Free Lost and Found by Lorhainne Eckhart

mouth to stifle her sob.
    She clutched his shirt. “Richard I hurt … I’m so tired. I can’t stop shaking. I can’t fight you.”
    “Shhh baby, I’ll get you through this.”
    “Damn you, why are you doing this to me? Please just give me something to make this hurt stop.”
    Unable to keep up the charade, Maggie sobbed and held onto Richard , and for the first time in a very long time, realized she wouldn’t be alone.

Chapter Thirteen
    The late morning sun streamed through the cathedral window on this unusually warm winter day. Maggie sat cross-legged on the cushioned window seat in the sunroom Richard built as an addition onto their house. Maggie sighed as she stared out at the acres of thick forest and the Mount Olympus part of Olympic National Park.
    Maggie couldn’t remember ever being so tired. She shut her eyes as she leaned against the stack of fluffy pillows. After bringing her home, after a rough first night at Sam and Marcie’s, it had been a week of night sweats, insomnia, vomiting, and cramping muscles—and Richard never left her side. She’d begged them, each one of them , for something to ease her ache. But each had been unbending as they got her through that hellish first night. Sam boiled her water to drink and explained the details of how she was dependent physically and psychologically on these drugs. And he told her over and over she needed to understand what her body was physically going through. And why the brain receptors become less sensitive to the drugs ’ effects, and soon she needed more and more for the same effect. How her quality of sleep was reduced, and why the next day she’d experience drowsiness and cognitive slowing, like a hangover, which is even worse than sleep deprivation. Marcie rubbed her back and reminded her she’d be okay, she was strong , and she’d get through this. But it was Richard who never left ; he yelled. He was adamant , a steel wall of support , cutting through her foggy reasoning until she let go and leaned on him.
    The next morning , Sam and Richard returned on the ferry, taking her home to the Gardiner acreage . Richard held her outside on the desk of the passenger ferry as she vomited over the side of the small ferry at least a half dozen times. Ryley had stayed overnight at a friend ’ s. Sam gathered a few of Ryley’s belongings and hopped on the first ferry back to Las Seta with Ryley. Diane picked up Daisy from Maggie’s house in town.
    Maggie never would have believed she was addicted to a couple of simple medications many people take every day. But the withdrawals the second day—wow—she trembled just thinking back. Remembering so clearly in her delirium , she begged Richard to give her something , anything, to stop her insides from burning, aching. Her nausea had her hanging over the toilet and sleeping on the cool tile floor to relieve the pressure in her head that was so bad she’d swore her head would explode from the unrelenting pounding. And the shakes that racked her body. Richard remained firm as he held her, and swore to her at least a dozen times if he could get away with it, he’d kill the doctor for giving her the pills in the first place. Richard cleaned her up , bathed her , and rubbed her back while she cried and begged. After three days, the worst was behind her, leaving her so empty and sapped  she only wanted to sleep.
    Now after a miserable week, Richard had dared to leave her side. Maggie watched him through the window as he paced back and forth in front of the barn, talking on his cell phone. After what they’d survived , it was hard to believe how he’d become her rock—in a way she’d never expected. Even after all the horrible hateful words of blame she spewed like venom, which shamed her now as she did her damnedest to avoid thinking and reliving.
    Richard glanced up as he spoke on his cell phone and watched her as if he expected her to leave. She’d given him good reason, after all , wasn’t it the