Through Her Heart (Mind's Eye Book 6)

by Deborah Camp

  “Stewie, honey? Wake up.” She rested her other hand on his shoulder. He jerked all over and his eyes popped open, unfocused and full of fear. “It’s okay, Stewie. It’s me. It’s Trudy.”

  He raised up and threw his arms around her neck, holding fast to her. Startled, she automatically clutched him to her. She kissed his forehead and let him cry softly in the crook of her neck.

  “You’re safe, sweetie,” she crooned to him, rocking back and forth. “It was a terrible dream. But it’s not real. You’re here with me and we’re okay.”

  “Wh-where’s Levi?”

  “He hasn’t come home yet, but he’ll be here soon.”

  “I w-want him here with us. He needs to be h-here!”

  “He will be,” she assured him. His need for Levi’s protection touched her. Had he thought this way about his dad? Had he felt that his dad would protect him from everything bad? Is that why he needed Levi around when he was frightened? She rocked him and hummed Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star until he stopped sobbing and relaxed against her. “Better?”

  He nodded and pulled away enough to look into her eyes. His were puffy and red-rimmed. He sniffed. His nose was running. “I don’t like to think about that.”

  “About what?” She grabbed a tissue from the dispenser on his bedside table. Dabbing at his nose, she examined the fear still evident in his watery eyes and tensed lips. “About the night your parents were killed?”

  He swallowed hard and nodded.

  “I don’t blame you, honey. It was the worst night ever, wasn’t it?”

  “Everyone wants me to think about it.”

  Okay. So, should she push or let it go? She decided it wasn’t the right time to probe further, but Stuart had other ideas.

  “I didn’t see much.”

  Trudy realized she was holding her breath. She released it in a soft sigh as she stroked his silky, dark hair. “Through the closet door or from your hiding place?”

  “From my bedroom door.”

  Not expecting that, she took a moment to realign her assumptions. “You left your bedroom? Were you in the hallway?”

  “No. My door was open a little. Like it is here. I woke up and I knew a man was in the house and that he shouldn’t be there. I got out of bed to go tell Mommy and Daddy. I looked and I saw him go into their room. Then I saw the light and heard the loud noises and I fell back. On my bottom. It scared me. He scared me. I crawled to the closet.”

  “You knew the man was in the house. Did you hear him?”

  “I felt him.” He met her gaze in a moment of unity. “The special way. Like we do. Sigh-kick.”

  “Had you seen him before? He looked like the man you saw when we were on the Ferris wheel?”

  “He didn’t have any hair like him. I don’t know . . .” He shut his eyes tightly and sobbed again. “It scares m-me.”

  “Okay, okay.” She drew him to her again. “Let’s talk about something else for now. I was visiting with my sister tonight on the phone. She wants us to go to Tulsa for Thanksgiving. What do you think about that?”

  “Where’s Tulsa?”

  “In Oklahoma. That’s where I lived before I came here. Remember? I told you about growing up there. If we go, you can meet my family.”

  “Will Levi’s family be there, too?”

  No way, no how! “No, just mine. And they’re all anxious to meet you in person.”

  “I don’t have a family.”

  Her heart broke in two and it was all she could do not to sob aloud. She framed his sweet, freckled face in her hands as emotion welled in her to the point of actual pain. Wet, his lashes looked even longer, curling up on the ends. Such a darling boy. “I’ll be your family if you want. Levi, too.” The words were out before she could even consider the wisdom of them or edit herself. They felt right; coming from her heart, her soul.

  Stuart stared at her and then his lips parted and surprise flickered across his face. “How could you be my family?”

  “Well . . . you know what adoption is, right?”

  He nodded. “It’s what a lot of the kids in the shelter want. To be adopted. To live with their folks again. It can’t happen for me. My parents are . . . gone. Dead.”

  “Good evening, Mr. Wolfe.”

  They both jumped a little when they heard the door “greeter.” Stuart scrambled from bed before Trudy even knew what was happening and raced toward the foyer.

  “Levi! Levi!”

  “Hey there, buddy. Whoa!”

