In Sickness Too

In Sickness Too

Rachel needs to take care of her estranged husband after he was injured on the job as a firefighter.  Her secret has kept him from being able to take care of her.

Excerpt:

    Lulled by the rhythmic cadence of her voice, his mind’s eye began to wander.  He saw Rachel reading nursery rhymes to a sleepy toddler, resting her cheek on a downy crown, looking up with a smile after catching him watching.  The image warmed him.  He had been so excited about starting a family.

    Rachel stopped reading and the image burst like a soap bubble, leaving him feeling just as fragile and hollow.  “What happened?” he couldn’t help asking.

    “Be patient,” she chided.  “You know I have to stop for notes once in a while.”

    “Not in the book.  Between us.  What happened?”

    Rachel’s demeanor changed in an instant.  “We’ve been getting along so well.  Why do you want to upset the cart by rehashing all of that?” she lashed out.

    Jake lifted his head to look at her.  “Rehash what?!  We never hashed at all!  I just came home one day to an empty apartment and a note!  You never told me why...” he stopped to keep a sob from escaping, “...why you stopped loving me!” he ground out.  He hoped there was enough inflammation left in his eyes to conceal the tears that threatened to spill.  No one had ever hurt him so much as she had that day, and every day since.

    Rachel tried to stay angry.  Anger was so much easier.  She felt his pain as acutely as he did.  She knew how much she had wounded him.  She owed him this much truth: “I never stopped loving you, I just can’t be your wife anymore.”  Before he could reply, she bolted toward the door and left.

Author’s Note:

When drafting In Sickness Too, I wanted to find an unusual injury for my firefighter MC.  During my research, I landed upon something that expanded the story in a way I didn't see coming.  Ever one to let my characters lead the way, I ran with it.

Also found in Nett’s Shorts:  A Collection of Short Stories.