Part XII: Every Story Is A Love Story
One hour later Rachel and Gillian finally made it to the hospital. Rachel had also called David who met up with them in front of the building.
"Hey, what happened? Is he alright?" David threw away his cigarette he had just lit up.
"We don't know, David. We weren't able to get here faster, the police had a lot of questions." Rachel was holding the hand of Gillian who was still sobbing. Rachel knew she had to be strong for her.
They headed directly to the reception in the emergency room to ask for Chris. The lady told them to sit down and that she couldn't pass out any information.
The next hours seemed to pass by like days. Finally a doctor came up to them.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Callahan. Are you relatives of Mr. Stephens?"
"No, this is his girlfriend and I work for him. This is also a friend of his." Rachel felt Gillian's eyes on her as David introduced her. Little did he know.
"How is he doing?" Gillian asked wiping away her tears with a torn tissue.
"Well, unfortunately he got injured very badly…. I'm very sorry, but it really doesn't look good for him. We are doing everything within our powers, but we don't know if he'll make it through this night."
"No…" Gillian held her hand up to her heart and gasped for air. She began to sway and the next moment she collapsed. David was just able to catch her before she hit the floor.
"You two go and look for your friend, we will take care of her, don't worry. He's in room 3 down the floor." The doctor took Gillian out of David's arm and pointed into the direction of the room. Rachel and David exchanged a worried look but than reluctantly headed down the floor. They didn't talk until they arrived. Rachel held her breath as David opened the door to Chris' room. Slowly they stepped in and walked up to his bed. At his sight Rachel's eyes also filled up with tears. He looked horrible. His face was pale and scratched, his arms and chest were bandaged and a monitor beeped in the rhythm of his weak heartbeat.
They both stood there for a moment until Rachel finally stepped closer and laid one hand on Chris' forehead. There was no response.
"I… I don't think I can stand this. I'm…I'm going to be sick." With these words David held one hand up to his mouth and ran out of the room. Now Rachel couldn't hold back her tears anymore and began crying out loud. Covering her head in his blanket she sat on his bed for a while. Suddenly she felt a hand move up to her head. Chris slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Hey." He said weakly.
"Hey." Rachel tried to smile at him, but failed. The tears came back, she just couldn't control them anymore.
"Shh… it's not as bad as it looks." Chris tried to joke. He lifted his hand to wipe away her tears, but it wouldn't obey him.
"Oh god, Chris. What have we done?"
"This is only my fault, I should have paid more attention. I'm so sorry." He was interrupted by a bad cough. His face grimacing in pain he tried to gain control again. Rachel looked at the monitor, his heart began to beat faster. She once again put her hand on his forehead to calm him down.
"Chris, I'm here, right next to you. Can you feel me?"
"I'm so sorry I couldn't find you earlier. I know I promised too, but this world is so big. I tried too, so many times, I really tried too, but I just couldn't find you fast enough…," another coughing attack broke his sentence.
"Don't talk too much. You should rest a little. Everything's going to be alright, I promise."
"No, listen. I know now what my visions meant. I understand everything. I know who I am, who I was and I know who you are…. Aida." He looked deep into her eyes and at that moment she also understood everything. This was the man she should have been with. This was her fate. Her Radames.
"Gods in heaven, this can't be true…," she bent down to hold him even more closely. "You found me again, only to leave me. This cannot be, Radames. This just cannot be. Why is God torturing us like this?"
"I don't know, my love. I don't know. Remember what I told you when we died?"
"There'll be not ties of time and space to bind us." Rachel spoke silently.
"Yes, and no horizons we shall not pursue. I'm going to leave this world's misfortunes far behind me again, Aida but you will live this time. Like you should have back than."
"I don't want to without you. I love you."
"I love you too, but you have to live. I will be watching you and I will be waiting for you. This time I'm not going to loose you again. I will be close to you and I'll be there for you. Promise me you live on, Aida. Promise me…," suddenly the beat on the monitor slowed down and Chris began to breath harder.
"No, don't. Radames. Don't! I need you. Stay with me! I love you! Radames! Chris!" Rachel shook him, but Chris started to fade away. The beat got slower and slower.
"Promise me…," he whispered one more time before his pulse came to a final beat.
"I promise you, my love. I promise you." Rachel whispered back as she slowly leaned forward to kiss his mouth.
