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Chapter 52
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The nightmares came back. Maybe it’s just the stress of everything, heck it could be even the fever I’m running, but either way I’m sweaty, achy, and my brain hurts. I roll to my side, breathing fast. This dream had been worse than normal. No longer are they relived memories. Each night, they morph further from real life and dive deeper into my subconscious fears. Tonight had been about Cameron, and it has been the scariest one yet. Every time I close my eyes, I see his limp, lifeless body staring at me from the dream. My heart is racing at what happens next.
I whimper as I quickly sit up from my bed. Pulling my comforter closer to my body. The tears come as they always seem to these days and I sob into my blanket. I know it’s just a dream, and that Cameron broke my heart, but seeing him like that has been far worse than the pain of him not wanting me. My door slowly creeks open and I see a head pop in, my heart pounds as I find my voice.
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I just stare at her, blinking in confusion. Why on earth is Cameron’s grandma coming to my house? She looks at me grinning as if she knows me on a more personal level than she does. “Uh, hello” I offer, feeling awkward. Noah nudges me and I snap out of my stare. “Oh sorry, um. Did you want to come in?” “Oh, that sounds lovely dear.” she hobbles through the door, patting my arm as she walks past me, leaving the smell of cinnamon and honey in her wake. She looks and smells how I imagine a loving kind grandma would. I hadn’t been lucky enough to grow up with grandparents. She turns into the living room, humming a cheerful tune along the way. Noah and I follow, stunned. She heads for the chair while Noah and I proceed to the couch, waiting with bated breath for her to explain her random visit in the middle of what would be a school day. “Would you be a dear and get me something cold to drink?” She says with a sweet smile, turn
A little Bit of Faith Chapter 54
“Maybe he ran away to think?” I Offer while we drive aimlessly around town searching for any sign of Cameron. The arcade on 16th St had been our first stop. We were there at Edith’s suggestion, so I had run in only to appease her. I couldn’t imagine Cameron coming to a gaming hole, not as a 17-year-old jock, anyway. After thanking the woman behind the counter who said she hadn’t seen him, I raced back out to the running car. Edith frowns as she stares out the window. We are running out of places to look.We have checked the mall, the football field, weight room, yacht club. The yacht club was interesting trying to get in. Edith faked a heart attack while I snuck behind the desk checking their log. For 3 hours we have done nothing but search all the places she used to take him when he was a little boy. I feel useless as I have nothing to offer other than my average driving skills. I know Cameron well, bu
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If Angela thinks she can get rid of me that easily, she has another thing coming. Plastering on a fake smile, I turn and offer a sarcastic thank you to the security guard, who smirks at me. The metal doors close slowly on him as I grab out my phone and immediately call for backup. “Mia.” I sigh relieved, “I need you to grab Noah and meet me at Memorial hospital.” “What? Are you okay? What happened?” “It’s not me, it’s Cameron,” I say quickly, there’s silence on the other end. “I’ll call you when we get there.” and with that, she hangs up. Now to wait the approximate 30 minutes before they arrive. I wander around with no destination in mind, finding myself in the cafeteria. Diving into my bag, I dig to the bottom and only come up with two dollars and thirty-seven cents. Sighing, I look around to finding a snack cart and walk over to see if there is anything I can actually afford. Thankfully, they are having a two-
A little Bit of Faith Chapter 56
*Cameron POV* An incessant ringing continues to grow louder and louder, tugging at my consciousness. Each decibel brings with it a higher amount of pain until it becomes so sharp it disappears altogether and I can hear nothing but my own labored breathing. Every part of me aches in unison, as I can feel the whole of me waking up. My back feels stiff as if I am pinned to a board and my legs tingle as if on a bed of needles. I try but fail, to open my led-laden eyes, annoyed that even the most simple of tasks is just out of reach. Something near me creaks and I try to turn towards the sound, finding that my neck is also protesting my brain’s demands of movement as I lay motionless. The sound of rustling fabric and a slight breeze tell me that someone is sitting by my bedside, moving around. My mind goes instantly to grandma who I know must be here waiting for any sign that I am still inside this shell of a body that keeps m
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*Faith POV* A pained yelp sounds from behind me as I run as fast as I can away from who I am sure is a guard coming to keep me away. I hear footsteps clattering behind me and turn over my shoulder to check the distance. The moment my eyes land on Noah chasing me down, I slow down and come to a stop as I round a corner. Noah comes fumbling around and I grab his arm, yanking him against the wall. “What the hell! Did you seriously sick an old lady on me?” he rubs his upper arm, scowling at me. Realization dawns on me, and I see my mistake. Breaking out into uncontrollable laughter, I bend over and rest my hands on my knees, wheezing in a fit of giggles as I work through what just happened in my mind. I just played ninja with my, maybe still my boyfriend’s, grandmother, let her sacrifice herself as she beat the person I thought was a guard who, as luck would have it, is just one of my best friends trying to help
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*Faith POV* Hours have passed, and Cameron hasn’t stirred since his terrifying screaming. The doctors have assured us that any progress is good progress, though it feels like we are back to square one. Cameron’s father, Richard, has sat silently with me in the room, neither of us willing to take a step away from him in fear of missing out on whatever might happen next. It’s strange to see Richard so torn up over Cameron after all the stories I have heard about him. Cameron had often painted him to be a cold unfeeling man, yet according to the nurse, he has been here the entire time conducting business meetings out of the corner of the room while waiting for progress of any kind. I have seen him cry twice since being allowed in. The first time was when I hadn’t recognized it was him in the cafeteria and I had given him my second chocolate bar. The more recent time had been silent tears after everything had settled down in the room.
