Chapter 25

'You know, I could have taken a cab' Neal said as he stood in front of Sara in the departure lounge of JFK, his overnight bag in his hand.

'What? And deprive me of giving you a proper send off?' she said, lacing her arms firmly around his neck.

Neal gave her a loving smile; he was worried about leaving her so soon after their appointment with Marion Birch. Surely, her talk with the therapist would have rattled her cage – that was inevitable. Luckily, he had both Hope and Emily keeping an eye on Sara, making sure she was alright.

'Are you going to be okay, sleeping alone in our bed?' he asked, dropping his bag at his feet and tentatively placing his hands on Sara's hips.

She seemed relaxed as she took his hands in hers and guided them tightly around her waist, locking them in a warm embrace.

'I'll miss you… but I've got the kids… and Emily. I'll be fine, don't worry' she said, her voice surprisingly strong.

Neal waited as they stood, bodies pressed together; he wasn't about to rush her. The feel of her body against his was a welcome sensation and he watched as Sara's face softened. Suddenly, she leaned into him and placed a slow, purposeful kiss on his grateful lips. For a moment there, it was just as it had always been and Neal was reminded of just how much he enjoyed the feel of her soft lips on his.

'I love you' he murmured as she ended the kiss.

'Me too' she said as she reluctantly pulled out of his embrace. 'One of us will be back to pick you up tomorrow.'

'Okay. Take the Santa Fe, it'll be easier for my mom to get in and out of' Neal said as he reached down to pick up his bag.

'Tell her I can't wait to see her' Sara called out as Neal turned to make his way over to the secure area.

'Will do. Bye Repo' he called out with a wave.

Suddenly, Sara found herself standing alone in the middle of a crowded airport as she watched Neal disappear behind the security door.

She missed him already.

WCWCWC

'I've got the popcorn' Hope called out as she waltzed into her parents' bedroom carrying a giant bowl of Orville Redenbacher with Raffie nipping at her heels.

'And I've got M&Ms and Twizzlers' Caitlin added as she let herself fall on the bed with a thump.

'Careful!' Emily called out. She ducked, narrowly avoiding being thumped on the head by the large bowl of candy and she slid up the bed to make room for the two younger women, joining her sister up against the headboard.

Movie night in bed had been Hope's idea and Sara was grateful for the distraction. Liam was downstairs with a few friends watching the hockey game, monopolizing the large screen television but she didn't mind – curling up in bed in their jammies seemed like a lot more fun, anyway.

Sure, there would be the usual bickering about the choice of movie and Raffie would try repeatedly to worm his way onto the bed to get to the snacks but Sara was surrounded by warmth and laughter and after her session with Marion Birch, that's exactly what she needed.

'So, I was thinking we'd catch up on 'American Horror Story - Hotel' Caitlin announced as she reached for the remote control. 'That Donovan guy is a real hunk!'

A loud groan was heard from the other three occupants of the bed.

'No way!' Hope said. 'I want to watch 'House of Cards.'

Emily and Sara exchanged amused looks; it was going to be a long night.

'Come on, girls. I thought we'd go with a chick flick – like… I don't know… 'When Harry Met Sally?' Emily suggested as Hope and Caitlin began to whine like a couple of toddlers.

'That movie was made before I was even born!' Caitlin complained.

'Mom, you decide' Hope finally said as she popped a handful of M&Ms into her mouth.

'Well, I noticed Miss Congeniality is playing on channel 5' Sara suggested. 'That movie always makes me laugh.'

Caitlin frowned and Hope shrugged; truth was everybody was pretty well on board with whatever Sara wanted. They were all just relieved to see her finally loosening up and enjoying herself.

'Great idea!' Emily called out as she grabbed a piece of licorice right out of Caitlin's hand.

'Hey, that was mine!' whined Caitlin.

'Well, it's mine now' Emily teased as she ducked to avoid Caitlin's waving arms.

Sara laughed, feeling settled and content. Being surrounded by the women in her life made her feel safe and secure and that was all she needed.

WCWCWC

Neal dropped his bag by the foot of the bed and let himself fall onto his back with a groan. The flight between New York and St. Louis had been reasonably short but he'd had to change planes at Logan Airport and after the emotional day he'd had, he was more than ready to crawl into the welcoming bed and fall blissfully asleep. He turned to check the time, wondering if it was too late to call his mom and let her know he'd arrived. She'd made him promise to call and he figured she'd likely be waiting by the phone regardless of what time it was.

Despite the late hour, he grabbed for his phone and before dialing his mom, he texted home as an unconscious smile passed his lips.

'Arrived safe. Miss you.'

He sat up against the headboard and kicked off his shoes as he dialed the Amica Retirement Home.

'Neal?' came Linda Bennett's voice, sounding anxious.

'Hey Mom!' Neal answered. 'I hope I didn't wake you. I just wanted to let you know I'm here.'

'That's great, honey. I was hoping you'd call' she said.

'So, are you ready for your trip to the Big Apple?' Neal asked with a smile.

'I've been looking forward to it, you have no idea' Linda responded with the small voice Neal had come to know.