  Trudy followed the voices. Levi stood staring down at Stuart, who had wrapped his arms around Levi’s legs. He looked at Trudy and shook his head in obvious puzzlement.

  “Stuart had a bad dream,” she explained, and Levi’s expression cleared.

  “Oh. I see.” He pried Stuart’s arms from around him and lifted him up, propping the boy on his hip. “I have nightmares, too. How about some milk and cookies? That always makes me feel a lot better.”

  Stuart nodded and rested the side of his face on Levi’s broad shoulder. Trudy closed her eyes for a second, overcome with emotions so sweet and maternal that she wanted to cry.

  “You okay, Tru?” he asked, tugging his tie loose and freeing a couple of shirt buttons.

  She sent him a reassuring smile. “Terrific. What kind of cookies would you like? We have Oreos, ginger snaps, animal crackers—.”

  “Animal crackers,” Stuart said, getting a nod of agreement from Levi.

  “You got it.” Trudy started for the kitchen, but Levi snagged her by the wrist and leaned in for a quick kiss.

  “Hello again, Mrs. Wolfe.”

  She smiled. “I watched most of the show. Sadie called and I didn’t see the last few minutes.”

  He shrugged. “You didn’t miss anything.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I gave Sissy hell afterward for saying on air that we’re fostering a child.”

  Trudy’s irritation with the woman spiked again. “Good. She needs to keep out of our business, Levi.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve handled it.” He kissed her cheek again. “Come on. Let’s have that snack and then get this young fellow back to bed.”

  They settled at the dining room table with glasses of milk and a box of cookies. Stuart munched a couple and slurped his milk, but when he reached for another animal cracker, Levi stopped him.

  “Let’s play a guessing game.” He carefully withdrew a cookie, making sure that Stuart couldn’t see it. Under the table, he checked it out, then looked at Stuart. “Guess which animal I have. You guess right, you get it. You guess wrong, I eat it.”

  Trudy propped her chin in her hand, fascinated by this little experiment. She’d had several discussions with Stuart about being psychic and how to cope with it, but she hadn’t seen this particular skill in action.

  Stuart screwed up his face as if in deep concentration. “It’s hard to tell. They’re kinda like lumps.”

  “You can tell them apart,” Levi insisted.

  Stuart huffed out a sigh of exasperation. “Okay. It’s an elephant.”

  His matter-of-fact delivery fooled Trudy into thinking he’d hazarded a wild stab at it. She slid her gaze sideways to Levi. The proud smirk and wink he sent Stuart jolted her.

  “He got it right?” she asked, dumbfounded.

  Levi held up the cracker for her to see the proof before sliding it across the table to Stuart. “Way to go, buddy. Let’s do another one.”

  “No. Your turn to guess,” Stuart said folding his arms in a stubborn stance.

  “I’m not good at this kind of thing,” Levi objected.

  “Don’t let him get away with that,” Trudy said. “He’s a mind reader.”

  “I’m really not.” Levi scowled at her. “You’re always accusing me of it, but I’m merely observant.”

  During the exchange, Stuart nabbed a cookie from the box and covered it with both hands. He looked from Levi to Trudy. “Guess! Guess what it is. Whoever guesses right first gets to eat it.”

  Sending Lev
i a baleful glare for getting her roped into this, she rolled her eyes and concentrated. She wasn’t good at this . . . terrible, really . . . oh, wait. “A tiger.”

  Stuart let go of a hoot and tossed the cookie to her. “Winner! Winner!”

  “Chicken dinner,” Trudy finished, staring in amazement at the tiger. “Wow. I did it.”

  “Wow. I guess that means you’re a mind reader,” Levi taunted.

  “I’m not.”

  He arched a brow at her. “Lucky guesser? That’s what you’re going with?”

  She punched his shoulder, then grabbed a cookie from the box before the other two could. Keeping it hidden, she identified it. Another elephant. “Okay. Stuart, what is it?”

  “Let Levi,” Stuart said.

  “You go ahead,” Levi gestured for Stuart to take a guess. “Show me what you’ve got.”

