Sorrow's Sieve Ch. 01

I hope you all enjoy. I will do my best to keep up with posting new chapters but the story is still growing and I have no idea which direction it will take yet. Thanks for reading. Comments and votes are very welcome.

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Ashy hair fell in waves down her back and pearlescent blue eyes showed nothing but sorrow. At a quick glance she seemed little more than a child, petite as she was but upon closer inspection one could make out the soft swell of her breasts and the definite curves marking her as a young woman. The tears that stained her face fell unceasingly down her face and body, feeding the large lake surrounding the small rock of an island she could claim as her home, the only one she could remember.

The tenderness in her face along with her tears brought a fierce sense of protectiveness racing through Braedan. He longed to reach out and gather her in his arms and hold her until her tears ceased falling. For some unknown reason all he could do was watch the captivating woman from a distance as a sigh escaped her lips and she sank to the ground looking utterly defeated.

"Who are you?" Braedan asked out loud, his voice carrying across the water. Her head jerked up at the sound and her penetrating eyes met his.

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The harsh sound of Braedan's alarm jarred him awake. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he wondered yet again how he managed to keep up when he rose every morning well before the sun. It was not the first time he had dreamed of the girl. It was always the same, her delicate beauty masked in sorrow and her ever present tears. There was one change between this night's dream and those of the past. She had seen him. Never in the countless nights he had witnessed her silent torment had she recognized his presence. But as he lay in bed he could still picture her unbelievable eyes meeting his in surprise. He could still clearly see her perfect skin reflected in the lake and he knew it was as soft as it looked. He wished he could hear her voice, knowing it would be as intoxicating as the rest of her. Braedan could feel his cock growing hard as he continued to think of her and knew he had to stop. Groaning loudly, he threw off his covers and flipped off his alarm clock, 3:03am, and headed into his bathroom to get ready for his twelve hour day.

He had recently made resident at Maywood Park Hospital in pediatrics for the emergency room. Maywood was not a large city but with a population wavering around 30,000 there was still a lot of work to be done. Although he was no longer the new guy he always took on the extra hours that were offered; it wasn't as if he had anything else to do. He had spent so much time working to get to this point that now that he was here he realized how much he had given up to get there.

He had lost contact with most of his friends and the few he was still in contact with solely conversed over e-mail. His party days had ended before entering Med School and the last time he had been out to a bar was when his brother came to visit, when was it, a year and a half ago? He had been content with spending his time working between the hospital and the small ranch that ran a therapy program. It was designed to break through the physical and mental barriers of disability and sickness by partnering a patient with a horse. His off days from the hospital were spent on the ranch, Wolf Hallow either assisting with the therapy sessions or tending to the horses. He felt most at peace with himself when he was surrounded by the natural smells of the barn, the whickering of horses and the laughter of the children who visited the ranch.

The shower was exactly what he needed to fight off the remnant of his dream and a quick slice of toast and orange juice saw him out his front door. The morning was quieter than normal and he wondered if a storm was coming in. His small house was at the edge of town, surrounded by the beginnings of a beautiful old growth forest. He was minutes away from Wolf Hallow which made his volunteer time even more enjoyable. Glancing briefly at the tree line, as if expecting to see something there, he sighed.

"I have got to get her out of my head" he growled desperately to himself, pulling his hands through his thick auburn hair. Throwing his bag in the back of his old pickup he climbed in and made his way downtown.

"I can assure you Mrs. Jakobs, that Connor is absolutely fine. The x-ray came back and he is suffering from nothing more than a bruised ego and sprained ankle." Braedan explained to the frazzled middle aged woman sitting in the emergency room waiting room. She was a constant worrier and brought her children at least once a week. He was sure she had paid her insurance deductable for the year in the first three weeks.

"Oh thank you, Dr. Kelly! I am so relieved to hear that. Is there anything I need to worry about for his recovery? Should I excuse him from school for the week, what about giving him something for the pain, and what if" Mrs. Jakobs was off and if Braedan did not stop her soon she would fall into near hysterics.

"He is more than capable of attending school, although I would suggest he use crutches until the swelling goes down; do you still have the pair you purchased for Jasmine a few months ago?" the woman nodded.

"They're in the car, I brought them along just in case he would need them" she responded proudly.

"Perfect, as for giving him something for the pain, three ibuprofen or Tylenol will do the trick and make sure that he keeps his foot elevated and ices it for no more than 20 minutes at a time; again only until the swelling goes down," he smiled down at the eccentric woman. "Now, why don't you wait here while I go and get his ankle wrapped up and start him off on those pain killers. I'll bring him out in just a few minutes."

Mrs. Jakobs nodded and sat down, heaving an audible sigh of relief. Braedan had to stop himself from chuckling as he walked back to where Connor Jakobs was 'resting'. Really he had requested that Dr. Kelly give him some peace and quiet from his mother.

"Alright Connor, do you have your ankle wrapped up how I showed you?" Braedan asked when he pushed the curtain aside. The young man looked up from tucking the end of the ace bandage in and nodded.

