A Walk In The Wilderness (11 page)

     David smoothed a hand over her head in comfort, and smiled.  “A bit of beef tea is in order, though.  Please, Caitlin.”

    She shuddered.  “Not tonight.  Truly, I’ll be all right.  I’ll eat something tomorrow.  If I tried now, I couldn’t keep it down.”

     David sighed, and shook his head worriedly.  “All right.  If you change your mind, don’t hesitate to ring me.  I’ll take care of it.”  he promised. 

       Caitlin had to promise, before he and Uncle William left her alone.

      William walked David to his room.   “Do you really think she’s all right?” he asked hesitantly. 

     David shook his head.  “I don’t know.  I really don’t know.” he answered honestly.  “I think she’ll pull out of it, but we’d be wise to watch her closely for the next few days.  I honestly think she’s just terrified.  She’s no match for those two.  She’s no doubt been traumatized.”

      William growled. 

    “I’m very concerned about her, William; but I don’t think that insisting on a doctor is the answer.  We’ll have to watch her for shock, but I’m afraid that if we shove a doctor down her throat, she’s going to get worse yet.  She doesn’t want any attention called to herself.”

     “But my heavens -- she’s not dealing with this realistically!  She’s already had more attention called to her than she wants.  What’s the difference now?”

     David shrugged. “She wants to hide.  She’s trying to run away.  That’s all.  I’m not sure it’s harmful to let her.  She’s obviously very private and introverted.  Let her have her way for awhile.  Tell you what, I’ll stay up and watch her for a few hours.  Leave me a key, and I’ll check her every half hour to be sure she’s all right.  If her pulse and breathing don’t even out, we’ll call a doctor.”

     “You don’t think you’ll frighten her if you wake her up?”

     David shook his head.  “No.  No, she already knows me better than that.”

   “I suppose that’s true.”  William hedged.  He looked at David just a bit suspiciously.  "You seem to be a trustworthy man.”

     David chuckled.  “I think I can behave myself.”  he assured the concerned uncle.  His smile showed amusement, and there was obviously no offense taken.

     William blushed a bit.  “Well, I wasn’t trying to insinuate anything.” he blustered. 

     David smiled.  “I wouldn’t blame you a bit if you were.  She’s a lovely girl, and you’re right to be protective.  But believe me; all that I’m interested in tonight, is her medical condition.”

     “Tonight?”  William asked hopefully.  He would not mind at all, actually, to see this man interested in Caitlin.  “She’s a lovely thing, really.  I’ve often wondered why some man hasn’t snatched her up long ago.” he hinted lightly.

     David looked him squarely in the eyes.  “She’s very pretty, but she’s not an easy mark.  Too withdrawn, and smart for that.”  he assured him.  “Don’t worry about her.  She’ll be all right.”

    William was disappointed in David’s apparent lack of enthusiasm.  He was flattering to Cait, but there surely didn’t seem to be any romantic overtures coming.  “I’m sure you’re right.  Well; I’ll talk to you in the morning, then.  Don’t hesitate to call, if you need me.”

       Cait was sound asleep when David let himself into her room.  He was glad to see that she’d changed into her nightgown, and was snuggled deep in her bed.  He carefully checked her pulse, and was gratified to find that it seemed entirely normal.  She was sleeping peacefully, her breathing deep and even.

     He sat in the recliner, and listened for a few minutes.  Soon, he was lost in thought.  A plan began to form in his mind.  As he considered it, he dropped his head back and laughed quietly.  It was ideal; the perfect solution to a difficult dilemma. Caitlin was heaven-sent!

     Caitlin awakened the following morning to find herself feeling almost normal.  She rolled out of bed, but then froze when she spotted the figure of a man in her recliner.  Her heart hammered, until she realized that it was David, sound asleep.  She shook her head quizzically as she realized that he’d been there all night, keeping watch while she slept. 

      She vaguely recalled gentle fingers on her wrist.  What an uncommon man he was, to be so concerned about someone like her.  She stood up and tiptoed her way into the bath.  David continued sawing logs.  He was still sound asleep when she’d finished her shower. 

     She covered him with a blanket, and sat down at her desk to study for her finals.  She didn’t have the heart to wake him.  Looking at the long, dark lashes fanned over his cheeks and the air of rest and peace about him, she smiled.

