Running with Secrets

Untitled Part 46

Kristin felt her shoulders shake before she jumped to her feet with a loud, seemingly very disturbed gasp.

"What is it?" Heath asked with all his training kicking in. "What's wrong?"

With tears rolling down her cheeks, Kristin looked around to find Kathryn's cozy living room. It comforted her, but not quick enough. Sniffing, she said, "Matther."

Heath wrapped her in his arms and smoothed her hair.

"I saw Matther being killed." Her shoulders shook again against Heath's chest.

Still smoothing her hair, he asked if she wanted to talk about it and she said no, that she felt like she just needed to be held. As much as he disliked the reason, he was quick to oblige.

Before he knew it she was revealing parts of the dream she had where she watch Matther being gunned down in front of her by two scaly, ape-like creatures. "I don't know what was more upsetting, Heath. Watching him get killed or the two ugly, horrifically deformed men who did it." She continued to cry, gigantic tears rolling down her cheeks.

Heath led her to the kitchen where he got a piece of ice and placed it in her hand.

Shocked by the cold temperature, she clutched the ice tightly and nodded her head as she buried her face into Heath's chest again. She could almost hear him guide her breathing as her head reeled, trying to relax.

When she finally calmed down enough to talk, she pulled away and looked for a towel to wipe up the mess she made of the ice cube.

"What do you think it means?" She asked.

Heath exhaled a deep breath. "I really don't know, but I can get a recommendation from your uncle for a therapist out here and we can set you up before I have to go back.

The last bit got Kristin's attention. "You have to go back?" She looked with fear in his eyes.

Heath looked around the kitchen and sighed again. "Yeah," he conceded. "I have to." He looked into her eyes, regretting the events that hadn't yet taken place. "You'll be safe here, and You can contact me anytime. Night or day."

"I guess that makes sense. You have a job to get back to and I'm...dead." Her gaze fell to the floor as she spoke. New tears threatened and she sniffled through them.

"Kristin." He moved so he could see into her face. "You're in an extremely vulnerable place right now and you need time to heal. I like you. Very much, but I don't think we could have a very healthy relationship at the moment." As he gazed into her eyes, holding her face between his hands, he repeated himself. "I might not say all the best things, but the best thing for you to hear right now is that I have feelings for you. I like you. A lot. Also right now, You're very vulnerable, and coming from a place of danger and fear, and I want to keep you safe. I'm so very motivated to keep you safe. At the same time, I do have to go back to work in a couple of weeks."

Kristin rapidly breathed in. "A couple of weeks?" she asked as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Yeah," he pulled her into a quick hug. "Not for a while though. I'll help you get settled and stuff, and unless Captain Vanderson calls me in early, I'll be around for two more weeks."

Kristin wrapped her arms around Heath and confessed that she was happy to hear he wasn't leaving in the next couple of days. "Thanks, Uncle Seth." She whispered, making Heath smile.

"You should get some sleep." He said, ushering her down the hall to her room.

She turned inside the doorway to face him. "Thanks, Heath. She trailed her hand up to his cheek. "I needed your words tonight." They locked eyes for what seemed like several seconds and before Heath could act on impulse, Kristin gave him a little peck on the cheek, said goodnight and shut the door behind her.

With a frustrated sigh, Heath closed his eyes against his feelings and turned and walked to his own room for the night.

*****

It was mid-morning when a soggy Kathleen Johnston entered her kitchen, interrupting a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese.

"Someone had a good night last night, eh?" She asked.

"We watched The Wizard of Oz, Gramma."

"Oh?"

"I don't know about Heath, but I fell asleep. That swim made me really tired, I guess, and I couldn't stay awake." Kristin said.

"Sure...Listen," Kathleen started again, "I told Clark that you are my house guest and he told me to remind you to bring your legal documents for a job, and that they'll need fingerprints, because you'll be working with youth."

"Documents." Kristin repeated. "Right. I know exactly where they are."

"You don't have them with you? But I thought your purpose was to stay here and work?"

"Oh, no." Kristin said. "I do know where they are. I guess my banter with Heath has carried over."

"Oh, that's all right, dear. You can banter with me any time." Kathleen looked over at her grandson. "Heath, dear? Could you take a minute to bring in the heavy box from the car? I had to have some help lifting it from the post office."

"You--what--sure. What did you order?" he looked at Kristin as she gulped her hot chocolate and looked back at him over the rim of the cup then looked back at his grandmother.

"A 3-D printer." She matter-of-factually clasped her hands together and rested them in front of her.

"A 3-D printer?" He guffawed. "What are you going to do with a 3-D printer, Gramma?" His tone made Kristin laugh into her mug.

"I don't know, but they're all the rage right now. Even Clark has one."

"Clark? The burly, broad-shouldered, Chris Pine look-alike wimming coach at the college Clark?" He used air quotes.

"The one and the same." His grandma answered with both eyebrows raised. "He says they'll come in really handy for a lot of things and I want in!"

"Well, if Clark says so, it must be so." Kristin replied.

"Not helping!" Heath said.

"I know, but you make it so easy, Heath." She smiled through a giggle. It lit up her face and he stared into her eyes, glad to know that she had conquered her feelings of fear last night.

"Anyway," Gramma said. "Speaking of Clark, he wants you to come a little before eleven to get the paperwork started so you can be on the clock when the kids get there. He also said you'll need to call the local law enforcement to get fingerprints before you get there."

"Oh, well. In that case," Kristin said looking at the kitchen clock above the window, "I guess I'd better get ready for my job." She blew out her air as she stood, and put her dirty dishes in the dishwasher. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Heath watched her walk down the hall and had to crane his neck to follow her.

"Not interested, indeed!" Kathleen scolded her grandson, playfully slapping his arm to get his attention. "I'll tell you what, Heath Johnston, If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're in deeper that you'd like to be and you want a relationship with that young lady. Like you said yourself, BE CAREFUL!"

"I know, Gramma. We talked about it last night after the movie was over. I accidentally-on-purpose told her how I feel." He looked impressed with himself. "I don't know where it's going to lead, but long distance will be hard."

"Distance in a relationship is never easy, but you're dedicated. I just don't know if I would trust that swim coach! He's a sneaky one." Kathleen smiled her devious smile, waggled her eyebrows and walked out of the kitchen.

Sometimes he never really knew how to take his grandmother.