View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook
Chapter
18: Grey Sky Morning
“This is really not my day,” Faith mumbled as she rose from her bed nearly a
month later and looked out her window to see the overcast sky and rain falling
onto the glass. By just looking out there she could tell nothing was going to go
her way that day. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if I got into a fight with
someone,’ she thought as she walked down the hall towards Hope’s room. She
could hear her crying even through the sound proof walls of the apartment.
Praying that Hope’s crying hadn’t disturbed either Darren or Morgan, Faith
gently scooped the baby into her arms and started to rock her back and forth. It
lulled Hope to the point where she stopped crying, but she needed to be fed.
Faith walked out into the kitchen, passing the couch where Darren was fast
asleep with the TV still on. She smiled as she pulled his disheveled blanket
over his shoulders and started for the kitchen again.
Rummaging through the fridge, Faith pulled out a bottle of formula and set it
down on the counter beside the stove. With one hand, she filled a pot with water
from the sink to put on the stove so she could warm the formula. Faith sat down
on one of the chairs beside the kitchen table, her head gently throbbing as Hope
squirmed in her arms. She looked down at the little girl and smiled proudly.
After lightly kissing her forehead, Faith stood up to check the warmth of the
bottle. As she stood at the stove, she glanced at the clock just above her head
on the microwave. 5:27 AM, its green quartz numbers read. Faith shook her head,
unable to believe that she was even up this early. Morgan usually took the early
shift, but with her being slightly sick, Faith wasn’t about to risk her
daughter’s health as well. She gladly woke up that morning to take care of
Hope.
By now Darren was starting to stir on the couch. He could hear Faith fussing
around in the kitchen preparing the bottle Hope and slowly swung his feet over
the side of the couch and stood up on wobbly legs. He staggered to the kitchen
as his eyes adjusted to the light.
“Morning, love,” Darren said as he leaned against the frame of the kitchen
door.
“Hey,” Faith replied as she took the warm bottle from the pot and proceeded
to sit down at the kitchen table. “You’re up early. Why don’t you go back
to sleep?”
“I’m used to being up this early. You’re the one who needs the sleep,”
he answered, taking one of the chairs beside her.
“Not true!” she retorted. “I’m not tired! I’m perfectly fine.”
“Then why do you have bags under your eyes?” Darren asked.
Faith raised an eyebrow. She knew this was a battle she couldn’t win. Getting
up, she replied, “Here, you take Hope and feed her. I’m going back to
bed.” After placing the baby in his arms, she angrily marched out of the
kitchen.
Darren chuckled as he watched Faith leave. Looking down at Hope, a wide smile
creased his face. “I think your mother has PMS,” he whispered.
Faith walked down the hall to the bathroom. As she stepped inside and turned on
the light, she stared at the mirror. The reflection it showed her was one that
she despised. Her skin was paler than paste, her eyes ringed with purple circles
and sinking into her head, her hair thin and limp. She hated looking so close to
death even though it seemed as if it were so far away.
Opening the cabinet below the sink, Faith pulled out a bottle of pills and
popped one into her mouth without water and chewed as she walked back towards
her room.
“Herbal pain killers. Bunch of bull if you asked me,” she mumbled. Faith
climbed into her soft, comfortable bed, her head hitting the pillow as she
closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, her mind continued
to spin even after she twisted and turned to find the right position.
That month had been an odd one between Faith and Darren, especially after what
she had said about getting married. But it seemed to her as if he had just
shrugged it off. Maybe it didn’t faze him at all that she actually mentioned
it. There was still something amiss in their friendship, though. Every time she
would try and get close, her mind would tell her to back away.
“I don’t want to hurt him,” said a voice in the back of her mind.
“Quit thinking about others and think about yourself for once!” another
voice quickly spoke up. “You have, what, five months left now? You should just
gather up enough guts and ask Darren if he wants to marry you! You already know
he loves you! Why are you being so stupid? I swear, if I had a pair of legs,
I’d kick you in the ass for being so dumb. So stop denying the fact that you
love him too. You’re only hurting yourself in this situation. Stop being a
dumb ass! Get up and go get your man before someone else does!”
Faith was left bewildered by the revelation she had just experienced. It was
time to start looking out for her feelings instead everybody else’s. She stood
up and started to walk out of her room again.
Darren sat at the kitchen table with Hope still in his arms. She had finished
her formula and was now squirming around and sucking her thumb. He continued to
look down and stare at her as she grabbed his finger and squeezed it.
“You look so much like your mother,” he said in a low voice. “I know one
day you’ll grow up to look just as beautiful as she does. Maybe even more
beautiful. Too bad you’ll never get to know her. She’s a wonderful woman. I
just hope that she wants to marry me. I’m going to ask her one of these days,
you know. Then you won’t have to worry about people making fun of you just
because your mother and father weren’t together when they had you.”
Darren kissed her forehead and stood up. He began walking out of the kitchen
when he heard a thud. He didn’t think much of it first, but picked up his pace
to make sure nothing was wrong. Before checking it out, he put Hope back into
her crib. Darren walked down the hall and into Faith’s room to make sure she
hadn’t prematurely expired. The moment he stepped inside, he sensed something
was wrong. Looking down at the floor, he found her convulsing violently.
“Oh, shit! Faith!” Darren yelled as he got to his knees trying to figure out
what to do.
Hearing Darren’s frantic cry, Morgan shot out of bed and ran into Faith’s
room. Her heart was racing by that time, and was only made worse by seeing Faith
having a seizure. Her mind immediately went to work assessing the situation.
“Hold her down!” Morgan ordered as she ran into the bathroom and opened up
the cabinet with all the medical supplies. She pulled out a small black case
that held a small syringe and a bottle of liquid.
“Move!” she yelled, running back into the room, the syringe ready to be
injected into Faith’s body. Morgan stuck the needle into her arm and pressed
down on the stopper as fast as she could. Seconds later, Faith calmed down
significantly. Without her arms flying all over the place, Morgan could now go
over her vitals.
“What did you give her?” Darren asked with concern.
“Lithium, but just enough to stop her from seizing. Right now, we have to get
her to a hospital. From what I’ve read, the cancer has already invaded her
motor strip and might be causing her problems. She needs to see a doctor
immediately,” Morgan answered as she stood up to call for an ambulance. Darren
gently scooped Faith into his arms and carried her into the living room and laid
her out on the couch. Time was slipping away, and he knew it.
Chapter 19: Why Did You Have To Love Me?
BE NICE! Submit a review!