Chapter 8: A Stunning Revelation
"Mom?" Ephram broke from his hypnotic state. "Why are you standing there?"
"Sweetheart, don't be alarmed." Julia said in her motherly tone. "I want to ask you something." She moved towards him so quietly like as if she walked on air. Ephram sat up and stared at her. "Baby, have you been happy for the past few weeks? I mean truly happy?"
"Of course I have. Why are you asking me that?"
"Good, I'm glad you've been happy. I've been very happy too." She said ignoring his question. "You are my precious baby and I love you more than life. You know that, right?"
"Sure mom, I know."
"I've been doing a lot of thinking." She bit her lip. "And I'm afraid I have a confession to make."
"A confession?" Ephram gasped.
"Yes. I haven't been completely honest with you." She swallowed. "I've been selfish. There is no excuse for what I did. However, you must know that I did it out of my increasing love for you, son. I wanted you all to myself. But my mind is clear now and I've made my decision."
"I-I don't understand." Ephram stuttered in confusion.
"I can't keep you to myself because you don't belong just to me, you belong to everyone. If I take you away, I take you away from everyone else. And that would be wrong. So, it's time for me to let you go." She sighed.
"I'm not sure I follow.."
"Come here, baby and I'll show you." She gestured for him to stand by the window. Ephram kicked back the blanket and approached the window. Julia pressed a lever and the window creaked opened.
"What do you hear?" She smiled angelically. He looked at her then at the dark night sky then back at her.
"Nothing. I don't hear anything." He shrugged.
"Listen harder. Go on." She pressed. Ephram concentrated.
"Um. Somebody's car alarm going off?"
"Beyond that. Close your eyes and listen carefully." She instructed. Ephram shut his eyes and took a deep breath of the brisk night air. "Tell me what you hear."
"Wind." He murmured after a pause. "Howling wind." He listened yet harder for a while. "The wind - it sounds almost like moaning. It's so sad like - like somebody crying?" Ephram's questioning eyes snapped opened and faced Julia.
"Yes. You're right. And this is precisely why you have to return."
"Huh? What are you talking about? Return where?" Ephram cried. "Mom, this is a cruel joke."
"Ephram, I'm not kidding." She said seriously. "This is very hard for me. It's like I'm loosing you a second time." She stifled a sob. "You're not aware of what's happening to you."
"I'm even more confused now." He shook his head.
"Your home is not here. Baby, none of this is real. This is a world I created to be with you." She spread her arms out. She watched Ephram's watery eyes shaking with fear.
"I'm sorry Ephram. I'm sorry for lying to you. I just wanted to hold you a while longer. Is that so wrong?" She paused. "I missed you. And then the opportunity came and I took it. This is my fault. I led you to believe Everwood didn't exist. I made you believe I was alive in body when the only thing alive about me was my spirit. It was me who put you thru all that torment of forgetting Everwood. I was being selfish and didn't realize how much hurt I created. I was afraid you had forgotten me." She continued seeing the horror in her son's eyes. "Don't you get it? The past few months you've been living a lie - a pure fantasy that I created for us. You weren't in a car wreck that left you in a coma. I died in the car wreck the night of your recital. We can see each other only because in reality, your body is lying in a hospital right now hovering near death and the more you want to stay here, the closer you are to dying."
"No, this can't be!!! No." Ephram whined as the reality set in. "I must be having a nightmare. It's not true!!!" He denied.
"I'm telling you the truth, Ephram."
"I don't believe you. I'm real and you're real."
"It's true. Look at me." Julia forced Ephram to face her. "Things can be as real as I make it. I'm sorry for deceiving you like this." He read her eyes and tears welled up immediately. His heart broke into thousands of pieces.
"Then I want to die. I want to stay here with you and dad and Delia - even if they're not the real dad and real Delia. I like the way things are. I want to be with YOU! I don't want to go back to Everwood. Don't make me. Please, mom - allow me to die so I can be with you!!" Ephram's eyes brimmed with big droplets of tears. Julia took him in her arms.
"Honey, do you know who it was that you heard crying like the howling wind?" She placed both hands on Ephram's cheeks as his tears flowed over them.
"No." Ephram replied.
