Part Thirty : Spa Day

1673 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Saturday, February 24, 2001

10:30 AM

"Wow," Jenna said, stepping inside as Francine unlocked the door. "This is
really nice--it's different than where you used to live." She turned around
slowly as she spoke, looking up at the high ceilings and taking in everything.


"Yeah--I forgot that you hadn't seen this place yet--I moved from the apartment
to this townhouse about a year ago," Francine said. "Here, let me show you where
you'll be sleeping--it's not a sofa bed anymore." She led Jenna through the
foyer and up the staircase. "This is the guest bedroom--you have your own
bathroom and shower right in the room."

"Thanks," Jenna put her duffel bag and the Scarecrow doll on the bed. "The
bedspread's pretty--I love the color lavender."


Francine smiled. "I remember. Also, if you need anything tonight I'll be just
across the hall."


Anything included nightmares or flashbacks--Amanda had told Francine that Jenna
hadn't had any of those for a few nights now--but that didn't necessarily mean
that she wouldn't--and if she did, Francine wanted to be prepared.


"Do you need anything to eat?" Francine asked.


Jenna took her pajamas out of her bag, folding them up and putting them under
the pillow before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "No, I'm fine right
now--it's not lunchtime yet."


She looked good, Francine thought--she no longer had circles under her eyes--she
looked well-rested, happy. Maybe there would be no nightmares. The things that
had happened to Jenna at Gary's hands, however--that would be enough to give an
adult bad dreams--let alone a child--thinking of that man's hands on Jenna's
ribcage, pressing down--a shudder ran through Francine's body.


"Francine--are you okay?" Jenna was staring at her, a puzzled frown on her
face. "I kept calling your name just now and you didn't answer."


Francine sat down beside Jenna on the bed. "I'm fine--I just had some things on
my mind. How are you?"


"Fine--I was a little worried about Mom and Dad though--they're not going
anyplace dangerous, are they?"


"Dangerous? No--it's just a very simple milk--I mean, location shoot, that's
all. Very safe." There was no 100% guarantee--Francine knew--but Lee and Amanda
had been Billy's best team--now they were hers--and he had specifically
requested them on this mission.
"They'll be back by Sunday, I promise."

"That's good." Jenna grimaced slightly--rubbing at her shoulder with one hand.
"There are a lot of--dangerous places--a lot of bad things can happen to
people."


"Sometimes that's true," Francine said. "Does your shoulder hurt?"


Jenna nodded. "I think I slept on it wrong last night--it's funny--I never used
to get muscle pains like this--now they happen all the time."


Tension--Francine thought, as she watched the younger girl. PTSD could cause a
lot of tension--that's what Pfaff had said--and tension could create physical as
well as emotional problems.


'She needs a place--a day--to just relax, be pampered a little--something to
ease the pressure.' Francine thought.

She knew just the right place.

SMK SMK SMK SMK

Hela Day Spa

11:30 AM

"I've never been to a spa before," Jenna said as they sat down in the lobby.
Soft music piped in through the speakers--the pleasant scent of sandalwood
filled the air. "But I've heard about them."

"Well you're in for a treat--Hela is the best spa in the DC area--and believe
me, I've been to quite a few."

"What do you do at a spa?"

"All sorts of things--you can get a facial, a manicure, pedicure, even a nice
massage."

Jenna's face paled. "A massage? You mean that someone would be--"

Francine knew she had to tread gently here--she recalled reading that a massage
could be therapeutic in these kind of situations--but with Jenna's fear of
physical vulnerability it could still be tricky.

"Jenna, listen to me--you don't have to get one if you really don't want to."
Francine told her. "But it might help with all those muscle aches you've been
having."

"Maybe--I mean, it sounds nice and all, but--" Jenna's voice faltered--she bit
down on her bottom lip. "I'm just not sure--I don't know. Would I be able to
keep my clothes on?"

Luckily Francine had seen other children here in the past--she knew how it
worked. "Of course you can--and we'll make sure the masseuse is a woman--not a
man."

"And you'll be there the whole time?"

"I'll be there the whole time, Jenna--I promise."

Jenna hesitated. "Okay."

"Great," Francine said. "I'll just go sign us in--and don't worry--we're going
to have a wonderful day."

1:30 PM

"Hey there," the therapist smiled, extending her hand towards Jenna. She was a
young woman in her early thirties, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. "My name
is Sarah--I'll be doing your massage today."

"My name's Jenna," Jenna shook the woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too, Jenna--hop on up."

"Do I really need to lie down on the table?" Jenna asked.

