Chapter Ten- Amy's POV
I remember when I first saw her, the girl who would one day make me see the truth. She was walking with a boy, and she was staring at me as if she knew me. I was used to the stares, but hers was different. It wasn't sympathetic. No. It was a surprised stare, a shocked one. As if she hadn't expected to see me. I had no clue who she was then, I thought she was only some tourist come in to see the mountains or to ogle at the legendary Dr. Andy Brown. Little did I know who she truly was, but I would later find out. We all would.
Hannah had asked me to go out shopping that day. She said she needed to get some stuff for the house and for Jack. I had gone along, albeit unwillingly. We visited store after store. I was tired, and ready to go home and crawl beneath the covers of my bed. Another nightmare had plagued my dreams the night before, leaving me drained of energy. It was all I could do to keep my feet moving beside Hannah's. I complained and, after awhile, Hanna relented and said we could go home.
My parents were out of town for the week, so I was staying with Hannah. Pathetic of me, I know. There I was, in my mid-thirties, and still living at home. I would have gotten my own place, but the nights were too terrible to spend alone.
We walked back to the car, and there she was.
The girl was familiar looking, something about her sparked a feeling inside of me. A recognition, a longing. I knew her, but yet I didn't know her. She seemed to draw me to her, but I refused to let me feet wander from their path. I wanted to get home, and no strange girl would deter me from my way.
She watched us pass before the boy she was with drew her attention away. I watched her as Hannah pulled away from the curb. The way she carried herself, hands stuffed in her pockets, seemed so much like somebody else I knew. Then I remembered, Ephram always had his hands stuffed into his pockets. It was some kind of weird habit with him. The thought of Ephram brought back images of our marriage, and of Julia.
Tears sprung to my eyes and I wiped them away with the back of my hand.
"Are you alright?" Hanna asked, her eyes concerned as she placed a comforting hand on my knee.
"I'm fine." I lied, not wanting to get into yet another discussion on mourning with Hannah. She seemed to think that I hadn't yet mourned the death of my daughter and the failure of my marriage. She wouldn't come out and say it, but I knew that that's what she thought. Always she was trying to talk to me about how it was okay to express my feelings and how it was unhealthy to keep them bottled up inside. I just wasn't in the mood that day.
"Let's just go home." I smiled weakly at her, mentally urging her to leave me the hell alone. She nodded and turned her attention to the road ahead.
We pulled into the driveway a few minutes later. I helped Hannah carry the bags into the house.
"We're home." Hannah called, pushing the door open. A baby's cry greeted us.
"It's about time." Bright walked into the kitchen, the wailing baby in his arms. Hannah cooed and took the child from him.
"Has my little rabbit been a good boy?" She cradled the baby in her arms.
"He's been a terror." Bright wrapped an arm around Hannah's waist.
I watched them longingly. I remembered when Ephram used to wrap his arms around me like that. I remembered when we had first had Julia and the way that Ephram treated her like she was the most precious and fragile thing in the world.
The nightmare popped into my head. I shook it away, not wanting to think right then.
Bright kissed Hannah and my heart tore. I missed Ephram's kisses.
Married a year after Ephram and I, Hannah and Bright had made a good life for themselves. They had waited longer to have children, Jack being their first, because Hannah was scared that their children would have Huntingtons. Bright had finally talked her into having kids and then Jack was born. Bright had named him, his retarded sense of humor taking over when he chose the name Jack Abbott. He said he chose it 'cause he liked the name Jack, but later admitted that he liked it because Jack Abbott sounded like jackrabbit. He's weird.
It was too much for me to see them act like the happy family that they are. So I ran. Up the stairs and into the guest bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I felt miserable, like my soul had been ripped out of me, leaving me an empty shell of a person. Emotions were something rare. I hardly ever felt anything other than emptiness and loneliness. Sometimes fear would invade me, leaving me trembling beneath my covers.
I had begged Dad for medication. I knew that I was depressed, but he resisted. I knew that he wanted me to work this out for myself. I'd been on medication before and it had helped, but Dad still refused. I didn't dare go to Dr. Brown. What if he told Ephram? No, I couldn't live with that. So, I simply lived like this. Depressed, afraid.
I burrowed beneath the covers, feeling safe within the confines of the heavy comforter. Despite the warm weather, I still wrapped myself tightly within a cocoon of quilts. It was the only way that I could even remotely feel warm. A coldness had seeped into my bones along with Julia's death, a coldness that refused to leave.
My head rested on the pillow that was still damp from my crying the night before. My body ached, and my eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. I fought against sleep, not wanting the dream to happen again. But I knew it was inevitable. Finally, I gave myself up to it, knowing that the dream would come despite my attempts. It always did.
Short chapter, but then again they all have been lately. I hope you liked this little peek into Amy's mind and will review and tell me what you thought.
freak4wb: Andy has no clue what happened to Madison. He didn't know whether or not she had the baby and, if she did, whether it was a girl or boy. So, that means that he shouldn't have recognized Sam's name or anything. Remember, Troy didn't give last names when he introduced himself and Sam, so Andy couldn't have known from her last name either.
Elvira, Doves30, krazypirategurl, Nautica7mk, kursk, and auggy1984: Thank you all for reviewing this story. It really means a lot to me that you would take the time to tell me what you think.
