ÓKathleen Stoley
DISCLAIMER: This is a continuation of the New Path I and
II series. It probably would be a good
idea to read those first for a better understanding of what is going on.
As always, you can reach me at stoley8@bellsouth.net I respond to
all email.
CHAPTER 1
"We
can't hold her any longer unless you agree to press charges," the Sheriff
informed the women. Taylor looked over
at Sarah to see her reaction, but the young woman's face remained passive. 'I
guess it's up to me to make this decision,' she thought.
"It
it's any consolation, she's been very cooperative since she sobered up. Some of her friends came in to see about
bailing her out already."
Taylor
thought sadly, "Yes, they would
rally around her. They always have.' Which was probably why she had never gotten
the help she needed.
"You
did a nice job on her nose, Doc. You
gave her something to think twice about.
I don't believe she will be bothering you anymore."
Taylor
nodded but deep down she wished she could believe that.
"Well,
what do you want to do?"
Sarah
looked over at Taylor, her eye was still half swollen and bruises stood out
vividly on her neck. In her anger she
wanted Brice to pay for what she had done but at what cost? What would going public do for Taylor's
career in this small town? Everything
would come out in court. Sadly she thought that Joe's selling drugs and beating
her would be accepted easier than their relationship would ever be. Looking closer at Taylor she realized the
turmoil that her friend was going through.
No matter how either of them felt at this moment, they both knew that
this case would not be taken seriously.
Leaning over, she touched Taylor's arm and simply replied, "It will
be o.k."
Taylor
looked back confused for a moment and then nodded at the trusting eyes,
"Are you sure?"
Sarah
nodded in reply and stood up pulling Taylor with her. She waited until the tall woman addressed the officer.
"I
don't think we will be filing any charges, just make sure she understands to
stay away from us," Taylor told the sheriff. She hoped they weren't making a big mistake. She could loose more than her job if Brice
was intent on revenge.
"I
don't think you'll have anything to worry about," the sheriff replied
pleased that he wouldn't have to fill out the mountain of paperwork required
for a simple 'chick fight'. After all,
it was just these two women, no big deal.
'What a waste, that little blonde
was kind of cute,' he thought closing the filing and putting it away.
They
left the building walking toward Taylor's car and Sarah looked back toward the
rear log. She saw Brice come out of the
building to be greeted by her friends like visiting royalty.
"Look
at that!" Sarah exclaimed, "It sure didn't take him long to let her
go."
Taylor
looked over as Brice got into the waiting car and replied, "Let's just get
out of here." Taylor needed to
take her mind off the events of the past week and decided to take Sarah to her
favorite restaurant, the place where she was first captivated by those green
eyes.
Sitting
in the sun, enjoying their drinks Sarah commented, "This place seems
familiar, do you come here often?"
Taylor
smiled and replied, "not since the day I saw you here."
"I've
never been here, at least not that I remember," Sarah looked around puzzled
by Taylor's statement.
"Well,
you weren't exactly here," the raven-haired woman replied. "You were sitting in a car over in that
parking lot." Taylor pointed to
the warehouse next door before lightly resting her hand on top of Sarah's.
Sarah
thought hard for a moment and looked back at Taylor, her jaw agape. Taylor laughed as Sarah blurted out,
"White shirt and jeans."
Taylor nodded her head surprised at Sarah's recall.
"That
was you?'
"Yep,
Sarah
shook her head at the memory and replied, "I just remember how relaxed and
peaceful you looked and wished I were you." Her voice trailed off at the unpleasant memories that followed
that train of thought.
"Hey,
I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to be
sad," Taylor replied concerned and gently caressed the hand under hers.
Sarah
half-smile in an effort to shake the cold that had drifted through her
senses. Taylor stood up hastily,
throwing a few bills on the table, and turned to Sarah.
"Come
on. I know somewhere I want to take
you. It's my special place that I found
when I first moved here."
They
drove up the coast past the edge of town where the brush took over and
civilization seemed to have ended.
Pulling off on a side road that was barely passable by car, Taylor kept
driving until the road ended and the beach began. Taylor got out and removed a blanket from the trunk before taking
Sarah by the hand and leading her down to the beach.
"It's
beautiful, how did you ever find this place?'
Looking up and down the beach, Sarah couldn't see any sign that anyone
but them had ever been there.
"Too
much time on my hands so I went exploring for a quiet place of my own,"
Taylor replied and stopped to spread the blanket. Sitting down, she patted the spot next to her for Sarah to sit. They sat side by side, shoulders touching as
they soaked up the peace and serenity of their private cove.
"Are
you worried about Brice?" Sarah
asked quietly. She had been thinking
about her decision all afternoon and whether she should have interfered with what
was basically Taylor's decision.
"Kind
of," Taylor replied turning to face Sarah, "Do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Be
careful for awhile and don't go anywhere alone?"
Sarah
looked up into concerned eyes and understood the depth of Taylor's fears as they
mirrored her own.
"As
long as you promise me the same! I
don't know that I would do if something were to happen to you," Sarah
admitted as she looked out over the water.
Taylor
reached over and gently tugged her chin back toward her. "Same here!" You're a part of me in here," she
replied lightly touching her own chest.
Eyes locked in silent understanding as hearts skipped a beat in time.
"I've
never wanted anything more in my life then I want you," Taylor
murmured. Sarah leaned closer until Taylor
could feel the woman's breath on her face and the gentle head when she asked,
"Love to me." As the
afternoon gently slipped away, they strengthened their bond both emotionally
and physically.
Sarah
shivered slightly and Taylor moved to get her shirt.
"No,
don't move," the young woman moaned.
Taylor tucked the smaller body under hers, wrapping her arms firmly
around her lover as she looked down into sated eyes.
"Are
you o.k."
"If
I was anymore O.K., I'd have to be dead!"
Sarah teased reaching up to lightly nip the bruised lips above her.
"Do
you have any idea just how much I love you?"
"I
think I have a pretty good idea," Taylor grinned placing light kisses
along Sarah's jawline until she reached her favorite spot high on the woman's
neck. She began to lavish the attention
it deserved until she felt the woman's breathing catch.
"If
we keep this up, I'm not going to be able to walk," Sarah whispered
huskily into Taylor's ear. Taylor
stopped and leaned up on her elbows to look down at her lover. Sensing disappointment she saw the smile
turn to a frown.
"What?"
Taylor asked, momentarily scared.
"I
didn't say I wanted you to stop. I was
just warning you that I may be not be able to walk afterwards!" she
grinned mischievously.
Taylor
leaned down to capture Sarah's lips in response and didn't stop until both
women were breathless and only then, did she give way to Sarah's gentle
explorations.
The
evening chill eventually chased them back to the car and home. The evening was no where near ending for the
two women as twilight found them still locked in one another's embrace.
Sarah
awoke to a familiar weight pressed against her back and instantly smiled. Never in her entire life had she felt so
whole and happy. She knew instantly that
no matter what, this was a love worth everything, and she would fight heaven
and earth to keep it. Little did she
know then, the reality of this promise.
The
next few weeks flew by in a blur of togetherness as they moved forward in their
relationship. Sarah couldn’t wait to
get home from classes to cook for Taylor, and the doctor rarely seemed to have
to work late these days. Memories of
Brice had slipped to the background and both women had relaxed their vigil
hoping she was gone for good. Friday
was the last day of classes for Sarah and she was looking forward to a little
more free time to spend with Taylor.
They had even talked about going to the Keys for a long weekend. Sarah was late getting out of her last exam
and hurried across the semi-deserted parking lot to her car. Her mind a while of activity planning their
upcoming trip. She never saw the car
that was parked next to her’s nor the occupants that waited for her. As she fumbled to unlock the door, she was
shoved roughly from behind and dropped the load of books she was
balancing.
“Well,
well! Look who we have here, “ Brice
called out as Sarah spun around from her attackers only to be pushed backward
against the car again. Sandwiched
between two women she watched as Brice exited the other car and walked
over.
