Losing Her Wings

Chapter 5

But what Skylar had that night, was anything but sweet dreams. She had thought of nothing but Ryan as she changed out of her grass stained dress and into a nightdress, getting ready for bed. There had been nothing but a happy warmth and a giddiness of knowing that her new acquaintances would lead her straight to Ryan as she set her alarm for eleven o’clock and slipped between the warm sheets. But as soon as she began to drift into sleep, her entire life played out inside her head, each and every circumstance entering her dreams at lightening speed. She thought of her father and the memories that surrounded his death….the smell of the gun powder and taste of the metallic bullets, that had haunted one too many dreams in her life. She saw the tears rolling down his cheeks as he had allowed social services to take her away from him when she was just five years old, handing her over to her mother who, Skylar was all too able to remember, had only wanted custody of her so she could get alimony checks and keep living the rich lifestyle he had given her when they had married. She could recall the harsh tug as her mother took her hand and tried to drag her away from her father, she saw the pain that consumed him as she looked back to see his brave smile, that was just for her.

There was nothing about that day she didn’t remember, not the flurry of snow that fell outside the window behind her father, not the click of the front door behind her as her mother took her from the house and the father she loved. And it was too fresh in her mind, the cries of pain, the begging she had done, asking to be allowed to stay with him, and then the silence. The silence that had filled her heart when she heard the almighty bang from inside the house. Skylar couldn’t escape the reality, the feeling that she was back there, the tears flowing down her cheeks as her mother and her lawyer stared at each in shock, before she managed to escape the tight grip on her hand and ran back into the house, only to find her father slumped over his study desk, in a pool of blood, with her favourite teddy bear in his hand.

And as she lay in bed, tossing and turning as the nightmarish truth flowed through her, Link watched over her from a safe distance, sitting in the rocking chair inside her room, keeping his protective gaze on her as she dreamt. Dreaming peacefully now, thinking of her father and all the good times they had shared together, Skylar recalled sitting on his knee as he worked in his study, pretending to let her to help him with his drawings for the architectural company he owned, letting her draw the people and the horses and cars that would fill the buildings he was designing as they talked and laughed together. The way he would run around the house, giving her a piggyback ride through the many rooms as they pretended to be the leading horse in a race, sitting up late at night because she wanted to hear one more story before going to sleep. The tears were unmistakable then as Link watched her, appearing on the bed beside her, sitting over her as he brushed his finger across her cheeks, wiping away her tears and whispered soft words of comfort to her that only her heart would be able to understand.

She had basked in so many peaceful nights since that fated day when Zeke had died, when she had been given the first peaceful sleep in fourteen years, but none had ever meant so much to her as the night Link allowed her. He had watched her as she made her first interaction with Ryan’s friends, hoping that she would make a good transition back into the world, but had been worried as to the flood of memories that coming back home had brought her. He had been happy for the delicate nature with which she had been handled after being found, so badly distressed by her memories. He knew from the look in the young man’s eyes as he had talked with her, the jealousy and even the desperate need to keep her safe was something that Skylar would have to get used to, because even Link could see that Niles was captivated by her in a way that he didn’t understand and would need time to become accustomed to, particularly if she wished for Ryan to feel the same.

No matter what happened to her though, he was glad to know that his sweet girl, who he thought of as a daughter, might just find what she had always needed, what she had been seeking for such a long time that when she finally realised that Ryan would be the one to give her that special gift, she might just understand why Zeke had sacrificed himself for her, and find it within herself to forgive him. No matter what happened, Link knew that what the young couple would find together was rare and it was something he could never have bestowed upon them, something no-one but their hearts could create.