Chapter 21
It's Summer now and she's walking through a field of flowers. The aroma is invigorating and the vibrant colours of the petals are a feast for the eyes. She doesn't remember how she got there but she's happy. She follows a trail through the meadow into a forest. The branches from the trees poke and prod her as she walks past and like they're made of knives, they shred her clothes as she walks past but she doesn't care. She's made her way over to the lake now just below the waterfall and there, bathing in the water like a woodland nymph is Paige. She looks effervescent and as she calls out to her she turns around and smiles and wades over to her. She descends into the water and they both reach out, intertwining their fingers together. Paige smiles again and Emily knows everything is going to be all right.
She woke up feeling a strange calmness wash over her. She knew what had to be done. It was going to be difficult but it would be worth it.
Emily got out of bed for the first time in a week. She groaned as she looked at herself in the mirror. She jumped in the shower and washed away a week's worth of filth and stress along with any trace of doubt from her system. When she was clean and ready she threw on her old Sharks swimsuit and grabbed her gym bag and went on her way.
As much as she needed to talk to Paige what she needed more was a sense of normalcy and getting back to her old work out routine would be a great start. She drove to the gym, swam for half an hour, drove to the supermarket and picked up the groceries Alison always forgot, then finished out her day by picking the kids up and driving them home at the end of the day, picking up dinner along the way and feeding the girls before tucking them into bed.
When they asked for a bedtime story Emily told them of a woman and a water nymph who fell in love at first sight and walked through the forest hand in hand. They liked this story, if only for the way their mom's face lit up as she recalled it. It wasn't a play-by-play of her dream but it was the closest she could come to sharing it with anyone.