Begging for Mercie by Sharon Srock

Author:Sharon Srock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sharon Srock
Published: 2017-09-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Penny drifted. On their return to the house after church the day before, Gabe insisted she take a sedative to calm her nerves before putting her to bed. She had no idea what he'd given her, but she knew there was a pharmacy to choose from, remnants of the numerous failed attempts at counseling since Bradley had died. Part of her fuzzy brain seemed to remember waking in the night, engulfed in tears and misery. She thought there might have been a second pill at that point, followed by her husband's strong arms, and murmured words as he rocked her back to sleep. Words...had he been praying?

Joints popped as she stretched. Gabe was a good man. Better than I probably deserve right now. Memories of her behavior yesterday surfaced in her groggy brain, and she cringed. Did I really say those horrible things? She buried any thoughts of remorse in a deep hole next to her son. She refused to be sorry for her outburst. Her son was dead. Someone had to bear the blame. When she flopped onto her back, sunlight angled through the slats in the blinds and stabbed her eyes. Penny blinked. How late is it, anyway?

A loud thump from down the hall distracted her from thoughts of the time. She lay still and tried to isolate the sound. When it came again, dread and fury filled her in equal portions. She tossed the covers aside and raced down the hall to Bradley's room. The view from the open doorway froze her feet to the floor. One word scrambled from her brain and lodged in her throat with no sound. No!

Bradley's bed had been dismantled. The sheets and bedspread lay in a pile on the floor. The mattresses, headboard, and frame leaned against a wall no longer decorated with sports posters. She swallowed, finally finding her vocal chords.

"No!" She stumbled into the room, picked up the bedding, and held it to her chest. Sobs shuddered through her body. Her words erupted in a shrill scream. "What do you think you're doing?"

A weary sigh came from the inside of the walk-in closet. Gabe stepped into the light, holding a bundle of Bradley's clothing in his arms. When he raised his head, Penny saw tears on his face. She ignored them. How dare he violate this space?

"Exactly what it looks like. I'm cleaning out Bradley's room." He swiped his face on the wad of clothes, and his harsh cough filled the room. "It's time to move on with our lives."

"Time to...what are you talking about?"

Gabe moved into the room and dumped the clothes into a box. When he looked up, Penny stepped back, away from the resolve she read in his expression.

"We can't live like this anymore." He dragged his fingers through his hair. "I've said that so much, I'm beginning to sound like a broken record." Gabe held his hands out in an open invitation. "Look at yourself, Penny. When was the last time you had a

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