88 Send in the clown
Word Soap: As The World Keeps Turning
Author: SYLnl
Title: #88 Send in the clown
Rating: PG
Summary: “If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.” - Maya Angelou
Big Thanks To: ltklo, for brushing up my grammar
Previously on As The World Keeps Turning:
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20
#21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38 #39 #40 #41 #42 #43 #44 #45 #46 #47 #48 #49 #50 #51 #52 #53 #54 #55 #56 #57 #58 #59 #60 #61 #62 #63 #64 #65 #66 #67 #68 #69 #70 #71 #72 #73 #74 #75 #76 #77 #78 #79 #80 #81 #82 #83 #84 #85 #86 #87
“Thanks for meeting me here.”
Barbara nodded and took a seat.
“You’re welcome,” she even managed a sort-of friendly smile and Henry softly sighed. He hated this awkwardness, but he also knew he couldn’t change it, so he tried to accept it. Very reluctantly.
“Is Fairwinds working out for you?” Henry couldn’t filter out his sarcasm and Barbara looked up at him.
“Not really,” she agreed, “but they’re taking good care of me.”
“I’m sure they do.” This time all sarcasm was gone. Henry knew Paul loved his mother.
After they ordered, Henry decided to take the bull by the horns. He still loved this woman with his whole being and above all he wanted her to be happy.
“So tell me. What can I do to make your life easier, Barbara? Do you want me to back off? Do you want a divorce? What?”
Barbara looked startled. For some reason the word ‘divorce’ made her choke up. What was that about? Instinctively she shook her head.
“You want out?” Her voice sounded disheartened and Henry took her hand on impulse.
“No, I don’t. I want you to smile again. Feel happy again. And I did pretty well, before your accident, I might add. But I’ve obviously lost my touch…”
“It’s not you,” Barbara whispered, looking at their entwined hands, but not breaking off the contact. “You’ve been nothing but patient and kind and loving…”
She lowered her head, avoiding Henry’s eyes. “But there’s also this big alarm going off, whenever you’re near me. Warning me from getting too involved and getting hurt.”
To her surprise Henry nodded. “I can understand that alarm. I did hurt you. And we worked through that, but maybe the memory of getting hurt is more vivid than the memories of being loved. And believe me, the last few weeks before your accident you were deeply loved.”
Barbara gave him a smile. A real one, this time. “I’m sure I was.”
The waiter interrupted their conversation and placed their lunch in front of them.
“From what I understand, we had a very turbulent year,” Barbara softly said, before taking a bite and Henry nodded with a telling grin.
“And then some,” he snorted. “We were both thrown by the power of our attraction, I guess. And before we could really figure stuff out, Vienna came back to town and then everything became really muddled.”
Barbara nodded. Paul and Will had told her a little about that.
“And then I was kidnapped,” she said, in thought.
“Yeah, you disappeared on the day I married Vienna.”
“I still can’t believe you actually married her,” Barbara muttered and it made them look up. “No idea where that just came from,” she continued and frowned.
Henry kept himself from cheering, but that remark sounded like his Barbara peeping through.
“Obviously that still bothers you,” he said, as indifferent as possible, “and I can understand why. I can’t believe it myself. I knew I was doing the wrong thing, but I just couldn’t think straight anymore.”
Barbara just nodded, silently eating her food.
“But you gave me hell about it, when we finally found you.”
“I did?” she looked up in surprise and Henry chuckled.
“Oh yeah. I was so grateful to have you in my arms and you pushed me away, telling me to take a hike. You were very angry with me.”
“Good for me,” Barbara gave a small grin and Henry softly laughed.
“Yeah, I guess. Not so good for me, though. But luckily you decided to forgive me.”
“Why did I do that?”
“Because you loved me as much as I love you,” Henry calmly said, sipping his coffee. His eyes held a sadness and Barbara focused on her plate.
“That’s what everybody is telling me,” she whispered, looked up, smiled at a scene and nodded at the two men coming in. “Even the socially challenged doctor put in a good word for you. Or for us, to be precise.”
“Reid did? How?”
“He encouraged me to give you the benefit of the doubt, because we had something special together. He said it would be sad to see that go to waste.”
Henry smiled, watching Reid, Luke and a little boy joining Lucinda and John in another part of the restaurant.
“I would take him very seriously, if I were you,” Henry teased, “He’s the town’s genius, so he must know what he’s talking about…”
“I never realized you two were friends.”
“We’re not,” Henry’s smile grew, “Or maybe we’re not yet. During your recovery I saw a whole different side of Dr. Oliver and I must admit he can be fun. He can be a pain too, but he has been very supportive.”
