"The Man"

My wife woke me up last night around 3 am. She was sitting awake in our bed next to me, wearing her favorite t-shirt of mine. There was blood all over our white sheets and her shirt.

“There’s someone in the house! Brody! He tried to kill me! Go get him Brody!” screamed Rachel.

The overwhelming feeling to protect my family filled my bones. I jumped out of bed and got the wooden baseball bat out of the closet. Whoever was in my house was going to die. But another feeling came through my body. I stood at the bedroom door and turned around to look at my trembling wife. She was dead. Rachel died two years ago giving birth to our son, Paxton. How was she sitting there? At that moment, Paxton started crying from his room. I quickly shook it off. I wasn’t seeing her. It was just a dream. I walked into Paxton’s room and comforted the poor little boy. He stopped crying for a minute or so and looked me in the eye and started to cry. At that moment, he said his first word.

“Mommyyyyy” he cried in desperation. He had never known a mommy. I’ve never had eyes for any woman except Rachel since the day I met her. It was just me and Paxton alone in this life. I soothed boy and took him to my room. We laid in bed as he drifted off to sleep. I suddenly missed Rachel with all my heart. Life is so hard to live without her. Thankfully, Paxton has her facial features, but that makes me miss her more and more every day, when I see him, I see her.

I must have drifted back to sleep, because I woke up to the sound of Rachel’s voice.

“Brody, wake up! Someone’s in the house.” She was covered in blood again. I rolled over and tried to shake the thought. It was just a dream. It’s not real.

“Mommy” said Paxton

“I know baby, it’s okay daddy will keep us safe” she said in a calming voice. I rolled to face her, she was holding our baby and he knew her.

“Brody, someone is in the house. You have to go do something.” Said Rachel.

I climbed out of bed and grabbed the bat again. I went down stairs holding the bat as if I was about to hit a home run. I crept slowly past the living room. No one was in there. I went into the kitchen and heard a thumping. I left the window open. It was just a stick hitting the window. I lowered my guard and walked upstairs. I passed Paxton’s room and someone was leaning into the crib.

“Rachel? Is that you?” I said frightfully.

“What?” I heard her say from the bedroom down the hall. I ran in and turned the light on. “Who’s in here?!” I screamed, ready to kill anyone who approached me. A man dressed in black stabbed my leg and threw me to the ground. He ran into the bed room. I got up and chased after him. Rachel held our baby tightly and screamed.

“Leave me alone! Not today!”

Threw dark shape reached his hand out “Now.” The deep voice boomed.

“I’ve got to go, I’ll be back. Don’t worry boys. I’m watching out for you. Take care of Paxton baby.” She kissed my lips long and softly. She put down the baby and kissed his forehead. “I love you both so much.” She followed the man through the door.

‘Rachel no. please stay. Don’t leave me again. I can’t live without you.”

“I’m doing this to keep you both safe” she implied

“From what? I don’t understand”

“When I passed away in the OR the day Paxton was born, The Man gave me a choice. I either had to give you up, or the baby. I told him I would go. I knew you could do this. I knew you would take care of him. I need to go now, or he will kill Paxton. I will come back, I promise. Good bye, I love you Brody.”

As she walked away, I could still feel her kiss on my lips and the warmth of her hand on my arm. I just lost her again. I lost her again!