Life settled back into a routine in the following months. By mid-July, it almost felt like the horror of the past several months hadn't happened.
Almost.
Elizabeth knew Faith was the one whose life was most affected by Ray Wyatt. As they sat on the beach enjoying some girl time, she watched as Faith absently rubbed her still-flat stomach. She had bought a ruffled bathing suit to help hide her pregnancy, but so far she hadn't needed it. At five months along she was carrying small, and Elizabeth knew Faith was relieved about that. It gave her more time to figure out what to do without anyone else trying to influence her decision.
"Faith?" Elizabeth said, wondering what her friend was thinking. She looked like she was a million miles away. When Faith didn't respond, Elizabeth tried again. "Faith?"
"Hmm?" she said, blinking and turning to look at Elizabeth. "Was I zoning out?"
Elizabeth gave her a gentle smile. "Yes, but it's such a beautiful day. The waves are mesmerizing, aren't they?"
Faith raised her brows, chuckling. "You wanted my attention to talk about the waves?"
"Not exactly," Elizabeth said. There was something she wanted to bring up, but she wasn't quite sure how. She decided to start with something that could segue into the topic. "I was just wondering something. I know you've been thinking about what to do about the baby; do you feel any closer to making a decision?"
Faith let out a little sigh. "Nothing is firmly in place," she said. "To be honest, it depends on the day. I change my mind so often, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. But I think overall I'm leaning toward giving the baby up for adoption."
"In that case…" Elizabeth said. "There's something I want to ask you about."
Faith turned to face her, hearing the seriousness in her voice. "Okay."
Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Nathan and I were talking last night. If you end up deciding to go with adoption, we would be willing to adopt your baby. If that's something you would want."
Faith's mouth fell open, and tears sprang to her eyes. "You would do that?" she whispered. "Really?"
Taking her hand, Elizabeth nodded. "You're my best friend, Faith. You always have been. We've been there for each other since we were little girls. If you don't feel that you can raise this baby, but still want him or her to go to a good home, Nathan and I would be more than happy to be that home."
"I don't know what to say," Faith said, a hand over her heart. "But that makes me feel happy inside, knowing that is an option." She smiled. "You and Nathan would make wonderful parents."
Elizabeth smiled back. "We definitely want to be parents, and we've talked about adoption a time or two. But for some reason you and your baby came up last night, and we just wanted you to know that you have another option if you don't want your baby to go to strangers. And then you could still be involved in the child's life, but you wouldn't have to face the constant reminder of what happened."
Faith wrapped Elizabeth in a hug. "Thank you," she said. "You have no idea how much this eases my mind. It doesn't necessarily bring me any closer to a decision, but just knowing how far you're willing to go to support me and this baby is a huge weight off my shoulders."
"Anytime," Elizabeth said, hugging her back. As they pulled away, Elizabeth shaded her eyes. "Looks like Rosemary finally made it."
Their friend came hurrying up. "Sorry I'm late!" she said, dropping her beach bag on a towel. "The kids were not wanting to go down for their nap!" She chuckled. "Jesse informed me he's too old for naps, and I told him he better enjoy them now while he still can. He's going to wish he can take naps when he's an adult!"
Faith groaned. "A nap sounds wonderful!" she said. "I've been so tired lately."
"For good reason!" Rosemary exclaimed. "You're carrying a growing little one. I remember being exhausted with the twins, especially from about five months on."
Faith's eyes grew wide. "This is going to last for the next four months?" she squawked. She looked down at her belly. "The baby sure doesn't seem to be doing much growing. I noticed a teeny, tiny bump this morning when I was showering. This is not going to be a big baby."
Rosemary shook her head. "I didn't show for quite a while either, and then all of a sudden one day there was a bump. I hear that can be common for first pregnancies. You don't necessarily show until the third trimester." She shrugged. "But other women show starting in the second trimester. It just depends on the woman and the pregnancy." She smiled, patting Faith's hand. "You go ahead and take that nap, Faith. Sometimes that's the best thing you can do."
Faith laid back on her towel, shaded from the sun by her umbrella. "Don't talk about anything too interesting while...oh!" She sat up again quickly, her hands going to her stomach. A look of wonder filled her face. "The baby is kicking." She looked down, her mouth gaping slightly. After a minute, she laughed softly. "What a feeling," she said, caressing the spot her baby had kicked.
Rosemary's eyes were tender. "There's nothing quite like it," she said, clearly remembering her own pregnancy. "It feels so much more real once you can feel the baby moving."
Faith nodded, almost trance-like. Elizabeth watched the emotions playing over Faith's face. She smiled to herself as she took in the wonder her friend was feeling. Elizabeth couldn't help hoping that one day soon, she would also know what it was like to carry a child, to feel that connection to a tiny human she couldn't see yet. Faith was in her own world, just her and the baby. She had nodded in response to Rosemary's words, then laid back on the towel, her hands still cradling her stomach. Her eyes closed, and she fell into a peaceful sleep.
"Her reaction gives me hope," Rosemary said softly, watching Faith sleep. "That could have been a moment of terror for her, an unavoidable reminder of her pregnancy. Instead, she embraced it." She smiled, looking at Elizabeth. "She's going to be okay. No matter what she decides, I think she will be at peace."
Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "I think you're right."
Nathan ran through the woods, heart pounding in his chest. Elizabeth was in danger. He had to find her. He could hear her voice calling to him, and he ran with all his might. He also heard Wyatt's voice, taunting him.
"You'll never find her," he sneered, his cold eyes staring Nathan down. "No matter how fast you run, no matter how hard you look, you'll never find her. She's lost to you."
Nathan covered his ears as Wyatt's evil laughter surrounded him. He searched wildly through the trees as Elizabeth's cries pierced his heart. "Elizabeth!" he yelled. "Where are you?"
