Leah was still half asleep when she heard Charles and Serena talking about her as they stood over her bed. Charles was saying something about her blood test and Serena seemed relieved by his news. She heard Charles tell Serena goodbye as he went off to stock up on groceries. Leah stirred from her rest wanting to speak to Charles but he was already gone. Serena urged Leah to lie back down but she awoke with a terrible feeling of dread and foreboding. She burst into tears and cried out to Serena who held her hand trying to calm her down.
"Ssh, Leah it is going to be okay." Serena smiled sweetly.
"Thank you Serena," she wept "you were always so kind to me, you always treated me like a sister." here Leah began wailing when she said the word sister. "God, I miss my sister so much! Why did she have to die?" Leah cried so hard, with a lump in her throat, she had trouble catching her breath with a pain so deep in her heart it felt like it was being cut in two.
"Leah, you have to let her go, you can not let the ghosts from your past haunt you." Serena said calmly with a deep look of sincerity in her dark eyes. Serena watched and waited as the painful memory of finding her dead sister's body washed over Leah. It took her about ten minutes to cry herself back to sleep. Serena wiped Leah's redden, tear stained cheeks with a cold damp washcloth. She sat in the rocking chair for an hour or so longer reading a book waiting for Charles to return. When he arrived back at the house laden with bags of groceries Serena helped him put everything away and while they did so she spoke to Charles about Leah's condition.
"Now you have done an amazing job taking care of her and her physical condition is vastly improved, but..," she paused putting away a carton of strawberry ice cream. "I am extremely concerned about her mental health, tell me has she told you anything about her time away?"
"No, actually she refuses to speak about it." he sighed "and I can understand that."
"Well, she won't talk about it with me either." Serena sighed taking the ice cream back out of the freezer and digging in with a spoon. "We need to find some one for her to speak with, I'll find a therapist for her, she needs to get this all about before we bring her back to my brother." she informed him as she shoveled a big bite of sweet ice cream into her mouth.
"I tried to bring a priest to talk to her but she refused." Charles sighed.
"Why would she refuse?" Serena was shocked as Leah had been a devout Catholic, well until she ran away that is.
"She kept saying she was too ashamed." he said rubbing his head as the familiar dull throbbing started yet again. "I tried to get her to mass last Sunday, but she was still far too sick."
"Well get this ice cream away from me and I will go and see about a therapist for our poor girl." Serena said pushing the now half empty carton away from her. She gave Charles a hug and a sweet, sticky kiss on the lips and she went on her way.
Charles went and had a lie down in his bed after he took a few aspirin, he fell asleep as the rain began to pour outside his window. It was very dark and cold when he awoke to the sound of Leah calling his name.
"Charles, it's cold and I'm scared can I sleep in your bed with you?" Leah said softly. Charles got out of his warm bed, straightened the covers and allowed her to crawl in. He then, out of respect for his friend, tucked her up in the blanket and then laid down on top of the covers and curled up beside her placing an arm around her and holding her tight. He did this to soothe her nerves and make her feel safe and loved. Charles cared a great deal for Leah and he would do anything she asked of him.
"Ssh, Leah it is going to be okay." Serena smiled sweetly.
"Thank you Serena," she wept "you were always so kind to me, you always treated me like a sister." here Leah began wailing when she said the word sister. "God, I miss my sister so much! Why did she have to die?" Leah cried so hard, with a lump in her throat, she had trouble catching her breath with a pain so deep in her heart it felt like it was being cut in two.
"Leah, you have to let her go, you can not let the ghosts from your past haunt you." Serena said calmly with a deep look of sincerity in her dark eyes. Serena watched and waited as the painful memory of finding her dead sister's body washed over Leah. It took her about ten minutes to cry herself back to sleep. Serena wiped Leah's redden, tear stained cheeks with a cold damp washcloth. She sat in the rocking chair for an hour or so longer reading a book waiting for Charles to return. When he arrived back at the house laden with bags of groceries Serena helped him put everything away and while they did so she spoke to Charles about Leah's condition.
"Now you have done an amazing job taking care of her and her physical condition is vastly improved, but..," she paused putting away a carton of strawberry ice cream. "I am extremely concerned about her mental health, tell me has she told you anything about her time away?"
"No, actually she refuses to speak about it." he sighed "and I can understand that."
"Well, she won't talk about it with me either." Serena sighed taking the ice cream back out of the freezer and digging in with a spoon. "We need to find some one for her to speak with, I'll find a therapist for her, she needs to get this all about before we bring her back to my brother." she informed him as she shoveled a big bite of sweet ice cream into her mouth.
"I tried to bring a priest to talk to her but she refused." Charles sighed.
"Why would she refuse?" Serena was shocked as Leah had been a devout Catholic, well until she ran away that is.
"She kept saying she was too ashamed." he said rubbing his head as the familiar dull throbbing started yet again. "I tried to get her to mass last Sunday, but she was still far too sick."
"Well get this ice cream away from me and I will go and see about a therapist for our poor girl." Serena said pushing the now half empty carton away from her. She gave Charles a hug and a sweet, sticky kiss on the lips and she went on her way.
Charles went and had a lie down in his bed after he took a few aspirin, he fell asleep as the rain began to pour outside his window. It was very dark and cold when he awoke to the sound of Leah calling his name.
"Charles, it's cold and I'm scared can I sleep in your bed with you?" Leah said softly. Charles got out of his warm bed, straightened the covers and allowed her to crawl in. He then, out of respect for his friend, tucked her up in the blanket and then laid down on top of the covers and curled up beside her placing an arm around her and holding her tight. He did this to soothe her nerves and make her feel safe and loved. Charles cared a great deal for Leah and he would do anything she asked of him.