"It wasn't until I heard that sound that made me realize I had to make you go back. I knew I could never take you away so unjustly because of my own selfish reasons." She started weeping. "Ephram, it was your father crying. I felt such sadness in his heart. I felt the pain. You think he doesn't care about you or love you, but he does. Oh, if you only knew how much he does. He waits by your bed everyday hoping you would wake. I heard his desperate pleas and prayers. He asked me to help you."
"But you promised you would never leave me!!" He screamed. "You promised!!"
"I can never leave you, silly. Because I will be in your heart forever." She sobbed. "I want to be with you with more than anything, but your father needs you. He needs you more than ever. He's already lost one person he loved dearly, I don't think he can handle going thru the lost of another one. You need to go back, Ephram. And help him."
"NO!!! Please mom, please!! I want to stay here." He blubbered.
"Baby, your soul is lost right now. I have to help you find your way back. You don't belong here in my world - at least not yet. But I will be here waiting for you when the time comes."
"I'm not leaving. I don't care what you say."
"Ephram, I heard your father's prayer last night. Do you want to know what he said?" Her voice was soft and heavenly.
"No. I don't want to know." He covered his ears.
"Ephram, darling." She gently removed his hands from his ears. The tears kept coming hysterically. His knees were weak and he didn't feel like he could stand any more. Julia thought he was going to faint and grabbed him quickly by the waist to set him on the floor. "Sweetheart, calm down."
Ephram sat with his head in his hands sobbing a puddle of tears. Julia held him tight. "Your father told me he's nothing without you. He loves you so much. His only regret is that he never had the chance to tell you face to face. He's sorry for so many things Ephram, for letting you down, for being a failure as a father, for not loving you more, for not looking out for you, for not being there when you needed him, for moving to Everwood, for forcing you to obey him, and it goes on. But most of all, he blames himself for your current condition. Even though it has nothing to do with him. And if you die, he'll never forgive himself. He begged me to bring you back to him. He needs you." Julia explained. "He told me you are his life line. It's you that keeps him going everyday. He doesn't show it but when he sees you, his heart is overwhelming with love. Life has no meaning without you in the picture. Do you know he thinks so highly of you?"
Ephram shook his head. "Well, he does. You are his joy. You make him happy even though you drive each other crazy." She said.
"Why are you telling me now? Why now?" Ephram wailed.
"Baby, I had a reoccurring premonition. I tend to have these sometimes - being able to foretell the near future. One thing's for sure, they are never wrong. And you have to believe me when I say that." Julia caught Ephram's attention. "In this premonition, I saw you died and remained here with me. And we were so happy together. But I also saw another image. It was your father committing suicide. I felt his endless depression and grief. I watched him stretched out on the couch in your living room crying and popping Valiums into his mouth by the handful while gulping down a bottle of whiskey. He died crying your name. And do you know who found him? - Delia - when she came home from school one day. The terror in her face is indescribable when she found her lifeless father sprawled on the couch."
"NO! You're lying. You're lying."
"Ephram, you can't do this. You have to stop it from happening. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't important. Please, I'm begging you. You don't realize it but you have the power to heal things. You are the life force that holds this family together. Without you, it's going to fall apart. You have to save your father's life. Only you have the ability to do this. It's a snowball effect. You die, your father dies, and Delia lives. What's going to become of Delia if you let yourself give into your desires? I know you're not selfish like me. Please son, think of your father. Think of Delia."
"I can't choose. I want so bad to be with you - like the way it used to be. But I don't want dad and Delia to end up the way you said they did." Ephram wiped his tears. "Ever since you came back into my life, I felt whole again. And for a change, I felt like life was worth living. I don't want to hurt anymore."
"Do you think just because I'm not physically alive, that I'm not with you at all? I watch over you everyday Ephram. Like the time you had that boating accident."
"You know about the boat accident? Really?" Ephram looked up. Julia nodded with a smile.
"Who do you think pointed your father and Irv in the right direction to rescue you? They could've been driving around that lake in the dark for hours and not find you until it was too late. It pained me to see you injured and not be physically able to save you. I cried when I saw your unconscious body floating in the marsh."
"You saved my life." Ephram said in amazement.
"Yes - in a way I did. And now, I'm going to save your life again."
"I'm afraid to lose you." He said reluctantly.
