Open Arms Read Online Free PDF Page A

three seconds.”
    Her fingers gripped her elbows. He saw her knuckles were white as she dug her nails in to her own arms, shaking from the effort of trying to breathe.
    “That’s good, Tammy. Do it again. Breathe in for three.”
    She closed her eyes.
    “No. Don’t take your eyes off the point of focus, Tammy. Open your eyes.”
    She did, looked at the flower again. Breathed in for three, her breath caught, and she pulled in some more air.
    “That’s better. Again.”
    She felt her lungs opening a bit now, her chest expanding. She took a breath, held it, breathed in again. The short, sharp exhalations were easier to control now. She stared at the dahlia and breathed in and breathed out, her mouth dry, her head starting to spin.
    “OK. I’m going to touch you now.”
    She jumped back.
    “I’m just going to uncross your arms. OK? You’ll find it easier if your body is open. I’m going to touch your arms. That’s it. I promise.”
    Rob gently took her by the wrists and moved her arms apart. Her hands snapped in to fists.
    “Open your hands, Tammy.”
    She did and he saw where she had cut her palms with her nails.
    “That’s good. You’re doing really well.” He held her arms to her side, felt her resisting against his hands, wanting to cross her arms again in that age-old gesture of defence and protection. “Keep your arms here. It’ll get easier now.”
    He was right, Tammy knew: the air was moving deeper in to her body. She didn’t feel like her lungs were burning anymore, and the lightness in her head was clearing. She breathed more slowly now, feeling her chest relax and loosen.
    Rob held her wrists, watching her face. Her cheeks were still too flushed but she had regained control of her breathing. He took a deep breath himself, letting the relief spread through him as she stopped shaking.
    Tammy raised her eyes from the flower and looked up at Rob. His face was tight but he tried to smile at her. “You OK?”
    “Yeah.” Her throat was dry and her voice came out in a croak.
    “Hold on.” He stood up and brought her the glass of water from the table. He held it in front of her lips. “Drink that.”
    She lifted her hands and put them on top of his. She let the cool water run over her tongue and she drank greedily, feeling like she’d been in the desert for days.
    Rob lowered the glass. “Enough?”
    She nodded. He set the glass down next to the flowers and moved away, wanting her to have space. He sat in the armchair on the other side of the table and looked at her.
    “How are you doing now?” he said.
    She looked back at him and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry: she was weak and shaky and her head hurt and all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep for a week.
    “I’m tired,” she said.
    “I’m sure you are,” he said. “Your body has had a terrible shock. You want to lie down?”
    She nodded and lay down on the sofa. He got up again and picked up the blanket from the floor, covered her with it. She reached out and grabbed his arm. “Wait.”
    Rob paused.
    “Would you – would you stay for a little while?”
    Rob had an overwhelming urge to touch her face, to offer her some comfort. “Of course I will. As long as you need.”
    She let go of him and closed her eyes. “Thank you.”
    He sat down in the chair again and watched her. She buried her head in the blanket, hiding her face. Her eyes opened suddenly and stared over at him.
    “I’m really sorry about Christine, Rob.”
    He smiled, a real smile this time. “Thank you. And I’m really sorry for what happened to you.”
    “Thank you.”
    She closed her eyes again and she felt a wave of exhaustion just crash over her. For the first time since she had been attacked and beaten, she fully relaxed, and let herself fall in to the dark oblivion of sleep. She knew Rob would be there, standing guard.
    **
It was dark outside when Tammy opened her eyes again. She jumped, disoriented and afraid, no idea where she was or how