She
took her time walking over and looked down at Sarah smugly, “Well, you are a
cute little thing aren’t you. I can see
what Taylor sees in you. The woman
reached over and touched Sarah’s hair causing the younger woman to flinch in
response.
“Don’t
worry, I won’t hurt you unless you give me reason to, “ Brice replied with a
smile that said otherwise. “I
understand now why she left me without so much as a drop dead. It was because of you.”
“No,
we met after she moved here,” Sarah replied nervously. Her trembling turned to anger at the smug
look that her fear brought to Brice’s face.
“Then
why won’t she talk to me?”
“Because
you hurt her,” Sarah replied defiantly as she pulled in vain to free her arms
from her captors' grip. Brice’s face
stiffed and she leaned closer to the shorter woman.
“I
hurt her! She broke my nose!”
“You
attacked her!”
“She
wouldn’t talk to me, she just shut me out completely,” Brice replied angrily
and began to pace back and forth. ‘Unstable’ was the first word that
popped into Sarah’s head but she ignored the working and pushed dangerously.
“Oh,
so that’s an excuse to choke her!”
Brice’s
steps hesitated, as she looked back at Sarah surprised. “She made me do it!”
“No
one makes you hurt someone else!”
“No! She knows how I am. She should have provoked me! It was her fault!” Brice was adamant about
that. Sarah snorted, her anger
overriding her senses and she snapped.
“Grow
up and stop blaming Taylor for all your problems. It’s not her fault that you are nothing more than a bully!”
Sarah’s
head snapped backward into the car from the force of the blow. Her eyes swam for a moment as hands held her
standing.
“You’re
just like her! You think you are better
than the rest of us!”
When
Sarah’s eyes refocused, her left eye still watering from the pain, she found
Brice standing in her face. The woman
leaned close enough for Sarah to smell her fetid breath causing her to recoil.
Brice
smiled at the response and said, “Tell Taylor this isn’t over, either she talks
to me or I go after everything that means anything to her! You got that?”
Sarah
looked Brice in the eye without responding afraid to make a move either way for
fear the woman would go off on her.
Brice turned back toward the car and the arms that held her
dropped. Sagging against her car door
she watched as the women pulled away.
Shaking hands collected her books; she quickly got into her car and
locked the door behind her. Leaning
back against the seat she willed her heart to stop pounding. When her breath finally evened out, she
looked in the rearview mirror to find her cheekbone below her eye was red. She knew she would have a bruise there by
tomorrow.
“Terrific!”
she muttered starting the engine. On the drive home, she debated what to tell
Taylor. She knew the woman’s response
would not be a good one and she was afraid the doctor would get hurt. But, this wasn’t going to go away either and
it looked like their safe heaven was about to change. By the time Sarah reached the house her eye had stopped stinging
but was still tender and puffy.
Taylor’s car was already in the driveway and with a sigh Sarah collected
her books and walked slowly toward the house.
“Hey! Where have you been?” Taylor called out from
the living room.
“At
school finishing up my finals,” Sarah called back and remained in the kitchen
nervous. Hearing approaching footsteps
she wrenched open the refrigerator door and stuck her head inside in an effort
to hide her face.
“I
thought we’d go out for dinner,” Taylor replied from just on the other side of
the metal door.
“Oh,
o.k.” Sarah remained where she was
trying to figure out what to do next.
“Are
you looking for something special or trying to cool off?” Sarah felt Taylor’s arms wrap around her
from behind and she instinctively leaned back into the strong body behind her,
sighing at the welcome contact.
“What’s
wrong?” Taylor’s concerned voice
whispered warmly in her ear as her arm moved around to close the metal
door. Sarah didn’t move or reply as she
felt a tear slip down her cheek, at the thought of the possibility of loosing
all this, a sob escape from deep within.
“Sarah!” Taylor gently turned the woman around and
saw her face for the first time.
“Oh
God, what happened?” She searched
Sarah’s eyes hoping it wasn’t what she had feared but as the tears came harder
she knew and pulled the smaller woman to her in a fierce hug.
“I’m
so sorry,” Taylor whispered over and over as Sarah clung to her.
“It’s
o.k. It’s not your fault!” Sarah pulled
back to look up at her lover. “You
can’t take the blame for her anymore!”
“But,
if I had done what I should have with the sheriff, she never would have been
free to do this to you!”
“It
was just as much my fault for that too.”
“No,
it was my responsibility!” Taylor moved
away to grab a kitchen towel and opened the freezer. Retrieving ice and wrapping it in the towel she took Sarah by the
hand and led her to the living room sofa.
Gently she held the ice to the swollen face and smoothed back the hair
from her lover’s brow. Sarah saw the
clench of her jaw and grasped Taylor’s hand bringing it to her lips.
“Let’s
not do anything rash, O.K.” she murmured against the smooth flesh.
“She
has to be stopped,” Taylor replied flatly.
“Let’s
just wait awhile longer, maybe she’ll get bored and move on.”
“I
can’t just let her do this to you and walk away!” Taylor lightly outlined the bruising eye with a shaking hand
before quiltily looking away.
“No! Don’t you dare take this on your shoulders
too!” Sarah pulled Taylor’s attention
back to her in an attempt to make her understand. “You are not responsible for her actions, anymore than I was for
Jose’s!”
Seeing a
glimmer of truth in the statement, Taylor reluctantly nodded and kissed the
hand that caressed her cheek.
“We do this
together, right?” Sarah asked sliding
closer and putting her arms around her lover’s body.
“Together,”
Taylor agreed and drew Sarah into a kiss.
The next day
they went to the Sheriff’s office to file out a complaint against Brice. The deputy wasn’t thrilled with them
‘causing extra work over a chick fight’ but the women ignored his attitude and
didn’t leave until they had a restraining order against the women.
Over the next two months, the two women stayed close to
the house and Sarah never went out alone for fear of running into one of
Brice's friends. A week after the
incident, the Sheriff's department had called to inform them that Brice had
been picked up on a drunk and disorderly charge and, that her arraignment for
the assault had ended up with a trial date.
Taylor had made arrangements at the clinic to be off for the rest of the
week, in anticipation of the outcome of the trial. The day was sunny and warm but neither woman noticed as they
drove in relative silence to the courthouse.
Today's proceeding would change a lot of things and neither knew if they
were actually prepared for this outcome.
They had talked long into the night and knew that no matter what, as
long as they were together, they would survive whatever happened today. Sarah was to testify first and told what
had happened during the two altercations with Brice. She hadn't been asked for any details to their relationship and
Sarah left the stand feeling worried for Taylor. The courtroom was half-full as she watched Taylor take the
stand. Taylor's testimony did not go as
smoothly and Sarah's heart ached for what her friend was going through. The defense attorney did not leave any stone
unturned, as he described the doctors past relationship with Brice, and then
Taylor's abrupt disappearance and the effect it had on his client's emotional
state. The defense did its job and
focused sympathy toward Brice and the final result was that she was to enter a
rehabilitation center for a period of 6 months. Taylor and Sarah tried to be hopeful as they left the
courtroom. Maybe with help Brice could
change her life, only time would tell.
Taylor returned to work encouraged by the attitude of the
clinic, either they hadn't heard of the problem and those that did we're
sympathetic for the couple. No one
seemed to have a problem with their relationship and Taylor was relieved that
they would not have to move.
"We can't hide forever, what do you say we go out
tonight? Taylor asked over the telephone.
Sarah propped her feet on the deck rail and cradled the
phone on her shoulder, "Mmm
where?"
"We could try that new place down on US1, they have
live music and I hear the food isn't bad either, " Taylor suggested.
"O.k."
"I'll be home around 6 PM. I'll make reservations for 7:30."
"Sounds good, " Sarah replied laying her head
against the lounge chair and looking out over the water.
"You sound way too relaxed. I wish I were with you," Taylor said
softly into the telephone.
"I am and so do I."
"Well, maybe we will have to see about that trip
down to the Keys. How does this weekend
sound?"
"I can't wait!"
