Elysian Fields

6 - Eccedentesiast

TRIGGER WARNING - MENTIONS OF PHYSICAL ASSAULT

"You know what? I'm done, I've had enough! I am so tired of your pathetic excuses. We're done, we're through! Let's get divorced."

Hearing those words emerge from my husband's mouth felt unbelievably horrendous. 'It wasn't always like this' I reminded myself. 'We can fix this... somehow' I courageously thought.

But my plan failed dreadfully as his words were acknowledged and anger absorbed me.

"Mason, stop! Maybe if you had a job, I wouldn't have to be gone all the time, working, just to put food on our plates. A little rich of you to call me pathetic."

Mason's face morphed into utmost anger, and that scared me.

"Nora, you ungrateful b****! I have to stay home looking after the kids, just because you want to fulfil your dreams, I have to do the hard work. You're the one who's never with your kids."

It's true that I didn't spend much time with my kids, but life as a nurse was my dream, being with patients, saving lives became my daily basis and if my husband couldn't give me the happiness, I deserved, then the patients could.

"Don't you talk about hard work to me, Mason! Do you know how many nights I've cried after listening to my patients' stories? How many nights I've wanted to be there for my kids? just because your pathetic A** couldn't get employed!"

His contracted jaw, and his scrunched wrist indicated he was seeing red.

He took a step towards me, slowly raising his open palm up, until it was in line with my head. The veins on his arm bulged and his nostrils flared in anger as realisation dawned upon me.

He was about to hit me.

I gaped, trying to take a few seconds to process my situation.

My eyes shut tightly, as tears slowly slipped from my tear duct.

Before, pain could be inflicted into me, the door to the living room gently creaked open.

"Mom, Lola's got stomach cramps and she won't tell me why, I think she's... Mom? What's going on?" Kingston said, concern etched onto my son's mature features.

"Kingston!" I called out. My eyes wandered around for a second, whilst I silently comforted myself. I shuddered as my mind involuntarily went back to the many possibilities of what could've happened.

I couldn't deal with this anymore knowing he'd crossed the line, I abruptly took my nurse bag and headed for the front door, with no words I slammed the door shut not even bothering to see behind me.

I could distantly hear the deafening pleads of my husband breaking through the shattered windows.

I couldn't think straight as the voices in my head screamed 'Kingston and Lola'.

I placed the bag onto the passenger seat unbothered of the loosening straps and ignited the engine. Driving through the town felt like a peaceful stroll in an Elysium, which meant heaven.

Oh right, that reminded me of my heaven, my peace provider, my dear Elysian, one of my closest patients, she's practically my daughter.

As soon as I arrived at the hospital her evening meal will be the first order, even though her disease is the rarest one found to the point of incurability, she powers through life and acts as an inspiration not just to me but all the other nurses.

I care a lot about her and her health, and sadly I've discerned her depression has started creeping back into her life. Her words mumble out her mouth and have become sometimes unfeasible to decipher.