Page 7 of Marlin's Faith

She gazed out the back slider, out over the sun bleached beach, eyes distant as she took in the faraway lapping waves of the sea.

“Tomorrow okay?” she asked.

I sighed inwardly. She’d been programmed to go along with everyone else’s wants and desires so long it was going to be an uphill battle to get her to a place where she was comfortable expressing whatshewanted. This was going to take patience. Something I both had and didn’t have depending on the situation.

“I’ll call her and let her know.”

I got something simple to eat started and called Hope and let her know that Faith was ready to see her. Then I spent the next ten minutes talking our President’s girl out of coming right then and there and holding off until tomorrow. The call ended with her tellin’ me we weren’t friends for at least the next five minutes before she huffed out a breath and thanked me for taking care of her girl. There was a reason we liked Hope. That would be one of them. It was like she was a female version of the Captain, only a little less sure of herself in some ways and feistier in others.

“There we go,” I set down a steaming mug of a simple broth in front of her and some saltine crackers on a plate. If she could keep this down, I was under doctor’s orders to give her a supplement shake after a while.

“Thank you,” she murmured and blew on the steaming liquid.

I sat across from her, and kicked back in my chair. She wouldn’t look at me, but I kind of expected that.

“Tell me something you like to do, or liked to do, before all this.” I said gently. I wanted to try and get a conversation started but half expected she wouldn’t tell me. She stared for long moments at the leather on her wrist before she spoke, haltingly.

“I… I liked to party. I would go out to bars and clubs and drink and dance, just hang out with my friends. You know?”

I chuckled, “I do.”

“My sisters and I would go shopping. I liked to do my makeup…” she frowned, “Do you think that’s part of why she sold me?”

My mouth went dry, she didn’t have to talk about any of this to me, but who was I to deny her? I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t have a truthful answer, or extreme certainty, the only truth I had was the one I gave her.

“There’s no telling what people like that think, what they look for. You’re a beautiful girl, Faith. Makeup, no makeup, puking on me…” I grinned to take any bite out of it but it quickly faded. She was staring into her cup of broth, her eyes drifted shut and twin crystalline tears dropped from her lashes and into her lap. “Even crying.” I breathed and she sniffed. I wasn’t helping anything so I shut my fucking trap and got up, tearing a paper towel off the roll and bringing it to her. She took it and dabbed at her eyes.

We sat in silence for the rest of the meal and for a long time after she was finished. Her stomach finally gave an unhappy, clearly audible roil and she visibly paled.

“That way,” I pointed at the open and darkened bathroom door and she nodded, got up and swiftly walked that way. She hit the light and closed the door and I waited for the retching, but it never came. I sighed.Oh. Right. That.I thought to myself and went about cleaning up around the kitchen. I made myself a sandwich and ate; she still hadn’t come out by the time I was through. I tapped on the closed door.

“You okay, Darlin’?” I asked through the wood.

“I’m fine…”

But she wasn’t. I knew she wasn’t, but like so many things thus far when it came to Faith, there wasn’t anything I could do except wait this out like all the rest. It was day seven of detoxing for her, but I somehow doubted she remembered the first four or five and that was okay. I could be the strong one and endure those memories for her. I sighed and sat and waited for her to come back out of the bathroom. When she did, she was sweating and pale, a light sheen of moisture on her upper lip, her arms wrapped protectively around her middle.

“Think you’re done throwing up. You want help back up to go lie down?” I asked.

She bit her lips together hesitantly and nodded finally. I helped her back up to bed and she lay down on her side. The poor girl was miserable and uncomfortable, and again, there wasn’t anything I could do.

Damn.

6

Faith…

My sister and I clung to each other on the big, overstuffed couch in the living room for the longest time. I could think again, which was both a blessing and a curse. Marlin tried valiantly to give us space, but he was just there, always there, hovering at the edge of the room. Hope kept glancing at him, and back to me and I shrugged, finally pulling back enough to let the corner of the couch support me. Although our hands were still clasped in one another’s in our laps between us. I couldn’t bear to let my sister go. The cast on her right arm was rough beneath my thumb where I rubbed it back and forth over it, over the back of her hand. The thought she couldn’t feel it didn’t even really occur to me, and when it did, it didn’t make me stop.

“You okay, Bubbles?” Hope roved my face with her deep dark eyes that I had always envied growing up. Deep, dark, smooth liquid brown, and remarkable with howunremarkable they were. Everybody always had something to say about my eyes. Sometimes I wished I were just… I don’t know… moreordinary.Maybe if I’d been born plain, maybe I wouldn’t have been chosen, maybe I wouldn’t have had to…

“Faith, come on, Darlin’, look at me…” I blinked several times and focused and as ever he was there, a constant, stable. A wall to lean on when I couldn’t stand on my own, and ever the perfect gentleman while providing that service to me.

Of course, why wouldn’t he be? Who wants a nasty used up druggie whore on their arm?

“I… I’m sorry…”

“Shhh, it’s okay, really. You back now? You solid?” he asked. I searched his handsome face, the bright blue of his eyes and nodded faintly.

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