The drive back to the lake was quiet, the tension between Will and Stacy palpable. Ben and Lily sat in the backseat, picking up on the unease but too young to fully understand it. When they arrived, Stacy knelt by Ben and gently asked him to show them where he had thrown the medallion. The boy hesitated, his small shoulders shrinking under her gaze.
“I didn’t mean to make Dad mad,” he said softly, his eyes welling up. “I just thought it’d be fun.”
Stacy pulled him into a hug, her voice soothing. “We know, sweetheart. It was an accident. But it’s really important that we find it, okay?”
Ben nodded, sniffling, and pointed to a spot near the shore. “Over there. By the big rock.”
Will barely waited for the explanation before he was in the water, swimming out toward the area Ben had indicated. Stacy stayed on the shore with the kids, watching as Will dove beneath the surface again and again.
By late afternoon, the sun was sinking low, and Will was utterly spent. He crawled onto the shore, his arms trembling with fatigue, his breath ragged. “Nothing,” he gasped, collapsing onto his back. “I didn’t find anything.”
Stacy crouched beside him, her hand on his shoulder. “You did your best, Will.”
Ben and Lily approached cautiously, their small faces full of worry. “Is Dad Mom okay?” Ben asked Stacy, tugging at her hand.
Before she could answer, Will pushed himself up onto one elbow, water dripping from his hair. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice as steady as he could manage. “Something… bad happened to me. But I’ll manage. I’ll have to.”
His last words came out as a mutter, meant more for himself than anyone else. The kids looked to Stacy for reassurance, and she nodded quickly. “Everything’s going to be alright,” she told them, though her own uncertainty was clear in her tone.
Back at home, after getting the kids fed, bathed, and tucked into bed, Stacy found Will sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. He had showered and changed into one of her loose T-shirts again, but the weight of the day hung heavy on his borrowed features.
Stacy sat across from him, sliding a cup of tea in his direction. “You did everything you could.”
“I know,” Will said, staring into the mug. “But it wasn’t enough. It’s gone, Stacy. That medallion is probably buried in the silt at the bottom of the lake. I don’t know how we’ll ever find it.”
Stacy hesitated before responding, choosing her words carefully. “We don’t know that for sure. Maybe we can get some diving gear, or—”
“Or what?” Will snapped, then immediately softened, guilt flashing across his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“I know,” Stacy said, cutting him off gently. “You’re frustrated. I get it.”
Will leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh. “This isn’t just frustration. It’s… I don’t even know what to call it. I feel… lost. Like I’m not even me anymore.”
Stacy reached across the table and took his hand. “You’re still you, Will. No matter what you look like. You’re still the person I married, the father of our kids. This doesn’t change that.”
Will looked at her, his expression a mix of gratitude and despair. “It doesn’t change that for you, but for me… Every time I look in the mirror, every time I move, I’m reminded that this body isn’t mine. It’s yours.”
Stacy nodded, her grip on his hand tightening. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you. But we’ll figure it out. Even if it takes weeks, or months, we’ll find the medallion.”
Will let out a bitter laugh. “Weeks? Months? You really think I can last that long like this?”
Stacy’s eyes softened, and she leaned closer. “You’re stronger than you think, Will. And you’re not in this alone. We’ll face it together, one day at a time.”
They sat there for a while in silence, holding onto each other as they tried to make peace with their strange, surreal predicament.
