Heal (Hurt 2)

Chapter 1

Who would've guessed? Derrick Theron. Half bold and a little bit more fat around the waist. He sits in admiration at the other side of the table in the restaurant across from Sarah. She's surprised that she walked into him again. It took them this long to finally cross roads again especially after what happened between them. The sex was great, Sarah felt so wanted even at the weakest time of her life when she still felt raw from giving birth to her little late lamb.
"Well, I eventually got married," Derrick tells her. She was busy stirring her coffee just looking at him. "Have two kids. Both girls. Now, I'm divorced and I'm only allowed to see my kids every second weekend."
"Well, that takes me back," Sarah giggles and pick her cup up. He nods his head and inhales deeply. "So why did you two break up?"
"I had an affair with one of the doctors at the hospital," he replies and looks down awkwardly. Sarah raises an eyebrow at him with an odd look on her face.
"So, you weren't too busy to mess around," she remarks. He looks horrified at her that starts laughing. "You think I forgot."
"You never really told me your story," Derrick says giving her an odd look.
"Well, I never did because I was still hurt around that time," she admits inhaling deeply. "So, my husband cheated on me with my best friend and then married her shortly after our divorce. He said it was a mistake,  blah blah blah, but it isn't when you continue being with that person. I raised Rachel alone until my son's wedding where he had to come back to be part of it. I think I was this close to getting back together with him again, but it will only hurt. I mean, who will he think of when we kiss or will he ever stop himself from Dream of Lily? Those things never just leave you."
"I guess, but in the end, it's the way you feel about him that counts," he says with a serious look on his face.
"I can still love someone and not be with them," she says annoyed by his response. "I'd prefer to keep my feelings a secret rather than going to bed every night scared that he might be fucking with somebody else."
Derrick remains quiet and just stares at her. With a heavy sighed, she wipe out her eyes and sit up straight.
"I'm sorry. I just...looking at you is different, Derrick. I mean, you didn't cheat on me so I wouldn't be scared, but it's the thought that you cheated on another woman that reminds you of my ex-husband," she says and takes a deep breath in. "A cheater talking to me to follow my feelings for my cheating ex-husband. Not nice."
"I know. I apologize," he says taking a deep breath in. She raises an eyebrow and sits back.
"We never spoke about what happened between us," she mentions. He chuckles and scratches his head awkwardly.
"We never spoke after what happened," he says giving her a serious look. She just smiles at him and looks down at her cup of coffee.

Richard sits in the park in front of Rachel both eating ice cream and enjoying the air. He tries to think of a topic on which will make things more comfortable between them. At some point they could never stop talking until they got so used to each other, there's nothing left to talk about.
"So, are you looking forward to high school?" he asks.
"That's only in two years dad," she giggles. He nods awkwardly and looks down. Rachel laughs softly and sits forward. "But yes, I'm very excited for high school."
"I was too," he replies proudly at his daughter. "I had a lot of girlfriends."
"At once?" she asks horrified.
"No," he laughs. "Just one after the other."
"Was mom one of them?" she asks. He gives his daughter a serious look. Thinking back on how perfect his marriage was, kills him to think he threw all of that away by falling for Lily.
"No, mom came at the best time of my life. When I was mature enough to know my position in life. At a certain time I wasn't a man anymore and screwed up," he answers his daughter truthfully. She sighs heavily and nods her head slowly. "I loved her, Rachel. I really loved her."
"I could tell, dad," she nods and looks down throwing her hair over her one shoulder. "Grandma told me so much about you two and said that one day you two will get back together. All you need is time to forgive properly and trust each other again."
Richard remains quiet. How can you tell your little girl you screwed up so badly and even if Sarah can forgive him, she'll never take him back.
"Hello there."
A woman throws herself down on the chair next to Rachel. Rachel looks disgusted up at Lily that dared to join them without asking.
"Isn't it just great to see you two," she says. Richard sits up straight and just looks at her.
"What do you want?" Richard asks annoyed and gets up from his seat.
"Did you and Sarah get back together after I left?" she asks. Rachel gets up from her seat and goes around to her father to feel safer. She doesn't feel threatened, but suddenly she hates the attitude this woman has and her forceful energy.
"No," he replies and places his hand around Rachel's shoulder.
"So, it wasn't worth leaving me," she smiles and folds her arms in excitement.
"Just because Sarah and I didn't get back together, doesn't mean I'm getting back with you," he says straightforward. Lily looks unhappily at him that leads Rachel away from her.
"Either Sarah lied about that abortion or the kid was just as stubborn as you to let go of her!" she yells. Rachel look horrified up at her father. He keeps quiet and just leaves with her.

Sarah is seated in the kitchen busy drawing a few new outfits. She bites the back of her pen and looks up at the door that went open. Rachel is pale in her face as well as Richard.
"Hi, what happened?" she asks with a concerned voice and gets up from her seat.
"Sarah, did you ever plan on aborting Rachel?" Richard asks pressing his daughter's shoulders gently.
"Never," Sarah says and approaches them looking at her daughter that just looked down. "Rachel, you know I love you. I would never in my life kill my children, neither one I haven't gotten the chance to meet."
"This woman said that you tried to abort me or lied about it," Rachel says to her mother. Sarah shakes her head angrily.
"Baby, look at me," Sarah says and touches her chin to lift her face to meet hers. "I never planned or even thought of aborting you."
Rachel looks at her mother with tears in her eyes. Sarah smiles proudly at her girl and inhales deeply.
"Daddy left and I only had Sammy, Archie, Charlton, and Riley. Most importantly, I had you. Something I kept so close to me and didn't have to share with the world. You kept me going when your brothers and sister went to daddy and I had to stay behind on my own with Grandma Sally. You kept me from falling apart. You were my perfect little girl."
Rachel grabs her mother around the waist hugging her. Sarah hugs her back nearly bursting into tears. How could anyone ness with this young lady's mind like that? Why?
"Go wash your face. I want to speak to daddy," Sarah says and kisses her hair. Rachel let go of her mother and run up to the bathroom. Sarah waits till she has completely left the kitchen.
"Who told her that?" Sarah asks angrily and looks at Richard.
"Lily. She just turned up at the park," Richard says shrugging his shoulders.
"How does she know you two were at the park?" Sarah asks.
"Coincidence, I guess," Richard answers her and shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know. I really don't."
"That woman is up to no good. I promise you, Richard, I'm going to kill her," Sarah threatens and grabs her hair frustrated looking away. "What else did she say?"
"Nothing. She just came with her usual scheme," he says scanning her from the bottom to the top. To admit, Sarah has a beautiful body. A beauty she gained when Richard began getting more involved with his family that had her encouraged to start looking after herself. "Anyway, I better get going. I'll come to get Rachel tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure, Richard," Sarah nods and turns to him. He remains still for a moment and just stares at her. "Are you still in love with her?"
"With Lily? No sweetheart," he says shaking his head with a chuckle. "We cut people out for a reason."
"Like you cut me out and look where you are today," she says getting tears in her eyes. How old are the wounds? "In my kitchen."
"I never cut you out, Sarah. Goodbye," he says with that convincing tone in his voice before leaving. Sarah inhales deeply and just stare at the door that is closed. Are the wounds still fresh? Did time genuinely heal? What if he wakes up tomorrow and decides that if he's not getting it from her, he'll get it from Lily?