Just Breathe Trilogy Box Set

by Martha Sweeney

  “Do you mean you or real food?” I check with a giggle.

  “Food . . . and then me,” he comments, kissing my temple.

  “I definitely need food first . . . especially after last night,” I mention.

  “You’ll definitely need it because of what I plan to do to you this morning,” he announces.

  “Looking forward to it,” I comment.

  “Good,” he replies. “I love you.”

  I groan hearing him repeat those three words again so quickly.

  Joe doesn’t say anything and heads out of the bathroom with just his boxer briefs on while Sadie stays with me. A few seconds after my rear hits the toilet seat, Sadie gets up and leaves. There’s only one reason why she’d leave my side — she hears Joe in the kitchen.

  After breakfast, Joe and I have our naked frolic in the glorious, six-headed shower.

  As I towel-dry my hair, Joe asks, “Hey, beautiful?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I have something planned for us this morning,” he mentions.

  “Yeah? What?”

  “It’s a surprise,” he states.

  “Okay.”

  “We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to when we get there,” he suggests.

  “Why? What is it?” I push lightly.

  “Like I said,” Joe reminds, taking a hold of my waist. “It’s a surprise.”

  I study him for a moment. “You didn’t schedule us to do something weird . . . like getting matching tattoos or something, did you?”

  “No,” Joe confirms with a chuckle.

  “So . . . I can decide when we get there?” I check.

  “Yes,” he assures, kissing me.

  “Okay,” I say.

  To avoid traffic, Joe has us take a helicopter out of Malibu. The view of the coastline is gorgeous as we fly above it. About thirty minutes later, we start to descend into a parking lot.

  “Where are we?” I ask eagerly, unable to see the building from where I’m sitting.

  “At a speedway,” Joe answers.

  “A speedway? For what? Is there some car race going on or something?” I search.

  “Or something,” Joe verifies with a grin.

  “Joseph,” I call speculatively.

  “Let’s go inside first and then you can decide if you want to do this,” Joe suggest.

  “Do what?” I press.

  Joe smiles and assists with the rest of my harness.

  We’re given a little tour of the facility’s interior before we’re led to a double, glass door. Joe stops me before heading outside to see the speedway’s track, allowing our guides to exit before us.

  “This is just to help,” Joe begins.

  “Help what?” I pry.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes, why?” I inquire.

  “Remember how well things went when we went back to the go-karts?”

  “Yeah,” my voice confirms nervously.

  “You won’t be driving anything,” Joe states. “I promise. And, we can stop at any time. I just ask that you try. Okay?”

  I take a deep breath, knowing that there’s more to what’s about to happen, not sure if I want to, but I know I should — I regretted the day of the go-karts and bumper cars with my friends which is why Joe took me back that night to help overcome my fear.

  Knowing that I can trust him completely, I smile timidly and nod.

  “Good,” Joe says excitedly. “Before we get started on our adventure, I want to give you something that might help take the edge off.”

  “What?” I say, eyeing him as uneasiness rises in my stomach.

  “It’s not what you think,” he soothes, clearly seeing the trepidation on my face. Joe hands me a long, thin, velvet box.

  My hands tremble as I open it. Steadying my breath, I close my eyes for a second and calm myself. Once the box is open, my gaze falls upon a stunning necklace. I gasp in surprise at its beauty.

  “It’s a Sacred Quarts Crystal Necklace.” He takes it out. “I also got this at Energy Muse when I got you that necklace,” Joe says, pointing to the one he gave me last night as it clings to my neck.

  “It’s beautiful,” I comment as he places it over my head.

  The large gem dangles around my neck and catches in my cleavage while the strand is laced with smaller quartz gems. My fingers eagerly move to touch it.

  “Maggie told me to just pick randomly and she would let me know if you already had something similar,” Joe explains. “This was the first thing I picked up when we got there. It’s energized for protection, healing and positive energy.”

  I smile at his description, knowing that he really took the time to get me something special even though I already know many crystals’ purposes. “Thank you,” I say. “But, you already gave me my Valentine’s Day gift.”

  “Do you like it?” he asks as if he’s not sure.

  Without a word, I use my mouth and body to confirm my gratitude. “Yes,” I breathe out when my lips release his.

  “Good,” he replies with a confident smile. “Follow me.” Joe takes my hand and tugs me along.

  My attention is fixed on my necklace, so I don’t realize it right away when we’ve exited the door and are just about fifty feet from the track. There are several men standing just beyond us aside from several of our bodyguards along with a car just past them.

  “This is our adventure,” Joe mentions, with a calm expression.

  “What is?”

  “Getting past your issue with cars,” he reveals.

  I stare at him in horror for several seconds and am surprised when he doesn’t look nervous. “Just because I asked for nothing too romantic doesn’t mean I want the exact opposite of it,” I share.

  “There are things I want to do with you and in order to really enjoy them, you need to become comfortable in a car or any moving vehicle,” Joe declares.

  “What things?” I check.

  Joe steps closer, taking my face in his hands and offers a long, firm, passionate kiss. “Things . . . but first, I want to introduce you to some people.”