  Stuart stared at the overhead lights for a few moments. He shrugged and huffed out a sigh. “It’s another elephant.”

  Amazement burst in Trudy as she tossed him the cookie. “You’re the champion of this game, Stuart McFarland. No doubt about it.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “It’s way, way past your bedtime, young man. Enough snacks and games. You need to get some sleep.”

  A shadow of worry fell across his face. All the light went out of his eyes and his lips dipped at the corners. Instinctively, Trudy rested her hand lightly on top of his head, giving him a gentle pat.

  “It’ll be okay,” she assured him. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.”

  “Tell you what, bud.” Levi yawned and stood, stretching his arms above his head. “Tru and I have a big bed. You want to sleep between us just for tonight?”

  Lights sparkled in the depths of Stuart’s eyes as he looked furtively, hopefully toward Trudy. She nodded, although she was stunned by Levi’s offer.

  “Really?” Stuart asked, still looking at Trudy for a final confirmation.

  She gathered up the empty glasses. “Sure, if you want.”

  “Hurray!” Stuart sprang up from the table and performed a cartwheel into the living room.

  Leaning toward her, Levi whispered, “After a screaming nightmare, I would have given my left nut not to be alone when I was his age.”

  Thinking of how it must have been for him back then made her eyes burn and her throat tighten. “Then we can’t leave him alone tonight, can we?”

  His smile was bittersweet. “No.” His kiss on her lips was featherlight. “Thanks, baby.”

  Chapter 11

  The next day Levi came home for a lunch of toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and Cesar salads. Trudy had asked him to make time for her and he’d complied. After he’d finished off his meal and they’d chatted about the building projects he was working on and her Re-Home agenda, she got down to the real business of the day.

  “Last night after his nightmare, Stuart said he saw the man who killed his parents.”

  Levi’s salad fork clattered into the bowl and Wes, who was in the kitchen peeling potatoes for dinner, froze. “He did? Enough to recognize him in a lineup?”

  “That, I don’t know. He said the guy didn’t have any hair, but other than that.” She shrugged in defeat. Glancing toward the kitchen, she noted that Wes had gone back to work on the potatoes, but she assumed he was all ears. He, too, had grown fond of Stuart. “He saw the man from his bedroom door, which was ajar. He saw him fire the gun. That scared him, naturally, and that’s when he scooted to the closet to hide.”

  “It was dark. He probably didn’t see much of anything.”

  “His room had a nightlight and I’m pretty sure there was one in the hallway, too.”

  “Maybe he could see some of the man’s features.” Levi wiped his mouth with his napkin and took a long drink of his iced tea. “He opened up to you. That’s great.”

  “He wanted you,” she said, her tone softening. “He feels safe around you.”

  “And around you,” Levi tacked on. “Who did he snuggle up to last night?”

  “Yes, you’re right, but he does look up to you. It’s a guy thing, I guess.” She took note of Levi’s glance in Wes’s direction and his smirk. “No, really. He thinks of you as his protector now. You know how he likes to watch you punch the bag and lift weights downstairs in the gym. He sees you as strong. Powerful. He needs to feel safe and you fill the bill for him.”

  “Excuse me, but . . .” He ducked his head to command her attention again. “You don’t think I’m strong and powerful?”

  She scoffed at his teasing. “We’re talking about Stuart now, Levi. Focus, please.”

  “Oh. Right.” He lowered his brows, seeking to look serious, although mischief sparkled in his blue eyes.

  “You should ask him about it. He’ll feel more comfortable around you.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short,” Levi cautioned with a look of censure. “He clings to you, too. He was glued to you last night.”

  She couldn’t keep from grinning. “Only because I’m softer and more willing.”

  “Won’t get any argument from me on that.”

  “We should let Dr. McClain know about him thawing out some.”

  “I have a session with her tomorrow. I’ll tell her then. Anything else you want me to report?”

  “Well . . .” She dragged out the word, stalling while she sought for the right approach to the next subject. ”There is something I want to discuss with you.”

  He folded his arms on the table and leveled his gaze on her. “Shoot.”

