Julianna: Chapter VIII
"Nathan!!!" I yelled, as loud as my vocal chords would allow me, curled up on the cold earth and shivering uncontrollably. "Julianna!" He fell to the ground beside me, ensuring my safety before he went on to help Daniel. "Are you alright, my dear?" He asked, desperation and concern claiming control of his voice. "Yes, yes, I hope the baby…" I wouldn't finish my thought. "Nathan, go help Daniel, please, I'm fine, help Daniel! Stanley is bigger, and he's drunk, and upset…" He kissed me on the cheek, pulled off his coat and tucked it around me, then ran into the fray. Hiding beneath his coat, I heard a few grunts and yells, and then a short silence ensued. I lifted my head to see what fate had befallen the three men, and what I saw both horrified and relieved me. Nathan and Daniel had overpowered Stanley, and pinned him on the ground, but Daniel… poor Daniel. He had a black eye and a few other painful looking bruises. Nathaniel had gone largely uninjured, but he looked different… angry, sad, very upset, and ready to kill Stanley.
After they caught their breath, they seemed to consider their options silently, and decided to tie him to a nearby chair until they could summon the authorities. After doing so, Nathan rushed to my side, took me in his arms and carried me into the house. He laid me down on the couch in the family room, kissed me on the cheek, and began silently, but furiously, pacing the room.
Within a few minutes, I couldn't stand it anymore, and I called to him. "Nathaniel!" He whipped around with a start, looking startled that I had spoken. "Come, tell me what is on your mind… You look absolutely agonized." I was amazed at my steadiness of tone, considering the tears that had been building up for what could have possibly been an hour by then. He just stood and stared at me for a few minutes, looking doubtful, as if he was frightened to come near me when he was so upset. "Nathan," I whispered, and sat up so he would have room to sit beside me. "Come, sit by me and talk to me." He was so beautiful, and yet so frightening and frightened, standing there… his hair long and loose around his shoulders, his tall figure statuesque in his stillness. I stared, entranced by his eyes, icy blue with rage… but soft with gentleness at the same time. He finally moved, and the movement pulled me out of the trance I had been in. He walked slowly to the couch and sat down next to me, tense and stiff. "Good, now relax, and tell me what you are thinking. What agonizes you so?" I knew the obvious, but there were other, not so obvious things that I saw in his eyes and countenance.
"Julianna," He finally moaned, an anguished sound that tore at my heart. "Why did this happen? Who was that man? I think I have an idea, but I'm still at somewhat of a loss…" He had relaxed a little, relaxed into the sorrow that filled his being, and mine, too. "The man… was my stepfather. The child's father." He jerked around to look at me. "I thought so… The man who continues to put you through an unspeakable hell… I should walk in there and kill him right now." I sighed and ventured a look at his face, and was immediately sorry, for the sorrow I saw there made me want to reach out and hold him as he had held me, comfort him as he had comforted me. "No, you shouldn't. As much as I'd like for him to be punished so severely… as much as I want him to suffer as I have, it's not right, Nathan, it just isn't. Besides, you're too sweet and gentle to ever hurt anyone, I know it…" He tried to smile at me, but a smile wouldn't come, and I saw tears well up in his eyes. The scene in front of me tugged at my heart, at my very soul, and I obeyed the impulse I had resisted a few minutes earlier. I reached a hand out and touched his cheek, a simple gesture that held a world of meaning. To my surprise, he lifted his hand to mine and curled his fingers around my palm, sending pleasant shivers down my spine. "Julianna, I can't stand the thought of him hurting you, and yet he does, every night in your dreams, every day in your memories…" His voice rose as he spoke, again sounding angry and gentle all at once. "And I am helpless to prevent it! I arrived too late tonight, he had already harmed you and Daniel. I didn't help you before. I feel so… helpless… to keep you from harm, and yet it's the ONLY thing I want to do!" By then, tears were streaming down both our faces, and the look in his eyes left me shameless. I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "Nathaniel, you have lifted more of my burdens than you could ever imagine, simply by listening to me, by being here…" I could say no more, for I was nearly sobbing. He pulled me into his lap, wrapped his arms around me tightly and began rocking me slowly, stroking my hair and whispering comforting words in my ear.
"Julianna, we need to talk." Nathaniel's words penetrated the thick silence, and I sighed, moving from the improper but ever so comfortable position I had been in on his lap. "I know, I know we do, Nathan, but…" My voice trailed off into silence, and I left the sentence unfinished. "But you don't want to?" he said gently. I shook my head. He sighed and brushed away a stray tear that had lingered on my cheek, then said, "I don't want to either, but the issue needs to be addressed. As much as I hate to bring it up now, I never know when I will be able to return, and I hate to leave you wondering. I hate to wonder." I frowned. "So do I, Nathan. I suppose that resolves it, then, we'll talk." I braced myself, knowing the subject was a tender one for myself, and hoping I wouldn't cry again. "Alright then…" Nathan sighed, and an uncomfortable silence followed. Finally, I decided I should just speak my mind. It doesn't matter what he thinks, I lied to myself, and spoke. "I'm sorry for putting you in such a compromising position, Nathaniel, it's wrong of me to keep acting as though none of this ever happened. The baby, I mean, and everything…" I felt like an idiot, but at least I had said some of what I wanted to say. "No, no Julianna, you mustn't apologize! I …"
"Julianna, Nathan… are you two alright?" Andrea interrupted. She
was standing in the doorway, looking distressed, and as if she had been crying. "Julianna, why is it that every time I see you two together, you're crying?" I stood up and walked to her. "How is Daniel, is he alright? Have the police come yet?" I asked, ignoring her questions.
She sniffed mournfully. "Yes, the authorities are here, and so is the doctor. He's ordered Daniel to bed for a few days, and they're about to take Stanley… they don't know if they can put him in jail though, they might just order him out of the county."
"This can't be happening, it just can't," I moaned. I heard Nathaniel stand up and walk to my side. "It is, Julianna, but everything will be okay… I won't let anything happen to you anymore, alright?" I nodded, but as I realized my error and opened my mouth to correct myself, Andrea spoke. "Come, Nathan, I need your help with the children. Julianna, you need to rest… it's been a long night." She hurried me into bed, then led a reluctant Nathan into the next room to play with Samantha and Benjamin while she tended to Daniel. Once in bed, I sighed, half in relief and half in regret. I had hoped to close the issue with Nathan that night, put it all behind me, and get on with my life, but it seemed that I would have to wait… The baby kicked me and I felt a tightening in my throat. "If only Nathaniel could have been your father, little one… life would be so much easier."
More Chapters
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
