Part 418

Slamming the door behind her, Sarah leaned against it, sliding down to the floor. Sobs racked her body as she curled into a ball.

Howie came out of the bathroom when he heard the door slam to find his wife in a heap on the floor. His anger was immediate but he had to calm Sarah first. Calmly, he knelt down and she fell into his arms.

"Where were you?" she choked out. "Why weren’t you waiting for me?"

"I came to get ready. Kevin wanted to talk to you, to apologize, I thought. What did he say?"

"Nothing," she whimpered.

"Then what’s wrong, Angel? What’s this about?"

Sarah clung to Howie as she managed to say, "I…Kevin…grabbed me…like David…the underworld."

Sarah wasn’t making complete sentences but what she was saying was crystal clear. He had never thought about the ‘underworld’ and all the memories it held for her. He’d never let her go through alone since Calgary but he never imagined she’d react like this. She trusted Kevin and he thought it would be okay.

Carefully, he gathered her in his arms and carried her to the couch. Sitting down, he cradled her to his chest stroking her hair to calm her. "Angel, I’m so sorry. Kevin said he wanted to talk to you and I figured you’d be okay with him. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have left you."

Sarah continued to cry as Howie rocked her and stroked her hair. He talked to her softly, reassuringly. He sang to her too. His voice had always been a tonic to her and now wasn’t any different. It wasn’t long before her sobs were sporadic and she began to play with his necklace.

"Better?" asked Howie tenderly.

"Yeah."

"I want you to stay here for the show. You need to rest."

"I don’t think I can put on a happy face right now," yawned Sarah as she placed her hand over the sequined hand on his shirt. She loved this shirt and she teased him telling him that it was her hand that they had used to make it. She shifted so she could look at him and saw that he wasn’t quite ready. "You still need to do your make-up."

"I was getting ready to do that. Want to help me?"

"Sure," agreed Sarah but before she could get up, the babies shifted and she gasped.

"’Fred and Ginger’ again?" teased Howie as he put his hand on her belly.

"Yeah. ‘D’, I’m gonna stay here."

Howie laughed, "No problem, ‘Angel’."

Kissing her lightly on the tip of her nose, Howie gently pushed her off his lap and went to finish getting ready. They talked as he was doing his make-up and she settled onto the couch.

"We didn’t check your blood pressure today," said Howie and he was met with silence. Coming around the corner of the bathroom, he looked down to see her asleep. He reached for the blanket on the back of the couch and covered her, tucking it around her. He brushed her hair back so that he could kiss her cheek.

Before he could reach the door, a knock sounded and Howie opened the door to find Kevin standing there. The anger he’d felt when he’d first seen Sarah curled up in a ball crying returned and he looked to make sure she hadn’t woken up.

"Is Sarah okay?"

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