Just a Dream

After my best friend was sick, this nightmare plagued me for several years. Even now it still sometimes gets to me.

The elevator door opens in front of me. I don’t remember the drive to the Children’s Hospital; it was a blur. Time seemed to stop as I drove. Only one thought ran through my mind the entire way, David.

David and I went all through school together; we have been best friends for as long as I can remember. I had only been home for a few minutes before I received the call. I had just gotten home from being at the hospital all day with David before his surgery. The doctors said that he'd be in surgery for a while, so Jackie and I took turns sitting at the hospital while the other went home for a shower and a decent meal. I was there for 6 hours before I left for the 2 hour drive home. I had only drifted off to sleep for fifteen minutes before Shane called.

I have been hoping and praying through this entire ordeal that I wouldn’t get this call. All I was told was to get back to the hospital, now. David has been very sick for a while. His cancer continues to advance, even after extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The doctors just cannot pinpoint the cause. By far, this is the worst it has ever been.

I half sprint to the nurse’s station on the correct floor, and there is no one there. I do not have time to waste standing around dinging a bell waiting for a nurse to give me the room number and let me in. So, I reach across the desk, grab the key card that is sitting there, scan the card to open the door and toss the key back on the desk; I’ll just walk around until I find the correct room.

I get inside, and race to all the rooms with charts and check then names; none of them say David Riley. I move on to the other corridors, finally standing in the last hallway I see only one room with a chart. It had to be David’s. I start towards the room. Time seems to have completely stopped, and the air was thick and dense. I was having trouble breathing; and it took all my energy to walk to that lone room at the end of the hall.

Then I hear him, in a weak and unsteady voice, “Shane, where is she?!" His voice brings time up to speed, and makes it easier to breath.

I run into the room, very afraid at the tone in David’s voice. “What..."

I stop dead in my tracks, David is lying in his hospital bed looking so fragile and pale; I can see that he’s been crying. David’s brother, Shane, and his mother, Jackie, are sitting next to him. His grandparents are in chairs next to his bed. It's obvious that all of them have been crying. Shane is the only one not crying at the moment. He runs over and pulls me out the door, "Kelly," he says, "listen to me. David isn't doing well." He swallows back tears, "He's been waiting for you."

 I start to cry hysterically. I look through the door at David lying there holding his mother. We lock eyes for a moment before Shane spins me around facing away from the door. “He loves you more than anything else in this world, Kelly,” he chokes back more of his tears. "The doctors don't think he's going to make it through the night, they didn't think he would even make it this long. He has been waiting for you." he starts crying. "He's waiting for you Kelly."

I hug a now bawling Shane and kiss his forehead. "Be strong." he whispers in my ear. I turn back towards the room, the place where my worst nightmare has manifested itself into reality, David, is dying.

Once Shane was able to compose himself, we returned to the room. I walk over and hug David and Shane's grandparents, and Jackie; avoiding looking at David. Finally, I approach him. I am done crying. I tell myself, be strong for him. Tears fall but now I can at least talk. David hugs and kisses his mom and grandparents one more time; he hugs Shane with all of his might and playfully hits his arm. He tells them he loves them and gives some words of comfort and encouragement. Then they leave; now it's just me and David.

He moves over on the bed, so there is room for me. I get up on the bed. Tears are flowing down both of our faces; I have to keep telling myself; Be strong for him.  

He hugs me harder than he ever, he feels so fragile and cold. He whispers into my ear, “Don’t cry, Kelly.”

 “I can't help it.” I whisper back.

“I love you Kelly, I always have, and I always will.”

“I love you too.” I start to cry now, no longer able to hold it back. He pulls away and dries my tears with the corner of his blanket.

"Don't cry over me." he takes hold of my hand, "It will be alright. Don't think of it as goodbye forever, we will be apart for only a while."

"But David, you don't understand; it will be an eternity for me. I don't know what I will do without you. You have to fight this. If I lose you, I do not know what I will do."

