Saturday Cliffhanger

 

Saturday Cliffhanger from The Look of Love by Rosemary Indra

      She finished her preparations then handed him a ceramic mug. He hadn't paid attention to what she'd been fixing. Now he looked down at the ceramic mug of hot chocolate. This wasn't what he had in mind when she said she'd get him a drink. He wanted something strong enough to burn going down and dull his senses, not warm milk. Hot chocolate was for little children. The mug warmed his hand and he felt oddly comforted by the feeling.
      She motioned for him to go into the living room and he followed her suggestion without question. "Drink up," Penny instructed after they sat down on the couch.
      Silence fell between them. She seemed to know what he needed more than he did. Quietly she reached out and held his hand. In the stillness his raw and tangled nerves gradually relaxed.
      Dubiously, he drank some of the warm flavored milk. He couldn't remember the last time he had hot chocolate. Campouts, cold winter nights and childhood came to mind. Without a word, he finished the drink.
      Penny persuaded him to lie down and put his head on her lap. Her slender fingers stoked his neck and shoulders. "Was there a chaplain on the scene?"
      "Yes. Rod Thompson." He moaned softly when her fingers combed through his hair. "And he was at the station after we cleaned up."
      "Did you talk to him?" her voice was as soft as a caress.
      "Briefly."
      Most fire departments had a chaplain to counsel family and firefighters after a severe accident or death. Only tonight the chaplain didn't give the reassurance Scott needed.
      Penny's fingers combed his hair and for the first time that evening he could feel the tension in his shoulders relax. "Do you want to talk about it?"
      For the second time in an hour he felt tears threaten, a single tear rolled down his cheek. He felt vulnerable.
      "A young woman crossed the center line while she was on the phone. Head on. She was..." Tears tightened his throat. He took a jarring breath then continued, "...killed out right."
      He knew he wasn't supposed to discuss the accident but he needed to release some of the burden; some of the horror, which he'd witnesses earlier.
      "The woman looked a lot like you. I needed to see you. Your are the only one who could comfort me." The tension started to release and tears formed in his eyes then streaked down his face. He left the moisture unchecked on his face again.
      Her hands caressed his neck and shoulders and his eyelides became heavy. Scott closed his eyes again and this time the images weren't as vivid as before. The comforting darkness of sleep overtook him.
      "I love you." Penny's tender works were the last thing he heard.