Chapter 25
Lex felt exhausted after her shower, and was grateful when Wendy offered to comb her long hair. Released from its usual braid, it hung in damp tangles, ending just below her rear. The effort it took to comb and braid it was just something Lex didn't have in her right at this moment.
"It's beautiful," Wendy said as she began running the comb through the gold tresses. "I've never seen hair this long. I hope you never cut it."
Lex's mind raced back to a bright, sunny day when she had been five years old. Her mother had come home that morning with a new haircut, a short bob straight from the 1920's flapper era, and Lex had been heart broken because her own hair had not been styled the same way. Chin trembling and tears running down her cheeks, she'd run from the front hall, ploughing into her father when she'd rounded the corner.
He'd frowned, squatting down to look at her. "What's wrong?"
Amid wails and sobs, she'd told him in great detail about her despised 'old, ugly' hair.
Though he'd had a slightly confused expression on his face, he'd gently run his fingers through her long curls. "Why would you want to cut your hair?"
"Cuz I want to be like Mummy!" she'd bawled.
"But you're beautiful the way you are. And your hair is so pretty, baby. Don't cut it sweetheart. I like it just the way it is."
And from that day on, she'd never wanted to cut it again. Lex looked over her shoulder when she heard a sniffle. Wendy wiped an errant tear away hastily. "I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed. "I never pry into people's thoughts, but sometimes when the emotion connected to those thoughts is so strong, I can't stop it."
Lex saw the truth of her words in her eyes and nodded. Sighing, Wendy returned to her combing. "He cares a great deal for you."
"You'd never know it," Lex muttered.
"Actually, I do."
Lex frowned and turned to find Wendy smiling. "He's like you in that respect. His emotions towards you are very strong. I don't even have to be in the same room with him, and I'm flooded by his thoughts and memories."
"Must be hard on you."
Wendy's smile gentled. "Not really."
Lex regarded her closely. "You care for him."
Wendy laughed awkwardly. "Is it that obvious?"
Lex grinned and shook her head. Wendy sobered before she spoke again. "Does that bother you?"
"Your psychic pick-pocketing or your crush on my Dad?" Lex's lips curled in a tiny grin.
"Your father."
"Why would it bother me?"
"He IS your father and I'm quite a bit younger than he. Most importantly, I'm not your mother."
Shutters instantly slammed in place in Lex's eyes. "You think that's a bad thing?"
Wendy stared at her for a moment, trying to gently probe Lex's thoughts. They were securely hidden behind a thick shield so she gave up. "I'd like for us to be friends and I'd hate for my feelings toward your father to get in the way."
Again Lex regarded the other woman closely. As before, Wendy was sincere, and Lex shook her head slowly before speaking. "I don't know my father well enough to have squatting rights, and besides, the only important thing is that you're both happy."
"Thank you, Lex." Wendy squeezed her shoulder before returning to untangling Lex's mane. "I know I probably shouldn't pry, but ... your father does love you very much. Even if I didn't have my empathic abilities, I'd know it. The joy and fierce love I picked up from him when he first saw you come on board, it almost overwhelmed me."
"He has an odd way of showing it," Lex murmured.
"Yeah, he does." Wendy ran a gentle hand down Lex's hair before carefully placing the comb on the table nearby. Then she sat next to Lex on the bed. "Your father ... doesn't know how to express his feelings. The aggressive ones, yes. Anger and frustration are easy and acceptable emotions in the military, but there is very little room for the softer ones like love and affection. Your Dad has been in the Navy for a long time, and has been taught to suppress those feelings, to not let them show as a sign of weakness. That makes it difficult to show them in his private life. He just holds them inside himself. It doesn't mean that he doesn't love you, he just doesn't know how to tell or show you the way you want him to."
Lex was silent for a long time as she thought about her past, of all the things she had done that he and his military training would never approve of.
"None of that matters to him, Lex," Wendy said softly. "All he cares about is you. He doesn't know what he did to chase you away, and is uncertain about how to fix it. But he desperately wants a chance to make it up to you. To get to know you and have you in his life again."
Lex's head snapped up, her gaze intense. "What do you mean, he doesn't know what HE did to chase me away? He had nothing to do with it. At least not directly."
Wendy rose from the bed and turned to face Lex. "Then you need to let him know that because he truly believes he's at fault and it's tearing him up inside."
Lex sat in stunned silence in the empty room for a long time.
