Back to You (Sequel to Take Me Away From Here)

Chapter 26

Tim POV: 

Faith's been acting strange ever since her dream a couple nights ago. She's quiet, and dare I say, clingy. Whenever I walk into a different room, she'll follow a short time after, sitting far enough to give me my own space but always within view. I can tell the wheels in her mind are churning, so I don't dare call her out on it. I don't want to disturb whatever is going on in her mind. 

She sits quietly in the passenger seat, while the girls talk amongst themselves in the backseat. On the rare occasion that we are all in the same car together, I can't help but think about the years we spent toting them around in car seats and carriers. She glances my way from time to time, before looking down at her lap, like she's trying to muster the courage to say something. She clings to the edge of her shirt, nervously running her fingers along the hem. 

God, what I'd give to be in her head right now... I can tell her thoughts are just criss-crossing in every direction, tying themselves in knots, before organizing themselves amid the chaos somehow. 

"Tim?" She calls out, making me glance over her way. 

"Yeah?" I reply, watching her eyes monitor the road, like a novel is spread across the lanes. 

"I want to go home." She releases quietly, while the girls remain distracted in their own conversation. Well, she can't blow off her own appointment completely. I glance at the clock, knowing we really don't have time to stop back at home after dropping the girls off with my mom. 

"We really don't have time to run back before heading over to--" I start, before she shakes her head, looking nervously down at her lap once more. 

"I mean home... I want to go back to Mississippi." She clarifies, making me freeze. I stare at the road, trying to process what exactly she means. She's never called Mississippi home... Home has always been here in Tennessee for us... Why would she want to go back? 

"Wh..." I start, before narrowing my eyes. "Why?" I spit out, watching her think for a minute. She leans her head back against the seat, looking out the passenger side window. 

"I feel like I've lost a piece of me that I had when I was there... I'm not that girl anymore, and I want to figure out what's missing." She explains, while I remain confused. My mind is running with all the things I could say. What does Mississippi have that we don't have here? All we left there was a shitty history and a lot of bad memories. 

"So you want to go down there and do what, exactly?" I ask, watching her sit up a little straight. 

"Go back to Star, see the house, see our old school... Trace back my steps until I have that moment of clarity." I try not to laugh. I just feel like that will only bring up all the pain and grudges we left there. Going back to Mississippi is an awful idea. 

"I don't think that's a great idea." I word carefully, seeing her crack a small smile. That's never a good thing... 

"Funny thing about that..." She says, before turning herself toward me. "I talked to Dr Connors, and he said he thought it was an awesome idea. He said that it'd help my healing, by showing what adversity I've already overcome." She tries to convince me, while I simply sigh in response. I pull up to my Mom's house, hearing the girls gather their things. 

"We'll talk about it later." I say, starting to turn the car off. 

"Well, I called Dr Connors to talk about it, and he canceled our appointment so we could go down today..." She says quickly, making me freeze. I glare her way, watching her spare a child-like guilty smile. My Mom rushes out of the house with open arms, talking through my half-open door.