"I love you."
The End
One hour later Rachel and Gillian finally made it to the hospital. Rachel had also called David who met up with them in front of the building.
"Hey, what happened? Is he alright?" David threw away his cigarette he had just lit up.
"We don't know, David. We weren't able to get here faster, the police had a lot of questions." Rachel was holding the hand of Gillian who was still sobbing. Rachel knew she had to be strong for her.
They headed directly to the reception in the emergency room to ask for Chris. The lady told them to sit down and that she couldn't pass out any information.
The next hours seemed to pass by like days. Finally a doctor came up to them.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Callahan. Are you relatives of Mr. Stephens?"
"No, this is his girlfriend and I work for him. This is also a friend of his." Rachel felt Gillian's eyes on her as David introduced her. Little did he know.
"How is he doing?" Gillian asked wiping away her tears with a torn tissue.
"Well, unfortunately he got injured very badly…. I'm very sorry, but it really doesn't look good for him. We are doing everything within our powers, but we don't know if he'll make it through this night."
"No…" Gillian held her hand up to her heart and gasped for air. She began to sway and the next moment she collapsed. David was just able to catch her before she hit the floor.
"You two go and look for your friend, we will take care of her, don't worry. He's in room 3 down the floor." The doctor took Gillian out of David's arm and pointed into the direction of the room. Rachel and David exchanged a worried look but than reluctantly headed down the floor. They didn't talk until they arrived. Rachel held her breath as David opened the door to Chris' room. Slowly they stepped in and walked up to his bed. At his sight Rachel's eyes also filled up with tears. He looked horrible. His face was pale and scratched, his arms and chest were bandaged and a monitor beeped in the rhythm of his weak heartbeat.
They both stood there for a moment until Rachel finally stepped closer and laid one hand on Chris' forehead. There was no response.
"I… I don't think I can stand this. I'm…I'm going to be sick." With these words David held one hand up to his mouth and ran out of the room. Now Rachel couldn't hold back her tears anymore and began crying out loud. Covering her head in his blanket she sat on his bed for a while. Suddenly she felt a hand move up to her head. Chris slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Hey." He said weakly.
"Hey." Rachel tried to smile at him, but failed. The tears came back, she just couldn't control them anymore.
"Shh… it's not as bad as it looks." Chris tried to joke. He lifted his hand to wipe away her tears, but it wouldn't obey him.
"Oh god, Chris. What have we done?"
"This is only my fault, I should have paid more attention. I'm so sorry." He was interrupted by a bad cough. His face grimacing in pain he tried to gain control again. Rachel looked at the monitor, his heart began to beat faster. She once again put her hand on his forehead to calm him down.
"Chris, I'm here, right next to you. Can you feel me?"
"I'm so sorry I couldn't find you earlier. I know I promised too, but this world is so big. I tried too, so many times, I really tried too, but I just couldn't find you fast enough…," another coughing attack broke his sentence.
"Don't talk too much. You should rest a little. Everything's going to be alright, I promise."
"No, listen. I know now what my visions meant. I understand everything. I know who I am, who I was and I know who you are…. Aida." He looked deep into her eyes and at that moment she also understood everything. This was the man she should have been with. This was her fate. Her Radames.
"Gods in heaven, this can't be true…," she bent down to hold him even more closely. "You found me again, only to leave me. This cannot be, Radames. This just cannot be. Why is God torturing us like this?"
"I don't know, my love. I don't know. Remember what I told you when we died?"
"There'll be not ties of time and space to bind us." Rachel spoke silently.
"Yes, and no horizons we shall not pursue. I'm going to leave this world's misfortunes far behind me again, Aida but you will live this time. Like you should have back than."
"I don't want to without you. I love you."
"I love you too, but you have to live. I will be watching you and I will be waiting for you. This time I'm not going to loose you again. I will be close to you and I'll be there for you. Promise me you live on, Aida. Promise me…," suddenly the beat on the monitor slowed down and Chris began to breath harder.
"No, don't. Radames. Don't! I need you. Stay with me! I love you! Radames! Chris!" Rachel shook him, but Chris started to fade away. The beat got slower and slower.
"Promise me…," he whispered one more time before his pulse came to a final beat.
"I promise you, my love. I promise you." Rachel whispered back as she slowly leaned forward to kiss his mouth.
"I love you."
The End