The Locked Door
[Author's Note: I dedicate this story to Kristen. She always writes awesome One-Shots.]
Niles knocked on the door, but there was no reply. "Lynda, is everything alright?" He tried the door handle, but it was locked.
There was no reply, but he knew she was in there.
"Can you unlock the door please?" He waited, but there was no response. He was a great therapist, but he wasn't used to talking through doors.
"Listen… Lynda, you've come a long way. I know this is a big step, but I think you are ready to take it. Tell me how you feel."
The only sounds coming from the other side of the door were soft sobs.
"I would rather talk to you rather than this door… Listen, you know I will always be here for you and no matter what you decide to do, I will ALWAYS be in your corner… 'Second thoughts' is not out of the ordinary. It's common to feel this way under such pressure. You've taken a long road and things so large can be scary."
He put his hand to the door as if he was reaching out to her. "Sometimes in life, we need to take a leap of faith. It has been said that when a writer writes about something he knows, he is standing on solid ground. When he is writing about something unknown, he is stepping into nothingness. No one knows what the future holds, but don't worry Lynda. If you fall, I will catch you."
Again, his words were followed by silence.
He pulled back his sleeve to glance at his watch. "I'm sorry, but our time is almost up."
"Talk to me Lynda. We always talk things through. You're easy to talk to… much easier than talking to a wooden door. If you want to take this opportunity and let it slip through your fingers, then I will do it with you. I'll spend the night on the other side of this door if I have to."
There was a gasp of a laugh from behind the door.
Niles grinned. At least he made her laugh a little. "But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things."
The door unlocked and opened. A beautiful brown-eyed lady stood there with tears in her eyes. "Leave it up to you to quote Henry David Thoreau."
He returned her smile and he wiped the tears from her cheek with the back of his knuckles. "Look at you. You look beautiful."
"I look like hell," she said as she tried to dry her eyes. "Do you have a handkerchief?"
He produced one from his coat pocket and handed it to her. "Actually, I have never seen you look more beautiful than you are right now."
She went into his arms and hugged him tight, almost as if she were trying to break him to pieces. "I love you Dad."
"And I love you so much. It's AWFULLY hard for a father to go through this."
"Well, you know what they say, 'You're not losing a daughter. You're gaining a son.'" She pulled away to look longingly into his eyes. She wiped his tear from his face with her thumb.
His lower lip started to tremble. "Lynda, you're not only my pride and joy, but you are one of my very best friends. You always will be."
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. She had gotten a perfect lip print on him with her lipstick. She went to wipe it away, but he took her hand to stop her.
"Please leave it. I will proudly wear it for as long as I can."
Lynda couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her face. "You are the most wonderful father."
The organ sounded the wedding march.
"Well, I hate to say it… but our time is up."
She smiled. "I love you Dad."
"I love you too." He cleared his throat. "Now, shall we do this or shall we sneak out the back and drive away?"
She grinned. "I'm ready if you are."
She put her arm through his and they turned toward the main part of the church.
"Don't ask me that. A father can never be ready for this."
"We'd better get going. Mom's going to get worried. Catch me if I fall half way down the aisle."
They started out. "I was hoping you might catch me. I'm feeling a little weak in the knees."
"I will catch you Dad. We will always be there for each other… no matter what."