O Kind Readers: My first story in far too long. May it not be the last.


Say You Promise

Izzie's eyes opened wide with sudden horrible fright. The thudding of her heart filled her ears as she scanned the room, attention bouncing from the alarm clock on her bedside table to the closet door on the far wall to the rattling ceiling fan overhead.

Then she turned her head and saw George's face half-buried on the pillow next to hers, his jaw muscles slack in sound sleep. At that, she felt herself breathe again.

An impulse raced through her: touch him, make sure.

So she reached for one of his hands.

Confirmation. Warm skin, solid bones, steady pulse.

Thank God.

"Mmph," he said. It wasn't so much speech as it was an exhalation.

She looked across the bed at the length of his body, which was hugging the edge of the comforter. A jagged piece of her just-completed nightmare sliced its way into her mind's eye for a moment as she looked at him; she had to close her eyes to push the awful thought away.

When she opened her eyes again, his were open too.

"What?" he asked, voice drowsy and soft.

"You – you need to promise me something," she said.

His eyelids drifted toward closing again. "Promise you," he said.

"Yeah," she said.

"Mmph," he said. "What?"

"Promise me you won't leave," she said.

George's head rose off the pillow. "Won't...what? Leave you?"

"Yeah," Izzie said. "And we won't break up ever. For anybody or anything."

He smiled a bit at that. "Sorry to say you're stuck with me."

She frowned back. "Say you promise," Izzie said.

The corners of his mouth drifted back down. "Promise."

"And..." Her lips curled a bit as the ugly memory of a passing bit of imagining gashed her again. She looked him straight in the eye. "Promise me...promise me you won't die."

The words took him by surprise, and as they did, he noticed the tremor in her voice. The fear behind her gaze. "Izzie?" he asked.

Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "Please," she said.

Without a word or a wasted movement, George slipped his body across the bed and pulled her so very close to him, then held her there as she let go of heavy, anguished sobs.

And as she cried, her fear began to drain away, until all she could feel was the depth and warmth of his love for her.

"I'm here," he said. And then, with that tenderly affectionate tone that was reserved for her and her alone, he added, "And I'm not going anywhere."

She buried her face in his neck. "Promise," she said, holding him even tighter.

He turned his lips to her ear. "Promise," he replied.

The End


Something more...fun...to come - I promise!