Worthy

Chapter Twenty Five

The first week at Beau Terre flew by before we knew it. Our days were filled with exploring the land and learning what needed to be done to keep things running. Thor was eager for knowledge, he wanted to learn the ins and outs of running the farm incase he ever needed to fill in for one of the crew. He became so engrossed that he barely noticed when the TV arrived. Though once he did, he spent the rest of the day online with Korg plotting the demise of someone called Noobmaster69.

His weekly sessions with Dr. Grant were just as easy over Skype as it was in person and we agreed he would just take over my office in the attic for them.

"How was it today?" I asked him as he joined me in the garden where I was getting the last of my tomatoes planted.

He shrugged, sitting down on the ground with me to help. "It was a bit much. She's glad I'm adjusting here with no issues but now she's pushing me a lot more."

"How so?"

"We're digging a lot into my childhood. Finding where things started. It's hard, I know Odin tried in his own way but he was a shitty father. He drove Loki and I apart from the time we were young. I never stood a chance at a normal life after growing up in that palace."

"At least you're able to recognize that now."

"But what good does it do? They're all dead and I'm the only one left standing to sift through the mess they made. I can't tell Odin what I think. I can't make up with Loki. It's all for nothing."

"It's not for nothing, love. You have to work through this so you can move past it. You have do that so you can go on and live a life that they no longer have the chance to."

"I'm trying, my love."

"I know you are. And you'll get there. I'm proud of you."

Thor blushed and excused himself to go check on the horses for the night.

Valkyrie visited during our second weekend at Beau Terre. I was starting to consider her a friend as well, not just a friend of Thor's. She was quick witted and a loyal friend. It was nice to have someone on my side to gang up on Thor occasionally too, all in good fun. As expected she fawned over the horses endlessly. Thor took her out for a long ride around the property while I prepared dinner for the three of us. They returned sweaty and starving but having had a wonderful time.

"I haven't had fun like that ages." Valkyrie exclaimed leaning over the kitchen island with a sigh of exhaustion.

I laughed at her dramatics, "Here, drink this. I made lemonade." I handed her a tall cold glass which she chugged down immediately and held out for a refill. I refilled her glass, shaking my head. She was as bad as Thor.

"This is divine. Be careful Odinson, I'm going to steal more than your horse." she warned.

Thor growled mildly, wrapping his arms around my waist, "This one is mine."

Valkyrie laughed, "I could use a good woman in my life and you found the best. Mia, my dear, is there anything I can do to persuade you to leave this oaf and run away with me?"

I laughed and hid my blushing face against Thor's chest. "Sorry, Val." I said using the nickname she allowed only me to use. "I'm pretty stuck on the big guy here."

"Damn it all. Well, a girl's to try."

I threw a dish towel at her and started plating our roasted chicken.

We ate outside on the back patio in the early summer air. It was blissfully normal having an old friend over for dinner and the conversation flowed easily throughout the meal. Valkyrie spoke of New Asgard and some of the initiatives she was working on. It was sweet how she asked for Thor's guidance even though he had made it abundantly clear he would not rule them. He obliged her though and I sat back enjoying watching how animated they both became discussing the feasibility of New Asgard going green with all renewable energy and its own set of wind turbines. The evening wore on and the backyard lights were turned on, unwilling to end our fun. We sat around late into the night, sipping on whiskey and talking. It was after midnight when she finally departed, assuring us she was not stealing a horse just yet and would be back to visit again soon.

It was after Thor's third therapy Skype session that the nightmares returned. He was continuing the hard work but it was taking a toll on him. The first nightmare was the worst, I had never seen that level of fear in his eyes. I tried to console him but he couldn't even talk about it. He just clung to me in the darkness, his body still trembling. I stroked his hair, whispering comforting words and praying I would find the right ones to take away his pain.

After that I started waking up in the middle of the night to find him downstairs playing on the Xbox. One time I was able to coax him back to bed but other nights he shrugged me off with an apologetic frown. Worried about him after the string of sleepless nights and finally I called Dr. Grant myself. She said it was normal considering he was starting to really get at the heart of his issues and that as long as he continued working through things he would get through this rough patch. She reminded me that he'd had a rough year and that he was barely six weeks into treatment.

I tried to talk with him about the issues he was battling and Thor had let on that it involved the loss of his family and partly his childhood. He said he had a lot to process and it was too painful to hold on to but also too painful to let go of. So I continued to comfort him the best I could and gave him the space he needed to heal. It was difficult at times but I knew what I was in for making a life with him and nothing could change the love I felt for him.