Long Time Running - By Hannah Foster Page 0,12

and urged him towards the door; she gave Eric a look demanding he do the same.

Keith gave Nathalie's hand a squeeze and headed out of the room. Sarah pushed the door closed, took a deep breath and turned back to her sister.

"Natty," she said softly.

Hot, angry tears tumbled down Nathalie's face as she hung her head in shame. "Sarah, I'm scared."

Crossing the room the normally restrained lawyer enveloped her sister in a tight, reassuring embrace as she had many times when Nathalie had been frightened or sad after their parents had passed away. "I'm here Natty, I'm here." Sarah whispered.

Nathalie let herself be warmed in her sister's arms for several minutes before gently pulling away and wiping at her tear-stained face. "Never....never in my worst nightmares did I think this would happen," she said, smiling weakly.

"Is it really a nightmare?" Sarah asked unable to hide the hint of hurt in her voice. "Seeing me - even seeing Eric - is it really so bad? Because I've missed you Nathalie. You are my only sister and seeing you is more like a dream than a nightmare."

Suitably chastened, she shook her head. "No, seeing you is not a nightmare" she told her softly."I'm....happy....to see you, I just....I didn't think I would see any of you again."

"Well sometimes the universe has a mind of its own."

Wiping at the tears pooling in her eyes, she nodded as she clasped her sister's hand. "I am glad to see you, Sarah."

Words unspoken, questions unanswered hung heavily in the air. The two sisters stared at each other for several long minutes, neither sure what to say next.

"Keith seems nice" Sarah offered, scrambling for neutral ground.

Exhaling and melting against the pillows, Nathalie nodded. "He is. He is a very good man."

What remained unspoken was that he was not the right man. The small glimpse of Eric had set her heart racing and reminded her that she was not free to give her heart to another because it still belonged to him. Nathalie couldn't help but think that if she had had some warning she could have prepared herself, or steeled herself more like it, for her first glimpse of him in over seven years. But that was foolish. Eric always had the ability to take her breath away. It appeared that hadn't changed. Nathalie felt the stress and emotional turmoil of the day begin to claim her.

"I'm glad you found someone" Sarah told her softly.

Nathalie nodded but refused to meet her sister's eyes. "What about you?" Nathalie asked wearily.

Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat at the obvious opening to tell her sister about Jack.

"Still too busy saving the world from the bad guys to take time for yourself?" Nathalie offered at the lack of her sister's response.

"Something like that." Sarah responded.

"What, what about Eric?" she asked in a whispered tone as if she knew she didn't have the right to ask and was desperately afraid of the answer. "Did he find someone?"

Sarah's voice was soft as she replied, gently shaking her head, "No one of importance that I am aware of."

Nathalie closed her eyes.

"Nathalie I-" As she looked back at her sister and realized she had fallen asleep, she sighed in resignation. She tucked the blankets around her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Rising gently from the bed she exited the room and quietly pulled the door shut behind her.

Keith jumped up from the chair. "Is she okay?"

Sarah nodded. "She's asleep."

"I'm going to sit with her," he told her in a tone that indicated it was demand and not a request. He slipped inside the room without so much as a backwards glance.

Sighing, Sarah leaned against the wall and tiredly rubbed her hand over her face.

"You okay?"

Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find Andrew standing beside her; she had not even noticed him when she came out of the room. "Where's Eric?" she asked.

Andrew's dark brown eyes clouded momentarily. "He needed air."

Chewing on one of her perfectly manicured nails and nodding, Sarah stared at the floor. Tears unexpectedly welled in her eyes and she swiped angrily at them. Andrew nudged her shoulder. "Sarah?"

"She didn't ask about Jack," she whispered. "Not a single question."

Andrew's face softened. "Sarah, she thinks he's been adopted. She believes that you placed him for adoption as she asked you to. She probably didn't ask about him because it's too painful for her."

As she lifted her head to meet his eyes, her face betrayed the vulnerability she look felt. "I'm