Beyond the Broken

Beyond the Broken

It seems like only yesterday when five friends with separate dreams stood together at their graduation ceremony at Stanford, turned their tassels, and looked forward with optimism. But two decades later, Neva, Annette, Lauren, Tamara, and Heather have all experienced a reality much different than the dreams they once envisioned. A troubled marriage and unexpected motherhood threatens to still Neva's voice forever. Annette's inability to conceive a child is challenging everything she knows to be true about herself. Lauren is weary from juggling her career, motherhood, and marriage. Tamara has abandoned the hope of a loving relationship in favor of an all-consuming career. But it is Heather who is in the worst trouble of all. A heartbreaking job loss sends her spiraling downward into darkness, and she attempts suicide. As she slips into a coma, the friends reunite at her bedside, forge a stronger friendship, and finally face hard truths about themselves. In this poignant tale, the secret of each woman's shattered dream is finally revealed, forcing each to embark on a unique journey to discover what beauty lies beyond the broken. Beyond the Broken A Novel By Sharisse Kimbro iUniverse, Inc. Copyright © 2013 Sharisse Kimbro All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4759-6276-5 CHAPTER 1 Neva Neva pressed her chocolate hands against the brown-and-whitemarble in the double shower when a familiar heaviness halted her breath. Breathe , she told herself as she instinctively put her hand on her chest as ifshe could keep her heart from leaping out. Breathe. She inhaled, slow and deep, shaking her head as she tried to focus onher breathing. "Mommy!" The sharp sound of her son's scream surprised her. Neva jumped alittle and pressed her hand even harder into her chest, bending over in theshower, now unable to stand. There was plenty of room for her slightlytaller-than-average frame to fit doubled-over. "Mommy!" The water peppered her back as Ellington continued to yell from hisbedroom down the hall. I hope he doesn't wake his father , she thought as her heart continuedto beat faster and harder while her son kept screaming louder and longer. Stand up. Breathe. "Mom-my! Come here! Now! It's a me-mergency!" he shouted. "Mommy!Where are you?" Neva knew that Ellington was persistent and wouldnot stop until she appeared. Stand up. Neva struggled to straighten and placed her hands against the slipperywalls to steady herself as she turned off the water. She gingerly steppedout of the shower, removed the shower cap from her dark, shoulder-lengthhair, and wrapped a towel around her cocoa-colored torso, not botheringto dry off. Fearing the consequences if Ellington screamed once more, shewalked as fast as she could toward her five-year-old's room, trying not toslip down the hall. She knew that the pain in her chest would only worsenif she didn't quiet him down before his father woke up. Thank goodness he'sa heavy sleeper. Ellington had wet his bed again. Instead of getting up and taking offhis own soiled pajamas, he just lay there screaming for her. "Mom-my! I was waiting for you!" "Shh! Be quiet, baby. I'm here now," Neva whispered. "C'mon, youcan take off your own pj's." "But they're all wet. Can't you do it?" "Please try. That way Mommy can get dressed and we can be on timefor school." "I need your help, p-lease!" Ellington whined. Neva sighed as she dutifully helped him peel off the heavy flannelbottoms and stripped the damp sheets off the bed, while struggling tokeep hold of the towel that protected her from his increasingly curiousfive-year-old eyes. "There, I helped you. Now take off your shirt, so I can run you a warmbath, okay?" "Okay, Mommy," he replied sweetly as Neva dashed into the Jack andJill bathroom; the bedroom on the other side was the one unfurnishedroom in the house. Neva wanted to make it a second office, a space of herown, kind of like what Claire Huxtable had in that episode of The CosbyShow when Cliff turned one room in their house into her own private spacewhere no children were allowed. Neva chuckled as she remembered howeveryone was trying to get in that room during that episode, but Clairewas unflappable. It was funny. It would not be funny if we were late , she thought. I hate to start myweek that way. Once I start out behind, it feels like I can never catch up. Onthe way back to check on Ellington, she noticed that tiny puddles of waterspotted the hallway. The thought of Dante's potential response made herforget about being late. Neva carefully got down on her knees, took theedge of the towel, and gently patted the tiny pools one by one—soaking inall the liquid to avoid any damage to the new hardwood floors he recentlyinstalled. The other ones were too dark, he said. Neva's husband, Dante, dictated what colors went on which walls,approved every piece of tile that was purchased, selected every knickknack,and inspected each detail of, well, everything. The result was an entirehouse tha