"There is a chair, but the table might be more comfortable--it's more your
size," the therapist said.

"Jenna--I'm right here," Francine said. "It's all right to lie downa33;you'll be
fine."

Jenna was silent for a moment--finally she climbed up on the table. The
therapist helped her to lie down in the right position and covered her legs with
a blanket.

"Now, we're just going to be doing a massage of your back, neck and
shoulders--you said on the form your shoulder was sore, so we're going to be
concentrating on that area," the therapist said. "I'll be very gentle--and just
remember that if anything hurts or feels uncomfortable in any way you tell me to
stop and I'll stop-all right?"
Jenna nodded. "I understand."

Francine watched closely as the massage began--Jenna seemed tense at first, her
hands gripping the sides of the table tightly--gradually though, her body
started to relax-- head lowered--muscles going limp--eyes half closed--Francine
let out a breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

4:00 PM

"Spa food is almost always salad, I know," Francine said. "But if you're still
hungry after this we can always go somewhere else."

"No, this is fine," Jenna speared a small piece of chicken with her fork, taking
a bite. "Actually it's really good. Thank you--you didn't have to do all this."

"It was my pleasure--the most important thing is that you enjoyed yourself."

"I did--I was a little nervous about the massage, but it was nice--my shoulder
doesn't even hurt anymore. And my fingernails and feet--I hope the glitter
polish doesn't look too crazy."

"No--it looks very nice--clear glitter was a good choice."

"I liked the facial--I'm glad they put on makeup after to hide the scar. Thanks
for buying the concealer."

"You're welcome, but Jenna, that scar is going to fadea33;--before you know--people
won't even be able to see it."

Jenna's cheeks flushed--even pinker than the blush she wore. "That's what dad
says too--but I still--sometimes I still can feel everyone staring at it."

'Franny, no matter what you think, everyone is not staring at you.' In her head
Francine could still hear her mother's words from so long ago. Her mother had
been right, of course--but when you were Jenna's age it certainly felt like
people were staring--even the tiniest flaw could be magnified ten times over.

Sometimes the perception mattered more than the reality.

"I know how you feel," she told Jenna. "But trust me--things will get better."

"I hope so--I overheard Terri Morgan calling me Scarface yesterday--if that gets
around and everyone starts saying it I don't know what I'll do."

The little--Francine quelled her own anger--she thought of telling Jenna how she
could get the perfect revenge on this girl--but then she decided against it--if
it backfired Jenna would be the one in trouble.

"Did I ever tell you about Brian Snyder?" she asked Jenna.

Jenna shook her head. "Who's he?"

"This boy I liked in tenth grade--all the girls liked him, followed him
around--and he was always so nice to me--and finally I worked up the nerve to
ask him to the mixer on Friday after school."

"What's a mixer?"

"It was what they used to call these little dances they had on Fridays--I guess
it was a chance to socialize. Anyway, I planned everything--what I was going to
wear--what I was going to say--every little detail--except the zit."

"The zit?" Jenna repeated, taking another bite of her salad.

"Yes--when I woke up that morning it was there and it was huge--right in the
middle of my forehead--between my eyes where you couldn't miss it. I tried to
cover it up with makeup but that actually made it worse." As she spoke Francine
vividly remembered staring in the mirror--it had been a warm morning--when she
sweated the makeup on her forehead ran down her face, leaving dark streaks.

"So what did you do?"

"Well, I asked him anyway--and he said he wouldn't be seen dead with a girl who
had a zit. I was crushed --until I was asked out the same day by his older
brother Todd--and he was a senior." Francine took a deep breath. "I guess what
I'm trying to say is--the people who really matter will look past the
scar--they'll look past everything--and they'll see the real you."

"I don't even know who the real me is," Jenna said. "I mean, I feel a lot better
than I did--most of the time, but I still don't feel like myself--I don't feel
the way I used to."

Reaching over, Francine squeezed her hand. "Give it time--you'll get there."

"Hey, Jenna."

Francine looked up to see a boy about Jenna's age. Jenna's dark eyes widened,
her cheeks flushing an ever-deeper pink.

"Hey Paul." Jenna's voice was a near whisper. "What are you doing here?"

'Paul Davidson,' Francine thought. She remembered Jenna talking about him
before.

"My--um--my Mom comes here," Paul stammered. "You look really nice."

"Thanks." Jenna said.

"Okay--well--I guess--I'll see you on Monday."

"Sure, Monday," Jenna said. Paul walked away and out of the cafeteria.

"See, what did I tell you?" Francine said.

Jenna smiled. "You were right."

