Cheryl Tardif - Submerged

He doesn’t sleep. He has somniphobia.

She flicked on the television and wandered through the channels. Nothing interested her, and her eyes drifted to the door.

She thought about Wesley. Was he in a jail cell, cursing because his plans had been blown? Was he raging because she and the kids were still alive?

She gave herself a mental kick for believing his lies.

Greed. One of the seven deadly sins.

She prayed Wesley was as cold and miserable as she had been when trapped in the car.

Then she thought about Ella and Colton. She wanted to curl up and cry for them, for what they were about to endure. In a matter of hours they would discover their father had tried to kill them—and their mother. How do children live with that?

How will I live with that?

The air in the room shifted as though a breeze had wafted in from an open window. But the window was closed.

She had the distinct sensation that someone was leaning over her. And then she heard a soft female voice say, “ You’ll live with this, Rebecca, one day at a time.”

Her eyes drifted shut and a sensation of bliss washed over her.

One day at a time.

Marcus tiptoed into Rebecca’s room, a bouquet of assorted blue flowers in his hand. The only ones left in the hospital flower shop, they’d had a blue balloon attached, announcing the birth of a baby boy. He’d removed the balloon and left it tied to a doorknob.

“Hi,” she said from the bed.

“Hi.” He surveyed the room, then spotted a vase with a wilted single red rose on the windowsill. “Want me to throw this out?”

“Please,” she said with obvious relief.

“These were all they had left downstairs,” he said, motioning to the bouquet.

“Blue flowers are my favorite.”

They match your eyes, he wanted to say. “I, uh, wanted you to have something colorful and bright to look at.”

“These walls are really sterile looking, aren’t they?”

He laughed. “Hospital white.”

“Remind me not to order that paint color—ever.”

There was an uncomfortable second of stillness.

“When are you—?”

“Do you think—?” she said at the same time.

They grinned at each other.

“You first,” he said.

“I was wondering if you think you’ll come visit me sometime. In Edmonton.”

His brow arched. “You want me to?”

“I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t.” Her expression grew serious. “I don’t play head games, Marcus. And I’m pretty sure neither do you. I’d like to get to know you.”

“Without my cape, you mean.”

She laughed, and it sent shivers down his spine.

“Fine. I’ll come see you in Edmonton.”

Her smile radiated sheer delight, and he hoped he’d never see it disappear.

“You started to say something,” she reminded him.

He shrugged. “I wanted to know when you were going to get out of here.”

“You make it sound like I’m in jail.” She flinched.

“Are you thinking of Wesley?”

“I’m still having trouble wrapping my brain around everything he’s done. I didn’t see it coming. None of it.”

Marcus’s lips thinned. “How could you? He’s the father of your children. And regardless of what he’d done in the past, you never dreamed he’d be capable of murder.”

She shuddered. “I guess I’m quite the fool.”

“No you’re not. You were manipulated by someone you once trusted.”

“What’ll happen now?”

“The system will take care of Wesley, and you’ll get justice for you, Ella and Colton. How are they doing, by the way?”

She smiled. “Driving Kelly insane.”

Rebecca unlocked the front door, then turned to Marcus. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

“Help?” She let out a sad laugh. “You did more than that. My children and I will never be able to repay you.”

“I’m not looking for repayment.”

She stepped inside her home. It felt like she’d been gone for months instead of days. “Want to come in? I could fix us some dinner.”

“I should probably be going.”

She cocked her head to one side. “You drove me home, Marcus. Dinner is the least I could do.”

“Fine,” he said, moving inside and closing the door. “But you need to rest still. I’ll do the cooking, providing you’ve got food in the house.”

She grinned. “I can’t promise a stocked pantry. I didn’t bothering buying much before we left. But there might be something in the fridge or freezer.”

Marcus helped her ease off her jacket. She sucked in a breath when pain flared around her chest.

“See?” Marcus said. “What did I tell you? You need to rest.”

She sank down on the sofa, grateful to take his advice, and there was an awkward moment of silence as he propped her feet up on the sofa, then sat in the chair across from her.

“At least I won’t have to worry about Colton and Ella tonight,” she said.

He nodded. “It was nice that your sister decided to keep them overnight and give you an evening to yourself.”

“Kelly’s good that way. She always seems to know what I need.”

“My brother, Paul, was a bit like that, although he was caught up in his army career. He made a good soldier.”

“That must have been really hard on you when he died.”

“Yeah. It was hard on everyone. Paul’s death left a huge hole in our family. Seems I have a lot of holes.”

She gazed into his eyes and saw bitter grief there. “Jane and Ryan?”

He nodded. “You have any tea?”

“I think so. Herbal or regular?”

“Green tea, if you have it. And don’t move. I’ll get it. You just tell me where everything is.” He was about to walk away, but stopped. “I quit drinking when I quit drugs, even though I never had any problem with alcohol. I thought you should know.”

Admiring his honesty, she watched as he puttered around in the kitchen, gave him directions to the tea and teapot, then agreed to ordering in some salads from Boston Pizza, since Marcus couldn’t find anything salvageable in the fridge.

“So tell me more about this sleep phobia you have,” she said when he handed her a mug.

“Somniphobia. It sucks. I’d give anything to be able to climb into bed and sleep more than two hours at a stretch.”

“What happens when you try to sleep?”

“My heart begins to pound. My palms sweat. I feel like I’m gasping for breath. As soon as I drift off, I jerk awake. Sometimes I see things that aren’t there.”

“What kind of things?”

He shook his head and stared at the fireplace. “Ghosts mostly. I know, crazy. I’m sleep deprived. But sometimes…” He shrugged.

“What?”

“They seem so real.”

“Your wife and son?”

“Yes.”

“Paul?”

“I used to see him, but it’s been a long time since he visited me.”

“Maybe he’s at peace now.”

He raised his eyes and stared at her. “You know, most women would simply laugh at an admission like this. They’d think I was nuts.”

“Are you?”

He chuckled. “There are days when I wonder.”

“Like recently?”

“Yeah. The past few days have been high on my list of weird.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He laughed. “I didn’t mean you.”

“It has been beyond strange.” Her smile faded. “It’s not every day that I have to fight for my life because my husband and his lover want me out of the picture.” She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Wesley had planned everything.