Guarded Heart by Jennifer Fulton

Author:Jennifer Fulton [Fulton, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General
ISBN: 9781932300376
Google: cwxTAAAACAAJ
Amazon: B0041OT6EW
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2005-01-01T21:45:24+00:00

“Lauren?” Pat strolled through the empty villa, taking in the half-finished glass of iced tea on the counter and the fact that all the blinds were now closed. Finding no trace of her principal, she sprinted up the stairs to the king bedroom, alarmed to hear audible groans coming from behind the bathroom door.

“Lauren. It’s me,” she called, knocking. “Open the door, baby.”

Almost before she had stopped speaking, Lauren stood ashen-faced and speechless in the doorway, a toothbrush in her hand.

Knowing what she was going through and longing to give her the comfort she needed, Pat enfolded her in a warm embrace. “Everything’s okay. This will pass. I promise you.”

Sobs racked Lauren’s body. Against Pat’s chest, she cried, “Why did this happen to me? Everything was perfect. Now it’s all such a mess. What am I going to do?”

Wordlessly, Pat led her to the bed and lay down with her, cradling her as close as her wounds would permit. Stroking her hair, she said, “I’m so sorry this happened. I know you’re feeling awful.”

“I felt so good when I woke up. I just don’t understand how it can change to…this.”

“Poor baby.” Pat had learned, after working with several people suffering from PTSD, that it was more important to empathize than to try and ‘talk sense’ into the person affected. It had struck her, after the loss of her mother, that in some ways mourning was a similar process. It simply had to take its course. Fighting it only made recovery more drawn out.

As Lauren’s sobs subsided to hiccups, Pat took her hand and said, “If you want to talk, I’m listening.”

Lauren was silent for a long while. “It’s all true,” she said, eventually. “The stuff in the newspapers. I’m a lesbian.”

“I had a feeling…after last night,” Pat teased gently.

Lauren responded with a watery smile. “I wanted to tell you before. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. I wanted to tell you that I’m gay, too. Guess I blew my cover now.”

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