"You can never really lose me. I'm always a part of you. Always. Nothing can change that. You probably haven't noticed but I've always given you strength and guidance when you needed it. I may be dead but being dead has given me certain advantages. It's a higher power thing. When you talk to me in your prayers, I hear you. I listen. I wish I could respond to you, but as you know, I can't." She stroked his hair. "Do you remember in the X-Men comics when Jean Grey made a heroic life-sacrifice for her fellow X-Men? Even though she died, her energy was transformed into a stronger and powerful force in the universe."
"The Phoenix." Ephram cut in.
"Yes. The Phoenix. Think of me that way. Only during the pre-Dark Phoenix days." She giggled. "I'm not wicked enough to be destroying the whole universe with my so-called super telepathic powers. But then again, I think I came pretty close to letting myself destroy my family so that's almost the same thing."
"See, mom you're the only one I can relate to. You understand me. I can talk to you about anything. You even know all about the comics. Dad doesn't have a clue."
"You'll be surprised at how much he really understands. Give him a chance, you'll see. You both are still learning about each other." She let Ephram out of her arms and grabbed his hands. "I know Andy can be stubborn sometimes, but he has a good heart. So, will you go back?"
"Does it have to be this way?"
"There's no other alternative."
"You will always be by my side?" He doubted.
"Yes, always and forever." She kissed his fingers.
"I'll still miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
"Are you sure I can't stay here for just one more day?" He bargained. Julia laughed and shook her head. "One more question, when I wake, will I remember everything that happened here?"
"Normally, I would say no. But under the circumstances, you will and I'll tell you why. I want you to remember everything I've told you so you don't get some crazy idea in your head to harm yourself just so you can be with me. You are a strong bond that holds things together. Remember that. If you shatter, everything around you shatters. The power is in your hands. I want you to take the rest of the memories you had here as a gift from me. You have a permanent home in my heart." She squeezed his hands tighter.
"Mom..I hate saying good-bye." Moisture formed in his eyes again.
"You'll do fine. I'm proud of you - always have been." A big salty lump got caught in her throat. "Just think of me once in a while, ok?"
"I will mom. I'll think of you every day. I'll pray and talk to you every night. I promise." He whimpered. His chin quivered and was reduced to a bawling mass of liquidity.
"I know you will and I can't wait to listen to your stories." She broke down as well upon seeing her son's sympathetic display of affectionate emotion. "I don't want to let you go baby." She welcomed him in her embrace. "I never knew it would be this difficult."
Ephram wanted to cherish the last hug from his mother. Julia's hair got caught in his mouth but he didn't care. He sobbed and choked on tears as their hot cheeks touched. He felt the wet softness and delicateness of his mother's face against his. Their tears mixed and they tasted each other's tears. They clung for what seemed an eternity.
"Ok, I think it's time for you to go." Julia finally said. She had to peel her son off her.
"Momma.." Ephram cried with such sorrow.
"Now, now baby. I can't have you bawling your eyes out. You have to stop crying, ok?" Julia wiped Ephram's tears away with her fingers. "You're going to ruin that handsome face of yours with those swollen eyes."
"I'll never forget you and the times we shared in your world." He said somberly and quit crying.
"I know and neither will I." She held his cheeks in her hands. "You take care of your father and my little princess for me, you hear? And stay out of trouble, boy. I'm always having to bail you out!!" Julia made Ephram smile for the first time. She reached over and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. "I love you Ephram. Don't you dare forget it."
"I love you too momma." He said as she gestured for him to rest his head on her lap. He obeyed.
"Close your eyes." She whispered.
"Mom?"
"Hmm?"
"Is there anything you want me to tell dad for you?" Ephram asked.
Julia thought for a moment. "Yes. Please tell him - Buster's paws are still blue. Can you remember that, baby?"
"Sure, but what does that mean?" He inquired curiously.
"Just tell him. He'll know what I'm talking about." Julia laughed. "Now quit stalling and close your eyes."
Suddenly, a spell of drowsiness engulfed him. He couldn't understand why he was so sleepy and tried to fight it. But the more he fought, the more it drained his strength. His heavy eyelids forced him to close his eyes. He felt his mother's tender touch stroking his back. Ephram's heart was saddened tremendously but he knew what he must do. He can't be selfish when the fate of his family depended so deeply on him. He learned that in life and death, sacrifices had to be made. It was his own happiness he had sacrificed.
"Protect me, Momma." He whispered before drifting off into a peaceful slumber.
