air. He raised his hand and tenderly cupped her cheek. Her
eyes filled up with tears, even though she didn’t want to let
them spill because she knew it would only upset him. They
fell anyway, dripping onto the white sheets tucked around her
dad’s shrunken form. “Leaving you alone is the last thing I
want to do, but I’m ready. Your mother was the love of my life
and I’ve missed her terribly. I just hope she’s out there, and
that I can find her again. That my energy will know her
energy.”
Coralyn wasn’t sure what she believed. They weren’t
religious. She wasn’t aware of her father going down any
spiritual path, but then, those things were personal. He was an
artist who had created stunning pieces of jewellery in his life.
Jewellery that would outlast him and probably many
generations to come. Of course he had a searching heart, a
keen mind, a desire to want to believe in something.
“You’ll find it,” she said, sounding more confident than she
felt. Like every other human who had come before her and
would come after, she wished that she knew for sure.
“Your mother wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone.”
She shook her head. “No, Dad. I’m okay. I’m sorry.” She
bowed her head, so her tears ran off her cheeks. “I’m just a
wreck. I’m trying to be brave and it’s not really working out.”
“That’s okay.” His hand rested on the crown of her head.
“Sometimes being brave looks like that.”
“I’m scared for you.” She looked into her dad’s face, but the
rest of whatever she was going to say died when she saw the
smile on his lips. Peace. That’s what was waiting for him. An
end to the pain he was in, and God, it had to be horrible.
“Don’t be. I’m not afraid for me.”