      Finally, after noon, he stretched.  Looking at his watch, he groaned.

     “Hello, sleepyhead.”  she taunted with a smile.  “Came to keep an eye on me, did you?” she teased.

     David ran a hand over his eyes.  “I thought I did.”  he growled.  “I remember checking on you at four, and then it appears, I lost it.”

     She chuckled.  “Well, you need your sleep as much as I do.” she accused.  “Do you have a performance tonight?”

     “No.  This is my day off.”  he confirmed.  “When’s the last time you ate a good meal?” he asked pointedly.

     “Oh.  Not long ago.”  she evaded.

     He walked over, and towered over her with his hands on his hips and a thunderstorm brewing on his brow.  “You’ll have to do a little bit better than that if you want to get me off your case.”  he warned.

      She gave him a nice view of the top of her head.

     “All right,” he warned.  “Then I’ll just have to take matters in hand.  Come with me.”

     “No.  Really, David, I’m fine.  I have work to do, and I’m not …”

     She broke off her excuses as warm arms lifted her bodily out of her chair.  She grasped David’s neck with a gasp.  “David, I’m fine.”  she insisted, stiff and uncomfortable, snuggled in his arms.

      He looked down at her with a long, steady, look burning in his eyes.  “Is it
that
distasteful to think of going somewhere with me?” he challenged softly.

     “No!  No, you know it’s not that.”  she denied immediately.  He’d embarrassed her. 

     “Then don’t refuse.  It upsets me to think that you don’t like my company.”

     “Oh, David.  You know better.  It’s just that when I even think about eating, I get this lump in my throat.  Nothing would go down, I am quite certain.”

     “Then, you’ll eat soup.”  he informed her.  “But you
will
eat.  I know for a fact that you haven’t eaten a thing since sometime Friday.  Now, I am quite capable of carrying you, if that’s the way it’s got to be.”

“No.”  she insisted.  “No.  That would not be appropriate, and you know it.”  she evaded uneasily.

      “But it could get to be enjoyable, so perhaps you’d better cooperate with me in this.”  he warned.

      Caitlin looked sharply into his steady, challenging eyes.  She couldn’t begin to tell what he might have meant by that remark, but he appeared quite prepared to follow through.  As a matter of fact, he made no move to put her down.  His eyes were calm and cool, but challenging.  She had no doubt that he’d prove difficult to defy.

      “Very well.  I will try.”  she conceded.

     “Thank you.”  he said graciously.  He lightly set her on her feet.  “Where do you suggest that we go?”

      “There is a place just down the block, if you don’t mind walking.”

      “Fine.”  he agreed.  “I hope it's all right, I used your shower this morning.”  he mentioned on the way out.  

       Caitlin grabbed her coat and purse, blushing, and assured him it was fine.

     When they got to the sidewalk, David moved her to the side away from the street, and put an arm around her shoulders.  He felt her trembling under his fingers.  Her walk was tentative and shaky, her face like chalk.

     “Eh, Caitlin!  Catch yourself a handsome fellow, did you?” a teasing voice called from a window above and behind them. 

     Caitlin looked up, blushing brilliantly.  “Dodi, stop it.  He’s just my dear friend!” she scolded.

     “Too bad fer you!” the woman retorted.  “I’d love to get my hands on that handsome piece of real estate.” The voice howled down the street after them.

     Caitlin was mortified.  She didn’t look at David, but she heard him chuckle.  His arm around her shoulders tightened, but he kept quiet.

     “David, I am so sorry!  They do love to tease me.”  she apologized.  “She didn’t mean it to sound that way, I’m sure.  So disrespectful to you, I mean.”

      “I can see why she loves to tease you.  You’d have to learn how not to blush, to stop it.”  he warned.

      “You know I can’t do that.” She groused, completely embarrassed.

    “Good.  Don’t even try.”  he advised with a grin.  She looked up at him uncertainly, and he winked.

     They were soon sitting in a comfortable cafe window with hearty bowls of vegetable barley beef soup, and a loaf of fresh sourdough between them.  David picked up his spoon and tasted the soup.  It was out of this world.  He looked at Caitlin and put his spoon down, as he saw her staring at the bowl as though something horrible might crawl out of it. 

