Country Mile

FAR FROM THEIR GRASP

Adam sat and listened with a heavy heart as Genna shared all that had been troubling her. It didn't take but a single minute for him to realize she needed help beyond what he was capable of giving her. He knew when she stepped foot off that plane all those months ago that she had packed up depression and tried to stow it away in her carry on. After enduring such a loss and being thrusted into a new life, he would've been more concerned if she hadn't. He was expecting a rough start and he knew time heals all wounds, but somewhere along the line, Genna stopped healing. She was going in reverse at a startling speed and he wished he had seen the signs of her condition deteriorating before it crippled her. He berated himself mercilessly for letting her down.

By the time she had finished laying all of her burdens on his shoulders and he felt comfortable enough to send her off to bed, he felt as if he'd been dragged for miles by a wild stallion. One foot caught in the stirrup, suffering from nothing short of lethal blows from the devastating ride through Genna's pain.

He was mentally and emotionally exhausted, and somehow, he physically hurt. His ribcage felt like it ached from the sorrow that swelled within his chest like an unruly sea. It rocked and swayed against his bones and each breath he took felt like all of that contained sadness was one exhale away from breaking through.

Afraid to speak when he entered the bedroom, he wordlessly stripped out of his shirt and jeans before falling into bed beside Anne. He just knew the moment he tried to voice a single word, his composure would snap and all of that heartache would flood his eyes.

Anne was propped up on her pillows reading when he entered. She watched him with scrutinizing eyes as he undressed. When his drained body dropped onto the bed beside her, she immediately set her book down upon her nightstand and turned off the light. She then leaned back and pulled him close to her, guiding his head to rest upon her chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist as she ran gentle fingers through his dark blonde hair.

"You don't have to say anything," she whispered softly into the darkness. "Just know I'm with you, all the way. We'll get her the help she needs."

His profound sadness was contagious; she felt her own heart sink into his despair. A tear slid down her cheek when she felt the shoulders of the man she loved more than anything begin to shake from the cry he fought to hold in.

Then it happened. His resolve broke and a gut wrenching sob poured from him. Its was keenly desperate and unforgiving as it ravaged his body.

"Oh, honey," she hoarsely whispered.

The sound of Adam Nathaniel Prescott crying was a kind of devastation that words could not justify; not a single one in the dictionary could properly convey. All Anne knew was it brought forth a pain she wished never existed in her world. To have this man, someone so astoundingly stoic and sage, break down in her arms, was staggering.

All of his pretenses fell and his very soul was bared to her. His arm pulled her tighter to his sorrowful body and his hand gripped tightly to her short floral nightgown. She whispered endless promises that Genna was going to be okay softly into his ear as she ran her hands up and down his back in a comforting rhythm. Holding him through the worst of his pain was all she could do.

After several minutes, his sobs slowed and he managed to compose himself rather quickly. Anne felt his once covetous hold on her turned rigid. She guided his eyes up to look into her own. Though she could barely see him in the low light of the moon shining in through their parted curtains, she saw enough to know embarrassment had washed over him.

"Don't you dare," she said in a strong, but kind tone; one that gently brook no argument. "Don't you ever be ashamed of crying in front of me. We need to be transparent with one another in every way."