'Well, our flight leaves at noon so I thought I would come over for breakfast and we could spend some time together' Neal said, his eyelids closing despite his efforts to keep them open.

'Great! Well, we'd better get some sleep, then. Tomorrow's a big day!' she said. 'Oh, Neal… did you get everything worked out with the airline for my oxygen tank?'

'All set, Mom. No worries. You sleep tight and I'll see you first thing in the morning' Neal said as he fought off sleep.

'Goodnight honey' came the answer just as Neal heard his phone chirp with an incoming text.

'Lying in bed surrounded by three snoring women and a very tired dog. Love you, Caffrey!'

Neal made a quick trip to the bathroom and within five minutes, he was sound asleep.

WCWCWC

Sara turned in bed, getting her bearings. The younger set had given up on the movie and had gone to bed in Caitlin's room but Emily had declared she was just too darn tired to move and had curled up in Neal's usual spot. She wasn't being very subtle in her efforts to stay near her sister but Sara didn't mind – she was just relieved not to be alone.

Emily stirred and opened her eyes, the light from the nearby lamp causing her to blink as she came to.

'You okay?' she asked as she turned to face Sara.

'I'm fine' Sara said as she smiled at her sister. 'I'm just really glad you're here.'

Emily's eyes lit up as she seemed to recall something from long ago.

'Do you remember that time Mom and Dad took us to see The Wizard of Oz at the drive-in?' Emily asked.

'Oh, my God!' Sara answered as she thought back to how terrified she'd been at the sight of the Wicked Witch of the East. After seeing the movie, she'd begun to have recurring nightmares featuring the ugly old hag with the striped stockings.

'For weeks after that, you kept coming into my room late at night and lying on the floor next to my bed with your pillow' Emily said with chuckle.

'Until you finally gave up and dragged my mattress into your room and set it up next to your bed' Sara recalled. 'I think I slept there for six months.'

'Well, four, actually' Emily added. '…but it felt like six!'

Sara laughed heartily, something she hadn't done in a few weeks and she could feel her body letting go of all the tension and anguish she'd been harboring.

'So, tell me' Emily said, her voice turning serious. 'How did it go with the therapist?'

Sara brought her arm under her head and propped herself up on her elbow. 'It was good, not as weird as I thought it would be. I really like her. Basically, she just listened and I ended up blurting out the whole thing... you know, what… what he did to me.'

Emily listened and watched her baby sister's sad eyes.

'It felt good to let it out. I cried and cried and cried…' Sara said, her eyes faraway. 'I think she might charge us extra for all the tissues I used.'

Emily smiled; Sara was strong… and she had Neal – she would get through this.

'You know, I was knocked around quite a bit by the guy I was with in L.A. when I first ran away. He never took no for an answer in bed either…' Emily said.

Sara frowned. Emily had never shared much about the first few months she'd been away from home. But during his search for her, Neal had discovered Emily had gotten involved with drugs and had hooked up with a dealer before eventually getting her life back on track.

'I'm sorry' Sara said as she touched her sister's arm.

Emily snapped out of it and looked at Sara. 'It's okay. It was a really long time ago. And I managed to get myself straightened out. When I finally settled down in Tucson, I met Mike and… well, he was pretty well my knight in shining armor.'

Sara listened; Emily had never opened up much about her past. Sara knew that she'd married Mike Foster and that he'd died while they were living in Brussels but Emily had never spoken much about the early years, when she'd first left home.

'Did he… beat you? That other guy?' Sara asked.

'Yeah' Emily said softly. 'And he'd… take me even when I said no.'

Sara gasped and wiped a tear; Emily had been young, trying to deal with a horrible situation on her own while she, on the other hand, had Neal and friends and family in her corner.

'Honey, I know it doesn't feel like it right now but you'll get through this – and you'll be even stronger than before. This… animal, he doesn't get to win. You get to stand up to him and claim what's yours. And you will, just give yourself some time and be patient with yourself' Emily said as she touched Sara's face. 'And whatever you do, don't shut Neal out, he's crazy in love with you.'

Sara's mind returned to the past, remembering the comfort she'd always gotten from her big sister. 'Remember that song you used to sing to me to help me get to sleep?' she asked as Emily frowned.

'Oh, no you don't. You're not getting me to sing to you! No way!' Emily said with a giggle.

Sara just stared at her and fluttered her eyelashes as Emily laughed and finally rolled her eyes.

'Alright!' she finally said. 'But I swear to God, if you ever tell anybody about this…'

Sara put her head down on her pillow, snuggling up closer to Emily who placed a hand on her sister's head and began to gently caress her hair as Sara closed her eyes, relaxing at her gentle touch.

Emily's soft voice filled the room, her hand moving to lovingly rub Sara's back.

'Sleep now, angel, don't be afraid. Dry your eyes, angel, it's all gonna be okay.The darkness will become like morning light and hope will still shine in a moonrise. So sleep now, angel, don't be afraid of the dark.'

There was silence for a few moments, then Sara's quiet voice was heard.

'Thanks Em' she whispered, eyes closed, soft smile on her lips.

TBC