Post by CertainUncertainty on Dec 31, 2015 16:42:29 GMT -6
She knew something was wrong. He was never late when he made plans to spend time with her, let alone make her wait for two hours without so much as a phone call. She couldn't shake the chills that occasionally rippled down her spine, causing her stomach to churn with anxiety. She sat at the small breakfast table, tapping her nails impatiently and glancing at the clock after a few moments of listening, waiting for his car to pull up in the driveway.
Still nothing.
"What the hell, man?" She whispered, standing up and going the window over the sink. Her driveway was empty save her own car, and there were no headlights on the road. "You'd better have a good excuse..." Maybe his friend's wife had gone into labor? Or maybe his car broke down and he was unable to charge his phone? The more she contemplated all the things that could have gone wrong, the more she began to worry. She reached for the house phone, intending to call his brother when it rang suddenly, scaring her.
The ill feeling intensified, nearly making it impossible to pick up the phone, "H-hello?"
"Sweetheart, something's happened to him. Get down to the hospital right now, okay?"
'Something's happened...'
She moved quickly, her body acting as if in auto pilot as her mind drifted back in time to just a few months ago. They'd played in the snow like teenagers, blissfully happy and in love. It had been her turn to find him in their game of hide and go seek, and she'd found him waiting for her on one knee, in the cold and wet snow, with a little black box in his hand.
'Baby, I want you forever. Forever and always, through the good and the bad and the ugly. We'll grow old together, forever and always.' She'd tearfully said yes before he finished and he picked her up and spun her around laughing.
His brother was waiting for her at the hospital ER entrance, a grim expression on his face. She took a deep breath and made her a promise to herself to be strong -- everything would be okay if she just believed. He didn't say a word, simply kept her company as she walked up to the desk and asked for her fiance. The nurse jumped up upon hearing his name, even her smile washed away.
But she would be strong.
The surgeon greeted her, warm and comforting, but it was a wasted effort -- her mind was elsewhere. He motioned for them to follow him and led the way, talking about what happened. She barely heard anything after "we've done everything we can, he doesn't have much time." It got harder to keep that straight face, harder to breathe, harder to think, harder to keep moving.
It took every bit of her will to walk into the room with a smile. "Hey, baby."
He turned his head towards her voice and smiled weakly, despite the neck brace and bruises that had swollen his jaw. "Babe..." He rasped. She pulled a chair up to his side and sat down, taking his reaching hand and cupping it with her other, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "I didn't see the truck. I-I turned - "
"It's okay." She whispered, still smiling as she brushed her knuckles softly down the side of his face, wiping a stray tear away. "It's okay. This'll be a story to tell our kids one day, when we have them."
He smiled, "Yeah, tell them what a klutz Dad was." He looked at her, eyes glistening with tears.
She laughed softly, "Yep. We'll sit on the porch that overlooks the huge yard where the dogs play, with them at our feet listening to our every word. Then we'd barbeque and watch a movie." She gripped his hand, tighter. "And we'll stay there forever, grow old together. And we'll love each other forever, pass the house down through the family." Hearing herself speak the words reminded her of her wedding vow she'd been working on so hard lately, in the midst of preparation for the wedding itself. Her chest tightened painfully as the tones of the heart monitor drove home how all of that had been in vain.
An idea struck her, nearly bringing a wave of uncontrollable tears with it.
"Nurse? Can we get a chaplain in here please?"
Within minutes, a portly elderly man in a suit shuffled into the room with her fiance's brother close behind him. "Here, I got the rings." He handed her the rings and stepped to the other side of the bed, taking his position as the best man.
"If everyone's ready, I'll begin." The chaplain opened his book and began reading, starting the wedding ceremony. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he made little comments here and there, particularly about it being his first wedding at a hospital. Everyone laughed as their tears rolled down their cheeks. He prompted her to say the vow she'd been working on. But she was short on time, and recent events changed what she'd planned to tell him on their special day.
She gripped his hand tighter, rubbing her thumb across the back of it, then looked into his eyes and said, "I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly. We'll grow old together, and always rememer whether happy or sad or whatever we'll still love each other. Forever and always."