"Sure thing, Doc. How long before I can hit the track again? We have our first meet in two weeks." Connor was the captain of the high school track team in Maywood and at 17 and a senior he was really counting on a scholarship to come through because of his ability.

"You should be fine to go in a few days. The sprain isn't very bad. Wait until the swelling goes down and start off slow. Walk the track for a bit, and do those exercises I showed you and you will be good to go by the end of the week."

Connor smiled and sighed.

"I guess it's time to face the music. Just how hysterical is she, Doc? Tell me honestly." Braedan did laugh at that. The boy seemed resigned to face a firing squad.

"I took care of her, Connor, nothing to worry about. Just be grateful she cares so much, even if she does smother you a bit."

"That's the understatement of the year, no wonder Ada left right after high school. God, I can't wait to see her again! It will be nice to have her back in town."

"Ada? Are you saying there is another Jakobs sibling?" Braedan asked. Mrs. Jakobs was the mother of five, Connor, Jasmine, the fifteen year old who had just entered high school, Greg and Steven the twin hellion nine year olds and Gracie, the youngest member at four. Braedan had never heard that the there was an older sibling.

"She is a sibling, but she isn't a Jakobs. Mom found her right after I was born. She was taking a walk and heard someone crying. She found Ada, and took her in."

"How old was she?"

"About seven; old enough to know her name and her birthday. Adelaide Bennett born August 13, 1984. She was even able to tell authorities her parent's names and given them a description but they could not find anyone who matched the names and the profile she gave them. When CPS couldn't find anything out about her family they allowed my mom to take her in as a foster child. After a few years she adopted her."

"And they never found out anything about her?" Braedan loved a good mystery and his curiosity was peaked. Connor shrugged.

"Nothing. There was no missing person's report in the country that matched her description or her name, no birth records. There are so many Bennetts in this country that there was no way to contact them all but from what my mom said she sent out letters to hundreds of them and either heard nothing back or was told they had never heard of an Adelaide. Kinda crazy, I know. But she is a wonderful big sister and oh my god she makes the most amazing cheesecake on the planet!" Connor closed his eyes and moaned in appreciation. "And as soon as she gets back I will her until she make me one, I'll even bring a piece for you, doc." Braedan smiled and the boy's enthusiasm.

"Thanks, Connor. I appreciate the thought. What brings her back to Maywood?" He knew he should be ushering the boy out of the hospital but he could not help his question.

"She just finished her Doctorate in psychology and rehabilitation and is coming to work at Wolf Hallow. She's supposed to be coming in at the end of the week."

"Hold on a second, you said she just got her Doctorate and she's only 24?" Braedan interrupted.

"Like I said, she left right after high school. She has done school nonstop since then. She said she knew she was needed and the sooner she finished the more help she could be. She's always been a little strange."

Braedan had heard there was someone new joining the staff, that is was Connor's older sister was a pleasant surprise and not to mention that she was obviously a very passionate individual she would be a real asset to the ranch.

"I might just meet her then, I do a lot of volunteer work on the ranch."

"Really?" Connor exclaimed. "That's great. We'll have to introduce you, maybe you can come to dinner this weekend." Braedan was a little taken back.

"That's a very kind offer, Connor but I couldn't impose, especially at a family reunion." At this comment Connor looked at Braedan carefully and then stood and limped past him into the hall, heading to the waiting room.

"Then I'll ask mom about it, no one says no to her, not even you, Doc." The seventeen year old flashed a bright grin and called to his mom when he saw her.

"Hey mom, Doc Kelly volunteers over at Wolf Hallow. I was thinking it would be nice to have him to dinner to meet Ada so she knows someone over there before she starts on Monday." Mrs. Jakobs eyes lit up and went straight to Braedan who held back a groan. He loved this family but was not sure if he could take more than a few hours a month with them.

"Connor that is a wonderful idea! How does Saturday night sound, Doctor? I'm making corn chowder and corn bread and all the veggies you can eat." How could he turn down a home cooked meal, especially when he hated cooking.

"That would be wonderful, Mrs. Jakobs, thank you for the invitation. Are you sure it wouldn't be an imposition?"

"Imposition? No dear, not at all. Especially after all you have done for my family. Be there around 4:30 and we make a whole evening of it."

"I'll be there, thank you."

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Saturday found Braedan at the barn early, letting the horses out into the paddocks while he mucked out their stalls. The physical worked helped ease his mind from his ever reoccurring dreams. Three years was a long time to have the same dream. Alright, he had to admit that they were never the same, not exactly. Just like the dream earlier in the week, last night's dream brought something new.

This time he found himself upon the island with his beauty. He was not sure when he had begun to think of her as his but as he stood barely five feet from her and watched her tears falls as she slept, he growled possessively, startling himself. Never had he felt so possessive of anyone, or anything. He hated to see her tears continue to fall and he ached to see her experience such sorrow. He had never seen her sleep before, always had she been awake. Even in rest there was sadness etched into her perfect countenance. Moving slowly, he came up beside her and knelt beside her makeshift bed.

