Baile Siochanta (Southern Vampire Mysteries)

Chapter 14 - Reaching Through

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Monday, the following week, Breandan left early to drive to Slievemore. They had stayed up later than usual the night before, sipping wine, and staring into the fire. As had become their habit, Breandan told Sookie stories about Ireland. Last night, he'd told her the legend of the Giant's Stairway. He held her against him, his voice rising and falling, lulling Sookie into a sense of peace as she listened to the cadence and rhythm of his words.

"What will I do all day while you're gone?" Sookie asked Breandan as he dressed that morning.

"You can use the laptop," he pointed out, "and your cell phone is working. Enjoy the day. Rest." For anyone else, this kind of sentiment might have been fine, but for Sookie, used to activity, it sounded more like punishment.

Sookie rolled over and closed her eyes, then she flipped over and closed her eyes again. After a half hour, she admitted defeat and got up, shuffling her way downstairs to the kitchen. The new coffee maker was installed and Breandan must have run it because there was hot coffee waiting. She picked up the book she'd started, but after an hour put it down. It wasn't very nice outside and there was a stiff breeze rattling the glass in the sunroom, so the idea of wandering the beach once the sun rose wasn't appealing. Sookie walked into the office, and then walked back to the living room. She looked around and then walked to the office again. Turning on the television, she saw a commercial about Christmas and she started to cry. "Mama!" she said aloud, then she retreated upstairs. She spent the rest of the day lying in bed, staring out the window, and allowing her grief to overcome her.

On some level, Sookie felt silly for allowing her emotions to rule her this way, but another part of her felt that her Mother deserved at least some tears from her child. Sookie wondered about Jason. She thought about Aunt Linda. She wondered if her Mother found her Father in some lovely place in the afterlife, and that thought caused her to dissolve into weeping again. Finally, exhausted, she fell asleep.

"Sookie?" The voice seemed to come from far away. "Sookie? Are you well?"

It was Breandan. He was home and she was still in bed. Her eyes hurt and her throat was sore. She rolled over, shielding her eyes from the light. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sookie sniffed. "I guess I was just sad today."

"Are you going to eat?" Breandan asked, and it occurred to Sookie that what he was really asking was whether she was going to get up and feed him.

"Sure," she nodded. "I guess," and she rolled out of bed and padded to the bathroom, shutting the door in his face. When she came out, she could hear him downstairs. She didn't really feel hungry, but when she got to the kitchen, she found Breandan had turned on the water and was making her a cup of tea. It struck her as such a sweet thing to do, she started crying again.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized, holding onto his shirt. "I can't help it! I saw something about Christmas, and I thought about my Mom... and how we'll never..." and Sookie couldn't continue. Breandan held her close, but she didn't feel the same comfort she remembered from before, and she made an effort to pull herself together. She took the stew she had in the refrigerator and poured it into a pan.

"It will only be a minute," she told him, "I'm okay."

Breandan made an effort to be helpful. He set the table and he didn't try to get her to talk. Instead, he watched her as if she was some new, foreign creature he wasn't quite sure how to handle. When the food was dished, he took the bowls, and he even held her chair while she sat down. She knew her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was red with rubbing. "Thank you," she said, although she'd done most of the work, then, "How was work today? Are you thinking you'll catch on at the hotel okay?"