25
Stefan
Stefan handed Dr Tully a box of things belonging to the cottage. Now he was buying the place, he thought it best to give back anything that came with the home that was part of the doctor’s family. The wall paintings had already gone, and Dr Tully said a lot of the furnishings could stay and added them into the price of the sale, which Stefan happily agreed to.
‘I’m glad you’ve settled here, Stefan. And I’m happy the practice is in good hands.’
Stefan felt a touch proud. ‘Thank you, Gilbert.’
‘I wasn’t sure you’d adapt to the change of pace, if I’m honest. You certainly looked like a fish out of water when you arrived.’
He remembered. It was funny when he looked back.
‘It’s almost the end of August, and I only came here in June, but I feel I’ve lived here a lifetime.’
Gilbert nodded. ‘Yep. I’ve heard folk say that before.’
Stefan followed him out to his car, helping place boxes in the boot. ‘Why didn’t you want the cottage to be your forever home?’
‘Wasn’t the same after my wife died. Besides, it has history with the windmill, and I’m retired now. It was for the best if the new doctor lived here.’
‘You can drop by anytime you miss the old place.’
‘Thanks, but I’ve got my memories for that.’
Stefan watched him smile at the cottage with affection and hoped he would also have the many years of happiness Dr Tully obviously had living there.
Dr Tully got in his car and drove off, leaving Stefan on the driveway, taking in his surroundings.
Who knew you could fall so in love with a place? I don’t ever want to live anywhere else .
He glanced at the cloudless sky.
If somehow you had a hand in this, Belinda, then thanks. Thanks for everything .
He moved to the bench, sat, and lost all thoughts to the peace and quiet around him. Content, he closed his eyes and relaxed in the warm sun, knowing he had no patients until after lunch.
A car crunching to a stop by the cottage had him sleepily gaze that way, surprised to see Florence and Lindy, as he thought they were out for the day.
Straightening and stretching, he frowned as he noticed Lindy dash from the car, and Florence calling after her, sounding slightly distressed.
What on earth?
Stefan made his way to Florence, meeting her in the hallway. ‘Everything all right?’
‘No, I…’ She shook her head, worrying him.
‘What is it, Florence?’
‘She’s in her room. I didn’t mean to upset her.’
‘Tell me what happened.’
‘I went to a women’s self-defence class last week to check it out, and I really liked it there. They have a class for girls too, and I thought it would be a good idea to take Lindy.’ Florence grabbed the banister at the bottom of the stairs. ‘I thought it would help build her confidence.’
Stefan frowned. ‘You thought you’d take my daughter to a class that teaches kids to fight?’
‘Well, I wasn’t looking at it that way.’
‘What other way is there?’
‘It’s for protection, not fighting.’
Stefan pointed up the stairs. ‘She has trauma from bullying, Florence.’
‘Yes, I know, that’s why I thought it would help her. If she knows how to protect herself, she’d have the confidence to hang out with other kids again.’
‘So, what, are you her therapist now?’
Florence dipped back to one heel, frowning. ‘No, and I wasn’t trying to be. I was trying to help.’
‘She is being helped, in small steps, by Bethany, you know, the expert in this field. So far, my daughter has agreed to join a school, she’s saying hello to Kasey whenever she sees her, and she hasn’t had any panic attacks. And now look. You’ve triggered her.’
‘I didn’t mean to, Stefan. I just…’ Florence covered her mouth with one hand, and a tear rolled over the top.
Stefan couldn’t focus on making her feel better about herself. His daughter was upstairs, no doubt crying too.
‘I tried to talk to her on the drive home, but she kept sobbing, and I didn’t know what to do.’ Florence placed her foot on the first step. ‘I’ll try again.’
‘No, you won’t. You’ve done enough damage. Tell me exactly what happened at the class.’
‘Erm, everything seemed fine at first, but then the teacher placed Lindy in front of another girl to practice a move, and Lindy burst into tears, started shaking, and ran out the door.’
‘Oh, well, that’s just great.’
‘I’m sorry.’
Stefan’s blood was boiling at the thought of his daughter so afraid once more, and he wasn’t there to comfort her. To let her know she was safe.
‘I’ll speak to her,’ mumbled Florence, heading up the stairs.
‘No. You can leave us alone.’
Florence stilled for a moment, then came back down.
Stefan gestured at the front door. ‘I told you about Lindy. You knew she was fragile, and you knew she was nervous around children, and yet you went and placed her in a room full of violence.’
‘No one was violent. That class is all about protection. I just wanted Lindy to feel safe.’
