Dust

Chapter 24 (Final Chapter)

Faith POV: Tim walks in around midnight, and sneaks into bed in an attempt to not awake me. He doesn't realize that I've been up crying since six...

He must feel me shake, because he wraps his arms around me and places his lips against my arm. Somehow, he believes this is going to help.

"I know you're awake." He calls me out. I turn over toward him and push my head into his chest. He runs his fingers through my hair in return.

"Where were you?" I ask. He clears his throat.

"I had to do a few things for work." He answers vaguely, kissing my forehead.

"That's bullshit." I reply, wrapping my arms tightly around him. He takes a deep breath, and begins to think things through in his head.

"I saw your father and Rob." He answers, seeming to tell the truth. Just the thought of Rob gives me the chills.

"Why?" I ask, trying not to be upset till I get a reason. He traces a circular pattern on my scalp while he thinks.

"I want to know about your past, and they're the only ones who truly know the things I never witnessed." He answers, looking down at me. I look up at him to see his eyes are clear, and seem to be truthful. "You wrecked the car when you and Rob were married. He slammed his head against the dash, and didn't remember anything." Tim says quickly, making a knot form in my chest. "He never hit or hurt you. You decided that he would be better off restarting than ending up back with you." I can tell he feels disturbed by how my memory completely flipped around this -- I am too -- but at the same time, I don't think that I'm going to suddenly wake up and remember everything.

"I'm sorry." I reply, burying my head in his chest. He shakes his head slowly and tenses up a bit.

"It's not your fault honey. I'm going to figure all this out, and we are going to be happy. You understand?" He says firmly, seeming to be reassuring himself more than anyone. But something about his works makes me believe him, and comforts me deep inside. "I love you more than anything else on this planet. I will do anything in my power to make this easier for you." He finishes.

"I love you too." I answer, finally able to take a full breath.

The next morning I wake up to Tim drinking a cup off coffee by the window in the living room. He's standing and looking outside, seeming to be in deep thought. I tip toe around him and into the kitchen for coffee, to see he's made breakfast. I smile, and look down for a moment in an effort to conceal it.

"I didn't want to wake you up, but I figured you'd go for pancakes and bacon." He smiles, kissing me on the cheek. I smile, and kiss him back.

We curl up outside and look around us. I can't seem to get enough of being near him today. He rubs my shoulder, while my head rests on his chest. I can hear his heart beat, which just reassures me that I'm going to be okay. He's going to take care of me, even if something happens to my memory once more. He's not leaving my side, and I can rest easy knowing that.

That's when the sky opens, and the rain begins to pour.