"Me either, I'll see you soon," Taylor replied
hanging up and wishing she had told Sarah that she loved her. Public displays of emotion came hard for
her, after years of hiding; it was still the one thing she hadn't been able to
change totally about herself.
Sarah closed the telephone as a smile broke across her
face as she anticipated the evening ahead.
The club overlooked the ocean but the ambiance stopped
there. It was nothing more than a
glorified cowboy bar and Taylor sighed hoping the food was worth the trip. The club was crowded and they waited almost
an hour past their reservation for an open table. The table was worth the wait as they sat overlooking the water as
evening drew near. The food turned out
to be surprisingly good even if the atmosphere was noisy and lacking. There bar was located near the exit and you
had to pass by it coming and going.
Mostly men typical of country bars crowded the entire length of the
bar. Finishing their meal they settled
back with a couple of drinks and waited for the band to begin. The music turned out to be very country and
after about fifteen minutes, both women were making faces at one another and
decided to go home. Signaling their
waiter, Taylor mouthed that she wanted their check. He finally arrived but instead of brining the check he put a
drink down in front of Sarah.
"I didn't order this," she replied to him and
looking confused at Taylor.
"The gentleman at the bar sent it over, " he
informed her.
"Could you take it back and tell him 'no thank you',
and then bring us our check?"
"You don't want to accept the drink?" he asked
uncertainly.
"No, tell him I appreciate the offer but, we are
ready to leave," Sarah replied firmly.
Taylor sat watching the exchange and casually glanced at
the man in questions. He looked like a
John Wayne wanna-be. All he really needed
was his had to complete the look. 'This is not good,' she thought slightly
worried. He looked like he was a
regular here and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the looks he was
sending over their way.
The waiter soon returned but, again, with no checks. This time he placed two drinks down on the
table and embarrassed said, "The gentleman said he was sorry, he didn't
mean to leave you out."
Taylor shook her head and replied, "No, just the
check please!"
The waiter looked mortified and took the drinks back over
to the bar. After another ten minutes
had passed, Taylor decided to go get the check herself and stop off at the
ladies room. She finally caught up with
the waiter and paid him as soon as he totaled their bill and headed down the
back hall to where the restrooms were located.
Feeling uncomfortable
waiting for Taylor alone amidst the stares of the men from the bar, Sarah
grabbed her bag and headed toward the back where the restrooms were
located. She had to pass the cowboy and
his friends at the bard and tried not to make eye contact with any of
them. Holding her breath she thought
she was safely past them when a hand reached out to pull her in the corner
where they stood.
"I was hoping that your friend would leave," he
remarked and held out a drink to her.
"Excuse me but, she's waiting for me and I'm
leaving."
"Want to dance?" he asked ignoring her comment
totally.
"No, thanks."
Sarah moved to walk around the man but he stepped over and persisted,
"Why not?"
"Because I don't dance and I'm here with my
friend."
"I could get one of my friends to keep her company
and then you and I can get better acquainted." The cowboy leaned in closely and Sarah could smell the beer on
his breath and turned away.
"I don't think so." She took another step away and tried to move around him but found
that she was blocked in by the rest of his friends.
"What's the matter you
too good for me?" he asked amidst chuckles from his friends.
"No, I'm just not interested. I'd like to leave if you'll excuse
me."
"Come on just one dance, you might like it," he
persisted and tugged on her arm.
Sarah roughly pulled her arm out of his reach and looked
at the man, "I really don't think I'd be good company for you. I'm sure there are plenty of women here who
would be charmed by your offer."
In a flash his hand shot out and grasped her arm
tightly. "You too good to dance
with me?"
"No, I'm just not interested in you at all. I'm here
with someone!" Sarah had tried to
keep her voice calm and not say anything that would cause any trouble but, by
now, she was getting angry. By the look
on his face, he finally got the message and pulled back. His friends were outright laughing at the
turn of the conversation. His hand went
back to her arm and tightened painfully as his face reddened.
"You're with her!"
"Yes!" Sarah replied shortly and tried to pull
her arm loose.
"You are one of them?"
Sarah didn't answer him but continued to fight to free
her arm. He jerked it painfully and drew
her closer to him.
"Maybe you just haven't met the right man."
Sarah's anger spiked recklessly and she retorted, "I
don't think there is one!"
The men around her burst out into laughter as her remark
hit home to their friend. His red
faced darkened and he shoved her back against the bar. Sarah struggled to break free and looked
around for help but the other patrons were more into watching the show then
trying to stop it.
"I said let me go!" Sara shouted over the noise
of the bar and finally someone hollered out, 'Let her go Jim. She's not your type!' causing renewed peals
of laughter and crude comments.
"No, she just needs a man to show her what'
what!" he laughed back, his eyes glinting dangerously.
Sarah wrenched her hand free as anger took over all
reasoning and she bit off, "Do you know where I can find one?"
"That's another one for the lady!" someone
shouted out as the group continued to egg on their friend's embarrassment.
"She ain't no lady!"
"I'm more lady than you'll ever have!"
"You got a smart mouth, maybe I should teach you a
lesson."
"Drop dead!"
His body contorted in rage as his hand reached out, and
Sarah felt a familiar explosion send her head backwards. However, this time, she didn't just take
it. She fought back! She was no match for him as he repeatedly
slapped her and finally she just took a defensive pose and tried to take
cover. No one seemed to be making a
move to stop him until Sarah saw a flash out of the corner of her eye and the
slapping stopped. The cowboy was
slammed against the bar next to where Sarah cowered and winded dropped to his
knees with a loud thud. Those around
them quickly quieted as Taylor stood looking down at the man. If looks could kill, his life would have
been forfeited that day. Cold blue eyes
matched the icy voice that said; "Don't you ever touch her
again!"
She had left
the ladies room to hear the joking and her heart almost stopped when she saw
that Sarah was in the middle of the growing circle. With the first slap, something had snapped in Taylor and all she
knew was that she would do what ever it took to stop him. She stood looking down at him as he gasped
trying to get to his feet. Taylor stood
intent to land another blow to this pig as Sarah put a trembling touch on the
woman's arm, breaking her concentration.
Turning to Sarah, her face softened and she pulled her lover away from
the bar.
"Are you
O.K." she asked scared of the blood that was on her lover's face. She was a doctor and had seen her share of
blood but it never prepared her for seeing it on Sarah. Putting an arm around the trembling woman
she held her up and looked back angrily at the rest of the silent crowd.
"And you all are pitiful excuses for human
beings. How could you just stand
there?"
No one wanted to make eye contact with either of them as
they moved past them to the exit. The
manager of the club caught up with them Taylor helped Sarah to the car.
"What happened?" he asked looking at Sarah.
"Ask your guests back there!" Taylor snapped
sarcastically.
"I was in the backroom until someone came and told
me there was a problem out front. Is
she o.k."
"No, she just got the crap knocked out of her by one
of those rednecks in there!" Taylor answered through clenched teeth and
she tried to rein in her anger.
"Which one?" he asked seriously.
"Blond, plaid shirt at the end of the bar," she
replied unlocking the car door.
"But, what does it matter it might as well be all of them. Not one of them tried to stop him!"
"Is there anything I can do to help? Do you want me to call the sheriff?"
"No, we will be fine!" Taylor sighed, her anger
quickly deflating to sadness. They had
been through so much in their brief time together. Why couldn't people just leave them alone!
"If you're sure then, I'll take care of this
myself." He held the car door
opened as Taylor helped Sarah into the seat and closed the door as Taylor
walked around to the other side.
Taylor shook her head sadly, "What are you going to
do throw the whole bar out?" He
looked at her unsure of how to respond.
Taylor closed her door and started the car, pulling away without any
further comment. She drove a couple of
blocks until they reached the beach road and she pulled the car over. Taylor leaned over as far as the bucket
seats would allow and pulled Sarah into her arms.
Sarah needed
to feel a connection with Taylor at that moment as memories of Jose ravaged her
mind and she let everything out and sobbed out of control. All she could see was that familiar hand
that came down upon her again and again until it was just a blur of pain and
darkness.