  “Who?”

  Joe turns and faces three men I don’t know. “This is Jerry and Arnold Penn, the owners of the speedway,” he says, guiding me closer to them.

  I greet both of them formally, shaking their hands as Joe informs them of my name.

  “And, this gentleman,” Joe starts, “Is Dr. Roger Callahan. He’s here to help.”

  Dr. Callahan, an older gentleman probably around Pop-Pop’s age, has kind eyes and his round face is covered with a short white beard and a mustache. We shake hands as Joe repeats my name for him.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Peterson,” Dr. Callahan greets.

  “We’ll let you three get acquainted,” states Jerry.

  “Don’t hesitate to let us know if you need anything,” mentions Arnold.

  Joe thanks them before they leave us.

  “Help me? How?” I ask with curiosity.

  “Dr. Callahan is the founder of tapping therapy . . . remember the last treatment we had in Hawaii at the spa with Jimmy and Allen?” Joe asks.

  “Yes,” I confirm.

  “That was based on his therapy method,” Joe explains.

  “I don’t understand,” I state.

  “You know about the body’s energy system from all of the things you share on Naturally Me and what you’ve learned from Maggie’s family, right?” Joe checks.

  “Yes,” I say hesitantly, unaware of where this is all going.

  “What I’ve been teaching for over thirty years is a highly effective, non-invasive, healthy, self-help alternative to long-term, or drug related psychotherapy,” Dr. Callahan explains. “Thought-Field Therapy, when done in a certain algorithm for each specific emotion, addresses balancing the body’s energy system and allows you to eliminate most negative emotions within minutes which promotes your body’s healing ability. Ultimately, it works with unblocking your chi energy of emotions that are tied
to events or things in your life.”

  “So, how is this going to help me?” I ask, still trying to see why we’re at a speedway.

  “Your reaction each time you're in a vehicle is tied to a variety of emotions; fear, anxiety, sadness, depression and probably several others,” the doctor states, giving me a moment to process everything. “My goal today is to rid you of those negative emotions and associations you have with cars.”

  I chuckle nervously, not believing him.

  “Will you allow me to demonstrate?” Dr. Callahan inspects. “It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. I can connect you to a machine that will gage your current heart rate variability, showing you where it is now, where it is when you are just near the car, all the way to where you are in the car and it’s moving. Then, as we implement the different algorithms for each negative emotions, we’ll be able to change your heart rate variability range. It would be very narrow right now, which can be very taxing on the body and increase chances for medical issues, including a heart attack. Once I’m done with you today, your heart rate variability will increase, your body’s stress levels will reduce, and quite possibly be non-existent with any idea of or actually being in a car . . . even driving one yourself,” Dr. Callahan explains further.

  “How did you feel after that therapy in Hawaii? Do you remember?” Joe inquires.

  “I remember feeling good, but tired,” I answer truthfully.

  “Fatigue can be expected after some treatments, especially if your body’s chi energy was suddenly allowed to flow,” the doctor shares. “Each person responds differently . Sometimes laughing, crying, yawning . . . even flatulence is another way in which the body releases the negative energy.”

  “I do remember several of those happening during that treatment,” I mention. “So, what’s the goal for today?”

  “We’ll go as far as you are willing,” Dr. Callahan informs. “Of course, I want optimum results, but I won’t force you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with. That’s not what this therapy is about.”

  I nod my understanding and agree.

  “Why don’t we get started over here first?” suggests Joe, directing us to a table and chairs that are nearby.

  Joe and Dr. Callahan take a seat after Joe pushes in mine for me. With my permission, the doctor hands me a round device to hold in the palm of my hand. He then places two note pads on the table, one in front of himself and the other in front of me along with a pen. I watch him jot down some numbers and conclude that they are the exact numbers on the device that I’m holding.

  “Now, Ms. Peterson,” the doctor begins.

  “Emma is fine,” I inform him.

  With a smile, he continues, “Emma. Would you please look at the car over there?”

  I comply and see him writing down something on the paper out of the corner of my eye.

  “Can you do me a favor?” he checks.

  “Sure,” I agree.

  “Can you think about being in that car right now? Imagine yourself sitting in it. The engine is off and no one but you is in it,” he states. Dr. Callahan writes more numbers down on his pad. “Good.” He takes the device from my hand and places it on the table. “From the numbers one through ten, with ten being the highest level of anxiety and one being the lowest, can you tell me which number you feel right now?”

  “Nine,” I blurt without thinking. Slightly embarrassed, I look away.

  “Don’t worry,” he soothes. “I plan on making that number change.”

  Dr. Callahan has me go through a series of steps, taking my index and middle finger of one hand and tapping my body in several different locations. He then asks me again about my number for my anxiety and requests that I write it down. I’m slightly surprised when my hand writes the number eight. He has me tap on the exterior of my palm, along the ridge that would be used for a karate chop and then has me repeat the same tapping sequence as before. We do this process several times until my number is reduced to a two. Dr. Callahan has me do a new sequence of movements and then pauses for several long seconds.

  “How do you feel?” Joe asks eagerly.

