Second Chances (110 page)

The tears dripped down Sarah’s face at last.  She began to sniffle.  Brian reached over to the nightstand grabbed a few tissues and continued.

“I love you with all of my heart,” he said emphatically as he gently wiped away her tears. 

“I
love
you with everything I am, everything I will be.”  He held her face in his hands and willed her to look at him.  “Can you love me, Sarah?  Can you say the words that I long to hear without fear, without doubt, and without an ounce of regret?”  At last her glistening emerald eyes met his.  “I know what you’re feeling, Sarah.  I always know.”  He crushed her to him.

Sarah rested against his chest for a moment, soothed by the beating of his heart.  She knew that sorting out what she wanted to say in her head was futile.  She might as well work this out aloud with Brian present.  She took a deep breath.  “I’m so scared,” she admitted quietly.  “I’m afraid of being with you and even more afraid of not being with you.  You make me feel loved, and safe.”  She swallowed as she struggled to admit the intense feelings swirling about her.  “I can’t remember when last I felt that way.  You love my daughter.  Chloe needs that as much as I do.  At the same time, I’m afraid of being hurt.  I’m afraid that for reasons beyond our control, we won’t be able to be together.”  Her eyes welled once more with tears.  “I don’t know if I could survive that.  I find myself needing you, wanting to be with you all the time.  It scares me.”  She shivered.  Brian held her even more tightly and kissed the top of her head.  She savored the warmth that flowed through him, soothing her tumultuous emotions before she finally tilted her face to look at him.  “You know,” she began quietly; “this is not at all how I imagined tonight.”  She smiled hesitantly to ease the tension.

Brian sighed.  “I know, but these things needed to be said.”  He gazed at her lovingly.  “You understand?”

Sarah nuzzled into his neck. 
Of course.  How could I be upset with you?

Suddenly Brian stood up.  “A bath,” he announced.  Sarah eyed him quizzically.  “I’ll draw us some water.  It will help us relax.”  He laid a reluctant Sarah on the bed once more and walked into the bathroom.

Several minutes later, with a warm bubble bath drawn, Sarah had stripped down to reveal the teddy, then her naked skin.  All the while, Brian admired her with his eyes and longed to touch her.  Something prevented that.  He couldn’t name it, but the feeling, the angst had returned.  It had been building, growing ever since the champagne arrived.  At first, he hadn’t recognized it, had mistook it for the emotions Sarah was struggling with.  Now, however, he understood them for what they were, recognized that though they had left their home behind, the danger had still followed.  He took Sarah’s hand and guided her to the bathroom, supporting her elbow as she sank into the tub.

“Aren’t you going to join me?”  Sarah queried.  She was looking up at him shyly through her thick lashes.  That she was unaware of how sexy she was made her all the more appealing.

Brian smiled.  “Of course.  I’ll be right in.”  He bent and kissed her forehead before exiting the room.  He pulled the door shut behind him and leaned against it for a moment.

Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate, to focus on the danger he sensed.  It was no good.  He couldn’t identify it any better here than he did in Burlington.  Suddenly the phone rang on the bedside table.  He could hear Sarah stirring in the tub. 
I’ll get it.
  The water slapped against the sides of the tub as she settled back in.

“Hello,” he asked tentatively.

Sniffling greeted him on the other end.  “Professor,” a weak voice began.  “I’m sorry.”  More sniffling.  “I think it’s an emergency.  I want Professor White.” She was stifling a sob now.  “I need a woman.  I can’t find her.”  The girl was getting harder to understand now.    

“I’ll get her for you.  It’s Crystal, right?”  Brian’s voice was gentle. 

“Yes,” she sobbed.

“We’ll be right there.  Can you hold on until we get there?”  He heard the door open. 

Sarah had been listening and exited the bathroom.  When he turned he found her striding through the doorway fingering her rose quartz necklace.  And a moment later he heard the draining tub belch, signaling an end to their evening, while she scrambled to put on some clothes.  “See you soon.”  He replaced the receiver.  Addressing Sarah he mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

Sarah simply walked over to him and rested her forehead on his chest. 
Maybe later.  We’ll see.  Let’s just help Crystal.

And though he desperately wanted it to be true, somehow he knew that their later wasn’t to be.  Taking her hand in his, they walked out the door and made their way to the elevator.  The heavy door clicked shut behind them with a certain finality about it.

Within minutes they were at the Crystal‘s room.  They knew they had found the right door because the sobbing could be heard through it and partway down the hall.  Crystal was a puddle when she opened the door and they could immediately see why.  One side of her face was already bruising, her lip was puffy and split, and an abrasion marred her cheek.

“What happened, honey?”  Sarah cooed, taking the girl into her arms.  She glanced around the room.  It couldn’t have happened here.  The beds were still neat and tidy.  There was no evidence of a struggle.

Crystal left the solace she had found while Sarah held her, stumbled across the room, and collapsed on one bed.  Within in seconds, Sarah sat beside her and Brian was across from them, feeling utterly out of his element.  He was a man of action; the sidelines were not for him.