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The steam swirls around me as I step out of the warmth from the hot shower. Reaching out, I grab my fluffy towel and wrap it around my body, padding over to the mirror and wiping away the condensation. I assess the dark circles under my eyes and frown. Not only have I not slept well lately, they literally pried me away from Cameron at 3 am. Edith took over watching him so I could come home, shower, eat, and sleep. I’d sleep better knowing I could get ahold of Cameron when I wanted to, but he is still loopy and healing. I sigh as I remove my towel and step into my pajamas; Taking the towel, I wrap it around my wet hair and walk over to my bed and find a sleeping Mia. A smile crosses my lips when I hear the little snores floating through the room. She must be as tired as I am. I crawl into bed, doing my best to not disturb her, and pull the blankets over us. She stirs slightly, lifting her head and looking at me through par
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*Cameron POV* My head is pounding as the nurse explains to my father and grandma what the next few days will entail for me. I was hoping to be discharged today, but the Doctor quickly nixed that hope. Twenty-four hours of observation before making any big decisions, he told my dad. All I want is my bed, my own clothes, and Faith near me. I groan as I drop my head back on the pillow. My dad comes running over, concerned. “Are you ok? Do you need more medicine?” “No, what I need is to get out of here,” I say, annoyed. He frowns at me. “You need to be observed, to make sure you are really ok.” “I’m perfectly fine other than a terrible headache,” I complain. “We expect headaches with head injuries.” The Doctor interjects. “I know being stuck in the hospital isn’t ideal but it is the best thing for your health,” he assures me. “Can I at least get up and walk around?” I ask. The doctor looks at me, thinking hard, and sigh
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Warm water trickles down my leg as another contraction squeezes my insides in an invisible vice grip. I groan loudly, clutching the counter and leaning over. I hear a clattering beside me and I look over, seeing Izzy holding his little stuffed puppy, his eyes wide in fear. He looks so much like Cameron right now. I smile through the pain as he tentatively steps closer. “Mommy, you peeped your pants on the floor?” he asks in his sweet 3-year-old voice and I chuckle. “No baby, mommy is going to have a baby. Do you know where mommy’s phone is?” I ask, hoping he might remember where I had it last since I never can recall these days where I put anything. “Um. Yep!” His tiny little legs work hard as he runs out of the bathroom and bangs around in the living room. “Iz. Izzy?” I call to him. “Yeah, mommy?” “Did you find it?” He walks into the bathroom, holding my phone, and I nearly fall over with rel
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4 years later, *Cameron POV* I wipe my sweaty palms on my khaki pants. Faith’s name rings through the speaker system and a single graduation cap rises from the sea of green as she makes her way to the stage. Noah and I jump to our feet, screaming and cheering for her. It doesn’t matter to me that every man and woman graduating is wearing the same robes and hat. My Faith looks a thousand times better than all of them. Her auburn hair shimmers in the sunlight as she climbs the stairs, a stunning, excited smile on her perfect face. There is no doubt in my mind that this woman is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. She shakes the dean’s hand and pauses for a minute while photos are snapped. Noah and I take our seats and he leans over to me anxiously. “Ok, dude. I’m freaking out for you,” he whispers. I shoot him a scowl, and he just chuckles and shrugs. Noah and I quickly became good friends and then, as fate wou
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*4 months later* * Faith POV* “Come on, Faith!” Cameron shouts “Run faster!” Mia screeches “Yeah, pretend Mia is coming for you!” Noah adds. I can hear an oof from him, which makes me smile, knowing Mia probably whacked him. I try to tune them out as I run by them on my last lap, hurtling towards the finish line. I need to hone in and focus. Currently, I’m sitting in second place with Mariah right on my heels. My heart is racing with the sheer adrenaline of the race and my legs are exhausted. They feel like jello but I push harder, faster than I have ever gone before. Little by little, I gain on the girl in front of me. Each step vibrates through my leg, pulling me closer to my last victory.
