Unchained Sorrow

LittleOneWon

Cathy waited to hear the garage door going up before getting out of bed. She still couldn't face Ray on days when she was going to be with Jackson White.

As usual, Jackson arrived in town last night. They would be sharing the morning together at the Country Roads Motel before he had to start his meeting in the afternoon. She was used to the routine. It had been repeated for three months now.

I've been thinking about Jackson, ever since the fire went out. I'm going to Jackson. I'm going to mess around.

Was the fire out between her and Ray? Not really, but it sure didn't match the fire that she currently had with Jackson.

As usual, she had breakfast and waited for the rush hour traffic to clear. She hated to wait, but she needed to minimize the risk of being caught by a friend or acquaintance.

She was sipping her last cup of coffee when she got a phone call. She didn't recognize the number but since it was a local call, she decided to answer it.

When she said "Hello," little did she suspect that she was about to experience a sea change in her life.

"I need to talk to Cathy Wilson, wife of Ray Wilson."

Cathy felt a pang of fear as she said, "That's me. What can I do for you?"

"My name is Sandy Elliot. I'm a nurse at Saint Luke's emergency room. I regret to inform you that your husband has been in an accident this morning. We have treated him and he's now in our Quiet Room. You need to get here as soon as possible."

"What happened? Is he going to be alright? If so, I can have our daughter, Alice Wilson, pick him up. I have an important meeting this morning."

"Ma'am, I'm very sorry to be bringing you this news. The sad fact is that if you want to see your husband alive, you need to get here as soon as possible. Dr. Gates has done everything possible, but he was too late. Your husband is dying. He will not last much more than an hour, if that."

"My God! Are you kidding me? What happened?"

"Ma'am, we will go into all of that when you get here."

"Ok. I'm on my way."

The enormity of the news hit Cathy like a ton of bricks. Her thoughts of passion were replaced by a rapidly-growing fear. She had avoided her husband this morning. There was no kiss at the door. No goodbye. My God! What kind of wife am I? I need to make this right! I have to level with Ray.

Upon arriving at the ER, Cathy met nurse Elliot who began her conversation by asking for the name of Ray's favorite song. She explained that she liked to play the favorite song of anyone that ended up in the Quiet Room. She would do anything to bring them some peace at this dreadful time in their life. Cathy told her that Ray's favorite song was Unchained Melody.

As she walked with nurse Elliot toward the Quiet Room, Cathy learned that Ray had been in a one-car accident at the entrance to the Country Roads Motel's parking lot. He had passed out or fallen asleep as he was making the turn and had struck a light pole.

That was devastating news. Ray knew about her and Jackson! Her husband knew she was a cheater! She rallied and asked, "How fast was he going? It couldn't have been all that fast! How could he have been injured this much?"

Before getting an answer, they arrived at the Quiet Room. In an instant, Cathy was at Ray's bedside. She was crying hysterically as she told him how sorry she was for breaking her wedding vows. She vowed that Jackson meant nothing to her. Even less than nothing. She didn't love him. She knew that it was incredulous, but it was just sex. Nothing more.

"I've only loved one man in my life and that man is you. Please hear me. You are my rock. You are the man that made it possible for me to survive losing our second child. You were there for me every time I lost my way. Can you be there for me just one more time? I've lost my way again, Ray. I need your help now more than ever."

Oh, my love, my darling

I've hungered for your touch

A long, lonely time

Time goes by so slowly

And time can do so much

Are you still mine?

"Ray, I know that I have been rejecting your sexual advances and even your touch lately. I was infatuated with a sleazy guy and I let him rule me. He told me to withhold sex from you and I was stupid enough to do it. In my mind, the infatuation would end soon and I would start making it all up to you. Please let that happen now. Pull yourself back from the abyss and come home with me.

"I love you. I love only you There's never been anyone else in my heart. I need you. Alice needs you. Give me a chance to make this right."

