No one would have believed that Denver Bayliss had less than a day to live; if they had walked into the medical room in the old part of the prison, with Fred Whitmore that bright Thursday afternoon.
There they were wrapped in a blanket, naked as the day they were born; and still caressing one another even after spending the entire afternoon making love. Fred leant his head around the door and interrupted Anna's girlish giggles at being tickled relentlessly by her boyfriend.
"I'll have to take you back in about an hour." He said with regret.
"What time is it, man? I hoped you'd forgotten about us." Denver chuckled contentedly. "Ouch!" he scowled feeling Anna's hand at one of his few ticklish spots, "Let go woman, or you'll regret it." Fred laughed.
"It's almost half past two, Anson has been freezing his ass off in the yard for hours; still it's better than the hole. Guess you're more important." He laughed before moving to leave them alone.
"Fred, do you have my camera?" Anna asked suddenly coming to her senses. Fred had forgotten all about it but there it was in his jacket pocket. He handed it over with an understanding smile. "Thanks, Fred. For everything, we couldn't have done any of this without you… if there is ever anything I can do to repay you." Fred waved his hand as if it didn't matter.
"Maybe I'll let you buy me a drink, sometime." He smiled generously. Denver watched the two of them and smiled; grateful that she would have a friend to look out for her when he was gone.
"Hey, man. I'm not dead yet. Don't be trying it on with my girl." He mocked and for a moment Fred was actually riled by it.
"I'm always your girl, Denny. But maybe we'll have a few drinks when I get you home. Lil and your Mom and Lucas, they can help me paint the bedroom pink." Denver laughed, like he was there and free already.
"You paint our bedroom pink and I'll haunt you night and day. I'll wait till you are about to go to sleep and tickle you from beyond the grave." The jokes lightened the mood and the dreams gave them something to look forward to. Maybe it was a vain or false hope to keep, but who knew what came after the chair; there had to be something, surely.
"I'll come back in a while; do you want me to take your photo?" Fred asked, knowing that Anna didn't just want a picture of her boyfriend but the two of them together. She nodded and smiled.
"Damn and I didn't wear my best suit!" Denver sniggered. Anna reached under the blanket and tweaked his nipple so that he flinched.
"I don't know I quite like your birthday suit!" He gave her a sly look and told Fred to give them a few minutes over his shoulder, as he lowered Anna down onto the first bed she'd been in since Monday night.
"I won't leave you; you know that right, Anna?" he whispered as he butterfly kissed all over her face and neck and down her body, while she sighed and softly moaned his name.
"I know." She whispered a little sadly. "You'll be there to watch over me and then when it's my time you will come and meet me at the gates…" They both cried as their bodies could no longer swallow the agony in their hearts. Making love in tears wouldn't be the best way to end things between them… but somehow the closeness and the total understanding of the situation made it special.
People assume that the moment they live for will come when they have done all that they hoped to achieve in their lives and can finally close the book. For Anna, the most wonderful moment would always be that one she was experiencing in a cold, dusty cell in an abandoned wing of Fort Worth maximum security prison with the only man she would ever love.
Fred gave them all the time he could and then returned to find them dressed and sitting side by side on the edge of the bed. Denver wiped his eyes on his sleeve and wiped each of Anna's tears away with the tip of his finger.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" he said quietly. "Don't do anything silly; and do all those things we talked about, so that I can come along and watch." Anna nodded and tried her best not to cry. He kissed her eyes and nose and lips and breathed in the scent of her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder once more.
"You want me to take a few photos before we have to go?" Fred asked, feeling guilty for interrupting such a moment. They both nodded and posed holding each other close and tightly. Fred must have snapped off about ten shots while the young couple shared their last moments in this world together.
"I wish I had one of those that print them straight away, so you could have one…" Anna said as she got up to take her own portrait of her one true love. Denver smiled and patted her hand.
"I have all the pictures I need in here." He said tapping his left temple. "You might need more than the pictures in your mind to get you through the tough days. It was a good idea… I love you, Anna" She couldn't hide the tears anymore and their final kiss was saltier than the previous 'last one'.
"I'll miss you Denny. I love you." She sobbed. Denver knew it was time; he swallowed back the lump in his throat and nodded to Fred. Waylon came in to take Anna away.
"Goodbye, my angel." He whispered into her quivering lips. "See you later." He smiled bravely.
"See you later, Denny. Not too much later mind." He hugged her tight, just once more and then left with Fred. He barely got half way to the yard before he broke down in tears and slumped against the wall.
"Come on man; just think about the good things. Some people never get that kind of love in the longest lifetime." Fred said in attempt to comfort Denver.
"You think I'll get to see her… you know, like we said… like as a spirit or something?" he asked, trying to wipe away his tears and save face again.
