“Go ahead and lie down,” Rachel instructed.
The young woman climbed onto the table, her cheeks flushing red. “I feel silly coming here,” Cheryl admitted. “My husband thinks I’m being ridiculous.”
“Cheryl, you don’t have to stay,” Rachel tried to soothe her nervousness.
“I know, but I want to give this a try. Besides, it’s better than taking all those hormones the doctor wants to give me. If this doesn’t work, then I go that route.”
“All right. Let’s get started then.” Once Cheryl lay down on the table, Rachel zoned everything out of her mind other than the woman lying before her.
Rachael’s hands lightly skimmed over her body from her feet to the top of her head then worked her way back down. When she neared her stomach for the second time, Rachel lightly touched it, letting her palms rest there for a minute. Allowing her consciousness to flow through Cheryl, Rachel searched for something that wasn’t there. She frowned, beginning to move her hands away, but Cheryl reached out, pressing her hands down again on her stomach, incorrectly reading Rachel’s expression.
“I want a baby, Rachel.”
Rachel looked down into the pleading eyes of Cheryl, giving her a brief nod. Cheryl released her desperate grip, allowing Rachel to continue. Once again, Rachel’s hands glided over her body several times before stopping.
“You can sit up, Cheryl.”
“Well?” Her expectant face stared back at her. The woman was in her late twenties, pretty with long, blond hair and blue eyes. She had married Jared Hicks when she was seventeen, who Rachel despised but Cheryl thought was the reason she existed.
“I can’t help you.” Rachel always believed in being honest about her skills.
Cheryl’s shoulders slumped. Sliding off the table, she reached for her purse. “How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing.” Rachel took a step back when, despite her words, Cheryl tried to hand her some cash. When Rachel refused to take it, she put it back in her purse before going for the doorway.
“Cheryl.” The woman paused, looking back at her. “Did Jared get checked out to see if the reason you two are having problems conceiving a baby might be on his part?”
Her horrified look answered that question.
Of course not, Rachel thought to herself. Everyone always thought it was the woman’s fault.
“I couldn’t ask him to get checked out.”
Her freaking doctor should have mentioned it! “It’s something to consider, especially before you take the next step,” Rachel advised.
“He’ll get mad. He’s already angry at me for going to the doctor. He said that, if we get pregnant, it’s God’s will.”
Rachel’s hands fisted by her side. The inconsiderate asshole just didn’t want any blame focused on his own possible defects. Jared especially wouldn’t want to accept any blame cast on his own masculinity; he was too busy proving it to every woman in Treepoint who would have him. He hadn’t been faithful to Cheryl since they came back from their fancy honeymoon in Hawaii.
Honestly, Rachel thought half of Cheryl’s desperation to have a baby was to save her failing marriage. Treepoint being such a small town, she was sure Cheryl hadn’t escaped the vicious gossip of Jared’s affairs.
“Did the doctors say there was a reason you weren’t conceiving?”
“No. All my tests are coming back normal, but I made an appointment with a specialist in Lexington.”
Rachel sighed. “I don’t think the problem is yours, Cheryl. I think you should ask Jared to get checked out before you spend money on more expensive doctors.”
She bit her lips. “I’ll think about asking him,” she finally agreed.
“Good.” Rachel took her hand, giving her a reassuring warmth that would lessen her anxiety.
“Thanks, Rachel.”
“You’re welcome.” Rachel was showing her out the door as her new appointment was arriving.
Both women greeted Mrs. Langley. Rachel told Cheryl good-bye before escorting Mrs. Langley to the sunroom, helping the frail woman onto the table. She’d had gallbladder surgery months ago, and the older woman had not recovered her strength yet. Rachel doused the lavender candles and lit her white candles for healing, letting the soothing aroma fill the room as she came to stand over Mrs. Langley with a gentle smile.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Tired. I’m tired all the time now, Rachel.” The woman’s pale, lined face stared back at her.
“Let me see if I can help with that.” Rachel skimmed her hands over Mrs. Langley’s body, taking her time to send wave after wave of healing warmth through her. As Rachel worked, she noticed her stiffness gradually became more relaxed.
She worked on her longer than she had anticipated; giving the woman everything she could, hoping it was enough. It was going to take several sessions to ease the toll the surgery had taken on her.
When she finished, Rachel helped Mrs. Langley from the table.