A holiday for redemption 2

reunion.

She opened the door only to be met by the hulking figure of James Sheldon Dalton.
She pushed past him, a frown etched into her face, she refused to be bullied.
  He went after her, taking her hand and pulling her towards him. He pulled her into his chest, holding her tight against him.
She tried to struggle out of his grasp, a failed attempt since this man was stronger than she'd ever be.
  "Stop struggling" he urged. She tried a little more before giving up.
  She gave into him, loving the familiar scent of him. She buried her face in his chest. She'd missed him so much. She didn't cry. She'd done enough of that.
   He let go of her arms, allowing her to slip them around him and hug him properly.
  He'd missed this, her body against his. The lovely smell of coconut oil that always seemed to accompany her.
  She held him tighter, digging her nails into his side. He didn't mind.  He was just glad to be with her.

She'd been numb for so long. It was good to feel something. Stella's death had done nothing but cause her pain. She'd lost her best friend.
  The doctor's had promised that Stella was in remission. In fact, she'd been in remission for over a year.
When James had left, he'd wired money to her account. It was enough to pay off the debt she'd incurred from her mother's medical bills.
  $30,000; that was what he'd sent. It was all Stella's doing. Jan didn't appreciate her mother's meddling.
She'd ended all communications with him when she'd found out. She'd called him an asshole and told him she didn't want his money.
  She'd planned to send it all back to him, but Stella had made it her duty to take care of all debts. She'd paid off the loans that had been accumulated.

Then she began to show signs of sickness. At first, she claimed it was the flu.
Jan didn't get the flu often but she knew the symptoms. And she'd quickly realized that this wasn't the flu.
They'd gone to the doctor soon after that. Stella didn't seem surprised by the prognosis.
Cancer. It had spread to her lungs, liver and her left breast.
  It ravaged her body quickly and within 3 months, Stella Montgomery met her bitter end.
  There'd been money left over after everything had been paid off. Jan had taken it and provided her mother with a funeral that was grand enough as per her request.
  She'd refused anything from anyone and resigned herself to her house. She hadn't cried that day. She'd done all her crying in private. Even when the tears wanted to choke her, she'd done her mother's eulogy with all the courage she could muster.
  Even when her chest had grown heavy when Stella was being lowered into the ground, she'd stayed neutral.
  The church had been filled with friends and family. Jan had been angry. There were some of these person's that she hadn't seen from the first time her mother had gotten sick.
  Her brother Evin had been her rock. He'd fielded her from scrutiny and prevented her from being destructive.
  She'd quit her job and became a recluse. She couldn't face anyone. Her heart was broken and she felt like she needed time. It had been 5 months and all she'd done was grown more depressed.
  James had never seen her so disheveled. Her hair which was usually in a curly orderly state was in a frizzy messy bun. She'd lost weight, too much weight.
  She sat in his lap on the sofa. Her head was against his shoulder and she was asleep.
  Her breathing was regular and she appeared so at peace.
  He touched her face , he'd been able to calm her down after their meeting in the corridor.
  He could tell that she probably thought he'd hurt her for that slap. His cheek still stung.
Instead he'd held her for a while until he'd led her to the couch.
  He'd never thought their reunion would be so violent.
  The front door suddenly opened. He looked down at her, the noise hadn't  disturbed her.
The young man who appeared in the doorway was tall. He seemed like a lanky giant. From where James sat, he could see that there were only a few inches away from where his head met the top of the door.
He was about two shades lighter than Jan but the resemblance was there. He guessed that the man now regarding him with a frown was her brother.
  He motioned for him to be quiet and pointed down at the woman asleep in his lap.
 
Evin entered the house, he'd brought her her weekly food and groceries. He set them down on the kit counter and went back to regard the situation.
  So this was James Dalton. Stella had told him about this man and the effect he had on his sister.
  Evin had even gotten the opportunity to talk to him once on the phone. And now, here he was in the flesh.
  He had never seen his sister so comfortable... With anyone. And yet, here she was, asleep in the lap of a white man.
  James picked her up off his lap and into his lap. She barely stared as he did so. She was much lighter than he remembered.
  He took her into the room and laid her down on the bed. She shifted a bit and grabbed unto her pillow.
  He stared down at her lovingly before leaving the room. He closed the door.