This will probably be the last chapter for a few weeks. I've finals next week, and then a weeklong summer art for teachers course... that will be a nightmare in itself as it's 8-4 every day. Anyway I thought I'd get this out before then. Enjoy!
Chapter 21
The next thing Kimberly knew, she was being shaken awake by a gentle hand. "Kim, Kim, wake up," whispered the masculine voice. Kimberly tired to fight against her waking body, but found sleep fading fast. Her eyes opened, and then closed just as quickly. The harsh light burned her eyes. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes and opening them slowly. She found herself next to Tommy, a look of concern on his face. She looked up and saw a tall man in a long white coat. His face was stoic, and she could not figure out what news he brought. At first she couldn't even remember where she was, but it soon dawned on her that she was at the hospital.
Kimberly noticed Katherine walk into the room that moment, returning with a plate of sandwiches. She must have left while Kimberly was asleep, if she had even left at all. The smell of ham and turkey wafted to Kimberly's nose and her stomach let out an embarrassing grumble. Katherine stood by the couch, sandwich plate in hand. "I brought something for dinner," she called to Tommy and Kimberly. "This was the best looking food the cafeteria had to offer."
The doctor stood before them, running a hand through his curly blonde hair. He appeared nervous, and Katherine's happy mood only seemed to make him even more nervous. Kimberly watched as his face began to show some emotion. He appeared to be a young man in his late twenties, a new doctor at the hospital. He looked…pained to Kimberly. He coughed and cleared his throat. "Ms. Tyree," he began as he nodded to her, "I have some news about your son, Nathan."
"Yes?" answered Kimberly, her stomach becoming twisted in knots. Deep down, there was a fear… it couldn't, no it couldn't possibly…Was he a bearer of bad news?
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this. We did everything we could to save him, but we lost him on the operating table. His appendix ruptured and his vitals went downhill from there. We tried everything we could think of, but nothing could be done. I'm very sorry this had to happen to such a young boy. I'll leave you alone for awhile to be with your friends." His voice had become uneven, and it was easy to see that he was fighting back the tears that threatened to build up. His footsteps echoed on the tiled linoleum as he exited the room.
The first few seconds felt like an eternity to Kimberly as his words echoed over and over in her mind as her brain tried to process what had just been said. Then as meaning dawned, her breathing increased. It couldn't be… this can't have happened. How do you die from something so simple? A sob escaped her lips and she broke down. She leaned against the nearest thing and cried. Strong arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly. Another pair of arms came around her, but the only sounds she heard were those of her own doing. "Nathan, Nathan! I want my son back!" she sobbed over and over again. She fell to her knees, bringing the arms with her. It was unreal, this was a dream! It had to be a dream…there was no way he could have died. They were lying to her. They lied about his death. They had to… Nathan couldn't be gone forever. He wasn't even a year old yet and his life was over.
The arms held her for as long as she remembered. The next thing she knew, she was waking up in a bed. She turned her head and looked around, confused. This was not the hospital. The walls were painted in a pale yellow and sunshine streamed through the slats in the blinds. Kimberly sat up, pushing the ruby comforter off her body. Something rolled, followed by a thump, and then a mewling. Kimberly peeked over the side of the bed, finding a white kitten laying on the floor. The kitten picked itself up and began to lick its fur, its body turned away from her. Where am I? Kimberly wondered as she rose from the bed. She placed her socked feet on the floor and stretched. It was then she got a glimpse of herself. She wore a baggy blue t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants that had been tied tightly around her waist. The light scent of perfume wafted to her nose. These aren't my clothes. Kimberly thought to herself. A noise startled her and she turned suddenly, not expecting what she saw before her.
There on the bed sat her baby boy. Kimberly blinked, not believing what she saw before her. "N-Nathan?" she gasped, inching closer to her son. She stopped in front of the bed; there was a strange ethereal glow around his body. Kimberly sat on the edge of the bed, reaching a nervous hand toward him. She made contact and gasped when her hand didn't go through his body. "But you died," she whispered in a shocked voice. Nathan babbled happily in response. It was as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Nathan was wearing a simple pale blue onesie and nothing else. His feet were bare. Nathan crawled over to Kimberly and into her lap, laying his head against her chest. He continued to babble to himself and began to play with his fingers.