Taylor felt
the stinging tears that flooded her eyes as she helplessly rocked her lover in
her arms.
"I've got you, your safe now," Taylor soothed
and kissed the blonde head beneath her cheek.
Guilt crept in a she silently cried, 'How
can I protect you, when it comes from every direction at once? Why can't everyone just leave us alone!'
They sat like this for a long time until the sobs had
long ago quieted and Taylor pulled back to assess her friend's injuries.
"I got blood on your shirt," Sarah responded
wiping at the smear of red that ran down the front of the woman's T-shirt.
"I don't care about the shirt," Taylor replied
trying to wipe the rest of the blood and tears from Sarah's face.
"I only care about you! I'm sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me."
Sarah shook her head and placed a hand up to Taylor's
mouth to silence her. "If it
weren't for you, I never would have gotten out of there. Again, you've rescued me," she answered
quietly. Leaning over she claimed the
mouth her fingers touched in a silent need that went beyond their understanding
that night. But, neither questioned its
source as they gave of themselves to calm the tide that threatened to wash over
them.
Later that evening entwined as one Taylor lay with Sarah
and listed to the gentle breathing of her lover and friend. She would have a black eye and a sore nose
but, luckily, nothing worse. Taylor's
thoughts would give her no rest this night as she contemplated the turn of her
life. If someone had asked her six
months ago if she would feel like this, she would have said never. She did not expect to ever feel the depths
that she did with this woman who was so different from what she thought she
wanted, and different from everything that she had pictured her life would
hold. Maybe, that's why her life had
always been incomplete, her mind looked one way and her heart another.
'What we think we want is not necessarily what we need,' she thought
and pulled Sarah closer, thankful that her heart had triumphed in this battle.
CHAPTER 5
“Ah..ah..ouch!”
Taylor sat up in bed quickly in the morning light to find
Sarah attempting to get out of bed.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom, if I can make it!” Sarah whispered back, her head feeling like
it wanted to explode.
“Wait, let me help you,” Taylor replied jumping over the
edge of the bed to give Sarah some support.
“My head feels like a well-worn soccer ball!”
“Yeah, were a
matched set now,” Taylor joked. Sarah
let Taylor lead her as far as the bathroom door and then pushed her away.
“I think I can do this on my own. Why don’t you go make some coffee and I’ll
be there in a minute.”
“You sure your o.k.?” Taylor hovered hesitantly and Sarah
nodded slowly in response.
“Leave the door open so I can hear you,” Taylor
instructed and turned toward the kitchen.
“Excuse me?” Sarah asked sticking her head out the
doorway amused.
“You know what I mean!” Taylor wagged a finger at her
smiling and went into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Looking over the assortment, she selected
one, “Sweet Dreams it is”.
As the coffee brewed Taylor looked into the refrigerator
to see what was available to eat. The
cupboard was pretty bare and she groaned.
They were going to have to go shopping today.
“What’s the matter?” Sarah asked as she made her way into
the kitchen, her eyes squinting in the bright morning sunshine.
“Your eyes sensitive to the light?” Taylor asked
concerned and lifted Sarah’s chin to look at the woman’s pupils. They seemed fine and Sarah looked up at her
tolerantly amused.
“No more than normal when I wake up and get hit full in
the face with blinding light,” she answered chuckling.
“Ha, Ha,” Taylor replied and went back to her inventory
of the refrigerator.
“Can’t you find what you want or are you waiting for
something to just jump out at you?”
Taylor stuck her tongue out at the blonde and opened the
door wider for her to take a look inside.
“Oh, I see.”
“Yeah, empty!”
“Guess we’ve been kinda busy. Move out of the way and I’ll make a list so we can go shopping,”
Sarah replied and nudged the taller woman aside.
Taylor relinquished her hold on the metal door and poured
them both a cup of coffee and hopped up on the counter to watch the woman in
action.
Reading her completed list to Taylor she looked up and
asked, “Anything else you can think of?”
“Not off hand.”
“Well, then what are you waiting for? Let’s get ready and go shopping.”
“Ugh! Do we have
to go now?” Taylor whined not wanting to move from her perch.
“Better now than later when it will be really crowded,”
Sarah warned. She knew how much Taylor
hated going shopping. “I could go
myself if you really don’t want to go.”
“No way, and miss an opportunity to spend some time with
my favorite lady!” Taylor hopped down
off the cabinet and pulled Sarah gently into her arms.
“You feel up to this?
I could just go with your list.”
“No, I feel fine.
I wouldn’t dare send you alone.
Lord only knows what you would come home with!” Sarah retorted and kissed her lover on the
tip of her nose.
“Hey, I resemble that remark!” Taylor complained.
Sarah laughed and tugged Taylor towards the bedroom to
get dressed.
Taylor pushed the cart up and down the aisles and Sarah
loaded it up with items on her list.
Sarah was surprised at how well Taylor was behaving in the crowded
store. She usually would have started
fidgeting and mumbling by now. She
looked up at her lover’s profile and saw a mask of complacent boredom.
“Hey, what about some ice cream?” Sarah tempted and was
instantly rewarded with a big smile from the doctor. “Chocolate this time?”
“Sure,” Sarah replied and had to jog to keep up with
Taylor as she headed for the freezer section.
“Hey, wait up!”
Driving home with the top down and the sun warming their
bodies, Taylor had an idea. “Hey, how
about we unload all this stuff and grab a few things and head down to our
cove?”
“Oh, yes..Let’s do it.”
Taylor unloaded the groceries and put them away as Sarah
packed them a picnic basket.
“Ready?”
“Yep, all set,” Sarah replied and handed Taylor the
basket.
They arrived at their cove to find it basically the same
as they left it, still no sign of any human disturbance. Taylor spread their blanket and set the
picnic basket within arms reach and the two women settled down next to each
other. The sun felt good on Sarah’s
sore bones, she smiled when Taylor’s hand slid over to grasp hers and squeezed
it in reply. Taylor rolled over onto
her side and studied Sarah’s profile.
Sarah felt a familiar sensation and opened her eyes to find Taylor
watching her.
“What?” she asked softly.
“Just marveling at where I am in life right now,” Taylor
answered thoughtfully.
“Is it a good or bad place?”
Taylor frowned and answered, “Definitely good! Just different then I expected.”
“How so?” Sarah rolled over to face her lover and moved
in closer so that they almost touched.
Taylor moved a strand of hair from Sarah’s face and
rubbed her hand along the smooth cheek before beginning.
“I just never expected to fall in love with someone so
different from anything I have ever known.”
“Different, how?”
“You’ve seen Brice.
Outside of the abusive nature, I’ve always been attracted to her type,
physically. But, then you came along
and turned my world around, “ Taylor answered and kissed Sarah lightly on the
lips.
“So, you weren’t into uncoordinated blondes,” Sarah
teased.
“Never before now.”
Taylor pulled Sarah into her embrace and kissed her soundly. “I prefer them now,” she replied huskily.
“That’s a good thing for me,” Sarah answered, “any
regrets?”
“Not one. I’m
just glad that I saw past my brain to my heart before it was too late. I was looking in the wrong place all this
time.”
Sarah pushed Taylor backward onto the blanket and looked
down at her lover murmured, “Good answer,” and began to place gentle kisses
along the woman’s jaw and neckline.
“Umm, definitely prefer them,” Taylor whispered as Sarah
moved to capture the woman’s lips with her own. Their tongues danced in a journey of passion and
rediscovery. Sarah made a trail of
kisses across Taylor’s body removing any clothing barriers that hampered her
path. Taylor was more than obliging as
long as Sarah gave up a piece of her own in return. The pounding of the surf matched the rhythm of their bodies as
they took their passion one step higher.
Taylor ran her hand down the length of Sarah’s body as it
lay on top of her. Sarah shifted in her
sleep moaning.
“Hey wake up, honey,” Taylor gently shook Sarah’s body.
“Huh?”
