His Healing by Perfect Love

Chapter Seven

Alison Copeland stared at the divorce papers that Martin had placed on the kitchen table when he came in late from work that evening. She was hunched over the desk, peering at a magazine behind her spectacles and drinking a hot cup of tea like she always did whenever she returned home from her workplace. It was her normal routine and it was also another reason why Martin wanted out. Alison had become too predictable and on-top of that, she appeared relaxed. Relaxed for Pete's sake! Martin couldn't understand how she did it when their baby girl was dead. Didn't she understand that they would never again hear the energetic voice of their seven-year old daughter or be touched by the way she innocently laughed at every silly thing he did? Martin slammed his hand on the table making it rattle. "Sign the papers Alison!" He gritted out between clenched teeth. "We both know this marriage died long time ago."

"Yeah? Well it's still very much alive to me Martin!" Silent tears rolled down Alison's cheeks, but she only wiped them away. His wife's eyes were red and puffy, and she looked nauseous, but Martin didn't care. He only needed her to sign the papers. Why was she being so difficult now when years ago she had shut him out? Didn't she remember that either? He cussed and backed off from the table, marching over to the kitchen sink. He turned on the faucet and filled a glass with the cool tap water. Alison didn't know that he was still on the pain medication, but he'd be damned if he cared about what she thought of his addiction. He turned his back to her as he pulled the small orange bottle from his trouser pocket and chucked two of the small tablets in his mouth, drinking the water after. He was about to down another two when suddenly, Alison snatched the container from his hand. She had sneaked up on him like a prowling cat. "What are you doing?" She read the fine write up on the bottle and her eyes widened in horror. "Why are you still on these meds?" she shouted, and it was loud enough for the neighbours to hear.

Martin snatched the bottle back. "Leave it alone, Alison," he hissed. His voice was dead cold when he spoke. "You don't have to pretend like you care."

Alison backed off like he had slapped her in the face with his comment. She stood there stock-still and stared at him with a mixture of surprise and hurt in her eyes. And it felt like a while before she spoke again in a quiet whisper. "I've never stopped caring about you, Martin. Life as we know it just happened."

Martin slipped the medication back into the back pocket of his pants not quite knowing what to say to his soon to be ex-wife. He eyed her, trying to understand the words she'd just said when her phone rang loudly in the pocket of her jeans and he was glad for the interruption because it ended the heavy moment. Alison dug the phone out of the clothing and pressed the device to her ear. "Julie?" It was her sister. "What's wrong?" she asked into the phone.

Martin was making his way into the living room when Alison suddenly shouted out. "Oh!" her hand was over her mouth and her eyes were wide with shock and glistening with fresh tears when he turned around. She silently gestured to him over the phone. "Joe's in the hospital! We've got to go now!"

Quickly he agreed to drive her to the hospital and as they sped down the freeway to the hospital, Martin forced away the anxiety that threatened to choke the life out of him. He kept his eyes forward on the road and held a firm grip on the steering wheel, but his efforts to focus couldn't block out the memories that kept him up at night. And it didn't take away the way he felt that time when he'd sped down the road just like this, only to find out that Kaitlyn had already died on his arrival.

His heart thudded in his chest as he kept his foot on the gas and drove. But as he drove, he couldn't help but wonder. Would Joe still be alive when they arrived? Or would he be dead just like Kaitlyn? And as he turned the corner and kept on driving another disturbing question prodded his mind.

How could his wife still care about him when the reason why Alex had left their lives was because of him?

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