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She could feel empathy pouring out of her as she tried to reach out to the teenager behind the door. The teenager who thought that no one could understand.
The voice was quiet—almost a whisper. ‘It would have been my dad’s birthday today. He would have been forty-five.’ Kristie’s heart twisted in her chest. Of course. A birthday for someone who’d been lost. The roughest of days.
She heard the strangled sob again. All she wanted to do was put her arms around this hurting young girl. ‘I get it,’ she said steadily. ‘Birthdays are always hard. I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve cried every birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas that my sister hasn’t been here.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Just know that you’re not alone, Jill. Other people have gone through this. They understand. You just need to find someone to listen. Someone you feel as if you can talk to. Do you have someone like that?’
The reply was hesitant. ‘It should be my mum. But I can’t. I can’t talk to her because she’s so upset herself. She cries when she thinks I can’t hear.’ There was another quiet noise. Kristie recognised it. Jill had sat down on the opposite side of the door from her. It gave her a sense of hope.
‘Okay, I get it. What about if we find someone who is just for you? Someone you can talk to whenever you need to?’
‘Th-that might be okay... But...’
‘But?’ prompted Kristie.
‘I don’t want to have to go somewhere. To see someone.’
‘Would you talk to someone on the phone? Have you tried any of the emotional support helplines around here?’
‘M-maybe.’
Kristie sucked in her breath. ‘Did you talk?’
There was silence for a few seconds. ‘No.’
Tears were brimming in Kristie’s eyes.
‘I... I just wasn’t ready.’
Kristie rested her head on her knees. One of the things that Rhuaridh had said before clicked into place in her mind. About all you can do is the best that you can. She wiped her tears again. ‘Are you ready now?’ she asked.
‘I... I think so...’
‘Jill, can I come in?’
There was the longest silence. Then a click at the door. Kristie cast a glance over her shoulder to where the teacher and Rhuaridh were standing. Her heart twisted in her chest. He hadn’t believed in her. And for a few seconds it had felt like a betrayal—like the bottom had fallen out of her world. But she would deal with that later. Right now, she was going to do the best that she could.
‘Kristie...’ The voice came from behind her.
But she just shook her head, opened the door and closed it behind her.
* * *
He sat there for hours. First talking to the teacher, then to Jill’s frantic mother, who’d practically run all the way from the ferry. He’d managed to get hold of a children’s mental health nurse who would come and see Jill tomorrow from the mainland. This wasn’t something that could be fixed overnight.
Kristie finally emerged from the classroom with her arm around Jill’s shoulder. Jill threw herself into her mother’s arms and Kristie waited to talk to both mother and daughter together. Just like he would expect a professional counsellor to do.
She’d been a star today. And he knew she’d been scared. He knew she’d had to expose part of herself to connect with the teenager. And words couldn’t describe how proud he was of her right now.
He stood to the side until he was sure she had finished talking, then joined her to let Jill and her mother know the plans for the next day.
The rest of the students had now been sent home so the school was quiet, silence echoing around them. Rhuaridh lifted his hand to touch Kristie’s cheek. ‘I can’t believe you did that,’ he said quietly.
She met his gaze. ‘I had to. She needed someone to talk to—someone to listen—and I could be that person.’
‘I’m so proud of you. I know this must have been difficult.’
Something jolted in his heart. He hadn’t wanted to say these words here, but he had to go with the feelings that were overwhelming him. ‘I love you, Kristie. I’ve spent the last few months loving you and was just waiting for the right time to tell you.’ He held up one hand, ‘And even though it’s a completely ridiculous and totally unromantic place, the right time is now.’
