Storyteller

Chapter 28

Faith POV: 

I lie in bed anxiously, watching the minutes pass. It's six in the morning, and Tim hasn't come up to bed. After deciding I can't get to sleep, I get up and walk downstairs, finding Tim on the couch. He looks a little dazed, as he sits up, and stares at a half eaten sandwich. 

"Is everything okay?" I ask, my voice sounding soft and raw. He looks up at me and breathes heavily out of his mouth. A thought emerges in my mind, but I push it back, praying it's not true. It can't be... 

"I'm so sorry..." He slurs, covering his eyes with his hands. My chest aches as tears come to my eyes. He stands, and grabs my arm as I go to run back upstairs. "Please don't leave..." He pleads, tears running down his cheeks. "Faith, I'm so sorry..." He cries out, following me. 

"I fucking need you, and instead you run off getting drunk again?" I start to shriek, feeling my body shake. He places his hands on the side of his head. He's wasted, and he knows it. 

"Faith, I'm sorry... I'm trying to fix it, but I messed up. It won't happen again." He rambles, following me into the master bedroom. I shake my head, and feel my stomach churn. 

"Who am I supposed to trust to take care of the girls when I'm gone if you start drinking behind my back again?" I shout. He freezes, and swallows hard, before beginning to sob like a child. He looks ridiculous. He's far too drunk to be brave right now. 

"Faith, I can take care of the girls. This was just one night. It was a mistake." He begs. I stand beside the bed, and stare at him. He looks so weak, and beaten. 

"I'm changing the will..." I release, feeling my heart crush. He drops his jaw slightly. 

"Faith, It's not going to happen--" He starts. 

"You know that the moment I'm gone, you're going to turn right back to alcohol. I can't trust you..." I confess, feeling my chest burn. I hate to admit it, but it's true. Alcohol brings him comfort, the same way I bring him comfort. For the moment, I replace alcohol in the equation. The second I'm gone, he'll go right back to it without a doubt. He stands still, and watches me carefully, before taking a deep breath. He covers his eyes and wails. 

"I can't lose you... I don't want to lose you..." He cries, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Oh my god... I'm going to lose you..." He lets out, freezing for a moment, practically not breathing. The words make me go numb, as he covers his mouth and looks at me. A thick silence is established, making it hard to muster up the proper words. 

The doctors told me today that the cancer is spreading like wildfire, and they have no clue what to do next. It's inoperable...

Tim is driving me home, and clenching the driver's wheel so tightly his knuckles crack. His fingers are turning white as he pants. He stops as we pull up to a red light, and then punches the steering wheel. 

"Goddamnit!" He screams, causing me to jump. He breathes deeply, and goes back to gripping the steering wheel. I shut my eyes tightly, and try to decide what to do. He's shaking, and clenching his jaw tightly, making me feel sick. 

"Pull over." I direct, taking a deep breath. He looks over at me with curiosity, before pulling over onto the shoulder. I open up my car door, and breathe in some fresh air, before looking around me. There's a thick patch of woods on the side of the road here, and I know there's a lake somewhere in there. I look at Tim, who's still sitting in the car, before sparing him a smile. I bite my lip, and decide to run into the woods as fast as I can. 

"Faith! What the hell are you doing?" He shouts, slamming the car door as he gets out to chase me. I sprint, laughing a little as I do. This feeling has been long forgotten since my diagnosis. Normally I'm too exhausted to even imagine jogging, but now, I want to run. 

After running for a good five minutes without slowing, I'm starting to see the lake through the trees. I remember that there's a dock on the east side of the lake, which I believe is the side I'm coming on. I spot the worn, wooden dock, and quickly kick off my shoes before running down the dock, and jumping into the cold water. 

Tim emerges at the edge of the lake a few moments later, crouched over and panting. He watches me, as I start to float of my back. The sensation is the first real peace I've felt in a long time. The water is freezing, which numbs me. I shut my eyes, and try to relax. My mind keeps going back to when I was younger. I keep seeing Tim's smile from way back then. I don't know why that's the only thing that my head is really stuck on... 

Something pulsates through my body, making the peace fade, and leaving pain in me. My limbs tense, as the chilly water suddenly engulfs me. I feel paralyzed, as my back slams against the bottom of the lake. I can't swim right now... For some reason my limbs can't move... I'm just sitting at the bottom of the lake, trying my best not to inhale water amidst my panic. 

I lay down here for what seems like an eternity. I keep waiting to see Tim dive in after me, but I don't see him coming. I have no air left in my system, so I begin to inhale water. My eyes scan around quickly, praying that someone will help me. It hurts... My lung are burning and my body is practically frozen down here. 

As if everything were in slow motion, Tim dives down slowly. He wraps his arms around me, and pulls me up to the surface. My arms and legs pulling downward, as if they wanted to remain on the bottom. Once my head is above water, everything returns to a reasonable, if not fast paced speed. 

He drags me quickly to the muddy shore, and begins to press down hard on my stomach. He does this relentlessly, until I start to cough up water. He turns me onto my side, and pats my back. He pants, and shivers, as I continue to spit out water. He starts to kiss the side of my head, as I begin to start channeling air back into my lungs. He wraps his jacket around me, which he must've thrown off before he jumped in for me since it's dry and warm. 

"You're okay... It's okay..." He repeats, holding me tightly in his arms. I still can't move my body very well, but I know I'm sobbing.