He dared not reach out the mere inches to touch her, afraid his body would betray him in his need for her. His hands yearned to run through her long ash colored locks and stroke her delicate skin. Instead he studied her carefully for what seemed like hours. She sighed often and her tears never faulted. Just before he awoke, as the day time world pulled him from his watch, he glanced down one last time and swore he saw the briefest smile cross her face.

He woke up sweating and his body in desperate need of release. How long had it been since he had slept with anyone? He knew it had been at least a year. Since his dreams began it became more and more difficult to find anything worthwhile in the women he met in the waking world. He tried for a while but was always left feeling unfulfilled and guilty, as though he were betraying his night time angel. At that point he had not even felt any sexual attraction to her, in fact he found that his desire for anyone had just, disappeared. So he had stopped seeing anyone. It was only since the dream a few nights ago that his body began to crave the intimate touch of a woman. And not just any woman, but one who solely existed in his dreams! Braedan felt completely lost and not for the first time wondered if he was pushing himself too hard. He was so caught up in his thoughts he did not hear the person who entered the barn until they spoke.

"Morning cowboy, you're sure up early." The voice was sweet and unfamiliar. Braedan turned and removed his hat, wiping his brow as he studied the person in front of him. She was rather tall for a woman, maybe 5'10", although still small compared to his towering frame of 6'2. She was at ease in a comfortable pair of jeans and a flannel shirt and her worn boots proved that she knew her way around a horse. She was...cute. Yes, cute was the best thing to describe her. Despite her height she had a very pixie like frame and face. Short black hair was messily arranged around her heart shape face and green eyes shown mischievously.

"I find the morning the best time to get chores out of the way. I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met, I'm Braedan Kelly." He reached, pulled the glove off and offered his hand in greeting. She smiled brightly and clasped his hand, shaking it with enthusiasm.

"So this is the good Doc Kelly my baby brother has told me all about. Very nice to meet you Doc, I'm Adelaide Bennett, but please call me Ada." Her smile was genuine and Braedan found himself smiling back easily. "You looked rather deep in thought there, Doc. Anything the matter?" she asked, leaning casually against the side of the stall Braedan was working on.

"I heard you were a psychologist but I did not expect you to start in so soon." He chuckled but Ada just shrugged.

"Sometime someone just needs to be heard, I don't mind listening so I make sure to offer. Sorry if I came on a bit strong." Her smile had yet to leave her face but she did appear to be curious as to where his mind was wandering to minutes before.

"Well, all I was thinking about was the fact that I am in desperate need of a vacation. But for now, mucking out stalls and maybe a nice ride in the woods will do to help clear my mind."

"That sounds like a fabulous idea, Doc. Would you care for some company?" She had reached into her back pocket and begun to pull on a pair of small leather gloves.

"Company would be wonderful, Ada. There's a second wheelbarrow and shovel just out the back door there. I've finished the first five stalls so far, the rest are free to claim."

The two spent the rest of the morning finishing the stalls and grooming the horses that would be used for that day's sessions. Although Ada did not technically start working until Monday, she wanted a chance to get to know the animals and her coworkers without having to worry about participants as well.

"So you volunteered here when you were in high school?" Braedan asked once they had saddled two horses and made their way toward one of the main trails into the forest.

"I rode my bike here everyday after school and spent every Sunday after church here as well. I had to save Saturdays for school work." Ada responded. She really liked Braedan so far, in the little time she had spent with him. He may not originally be from Maywood but seemed to love it. But she could tell that beneath his easy smile there was something really bothering him.

"Was volunteering here what inspired you to become a psychologist?" Braedan inquired further.

"That just about sums it up. There is something about this place and what it does that has always drawn me. I've seen miracles performed with these animals," she patted the neck of palomino, Rosie she was riding. "I've even convinced a friend to follow me down here to try and get his little sister some help. She'll come and meet the staff and horses on Monday."

"Do you mind if I ask what she needs help with?"

"A few years ago she and her parents were part of a major highway accident up north. Drunk driver, slick road conditions, the worse possible combination really. Anyway, she and her parents were trapped in their car for nearly two hours before the authorities were able to get them out. She was not very badly injured, mostly superficial things, but both of her parents suffered terribly. In those two hours she had to watch them die while also hearing the screams and cries from the cars around her. Twelve people died in total with about fifty six injuries. Her brother was her only family left and took her in. At first she seemed fine, well, as fine as one can be after witnessing the death of one's parents, but over the course of a few weeks she began to close herself off. She has now completely retreated into herself. Surprisingly she still takes care of herself rather well but she talks to no one, looks at no one, and seems genuinely unaware of anything around her except her cat. Her bond with her cat is what made me think that working with the horses might help her." Ada shrugged. "She is a beautiful girl and once I got to know she and her brother I studied even harder to finish my degree and get back here."

"Why didn't he bring her himself, before you finished?"

"He hates Doctors," she grinned over at him. "And he spent so much time being talked at without seeing any improvement in Galen that he has a hard time trusting anyone's methods. I did try to convince him to come down but he said the only way he would bring her was if I were there."

"I suppose that makes sense. A lot of people forget the hardship such an occurrence has on the caregiver. I wish you luck in her treatment."

"Thanks, I think I will need it. She may open up to the horses, but I have to get her to open up to the people around her."