“Come on we need to get dressed. I think we’ve had just about as much sun as
we can handle,” Taylor explained looking down at their slightly pink flesh. If she had slept any longer they both would
have been in big trouble.
Taylor helped sort though their scattered clothes to find
Sarah’s first and handed them to her.
When both women were dressed they pulled over the picnic basket and
feasted on what was inside.
CHAPTER 6
Sarah finished cleaning up the kitchen and went into the
living room to find Taylor building a nice cozy fire. Sarah settled on the end of the sofa and listened to the music
Taylor had put on.
“What are you listening to?”
Taylor looked over her shoulder and answered, “Kenny G”.
“Umm,” Sarah murmured and listened to the smoky strains
of an alto sax. Taylor stood up and
brushed her hands off, smiling she turned up the volume and walked back to
stand before Sarah.
“Dance with me,” she asked and held out a hand.
Sarah shook her head and tugged unsuccessfully on the
outstretched hand.
“I don’t know how, remember I’m the uncoordinated one.”
Taylor grinned but remained standing and replied, “Come
on. I’ll teach you, just following my
body.”
Sarah reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled up off the
sofa complaining, “But, I’ll step all over you.”
“I’ll risk it.”
Taylor stood close behind Sarah and put her hands on the
smaller woman’s thighs and placed Sarah’s on top of her own. Taylor pulled Sarah back toward her until
every part possible connected. Leaning
down she whispered in Sarah’s ear, “Close your eyes.”
When the young woman did as
she was instructed, Taylor began to move her hips to the sensual rhythm of the
music.
“Do you feel the music?”
Sarah shook her head nervous of making the wrong
move. Taylor whispering in her ear was
having another effect all together.
“Relax, feel me, listen to the rhythm. Can you picture the ocean gently rolling in
and out again? Forget about everything
but us,” she whispered huskily and placed a kiss on Sarah’s neck. Feeling Sarah shiver, she smiled and
continued her assault of words and movement.
Sarah gave into the sensations of Taylor’s body, moving
slowly behind her and when she moved her hand to Sarah’s stomach; her breath
caught and Sarah swayed to the music’s sensual tone.
Taylor kissed her way down Sarah’s neck to her collarbone
and back up reaching her ear; she lightly lipped the edges of it as she dipped
her knees to the music. Sarah stayed
with her through a few more dips as the music neared its end. She turned Sarah in her arms pulling her
close she placed Sarah’s hands on her hips, and Taylor put hers around the
young woman’s neck pulling her in for a kiss.
“Wow!” Sarah’s eyes sparked as her chest heaved from the
experience. She breathed into Taylor’s
shoulder and then looked up again.
“Is it always that that?”
“No, sometimes it’s even better, “ Taylor grinned at the
woman’s wonder.
“Well, let’s keep practicing then!” Sarah demanded as the
Music began to play again. She pulled
Taylor close and rested her head against her breast as they swayed to the
music. ‘There’s definitely something to be said for jazz,’ she thought to
herself smiling.
The women continued to dance as the fire burned and their
own spark caught and they made love the glow of the fire’s warmth.
“That wasn’t really dancing was it?” Sarah asked
sleepily, her head nestled back against the side of Taylor’s shoulder. Taylor arms were wrapped snugly around Sarah
and she whispered in response, “Does it matter?”
“No, not one bit.”
“I’m home!”
Taylor called out as she walked into the kitchen. Something smelled exceptionally good and she
went to peek into the pots bubbling on the stove.
“Touch it and you're dead, baby!” Sarah growled from behind the snooping
woman. Taylor threw her hands up
innocently replying, “I’m just looking!”
“Where have I heard that before?” Sarah replied and slid
her arms around her lover's waist.
“What is it?”
Taylor turned to face Sarah and brushed a kiss across her lips.
“Spaghetti sauce,” Sarah replied going back for seconds
on Taylor’s lips. Their romantic moment was cut short by a rumbling from
Taylor’s stomach.
“Let me guess, you skipped lunch again,” Sarah scolded,
looking up at the sheepish grin on Taylor’s face.
“We were busy!”
“I guess I’ll have to start packing your lunch from now
on. It’s the only way I can make sure
you will eat right.” Sarah dropped her
arms and turned to the sink to fill up a pan with water.
“You’d actually do that for me?” Taylor asked surprised.
“Sure, why not?’
“I don’t know?” Taylor shrugged. “No one’s ever done it before, I guess.”
“Come on, you mean your mother never packed you a lunch for
school?” Sarah asked handing Taylor the
pot of water to put on to boil.
“No, she worked and usually left the house before I did.”
“What did you do for lunch?”
“She usually gave me money to buy it but, most of the
time, I skipped it to save for something else,” Taylor explained.
“My mother didn’t work.
She would pack us a lunch every day.
I even had a little metal lunch pail with a thermos until it broke.”
“How’d that happen?”
“I was in the third grade and I hit some kid with it,
after that she gave me only paper bags,” Sarah grinned embarrassed at the
memory.
“You hit someone with your lunchbox?” Taylor pulled
dishes out of the cupboard to set the table but wanted to hear the rest of the
story first.
“He was always picking on me. Every time I would walk home he would always come around pushing
me down, throwing rocks and stuff. One
day I guess I had enough and when he came up to me, I nailed him with the
box. He broke my thermos and dented
the whole side of the lunchbox. After
my mother punished me for fighting, she threw it away. I remember crying for days.” Sarah’s face saddened for a moment and then
brightened mischievously, “Yeah, but
ole’ Danny never bothered me again after that!”
Taylor began laughing at the sight her lover must have
been at that age wielding her trusty lunch pail. The more she thought about it, the harder she laughed until
tears ran down her face.
“It wasn’t that funny!” Sarah complained trying to keep a
straight face but the harder Taylor laughed, the harder it was for Sarah to
remain firm. She finally gave in and
the two women laughed themselves silly.
“Mmmmm, this is excellent,” Taylor replied with a mouth
full of pasta.
“Glad you approve, it’s my specialty.”
“I know I chose you for a reason,” Taylor replied with a
twinkle in her eye.
“Oh, so your saying you keep me around for my cooking?”
“That and one other thing,” Taylor answered concentrating
on twirling the long pasta on her fork.
“One other thing, huh?” Sarah asked blushing.
Taylor nodded and answered, “Yeah, I love your
dancing.” Taylor pushed a huge forkful
of spaghetti into her mouth and looked up at Sarah triumphantly.
“Oh, yeah!” Sarah stabbed her meatball and waved it at
Taylor menacingly. Taylor chewed
rapidly trying to warn Sarah but the object took that moment to grow wings and
flew off the fork directly and smack directly against Taylor’s chest.
Sarah’s jaw dropped in surprise and then she began
laughing as Taylor desperately tried to catch the offending object before it
landed in her lap.
“I’m so sorry,” She choked between the giggles. “I didn’t mean to throw it honest!” She covered her mouth in an attempt to
stifle the laughter that arose.
Taylor dumped the meatball back into her plate and looked
from the mess on her shirt to the hand full of sauce that she held.
Sarah couldn’t contain herself at the look on Taylor’s
face and doubled over as the tears filled her eyes. Taylor frowned as she looked down at her hand and then a grin
reached her lips when she looked at the laughing woman.
“No! No! Come on Tay, it was an accident.!” Sarah cried and took off running. Taylor scrambled after her and caught her
just inside the kitchen. Pinning her to
the wall she proceeded to paint Sarah’s face with the saucy mess on her hand.
“Ewww! Stop!
Sarah cried as Taylor wiped her hand across her chin in an effort to clean the
last of the sauce on her palm. Holding
the young woman’s hands over her head, Taylor looked down at her helpless
lover.
“Laugh at me will ya!” she chuckled.
“Aw, come on Taylor let me go, this feels yucky!” Sarah
begged.
“I don’t know?” Taylor replied, “Looks pretty good to
me.”
“Yeah, it’s probably in my hair too!”
