Chapter 28
Sara Ellis wandered back to the family room with a glass of water in her hands and placed it on the small table she'd set up by the hide-a-bed.
'Now, if you need anything at all during the night, I want you to ring this little bell and we'll come right down, okay?' she said to her mother-in-law as the older woman sat up in bed.
'I'll be fine' Linda said, her eyes drooping.
Sara reached out to take her hand, squeezing it gently and noting how frail and delicate it was. 'You know, Neal is over the moon about you being here but don't let him run you ragged.'
'I can assure you, there is nowhere in the world I would rather be' said Linda with a tired smile. 'And I can't wait to see your beautiful gallery… and the art school, too.'
The women sat in silence for a moment, just holding hands.
'You have a lovely home, Sara. Neal is very lucky to have you in his life.'
'I don't know about that…' Sara answered with a nervous smile. 'These days, I feel like I'm the lucky one.'
Linda's face grew serious. 'Neal did mention you were going through a rough time.'
Sara shrugged and fought the tears that were threatening to fall. 'He's been amazing through all this… but… it's going to take a while for things to get back to normal.'
'Neal loves you very much and he worries about you' said Linda. 'But most of all, he wants to be there for you. I can see his face light up at the very mention of your name.'
Sara smiled as a tear escaped and landed on her cheek. 'Well, I feel the same way about him; he's a wonderful husband and an amazing father.'
'It's great to see him with the kids. They're wonderful! Hope and Cameron seem to be very happy together – I can see he makes her laugh.'
'Yeah, well, they've just reconnected after a bit of a break; it's not easy to be apart when you're in love' Sara mused.
'And Liam's such a sweet boy. Was his coming out difficult for the two of you?' she asked, hoping she wasn't stepping over the line with such a question.
'No, not really. We've kind of known for a while but it's great to see him coming into his own. Cody's a wonderful first boyfriend for him – he's really helped Liam come out of his shell and be more outspoken. Neal and I are really proud of him.'
'Well, from what I can see, you and Neal have a lot to be proud of' Linda said.
Sara could see the older woman fading fast and she squeezed her hand as she stood to leave.
'Please, Linda. Don't take any chances. If you need to get up in the night to go to the washroom, ring that bell and one of us will come down, alright?'
'Thanks Sara' said Linda, her voice dwindling to barely a whisper. 'See you in the morning.'
Sara leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the woman's forehead before retreating. What she didn't see was the smile that lit up Linda Bennett's face as she dropped off to sleep.
WCWCW
Sara found Neal changing the lightbulb in the bedside lamp when she made it up to their bedroom, dragging her feet listlessly after such a long day.
'Congratulations!' he said with gusto. 'You have graduated to a 15 watt bulb!'
Sara laughed at the silliness of the whole thing – although she had to admit, Marion's strategy seemed to be working.
'Thanks' she said as she began to change out of her clothes and into a t-shirt she'd found laying on the nearby chair.
She slipped in between the sheets and found Neal's open arms, feeling the welcome warmth of his solid body.
'How's my mom?' he whispered into her hair.
'She's fine. I just hope she doesn't try to get up in the night to use the washroom on her own.'
'Well, she's pretty independent – and pig-headed – not that you would know anything about that…' he answered with a chuckle. 'She was a real trooper today; I could tell she was running on fumes by the time we finally landed.'
'She's amazing Neal – and she's so happy to be here' Sara said, turning her face up to look at him. 'Just don't push her too hard while she's here, give her plenty of time to rest.'
'I will…' Neal said although he was more than anxious to show his mom every single part of their lives.
'You did good, honey' Sara whispered as Neal stared back, confused. 'I didn't think she had the energy to come to New York but if you'd seen her face just now… she's just thrilled to be here with you… with all of us.'
Neal smiled contentedly. 'I can't believe we're all under the same roof, the kids, my mom, your sister…'
After spending his early life virtually on his own, Neal was obviously enjoying being surrounded by family, the people who meant the most to him.
Sara let out a sigh. 'And we've got a bunch more people coming on Thursday and only one day left to prepare.'
'Ahhh, piece of cake' Neal said in his usual glass half-full kind of way. 'Oh, did I mention that I invited the Millers – they were going to be on their own' he added, referring to Cody's parents.
'Neal! Stop it! Where are we going to put all these people?' Sara whined as Neal jostled her.
'Aww, come on, honey. There's always room for one or two more' he said with a grin.
Neal lay, totally content, with Sara in his arms; she was looking more like her old self, relaxed and happy but he knew all too well that she was still fragile and that she could come undone at a moment's notice. His eyes moved to her mouth and he suddenly felt an almost irresistible urge to kiss her. He could feel his desire growing in the pit of his stomach and he let out a slow breath, reminding himself that he needed to give her all the space she needed so that she wouldn't feel any pressure.
Sara seemed to read his mind and she leaned in, kissing him softly at first as her tongue sought entrance into his mouth – passage that was gladly granted. Neal tried to still his mind and let her take the lead, resisting the urge to move his hands down her body and pull her in close against him. Sara turned her body to face him, lying halfway on top of him as her lips continued to move against his, the kiss intensifying.
