The Death of Jacob Track (Book One of the 33X Series)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

November 5, 2014

Patty sat naked in her shower; the water had turned quite cool long ago. She hadn't even noticed the drastic temperature change. She had been crying so hard, the pain overwhelmed her. She found a song on her iPod by Little Big Town "Lonely Enough" and it was now on repeat.

The song was about praying to God to send back the one she loved because she'd been lonely enough. Her loved died and didn't know how to cope when she already lost so much. Patty could relate to those lyrics too well. Within a week, she had lost her daughter and her husband. She prayed that April would return home or at least contact, eventually. With no contact at all, it felt like April was too far gone, as if she was dead too.

Patty shook as she held her knees to her chest. She wished she had someone to comfort her, hold her. She wanted Nick to tell her it would be ok. But he was gone, dead. How could her precious Nick be dead?

Just yesterday he was feeling better, alive and healing. He was going to help causes that he found just. That was Nick, always fair and honest. How could God let someone that good die? Patty began to slowly sing along to the song. Maybe singing would quench the hole in her heart.

Patty sang through her tears until she couldn't sing anymore, breaking down. She curled into a ball on the tub floor, crying too hard, barely able to catch her breath, the cold water was pouring over her. She didn't know how long she had been there in the shower, naked and crying. She really didn't care that much either. Little Big Town kept singing to her, and she kept wishing she would grow the strength to turn the song off. It wasn't helping... at least it didn't seem to do anything except make her cry harder.

"Patty? Patty, dear, where are you?" A female voice called from a nearby room.

Patty had cried herself to sleep, curled up, the water still coming down on her.

"Oh God, Patty! Are you ok? You look so pale!" The woman reached into the tub and turned off the cold water. She grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her. "Oh, God, sweetie!"

"Patty's eyes slowly began to open, "Tiff?"

"Yes, it's me. What are you doing? You're going to get hypothermia!"

"I didn't feel it." Patty whispered through her shivering.

"Well you're ice cold. Come on, I'll help you warm up. You NEED to warm up!" Tiffany reached down, putting her arms around Patty, helping her out of the tub. She found her some warm pajamas. Tiffany helped Patty to the couch, where she wrapped her arms around her sister, holding her close.

"You know I love you, sis. I can't imagine how bad it is losing Nick after April left. So awful." Tiffany's brown eyes filled with tears as she caressed her sister's hair.

"I can't do it." Patty cried into Tiffany's shoulder.

"You will find a way. If I lost Brendon...oh God, I can't imagine. It's going to take a long time. But I'll be here. You always have me...always."

"Don't leave me. No more leaving..." Patty looked up at Tiffany, her brown eyes swimming in sad tears. She couldn't bear to lose anything else. It was too hard. She didn't know if she'd survive it.

"Never! Never!" Tiffany squeezed her sister tighter, both girls sobbing together.

Tiffany was Patty's younger sister, 37, had long brown hair, dark brown eyes, very pretty and a freelance artist. She didn't make a lot of money, but her and her husband, Brendon, always found a way to make it. Patty and her were always close growing up, which is something not all sisters are good at. But family was important to them and they always found a way to work out their differences.