“Not yet!” Taylor warned and Sarah stopped struggling and
looked up at her lover with the saddest eyes she could muster.
“Give it up, I know all your tricks!”
“I look good huh?” Sarah asked using her eyes to her
fullest benefit.
“Yeah, good enough to eat,” Taylor replied tasting
Sarah’s lips lightly before running a tongue along the woman’s jaw. Sarah’s legs went weak and she was thankful
that Taylor was holding her against the wall.
‘Jeez, play with fire and you get
burnt.’ Sarah moaned as Taylor worked her way towards her lips. ‘Burn,
baby burn!’ she moaned as lips slipped across each other until both women
were stained red.
CHAPTER 7
Sarah watched Taylor silently looking out over the
ocean. The woman had been sitting there
for the better part of an hour. At
first Sarah wasn’t concerned by her lover’s quiet reflection but it has been
going on for two days now. She had
given her space and hoped Taylor would come to her but it hadn’t happened. Sarah couldn’t watch any longer, sliding
open the glass door she stepped out onto the deck and approached the silent figure.
Placing her hands on her lover’s shoulders she leaned down and asked, “What’s
wrong?”
Taylor placed her hands on top of Sarah’s and smiled that
half smile she does when she’s concentrating on something.
“Just thinking,” she replied absently.
“It’s more than that, you’ve been quiet for two days.”
“Sorry,” Taylor apologized and pulled Sarah around to sit
on her lap. Rubbing her hand absently
up and down the blonde’s back she continued to look out over the water.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s o.k. I just want you to know I’m here if you do.”
“I’m sorry. It’s
not that I’m that I’m trying to keep a secret.
It’s just work that’s bothering me,” Taylor explained.
“How so?”
“Ever since the trial, things have changed at the clinic.”
“Have you lost patients?”
“Just the opposite.
Oh, I’ve lost some of the older ones but I’ve had to turn away new
patients. It seems there are a log of
young woman who would rather see me than any of the male doctors in town.”
“So, what’s the problem?” Sarah inquired brushing a lock
of wind blown hair out of Taylor’s eyes.
“Dr. Hastin. I
hear he’s been complaining that we are turning into a women’s practice.”
“He has a problem with that?”
Taylor grinned up at Sarah’s defensive attitude when it
came to Taylor and tried to explain.
“He’s lost some of h is old clients who don’t feel comfortable with me
around,” she said wryly.
“Idiots!” Sarah muttered.
Taylor hugged her soulmate to her in silent thanks for
her support.
“So what are you going to do?” Sarah hoped it didn’t
involve moving. She liked their life
just as it was but, she also knew that she would follow Taylor anywhere.
Taylor had thought about this question for awhile now and
finally verbalized it, “What would you think If I opened a women’s center, a
clinic strictly for women?”
Sarah looked down surprised for a moment but quickly
warmed to the idea. “I think it would
be great, especially if there is such a need,” she replied thoughtfully. “But, what about Hastin?”
“That’s where the problem lies. I don’t think he’ll be too thrilled. He would consider it competition.”
“But, you just said he was complaining of all the women
coming in and loosing his old patient’s.
Wouldn’t this alleviate his problem?” Sarah asked confused.
“In theory yes, but he’s a good ole’ boy who thinks that
women have specific roles to play in life and that the men should stay in
charge.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“I know! It’s
really getting tiresome,” Taylor replied.
“So are you going to do this?” Sarah asked curious of the
gleam she saw in her lover’s blue eyes.
“Well, I passed by this building on my way home that I
think would be perfect. Want to take a
look at it with me tomorrow?” Taylor
looked up, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“You’re going to do it?” Sarah asked excitedly.
“I’m going to look into it,” Taylor corrected.
“Yes!”
They spend the rest of the evening going over their
finances and the start-up costs involved in opening a clinic. Sarah had one more semester left of school
and decided that she could hold down a part-time job and finish at the same
time. Taylor was hesitant but Sarah won
out in the end.
“This would be perfect,” Taylor whispered to Sarah.
“It already has smaller offices that can be used as exam
rooms. A little paint and carpeting and
we’d have the building at least. Then
all we’d need is equipment and patients.”
Taylor turned back to the owner of the building and said,
“Well, thank you for showing us the space,” Taylor smiled shaking the owners
hand.
“May I ask what purpose you need this space for?” the
redhead woman asked curiously.
Taylor hesitated and then replied honestly, “A women’s
clinic, I’m a physician.”
The owner’s eyes brightened and Sarah noticed her
interested was piqued.
“So, what are you asking in terms of rent and move-in
costs?” Sarah asked her.
“I could rent you the space for $1,000 a month and 1
month security.”
Sarah frowned at the price, “That’s a bit high for only
1,200 sq. ft.”
Taylor looked at Sarah surprised but contained her
reaction and watched the young woman come alive.
“Well, what did you have in mind?” the woman asked. She liked the idea of a women’s clinic, they
could sure use one in this town.
“We were looking for something around $600., same as
security.” Sarah offered casually looking over the room once again.
“Oh my, that’s bit low.
I could probably go down to $750., same security but, I’d need a six
month advance in the rent.”
“Would you excuse us a moment to discuss this?” Sarah asked
grabbing Taylor’s arm and leading her a short distance away.
“Well, what do you think?” she asked.
“I think your something else!” Taylor replied her eyes
telling Sarah more than words ever could.
Winking Sarah looked past Taylor’s shoulder to see the owner was busy
looking over something near the front.
“I think your something else too!” Sarah whispered and trailed a bold finger
down the front of the doctor’s blouse.
Taylor’s sharp intake of breath was the desired effect and Sarah smiled
mischievously.
“Your bad!” Taylor scolded softly and looked hesitantly
over her shoulder to see if the woman was watching them but, when she saw she
wasn’t, she turned back with a glint in her eye.
Sarah took a step back shaking her head and indicated
that the other woman was watching and Taylor stopped in her tracks. The redhead was still not paying them the
slightest attention but Sarah figured Taylor didn’t need to know that fact
right now.
“It’s less than we budgeted for so that will give us more
money for the equipment,” Sarah stated.
Taylor had pulled together everything she had for this venture. If it failed all they would have left would
be a big mortgage on the condo.
“I think this will do nicely,” Taylor smiled nervously.
Sarah grabbed her lover in a brief hug before dragging
her to the owner to finalize the arrangements.
Keys in hand they headed back to the car and home to
begin their search for equipment suppliers and furniture.
“When are you going to tell Dr. Hastin?” Sarah asked as
the women relaxed on the back deck after dinner.
“Monday, I guess.
No sense in putting it off,” Taylor sighed excited and scared at the
same time. Sensing her companion’s fear
Sarah reached over to grasp her hand and held it as they watched the day end together.
By he look on Taylor’s face as she entered the house,
Sarah knew the news had not gone over well with Dr. Hastin.
“That bad?”
“Depends your definition of bad. Does unemployed come in there somewhere?”
she answered sadly.
Sarah put her arms around Taylor and held her close. “He fired you?” She had expected many reactions but this wasn’t one of them.
“Not in so many words.
My contract’s been up for a few months and he’s chosen not to renew it
as of today, is how he put it,” Taylor replied looking away.
“There’s more isn’t there?” Sarah nudged Taylor to get her attention back.
Taylor looked down and nodded. “Let’s just say I was extremely surprised at what an unpleasant
man he can be.”
“What did he say?”
“Just that I was making a big mistake and that now one
will go for the idea of “our type” of clinic in this town.”
“Our type?” Sarah inquired, her blood heating up at the
ramifications of that phrase.
“He called it a ‘lesbian abortion clinic’ and didn’t
appreciate the humor I saw in that title,” Taylor answered grinning.
“What a jerk! He
did you a favor though,” Sarah replied.
“How’s that?” Taylor asked kissing Sarah lightly on the
lips.
“You got a call today, the equipment is going to be
delivered next Wednesday. Now you can
be their first hand to set it all up.”