Lex felt exhausted after her shower, and was grateful when Wendy offered to comb her long hair. Released from its usual braid, it hung in damp tangles, ending just below her rear. The effort it took to comb and braid it was just something Lex didn't have in her right at this moment.
"It's beautiful," Wendy said as she began running the comb through the gold tresses. "I've never seen hair this long. I hope you never cut it."
Lex's mind raced back to a bright, sunny day when she had been five years old. Her mother had come home that morning with a new haircut, a short bob straight from the 1920's flapper era, and Lex had been heart broken because her own hair had not been styled the same way. Chin trembling and tears running down her cheeks, she'd run from the front hall, ploughing into her father when she'd rounded the corner.
He'd frowned, squatting down to look at her. "What's wrong?"
Amid wails and sobs, she'd told him in great detail about her despised 'old, ugly' hair.
Though he'd had a slightly confused expression on his face, he'd gently run his fingers through her long curls. "Why would you want to cut your hair?"
"Cuz I want to be like Mummy!" she'd bawled.
"But you're beautiful the way you are. And your hair is so pretty, baby. Don't cut it sweetheart. I like it just the way it is."
And from that day on, she'd never wanted to cut it again. Lex looked over her shoulder when she heard a sniffle. Wendy wiped an errant tear away hastily. "I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed. "I never pry into people's thoughts, but sometimes when the emotion connected to those thoughts is so strong, I can't stop it."
Lex saw the truth of her words in her eyes and nodded. Sighing, Wendy returned to her combing. "He cares a great deal for you."
"You'd never know it," Lex muttered.
"Actually, I do."
Lex frowned and turned to find Wendy smiling. "He's like you in that respect. His emotions towards you are very strong. I don't even have to be in the same room with him, and I'm flooded by his thoughts and memories."
"Must be hard on you."
Wendy's smile gentled. "Not really."
Lex regarded her closely. "You care for him."
Wendy laughed awkwardly. "Is it that obvious?"
Lex grinned and shook her head. Wendy sobered before she spoke again. "Does that bother you?"
"Your psychic pick-pocketing or your crush on my Dad?" Lex's lips curled in a tiny grin.
"Your father."
"Why would it bother me?"
"He IS your father and I'm quite a bit younger than he. Most importantly, I'm not your mother."
Shutters instantly slammed in place in Lex's eyes. "You think that's a bad thing?"
Wendy stared at her for a moment, trying to gently probe Lex's thoughts. They were securely hidden behind a thick shield so she gave up. "I'd like for us to be friends and I'd hate for my feelings toward your father to get in the way."
Again Lex regarded the other woman closely. As before, Wendy was sincere, and Lex shook her head slowly before speaking. "I don't know my father well enough to have squatting rights, and besides, the only important thing is that you're both happy."
"Thank you, Lex." Wendy squeezed her shoulder before returning to untangling Lex's mane. "I know I probably shouldn't pry, but ... your father does love you very much. Even if I didn't have my empathic abilities, I'd know it. The joy and fierce love I picked up from him when he first saw you come on board, it almost overwhelmed me."
"He has an odd way of showing it," Lex murmured.
"Yeah, he does." Wendy ran a gentle hand down Lex's hair before carefully placing the comb on the table nearby. Then she sat next to Lex on the bed. "Your father ... doesn't know how to express his feelings. The aggressive ones, yes. Anger and frustration are easy and acceptable emotions in the military, but there is very little room for the softer ones like love and affection. Your Dad has been in the Navy for a long time, and has been taught to suppress those feelings, to not let them show as a sign of weakness. That makes it difficult to show them in his private life. He just holds them inside himself. It doesn't mean that he doesn't love you, he just doesn't know how to tell or show you the way you want him to."
Lex was silent for a long time as she thought about her past, of all the things she had done that he and his military training would never approve of.
"None of that matters to him, Lex," Wendy said softly. "All he cares about is you. He doesn't know what he did to chase you away, and is uncertain about how to fix it. But he desperately wants a chance to make it up to you. To get to know you and have you in his life again."
Lex's head snapped up, her gaze intense. "What do you mean, he doesn't know what HE did to chase me away? He had nothing to do with it. At least not directly."
Wendy rose from the bed and turned to face Lex. "Then you need to let him know that because he truly believes he's at fault and it's tearing him up inside."
Lex sat in stunned silence in the empty room for a long time.