By the time she finished, the tones of the heart monitor had slowed down significantly, counting down his final seconds of life. He was noticably paler, but no one moved, no one dared to touch him, interrupt their moment. In a voice that was barely a whisper, barely audible except to the person who mattered most to him, he said, "I love you forever, forever and always. Please...just remember, even if I'm not there...I'll love you...forever and always."
Still nothing.
"What the hell, man?" She whispered, standing up and going the window over the sink. Her driveway was empty save her own car, and there were no headlights on the road. "You'd better have a good excuse..." Maybe his friend's wife had gone into labor? Or maybe his car broke down and he was unable to charge his phone? The more she contemplated all the things that could have gone wrong, the more she began to worry. She reached for the house phone, intending to call his brother when it rang suddenly, scaring her.
The ill feeling intensified, nearly making it impossible to pick up the phone, "H-hello?"
"Sweetheart, something's happened to him. Get down to the hospital right now, okay?"
'Something's happened...'
She moved quickly, her body acting as if in auto pilot as her mind drifted back in time to just a few months ago. They'd played in the snow like teenagers, blissfully happy and in love. It had been her turn to find him in their game of hide and go seek, and she'd found him waiting for her on one knee, in the cold and wet snow, with a little black box in his hand.
'Baby, I want you forever. Forever and always, through the good and the bad and the ugly. We'll grow old together, forever and always.' She'd tearfully said yes before he finished and he picked her up and spun her around laughing.
His brother was waiting for her at the hospital ER entrance, a grim expression on his face. She took a deep breath and made her a promise to herself to be strong -- everything would be okay if she just believed. He didn't say a word, simply kept her company as she walked up to the desk and asked for her fiance. The nurse jumped up upon hearing his name, even her smile washed away.
But she would be strong.
The surgeon greeted her, warm and comforting, but it was a wasted effort -- her mind was elsewhere. He motioned for them to follow him and led the way, talking about what happened. She barely heard anything after "we've done everything we can, he doesn't have much time." It got harder to keep that straight face, harder to breathe, harder to think, harder to keep moving.
It took every bit of her will to walk into the room with a smile. "Hey, baby."
He turned his head towards her voice and smiled weakly, despite the neck brace and bruises that had swollen his jaw. "Babe..." He rasped. She pulled a chair up to his side and sat down, taking his reaching hand and cupping it with her other, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "I didn't see the truck. I-I turned - "
"It's okay." She whispered, still smiling as she brushed her knuckles softly down the side of his face, wiping a stray tear away. "It's okay. This'll be a story to tell our kids one day, when we have them."
He smiled, "Yeah, tell them what a klutz Dad was." He looked at her, eyes glistening with tears.
She laughed softly, "Yep. We'll sit on the porch that overlooks the huge yard where the dogs play, with them at our feet listening to our every word. Then we'd barbeque and watch a movie." She gripped his hand, tighter. "And we'll stay there forever, grow old together. And we'll love each other forever, pass the house down through the family." Hearing herself speak the words reminded her of her wedding vow she'd been working on so hard lately, in the midst of preparation for the wedding itself. Her chest tightened painfully as the tones of the heart monitor drove home how all of that had been in vain.
An idea struck her, nearly bringing a wave of uncontrollable tears with it.
"Nurse? Can we get a chaplain in here please?"
Within minutes, a portly elderly man in a suit shuffled into the room with her fiance's brother close behind him. "Here, I got the rings." He handed her the rings and stepped to the other side of the bed, taking his position as the best man.
"If everyone's ready, I'll begin." The chaplain opened his book and began reading, starting the wedding ceremony. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he made little comments here and there, particularly about it being his first wedding at a hospital. Everyone laughed as their tears rolled down their cheeks. He prompted her to say the vow she'd been working on. But she was short on time, and recent events changed what she'd planned to tell him on their special day.
She gripped his hand tighter, rubbing her thumb across the back of it, then looked into his eyes and said, "I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly. We'll grow old together, and always rememer whether happy or sad or whatever we'll still love each other. Forever and always."
By the time she finished, the tones of the heart monitor had slowed down significantly, counting down his final seconds of life. He was noticably paler, but no one moved, no one dared to touch him, interrupt their moment. In a voice that was barely a whisper, barely audible except to the person who mattered most to him, he said, "I love you forever, forever and always. Please...just remember, even if I'm not there...I'll love you...forever and always."