Barbara nodded, also watching the couple. “They seem very happy together. Who’s the boy?”
“I don’t know, to be honest. But yes, they are very happy. At first I thought there was a Beauty and the Beast thing going on, but Reid is very loving with Luke. For some reason that young guy managed to uncover Reid’s human side. A lot of us didn’t even know he had one…”
They both laughed and turned back to their plates.
“And what did our love uncover for you, Henry?”
Henry smiled. Their conversation almost felt normal again. “A lot, actually. I felt accepted for who I was. You knew all my shortcomings, but loved me anyway. That blew me away. And it also made me realize how forced my relationship with Vienna had become. That had turned into proving myself worthy. But when I was with you, I didn’t have to prove anything. I knew I was worthy.”
Barbara had stopped chewing and just looked at him. When she wanted to reply, they were interrupted by a lot a noise and some children cheering. They looked up - both annoyed - and watched the excitement in the secluded area where Reid and Luke were sitting. They had been joined by some other couples, a few kids and a clown.
When Henry wanted to remark on Reid looking very uncomfortable, he saw Barbara staring at the clown. There was panic in her eyes and all blood seemed to have left her face. He took her hand.
“Barbara? What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and her hands went to her temples.
“I don’t know,” she looked in shock, “this headache and some strange…”
Henry didn’t hesitate, stood up and called out for Reid. The doctor’s initial surprise turned into worry when he saw Barbara holding her head and after saying something to Luke, he jumped up and joined them.
“Barbara, talk to me. What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” she was crying now, “I saw that clown and all of a sudden all kinds of emotions are rushing in. It’s like somebody is fast forwarding a movie in my head. I see flashes, but it’s going so fast…I can’t really see what it is…”
She felt Reid’s arm behind her and that somehow calmed her down. She was in capable hands, so she started to focus on his voice.
“Take deep breaths, now. Calmmmmmm down.” What a nice voice he has, Barbara realized. She focused some more. “Don’t try to watch those flashes. Just let it go by. Deep breaths.”
It worked. The panic dissolved. When she wanted to assure the doctor she felt much better, a few intense light bolts hit her eyes and again she grabbed at her temples.
“Talk to me,” Reid said calmly.
“Light…flashing. It hurts…”
“I know. Keep breathing deeply now. It will pass.”
“What is it?” She could hear Henry’s concern in his question.
“I think the clown triggered something,” she heard Reid say and she nodded.
“The clown,” she softly said, while opening her eyes. The pain was gone and she smiled at Henry. “It took me back into that warehouse and the fear I felt back then and I… Oh!”
She put her hand before her mouth and looked at Henry in disbelief. Then her whole face started to change and Henry was the one baffled. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t dare to believe it.
“Oh my God, Henry…” she stepped forward and threw herself around his neck. “I remember! Ohhhhhhh… I remember it all!”
When she started kissing him with the passion and intensity he remembered so clearly, he finally gave himself permission to believe it. They didn’t even notice that Reid did some quick kissing of his own and that a young boy watched them with great curiosity.
Just when Reid motioned to go back to their table, so Henry and Barbara could continue their reunion more privately, Barbara returned to the present and put her hand on Reid’s arm.
“Thank you, Dr. Oliver. You really helped me to calm down.”
Reid smiled. “I’m glad. So happy to have you back.”
Henry didn’t say anything, but surprised everybody - including himself - by giving Reid a quick but genuine hug.
“Congratulations,” Reid whispered, a little thrown, “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks Reid,” Henry wiped his eyes and gave Luke a hug too. “Thanks guys.”
Then the little blond, hiding himself behind Luke’s legs, caught Henry’s attention.
“And who’s this?”
“This is Danny,” Reid gave the boy a quick and reassuring smile, “Our son.”
“Your son?” Barbara and Henry asked in one voice, making Luke and Reid laugh.
“I know, it took us by surprise too. But he’s the reason we’re here. His grandmother Lucinda threw him a little welcome-to-the-family party.”
“Explaining the clown,” Henry nodded, still smiling at Danny who was cautiously watching the new faces in front of him.
“Explaining the clown,” Luke nodded, looking at ‘their’ corner and noticing Lucinda’s annoyed expression. “So we better head out there again…”
“Of course…” Henry gave them an apologetic smile, “Sorry for interrupting you on your day off…”
Reid gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Between you and me…I was happy to leave for a moment…”
Henry’s smile was telling and after a quick goodbye, one family moved out and one family sat down. Their eyes started a private conversation and after a few minutes Henry nodded and waved in the waiter.
“Check please.”