IT'S NOT MY TIME
Chapter Seven: Oh, I Won't Go
Interactive
A nurse was by his bedside, holding his hand, playing with his fingers as he slept. "Excuse me?" I asked, my voice raising an octave. I didn't know whether to be relieved he was alive or pissed that this tramp was caressing his hand. She looked up at me in surprise. "Are you allowed to be in here?" the nurse asked tersely. I nodded, my hands instinctively on my hips. "I don't know if you know this yet, but I'm his girlfriend." I informed her, and she stood up. "Sorry. My name is Jaime," she said. "The reason I held his hand was because I was asked to, to get the blood back into it before it's too late. Because if it doesn't... he might lose all use of it." My jaw dropped immediately, my eyes bugging out. "What? Is this some kind of sick joke?" I exclaimed, but she shook her head. I slammed my fist against the door, and stirred a little. "Oh my God, is he waking up?" I asked on hyperalert, ignoring the sharp new pain in my knuckle. ", baby? It's me, , honey. You're okay. You're alive!" I felt the tears making fresh trails down my face into my makeup.
I watched as he struggled to open his eyes, the lids opening about .0001 millimeters at a time. It wasn't until I was staring into his eyes that I was kissing him as hard and carefully as I could. And I was sure that he was trying his best to kiss me back. "Oh, ." Kiss. "I was so worried," Kiss. "That I'd never - " Kiss. "See you again!" Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. I heard someone clear their throat, and I whirled around and faced Jaime, my face burning. "I'll, um, leave you two alone." she mumbled, hurrying out of the room. I turned back to , who was now trying to sit up in his bed. "." his voice was hardly audible, barely above a whisper. I hurried again to his side. "No! Stay there. I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore than you already are." I frowned, glancing at his bandaged body with a shiver. "No, ," he repeated my name. "I have been through so many obstacles to say this and I need to say it now." glanced over at the seat across from me. "Can you pick up that box and hand it to me, please?"
I did so, grabbing the lightweight cardboard box and giving it to him. "What is it?" I asked. He looked at my, half-grinning while he was opening the box carefully with his good hand. "This," murmured, pulling out a tinier box encased in black velvet. I stared at it, my heart picking up correlation with 's heart monitor, maybe even a little faster. "Is a symbol of why I'm here. To be with you for the rest of my life, and to promise to be here for you as long as I... well, live. You're the reason I stayed back a day to catch another flight. You're the reason why I'm still here, still alive. I will heal in time, and eventually so will everything else, but I want you to know that until the day I die, I will always love you. Even after that. And don't forget it. But now, the real question is..." he opened the box, revealing a breathtaking diamond ring set between two small gemstones. "Will you promise to love me, too?" asked me, reaching across and wiping new tears from my eyes. I could only talk in short gasps. "Of course," I breathed, mesmerized by the ring. It was so big. And it was so perfect.
took my hand softly, - it felt as if it were being carried by a feather - and slid the ring onto my ring finger. It settled on it with ease, as if I'd been wearing it my whole life. "It was my great-grandmother's. She passed it down to my grandmother, then my own mother, and now to me. I had to stay behind to get it updated a little. I know your favorite gem is a . Not really a romantic place to propose at, but after that trip, I didn't want to miss the next opportunity!" he smiled, gesturing to his new attire, bandages and casts. I hopped up and eagerly began to kiss him. I heard the heart monitor accelerate, and 's muffled gasp under my lips. I pulled away immediately. "Sorry. I got a little carried away, there." I whispered, feeling myself blush. just smiled and brushed my cheek with his hand. "You'll be the death of me, I swear." he said, still grinning. I kissed him again, lightly this time. "I certainly hope not. Not after what all you've been through." I frowned teasingly. He looked up at me with those eyes again. "What all we've been through." corrected. I ignored him and kissed him on the cheek, looking at my hand, still admiring the new piece of jewelry.
We both heard a knock at the door. , and came piling in with loads of presents/flowers/balloons/younameit in their arms, dumping it all on the table next to the television. "Hey, man! We're glad you're all right!" said happily, reaching over to hug him. "Yeah. It would have sucked to have to go look for a new ." teased. punched him in the arm as hard as he could with his good hand. "That's the best you've got? Whoa, when you get to go home, I am so challenging you to an armwrestling match." Their banter was interrupted by Jaime, walking in with a bunch of X-ray photocopies and a tray of needles. "I've got some good news!" she smiled cheerfully. "Your hand will be completely healed in a few month's time, . Turns out, we got the blood back in it in the nick of time, but we've still got to give you annual shots so we're sure it will be able to be used efficiently in the near future." Jaime waved a hand to the tray, and cringed. "By the way, , you can use it now if you like."
He just smiled and flapped the hand limply against the brace it was in. Jaime blushed. "Oh, right. Well, a little later, I suppose." I caught staring at me, or more so my hand. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?" he demanded. laughed hoarsely and took my hand, showing it off to the guys and Jaime. "Meet future Mrs. ." said, letting them take in the ring. "Holy shit, is that why you stayed back, so we wouldn't know?" asked. nodded, hissing at the pain it caused him. "Yes." he replied. took a Hershey's Kiss from the bowl on his bedside and pelted him with it. "You asshole!" laughed. "You could have let us know and we wouldn't have had to make you take another flight, and not crash, and not have us worry sick. If I find a gray hair in the weeks to follow, by the way, you're going down." picked up the Hershey's Kiss and unraveled it, popping it into his mouth. "So now that you're engaged, I'm sure you'll be jumping each other's bones, calling each other, all mushy 'No, you hang up first!', la-di-da..." trailed off when I cut a glare at him. looked at Jaime, holding his palm to her. "Consider yourself invited to the wedding. Not only for putting up with myself hopped up on Valium, but also for saving my life, and in a way, 's." Jaime smiled warmly and nodded. "Thank you. But I'm sure you might want to change your mind once I deliver this shot... into your gluteus maximus." , and cackled with laughter, all whipping out their camera phones to see get a shot to the ass. I just rolled my eyes and turned around, focusing on my engagement ring.
So this was really it. Several hours ago I had been weeping on the floor of an airport, fearing that the love of my life was gone forever. And now he was here, his familiar face and scent in close proximity to myself. There was no way I believed that I could possibly deserve this, but something in my gut told me that I should. When it was nighttime, the guys had gone off to rent a hotel for the night, and I was lying rather uncomfortably in the small hospital bed, my arms wrapped around as he slept. I kissed him on the forehead, and for the millionth time, examining my ring again. Mrs. . I kind of liked the sound of that.