* end of chapter 8 *
"Mom?" Ephram broke from his hypnotic state. "Why are you standing there?"
"Sweetheart, don't be alarmed." Julia said in her motherly tone. "I want to ask you something." She moved towards him so quietly like as if she walked on air. Ephram sat up and stared at her. "Baby, have you been happy for the past few weeks? I mean truly happy?"
"Of course I have. Why are you asking me that?"
"Good, I'm glad you've been happy. I've been very happy too." She said ignoring his question. "You are my precious baby and I love you more than life. You know that, right?"
"Sure mom, I know."
"I've been doing a lot of thinking." She bit her lip. "And I'm afraid I have a confession to make."
"A confession?" Ephram gasped.
"Yes. I haven't been completely honest with you." She swallowed. "I've been selfish. There is no excuse for what I did. However, you must know that I did it out of my increasing love for you, son. I wanted you all to myself. But my mind is clear now and I've made my decision."
"I-I don't understand." Ephram stuttered in confusion.
"I can't keep you to myself because you don't belong just to me, you belong to everyone. If I take you away, I take you away from everyone else. And that would be wrong. So, it's time for me to let you go." She sighed.
"I'm not sure I follow.."
"Come here, baby and I'll show you." She gestured for him to stand by the window. Ephram kicked back the blanket and approached the window. Julia pressed a lever and the window creaked opened.
"What do you hear?" She smiled angelically. He looked at her then at the dark night sky then back at her.
"Nothing. I don't hear anything." He shrugged.
"Listen harder. Go on." She pressed. Ephram concentrated.
"Um. Somebody's car alarm going off?"
"Beyond that. Close your eyes and listen carefully." She instructed. Ephram shut his eyes and took a deep breath of the brisk night air. "Tell me what you hear."
"Wind." He murmured after a pause. "Howling wind." He listened yet harder for a while. "The wind - it sounds almost like moaning. It's so sad like - like somebody crying?" Ephram's questioning eyes snapped opened and faced Julia.
"Yes. You're right. And this is precisely why you have to return."
"Huh? What are you talking about? Return where?" Ephram cried. "Mom, this is a cruel joke."
"Ephram, I'm not kidding." She said seriously. "This is very hard for me. It's like I'm loosing you a second time." She stifled a sob. "You're not aware of what's happening to you."
"I'm even more confused now." He shook his head.
"Your home is not here. Baby, none of this is real. This is a world I created to be with you." She spread her arms out. She watched Ephram's watery eyes shaking with fear.
"I'm sorry Ephram. I'm sorry for lying to you. I just wanted to hold you a while longer. Is that so wrong?" She paused. "I missed you. And then the opportunity came and I took it. This is my fault. I led you to believe Everwood didn't exist. I made you believe I was alive in body when the only thing alive about me was my spirit. It was me who put you thru all that torment of forgetting Everwood. I was being selfish and didn't realize how much hurt I created. I was afraid you had forgotten me." She continued seeing the horror in her son's eyes. "Don't you get it? The past few months you've been living a lie - a pure fantasy that I created for us. You weren't in a car wreck that left you in a coma. I died in the car wreck the night of your recital. We can see each other only because in reality, your body is lying in a hospital right now hovering near death and the more you want to stay here, the closer you are to dying."
"No, this can't be!!! No." Ephram whined as the reality set in. "I must be having a nightmare. It's not true!!!" He denied.
"I'm telling you the truth, Ephram."
"I don't believe you. I'm real and you're real."
"It's true. Look at me." Julia forced Ephram to face her. "Things can be as real as I make it. I'm sorry for deceiving you like this." He read her eyes and tears welled up immediately. His heart broke into thousands of pieces.
"Then I want to die. I want to stay here with you and dad and Delia - even if they're not the real dad and real Delia. I like the way things are. I want to be with YOU! I don't want to go back to Everwood. Don't make me. Please, mom - allow me to die so I can be with you!!" Ephram's eyes brimmed with big droplets of tears. Julia took him in her arms.
"Honey, do you know who it was that you heard crying like the howling wind?" She placed both hands on Ephram's cheeks as his tears flowed over them.
"No." Ephram replied.