“Than I guess everything worked out for the best,” Taylor
offered though still worried about Dr. Hastin’s behavior. She didn’t tell Sarah of the veiled threat
she received and tried to put it from her mind and concentrate on the task
ahead.
“We’ve got a clinic to open!” Taylor said firmly.
“Yes, we do!”
CHAPTER 8
“What the hell happened here?” Sarah asked as they stepped over broken glass. The front window was smashed and a brick lay
as a guilty reminder on the floor amidst the shards and splintered wood. Taylor checked out the rest of the building
and found everything in order.
“Just kids probably, you know how they are with empty
buildings,” Taylor offered in explanation and picked up her cell phone to call
the owner.
Sarah looked at Taylor’s
unsure if this was all there was to it but not seeing anything, she began
sweeping up the glass. Getting off the
phone, Taylor came over and picked up the brick, taking it outside to drop in
the dumpster in back. Taylor looked
around outside and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She hadn’t told Sarah about the slashed
tire and notes she had received.
“Taylor!”
Taylor’s heart skipped a beat and she hurried in to see
what was the matter.
Sarah stood holding a crumpled piece of paper and looked
more, angry than anything else.
“What?” she asked hesitantly.
“What haven’t you been telling me?” Sarah demanded.
Taylor took the paper and read the note, nothing
different from the other ten she had received over the past week.
‘Last warning to
forget about your new venture. We don’t
need your kind in this town.’
Taylor folded the paper and placed it in her back pocket
before looking back to Sarah.
“How long has this been going on?” she asked quietly.
“Awhile,” Taylor responded. “It’s no big deal,” she added instantly regretting it when Sarah
went rigid and stared back at her furiously.
She should have told her everything from the beginning but she just
hadn’t wanted to worry the young woman.
Taylor was hoping it would blow over.
“Did you just say ‘no big deal’?”
Taylor nodded keeping her face blank and waited for the
fury to be unleashed and said, “I thought you would worry if I told you.”
“How dare you think for me! Do you think I’m some child that needs to be protected? Well, I’m not! I need a partner, not a mother!”
Sarah vibrated with anger with she looked at her lover. It was more out of fear than anger that made
her react so violently but she could help her emotions.
“I’m sorry. I
know it was wrong of me,” Taylor pleaded trying to calm her lover.
“I thought we were equals. I don’t need a babysitter Taylor, I’m your partner,” Sarah
snapped.
“I know, I was wrong.
You are my partner, not my child.”
“How many things lately haven’t been accidents?” Sarah
stood face-to-face with her contrite partner.
“Let me guess, outside of the notes, there was the paint incident, your
mysterious flat tire, and now this.”
Taylor nodded and hesitated, leaving out the dead rat in
the mailbox.
Sarah noted Taylor’s thoughtful pause and threw up her
hands; “There more isn’t there?”
“I just didn’t want you to have to worry.”
“Maybe this was a mistake,”
Sarah said running her hand through her hair as she looked over the damage.
“What do you mean?” Taylor asked feeling fear creep into
her body.
“All this!” Sarah threw her hands wide to encompass
everything around her.
“You we were a mistake?” Taylor’s voice cracked.
“Don’t even go there!” Sarah warned.
“Then the clinic?”
“It’s just too dangerous,” Sarah nodded.
“We’ve got everything invested in it!” Taylor snapped.
“We could go somewhere else,” Sarah suggested stubbornly.
“It’s all I’ve got, I’m not running away again!”
“At what cost?” Sarah demanded.
“I’m through running,” Taylor said with finality and
turned to get started with the last of the painting. Sarah stood watching her partner in disbelief.
“You would jeopardize everything for pride?”
Taylor turned, “You don’t understand. This has nothing to
do with pride, you of all people should know that.”
“Then what do you call it?”
Taylor hesitated looking at Sarah with dark stormy eyes
before turning back to her painting and flatly stated, “I though you knew
me. I thought you understood. I guess I was wrong.”
Sarah felt her eyes burn and replied, “Yes, I guess we
both we’re wrong!” She turned on her
heels and ran out the door. Taylor
stood staring at the wall silently berating herself for her actions. She could have handled this better. ‘I
just can’t run anymore but, I can’t lose Sarah either,’ she cried to
herself. Thinking about Sarah, she
realized that she had the only keys to the car, and that meant Sarah was on
foot. Feeling an instant of fear for some unknown reason she dropped her
paintbrush to follow after the woman.
Taylor only got as far as the front door when, she felt herself flying
backwards into the building and a crushing weight hit her. Her last thoughts were of Sarah as the
darkness came upon her.
****************************************************************************************************
The explosion rocked the block as neighbors and
storeowners poured out of their buildings to see what had happened. Sarah was two blocks away when she felt and
heard the blast. In an instant, she
heard her name and felt a rush of fear, turning she began running back toward
the clinic and Taylor.
The whole front of the building had collapsed and so had
half of the wooden structure’s roof.
Sarah tried to get in but was pulled back by an onlooker as another wall
dropped to add to the rubble.
“Let me go, Taylor’s in there!”
“You mean someone is in there?” he asked.
“Yes, Dr. Morgan!”
“You wait right here.
I promise you we’ll get her out!” he instructed.
The stranger went back and said something to a group in
the crowd and a women ran back into her store as two men walked forward.
“Ma’am, my name is Ted.
We sent for help. Do you know
where exactly the doc was last?”
Sarah shook her head now, thinking about their argument. ‘Why
did I have to be so stubborn!’ she cried.
“She was painting the inside wall,” Sarah cried picturing
her last glimpse of Taylor’s determined back as she worked.
“O.K., Take it easy were going to get her out!” Nodding to the two other men, they proceeded
to pick their way carefully through the rubble.
“Hey watch that back wall, looks like it could go at any
moment. We need to get something to
brace it up or the rest of this place is going to come down too!” he told the
other men and they worked they way back out.
“Where are you going?” Sarah asked frantically.
“We need to get some tools to brace up the back
wall. It’s too dangerous until we do,”
he told her calmly.
“But, Taylor’s in there, we have to get her out!”
“We will, but it won’t do her any good if that wall comes
down. We’ll never get her out then.”
Siren’s were heard as the Sheriff pulled up and got
out. Ted apprised him of the situation
and he went back to his car to radio for back up and EMS.
“It doesn’t look good,” he notified the dispatcher,
“better call Dr. Hastin.”
Equipment arrived and the men began working on the wall
and removing debris but there was still no sign of Taylor. While they were watching the rescue efforts
a car pulled up and Dr. Hastin got out and came up to the Sheriff.
“It is really Taylor?”
“You did this!” Sarah screamed and struck out at the
doctor. The Sheriff grabbed her and
held her back demanding, “What’s going on here?”
“This is all your fault, you’ve been threatening her ever
since she told you about this clinic!
You’ve slashed her tires and threw a brick through the front window!”
Sarah accused the doctor.
“I’ve done no such thing! Yes, I was angry when she said she was leaving. I may have said some things I regret but, I
would never do any of these things to her,” he adamantly replied.
“Then who?” Sarah as suspiciously.
The doctor shook his head confused and the Sheriff
replied, “Don’t worry I’ll find out!”
A cry came from inside of the building and the Sheriff
released Sarah as the three of them rushed forward.
‘Oh God, please let
her be all right. I’m begging you!’
Sarah cried in silent prayer.
The doctor rushed forward followed by the Sheriff who
tried to keep Sarah back to no avail.
“We found her lodged in a pocket of the roof support in
the corner by the back wall. Good thing
we shored up the wall first, it would have fallen right on top of her,” Ten
told the Sheriff. “She’s one lucky
lady, the roof cross-over kept most of the debris off her.”
The doctor began his cursory examination of Taylor and
motioned for the EMS attendant that is was o.k. to move her.
Sarah touched Taylor’s lifeless hand as she looked down
at her battered body and then back up to the doctor, her eyes pleading for an
answer.
“I don’t know yet.
We’ll have to get her to the hospital for x-rays. She’s alive and strong, and that’s what
counts right now,” he told her gently moving her from the scene. Sarah nodded and watched as they strapped
her lover to a backboard and loaded her into the waiting unit.
