Dolphin Tale 7

Prologue

T H R E E   M O N T H S   L A T E R

"Sawyer, do you mind coming here for a second? My back is aching."

Hazel was sitting on a chair at the dining table, wincing as a dull pain made its way along her spine, spiking around her lower back area. She dug her nails into the wooden table top as a particularly sharp edge hit, causing her to gnash her teeth and close her eyes in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

"Where does it hurt?"

Hazel breathed a ragged sigh of relief as Sawyer entered the room; his presence always made her feel safe, comfortable, and loved. Just the way he spoke, the tenderness and concern that overrode his usual dulcet tones made her feel so much more at ease.

"Same place as always," she replied, clenching her teeth as another spike of pain swept over her.

Sawyer sighed, helping her up from the chair and guiding her towards the nearby sofa, where he gently sat down beside her. Slowly, he began rubbing gentle circles into Hazel's back, making his way cautiously down to the spot where he knew had been paining her for a while.

"Hazel, this has been happening for a few consecutive days. You're six months along; maybe you should see a doctor just to make sure everything's okay."

"Back pains are normal, and besides, it's nothing I can't handle. . . ." Hazel began, trailing off as she caught sight of Sawyer's expression, a mixture of doubt and exasperation evident within his firm gaze and the way his eyebrow was raised in a questioning manner. "But I'll schedule an appointment this afternoon after we go shopping, all right?"

"Promise?"

Hazel sighed, wincing as another wave of intense pain hit. She took a moment to gather herself before nodding, "Yes, I promise."

"Good. Now, are you sure you're okay to go shopping? You can stay here if you want; I'll go."

"No, I'm coming with you." Hazel smiled, trying to suppress the pain that was pulsating around her lower back. "I've just got to go to the bathroom."

Sawyer helped her stand, watching on helplessly as she walked away, concern overriding his other emotions as the bathroom door shut. He stood, arms folded, a frown etched on his face, shaking his head before moving to stand by the door of the bathroom.

There was no noise from within, and so he called out to ask whether or not everything was okay.

Hazel stood, frozen, as she stared at the toilet bowl. Surely a little bit of bloody discharge was normal, but the amount she saw made her insides churn, bubbling and frothing in fear and angst, causing a raging panic to rise to the surface. And it only intensified when she heard Sawyer's concerned voice issue through the door, asking to make sure she was all right.

Doing her best to suppress and subdue her increasing panic levels to prevent Sawyer from becoming even more concerned than he already was, Hazel flushed the toilet, wishing that her uncalled-for emotions could be sent spiraling down the pipes along with everything else before replying.

"I'm all right, Sawyer."

She walked over to the sink, gripping the basin so tightly that her knuckles turned a ghostly shade of white, and looked into the mirror, absolutely despising the image of despair and fear she saw. Shaking her head and closing her eyes, Hazel tried to force all her fear and doubt out of her mind, turning on the tap and imagining it all rushing down the drain with the water and soap as she washed her hands.

And yet, when she opened her eyes once more, she found herself staring at the image she had so desperately tried to wash away.

In one last feverish attempt to rid of the figure in the mirror, she splashed water mercilessly onto her face, frenetically trying to scrub away the outermost layer of her personality that had latched on like a parasite so that she could return to her usual self. But no matter how hard she scrubbed and clawed at her face, the image she saw in the mirror—the reflection of herself that she had come to hate—just would not fade away. Instead, it stayed there, staring back at her with a hauntingly sinister concoction of sadness, angst, and other unwarranted emotions within the darkness and depth of its eyes.