Chapter Fifty-One
Hayes
Inever dreamed of heaven. I only dreamt of Olive.
I only ever wanted Olive.
I needed her to breathe.
I need her…
“Jensen, please.”
She’s crying.
I need to comfort her.
“I love you, please stay with me.”
My Olive.
She needs me.
“How long has he been bleeding?”
Someone’s here… She’s not alone anymore. I don’t want her to be alone.
“I don’t know… Five minutes. Ten. I don’t know,” she cries.
She needs me.
“Medics are pulling in. Hang on, buddy.”
“Ma’am, we’ve got him now. We need space.”
“No, no, I can’t leave him. No!”
“Let them help him.” She’s not alone; someone’s with her. “We’ll follow them to the hospital.”
She’ll be okay…
She lost me once…
She’ll be okay…
My Olive–
* * *
It’s so bright.
I can hardly peel my eyelids apart as if someone glued them together.
Everything was black, and now I can see.
Is this the afterlife?
A face appears in front of me, too blurry to make out.
“There he is.” A woman’s voice… So soft. So familiar.
“Mom?”
“It’s me, honey.” Her soft hand strokes my cheek, and I startle.
“Am I… Alive?”
A sad laugh escapes her, and her eyes finally come into focus in front of me. Pain-filled eyes, gazing down at me.
“You’re alive. Thank God. Your stab wound was an inch from being fatal.”
Stab wound…
“Olive! Where’s Olive?” I shift to move, and every part of me cries out in pain.
“Shh, shhh, she’s right here. She’s finally sleeping. Let her rest.”
I glance to where my mom is looking and see the curled-up form on the hospital couch. There’s a blanket covering her from her chin to her toes, curled under her tightly. Her back is to me, but I can see her chestnut hair, pulled into a ponytail, falling over the edge of the cushion.
She never wears her hair up anymore. It reminds me of when we were younger.
“They said she’s been awake nearly two days, since you’ve been unconscious, but I convinced her to rest when I got here.
I think she needed to know someone was watching over you.
Though I don’t know why… There is a lobby full of people down the hall, and the nurse said they haven’t left since you got here either. ”
My eyebrows furrow, and even that hurts as I let my head fall to my pillow. I’ve never felt so heavy and immobile. Lifting my arms is nearly impossible, but I do it just enough to see the bandages wrapped around my forearms.
“They said those are mostly superficial. They’ll heal quicker than your stomach.”
“I hardly remember…”
“There’s a sheriff outside, too…” Her face is cast in worry. “I think he wants to speak to you.”
“It’s okay.” I grab her hand where it rests beside mine. “He’s one of the good ones,” I assure her.
She nods and smiles softly. Her hair is more gray than the last time I saw her, but it’s still long.
She likes to keep it braided down her back, and some of the front wisps have surpassed gray and turned white.
But her face is as youthful as it’s always been.
The lines forged from stress can’t dictate her beauty.
“You finally got the girl, huh?” She smiles softly at me, squeezing my fingers delicately.
“Yeah. I guess I did. Now, I just have to keep her.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem. Well, maybe if you stop dying,” she scolds, tipping her head to look at me sternly. It only makes me smile.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t visited in a while. I’ve been…”
“It’s okay. You’ve made a good life for yourself. I’m glad you’re happy.”
“I’m happier now,” I tell her softly, tipping my head to look at Olive again.
“You always were so smitten with her. Does she know about your dad?”
My eyes snap back to her. “No. She doesn’t.”
She nods, sensing my reluctance. “Okay, let me go get your nurse. I want them to make sure you’re alright.” She pats the top of my hand before she lets go.
“I’m so proud of you, Jensen. I always have been.”
The door shuts behind her, and I take the deepest breath that I can manage, which still feels overwhelmingly shallow.