Her One Last Gift
"Please, Trish, just give me one last kiss," Steven Wakefield pleaded, his voice thick with emotion as he firmly held onto the frail hand of his beloved who was lying, almost lifeless, on the pure white sheets of the hospital bed.
"I cannot," Tricia Martin Wakefield whispered. "I cannot."
Steven sighed deeply and tried to swallow the large lump in his aching throat. He gently laid her hand down beside her and allowed her to have some rest. He scrubbed a hand over his tired face as he walked out of the room. The musty smell of hospital medicines, sick patients, and total sanitary air hit him at full blast. He felt sick. He leaned beside the door and laid his forehead against the wall, taking in deep calming breaths. His mind played the scene over and over again- the terrible time when he had found out the terrible secret his beloved had been hiding from him. Leukemia. It left such a foul taste in his mouth.
Flashback
"Hey, there. Where's Trish? She's supposed to meet me at the coffee shop about an hour ago. Do you know where she is?" he casually asked his girlfriend's father after strolling into the house unannounced.
"Nope, sorry, son. Go and ask her mother. Think she's in the kitchen preparin' supper," was the reply and went back to reading the newspaper.
He nodded his thanks and made his way into the kitchen where he saw the missus talking angrily into the phone. He decided to leave when she slammed the phone down hard, making him jump.
"Them vermins don't know nothin'! I have to leave and see her, but I-I just can't! I have ta feed my newborn baby, my husband, and then I have the two other children to attend to-"she rasped on and on to no one in particular. Finally, she saw him standing there quietly. "Sorry, hun, what do yas need?" She quickly lowered her eyes, embarrassed that someone had seen her make a hissy fit, but also because her eyes were filling up with tears fast.
"What's the matter, ma'am? Is something wrong?" Steven asked gently.
"Nothin, hun." She bit her lip indecisively, and then exploded, frustrated, "I-I can't hold it in any longer!!" With that, she burst into a noisy racket of tears which had her husband come running into the kitchen to see what had happened.
"Love, what's the matter with ya?" he demanded, taking her into his arms.
"It's Trish…she's-she's I the hospital. (sob) Someone had taken her there because she had fainted in the store while she was out shopping for some clothes."
"What's the matter? I want answers, what happened to her?" the young man demanded angrily, staring at his girlfriends' parents with such intensity in his blue eyes.
"Well, son, we can't hide it from yas any longer. Your beloved Tricia…she has leukemia," Mr. Martin said as gently as he could.
And no matter how silent or noisy it had gotten inside that small kitchen, if you had been listening very closely, you could have sworn that you heard a heart break in two. A heart that could never be mended again.
End of Flashback
Steven got tired of standing outside so he went back in. He bit back the tears that threatened to form as he stared tenderly, his eyes full of everlasting love, for the beautiful but pale woman who laid there on that hospital bed. "What will her answer be tomorrow?" he wondered, then reflected sadly, "Trish only has a few more weeks to live…will she give me what I truly want most?"
The next day…
"Please, my love, please, just give me one last kiss," he begged this time, his eyes filling up with tears, as he watched her struggle to answer him.
"I cannot," she murmured, barely loud enough for him to hear, "I cannot."
"Why? Why can't you give me what I want?" Steven thought to himself and left the room, just like he did the other day. He thought back to their wedding day. Such happiness and peace was evident on her face.
Flashback
"…I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," the pastor had said, then added, "May I now introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Steven Wakefield!"
Steven then kissed his new wife with every fiber of his being. Taking her into his arms and savoring her was the best moment of his life.
Tricia had responded to him eagerly.
"I love you with my whole heart…" he had whispered to her gently.
She had answered sweetly, "I love you with my whole heart, too. I'll never leave you, my love. We are bound for all eternity. Our love is everlasting…"
End of Flashback
"Everlasting? You're leaving me…what about the promise you made me? You promised me that "you will never leave me…" he sobbed wildly to himself. He pounded his fists against his thighs angrily.
Then he relaxed a little and sighed, drying his tears; all along he had known this day would come. "I just wonder what her answer tomorrow will be," he told himself.
The next day…
"She-she what? Why didn't you call me? You have my number!! I-I just-ARGH! I'll sue you! Get outta my way, fool!" his heart was racing way too fast; he practically sprinted to his wife's hospital room- room 365.
Already in there were her parents and other close family members. They all looked at him sadly as he entered the room, gasping for breath. Steven turned to look at his wife and saw that she was unmoving. Her once bright green eyes were now dimmed, her face was so thin, and her lips were very pale. He rushed to her side. Tears started to fall. "I love you, I love you, I love you…don't leave me please, please, please, my love, don't leave me…I need you, I do, please…remember your promise…the one that you said you would never leave me?" he cried uncontrollably against her lifeless hand. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, startling him. He looked up to meet the sad eyes of his mother-in-law.
She nodded at him sorrowfully.
He stood up quickly and gave her a comforting hug.
She kissed both his cheeks and then left with all the rest of the family to give him some privacy with his wife.
After they had all left and the door was closed with a soft "click," he got down on his knees and the tears continually started flowing. They wouldn't, they couldn't stop. They just continued to fall.
Suddenly, he felt a soft caress on his shoulder. He looked up abruptly and saw his wife's eyes were open.
His voice heavy with emotion, he asked her his question, "Please, my love, please, give me one last kiss…"
Tricia nodded weakly.
He smiled through his tears, bending down, and giving her the sweetest kiss they had ever shared together.
As soon as he pulled back, he noticed that she was no longer breathing. Her eyes were closed, and she was still thin and pale, but all the pain and suffering were finally erased from her face. She looked peaceful and even beautiful to him.
Steven absent-mindedly wiped the tears away with the back of his hand, knowing he had no more to shed.
He gave her one last kiss on the cheek before he gently laid her arms across her chest. "Rest in peace, my love. Your suffering is now over…"
He stiffly got up and walked out the door.
Everyone was anxiously waiting for him to speak.
He did so in a gruff voice, "She's gone."
One by one, they all started breaking down into tears. Their heartfelt cries could tear a heart in two. Even the nurses and doctors were tearful as they watched the family mourn the loss of a loved one.
After bidding good-bye to his extended family, Steven walked calmly out of the grey hospital building and towards his car. He drove to Trish's favorite spot, a lovely secret garden- where he had proposed to her-and got out of his car. He looked around and found the bench, sitting down on it gratefully. He plucked a pretty pink flower from the garden and admired its unique beauty. His thoughts flew back to his beautiful, kind, and loving wife who-finally-was now resting at peace.
Tricia had finally given him what he truly wanted.
Her one last gift.
I hope you liked it. Please review!!
Stay sweet,
Jade Ocean