Healing: 1

Devastated

Shawn stood stunned. The doctor had just delivered the news to him and his brother Jack.

Their father was dead.  The heart attack that Shawn felt partly responsible for had claimed the life of his father.

His father; the man he wished had been there for him. The man he did not want to be like.

The only man he felt could help him to heal.

Shawn shuddered, tears welling up within him. He shook his head in an attempt to shrug

them off, but instead the tears came falling down his drawn face. His body shook with the sobs that he had suppressed for the last nineteen years. How would he go on?

Across the room Angela stood watching as Chet's doctor delivered the somber news to the boys. As Shawn began to cry, she resisted the urge to run to him and wrap him in her arms. She desperately wanted to tell him that it was okay, that she was here and would take his pain away.

Shawn had broken up with her a few months ago, and her pride would not allow her the freedom to risk reaching out to him. She was so afraid of his rejection- she could not endure that again.

As his friends gathered around Shawn to offer their support, Angela found herself among them. When her turn came to embrace him for a moment, she heard herself whisper in his ear, "I am here for you….If you need anything, just ask." It sounded so cliché to her, but what else could she say?

Shawn melted in her grasp. He still loved her, though his pride kept him from revealing his feelings. He wanted so badly to just stay there in her arms, he felt so safe. Her scent was comforting, and her skin was so soft. How could he ever have let her go? Oh, yes… he was just like his father: unable to open himself to the love he needed so much.

Angela let go of Shawn with tears in her eyes. She hoped he would respond to her offer. He nodded at her, unable to speak.