"Nathan! Help me." Her sobs smote him. He frantically searched, but to no avail. After what felt like hours, he caught sight of her and relief flooded him. But that relief was short-lived, as Wyatt appeared behind her, holding her captive and smirking at Nathan as he pressed a knife to Elizabeth's throat. In a rage, Nathan charged at him. Instantly he was pierced with bullets from close range, the pain ripping through his body as Elizabeth cried out in anguish. Unable to see, Nathan stumbled off the edge of a precipice, falling headlong into the darkness…
Nathan woke with a cry, his heart pounding against his ribcage. He sat up, disoriented and confused, until the memory of his nightmare blazed through the fog in his brain.
"Elizabeth!" he whispered, looking around in a panic. His racing heart calmed slightly as he saw her sleeping peacefully next to him, blissfully unaware of his turmoil. Everything in him wanted to take her into his arms and hold her, but he resisted. He didn't want to wake her up in the middle of the night just because he'd had a nightmare.
Another nightmare.
Nathan slid out of the bed and slowly walked to the living room, where he sank onto the couch, his head in his hands. The nightmares had started a month ago, and they were getting worse all the time. He'd thought they were past the trauma, but clearly the memories of Elizabeth's kidnapping and him being shot were affecting his subconscious. It was getting to the point that he didn't want to sleep, because he knew the nightmares would come.
He ran his hands through his hair, trying to catch his breath. This couldn't keep happening. Exhaustion was starting to set in, and he knew Elizabeth had noticed that he wasn't himself. She'd asked him about it, but he had tried to brush it off, simply saying he wasn't sleeping well. He didn't want to worry her about his dreams, especially the more gruesome ones.
"Nathan?"
He looked up to see Elizabeth standing next to the couch, wrapped in her robe. Concern shone from her eyes. "Are you alright?"
Nathan felt at a loss for words. He didn't want to lie to his wife, but he also didn't want to heighten her concern. He patted the spot next to him, and when Elizabeth sat, he pulled her into his arms. The feel of her body against his helped calm him. Her real, physical presence, whole and unharmed, washed away the horror of the nightmare. He breathed in deeply, the scent of vanilla permeating his senses.
"I'm okay," he said quietly. "Just a bad dream."
She looked up at him. "Was this bad dream a one time thing, or are they recurring?"
He definitely couldn't dodge a point-blank question. Letting out a breath, he nodded slowly. "They're recurring."
"How long?" Elizabeth asked.
Nathan sighed. "A month."
"A month?" Elizabeth frowned. "And you haven't said anything? Is this why you haven't been sleeping well?"
"I didn't want to worry you," Nathan said, cupping her cheek in his hand. "And yes, this is why I haven't been sleeping well." He was quiet for a moment, pressing his lips together. "They're bad, Elizabeth. Nightmares about Wyatt. Something always happens to you, and they always end with me falling over the edge of a cliff into darkness." He studied her, hoping she understood. "That's why I haven't told you. I didn't want to burden you with my fears."
Elizabeth framed his face in her hands. "I love you, Nathan. You're my husband. Your concerns are my concerns." She leaned her forehead against his. "Please don't shut me out just because you're afraid of worrying me. I need to know what is going on inside of you. Marriage is about the good and the bad, remember?"
He nodded. "I remember. And I'm sorry I've kept this from you." Pulling her close again, he kissed her forehead. "Forgive me?"
She pressed closer. "Of course I do. But Nathan…" Her voice trailed off, causing Nathan to look down at her. "What is it?" he asked.
She let out her breath. "Do you think you have PTSD from what happened with Wyatt? That can manifest itself in nightmares, even several months after a trauma."
Nathan raised his brows. "How do you know that?"
She smiled lightly. "I am a nurse. I took psychiatric nursing classes in college." She lifted her hand to his face, rubbing her thumb gently over his jaw. "But I'm serious, Nathan. Maybe we should take you to see a counselor about this."
"Is that really necessary?" Nathan protested. "They're nightmares; how is a counselor going to help with that?"
"You'd be surprised how counseling can help you overcome traumas," Elizabeth said. "And you went through a major trauma. You were shot and in critical condition, and then you were sidelined from work for a long time." She bit her lip. "And you were afraid you were going to lose me. Faith was raped, the Coulters' lives were threatened, and Carson got hurt. All because of an evil man who was trying to get revenge on you. I know you took that personally." She looked at him with a tender compassion that made his heart ache. "You went through a lot, sweetheart. What could it hurt to try to get some help for it?"
Nathan resisted the thought. He knew counseling was good and healthy, but for some reason it felt like admitting to weakness. "I don't know, Elizabeth," he started. "That seems like a drastic step."
She saw right through him. "You think it would mean admitting to not being able to help yourself," she stated.
Nathan stared at her, mouth gaping. Elizabeth smiled wryly. "Nathan, do you think Faith is weak for seeking counseling?"
"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "She went through a lot."
Elizabeth tilted her head, brows raised. "Exactly."
She didn't have to say anything else. Nathan saw her point. He inhaled deeply, then let his breath out in a rush. "Alright, fine. I'll look into seeing a therapist."
"Good," Elizabeth said, running her fingers through his hair. "That is an excellent decision."
"On one condition," Nathan said, looking into her eyes.
"Anything," Elizabeth said, curling his hair around her fingers.
Nathan smiled. "You come with me. I want you by my side."
Elizabeth studied him. "Are you sure about that?"
He nodded. "Absolutely."
Elizabeth leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Then I'll be there."
He wrapped her in his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. Closing his eyes, he let himself get lost in their embrace. "Thank you, sweetheart."