‘Well, you went about it the wrong way, and now she’s had a setback.’
‘If you just let me speak to her again, I’m sure I can—’
‘Just leave.’
As soon as Florence was over the threshold, he closed the door, then headed upstairs.
Lindy’s face was pale and tear-stained. She sat huddled on her bed, hugging her teddy bear.
‘Hey, I’ve just heard what happened. Are you okay?’ He sat by her side, waiting to see if she needed a cuddle, as sometimes she didn’t like to be touched when she was panicky.
‘Sorry, Dad,’ she mumbled, pressing her teddy to her mouth.
‘You don’t have anything to be sorry about.’
‘But I thought I could join in the class, then I got scared.’
‘I would have been too if I thought someone was going to hit me.’
‘She wasn’t going to hit me, Dad. The other girl was really nice. She was just going to teach me how to get out of a hold, but when she came close, I started to shake.’
‘You know what triggers are, right? We’ve spoken about them before.’
Lindy nodded, then reached for his hand.
‘That’s what happened today,’ he added softly.
‘I know.’ She lowered her teddy from her face and snuggled into his side.
‘How are you feeling now?’
‘Tired.’ Watery eyes came his way. ‘Do I have to go back there, Dad?’
‘Nope.’
You shouldn’t have been there in the first place .
Lindy closed her eyes as she sighed. ‘I won’t ever be able to protect myself, will I?’
Her words cut right through his heart. ‘I’ll protect you, Lindy. You’re safe, I promise.’
She opened her eyes and sat up. ‘But the self-defence class can show me what to do. That’s why I said I’d go. I wanted to try, Dad. I couldn’t do it.’
‘You mustn’t be hard on yourself. Remember, triggers and setbacks are part of healing. You have to focus on the things you can do. Everything else can wait. And you’re doing great.’
‘Do you think so?’
‘I know so.’
A knock on the front door gained attention, and Stefan hoped he wasn’t in for another round with Florence.
‘Let me see who that is. I’ll be right back.’ He jogged downstairs and opened the door, expecting to see Florence, but another woman stood there.
‘Hello, sorry to disturb you. My name’s Charlotte. I run the self-defence class your daughter attended earlier. I got your address when she signed up. I wanted to come here and check on Lindy.’ She leaned a little closer. ‘I’ve had many nervous students before, and I’m talking about because of trauma. I know the signs. Is she all right?’
Stefan was a little surprised the woman was on his doorstep, but he appreciated her kindness. ‘Yes, thank you. She’s starting to calm.’
‘I want you to know that I’m not here to talk her into coming back to another class, but I have witnessed many women and girls heal through gaining confidence just knowing they stand a chance at protecting themselves.’
‘I understand, but perhaps Lindy is too young.’
‘You’re never too young to learn how to protect yourself.’ Charlotte offered a sympathetic smile. ‘Was she bullied?’
‘Yes, by two boys.’
Charlotte nodded. ‘I thought so. A lot of the girls in my class have been.’
Stefan went to say something, but Lindy appeared at his side.
‘Sorry, Charlotte,’ she said quietly.
Charlotte smiled at the girl. ‘That’s not needed. I’m just glad you’re okay.’
‘I got scared,’ said Lindy.
‘I know. It was all a bit much for your first day, wasn’t it?’
Lindy nodded. ‘Florence said she had fun, so I wanted to try.’
‘And that’s great you did try.’ Charlotte bobbed her head at Stefan. ‘If you ever want to try again, I’ll make sure to put you in a much smaller group. Perhaps just you and me to start.’
Stefan watched Lindy give a small shrug. ‘I’m not sure Lindy will be coming back.’
‘Can I think about it?’ Lindy asked, taking him by surprise.
Charlotte didn’t reply, and Stefan knew she was waiting on his response.
‘Of course,’ he said.
‘I’ll leave you to it,’ said Charlotte, waving one hand. ‘I’m just glad Lindy is fine. And just know, I’m happy to help anytime you want to move forward with my class.’
Stefan nodded, then closed the door. ‘That was nice of her to check on you.’
‘She is nice. And so is Florence, but you sent her away.’
I did .
He hadn’t realised Lindy had heard his quarrel with Florence. There wasn’t much he could do now. Not that he wanted to talk to Florence just yet. He was still far too annoyed with her for not approaching him with the idea in the first place. At least he could have shut it down before it got started. Lindy wasn’t ready for that sort of thing.
Lindy plodded off to the living room, and he heard her talking to Zeus about her morning.
Oh, what a bloody mess!