Sarah began to stroke Crystal’s back, and as she did so, the story was gradually expelled.  “We were going to a club.”  She turned her face into the pillow as though she was ashamed.  

“Club Super Sex?”  Sarah offered without an ounce of judgment.

After some hesitation, the back of Crystal’s head moved ever so slightly.  They waited patiently.  A sigh was emitted and Crystal turned to face them again.  “We’d heard about it and
...”

Sarah gave her a gentle smile.  “You’re old enough to go to whatever club you want, Crystal.  It’s all right.  You‘ll get no judgment from us.”

A lopsided smile struggled to emerge on Crystal’s damaged lips.  Seeing that she would receive no recrimination from them, Crystal gingerly sat up to finish telling her tale.  “I got distracted.  I lost the rest of the girls.  I managed to end up in some alley.”  She shuddered remembering the experience.  “Some guy came up to me and attacked me.  He wanted my purse, but I wanted it, too.  So, I fought back.” 

A light knock on the door interrupted her, just as they were beginning to make progress.  Brian motioned that he would answer it, but Crystal refrained from speaking anyway out of anticipation.  When he opened the door, Brian found Evan standing there with a bucket of ice.

“What are you doing here?”  Brian asked suspiciously.

“Crystal didn’t tell you?”  He asked innocently.

Brian looked at Crystal.  She had climbed off the bed and was making her way toward Evan.  “My hero,” she murmured as she gave him a shy hug.

Evan reveled in the attention as both Sarah and Brian shrugged and looked on.  “I saw Crystal go into the alley.  I followed out of concern.  My only regret is that I was so far behind her.”

“Evan helped me back here,” Crystal concluded, still clinging to him.

“And the purse?”  Brian asked.

Crystal pointed to a handbag that was on the dresser beside the television.

“Did you contact the police?”  Sarah queried.

Crystal shook her head.  “I just wanted to get back here.  Oh, and Evan insisted we tell you both.”

Brian eyed Evan suspiciously.  “What?”  Evan shrugged.  “I thought this might qualify as an emergency according to your little lecture.  Just thought you would want to know.”

The explanation makes sense,
Sarah voiced as she looked at Brian.

He exhaled slowly. 
But I still don’t trust him.

Sarah nodded.

Evan had been watching the interaction with barely veiled curiosity.  Was it possible?  Could they be communicating somehow?  He shook his head at the improbability of it all.

“So, now what?”  Sarah asked aloud.

“I think we should contact the police,” Brian stated, looking directly at Crystal.  She seemed to be very comfortable with Evan’s arm around her.  Yet, from the look on Evan’s face, he felt nothing more than friendship for her.  In fact, Evan seemed to be sending smoldering looks Sarah’s way.  Brian scowled.

“No,” Crystal said emphatically.  “I still have my purse.  My face will heal.  And this is a field trip.  I can’t spend all night at the police station filling out reports and looking at mug shots.  Please, let’s leave it alone.”  She laid her head against Evan’s chest.  He smirked.

Brian motioned to Sarah.  She walked to the door to meet him.  They might still be able to salvage some of this night after all.

“Umm,” Crystal began quietly.  Everyone turned to give her their attention.  “I don’t want to be alone.  I don’t know when my roommate will return and I don’t think I can handle being alone right now.”  She glanced at all of them.  “That’s why I asked for Professor White.  I didn’t know Evan was coming back.  I didn’t want to be alone.”  Her head drooped as her fate was decided.

“Well, now that Evan is back,” Brian began, “I think he can stay with you.”  Evan shot an angry look his way that gave him a small thrill.  Just to be safe he added, “Or if you feel more comfortable with a woman...”  He intentionally let his voice trail off.

“Oh, I think that Evan will do,” Crystal said, trying to contain her excitement.  She obviously was one of his many fans.

This was not going at all as Evan had intended.  Professor White should be staying.  Professor Waite should be sleeping alone.  And he should not have to be babysitting some silly girl while the woman he lusted was with another man.  Life was not fair.

Brian smiled.  “Well, then I guess it seems settled to me.”  He wrapped his arm around Sarah and they exited the room.  He could barely hide a chuckle as the door clicked shut behind them.

Sarah gave him a sideways glance.  “I’m sorry.  I’m trying to figure out what’s so funny about a girl nearly getting mugged.”

Brian shook his head.  “Oh, no.  It’s not that.  Did you see the look on Evan’s face?”

She continued to frown even as she spoke.  “He surprised me.  I guess she’s lucky he was there when he was.”

Brian froze mid-step.  “You don’t seriously think it was a coincidence, do you?”

“What are you saying?”  Sarah turned her body to face him.

“All I’m saying is that it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that he’s behind the whole incident.”

Sarah scrunched up her face.  “I don’t see how.  And what would he have to gain?”

They opened the door and walked into their room. 
Brian flopped down on one bed, Sarah intentionally chose the other.  He stared at her for a moment.  She met his gaze.