  “Good,” I answer honestly.

  Dr. Callahan places the heart rate device back in my hand and has me look at the car while asking me the same first set of questions along with seeing myself sitting in the car. He writes down some numbers and this time, my heart rate range is much wider than any of the ones from the beginning.

  “Emma,” Dr. Callahan calls sweetly. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to continue to hold that while we walk towards the car. Is that okay with you?”

  “Sure,” I agree, shrugging my shoulders.

  The doctor checks the numbers on the device once we’re just a foot or two away from the vehicle and watches me closely. He takes the device out of my hand and has Joe hold it. Then, he has me repeat one of the previous tapping patterns.

  “Would you mind if we sit in the back of the car?” Dr. Callahan questions gently when I’m finished.

  “No,” I reply rather calmly.

  Joe sits in the front passenger seat while the doctor and I take the back seats with Sadie. The doctor has Joe hand me the device and then records more numbers. My leg begins to bounce and I notice the numbers for my heart rate changing again. The doctor has me repeat some of the previous tapping segments for the next few minutes.

  I sit patiently for his next instruction while he writes something on his notepad.

  “Your leg isn’t bouncing, Emma,” Joe mentions.

  I look down and am surprised to see that it’s calm. Oddly, my palms aren’t sweaty.

  “Joe, would you mind starting the car for us, please?” Dr. Callahan requests.

  Joe gets out of the passenger side and walks around the front of the car.

  “Emma,” the doctor calls.

  “Yes?”

  “Where were you in the car the night of the accident?” Dr. Callahan asks.

  Irritation rises inside, not liking the fact that Joe has given him that much information. “In the back seat, laying down,” I answer with a tight jaw.

  “Were you awake when it happened?” the doctor checks.

  “No,” I answer with a tightening throat.

  The doctor jumps right into another round of tapping sequences after he has me tell him a number between one and ten. When my number decreases from a ten to a three, he asks if I would mind if Joe started to drive the car around the track at ten miles per hour.

  I nervously agree.

  Back and forth the doctor asks me what I’m feeling and instructs me on what to do when I’m not holding the device. In time, the three of us are buckled and Joe is driving the car at sixty miles per hour and I feel as calm as a cool summer’s breeze.

  When we arrive back to where we started by the table, Dr. Callahan has me get into the front passenger seat. We take several laps around the track while he has me continue with several other algorithms. As we stop again, Joe mentions something that catches me slightly off guard.

  “What?” I snap.

  The doctor goes through his process again, not commenting about what Joe had suggested. Ten minutes later, Dr. Callahan asks me the same question. “How would you feel having a driving lesson today?”

  “Ummm . . . what did you have in mind?” I ask.

  Joe’s face beams with excitement.

  “Just you sitting where Joe is and we give you a few simple basic instructions about driving, but you don’t turn on the car or drive,” the doctor explains further.

  Shrugging my shoulders, I say, “I guess.”

  As if I’ve done it before, I get out of the car and move to the driver side. Joe holds the door open for me and closes it once I’m in. He then jogs around to the front passenger seat while the doctor stays where he’s been the whole time. The car is off and the doctor poses his questions again along with another round of tapping.

  “Emma,” the doctor calls.

  “Yes?”

  He repe
ats one of his earlier questions about the accident, asking me a more vivid question and requests for me to expound on my description of what I remember. After several more numbers and sequences, he repeats the question. “Looks like we’re done for the day,” the doctor announces. “How do you feel, Emma?”

  “Good,” I answer truthfully.

  The three of us leave the car with Sadie and sit down at the table where we started. Drinks are brought out to us as Dr. Callahan begins to show me the results and explains what everything means.

  I’m shocked to see the dramatic change in numbers during each step of the process as well as the fact that I don’t feel angry, sad or anxious when I think of cars, the accident or my parents. How can this be? I mean, I can understand with all of the natural health and wellness I’ve learned over the years, but I’m not freaking out and am actually excited by the idea of learning how to drive a car.

  Before we part ways, the doctor leaves me with a bunch of information, several books and instructions, including his contact information if I should need to get a hold of him. He shares that any time a negative emotion comes up in my life, to any situation, to try associating which exact emotion it is and using the tapping sequence that is specific to it. Apparently, I shouldn’t ever have this kind of a reaction to thinking or being in a vehicle again, whether I think of my parents and their death.

  A strong desire to visit Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, Brittany, Leslie, Martin and Celia rush over me as well as to take care of my parents home. Where is all of this coming from?

  When Joe and I leave the speedway, I find myself a little tired and close my eyes while leaning on his shoulder in the back seat. Peace and contentedness fill my heart and I’m eager to know where our next adventure for the day will be — if there is one.

  One Hundred Nineteen

  “Emma,” Joe’s voice calls.

  “Hmmm?”

  “Emma, beautiful.”

  I groan a little and turn into him.

  “It’s time for lunch.”

  “Yum, I’m starving,” I reply, keeping my eyes closed and nuzzling his chest more. “Where are we going to eat?”

  “We’re here,” Joe announces with a hint of amusement in his tone.