Chapter 16

                                    

                                          
Faith POV: 
                          
I open my eyes, feeling like I've been hit by a freight train. I look over to see Michael lying beside me. It was just a dream... Thank god, it was just a dream... I probably passed out after Michael brought me home. I roll over, before sitting up, feeling like my head weighs a million pounds. I stretch my arms, before I feel my blood run cold. 
                          
My wedding ring... My old wedding ring rests on my nightstand, right beside a small bouquet of my favorite flowers, and a letter. I grab onto the letter, tearing it open quickly, my heart pounding. 
                          
Dear Faith, I've tried to write this letter a million times it seems, but I can't seem to find the right words to say. You've been the center of my world for so long now, and you mean more to me than anything, which is why I had to do this...
                          
I set down the letter without reading any further, rushing down the stairs, and grabbing my keys. I run out to the car with only my keys and my phone, frantically starting the ignition as I feel my phone buzz. I answer it, pinning it against my shoulder, as I start to fly down our driveway at fifty miles an hour. 
                          
"Faith..." Kim lets out on the other end of the line, making my stomach drop. She sounds like she's crying. "He... He..." She stutters, as I pull onto the road. I live only a couple of minutes from his house... If I speed, I can be there fast. 
                          
"What? What happened?" I ask, my chest hurting, while she sniffles. I turn onto his street, passing mailboxes, before seeing his driveway, illuminated in this early morning hour by ambulances and cop cars. I drop the phone, as I feel my limbs go numb. 
                          
I pull up to the house, jumping out of the car quickly, and plowing past the numerous police officers who try to stop me. I walk inside, seeing Kim leaning against the couch, talking to a couple of officers. I rush upstairs, hearing Kim follow behind me. 
                          
"Faith..." She lets out softly, as I walk quickly. "Faith, don't... Please, don't..." She warns, seeming to panic as I ignore her. She suddenly wraps her arms around me, before I pull against her, trying to free myself. "Faith, don't go in there..." She cries, pulling me down to the ground as I try to get away. I manage to squirm away, tears running down my cheeks, as she tries to grab onto me again. I push open the door, rushing in a few steps, before feeling myself freeze. I stare, completely numb, as I notice more and more wrong, the longer I remain here. 
                          
There's blood everywhere... Medics slowly leave the room, packing up their supplies which lie about. I scan the room, before noticing a large pool of blood that has soaked down into the hardwood. A small handgun lies on the ground on the edge of the bloodstained hardwood, the barrel coated in a thick, red, glaze. The windows are open, letting the Tennessee mountain air blow in through the sheer curtains. 
                          
The TV plays white fuzz, the sound off, while the covers are crooked, the bottom splattered with blood. I blink quickly, praying my eyelids will wash away the sight. I feel my legs shake, as my chest struggles to force my heart to beat. 
                          
I look back toward the doorway, seeing Kim leaning against the door jam. My chest quakes, as I try to breathe. 
                          
"They managed to find a pulse. They're taking him to Williamson Medical center, but they might have to transport him to Vanderbilt if it's... bad..."  She informs me carefully, looking at the scene once more. "I told him to call me once he got home, and he didn't... so I came by to check on him...  I never would've thought..." She releases, tears starting to stream down her cheeks as she falls apart. She covers her mouth with her hand, falling apart after the thought of walking in on him hits her again. "He was still breathing, Faith..." She cries out, wiping her tears with her forearm. "After he shot himself in the head, he was still awake... He was awake the whole time, and then he just... he just stopped... He stopped moving, and breathing, and responding..." She rambles, almost inaudible with how worked up she is. I watch her in horror, her words haunting me in a way she doesn't quite recognize. I shake my head, wanting to deny what she's saying, but I know it's probably true. Why would she lie about something so gruesome? 
                          
"Williamson?" I croak out, wanting to leave this room as soon as possible. She narrows her eyes at me, before nodding. 
                          
"Yeah, he's at Williamson. Just about ten minutes down the road..." She says, as I rush out of the room, and back toward my car. I sit in my seat, taking a moment to assess if I need to break down and scream, or if I want to go see him as soon as possible. I take a deep breath, and put the car in drive. 
                          
I pull up to the hospital a short time later, pitching my keys to the valet, before marching inside. This hospital is small, compared to the ones closer to Nashville. I walk up to the front desk, waiting for a chatty nurse to get off her phone call. 
                          
"Naw, she's just the sweetest thing, ain't she? I'll let Miss Leanne know you called. Alright... Alright... Ha... Buh-bye." She says, finally hanging up the phone. She glances up at me, taking a deep breath, before motioning toward the elevator, apparently already knowing who I'm here to see. "Floor three, room 308." She informs me, looking almost saddened. I rush onto the elevator, smacking the third-floor button. The elevator takes me up, releasing me out onto the floor, which is crowded with nurses and doctors. I squeeze through, before following the descending room numbers to room 308. I turn into his room, stopping in the doorway. 
                          
I feel myself start shaking my head, as I take a step back, the sight unbearable. I cover my mouth, as I start to fall apart. My heart pounds, my ears throbbing to the point where I can't hear a soul around me. He looks horrifying... His face is bruised, and his head is wrapped tightly, blood starting to come through the bandages. I hug myself tightly, trying to force air into my lungs, as I stare at the shell of the man I knew less than twenty-four hours ago...