
ties in half.

  
If he thought it would have made Devin leave,
he would have torn the house down board by board with his bare hands. Instead
he started jogging again. He sprinted back towards the B&B.

  
He didn’t want to care so much. He’d gone
years living in the city, never once becoming so vested in the people he was
there for. Why had he let himself care about her? Why had he let himself fall
in love with someone he could never have? It was a mystery to him in the same
way that people becoming sick was a mystery to humans; he knew he’d never
understand.

  
Then he realized he loved her.

  
He slammed the door to his room, wanting to
be alone. It wasn’t long before he heard Helen knocking.

  
He wanted her to leave, to let him be. She
was persistent and, despite his pleas for time alone, said she wasn’t going
anywhere and would wait right there for him.

  
She really would have made an excellent
mother.

  
“I’m sorry for slamming the door, Helen. It
won’t happen again,” he said, opening the oak door to her. “This is your home,
I should be more respectful.”

  
“I don’t care about the door,” she replied
softly, slipping inside his room. “I care about you. Come here,” she said,
signaling towards the two little chairs at the small table near the windows.
“Let’s talk.”

  
“I really, really don’t want to talk,” AJ
said, trying his best to be kind instead of rude towards a woman who had helped
and befriended him as a new arrival in town.

  
“Then just listen.”

  
She settled into the chair, her wrinkled
hands
an
indication of the years of experience she had
on this earth.

  
“I won’t pretend to know what’s going on,”
she said, her eyes boring straight into him with a hint of kindness. “Here’s
what I do know. Love isn’t a fair game or an easy one. I know we don’t always
pick who we love. It is chosen for us by greater powers and we are only
destined to find each other somehow. If Addie isn’t the one, you’ll find the person
you are supposed to be with. Of that, I am certain.”

  
He looked down into his lap. Nothing was
certain except that we live and we die, he thought.

  
“All of this – the pain I see in your eyes,
the wall you’re putting up to keep a distance - it’s not healthy. Not for you
and not for her, and especially not for that little girl. You need to make a
choice. You are welcome here as long as you want, although only if you make a
choice and live with it. I won’t have this trouble in my house. You are like a
son to me, AJ, a son that I’ve wanted my whole life. You can trust me and I
need to be able to trust you.”

  
He looked up to read her eyes. She held an
album in her hand, her eyes glossing over as she lifted it gently onto the
table. She pulled out a picture and placed it on the crocheted tablecloth. It
was her, a man, and a little boy. The picture itself was creased with one edge
torn off, blurry yet not enough to ruin the image. In black and white, Helen
was clearly recognizable by the same bright smile she wore nearly every moment
of every day since he’d met her.

  
He didn’t ask; he knew better than to ask his
elders painful questions about their past. He merely listened.