TW for implied/referenced past suicide attempt.
Day 16
Theme: On a Need to Know Basis
Prompt(s): recovery | scars | aftermath
Gordon sat on the edge of the pool and ran his toes through the water. The sun was rising on the horizon, and he was the only one awake so early in the morning.
He wanted to be alone. He appreciated the silence, as it allowed him to hear the waves crashing in the distance and concentrate on his thoughts.
He was thinking back on where he was a year ago today. He couldn't believe that it had been a whole year since his treatment had ended and he was back to where he was before everything had happened. Well, back to where he would ever be.
It had been a long, painful process. There were definitely moments that he would never want to live through again.
His thumb traced along a scar on his wrist. It still hadn't faded, and was a glaring reminder of his bottom point through all of this. A tear slid down his cheek as he remembered how low he felt back then. When he thought that nothing would get better, and the fact that he knew he would never be as good as he once was just made him feel like it wasn't worth going on.
He wiped the tear away and sat up a little straighter as the sun rose higher on the horizon. That was in the past, and he'd come to realise that there were better things waiting for him on the other side of all that pain. He couldn't be happier that his family had found him that day before it was too late.
If he wasn't here now, then he would have missed out on everything that had happened this past year. The start of International Rescue, all the lives he helped save, the time he had spent with the rest of his family. It made the gruelling effort of rehab and recovery all worth it in the end.
He carried the scars of that day that changed his life, some of which were more painful than others, but they reminded him of how far he had come. He still had those bad days, but he was stronger now than he was then.
A year had passed, and he finally felt like he could put it behind him.
The sun was now high in the sky and the golden light reflected off the water in front of him. Gordon pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground next to him, before he dove into the pool. The water enveloped him and he let himself glide for a moment as he felt it all around him, before he started his strong kicks to propel him to the other end of the pool.
Almost two years ago, he couldn't imagine being here again, but now he couldn't be prouder at himself for sticking to it. He was already excited for the next year to come.