The Unbelievable Life of Patrick Uilliam Carter (Book 1)

Chapter twenty

Days passed as Patrick lay there helplessly. No word of Calliope. He could feel the others giving up hope of ever finding her.

"Lost to the sea." He heard them whisper. "Need to tend to the injured, instead of wasting time on a lost cause."

He hated hearing their heartless comments. He hated that he couldn't do anything but give in to their demands. But worst of all, he hated himself.

He had been a fool to even think for one moment that anything good could ever happen to him. He wished he had never left Narcadia. All the lives that were ruined because he stupidly chased after a dream.

He cursed his father for telling him about his mother. He cursed his aunt for not caring about him. He cursed his mother for choosing his sister over him. And he cursed Nerissa for chasing after Calli.

Nerissa. Everything came down to her. If she hadn't attacked that ship, his father never would have met his mother. All of this was her fault.

Anger filled the empty chasm where his heart once was. It festered as he continued to stew in his grief and pain until it consumed his every thought. He wanted revenge.

In the stillness of his room, he heard Calliope's voice, carried on the night breeze. "Puc." It gently caressed his wounded soul. "Puc." The familiar tone called out to him barely above a whisper. "Puc." Her voice full of sadness.

He gritted his teeth. The muscles in his jaw tightened. "Calli." Just saying her name aloud threatened to break him all over again. He missed her with his whole being. Salty tears freely flowed from his unseeing eyes. He trembled as the darkness closed around him, gripped him tightly, and ruthlessly pulled him down as he sank deeper into his grief.

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As the days bled away into weeks, Patrick found that he had nothing better to do with his time than to think. Trapped inside his broken body with the privacy of his own thoughts; he reminisced over all of the cherished moments with those who had shown him kindness.

  He pondered over the advice that James had offered. 'Leave the pain in the past. Forgive. And move forward in life.' He sighed. He could at least try it.

His aunt had been the one who hurt him the most. Could he forgive her? His mother's words came back to him.

Had he ever tried to understand his aunt? Her parents left her, her brother left her, and now he left her. He should have tried to talk to her. Maybe she was lonely and hurting like he was.

He knew better than anyone how that felt: unloved and unwanted. Constantly trying to prove yourself worthy of the things that should have been freely given. For the first time, he felt sympathy for his aunt instead of hatred.

The more he thought about her, the more he saw how similar they were. He came to a conclusion. When he is well enough to leave this island; he would return to his aunt, talk to her about their past, and see if they are able to resolve their differences. Maybe, just maybe.

He smiled. James had been right all along. It seemed strange to not hate her, but he felt a little relieved.

A cool breeze gently kissed his face. "Puc." It was undeniably Calli's voice. "Puc. Please don't leave me." She whispered from the darkness.

He screamed at the sound. "You're the one that left me!" He sobbed. "You left me here. You left me alone." He scarcely choked out.

Unrelenting, she called out to him. "Puc." The sorrow in her voice pierced him.

He thrashed his head against his pillow. "Stop. Please." He cried out. "Just let me be in peace." He felt the cold embrace him. He shivered.

"Patrick." Her cries echoed through his mind. Growing louder. "Patrick, please. I'm begging you. Open your eyes."

He furrowed his brows, bit his lip, and wept bitterly.

"Please wake up. I don't want to live without you." Her desperate pleas turned into exasperation. "How dare you do this to me! You have no right to make me love you and then abandon me like this! If you don't wake up, I swear I'll hate you forever!" Her words thundered and shook him to his core.

He struggled to force his eyes open. He could barely open them. He blinked slowly. A soft glow graced the edges of the darkness directly in front of him. His face scrunched as he squinted, trying to decipher the exact outline of the blurry image.

A lavender glow pierced through the darkness. His breath caught as his heart seized in his chest. His brows drew together as he blinked furiously. The glow was gone. Leaving nothing behind but the darkness. His heart sank. Then soft lips brushed his. His eyes desperately searched the blurry face above him.

A breathy laugh rose from her. "Breathe, dummy."

He didn't want to hope. He couldn't afford to believe if it wasn't true. Yet, even though he couldn't see clearly, he still wondered. "Calli?"

"Who else would I be?" She carefully caressed his face.

Gradually the contours of her silhouette came into focus. He reached up and winced in pain.

"Just take it easy. You were in pretty bad shape." She guided his hand back down. Lacing her fingers in his.

"What happened?" His voice sounded gravelly. His sore throat burned as he tried to speak.

"When the boat hit the rocks, we got separated. When I finally found you..." Tears poured down from her eyes as her voice broke. "Oh, Patrick! I thought you were dead." Her chest heaved as she gasped for air. She covered her mouth and shook her head. "Your body was so bloody and bruised." She sank into his chest, clutching his shirt. "You were barely breathing and you wouldn't move." Her wet cheeks rested against him, soaking through his shirt. "You wouldn't wake up!" On the brink of hysteria, she screamed at him. "Don't you ever do that again!" She tightened her grip on him as she cried uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, Calli." His voice was scarcely audible.

Her breathing was ragged as she glanced at him. Her eyes were red and puffy. Tears stained her blotchy face. She rubbed at her eyes with the palm of her hand. She sniffled, then smiled tearfully. "I love you, Patrick."