COMING BACK

      For days, it was touch and go for Faith. She saw herself floating in a white mass without any destination. Sometimes she wanted to go up higher, sometimes she wanted to go down, she wanted her feet to touch the ground, but there was no ground and a force, the air seems to control her and her body was weightless and felt lifeless because she didn't feel, she didn't move. She was struggling, to keep herself from floating, from travelling further into the white mass, but it was to no avail, each time she went even deeper because her struggles were only in her mind. Her mind. 

      Then, a time came when her world began to clear, when she started to see the colours of earth, of life, she could smell it and in those days, the hairs on her skin stood and she felt every feeling that a human could feel. But then, she was farther away in the sky like she was a star, shining bright on earth. Sometimes, she was scared that whatever was holding her would let go and she would fall, down, down to her end. She dreaded those times and she always wanted to cry but her body was numb and although she felt like her body has gotten its mass back, she couldn't lift a thumb. It was like she had been paralysed and only her eyes and her mind works. 

      Because even when she wanted to scream, all she did was think it, it never comes out, it never tear through her vocal cords. Then sometimes it was so dark that even her mind and eyes stop to function. Sometimes, she saw Charlotte smiling at her and could never get to touch her, she was so close, yet so far. Sometimes, Charlotte disappears with the cloud and she would be left alone. 

      Her mind works but her brain seems to be too tired to work because she couldn't be deep in thought, all she did was see those visions but she couldn't do anything about them. Sometimes she felt she saw a man smiling at her she never saw his face, but she felt him with her, around her and she couldn't think of how she knew it was a man, she just felt it was a man. The smile soothed her so well that she forgot about suddenly falling to her end. 

      Charlotte was only an apparition, coming to her and going. Charlotte could walk and smile why not her? Why was she stagnant? Why was her body so numb? It went on and on like that for her and she never knew how long. 

        For those in the physical, Faith was just lying still and looking pale. It was a miracle that she was alive and they only prayed that she could come out of the unconsciousness. Her mother sat every morning by her bed and prayed for her soul to return. Ethan, feeling guilty, never came to the hospital again. 

      He had told them that he didn't want to be the first person she sees when he awakes. In those days, the bar and bottle became his best friends. Even when his friends tried to convince him that he wasn't entirely to blame. Guilt nagged at him like a wife and he despised love at that moment —something that could make you happy in a moment and yet bring your whole life crashing before you in another. 

     His mother was always weeping at her son's sudden change in behaviour. Ethan was never a heavy drinker, not the one to drink and fight in bars. He had confessed to her that he was the cause of Faith's predicament. 

       "If I wasn't so stupid to get upset, maybe we wouldn't be here, maybe I would have been the one in that hospital bed!" he would yell. 

      Some days he gets violent and smashes things which makes his mother cry, some days he would be sober enough and cry like his mother's little boy and she would envelop him in her arms and console him. 

      Marilyn and Dolores have never seen each other before, but they grew a bond the first day they met. They had cried in each other's arms and had consoled each other. 

     Nora was the one laying the sacrifices on her behalf. The church became the place of her honeymoon. She was always kneeling in front of the altar begging God to give her friend a return. If anyone's prayers touched God, it would have been Nora's because she was always there with a broken heart. She was always seated at her bedside every evening, relieving whoever has been watching her since morning or she would stay there with whoever was watching her on days she was off work. 

     Danny showed support in ways he could, he helped Nora to make meals, and sits and watched comedies with her just to make her happy, they always say a prayer for Faith before they go to bed and when they wake in the morning. 

        Charlie kept his hope alive, being the comfort everyone needed. Whenever he was around with her, he always brings his sense of humour and makes a lively atmosphere. He was also a support to Douglas who was feeling terrible that after reconciliation with his dear sister tragedy struck. 

        Douglas was angry, he was mad at the whole situation, he wished that laws and government could stop existing just for this period of time so he could ram his fist into that bastard's face over and over again until he felt the agony he had put his sister. So every morning, he exerted all his frustration of a punchbag, imagining it was Noah's face. But it could only be in his head. 

      Axel and Camelia served as Ethan's eyes and ears at the hospital. They came to the hospital to visit her, find out about how she was progressing and go and related it to Ethan. Axel was always trying to make the situation better, but Ethan was never fooled. He still grieved and blamed himself. 

     Noah was detained at the station because he has refused to say anything else. The press wete huddled in front of the hospital, waiting for the day Faith would recover, every media house wants to be the first to report it. 