CHAPTER 9
Sarah paced outside the emergency waiting room for
news. All they could tell her was that
the doctors were working on Taylor.
People she had never met before would stop to offer their sympathy and
support for ‘the doc’. It did little to
console the grief and guilt she felt at that moment. Taylor was right; they both needed to stop running from life and
make a stand somewhere. If only she had
seen that sooner maybe she could have been there when this happened. Staring out the window she shivered looking
at the sunshine as it danced along the water. The palm trees gently swayed in
the warm afternoon breeze. She didn’t
think she would ever feel warm again.
“Sarah?”
She turned to see Dr. Hastin standing in the doorway. He looked slightly disheveled and tired but,
when his face broke into a huge smile, Sarah launched herself into his arms
sobbing.
“She’s pretty banged up but, basically, she’s in one
piece with no major injuries. Couple of
bruised ribs and 20 stitches on her thigh was the worst of it. She’s still out but, I think she’ll be just
fine in a day or two,” he explained.
“Can I see her?”
“Sure, come on.
You can stay for awhile and then I’m taking you home to rest. She’s not going anywhere for awhile.”
Sarah quietly entered the room and went to the bed where
Taylor lay pale, her face unmarred by the recent happenings. Pulling up a chair she grasped her lover’s
hand and sat content in just being near her until the doctor returned for
her. He dropped her off at the house
and told her to rest and not return to the hospital until tomorrow
morning. Sarah walked through the house
and the silence began to unnerve her and she stepped out onto the patio. She sat listening to the ocean until the
stars began to come out. Shivering with
the chill night air she went inside and lay down on the couch. She didn’t want to lie in their bed without
Taylor. An hour later she was up and
restlessly pacing again. After she had
showered and dressed, she looked at the clock to see it was 2 AM.
“Well, it’s the next morning!” she said outloud and
grabbed the keys to her car. Taylor’s
car was still at the clinic. Memories
of the destroyed building urged her on as she sped toward the hospital. It was relatively quiet at this time of the
morning and she had no trouble sneaking up to Taylor’s room.
Approaching the bed she noticed her lover had not moved
any. Sitting down in the chair she
grasped Taylor’s hand and laid her head on the bed next to Taylor’s pillow.
Taylor’s eyes felt heavy as she pushed her way through
the haze. Assessing her body, she found
her side ached and her leg burned slightly.
She also felt a weight on her arm and hand, slowly opening her eyes to
see a blonde head next to her, and the weight was the woman holding onto her
arm and hand. The woman was asleep and
her soft sighs made Taylor smile.
Finding her other arm trapped by IV’s, she slowly pulled her arm free of
Sarah’s grasp and stroked the blonde head softly. Unsure of what had happened to her, she was just glad that Sarah
had come back.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She whispered her
voice hoarse and dry. She felt like she
had swallowed a load of concrete mix.
Sarah felt a calming sensation run through her body. She
was somewhere warm and the insistent touch made her feel safe. As she awoke she realized there was a gently
tugging on her hair and she turned her head slightly to find blue eyes looking
back at her.
“Taylor!” Sarah whispered relieved. “You’re awake!”
Taylor smiled back at her lover and motioned for Sarah to
come closer. Sarah gently said on the
edge of the bed and leaned down to hear what Taylor had to say. Instead of words, Taylor captured Sarah’s
lips and they spoke a language few are lucky to ever know.
Pulling back, Taylor asked, “What happened?”
“The Sheriff’s not sure, there was an explosion at the
clinic and you were trapped,” Sarah explained as tears pricked her eyes. “Oh, Taylor, I was so worried that I had
lost you. I’m so sorry for the stupid
way I acted. Nothing is more important
than us.”
“I know,” Taylor replied. “I should never have kept everything from you. I’m sorry for the way I acted too.”
“No, I never should have run away,” Sarah replied.
“I’m glad you did this time,” Taylor grinned.
Dr. Hastin said you were going to be fine. You have two bruised ribs and twenty
stitches in your leg.”
“No wonder it hurts to move,” Taylor smiled up at Sarah,
“But, my lips don’t hurt for once. Kiss
me!”
Sarah always tired to be obedient and did what she was
told until Taylor became aroused and tried to move.
“Whoa, I think that’s about enough excitement for you!”
Sarah announced and sat back up. Taylor groaned at the pain and loss of
contact. Looking up into sparkling
green eyes she said, “I love you!”
“Ditto, baby!”
Taylor rested her hand on Sarah’s thigh to maintain a
much-needed connection to the woman and asked, “What do you want to do now?”
“Watch you sleep!” Sarah replied smiling.
“No, after that.”
Sarah wiggled her eyebrows suggestively causing Taylor to
laugh and gasp in pain.
“No, way after that,” she whispered slowing her breathing
to a less painful level.
“Sorry!” Sarah offered.
“Anything you want to do is fine with me. Where you go, I go, we’re a matched set.”
“You better believe, it honey! I’d live naked on the beach if it meant having you with me!”
“You wouldn’t be able to get rid of me!” Sarah laughed at
the thought.
Taylor yawned and squeezed her lover’s leg in
acknowledgement.
“Close your eyes and rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up,” Sarah whispered and lightly
rubbed Taylor’s cheek.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
EPILOGUE
Dr. Hastin walked into Taylor’s room to find Sarah sound
asleep in the chair next to Taylor’s bed, her head cushioned on the mattress
and Taylor holding onto the young woman’s hand.
‘What a pair,’
he thought smiling.
Sarah’s head peeked up when he reached for Taylor’s chart
at the foot of the bed.
“Good morning, young lady. Do I need to ask how long you’ve been here?”
Sarah grinned sheepishly in reply.
“I thought so,” he answered smiling back. “So how’s our girl?”
“She was up for awhile last night,” Sarah answered.
“How did she feel?”
“She seemed…..”
Taylor interrupted, “If you two insist on waking me up
talking, the least you can do is ask me!”
Dr. Hastin chuckled, “I see she’s back!”
Sarah nodded and smiled from ear to ear and he could see
the joy that simple statement had brought.
“Well, since you are both here, I’d like to talk to you,”
he said.
“Is something wrong?” Sarah asked instantly concerned.
“Nothing physical,” he replied grinning at Taylor.
“Ha, ha!” Taylor replied and the two women relaxed to
listen to what he had to say.
“You’re retiring?” Taylor asked surprised.
“Yes, I’ve been at this profession long enough. Now, I
just want to relax and fish for awhile,” he responded.
“So, what do you think of my offer?”
“It’s very generous of you but, why? I thought you didn’t approve of a women’s
clinic? “ Taylor asked trying not to
sound suspicious of him.
“Forget what I said, it was done in anger and hurt. I thought your leaving would stop my
retirement plans. But, I realize there
is no reason why you can’t run a clinic out of my office. The male patient’s I can refer to Dr. Griggs
on Sunrise. He’s a good man.”
“But, we still have the problem with the individual who
caused all this,” Sarah replied sadly.
“Don’t worry about that, it’s been taken care of,” he
replied firmly.
Taylor and Sarah looked at him questioningly and he
explained, “It seems you had an altercation with a gentleman at club
recently. Well, the owner and some of
his friends heard him bragging how he was getting even and teaching you a good
lesson. After they heard about all of
this, the Sheriff’s office was flooded with calls all naming the same guy. He quickly confessed and the Sheriff has
already remanded him over to the state for trial. So, it should ease your mind to know the town stands behind you
Taylor.”
Taylor looked at Sarah, whose eyes brimmed with unshed
tears. “What do you think?”
Sarah smiled and replied,
“Wherever thou goest….”
“I live for her since that
moment we first met.
I do not remember how she
captured my heart,
Or where it went.
I live for her from each
rising sun.
Thus remain until each day
is done.
I live for her because she
makes my soul
vibrate with the strength of
ten women.
I live for her and it is not
a burden.
The
End
Ó