Authors: Kaye Draper
Rebecca grinned
at him. “Nope.”
He gave her a
shy smile in return. “Good.” Then he joined the rest of his family in Isaac’s
room.
Rebecca swallowed
the lump in her throat. Now she understood why their souls had been in
jeopardy in the dream. They were all attached to him, in a way she could
barely even begin to comprehend.
Rebecca hung out
in the lobby for a while, giving them time to catch up. She had the day off
work, so she wasn’t in any hurry. She wanted to spend the day with Isaac, but
it could wait.
Finally, they
trickled out. Rebecca put down her magazine and went to peek into his room.
Isaac was sitting in his bed looking down at his hands as if he had never seen
them before. She was about to leave, thinking he needed a minute to himself,
when he spoke. “I always thought I was all alone,” he said without looking up.
“I thought I hid everything so well…”
Rebecca went in
and perched on the chair beside his bed. “Well, now you don’t have to hide
anything. And you aren’t alone.”
His blue eyes
met hers and his wide mouth curled up in a smile. “Do you want to go for a
walk?” He pushed the covers off himself and swung his long legs over the side
of the bed. “Are you sure you’re up to it?” He was still getting his
endurance back, and the visit from his siblings had taken a lot out of him.
He shook his
head stubbornly. “I want to walk.”
Rebecca laughed
and went to get his sneakers. He shooed her away when she tried to help him
put them on, and she watched patiently as he struggled with his weak body.
Finally, he got
his shoes on and gave her a sheepish look. Rebecca stood by his bed and held
out a hand. “Ready?”
He stood and
leaned on her arm a bit as they headed for the door. They slowly made their
way out to the little fenced-in courtyard at the back of the center. It was
warm outside, and the sun was bright. They did one lap, then Isaac had to stop
and rest. They sat side by side on a wooden bench, the silence starting to
feel awkward.
“Thanks,” Isaac
said, not looking at her.
She nudged his
foot with her own. “It’s really no big deal. You don’t have to feel
embarrassed. You’ve been through a lot. I don’t think less of you for needing
help!”
His beautiful
blue eyes delved into hers, and he lifted a hand as if to touch her face. But
he apparently thought better of it, and dropped his hand. She hated the
awkwardness that had sprung up between them here in the real world, but she
didn’t know what to do about it.
“I…” he pressed
his lips together for a second, then powered on. “I have all these memories.
At least I think they’re memories… but I don’t know if you have the same ones.”
Rebecca smiled
in relief. Was that all it was? She overcame her nerves and grabbed a hold of
her new confidence. She reached out and took his hand. He watched her with
wide eyes as she brought it to her cheek and held it there. “I remember.”
He let out a
sigh of relief and lifted both hands to cradle her face. “Really? Everything?”
She laughed and
leaned in to meet his lips, her arms slipping around his slender waist. The
awkwardness vanished in a flash. Isaac stared down at her with a rueful
smile. “You should have told me- if that was all I had to do to make things
right, I’d have done it a lot sooner.”
Rebecca
laughed. “Well, we can try to make up for lost time from now on.”
“Deal.” He drew
her close, and she thanked God she was alive.
R
ebecca kicked
off her high-heels and flexed her stocking-clad toes against the kitchen
floor. She hastily set her briefcase aside as a small figure hurdled at her.
The little boy held his arms out like airplane wings, making excited motor
noises as he circled her like a whirlwind.
“Mommy, Mommy,
brrrmmm…”
She caught him
and held him high in the air as she turned a slow circle, then attacked, stealing
kisses from his round cheeks. She set him down amongst protesting giggles and
he took off again, nearly colliding with his father, who had come out of the
back office. Isaac grinned at her as he wiped his hands on an old rag. There
was a smudge of red paint on the bridge of his long nose and she crossed to
take the rag, wiping it off with a grin.
“How was your
day?” she said with a smile, looping her arms around his neck. His face was
alight as he smiled down at her.
“Great. Little
fighter jet there knocked over my entire easel earlier, but the damage was
minimal. I think we can rebuild.”
There was an
eager look flitting about his face, and she drew back to study his expression.
“You’ve finished it.” She was exhilarated. “Can I see?”
Isaac twined his
long, graceful fingers through hers and led her to the back office, which had
been converted to a modest studio. There, perched on the big wooden easel by
the window was his latest work. He’d started it long ago, but had taken his
time to finish. Usually he shared his work with her as it progressed, but this
one had been a secret.
Rebecca stared
in wonder at the glowing woman in the center of the painting. She was standing
on a rocky outcropping, surrounded by flames that seemed alive, holding a
shining heart, her floating hair wreathed in butterflies.
Rebecca was
dumbfounded. It was beautiful. Poignant. She felt stronger, somehow, just
looking at it.
Isaac came to
stand beside her. “It was meant to go to the rehab center… but I don’t think I
can give it up.”
His piercing
blue eyes met hers as he continued. “Because this is how I see you.”
She shook her
head. “You have to give this to the center. Put it there where it can give
hope to others.” She put a hand on his chest, feeling the vibrant life there.
“You’ve already found your heart.”
He opened his
mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the little boy burst into the studio,
chasing a black streak. Isaac caught the boy, their twinkling blue eyes and
shiny black hair like mirror images.
“Out of the
studio,” he said, but his voice had that resigned note. It was a losing
battle, and he knew it.
The boy pointed
at the cat, which was now perched on the top of a tall bookshelf stuffed to
bursting with art books. “Compass,” he pleaded.
Rebecca shook
her head, wondering if Compass had brought him here on purpose, knowing that
she and Isaac were having a moment. “Thanks,” she said softly as she followed
her laughing family from the room.
The cat
stretched and jumped down to go wind himself around the legs of the easel on
which her portrait rested, his mismatched eyes half closed and a contented purr
rumbling from his chest.
~~~~~~~~
Thanks for
reading REDEMPTION! I love hearing from my readers. Please visit my facebook
page:
www.facebook.com/kaye.draper.50
or visit my
blog, Write Me, at
www.kayedraper-writeme.blogspot.com
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Table
of Contents
Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself