The Return

The Reunion

    Brody watched the expressions dance across her face, shock, interest, worry, before she quietly schooled her features. He noticed as her fingers restlessly tugged at the sheet underneath her. All grown up, she was even more gorgeous than the day he last saw her. Her cheeks had taken on the edge of adulthood, her lips were fuller than he remembered, but the dark golden hair was the same. It was in a riot of curls hanging down her back. He could remember the fresh lemon scent her hair always carried when they were young. She had make up on, another difference from their youth. It was simple and suited her face, the carefully blackened eyelashes flared up, making her deep blue eyes even bigger.

    "Well," Brody had to clear his throat, "all the ways I imagined seeing you again, this was never one of them."

    Savannah's mouth quirked up on one side. "Not exactly my idea of my first full day back either."

    "Are you back for good?" Brody asked.

    "I'm back for now," she wasn't sure she was back for good. She planned to just be back to deal with her memories. She supposed he was part of that. He was one of her biggest memories of Point Wallace.

    "So Chief huh? Shouldn't you be the one examining me not the one asking the questions?"

    Brody chuckled, "Things in life change when you least expect them. I found out that this was my calling and left the medical field to Beth."

    "How is your sister?" Small talk was good, anything as long as it stayed light she could handle.

    "She is good, just right upstairs, moved back to take the position of Director of the hospital a few months ago."

    What was she supposed to say to the man of the boy who once had her entire heart? They were different people, had lived their lives the past ten years and the awkwardness fell into the room like a bomb. 

    Brody didn't know how to talk to her. He prided himself on being easy going, on being able to strike up a conversation with just about anyone. How could he talk to the girl who he had never forgotten and still yearned for. Doc Stevens came back into the room.

    "Everything looks good, you are released to go ahead home, Take some Tylenol for any headache, anything more than a small headache give me a call here. I'll be on shift for the rest of the night."

    Savannah smiled and him and got off of the bed. She was relieved to get out of the hospital. Brody watched her long limbs stretch and saw the toned muscles flex. His eyes raked down her long legs clad in faded denim jeans. 

    "Thank you Doctor Stevens, I can't say I hope to see you here again." Savannah's smile was shy as she shook his hand. She started to head out when Brody rested his hand on her shoulder. She glanced down at it and stepped to the side.

    "I still have to ask you a couple questions about this morning." Brody tried to ignore the urge just to reach out to her again. 

    "Oh, of course." 

    Brody watched as she stepped back and sat on the very edge of the bed. She looked like a coiled spring ready to bolt off at any second.

    He took out his notebook for form and to distract them both. "Do you remember anything about the man this morning?"

    Savannah sat and closed her eyes trying to bring back the morning. "Not enough to help, He wasn't overly tall maybe 5'9". He had on a black sweatshirt and a black hat without any insignia on it. I can't tell you much about build with the sweatshirt being baggy. Dark sunglasses, but he was white. So basically a very wide net."

    "It was fast, but that was more detail than I expected. Anything else you can remember? Voice?"

    "No sorry I can't be any help, I didn't hear him say anything. Maybe the red head girl at the cafe or one of the clerks saw more." She shrugged her shoulders. 

    "No worries, I'll ask Claire and the clerks if they got anymore detail." 

    "Claire, I didn't know her name, she's kind. She was the first one to come over to me after the man crashed into me."

    Brody smiled sweetly while making notes. "Claire is one of the best additions this town has gotten. Everything she makes in the cafe will make you want to marry her." 

    Savannah's stomach tightened. "Well, if that's it, I'm late for a conference call and should really be heading out." The coolness of her tone rang in her own ears but she couldn't change it. 

    "No, that should be about it." Her stiffness rubbed off on Brody and he gestured her to go ahead of him out of the room. 

    Savannah headed out into the sunshine, letting it bake onto her skin. Doc Stevens had her car brought over from the market and it sat in the lot just across from her. She got into the car and let the warmth cocoon her and ease the tension from being in the hospital. She rolled her head from side to side then just rested it against the steering wheel. She was exhausted, between the long night and the long morning she just wanted to go home and slip under the covers. She could reschedule her meeting, and just go rest. She sighed,  she never finished getting her groceries. She wasn't up for going back to the market, she would just have to make do with the snacks she had brought in the car and delivery again for dinner. 

    Savannah backed the car out of the spot and headed back to her house. When she pulled up she saw a cooler on the front porch and grocery bags next to it. Cautiously, she got out of the car and locked it as she walked up. There was a note folded on the cooler.

    "With everything that happened we wanted to make sure you had what you needed. I included a bottle of wine to what was in your cart, hope you like red. Also I live down the road a few miles if you need anything. Steve the store owner said this is on the house as a welcome to town. -Claire (The red-head from the store)"

    "Small towns," Savannah muttered.

    The note made her grin and Savannah didn't even need to eat something from the cafe to want to marry her, she could kiss Claire's feet for saving her the trouble. She would have to repay her somehow. She hummed as she unlocked the door and carted the groceries inside. 

    Brody watched to make sure that Savannah got into her car, when she drove away he rested his head against the cool window. He rubbed his eyes and went up to his sister's office. She was on a phone call and held up a slim finger then gestured to one of the deep cushioned chairs. Brody sank into it and just closed his eyes. 

    Beth eyed her brother, the usual cocky gleam, and sneering smile he usually greeted her with was replaced by grim exhaustion. She carefully pushed the call along and set the phone back in it's cradle. She took two cans of Coke out of the fridge by her desk and opened them, setting them on the desk and waited. She knew he would talk when he was ready. 

    Brody heard her end the call and open the cans. Keeping his eyes closed. "Savannah Martin is back in town. She was the one who got shoved at the market." He knew his sister would have already heard of the incident at the store. It was big news in a small town.

    Beth blew out a long breath. "Well, it's certainly been a long time since I heard that name." She waited for the anger or sadness to explode from him, but he just remained sunk in the chair, eyes closed.

    "How do you feel about it?" Beth cautiously asked.

    Brody sat for a minute, "I have no idea. I loved her with a fierceness and innocence that can only come in youth, then she was just gone. No closure."

    It was the one wound that had never healed. A thorn that lodged in his heart, and while scar tissue and formed around it making it easy to forget for stretches at a time. It still lingered. 

    "I know nothing about the woman she is now, but I still feel a pull to her."

    Beth let out a sigh. "Maybe it's good she is back, and maybe you will be able to get some closure, but Brody, you shouldn't go into anything hoping for what was." Her words were filled with sympathy but his heart ached at them.

    "You're right." Brody sat up and reached for the can draining some to quench the dryness of his throat. 

    "Well you know how I do love to hear those words." Beth joked trying to lighten the mood, and because he knew that, Brody shot her a sneering smirk. 

    "It's rare you are."