"It wasn't until I heard that sound that made me realize I had to make you go back. I knew I could never take you away so unjustly because of my own selfish reasons." She started weeping. "Ephram, it was your father crying. I felt such sadness in his heart. I felt the pain. You think he doesn't care about you or love you, but he does. Oh, if you only knew how much he does. He waits by your bed everyday hoping you would wake. I heard his desperate pleas and prayers. He asked me to help you."
"But you promised you would never leave me!!" He screamed. "You promised!!"
"I can never leave you, silly. Because I will be in your heart forever." She sobbed. "I want to be with you with more than anything, but your father needs you. He needs you more than ever. He's already lost one person he loved dearly, I don't think he can handle going thru the lost of another one. You need to go back, Ephram. And help him."
"NO!!! Please mom, please!! I want to stay here." He blubbered.
"Baby, your soul is lost right now. I have to help you find your way back. You don't belong here in my world - at least not yet. But I will be here waiting for you when the time comes."
"I'm not leaving. I don't care what you say."
"Ephram, I heard your father's prayer last night. Do you want to know what he said?" Her voice was soft and heavenly.
"No. I don't want to know." He covered his ears.
"Ephram, darling." She gently removed his hands from his ears. The tears kept coming hysterically. His knees were weak and he didn't feel like he could stand any more. Julia thought he was going to faint and grabbed him quickly by the waist to set him on the floor. "Sweetheart, calm down."
Ephram sat with his head in his hands sobbing a puddle of tears. Julia held him tight. "Your father told me he's nothing without you. He loves you so much. His only regret is that he never had the chance to tell you face to face. He's sorry for so many things Ephram, for letting you down, for being a failure as a father, for not loving you more, for not looking out for you, for not being there when you needed him, for moving to Everwood, for forcing you to obey him, and it goes on. But most of all, he blames himself for your current condition. Even though it has nothing to do with him. And if you die, he'll never forgive himself. He begged me to bring you back to him. He needs you." Julia explained. "He told me you are his life line. It's you that keeps him going everyday. He doesn't show it but when he sees you, his heart is overwhelming with love. Life has no meaning without you in the picture. Do you know he thinks so highly of you?"
Ephram shook his head. "Well, he does. You are his joy. You make him happy even though you drive each other crazy." She said.
"Why are you telling me now? Why now?" Ephram wailed.
"Baby, I had a reoccurring premonition. I tend to have these sometimes - being able to foretell the near future. One thing's for sure, they are never wrong. And you have to believe me when I say that." Julia caught Ephram's attention. "In this premonition, I saw you died and remained here with me. And we were so happy together. But I also saw another image. It was your father committing suicide. I felt his endless depression and grief. I watched him stretched out on the couch in your living room crying and popping Valiums into his mouth by the handful while gulping down a bottle of whiskey. He died crying your name. And do you know who found him? - Delia - when she came home from school one day. The terror in her face is indescribable when she found her lifeless father sprawled on the couch."
"NO! You're lying. You're lying."
"Ephram, you can't do this. You have to stop it from happening. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't important. Please, I'm begging you. You don't realize it but you have the power to heal things. You are the life force that holds this family together. Without you, it's going to fall apart. You have to save your father's life. Only you have the ability to do this. It's a snowball effect. You die, your father dies, and Delia lives. What's going to become of Delia if you let yourself give into your desires? I know you're not selfish like me. Please son, think of your father. Think of Delia."
"I can't choose. I want so bad to be with you - like the way it used to be. But I don't want dad and Delia to end up the way you said they did." Ephram wiped his tears. "Ever since you came back into my life, I felt whole again. And for a change, I felt like life was worth living. I don't want to hurt anymore."
"Do you think just because I'm not physically alive, that I'm not with you at all? I watch over you everyday Ephram. Like the time you had that boating accident."
"You know about the boat accident? Really?" Ephram looked up. Julia nodded with a smile.
"Who do you think pointed your father and Irv in the right direction to rescue you? They could've been driving around that lake in the dark for hours and not find you until it was too late. It pained me to see you injured and not be physically able to save you. I cried when I saw your unconscious body floating in the marsh."
"You saved my life." Ephram said in amazement.
"Yes - in a way I did. And now, I'm going to save your life again."
"I'm afraid to lose you." He said reluctantly.
