Cabin Fever

Chapter 10

Curt slumped onto the rug covering his bedroom floor. "God..." He breathed, words escaping him as he worked to pray. That night his prayers ended up coming out in the form of tears. It had been quite a while since he'd lost a patient. It had also been a while since he'd met anyone like Joy. He'd known years ago that she possessed something special, he just didn't fully grasp what that meant or looked like until now. It was a unique special. Something that couldn't be touched tangibly. No, it was much more of an intangible sense, an emotion. He didn't even know how to explain it. Tonight was his chance to come before his Heavenly Dad. A chance to think, to pray, to breathe and release all he'd pent up this week. It was also a chance to beg forgiveness for whatever happened with his patient today. Deep down he knew it wasn't his fault, but it still stung all the same. The patient had come in with an underlying condition, one that could have easily taken the person out on it's own, but this time it came coupled with the treatment Curt had prescribed and the person ended up passing away in the ER.

Curt had received a page to the ER, but his patient was gone before he got there. He'd had to tell the family, which, after this morning's fiasco with Joy and Stepehn had left him totally drained. But, he'd promised to check in on Joy, and he was a man of his word, so he drove to the cabin only to find her in a somber state herself. At least she was still alive. He paused his thoughts; alive and kicking was more like it. He chuckled to himself and the tears he'd packed down all day bubbled up. And once the tears came he couldn't seem to stop them. He was not a crier. No sir. However strong he thought he was, tonight seemed packaged in the perfect opportunity to be weak. To allow the Father to comfort him. As the tears finally began to dry he reached for his Bible, opening it to the Psalms. Curt flipped the pages, his eyes falling to Psalm 18. He began reading a few passages aloud.

I love you, Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.
You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

**NIV - Selected verses from Psalm 18

When he finished, a lighthearted peace washed over him and he collapsed into bed. Excited about the prospect of spending most of the day with Joy, he began mentally planning their day as his eyes closed and a restful sleep overtook his exhausted body.

-------

Knowing I'd be off with Curt for who knew how long on Saturday, meant Friday I needed to begin packing things up. What had initially irked me as the week began with my broken ankle, had become a blessing, and although my stinky attitude hadn't been entirely cured, I was excited for Saturday.

Saturday morning started off a bit dreary and Curt arrived with a cup of coffee from his favorite local coffee shop. He'd picked their special of the day, which coincidentally ended up being one of my favorites; an English Toffee latte. "Thank you." I uttered, breathing in the mouth watering aroma of sweetened coffee.

"So..." Curt began as he slumped into a chair across the room from me. "I have a friend who has offered the use of a couple of his horses for a while this morning if you'd like." He glanced my way, taking a long sip of his coffee. A nervous flutter entered my stomach. "Horses?" A broad smile came across his face as he nodded. "Yes. Horses." He tilted his head, trying to read me. "It's uh..." I stammered. "It's been a while since I've ridden and I'm not sure how I'd even mount one with that." I pointed at my boot. "We can start slow. And don't worry. I'll make sure you're good and settled before we go anywhere...." He trailed off, and a small smile ran across his lips. I would have missed it had I not been looking at him. "What?" I questioned warily. He had that look in his eyes. I could tell something was brewing in his mind.

"Well..." He looked at me, something akin to amusement lurking behind those deep brown eyes. "We could just do one horse and you ride with me..." My eyebrows shot up and I'm sure I turned the color of fruit punch kool aid. My breath caught and I worked to steadily unstick it from my throat. "We could do that..." I implored, saying each word slowly as I breathed out.

"Okay, I'll go grab my things. I pushed myself up, and headed toward the bedroom. "Be right back!" I half yelled. "Okay, I'll be waiting." He retorted

I grabbed my sweatshirt and camera bag and headed back to the living room, stopping when I saw my reflection in the mirror. Goodness, I looked like quite the camper. Jeans, flannel shirt and wool socks plus a Birkenstock on my good foot. Smiling, I headed toward the great room. "Okay, all ready!"

The sweetest smile danced on Curt's lips. "You look perfect." I shrugged and blushed... again. "Thanks." I muttered, dropping my eyes to the floor. Curt got to his feet, handing me my crutches in exchange for my camera bag and backpack.

We loaded up his truck and were off to his friend's farm which was just a few minutes from the cabin. The drive was pretty quiet as I took in the surroundings. Curt parked the truck and I reached for my crutches. He glanced at my hands and reached over, placing his on mine. "You're not going to need those." He said softly, his gaze moving to my crutches. I tilted my head. Okay, now I was confused. "I didn't think I was supposed to be walking..." I questioned. "You're not. But you're not going to be walking today." By this time he was opening my door. Before I had any say in the matter, Curt reached in and scooped me off the seat. An unfamiliar squeak came out of my mouth and I clamped it shut as I grasped at his shoulder.

He carried me so close that I could smell his aftershave. I did my best not to take him in as he walked. The guy was a rock. I wasn't exactly the lightest weight woman, but I just enjoy being taken care of. I had come to trust him, even if I hadn't wanted to on Sunday. He was proving himself more and more each time he came around. So I cleared my throat and diverted my attention to the stables. "So, where are we going once we get the horse?" I asked, forcing myself to take steady breaths. The man had the gall to wink at me as I was still pressed up against him, a strong arm supporting my knees and the other behind my back. "You'll see. It's a surprise." Eventually Curt set me down just outside the building where I assumed the horses were. "You stay put, I'll be right back." If I wasn't mistaken I saw an actual twinkle in his eye.

Curt returned with my camera, backpack and what looked like a picnic basket. After loading the items on the horse, he led the horse toward me and boosted me up on the back. Soon enough we were off, traversing through the hills. Curt pointed out a few things here and there and I snapped pictures of various flowers, mountains and trees. When my finger wasn't on the shutter button, capturing moments, my arms were tightly around Curt's chest.

We returned to the cabin slightly worse for the wear, as we dismounted for lunch, I'd unintentionally stepped down on my fractured foot. After that I'd been in a fair amount of pain, but did my best to enjoy the ride. Curt was a perfect gentleman as he set me up on the couch with ice. I did my best to distract myself as I flipped through the pictures on my camera, showing the best ones to Curt as he cooked dinner.

"I had a lot of fun today." I mused, letting my mind wander. Curt turned to face me, leaning his hands to rest on the counter. "I did too, Joy." He smiled. "Probably the best time I've had in quite a while."

"Why have you been so nice to take care of me this week?" I pressed. I didn't miss the tension in Curt's jaw. "Joy..." He started. "Do you really not remember?" He narrowed his eyes. "What?" I was completely perplexed. A soft chuckle broke from him and he shook his head lightly. "When we were kids. The Cabin." He gestured around the room. "Here." My eyes widened as I took in his statement. I gasped. "What did you say?" Curt moved closer. "You know... all of this. Years and years ago..." He murmured as he reached for my hand. I blinked, wracking my brain until something, must have been the faintest memory of our family times up there. I gasped softly as an image of the boys and me playing, played back in my mind. I drew my free hand to my mouth. "Oh my gosh..."