"I don't know what comes next, Denver. I hope so. I really do hope so."
There they were wrapped in a blanket, naked as the day they were born; and still caressing one another even after spending the entire afternoon making love. Fred leant his head around the door and interrupted Anna's girlish giggles at being tickled relentlessly by her boyfriend.
"I'll have to take you back in about an hour." He said with regret.
"What time is it, man? I hoped you'd forgotten about us." Denver chuckled contentedly. "Ouch!" he scowled feeling Anna's hand at one of his few ticklish spots, "Let go woman, or you'll regret it." Fred laughed.
"It's almost half past two, Anson has been freezing his ass off in the yard for hours; still it's better than the hole. Guess you're more important." He laughed before moving to leave them alone.
"Fred, do you have my camera?" Anna asked suddenly coming to her senses. Fred had forgotten all about it but there it was in his jacket pocket. He handed it over with an understanding smile. "Thanks, Fred. For everything, we couldn't have done any of this without you… if there is ever anything I can do to repay you." Fred waved his hand as if it didn't matter.
"Maybe I'll let you buy me a drink, sometime." He smiled generously. Denver watched the two of them and smiled; grateful that she would have a friend to look out for her when he was gone.
"Hey, man. I'm not dead yet. Don't be trying it on with my girl." He mocked and for a moment Fred was actually riled by it.
"I'm always your girl, Denny. But maybe we'll have a few drinks when I get you home. Lil and your Mom and Lucas, they can help me paint the bedroom pink." Denver laughed, like he was there and free already.
"You paint our bedroom pink and I'll haunt you night and day. I'll wait till you are about to go to sleep and tickle you from beyond the grave." The jokes lightened the mood and the dreams gave them something to look forward to. Maybe it was a vain or false hope to keep, but who knew what came after the chair; there had to be something, surely.
"I'll come back in a while; do you want me to take your photo?" Fred asked, knowing that Anna didn't just want a picture of her boyfriend but the two of them together. She nodded and smiled.
"Damn and I didn't wear my best suit!" Denver sniggered. Anna reached under the blanket and tweaked his nipple so that he flinched.
"I don't know I quite like your birthday suit!" He gave her a sly look and told Fred to give them a few minutes over his shoulder, as he lowered Anna down onto the first bed she'd been in since Monday night.
"I won't leave you; you know that right, Anna?" he whispered as he butterfly kissed all over her face and neck and down her body, while she sighed and softly moaned his name.
"I know." She whispered a little sadly. "You'll be there to watch over me and then when it's my time you will come and meet me at the gates…" They both cried as their bodies could no longer swallow the agony in their hearts. Making love in tears wouldn't be the best way to end things between them… but somehow the closeness and the total understanding of the situation made it special.
People assume that the moment they live for will come when they have done all that they hoped to achieve in their lives and can finally close the book. For Anna, the most wonderful moment would always be that one she was experiencing in a cold, dusty cell in an abandoned wing of Fort Worth maximum security prison with the only man she would ever love.
Fred gave them all the time he could and then returned to find them dressed and sitting side by side on the edge of the bed. Denver wiped his eyes on his sleeve and wiped each of Anna's tears away with the tip of his finger.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" he said quietly. "Don't do anything silly; and do all those things we talked about, so that I can come along and watch." Anna nodded and tried her best not to cry. He kissed her eyes and nose and lips and breathed in the scent of her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder once more.
"You want me to take a few photos before we have to go?" Fred asked, feeling guilty for interrupting such a moment. They both nodded and posed holding each other close and tightly. Fred must have snapped off about ten shots while the young couple shared their last moments in this world together.
"I wish I had one of those that print them straight away, so you could have one…" Anna said as she got up to take her own portrait of her one true love. Denver smiled and patted her hand.
"I have all the pictures I need in here." He said tapping his left temple. "You might need more than the pictures in your mind to get you through the tough days. It was a good idea… I love you, Anna" She couldn't hide the tears anymore and their final kiss was saltier than the previous 'last one'.
"I'll miss you Denny. I love you." She sobbed. Denver knew it was time; he swallowed back the lump in his throat and nodded to Fred. Waylon came in to take Anna away.
"Goodbye, my angel." He whispered into her quivering lips. "See you later." He smiled bravely.
"See you later, Denny. Not too much later mind." He hugged her tight, just once more and then left with Fred. He barely got half way to the yard before he broke down in tears and slumped against the wall.
"Come on man; just think about the good things. Some people never get that kind of love in the longest lifetime." Fred said in attempt to comfort Denver.
"You think I'll get to see her… you know, like we said… like as a spirit or something?" he asked, trying to wipe away his tears and save face again.
"I don't know what comes next, Denver. I hope so. I really do hope so."