"You can never really lose me. I'm always a part of you. Always. Nothing can change that. You probably haven't noticed but I've always given you strength and guidance when you needed it. I may be dead but being dead has given me certain advantages. It's a higher power thing. When you talk to me in your prayers, I hear you. I listen. I wish I could respond to you, but as you know, I can't." She stroked his hair. "Do you remember in the X-Men comics when Jean Grey made a heroic life-sacrifice for her fellow X-Men? Even though she died, her energy was transformed into a stronger and powerful force in the universe."
"The Phoenix." Ephram cut in.
"Yes. The Phoenix. Think of me that way. Only during the pre-Dark Phoenix days." She giggled. "I'm not wicked enough to be destroying the whole universe with my so-called super telepathic powers. But then again, I think I came pretty close to letting myself destroy my family so that's almost the same thing."
"See, mom you're the only one I can relate to. You understand me. I can talk to you about anything. You even know all about the comics. Dad doesn't have a clue."
"You'll be surprised at how much he really understands. Give him a chance, you'll see. You both are still learning about each other." She let Ephram out of her arms and grabbed his hands. "I know Andy can be stubborn sometimes, but he has a good heart. So, will you go back?"
"Does it have to be this way?"
"There's no other alternative."
"You will always be by my side?" He doubted.
"Yes, always and forever." She kissed his fingers.
"I'll still miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
"Are you sure I can't stay here for just one more day?" He bargained. Julia laughed and shook her head. "One more question, when I wake, will I remember everything that happened here?"
"Normally, I would say no. But under the circumstances, you will and I'll tell you why. I want you to remember everything I've told you so you don't get some crazy idea in your head to harm yourself just so you can be with me. You are a strong bond that holds things together. Remember that. If you shatter, everything around you shatters. The power is in your hands. I want you to take the rest of the memories you had here as a gift from me. You have a permanent home in my heart." She squeezed his hands tighter.
"Mom..I hate saying good-bye." Moisture formed in his eyes again.
"You'll do fine. I'm proud of you - always have been." A big salty lump got caught in her throat. "Just think of me once in a while, ok?"
"I will mom. I'll think of you every day. I'll pray and talk to you every night. I promise." He whimpered. His chin quivered and was reduced to a bawling mass of liquidity.
"I know you will and I can't wait to listen to your stories." She broke down as well upon seeing her son's sympathetic display of affectionate emotion. "I don't want to let you go baby." She welcomed him in her embrace. "I never knew it would be this difficult."
Ephram wanted to cherish the last hug from his mother. Julia's hair got caught in his mouth but he didn't care. He sobbed and choked on tears as their hot cheeks touched. He felt the wet softness and delicateness of his mother's face against his. Their tears mixed and they tasted each other's tears. They clung for what seemed an eternity.
"Ok, I think it's time for you to go." Julia finally said. She had to peel her son off her.
"Momma.." Ephram cried with such sorrow.
"Now, now baby. I can't have you bawling your eyes out. You have to stop crying, ok?" Julia wiped Ephram's tears away with her fingers. "You're going to ruin that handsome face of yours with those swollen eyes."
"I'll never forget you and the times we shared in your world." He said somberly and quit crying.
"I know and neither will I." She held his cheeks in her hands. "You take care of your father and my little princess for me, you hear? And stay out of trouble, boy. I'm always having to bail you out!!" Julia made Ephram smile for the first time. She reached over and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. "I love you Ephram. Don't you dare forget it."
"I love you too momma." He said as she gestured for him to rest his head on her lap. He obeyed.
"Close your eyes." She whispered.
"Mom?"
"Hmm?"
"Is there anything you want me to tell dad for you?" Ephram asked.
Julia thought for a moment. "Yes. Please tell him - Buster's paws are still blue. Can you remember that, baby?"
"Sure, but what does that mean?" He inquired curiously.
"Just tell him. He'll know what I'm talking about." Julia laughed. "Now quit stalling and close your eyes."
Suddenly, a spell of drowsiness engulfed him. He couldn't understand why he was so sleepy and tried to fight it. But the more he fought, the more it drained his strength. His heavy eyelids forced him to close his eyes. He felt his mother's tender touch stroking his back. Ephram's heart was saddened tremendously but he knew what he must do. He can't be selfish when the fate of his family depended so deeply on him. He learned that in life and death, sacrifices had to be made. It was his own happiness he had sacrificed.
"Protect me, Momma." He whispered before drifting off into a peaceful slumber.
* end of chapter 8 *