Chapter 10

 

Jonathan walked Kait up to her room and watched as she fumbled with the key trying to get it in the lock.  Finally after almost the eleventh try she sighed and dropped her shoulders defeated.  “Jonathan, can you unlock the door I can’t get it?”  Jonathan took her key and had the door open in two seconds.  “Thanks.”  She looked around the room hesitantly.  “Thank goodness Gretta isn’t here.  I can’t take anymore of her questions right now.”

Jonathan thought a moment before asking his question, “Kait, are your parents home this weekend?”

“Huh?  Umm, no.  They’re up visiting my Uncle Mark in Canada, why?”

“Because I was going to suggest that I take you home.  That way you can just relax and not have to worry about anyone showing up and bothering you.”

“I think I’d like that,” Kait said quietly.  Maybe Gretta’s right, so far Jonathan hasn’t treated me any different.  He always did know when I needed to get away from things.

*******                                

Jonathan gathered as many of Kait’s favorite movies and piled them next to her VCR.  “What’s all that for?” She was sitting at the head of her bed hugging her knees close to her chest.  Once again Jonathan was struck by how small and frail she looked.  All the years that he had known her she had always been the strong one, the one willing to fight; now she was struggling to keep herself from breaking down, now he was the one who had to act strong.

“I just figured you’d want to watch some movies, so I picked out ones I know you like.”  After he handed her the remote he stuck his hands in his pickets, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting.  “And if you wanted some company, I could, aaa, stay a while.”

“It would be nice if you stayed, I really don’t feel like being alone right now.”  Kait admitted with the same amount of shyness.

“Okay, so what movie do you want to start with?”  Jonathan asked, resting his hand on the stack of about half a dozen movies.

Half way through Beaches Jonathan yawned, Boy did I pick the wrong movie.  This has got to be the ultimate in chick flicks.  He glanced over at Kait, about to ask her, what it was about girls and movies like these, but she was sound asleep.  Gently he pulled a blanket over her.  After a moment’s hesitation he leaned over and bushed his lips to her forehead in a feather light kiss.  “Sweet dreams angel,” then remember how she always ended their late night calls he added “Dreams of Gold.”

Carefully he got off the queen sized bed and began cleaning up the popcorn mess.  He was just putting the bowl in the sink when he heard a cry from Kait’s room.

He rushed into her room and almost tripped over his shoes lying in the middle of her floor on the way.  Kait was crying softly and thrashing her head back and forth in her bed.  At first Jonathan wasn’t sure just what was happening, then it dawned on him, a nightmare, she was having a nightmare.

Jonathan brushed the hair from her face and whispered calming words, “Shh…It’s only a dream…wake up baby, it’s only a dream…come on Kait, please wake up…” Slowly her movements calmed down and Kait stopped crying.  She opened her eyes and looked up at Jonathan.  He couldn’t read her expression at first is was blank then it filled with every emotion possible.  Then without warning Kait’s then motionless body jerked with the force of her trying to choke back a sob.  “Shh, shh…”  Jonathan did the only thing he could think of, he pulled her into a tight hug.  Kait held onto him as if for dear-life while her body shook with the force of her crying.

“Thank God,” Kait managed through her tears.  “I was dreamed that he was here, in this room.  I couldn’t get out, he had me trapped and I couldn’t move it was like last night all over again.  I couldn’t do anything.”  Kait tried to explain but the words were hard to force past her sobs.

“It’s okay, he’s not here.  There’s nothing to worry about, I’m right here.”  Jonathan tried to pull back, afraid that he might scare her.

“Don’t go.  Please,” Kait pleaded.  “I’m so scared.”

He would have done anything Kait asked, just to dispel the desperation he heard in her voice.  “I won’t go anywhere,” Jonathan assured her.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”  The rest of the day passed mostly the same; Jonathan being there for Kait every time she woke up from a nightmare, she never slept more then two hours at a time.  When she wasn’t trying to sleep they watched the stack of movies that Jonathan had gathered.  Sunday went a little better, there were fewer nightmares and Kait seemed more willing to get up and do things.  Jonathan convinced her to do her homework for her classes on Monday.  They talked very little.  Once both of them had finished the little work they had for their classes the next day, Jonathan pulled out a few board games to occupy Kait’s mind.

*******

Kait stood outside the door just staring at it.  She knew she was going to go in but she just had to work up the nerve to open the door.  Finally she took a deep breath, reached for the handle and opened the door.  Six pairs of eyes followed her as she sat down in a seat off to the side and near the front.  A plump woman in her early thirties waked to the front of the group.

“Hello every one, I see we have someone new among us.  Would you mind introducing yourself?”

“I…ah,” Kait felt a loss for words, she was half hoping to get through the first meeting without drawing attention to herself, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.

“If you are uncomfortable you don’t have to.”  The woman up front offered.

“No, that’s all right…” Kait stood up and looked around at the other women nervously.  This is part of the healing process, remember, come on, you can do this.  “My name is Kait…”