They say home is where the heart is, but what if my heart is six feet under with you?
Erzsébet's fingers traced the outline of the figures in the framed photograph. The photograph showed Erzsébet, wearing a beautiful white wedding dress and smiling joyfully standing beside her husband, Gilbert, who wore the same happy expression on his face.
A sigh escaped her lips as she stared at the beautiful picture before placing it back on the shelf.
What should she do? Everything in the house reminded her of him, the photographs hung up on the wall, the colour of the wallpaper, the flowers in the vase, even the fucking couch!
This is hopeless.
Her thoughts told her as she sat down on the couch, hugging her knees closer to herself.
Everything is hopeless. Everything reminds me of him.
She sighed again as she closed her eyes and drifted into her own mind.
"Hey, are you okay?" a masculine voice asked with concern. Erzsébet snapped her head up at the voice and she tried to give the owner of the voice a deadly glare, as deadly as she could make it anyways.
"What do you want, Gilbert? Are you going to mock me? I don't need your goddamn help," she growled in a low voice, trying to not have her voice crack. The boy knelt down to her level.
"Listen, if I wanted to mock you, I wouldn't even be here," he retorted. "Your face is injured really badly, are you sure you don't need help?"
Erzsébet kept quiet as Gilbert lifted his arm to bring her chin up, forcing her to make eye contact with him.
"W-What are-"
"I'm looking at how bad your bruises and cuts are, and how unawesome you look," he cut her off as he turned her face to the left, then to the right. Erzsébet's eyes followed him as he let go off her chin and stood up.
"Stand up," Gilbert said. Erzsébet stayed silent and didn't move a muscle. "Come on, Erzsébet, you need to stand up so i can at least make your face look a little less unawesome."
Giving a frustrated sigh, she rolled her eyes and stood up.
"That's more like it," Gilbert smirked as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him. Erzsébet tried to wriggle out of his grip.
"Let me go, you asshole!" she yelled at him as she struggled to get out of his hold. "Where are you even bringing me?"
"The fucking infirmary!" he snapped, continuing to pull her along and tightening his grip around her wrist. Erzsébet sighed and gave up trying to get out.
"Aren't the nurses already gone?" she asked him.
"Who said the nurses were going to help you?" he retorted. "The awesome me is going to help you."
The remainder of the walk was spent in silence.
"Sit down here," Gilbert said as Erzsébet did as she was told silently and sat on the chair across him. He picked up a cotton pad from the first aid kit that sat on the table and poured some disinfectant on it. He reached out, and dabbed the damp cotton pad onto Erzsébet's cuts.
Erzsébet hissed in pain as the cotton pad came in contact with her injuries. "That's hurts, jackass," she snarled.
"It's supposed to hurt, genius," he said, rolling his eyes. "Either you let it hurt for a short while or you suffer from an infection." Erzsébet huffed in frustration and kept quiet.
He did that for a while, before discarding the piece of cotton and pulling out more cotton pads and some medical tape. he pressed the cotton pads onto her cuts with some pressure causing her to squirm from the pain. He took some tape and taped the cotton pads to her face. He repeated that for all the cuts on her face.
He then shifted his attention to her arms where many cuts and bruises were littered.
"Gott, what kind of fight were you involved in to have injuries this bad?" Gilbert mumbled as he started to disinfect her cuts.
"That bitch, Natasha- Ow! - threatened to spread lies about me if i didn't- that hurts! - Do what she- ouch! - wanted," she finished as yelps of pain escaped her lips.
"And what she want you to do?" he asked, bandaging up her arms. Erzsébet feels her face flare up and she stumbles over her words as she tried to speak.
"U-uh nothing r-really!" she spluttered and gave a weak excuse as she desperately tried to avert her eyes from Gilbert's.
He stared at her in amusement as she becomes increasingly flustered.
"It must be something, if it gets you this flustered~" he teased.
"It's about you!" she spluttered as she realiees what she had just said. Almost immediately, her hands flew to her mouth as she stared with widened eyes at Gilbert.
"About the awesome me?" he asked, his eyes widening in confusion rather than shock.
"I-I'm sorry!" she yelped as she swiftly darted out the room, leaving a very confused Prussian/German sitting in the now empty infirmary.
Erzsébet snapped her eyes open as her phone rang annoyingly beside her. She groaned as she checked the caller id.
Iryna :)
Seeing as it was her good friend, she picked up the call.
"Привіт! [1]" the cheery voice spoke from across the line. "How have you been? I hope you're doing better than you previously did," she asked.
"I'm feeling..." she paused before sighing. "Not much better."
There was a brief silence. "Erzsébet," Iryna started. "You should know this...but that isn't very healthy, is it?"
"i know...i-i just..." another sigh fell from her lips. "Iryna, it's so hard, everything in the house reminds me of him. "Everything, Iryna, everything," Erzsébet finished, biting her lips to stop herself from crying.
