Down Where My Love Lives by Charles Martin

Author:Charles Martin [Martin, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Omnibus of the two books in the Awakening series
Amazon: B001O5BES2
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2008-12-30T06:00:00+00:00

WHEN MAGGIE OPENED HER EYES THAT NEW YEAR'S Day some seventeen months ago, I felt like I could see again. The fog lifted off my soul, and for the first time since our son had died and she had gone to sleep-some four months, sixteen days, eighteen hours, and nineteen minutes earlier-I took a breath deep enough to fill both my lungs.

I knelt and placed her hand in mine, and the tears and tremors I'd been holding back bubbled up and out. In truth, I cried like a baby. She did too. A long time passed, but neither of us spoke. At least not with words. Besides, just what would I say? Where would I begin?

Finally she managed a hoarse whisper. "Missed you."

It took me a second. "Me too."

She swallowed and tilted her head. "How long?"

I shrugged and swallowed hard again, wanting to break it to her gently. "Couple of months." She patted the bed, then shook her head, the tears spilling down the lines of her nose. "I knew when you were here. Each time. I tried to wake up, but ..."

She ran her fingers across the scar on my arm, a puzzled look appeared on her face, and she started to speak again.

I stopped her. "Shhh . . . " I placed my finger to her lips, and she reached for me.

But before I could hold her and let her hold me, I had to tell her. She had to know. "Honey ... he didn't ... I mean ..."

She nodded. "I know." The lines around her eyes slanted downward, the need showing. "Where?"

I nodded out the hospital window in the general direction of our farm. "Down by the river." I bit my lip, trying to gauge her response. "Amos and I ... we ..."

She reached again, and this time I let her pull me toward her, her breath washing my face, her eyes searching mine. Her mind was working hard to get the words out of her mouth. "You forgive me?"

I shook my head. "Maggs ... there's nothing to forgive."

She placed her hand behind my head, pressed my forehead to hers, and I knew that we were still "us."

Two weeks later, they told me I could take her home. Word spread, and even staff members who weren't scheduled to work packed the hallways to see her off and wish us well. Their faces and eyes suggested both a homecoming and a sending off. I'd have taken either one.

I pulled the truck around in front of the hospital, pushed the wheelchair into her hospital room, and for the first time since she woke up, wore something other than running shoes to the hospital. Maggie took one look at my feet and said, "Nice boots." She never did miss much.

"Blue picked them out."

She sat in the chair. "How's Pinky like them?"

"'Bout the same."

To much applause and too many cameras, I wheeled her out of the hospital and up to the side of an orange truck she'd never seen. She eyed the truck, then me, but didn't say a word until we drove off.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.