"I can't stay Kelly; Dad and Pap have already come for me once. I had to stay; I couldn't go without saying goodbye to you. The next time they come, sweetie, I have to go. You know I would give up anything to stay with you, but it's my time. There is nothing that I can do to change that sweetheart.”

I cry, hugging him again. We are both crying uncontrollably again. We cry for what seems like hours, but is only a few minutes. When I am able to speak again I lean back to look up at his big blue eyes, but his eyes are closed, and his jaw is set. "You're in pain." I say more of a statement then a question.

"Yes," he replies, "only a little."

"I love you, David Riley." I declare a second time.

"And I love you Kelly O'Neil."

“Lie back, you look tired.”

“I am, but if I lie down. . .” he leaves off the end. I push him down anyways; I take his fragile hand in mine and I lie next to him. We lie on our sides facing each other, our arms and legs twisted and folded together between us. We talk for what seems like ever; we laugh, we cry then we laugh again. We talk of old times, and things we would have done together given the chance. He had so much life in those beautiful blue eyes while we are talking. But I know that sooner than I want, that life will fade. An hour or two goes by, and we are both so tired, but we cannot stop now. We have a lifetime to fit into these last few minutes. “Kelly,” David cries, weak and tired. “I don't know how much longer I can hold on.”

“I am tired too, but please only a little while longer, I could not stand to say goodbye now. Please, you can’t.” I plead.

He looks over into the corner, “They are back Kell. They say it is time, I have to go, love.”

“Please David, no. It's not fair! Not fair!” I yell into the corner where he is looking.

David turns my face back towards his, and he kisses me. He has all the strength in the world right now in that last first kiss. I latch my arms around his neck, hoping that it would hold him here with me, if I can just hold on for a bit longer. We lay back in the bed again, my arms still around him, and he whispers my favorite quote, "'If I had to choose between breathing and loving you, I'd use my last breath to tell you I love you.'" he pulls away, “I am so sorry, my love.” He says so low I almost don’t hear him.

I kiss him again. “I love you.” I cry.

He pushes the hair back behind my ears and dries my tears. “I love you Kelly.” David says, with his final breath. His hand drops from my face, the hand squeezing mine, let’s go. His eyes close, and a single tear falls. I kiss the tear as it trails down his face. The last time I will ever dry my David’s tears.

The heart monitor goes wild, from a somewhat steady beat to a single, long, and drawn out, high pitched beeeeeep. The doctors and nurses rush in with a crash cart, his family on their heels. I hold tight to my best friend, darling, my love.

“He’s gone,” I tell them, “let him be at peace.”

His mother and grandmother screams and cries, Shane hits the floor on his knees crying uncontrollably clutching the end of David's blanket, his grandfather falls into the nearest chair crying silently but fiercely; even the nurses and doctors who have known and loved him for so long cry. I hold David, but I cannot cry anymore, all of my tears are gone; my eyes are dried out. I get up on wobbly legs and walk out. I make it as far as the nurses’ station before I am unable to stand it any longer. I fall to the floor in racking sobs, I hold myself and cry. This isn’t fair! David NEVER did anything to deserve this!! He was the kindest most respectful man I ever knew! He went to church, obeyed the law, and everything. Why did he have to die? I am never going to understand this; it's just not fair. I just loved him so much.

“WHY?!” I scream.

 I stand up and stumble to the elevator. I want out of this dreaded hospital! I need out! All I want is my Davie and I can never have him back. I go down the elevator to the lobby and out into the parking lot. I need out, I will just drive; I have a full tank of gas a pocket full of cash and nothing to come home to. Halfway to my car, I can’t move any longer; exhausted and defeated, I collapse in the middle of the parking garage.

I lay for a time, eyes closed, replaying his final moments over and over when all of the sudden I see light. Bright lights. I realize too late they are a car's head lights. It's dark in the parking garage so the driver doesn't see me lying on the ground, and so, they hit me.