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“Do you guys think it's stupid of me to keep doing family therapy?” I ask Mia, Noah, and Cameron. They all look around at each other, waiting for someone to talk. “That’s up to you,” Mia says. “If you think you need to do it to get the closure you need, then I think it’s exactly what you need,” “You have to remember that you are un-hashing a lot of heavy stuff. You are reopening old wounds so that you can heal appropriately. It’s going to be tough in the beginning.” Noah adds. “You said Uncle John is back to actually showing up, right?” Mia asks, and I nod. I forgot how long it’s been since we’ve sat and had a serious conversation about it all since she spends most of her time with Noah and I’ve been busy with Cameron. “Did he give a good excuse?” Cameron asks. “He went back to visit his AA mentor and talk about everything. His mentor helped him find a therapist here and Dad claims he is going daily now.” I say, sh
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*Faith POV* The car idles as I sit and stare at the garage door. A stray tear slowly weaves its way down my cheek as I swipe at it furiously. I hate feeling like this. My therapist keeps telling me that healing is a process and even when I ‘heal’ I’ll still have moments when I’m not ok. And today I’m not ok. I feel emotionally drained, and all I want to do is sleep for days. I hate these scars that make me feel so ugly and imperfect. I have done so well compartmentalizing all my shit so I could help and be there for Cameron. And it felt amazing to do that. I regret nothing. But now I’m being bowled over by my own insecurities and internal pain and I feel so alone. I have people I can call who would be here in a moment for me. But I feel terrible for bothering them with my sob stories. Mia called me the moment I left Cameron his food to ask if we could reschedule our girls-only night. Of course, I said yes. She is in love and happy
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The arcade is bustling and the sounds of the games surrounding me remind me just how alive and vibrant this place is. I sit at one of the tables towards the back with a now cold pepperoni pizza as I watch everyone move around me. A young girl is crying because she lost the game while her older brother chuckles and tries to console her. The boy to the left sits at the table drinking his soda while being engrossed in some random comic strip in his hand. I look to the center of the store and I swear I can see her. Standing there in front of a young boy who looks just like me. I blink back the burn of tears, letting the memory play itself out before me as if it’s a movie of my life. “Oh, my sweet little Izzy. I promise the machines are clean,” she assures me with a sweet smile. & year old me just smiles in excitement. “Shouldn’t I be at school?” ten-year-old me asked her. “Not today. Today we are celebrating yo
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“How’s Edith?” Noah asks as he walks up to Faith and me. It’s been a few days since her stroke and there still isn’t much change. Though she woke up, she still looks like she is not completely there and it’s slowly killing me inside. “She’s hanging on.” Faith answers for me, entwining our hands and offering me a supportive smile. “Well, that’s good to hear,” Noah says, trying to make conversation as he sits at our lunch table. I like Noah. He seems to be a genuine guy who thinks the world of his two best friends. Who doesn’t respect a guy who can put up with two polar opposite girls at the same time? Ever since the time we all hung out in Faith and Mia’s living room, he and I have had a new mutual respect for one another. One that I am certain will grow into a wonderful friendship. Which is refreshing since I really only have Faith. Being the popular guy comes with a lot of things, one of them being lots of acquaintances but no
A little Bit of Faith Chapter 70
Each blip on the monitor is a reminder that she is still here, still fighting. It’s been a whirlwind since we arrived. Flurries of medical personnel bustle in and out checking vitals, changing liquids, offering water for Faith, dad, and me. She had a stroke, that’s what the doctor said. He said extreme stress brought it on. I rode here with her in the ambulance. I just knew she would wake up if I left her alone for even a minute, and I couldn’t miss that. Yet she still hasn’t opened her eyes or even squeezed my hand. I know she will recover. It doesn’t take a medical genius to know that she is just too amazing to leave me. She would never do that to me. Faith walks up behind me and snakes her hands over my shoulder, hugging my back and giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, how are you doing?” she whispers. The heat of her breath tickles my ears as I turn slightly to see her face. She looks exhausted and stunning. How
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“Well then, I will find a job and buy us a double-wide to live in,” Dad smirks. I choke on my laugh when her face falls, and she grows pale. “Fine. I’ll sign them and go to John.” She says. It’s blatantly obvious that she is trying to get a rise out of my father, but the only reaction she gets is a bark of laughter from Faith. “My dad?” Faith is trying to contain her laughter while my mother grows red with anger. “I’m sorry. You think he wants you after you tried to destroy him by getting him addicted to drugs?” “Woah, what!” I look at my mom as she stands looking guilty. Now it’s my Father’s turn to turn red with anger. “You gave him drugs?” My father says, his voice rising as it echoes through the house.”