  “It’s something I’ve been batting around in my head for the past few days.” She gathered in a breath. “What do you think about adopting Stuart?”

  Silence responded. Levi’s lips parted, but no words emerged. In her peripheral vision, she saw Wes turn slowly from where he rinsed vegetables in the sink to face them. Wes wasn’t usually so open about eavesdropping. In fact, he often had earbuds in and listened to music while they ate and talked.

  “Say something,” Trudy goaded Levi. “Don’t tell me that you haven’t already considered this because I know you must have.”

  He finally blinked and drew a breath. “Did you talk to Stuart about this? About adopting him?”

  “No. I wouldn’t do that without talking to you about it first. Stuart isn’t clear on what adoption is exactly. He thinks it means that children go back to live with their parents again. He’s heard the kids at the shelter talk about going home and he’s confusing that with adoption.” She traced woodgrain on the table top with her fingertips, avoiding Levi’s look of concern and – what? Trepidation? “He said he couldn’t be adopted because he doesn’t have a family any more. They’re all dead.” She almost choked on the last word, barely forcing it past her tight throat. “It broke my heart when he said that. I feel that he’s waiting for the day when we tell him it’s time to move back to the shelter. It’s like he has a guillotine blade hanging above his neck.”

  “Wait, wait, wait.” Levi patted the air. “That’s a bit dramatic. He’s content here. He’s not tiptoeing around, worrying about being beheaded, for Christ’s sake.”

  “No, but he doesn’t feel settled. He knows this situation is temporary. He’s smart and intuitive. Naturally, he’s wondering how much longer he can stay here with us. Well, I say that we put his mind at ease on that score. We should tell him that we want to adopt him.” She laced her fingers and rested her hands on the table in a gesture of finality. She couldn’t accurately gauge Levi’s feelings and his taciturn mood gave little away.

  After a few moments, he ran his hand down his face and scratched at the emerging stubble on his chin. “Adoption. That’s a big step.”

  “Is it?” she challenged. “Or is it a natural progression? He’s here. He likes it here. We’re doing fine with him. Why not adopt?”

  “Because it might be too soon to take that step. We should discuss this with Althea.”

  “Are you seriously thinking that Althea McClain will object to us adopting Stuart?” She batted a ha
nd at him. “Come on, Levi. What’s your holdup on this? We love Stuart.” When he didn’t immediately confirm her assertion, she glared at him. “Levi. You love Stuart, right?”

  “I . . . I’m fond of him, yes.”

  “Oh, for crying out loud!” She slapped the table in a burst of aggravation and was minimally aware of Wes moving quickly from the kitchen and toward the staircase, making his escape from the conversation that had become too personal. “What is it with you and your reluctance to admit you love someone?”

  “Hey, I say that I love you several times a day.”

  “Yes, but to get you to say it the first time was like pulling teeth. You were loath to admit it.”

  “That’s not true. I didn’t know what I was feeling then. I didn’t trust it.”

  She rested a hand on his. “You know what love feels like now. I’ve seen it on your face when you look at Stuart and I’ve heard it in the way you talk to him. You were fond of him the first week or so he was here, but it’s deeper now. Much deeper.”

  He ran his thumb across the top of her hand and a smile poked at his mouth. “I suppose I do.” He cleared his throat.

  “And how could you not? When you look at him, you see yourself.”

  His gaze flashed up to hers. “No.” He shook his head, almost defensively. “I see the boy I could have been.”

  She tilted her head, baffled. “But he’s so much like you. You both lost your parents. In different ways, but you lost them when you were very young.” She waited for him to nod before continuing, “And you’re both psychic and you were unsure of what that means or how to handle it.”

  “And we both suffer from PTSD,” he added, his expression growing darker. “Which means that being responsible for him won’t be a cakewalk. He won’t just heal once he’s adopted or because we tell him we love him.”

  “I know. But love can make it all so much better and we know he can improve, get stronger, put it behind him. We know this because of your own improvement and progression.” She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his first knuckle. “Love has helped you work your way to a better place, hasn’t it?”