A gentle hand on her shoulder stirs Cora from sleep, her eyes slowly opening as she drifts from dreamland. Expecting to see her husband's face as her vision travels up the length of the arm still touching her, she's wholly surprised to see her mother staring back at her. Familiar crystal eyes gaze at her lovingly yet holding sympathy, filling Cora with a warmth she's been wholeheartedly missing the last few weeks. Marlys Pendleton opens her arms, silently ushering her daughter into her consoling embrace. She tenderly strokes Cora's hair as a fresh flood of tears pours out. Soothingly, she shushes her, whispering comforting words into Cora's ear.
When she has somewhat composed herself, Cora lifts her head from her mom's shoulder, her still teary gaze flittering over Marlys's concerned expression. "Mom," she whispers, determining not to burst into a deluge of waterworks again.
"Tell me," Marlys encourages, reaching out to caress her daughter's dampened cheek.
Cora breathes deeply, readying herself to divulge all that's troubling her to her mother. She opens her mouth to speak, but instead, she suddenly can't breathe. She begins to hyperventilate, her lungs unable to take in enough oxygen to sustain her. Cora's crying temporarily ceases as she struggles to fill her lungs, choking and gagging on both the lack of air and the force of the deep breaths she's attempting. Panic overtakes her, her heart beating out of her chest. Her face reddens, the shade deepening as the moments pass by as a result of the deprivation.
Marlys is quick to act, her motherly instincts kicking in immediately in response to the sight of her daughter in distress. She positions Cora with her head between her legs, one arm supporting her shoulders. Her other hand instantly goes to her daughter's back, gently rubbing circles over the fabric of her bathrobe. Marlys softly hums a lullaby as she does so, giving Cora the time she needs to calm down.
Cora's words are entirely incomprehensible as they leave her mouth, distorted by the torrential downpouring of tears and the heart-shattering sobs that emit from her body. Although her mother can't discern a single word of what she's saying, Cora rushes to spew it all out; she can't let it go fast enough. She blubbers and blabbers, her words muddling into each other and her voice growing more high-pitched and sorrowful as her anguish only intensifies by saying it aloud. Even though her mother is unable to understand her sobbing speech, Cora doesn't let that deter her; in a single rushed breath, she expresses her concerns about Maria and Gideon, her lost baby, and Andrew and Dr. Meyer. Unsure of her intentions in her state of suffering, Cora pours out her heart, spilling every secret and every tiny sliver of information she's collected recently.
By the time she's finished, Cora can't differentiate between crying and speaking anymore; the two somehow merged together into an entirely embarrassing and raw jumbled mess. Utterly exhausted from her earlier breakdown, coupled with the extreme distress of the past few weeks and the wrenching realization that the baby she's raising isn't biologically hers, Cora's body takes the opportunity to recuperate. Slowly, she shuts down, her mind and body uniting to give her a slight reprieve, doing the only thing they can do to help her at this moment. Her head is foggy, her vision fuzzy, her limbs weakened, and her heart heavy.
When Cora finally cries herself to sleep, Marlys takes the run of the household, caring for her sweet grandbaby while simultaneously tidying up. Once satisfied that the house is in its typical immaculate condition, she dedicates the remainder of her time solely to Gideon. He brings a spark of life to the currently dreary and dismal atmosphere of the Dalton home, filling it with the love and joy it once held, his brown eyes shining as Marlys happily dotes on him.
Sleepily and wholly humiliated about the day's previous events, Cora searches the house for her mother. Standing in the living room doorway, she observes as the other woman affectionately snuggles with Gideon. A twinge of jealousy surges through her momentarily as Cora wishes she could form some kind of bond with the baby, even knowing now that he doesn't truly belong to her. She quickly snuffs out the feeling, reminding herself she's grieving for her own lost child and that it may take time to build a connection.
Still, Cora maintains hope that she'll someday find it within herself to love him; she could be the mother he deserves if she tries. She'd like to try.
Quietly, she enters the room, seating herself away from her mother and the baby she holds. While she unreservedly appreciates all she's done for her, Cora aches for some time alone, away from Gideon and Andrew, away from mothering and wifely duties. She desperately needs time to reconnect with herself and discover whether she remains the same woman she had previously been or if the tragic and traumatic events have entirely transformed her into someone else.
Diverting her gaze from the baby in her arms to her daughter, Marlys smiles warmly at Cora, wordlessly assuring her that everything is okay. The two sit in silence for several minutes before a conversation is attempted, choosing to adhere to idle small talk instead of rehashing their significantly stressful earlier encounter.
Cora finds that perhaps her mother is precisely what she needed all along, her calm and consoling nature temporarily taming the beast within. The semblance of normalcy is relieving, possibly even slightly uplifting, promising that brighter days are to come.
YOU ARE READING
Picture Perfect
Mystery / ThrillerAndrew Dalton has always aspired to have the picture-perfect life. From his car to his job to his marriage, the man works hard to maintain the image of perfection-- but sometimes, things are not as they seem. When unexpected events occur, circumstan...
