Stronger

Chapter 14 {We'll both break through}

Faith POV: 

Tim's still dead silent, even after we get to the hospital. Different tests show that had the bullet gone straight in, he'd be dead. Somehow, it came in diagonal, and only cracked his skull slightly. He'll be okay. 

"I felt it." Tim says, shutting his eyes tightly. "Maggie thought I was dead." He suddenly rambles. I keep a close eye on him, as I look down at myself.

My hands have restricted movement, but with physical therapy they'll be okay. I have a concussion on each side of my head, along with dehydration. My body is so sore in these following days. 

I miscarried, in a way. They said I was a rare case, and am lucky in some ways. I was pregnant with twins. One of them couldn't stand the trauma, while the other is clinging to existence. They want me to stay in the hospital so I don't end up hurting her in any way. Tim has to stay here too, to make sure there's no bleeding in his brain, so we are rooming together. 

He's different now, and it's killing me. He looks down at my hands and shudders slightly. I look back over toward him. 

"Do you think our kids are going to be really screwed up now?" He asks, looking at the wall at the foot of his bed. I swallow had and try not to think about it. He slowly looks over at me, looking more exhausted than I've ever seen him. "I mean, one saw their father get shot in the head, and they both..." He stops, and lets his mouth hang open for a moment. He completely breaks down, causing my chest to hurt. "I heard it, Faith. I heard him hurting them." He cries out, covering his mouth with his hand. "What kind of father can sit there, hearing some man hurt your daughters?" 

"You didn't just sit there." I try to suggest. He shakes his head, and looks at me with hollow eyes. 

"I'd kill to fix it... I'd do anything." He says, biting his lip and looking down at the ground. I can't imagine what he'd do if he could see Josh once more. 

"Did you shoot him?" I ask, cautiously. He nods slowly. I mean, it was fairly obvious by how vicious the shots were. He wanted Josh dead. 

"I swear to god, if I see him, Faith, I'll kill him. Nothing can stop me." His jaw shakes as he sits and thinks about it. He looks to the other side of the room, in what I'm guessing is an effort to conceal emotion.  

The girls' doctor walks in with their charts, followed by a female police officer. They both seem fairly distraught. 

"The girls' accounts have been cleared up, and we think that we know what happened during that period of time." The officer says, taking a deep breath. Her eyes focus on me, as if she can't even stand to look at Tim right now. 

"They show no sign of sexual assault, which is a good thing. Neither of them mentioned it either." The doctors say to Tim, allowing a little relief to come our way. "However, it's clear they were abused." The doctor becomes disheartened. 

"Gracie was able to fight off more of the abuse than Maggie was, but at the same time, Gracie was trying to protect her sister." The officer says. "Gracie recalls being punched and slapped numerous times. She says he would also kick them, and lashed them with his belt..." She stops and swallows hard. 

"They're going to have scars, undoubtedly." The doctor adds, making me feel numb. 

"Had you guys not gotten in when you did, they'd be dead." The officer spits out. 

"Why'd he take off their clothes?" I ask cautiously. I feel Tim wish he could pluck the words out of the air. 

"He wanted the lashes to leave marks, and through their clothes it would be much harder." She says, taking a deep breath. "I suggest therapy for them both. Maybe spend some extra time at home with them and really just let them know that they're safe." My chest aches as I look over to Tim. He's staring at the foot of my bed, refusing to make eye contact. 

"Why'd he do this?" I ask the officer. The officer looks at Tim and shuts her eyes. 

"He was obsessed with you, and he wanted you to feel the same way about him." She says. "He had planned on doing all those things to you far in advance, which was why he drank so much that night. He only planned to hurt the girls if you 'misbehaved'." She sounds sick as she tells me. Tim swallows hard while I shut my eyes tightly.

"How long of a sentence?" Tim asks. The officer shrugs and calculates in her mind.

"Maybe eleven years, at best. He might be able to get parole earlier." She says, shaking her head. The fact makes my chest hurt. 

"He'll be out in 2012?" Tim says, bitting his tongue. 

"At the latest." The officer adds, seeming almost ashamed. 

"He better pray that I'm dead by them." Tim says, looking to the other side of the room toward the wall. I look at the officer and shake my head slowly. 

The house is much quieter now. Maggie has a broken ankle, and Gracie has a concussion, so they're both forced to take it easy. Tim has been curled up with them for a while while they watch cartoons. 

I make dinner slowly. The doctor told me tasks like this will help my hands. He also told me to play guitar, and have the girls draw pictures where I can trace the lines with my fingers. I mean, my hands are still sore, but they're working fine. I don't know why they want me to continue doing therapy for them. 

Tim wanders over slowly and wraps his arms around my waist. Something about this motion makes me start to breakdown into tears. "You alright?" He whispers, placing his lips on my shoulder. I shake my head quickly, and hold his hands against my stomach. I'm starting to shake, as the whole ordeal plays in my mind again. 

"He hurt me." I reply quietly so the girls won't hear. Tim swallows hard, and rests the side on his head on my shoulder as he sways. 

"Tell me what to do, and I'll do it." He says, shutting his eyes. I feel his hatred for Josh running through his veins more fluent than blood. 

"I messed up. I put the girls in that situation..." I start to cry out quietly, watching them peacefully watch the new cartoon coming on. Tim now places his lips behind my ear and shakes his head. 

"You had no clue that he'd hurt them, honey. It's not on you." He says softly. I nod quickly, trying to reassure myself. I take a deep breath and turn towards him, wrapping my arms tightly around him. He kisses the top of my head and sighs. "It's okay now. You're safe." He whispers.