Blood is rushes into my ears and I begin to feel as if I am falling. Gladly I welcome the release of unconsciousness. I pass out, hoping when I awake I will be in my Davie’s arms again.

a♥a♥a♥a

I wake screaming and crying. Pete my older brother rushes in the second I woke up, and pulls me into his arms. I stop screaming but I am still crying. I bury my face into my too big of a brother’s shoulder, crying like a mad woman. He comforts me and asked what was wrong. I explain the whole ordeal to him, shocked that no one told him, about David. Then I looked around and realize that I was in my room.

“It was just a dream, Kelly.” He told me. “David is fine and so are you. His surgery went great. The doctors got the cancer, and found the source of the cancer as well. With a few more rounds of chemo and one last possible non-evasive surgery he should be as good as new. He woke up about fifteen minutes ago and they moved him from recovery to a room so he can relax. Jackie just called and I was on my way to tell you when you started screaming. It was all just a dream, Kelly.”

 It couldn’t be. I he died in my arms. It was all so real. It couldn’t it have just been a dream. Could it? I leap out of bed to get dressed. “What are you doing?” Pete asked, “It’s one o'clock in the morning."

“I have to see him Pete.”

He sighs and chuckles to himself. “I’ll drive.”

I called Jackie on the way to the hospital to get the room number and floor; since I was coming she was going to head home to try to get some sleep. Pete dropped me at the door when we got there, and I passed her coming out, she hugs me and tells me to fill her in later. I race past the secretary and security guard. Instead of the elevator, I take the stairs; he was only on the second floor.

I stop outside his door to catch my breath. I was so scared that I would walk into that door and not find him there. But the knowledge that he would be there drove me forward. I walk in the door. The first things I see upon entering are his big blue eyes staring at me. I launch myself into his arms. “Ouch, well, hello there beautiful. What are you doing here so late?"

“I love you.” I declare.

“I love you too Kelly.” He says, chuckling a bit at my excitedness.

I kiss him.

Finally everything is right with the world, I am here with David, and he’s happy and alive. No cancer, I didn't get hit by a car, and we are together. It was all Just a Dream.

 

Author's Note

Recently revized and changed!!! I accept all criticism, good and bad, I just ask you please be nice. If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all. I will consider all advice given also. Fill free to comment, I'd really like to know what you think, again please be nice. Thanks. :)

Reviews

[Meallea Pomorette]

The dreams are really strange... I can't even imagine my poor cat in space...
I think I saw a few grammar errors... Working with the tenses of verbs is a little bit of tricky but you'll get it by and by...
" I lay down again trying to fall back to sleep. I lay for an hour tossing and turning." ... This one is my hobby ...
Perfect place... the mention of the hospital quickly set the mood of the story... A few more descriptions and it will set the fire on...
Kind of disappointing with the last part... I really thought they are lovers... Then I saw "I really don't know what I'd do without David, he's my best friend." ... Kind of broke my heart...
A bit more descriptions and this will be alright...
Kind of confusing at the end...
What do you mean with the sentence "Thank God it was just a dream." ???
I have many meanings with that one in my point of view but I want to hear yours...
Anyway this is nice...

[Meallea Pomorette]

Oh and by the way... this one will work even better with some symbolism...

[Amber_A]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll go through and check out the grammatical errors and try to get more description, I'm always afraid I put too much description. The whole he's my best friend" thing is a little confusing, I'll fix it. The thing is she's madly in love with him, but he doesn't know it, and she doesn't know
He loves her, rhere's a whole backstory to it,
That's an idea for another piece. But I'll definitely fix it
up. Thanks(:

[Meallea Pomorette]

Ouch... that kind of thing hurts... love is blind I suppose????

[Amber_A]

It does... Definitely.
I revised it a bit, added some extra detail. Switched it up a bit.

[Meallea Pomorette]

Way to go...
(^_^)