Into the Storm Read Online Free PDF Page B

Five
    Joshua
    I relaxed into the bubbling hot water with a deep sigh of relief. The burning pain in my leg began to ease quickly. I leaned my head back and tried to relax. Part of me was listening to see if Rabbit would join me. What was it that made me feel so protective of her? I had never had this kind of response to another person. Normally I didn’t like strangers. Yet she didn’t feel like a stranger to me. The couple of smiles I had seen flit across her face made me want to see more of them. Every time she grimaced in pain or fear, I wanted to immediately make both go away. I found my reactions highly disconcerting.
    The basement room felt chilly outside of the tub. The walls and floors were all tiled due to the moisture from the tub and the exercise pool and, with no heat the air was cold. I sunk down further into the water. A few minutes passed before I heard soft footsteps coming down the steps.
    Opening my eyes, I saw Rabbit standing at the bottom of the steps looking very conflicted. Smiling, I held out my hand. “Don’t stand there too long. The room is way colder than in here.” Still she hesitated. “You’re perfectly safe, Rabbit. I promise. Nothing will hurt you here.”
    Slowly, she came forward. She had removed my sweatshirt and pants and was back in the t-shirt she had woken up in. I could see the bruising that ran down her leg. My mind was also quick to notice how shapely her legs were. Shaking my head to clear the unwelcome thoughts, I held out my hand once again. “It will feel good on your back and legs,” I said quietly. “I won’t hurt you. I promise.”
    Her head tilted and she regarded me briefly. “I know that,” she whispered. “I’m not sure why, but I feel safe with you.” I smiled at her soft confession, feeling pleased. I wanted her to feel safe with me. I wanted to make her safe. I watched as she made her decision and, grasping the railing with one hand, she placed her other in mine. I was amazed how well her tiny hand fit within mine as I helped guide her down the steps into the hot water.
    Where were these thoughts coming from?
    Slowly she sank beneath the water and closed her eyes. I heard a small hiss escape her mouth as the hot water hit her body and then I saw her relax. I pointed out where the jet adjustments were and moved away from her. We both were quiet for some time as the water bubbled and flowed around us, its soothing heat working its magic on painful limbs and muscles. Opening my eyes, I saw her looking around the room. “It’s usually much warmer down here,” I spoke up, startling her.
    “ You use all this equipment a lot?” she asked indicating to the various pieces of exercise equipment.
    I nodded. “I have to try and keep the strength up in my leg and I have a program I follow. The exercise pool helps a lot. The hot tub was really just a want more than anything. I found when I was in therapy it was a welcome relief.”
    Internally, I groaned.
    Nice word vomit. I could simply have said yes.
    She nodded, not saying anything else for a bit. “How long ago did you hurt your leg?” she asked softly.
    “ Six years,” I replied shortly.
    She nodded, but didn’t ask any other questions. I closed my eyes again and allowed the heat of the water to continue to help ease the pain. Using one hand, I attempted to imitate the rhythmic hand movements my therapist in the hospital used when working on my leg after a session. My attempts were, as usual, rather pathetic, but it was all I could do. I looked down into the water wishing I could do a better job and noticed Rabbit watching me intently. I smiled sheepishly. “My therapist used to rub it while in the water, said it worked best that way.” I shrugged. “I don’t do quite as good a job as she did.” Rabbit’s face twisted slightly as if in thought, but didn’t say anything. I shut my eyes, not wanting her to think I was staring at her.
    After a few minutes, I felt the movement of the water and opened