Warm tears fell onto the top of Nathan's head, wetting the thin blonde hairs. Kimberly had wrapped her arms tightly around Nathan, afraid to let go and see him disappear before her very eyes. "Nathan…Nathan…are you real? You can't be real. You died… they told me so…" she murmured as she kissed the top of his head. Was she going crazy? Was she seeing things? Could Nathan be a trick played by her grief-stricken mind? Was she only imagining all of this?
It was as though Nathan understood exactly what she was saying. He stopped babbling and slipped out of Kimberly's arms, using strength that no baby would have. Kimberly watched him in amazement. Nathan grabbed his mother's shirt and pulled himself to his feet. He looked directly at her; Kimberly shuddered. It was as though he was glimpsing into her soul. Nathan raised his right hand, placing the palm on his mother's forehead. Kimberly wondered what this strange behavior was all about, but soon received her answer. It's okay mommy. Don't be scared were the words she heard in her mind. She placed her arms on his waist to steady him, not wanting him to fall.
"Did you just… talk in my head?" she asked in amazement.
Nathan nodded to her, his face serious. Mommy I'm okay. You'll be okay too. Daddy's with me now."
"A-Andrew's there?" came the shocked whisper.
"Yes, Kim. Yes I am," came a voice from her left side. Kimberly turned her head quickly and found Andrew standing before her. He wore a pair of black dress pants with an olive green shirt. A maroon tie complimented his shirt and polished black shoes completed the outfit. It was the outfit he had been wearing the day he died in the accident. She distinctly remembered picking out that very outfit for him that day. His fingers straightened his tie as he walked closer to her.
Kimberly stared in shock as her dead husband walked toward her. Here was the man she should be spending the rest of her life with, the man she'd taken vows of marriage with. Here was the man who had helped to conceive their son, helped her through her pregnancy… Tears welled up in her eyes. Here was the man who had cared so much for their new family and showered mother and son with gifts… for the first week or so. Kimberly's face began to change as a new wave of thoughts came rushing toward her. Here was the man who rarely took part in raising their son, only doing so when it was a convenience for him. Here was the man who emotionally abused her, even though it was never much. Here was the man she had planned to divorce had he lived, to get away from the fighting and the lack of caring. His death had freed her from that trouble, though in a gruesome, terrible manner. His death had allowed for many new things to happen in her life and brought her old friends back into her life. "Stop," she declared in a cold voice, stopping him at the edge of the bed.
Andrew looked at her and she stared him down. Once the floodgate had opened, even more memories came forth. Images flashed briefly in her mind, the bad overpowering the few good ones in between. The first Christmas the two had spent together. Andrew yelling at her for Nathan's crying. Andrew refusing to take Nathan to his doctor's appointments. Kimberly removed Nathan from her lap, placing him gently on the bed. She didn't want him between the two of them, and wished he didn't have to hear the two of them disagree like this. She then slid off the bed and stood, staring up at Andrew. "You have no right to talk to me as if everything is okay, as though nothing's wrong. Before the accident, you were a terrible husband and father. Right after Nathan's birth you changed for the worse. It's as though our son is to blame for your actions. It's not fair to him. Rarely would you show true love toward your family. All you cared about was yourself and your precious schoolwork. Sometimes your family comes first, but you would never put us first. You didn't seem to care to." She spoke in an even, hard voice, hiding the fear deep inside her, hoping a tremble in her voice wouldn't give her away. She watched Andrew as she spoke, felt his eyes on her.
"I know I was a terrible person, Kim. I know that now. I have the rest of eternity and I have to live with the choices I made when I was alive. I—"
"Reflection won't change things now, Andrew. You can reflect all you want, but it won't change anything for me. Reflection won't change what you did to our family. If you were alive perhaps you could mend your ways, but you aren't. I don't know if I would have been patient enough to wait for you to change. You're dead Andrew. No reflection can ever change that. No reflection can ever bring you back or bring our lives back to what they used to be."
Andrew nodded, something Kimberly wasn't expecting. "I can't change things. You're right about that. I do watch over our son though, watch him grow up. He was finding a new father figure in life. I saw the Halloween incident with that other man. Nathan has found a new family amongst your friends."