"Erzsébet..." Iryna's sympathetic voice spoke. "I'm so sorry for your loss, I really am...but you should really be moving on. You can always talk to me, Belle, or anyone really!"
"I know..." Erzsébet spoke. "Listen Iryna, it isn't like I'm tired of speaking to you or anything...but I'm...really really exhausted...talk tomorrow?"
"o-oh..." a brief pause. "Alright, I'll call you tomorrow to check up on you."
"Thanks, Iryna," Erzsébet sighed. "I'll hang up now."
"Alright."
With that, Erzsébet ended the call and set the phone down on the coffee table in front of her.
Her eyelids felt heavy once more as she laid down on the couch, letting her mind guide her into the land of sleep.
Erzsébet sighed into Gilbert's cold, pale hand, desperately trying to get some heat back from his body. She stared at him and wonders he can look so peaceful even though he was on the verge of death.
His skin was paler than it had ever been, and he looked so peacefully asleep, you would think he was just taking a nap if it wasn't for the mask on his lower face that told you he was ill. Seriously ill.
"Wake up, you idiot..." she mumbled, lifting his hand to her lips where she gave it a soft, light kiss. "This isn't funny anymore..." she says once more, tears welling up in her eyes.
"we have so much more to do...kincsem[2]...you can't just leave like that," she sighed once more, keeping Gilbert's hand close to her lips.
The shrill sound of the heart monitor erupted as Erzsébet stared at his lifeless body, tears streaking her cheeks.
"Szeretlek[3]...!" she said one last time to the man she loved with all her heart for so many years before being ushered out by the incoming stream of doctors and nurses.
She snapped her eyes open as she jolted up from her lying position. Panting, she glanced at the clock. Catching her breath, she sighed again before walking towards the front door and grabbing her coat.
She opened the door, and swiftly walked over, making sure to lock it securely before rushing off, hoping into her car and driving away immediately.
Once she reached her destination, she got out of her car and walked into the cemetery quietly, moving towards the grave that she visited day after day without fail.
She stared at the headstone.
Gilbert Beilschimdt
beloved brother, husband, and friend
18th January 1989 - 14th February 2018
She sat down in front of the headstone. She looked at the headstone fondly, playing with the wedding ring that sat on her left ring finger.
And she wept.
She wept for the lost dreams that they once shared.
She wept for the things they weren't able to do together.
She wept for the endless emptiness she feels day after day.
She wept for all the things they could've had, but lost.
She wept, for herself, and for him.
The stars shone brighter that night as Erzsébet tucked herself into bed, the nagging loneliness never once leaving her.
He was amongst the stars, watching over his beloved.
Our love is six feet under,
I can't help but wonder
If our grave was watered by the rain?
Could roses bloom?
Would roses bloom?
Again?
~Epilogue~
Three years passed Erzsébet by swiftly, and she was now walking down the corridor of an adoption centre, looking for a child for herself with her Ukrainian friend, Iryna.
"I'm so glad you've decided to open yourself up, Erzsébet!" Iryna beamed, squeezing the Hungarian's hand affectionately.
"Yea, so do I," Erzsébet huffed, walking past the different rooms containing orphaned children in them. The children stared at the ladies with wonder and awe, as though the ladies were their key to a new hope.
"Well, we have a multitude of children in this facility. I'm sure you'll find a suitable child here!" the manager who walked alongside Iryna and Erzsébet said.
Walking the rooms, Erzsébet suddenly froze, before she walked closer to the window, to give herself a better look. The manager stood behind her as Iryna moved with her.
Erzsébet's eyes followed the child, and they glisten with tears. The child was pale, with white as ash hair to match. his eyes were a magnificent red, they were comparable- no, they were rubies. This child...
Was a splitting image of Gilbert.
The child caught Erzsébet's gaze and gave the woman a toothy grin, making her heart pound against her chest mercilessly.
The room had other children, and the child, after grinning at Erzsébet, moved to play with the other children in the room.
"Found one you like?" Iryna asked as Erzsébet nodded in response.
"Mrs. Evans?" Erzsébet called as the manager walked over to Erzsébet.
"Yes? Found one that piqued your interest?" she asked, smiling.
"Yes," Erzsébet breathed, chewing her lips to prevent herself crying. "The one with the red eyes, please," she said, adorning a smile.
"Oh! You must mean Jonas right? He's a really energetic boy! You've made a good choice!" the manager beamed happily. "I'll arrange for a interview for the both of you in a few days time!"
"Thanks," Erzsébet said.
"Oh, Erzsébet! I'm so happy for you! I'm sure Matvey will be happy as well!" Iryna said.
"Yea, I'm happy for myself too," Erzsébet smiled.
For once, she feels happy with herself.
For once...it feels like...
She wasn't so lonely anymore...
Maybe, roses can bloom again.
Translations ;
Ukrainian- привіт! ; Pryvit! ; Hi!
Hungarian- kincsem ; darling
szeretlek ; I love you