1673 Wisconsin Ave. NW

7:30 PM

Francine placed a bowl of popcorn and a bowl of chips on the coffee table--along
with a cold can of soda from the fridge. Now which movie? She looked at the
DVDs which lined the shelves of her entertainment center. She'd let Jenna
decide--it was her night, after all. Just then her cell phone rang--a familiar
number. She picked it up and flipped it open.

"Hello, Lee--how's everything going?"

"Everything's fine--with any luck we should be back tomorrow morning and I'll
have the report for you on Monday. How's Jenna? Is she having a good time?"

"Yes she's having a good time--we went out earlier and now we're going to watch
some movies once she gets out of the shower."

"Sounds like a good idea--as long as it's not violent or anything."

Francine sighed. "Yes, dad--I already figured that out."

"Francine, come on--"

"Is that dad?" Jenna came downstairs dressed in her pajamas, slippers and robe.
"Can I talk to him?" Francine handed her the phone.

"Dad, hi--how are you? How's mom? She is? Well, tell her I love her--yes, I
love you too. I'm having a nice time--everything's just fine--yes--I'm
eating--okay--I will--you take care too--be careful coming back and I'll see you
tomorrow--bye dad--I love you too--bye." Jenna flipped the cell phone closed,
handing it back to Francine.

"What movie would you like to watch tonight?" Francine asked.

Jenna knelt in front of the entertainment center. "Wow--you have a lot of
movies. I guess--how about this one? I've never seen it."

City of Angels with Nicolas Cagea33; "Jenna--ahh--maybe we can find something a
little more upbeat--it's kind of dark in places."

"What about this movie then?" Jenna held up a copy of Sleepless in Seattle.
"Lisa says it's romantic--and it's rated PG."

One of her favorites, Francine thought. "That would be great to watch."

SMK SMK SMK SMK

9:25 PM

"That was so romantic." Jenna turned to Francine as the credits began to run.
"I'm glad they finally got together at the end."

"Me too," Francine popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "You know, no
matter how many times I see this movie I'm always holding my breath towards the
end--wondering if they'll find each other."

"I know what you mean--I do that with some movies too." Jenna paused. "Do you
think it can happen like that, you know--meeting the one?"

"It's happened before," Francine said, thinking of Lee and Amanda--she couldn't
tell Jenna that story, though. "Anything's possible."

"Yeah--but Dad gets so weird when I mention boys," Jenna said. "I'm afraid that
if I ever meet the one he might chase him off--probably with a pitchfork."

Francine laughed. "Your dad will calm down eventually--give him time."

Jenna grinned. "Yeah." Suddenly her smile faded. "What that kid Jonah did in
the movie though--running off to New York like that--that wasn't smart at all."

"No, that's true." Francine hadn't actually thought of it that way before--but
now that she did--"That was a dangerous thing to do."

"He really frightened his dad," Jenna took another sip of her soda, putting it
back on the coffee table. "I mean--if something had happened to him--I know how
frightened my parents were."

Francine recalled that afternoon when Amanda had calleda33;the way her heart had
leapt up into her throat as she'd heard Amanda's trembling voice:

"Jenna's gone, Francine--someone's taken her--she's been kidnapped."

"We were all frightened," she said quietly.

"Yeah--I was frightened too--I didn't think I'd ever see anybody ever again--I
thought that was it--I was going to die--and that--I don't think I've ever been
that scared before."

Francine swallowed. "I can imagine."

"When he pressed down on my chest--it was the worst pain--I don't think I've
ever felt that much pain--I thought he'd kill me right then--and I hurt so much
for a minute that I--I almost wanted him to---but all he wanted to do was
hurt--" Jenna's voice faltered--she wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry--I'm making
much too much of this."

"You're fine," Francine said. "It's good--to get all that out in the open."

"I know--and you're right--talking about it does make me feel better."

"That's what this is all about, Jenna--helping you feel better--to heal."

"So it hurts less and less every day--until one day it won't hurt at all--that's
what Mom told me."

"She's right." Francine paused, looking at Jenna. "Hey, do you want to watch
another movie? It's not a school night--you still have time--your choice."

Jenna scanned the shelves. "We could watch--hey, you have Horsefeathers in
here--would you like to watch that? I saw it with Jamie--it was really funny."

Francine had never seen it--but she vividly recalled a tipsy Beaman giving it to
her as a Christmas present last year. "Sure--I'd love to watch it."

Jenna smiled. "Great." She put on the movie and sat next to Francine, who put an
arm around the younger girl, pulling her close as they watched.