Missing Hart by Ella Fox

with Marissa. At the conclusion of the visit she told us both that she felt that at this time hospitalization seemed unnecessary, and that if Marissa would continue on as she had today, she had great hope that we would see great progress in the months ahead. I walked the doctor to her car where she reassured me that she felt the worst was behind us.
    “Marissa presented today as very self-aware. She acknowledged the issues and discussed them with me in the most candid way that she ever has. She genuinely wants to be happy. She told me several times that it’s time for her to take control of her own life and find peace and happiness. She wants to change, Dillon. Now it’s up to us to help her achieve that goal.
    I got that the doctor’s words were supposed to be reassuring, but my radar was still up and I wasn’t settled as I walked back into the house. Marissa was walking out of the kitchen as I came through the front door and I was happy to see her drinking a glass of orange juice and eating a banana. The fact that she was eating was a good sign because ingesting food was another one of her issues during times when she was depressed. Many times she had told me that she couldn’t stand putting anything solid into her body when she was down because she felt so diseased inside.
    Smiling at me she gestured to her bedroom. “I’m officially exhausted now so I’m going to go lay down. You should go to work for the afternoon. I saw on your work calendar that you’re supposed to be finishing the love garden today. You have to go in for that.”
    I hadn’t been leaving her alone lately, and I wasn’t sure I should do so now. Either I took her to work with me or Dominique and/or Leah stayed with her. Leaving the house for a few hours would be a big step.
    She watched my face as my thoughts played out in my mind. Shaking her head she said, “Dillon, you have to let go. You’re not my babysitter. The doctor told you that everything is fine. I’m going to rest you’re going to work and that’s that. I packed your lunch and put it on the counter.”
    Stepping closer to me, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “You’ve been amazing but it’s time to start moving on from all this drama.”
    Pulling back she turned and started walking to her room. Looking back over her shoulder at me, she smiled. “Love you!”
    She looked so happy as she said it that I finally allowed myself to start to believe that things were going to improve.
    “Hey,” I called out to her, “Stop for a second.”
    Turning on her heel she stood by the hallway door and looked at me.
    “What’s up?”
    With a big stupid smile I replied, “I just wanted to tell you that I love you too and I’m very excited about becoming a father. We’re going to have a great family.”
    She smiled at me as her eyes glazed over with tears.
    “I know you’re going to be an amazing daddy. I can’t wait to see that. Now go to work and finish that beautiful garden for the doctor and his wife. I know being cooped up in the house so much lately is making you nuts.”
    That got a chuckle out of me because she was right. Given a choice, I’d always choose to stay outdoors when the sun was shining.
    “Okay, okay, you win! I’m going to work. I’ll be back in four or five hours and I’ll bring pictures of the finished product. Have a good nap honey, I’ll see you when I get home.”
    Smiling as she turned back into the hall she said, “I’ll be watching out for you.”
    A few hours passed at work as I put down sod and finished up the plantings my boss had brought to the work site. Working with the land has always been my favorite activity, and I graduated with a degree in landscape architecture. I was plucked up by an awesome landscape company midway through college and I’ve been very fortunate that my boss, Rick, has been so cool about me working around whatever happens with Marissa. When he met her for the first time a few weeks after he hired me,