BOH 8-21-07 (00178434).DOC Read Online Free PDF Page B

to get counseling beat spending
    thirty days observation in psychiatric hospital.”
    Dr. Wentworth rose and came around to the front of
    her desk where she sat in one of the chairs next to Cyn.
    “And how did having no choice make you feel?”
    “Pissed off,” Cyn said, not caring how ungrateful she
    sounded.
    Again the woman laughed. “We’re off to a great start.
    You’re open and honest and that’s a most important part
    of the healing process.”
    Cyn managed to control the urge to demonstrate to
    the lady just how open and honest she could be. She’d go
    through the motions, and at the end, she’d show everyone
    that she’d finally accepted her loss and was ready to move
    on with her life.
    So what if she had to lie through her teeth?
    29

    Pam Champagne

Chapter Five
    Cyn glanced away from the flowers blooming in the
    backyard and gathered flour, sugar and eggs. “What kind
    of cookies do you want to make?”
    “Chocolate chip!” Katy yelled, jumping up and down.
    The huge smile on the little girl’s face lifted Cyn’s
    spirits. “Then chocolate chip it is. Get a bowl from the
    cupboard under the—”
    “I know where Mommy kept it.” Katy dropped to her
    knees and squirmed her way to the back of the cupboard.
    Obviously, nothing had been moved in the house since her
    mother’s death. That was a good thing. Or was it?
    Through her twelve sessions with Dr. Wentworth, she’d
    learned that change sometimes worked as a catalyst for
    grieving people to get their lives on track. For others,
    change might put them back to square one in the healing
    process.
    By the time Katy found a wooden spoon and dragged
    a stool over to the counter, Cyn had readied everything
    she needed. She added all the ingredients to the glass
    bowl and encouraged Katy to mix it.
    Less than three minutes later, Katy said, “It’s getting
    hard to stir, Cyn. Can you take over?”
    “Sure. Adding all those chocolate chips certainly
    slows down the mixing process. I’ll finish stirring while
    you spray the cookie sheets. They’ll soon be ready for the
    oven.”
    Katy stood on the stool and helped Cyn spoon cookie
    dough onto the baking pans. The oven door no sooner shut
    on the first batch and Katy danced around the linoleum
    clapping her hands. “I’m so excited. This is the first time
    30

    Bridge of Hope

    since my mom—the first time in a long time that I’ve
    made cookies.”
    Cyn pulled the child into her arms and tried not to
    fret about how right it felt to comfort her. “You miss your
    mother a great deal.”
    “Not like I used to, but having a mom is a good thing.
    They’re different than daddies. I love having you here.
    Almost like….”
    Cyn pretended not to notice when Katy trailed off.
    Would her constant presence in Katy’s life cause the child
    more unnecessary pain? It didn’t take a rocket scientist to
    see that Katy had grown attached to her in the past three
    months.
    Scooping the dirty dishes off the counter, Cyn filled
    the sink with hot sudsy water. “Perhaps some day you’ll
    have another mother. Your dad might meet someone,
    and—”
    Katy stomped her foot. “No!” Face red, eyes pooling
    with tears, she stood with her hands on her hips, her
    lower jaw thrust forward. “My daddy will never marry
    anyone unless I say so.”
    The oven timer buzzed. Cyn breathed a sigh of relief.
    “Let’s set these babies on a rack to cool. They should be
    ready to eat when your dad gets home.”
    “I wish Daddy could work regular hours like Misty’s
    Dad does,” Katy said, her earlier thoughts tucked away,
    or at least so Cyn hoped.
    “Yep, weird hours are something military families get
    used to.”
    Katy tilted her head, looking up at her. “You smile
    more than when you first came. Do you still miss your
    husband?”
    Cyn’s tongue went numb. Did she miss Peter as
    much as she had three months ago? The sharp pain had
    dulled somewhat. She could now talk about him and their
    new life without