Kimberly nodded sadly. "Nathan was growing into a fine little boy. All my friends were seeing to that. They helped me out when I needed it most, gave me the comfort and support system that kept me going each day. I may have turned my back on them, but they never turned their backs on me." She looked over at Nathan, who had laid on his back and was curled up, sleeping. She figured he'd gotten tired of listening to the bickering, or he simply knew how to pretend really well. It wouldn't surprise her now if he was pretend sleeping and listening to every word that was being said. He looked like a little angel, laying there so peacefully. Is she corrected herself. He is a little angel, God's little angel boy now.
"He'll wake up soon enough, Kimberly," called Andrew as she watched Nathan. "Just as you will. No one sleeps forever."
"What are you talking about?" asked Kimberly, turning to look at Andrew. She didn't know what he was talking about. Was he becoming a distorted, insane nightmare as well?
"You're going to wake up soon."
"I am awake. I'm here and I'm talking to you and my son in some strange twisted way. I don't know how, but I am."
"This isn't how it's supposed to be," replied Andrew, shaking his head. This confused Kimberly.
"What are you talking about?"
"Wake up, Kim," he whispered as his body began to fade away. Kimberly quickly turned to look at Nathan, and saw his body had begun to fade away as well. She rushed to his side and picked him up into her arms, cradling him against her chest and rocking him gently. She looked down and saw her own arms through his translucent skin. His eyes opened some and he smiled up at her.
"No…don't leave me…you can't leave me, Nathan! I can't lose my son…. I can't lose you… I love you!" she cried, tears beginning to roll down her face. They fell onto Nathan's face, and rolled down his cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look at Andrew, whose body was quickly fading away.
"It's time to wake up, Kimberly," he whispered as the lower half of his body completely disappeared.
"I don't understand!" yelled Kimberly in frustration.
Nathan and Andrew's bodies faded away and Kimberly's arms were left holding themselves. "There's no one left but me," she whispered softly as she cried.
You've got to wake up came a voice that sounded like Andrew's, though Kimberly couldn't pinpoint it within the room. It echoed, bouncing off the walls until they faded into blackness…
Kimberly opened her eyes slowly, looking up into the concerned face of Tommy Oliver. She found her head was resting on his chest and her left arm was resting on his shoulder. "You're finally awake. You sleep pretty deeply," commented Tommy.
"Where am I? Is Nathan…did he…" trailed Kimberly, too afraid to ask any questions for fear she'd burst into tears. She sat up, trying to rid her body of sleep.
"Is he out of surgery? Yes, he is. He's in the recovery room at the moment and they're just waiting for him to wake up and make sure everything's okay before they bring him back here. I tried to wake you up, but you were in too deep of a sleep. The doctor said it was best to leave you asleep for now."
Kimberly breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great. I'm glad he made it out okay."
"Something wrong?" asked Tommy.
Kimberly shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Where's Katherine?" she asked, trying to switch subjects. She wasn't exactly sure she wanted to share the strange dream. Just thinking about it freaked her out. Seeing a dead son and husband can do that to a person. For some reason though, she felt as though the part with Andrew was real in a sense. Had he entered her dreams to speak with her? Could he do that? Was there even such a way imagined?
"…and then… Kim? Kimberly? Earth to Kimberly!" called Tommy, shaking her from her thoughts.
"Huh?"
"I said she left to run home to take care of Curio. He has a strict schedule he sticks to and Katherine didn't want him to tear up the curtains or break her egg timer again, or knock her cordless telephone into the toilet, which had been his most recent stunt when he was exploring the countertop in the bathroom."
"How long has she been gone?"
"About a half-hour. She said she'd be back within the hour. I think she was becoming a bit creeped out by the hospital. She was up on the maternity ward floor after you left. She said that all the newborns calm her down."
Kimberly smiled. Nathan wasn't dead. She hadn't really talked to her son and husband. She removed herself from Tommy, standing and stretching. Her stomach grumbled in protest.
"Would you like to go grab a bite to eat while we wait for Nathan?" asked Tommy.
"I'd love to," replied Kimberly.
Okay so yes I was evil. Everyone kept saying not to kill him...so I didn't... sorta. I had to freak you guys out somehow though. The incidents with Curio are based on the shenanigans of my one professor's two cats, and they've done all those things (except it was a $300 cell phone, not a cordless phone.) Leave some loving reviews :)