I need your love

God speed your love to me

"Ray, it will kill me if we have to end this way. I need time to regain your love and your trust. You just have to do this one last thing for me. I swear that I will love you like never before. I will be the wife you deserve. Baby, I know you can hear me. Squeeze my hand if you understand. Please! Just squeeze my hand, honey.

"Come home with me Ray. Please don't hate me. Please forgive me. You are a forgiving person. You never hold a grudge. I'm so sorry for what I've done. Come back to me."

It was at that very moment when the monitor at his bedside beeped. The pulses that had been on the screen had been replaced with a single flat line. Cathy felt nurse Elliot's arms enfolding her and urging her away from her dead husband's body.

As they walked away together, Cathy broke away and ran back to Ray. She grabbed his hand. It was already feeling cooler. She wouldn't let go. Nurse Elliot couldn't budge her. Finally, a big orderly told her that they had to start processing the body as he forcibly removed her hand from the hand of her dead, betrayed, husband.

She barely heard as nurse Elliot explained that Dr. Gates was quickly aware that Ray's injuries did not coincide with his condition. It all cleared up when the chief EMT handed him an envelope saying, "The patient had this beside him in his car. You need to see it."

Upon looking at that evidence, Dr. Gates suspected suicide. After performing a gastric lavage and submitting the evidence to the lab, he soon had the verdict. The patient had taken at least 20 sleeping pills. He must have done so quite some time before his accident. By the time his stomach was pumped, it was too late. The COD was officially listed as suicide.

Upon hearing that, Cathy was beside herself in agony. She was the real cause of death. It was on her and her alone. It was her wifely duty to reject the advances of Jackson. She had failed.

She asked to see what was in the envelope. What she saw broke her heart even more. It was a PI's report that outlined her betrayal in mind-boggling detail. The attached pictures made it even more damning. They showed everything! How did the PI manage to take those pictures? There was also a video and a soundtrack.

She didn't need to see or hear. She was devastated enough. Her husband had both saw and heard. He had been her rock, but he couldn't take what he saw and heard. It drove him to take his own life. She wished that he had taken hers instead.

It was at that moment that her phone announced the arrival of a new message from Jackson. He asked, "Where are you, Cathy? We had quite a commotion here earlier. Some drunken nut- ball ran into the light pole out front. They blocked the entrance for quite a while. You can get in now."

She replied, "That nut-ball was my husband. He found out about us. As to where I am, I'm in the hospital where they brought him to die. He did that just a few minutes ago. I don't want to see your face or hear your voice ever again. It would turn my stomach to do so. Stay away from me. Stay out of my ruined life."

As for Jackson, he was thanking his lucky stars that he had gotten off Scot-free once again. He had been worried about his latest female slave, but not anymore. She was fading away and her husband was dead. Jackson was in a celebratory mood as he left to attend his meeting. Little did he know that the PI report delivered to the dead husband contained contact information for Mrs. Jackson White!

The last thing Ray did happened just before he left for the Country Roads Motel. He sent Mrs. Jackson White a copy of the PI report. It was complete with the pictures, the Video, and the soundtrack. Jackson was celebrating way too soon!

On her way home, Cathy stopped to give Alice the dreadful news. She didn't hold anything back. Her daughter was mortified. After much condemnation, she ended up throwing her mom out of her house and out of her life.

Cathy was alone. She was so alone.

I'll be coming home, wait for me.

But Ray wouldn't be coming home. Not now. Not ever.

She arrived at home, except it wasn't "home" anymore. It was just an empty house except for one dastardly slut. That slut opened her husband's medicine cabinet and grabbed his remaining sleeping pills. She also grabbed one of his anti-nausea pills. She had to make this work. Failure was not an option.

She knew the number she needed. The number was 20. She counted 25 pills left in the bottle. She carried them to the kitchen. She fired up the Keurig. Hot water was absorbed quicker. The quicker the better. She began sipping and swallowing.

Lonely rivers flow

To the sea, to the sea

To the open arms of the sea,

Lonely rivers sigh

"Wait for me, wait for me."

The End