'Sara…' he moaned, trying to keep himself in check. 'Are you sure about this?'
'Shhhh' she murmured as she kept kissing him, her lips moving down to his neck and chest. 'Shut up and put your arms around me, Caffrey.'
He tentatively brought his hands down to her hips, feeling her body pressing against his growing erection and he willed himself to keep things under control, resisting the urge to rut up against her leg. It was way too early to think about having sex and he had to be prepared that she might need to stop the proceedings at any given moment.
Her mouth continued on its quest, returning to his lips with a probing kiss which lingered for a few more moments as Neal felt his body continue to respond to his wife's insistent mouth and roaming hands. He let out a groan of pleasure and satisfaction and within the blink of an eye, Sara pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, her breathing accelerating – although Neal could tell from the frightened look on her face that her labored breathing was due to something other than the heat of the moment.
'I'm sorry…I can't' she cried as she reluctantly pulled away. 'I really want to…'
'Sara! Stop it!' Neal said instinctively. 'Honey, you have nothing, nothing to be sorry about. Do you hear me?'
'But…I've got you all worked up' she began as she pointed in the direction of Neal's sleep pants and his obviously growing response to her lingering touches.
He laughed sardonically. 'That? Don't worry about that; it can be taken care of... in other ways, if need be.'
His face turned serious and he brought his hand to her face letting it linger on her cheek as he took in the sadness and anguish in her eyes. 'Oh, honey, I want this too, believe me… and it'll happen when you're ready. Sara, I don't want you like this… I don't want you pushing yourself beyond what you're comfortable with. I love you.'
Sara nodded, eyes filling with tears as she fell back into his arms.
'That was a really nice kiss, by the way' Neal whispered, his voice full of mischief.
She laughed, realizing they were like teenagers, getting to know each other's bodies all over again. More than anything, she wanted to feel Neal's hard body against hers, the feel of his lips, the touch of his hands… but it was all just too overwhelming.
'You're doing great, honey. Baby steps, remember' Neal murmured, resigning himself to the fact that this was as far as things were going to go.
He could wait… as long as it took. When the time came and Sara was ready, he'd be there to take her wherever she wanted to go.
WCWCWC
Wednesday was a crazy day as Neal put everyone to work on the party preparations. Emily and Hope were sent out to run errands, Caitlin and Liam were put on Hoover duty, Sara began her job as sous-chef and Neal started to work his magic in the kitchen as Linda and Raffie sat back and enjoyed the show.
Thanksgiving was always special in the Caffrey household and although for years, Neal and Sara had spent the holiday at the Burkes, the last few years, their home had become the venue of choice, the place where everyone congregated.
'We're going to have to set the tables in the kitchen and the dining room' Sara said as she chopped up some onions and celery.
'No kidding' Neal responded as he expertly moved from one burner to the other, wonderful scents emanating from the stove where he'd begun to cook a large turkey and a leg of lamb.
'I'm counting 15 – is that right?' she asked as she mentally went over the list of guests.
'Hum. Let's see. We've got the four of us, Cam and Cody, Emily, Mozzie, Peter and Elizabeth, Lydia, Sam and Bea, the Millers…'
'And me!' piped up Linda Bennett from her place on the sofa.
'Of course, the guest of honor!' Neal said with gusto. 'So that's 16, not 15' he announced.
'Grandma? Are you done with this?' Liam asked as he pointed to a half filled cup of tea which sat on the side table.
'I am, sweetie. Thank you' she responded. 'Look, if you want to set me up at the table, I can help with some chopping – I'm a really mean chopper…'
'Not gonna happen, Mom' Neal called out from the nearby kitchen as Sara gave him a sideways look. 'I want you in top shape for tomorrow's dinner and… on Friday, if you're up to it, I'm taking you to the gallery.'
Sara couldn't help but notice Linda's eyes sparkling at the thought.
'Grandma… can I call you 'grandma'?' Caitlin asked as she took the spot next to Linda on the couch.
'Of course you can, sweetheart' Linda answered as Neal glanced over, curious.
'If you come to the gallery, I'll show you my latest sculpture' the teen said, her voice excited. 'Mr. C. gave me some space on the second floor where he and Hope display their stuff.'
'I would love to see that' Linda said enthusiastically. 'Neal tells me you're a very talented artist.'
Caitlin blushed as she looked towards Neal who was doing his best to pretend not to be listening.
'Mr. C. lets me help at the school with the younger kids. I really like it' she volunteered as Linda listened intently.
'I think working with children is one of the most gratifying jobs you can have. You know, we have a daycare at the retirement home and we get to spend time with the children. I get to read to them every week' Linda said as Neal's ears perked up.
'Cool!' Caitlin enthused. 'Wait until you meet little Beatrice. She's Sara and Mr. C.'s goddaughter. She is soooo cute.'
'I can't wait' Linda said as Caitlin beamed by her side.
Neal exchanged glances with Sara as they both smiled. It seemed like they were witnessing the coming together of a couple of kindred spirits.
TBC
