The Healer | Part 2: The War

The Funeral

George

My bed had never felt emptier that night. I knew Edith needed her space, but I didn't want to give it to her. I didn't want her dwelling on her sister's death and blaming herself for it. I didn't want her to think she was putting Fred and me at risk by staying with us and talking herself into taking off again. For that reason alone, I checked on her more often than I usually did. I was just so relieved she was back and unharmed. Those twenty-four hours had been hell, I didn't know if I could do it again.

To my dismay, she had erected cloth dividers around the sofa after Fred and I had gone to bed. She had said she wanted some privacy. I knew I had to respect that if I wanted us to be able to return to the closeness we used to share. I listened for the sounds of her breathing instead of actually looking at her in the night, it would have to do. I wasn't going to invade her privacy when she'd made it clear she wanted it.

Even if I had got enough rest that night, I wasn't in any fit state to go to work the next day. I wanted to be closeby if Edith needed anything. I didn't want her fighting with her own thoughts alone, she needed someone around to talk some sense into her and dismiss the negative thoughts that I knew had been flooding her mind all day and night.

'You go, pretend I'm taking a sickie,' I told Fred quietly the following morning. Edith was still breathing deeply behind the dividers like she had been every time I'd checked on her in the night.

Maybe she knew that I checked on her in the night and that was why she'd put up the barriers. Maybe she'd heard me leaving my bedroom and was only pretending to be asleep. I didn't care, I'd ask for forgiveness later if that was the case. So long as she was still here, that was all that mattered.

'Yeah, someone should stay,' he agreed. 'If anyone asks, I'll just say you're doing field research.'

Right, that was more believable than me being ill.

'Right,' I said, my gaze wandering back to the cloth dividers.

'Better you than me anyway,' he went on. 'The place would fall apart if I were gone.'

'Yeah, keep telling yourself that, mate,' I smirked.

He left for the shop shortly after, leaving me to sip on my coffee and listen for any sign of Edith waking.

I had no idea what state she would be in when she woke up. She'd been angry like I'd never seen her before yesterday, but after that, she just seemed absolutely exhausted. It could be hours before she woke up and I was grateful I'd had some coffee in me before she did. Once of us had to have a clear mind.

However, it was only a few minutes after Fred left that I heard her soft footsteps and she appeared, dressed in an old tank top and flannel pyjama bottoms and wrapped in a wool, tartan blanket. Her eyes were red and puffy like she'd been crying. She froze when she spotted me seated at the kitchen table.

'Good morning,' I said quietly.

'Oh,' she said. 'I didn't think you were gonna be here.'

'Are you upset that I'm here?' I asked apprehensively. Hell, I hoped she hadn't been planning on sneaking off again once we'd left her alone.

'No, I...' she looked up towards the ceiling. Her lip quivered. 'I just... I didn't want to be alone.'

'Sweetheart,' in an instant, I was standing and had her wrapped tight in my arms.

Her body shook with sobs as I drew her close and she wrapped me in her blanket along with her.

'I...I just...' she stammered. 'I d-d-dunno what to d-d-do.'