      He pinned her to her chair with a very expectant stare.

      “David,”  she begged.  “I can’t.  I’m sorry.  I just can’t.”

      “Taste it.” he insisted softly.

      “I’ll throw it up.” 

      “Then you’ll start over.”

      She closed her eyes wearily, and sighed.   She picked up her spoon.

     “Start with broth.  Half a spoon.”  he offered more gently.  “Try to relax your throat, and let it go down.”

     Caitlin obeyed, and found that she was able to swallow it when she followed his suggestion.  She sighed, and waited for the lump to settle in her throat again, so she could try a second time.  As long as she kept the spoonful scant and limited it to the broth, she was able to manage a bit of it.

     She looked up at David after a few moments’ silence.  “David.  What is the matter with me?”  she asked quietly.

     He raised his eyebrows, and smiled at her encouragingly.  “Nothing that won’t go away, given some time.  You’ve just been badly frightened, Cait, and you’re reacting the only way you know how.  It’s really going to be all right.”

     “I’m not sure.  I do feel afraid all the time, now.  And there’s this lump in my throat.  It’s like I can’t swallow past it. Sometimes I can’t seem to get enough air.”

     David’s expression conveyed that he understood.  “I think it’s simply panic, Cait.  Really.  When you know that the danger is past, I believe you’ll begin to unwind.  I think I have an idea that might help.  It’s a bit out of the blue for you, perhaps, but it would help us both, if it worked out.”

     “What might that be?” she asked curiously.

    “I've been thinking about offering you a job.”  His eyes told her that he was serious. 

      She simply could not process what he was saying.  “Me?  Why?” 

     David smiled.  “It would be a great favor to me, and it would give you a safe hiding place from Skyler, for awhile.  And, a change of scenery might be good for you, too.  If you don’t like it, you only have to let me know.  I’ll understand, and buy you a ticket home again.  No questions asked.”

     “What kind of job is it?”  she asked hesitantly.

    “My mother has been ill.  Since my father died, she’s begun to waste away.  Since I've begun to travel again, she’s become very lonely.  You wouldn’t have to do much.  She’s not demanding at all, she’s most pleasant.  She just needs someone in the house to talk to, every now and then.  A companion.” 

     “It wouldn’t be very exciting, and I know it wouldn’t fulfill your career plans, but it would give you a good rest.  And, I think that having you there would give Mother something to live for, again.  I think just having someone to talk to, someone to take interest in, would make all the difference.”

     “David, is it so dire for her?” she asked worriedly.

    “I’m afraid so.  She has nothing to do, no one really to talk to.  Our home is quite secluded, and there is simply no one who really cares.  I was an only child, and all of my parents' generation of our family have passed on.  She's the only one remaining.  My schedule doesn’t allow me to spend much time with her.  And she won’t allow me to back off, anyway.  My career has been her biggest dream.  Cait, would you think about going to be with her for awhile?”

     “Where do you live?”

     “Near Yorkshire.”

     Caitlin sighed.  “Well, I would enjoy some peace and quiet.  And it would tell me if the panic will go away.  And it would get me out of Uncle William’s hair, wouldn’t it?  Is she infirm, David?”

     “No, not at all.  She’s not strong because she’s recovering from pneumonia, but she’s just lonely.  She’s delightful, not at all trying.  She’s one to keep to herself.  You might even need to work at it a bit, drawing her out.”

    Caitlin smiled.  “Would she object, do you think, to having a companion in her home?”

     David shrugged and gave her a beseeching look.  “Not at all, if I presented it correctly.”  he hinted.

      “What do you propose?” she asked lightly.

    “That you need some peace and quiet.  That you’ve been through some trauma.  That
you
need a friend.”  His eyes watched her expectantly.

      She smiled wryly.  “And, would that be the truth?” she asked pointedly.

     He chuckled.  “You know that the peace and quiet and the security would be good for you.  However, I must warn you that you may find yourself a bit bored and lonely after a time.  It’s very secluded.  But, I would pay you well.”

     The figure that he named, made her breath catch in her throat.  “But that’s more than I could
ever
make as a Therapist, David.”  she objected.