He made his way back into the house and up the stairs. In his bedroom, he removed his clothing and dropped it into a pile on the floor and managed to pull on a pair of sweat pants before sinking on to the bed. Closing his eyes, his confusion caused his senses to swirl, and within a few minutes, the whirlpool seemed to spin off, and he drifted into a light sleep, only to bolt upright a few minutes later. Clutching his chest, his heart beat triple time, and he struggled to catch his breath.
A heart attack? That was his first thought. Then a grim thought entered his brain. He was no longer human, no longer alive. The dead didn’t have heart attacks. It was nothing more than useless panic.
He sat on the edge of the bed, and leaned forward. Raking a hand through his hair, he waited until his heartbeat returned to normal, and his breathing slowed again. Getting up from the bed, he tip-toed down the hallway to Sara-Kate’s bedroom, and peeked inside. Just being able to see her, asleep in the morning light, calmed him.
How was he ever going to leave her?
He entered her room and pulled up the rocking chair near her bed, and sat down. He wasn’t sure she would appreciate him being in her room, but he needed to be near her for a just a little while.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sara-Kate opened her eyes, and stared half-asleep at the sight before her.
Reed was in the rocking chair, slowly rocking back and forth. Eyes wide open, his features were pale and drawn. He was absolutely exhausted, she knew.
“Reed, what are you doing?”
He continued to rock back and forth in the chair. She could feel his devastation and sadness vibrate from his body. Her first impulse was to go to him, comfort him. Yet her pride caused her to resist.
“I was wondering if maybe you could find it within yourself to cut me a little slack with what I did, and said to you last night. I had just found out that I was dead, and everything I knew and had was...gone forever.” He bowed his head forward.
A pain seared her heart. As much as she professed that she didn’t care about Reed anymore, she knew it was untrue. No matter what was said between them, he was in pain. She didn’t know what would happen in the future, or even later this day, but right now, she couldn’t leave him alone in his misery.
She reached over from the bed and touched his knee. “Come on, Reed. Get into bed now. We’ll...we’ll figure this out later.”
He lifted his head. “Do you mean...?”
“We’ll figure it out later,” she interrupted him. Right now, she could make no further promise.
Slowly he rose from the rocking chair. He walked around the bed and slipped in beside her. Instinctively, she draped the sheet and blanket over his body. When he turned toward her, she felt the heat from his body. At that moment, she wanted to forget what happened hours earlier, and wrap herself around this man, and sleep peacefully in his arms. Her mind sternly reminded her how cruelly he had treated her, of all the nasty things he said. But her heart, oh her heart, was leading her back to him.
His gaze never left her face, he said nothing. Finally, Sara-Kate reached out and gently closed his eyes with her fingertips. Her hand remained still on his face as she tried to impart her special healing into him.
The night of his deadly accident and rebirth as spirit filled her mind. She found herself saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner what you have become. I didn’t know how.” Tears pricked her eyes.
“There was never going to be a right time to tell me, Sara. I always suspected something within me had drastically changed that night. Now I know, and it is okay. Besides, it was totally unfair that you were saddled with the responsibility.” His hand covered hers, and held it against his cheek, yet his eyes remained closed.
She truly hoped he really was okay with what he was now. It would take a period of adjustment, but acceptance was the first major step in his new life.
“Sleep now, Reed...just...sleep.”
For a very long time, Sara-Kate simply held very still, her hand never leaving his face. When his breathing slowed and evened out, she finally relaxed, and closed her eyes. She wouldn’t allow herself to rehash the night’s events, or even try to work out different scenarios of what might happen in the future. Finally, she gave in to her stubborn emotions and maneuvered her naked body against Reed’s body, wrapped a protective arm around him, and buried her face against his chest, allowing herself to become lost in his familiar scent.
***
It was nearly noon when Sara-Kate woke in Reed’s arms. For a moment, she thought maybe the ugly events of the previous night were nothing more than a bad dream. Then she knew the truth in the next instant, and strangely, it was all okay. It was in fact a relief. The time when she held back the truth from him was torturous. She was glad that Reed knew everything.
And he would okay, too. Yes, there was shock, and in time, he would adjust to his new life and find his purpose, just as she had.
She pressed a kiss against his forehead and caressed his stubbled cheek. In the light of another day, she realized how much she loved him. Sure, he said ugly, hurtful things, but she knew he only lashed out at her because she was the only target for his shock and disbelief. In reality, they were only words. She could forgive that.
If they were destined to remain as a couple, or if Reed’s path took him elsewhere, that remained to be seen.
Carefully, she eased herself from the bed, careful not to wake him. As she wrapped a robe around herself, she
