Page 13 of Through the Water

Why can’t I talk?I mouthed, resorting to hand gestures when she didn’t seem to understand the question.

“Well, you were on mechanical ventilation for a little over a week before the doctors were able to perform a tracheostomy. So, right here…”

Taking my hand, she gently guided my fingers up my throat. “You’ve got a little hole. Now, with that speech valve on, you can talk. It’ll just take some getting used to.”

I touched the circular valve again, waiting for some sudden burst of clarity. She’d handed me the missing puzzle pieces, yet I couldn’t seem to make them fit together.

As the rough sounds of Tristan’s sobbing filled the room, I was forced to confront an alternative truth. Maybe the reason he wasn’t telepathically urging me to stick to a narrative was that this time, there wasn’t one.

It only hurts if you let it…

Without a doubt, I knew my name and basic information. If I focused, I could even recall the live worship night we’d hosted at the church back in May, down to what I’d been wearing.

Simple black wrap dress. No shoes.

The filing cabinet of my mind had kept a diligent record of every significant event in my life, save one. As I glanced back at Tristan, I saw the truth of Melanie’s words in his wounded expression.

He wasn’t responsible for my accident.

That meant only one thing.

I’d done it.

I’d finally done it.

I’d taken my mother’s advice and run, only to prove that Tristan had been right all along. The world was full of evil people, and, given where I was now, it was clear they’d wasted no time in bleeding the last bit of hope from my veins.

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