       Faith kept sketching the edges of consciousness and kept seeing Charlotte and kept feeling the peace of the smiling man she could not see. At a time, she descended that height that she had been so scared to descend, but she didn't drop to her end as she had thought she would, it looked like she was brought down by someone and gently kept, now she could hear the voices of people, although they were indistinct and sounded like echoes, but she started feeling her flesh on her bones. At another time, she had woken up to see Charlotte seated beside her, smiling. She slept again when she woke up, she saw Charlotte still looking at her and smiling and she tried to reach out to her but her body still felt numb and all she could do was lift a finger. 

      "It's time to go back," Charlotte whispered.   "It's time to go back, remember, Jesus loves you..." 

    Her voice echoed in Faith's ears like many water and she felt a sudden pull and her eyes flared open. The room was bright and she felt something on her nose. Turning her eyes, she saw her mother and Nora staring at her, mouths agape and frozen. 

       "Oh, my God, she is awake," her mother said. 

    Nora waved a hand over her face. "Are you sure? This maybe a reaction, it's common with unconscious patients. Can you see me, Faith?" 

    Faith removed her nasal cannula with her free hand. "I saw him. Jesus is real," Faith said slowly. 

     Nora and her mother exchanged curious glances. Nora moved her face closer. 

        "I believe God exist, he is so peaceful." 

      "Faith do you know who I am?" Nora asked. 

      Faith stared at her blankly for a while. "Ain't you Nora Hill..." her words trailed off as she recalled the events that took place.  "Nora Kings now." 

       Nora couldn't control herself, she fell on Faith and hugged her shedding tears of joy. You are truly awake! Oh, my God, it's true!"

       Faith smiled and Nora left her.  "It's clear I am in a hospital," Faith said and made to sit up."

     Her mother and Nora helped her to sit. Her mother kept staring at her with relief in her eyes. Nora bolted off. 

      "I will get a doctor and I will call everyone and break the news to them!" Nora said as she left the room. 

        "How do you feel?" Her mother asked. 

         "I feel better. Where is Ethan?" 

         "He...he is okay, he is so heartbroken." 

           "I want to see him please, is he okay? Did Noah do something else?" 

       Her mother looked at her, unable to answer, she went over and hugged her.  "Oh, my precious little angel!" 

        Ethan was the first person Nora called and he froze, when he heard Faith was awake. It was a good thing he wasn't on the road or the steering, it would have been another fatal story. He screamed and his mother who was sleeping jumped up from the bed and ran out of her room. 

       "She is awake!" he yelled. 

     In a few minutes time he was all dressed and they set out to the hospital. His guilt all forgotten. All he wanted to do was to see her, to confirm that she was truly awake. 

     But when he got to the hospital, he lost all courage. He couldn't go in again despite his mother's pleas to go in he just stood by the door, peeping in from the transparent rectangular opening the door. Dolores went in and went and hugged Faith. Faith hugged her and looked disappointed when she didn't see Ethan. 

       "Where is he?" she asked. 

    Ethan's mother didn't know what to say, she looked at the door and Faith followed her gaze. Ethan slowly pushed the door open and came in looking like a penitent sinner. Faith stared steadily at him until he walked up to her bed. 

      "Why? I thought you were the first person I would see when I wake up." 

       "I am sorry," Ethan said looking down like a schoolboy. 

      Faith patted a space on her bed, Ethan slowly sat down. Nora motioned them to give them some alone time. The three women left the room. 

      "I'm so sorry, Faith, please forgive me..." 

       "Shhh, Ethan, you don't need to say that. I have forgiven you already." 

       "Oh, Faith, I love you so much!" he said and hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much these past sixteen days has been hell without you," Ethan said holding her tighter. 

         "I met Jesus, Ethan. I believe him now, he brought me back here." 

       "I'm glad you did, baby, I'm glad you did," Ethan said, stroking her hair and kissing her. 

      "I love you, Ethan Floyd." 

      "I know," Ethan said and hugged her again.  "I know. God, I thought I was going to loose you." 

      Faith pulled away and glared at Ethan.  "What of our baby?" she asked. 

     Ethan's heart sank low. He looked at Faith and Faith stared curiously at him, waiting for an answer. 

      "What? You don't still want the baby?" 

        "It's not that Faith," Ethan said looking down at his feet. 

       "Then what is it?" 

He looked up at her.  "I'm so sorry, we lost the baby." 

   Faith's eyes grew wide, tears started to pour, before she screamed. Ethan her into his arms again where she wept bitterly. 

           "Ahhh! Noah! Noah!" she cried. Ethan held her tight, consoling her. 

       He was surprised that she didn't blame him. She had not blamed him. It was him who made her to leave the h ouse at first. He hugged her like that, while she cried her heart out and then she finally fell asleep again, in his arms.