my entry in the
complete: romance contest - with a few additional pictures
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(for the start of the story, go to the contest area, first page.)
”Time to…. go?” Maggie said, a tear running down her cheek.
“Yes, go. We can’t stay forever, you know. Sooner or later it must end.” Sam touched Maggie’s cheek, drying away the tear.
“Don’t cry, Maggie. I’m here now. Nothing will ever separate us again.” Sam swallowed, almost ready to cry himself.
“But… what happened? You were dead, weren’t you? You died that day in the car crash. When I woke up, they said you were dead. It… it was so horrible!”
Sam took his arm around her. The cold wind from the windows all of a sudden felt warmer – as if it was a summer’s breeze caressing her skin, instead of the bone chilling winter’s gusts she had felt earlier.
“I’m so sorry I left you, Maggie. But now nothing can separate us again. I promise!”
Tears were running down Maggie’s cheeks in a stream now.
Sam looked her deeply in her eyes. “I love you, Maggie.”
As Sam took Maggie in a tight embrace, Maggie felt like her heart was going crazy. She felt as giddy as the first time she had met Sam. Like the first time they had realized they had fallen in love with each other.
Then, she kissed him for the first time in years.
“I love you too, Sam.”
For a long time, she had felt like nothing could make her happy again. Now, she felt like nothing could make her sad. She could finally be with the one she loved.
Forever.
Jack parked outside the garage, and just knew his mother would go crazy. She hated when he came home late, and even though he wasn’t a teenager anymore his mom still freaked out. Why couldn’t she realize that he was twenty-six? He and Kate were just living there until their apartment was finished.
Kate was probably sleeping already, taking care of her needs now that her belly was getting huge. In only two months or so, he would become a father! It was still hard to believe. They had already decided the names – Mary-Ann if it was a girl, and Theo if it was a boy.
Jack stumbled through the snow, wondering why his mother hadn’t gotten it away yet. She had probably decided it was his job to do it, and had left it for him.
When he finally reached the door, he had real troubles unlocking it. The cold had made his fingers feel like frozen hot dogs, and he had almost lost the sense in them.
He finally got in though – but wondered if he should have stayed outside instead. The hallway was almost colder than the wind outside!
“Probably a broken window or something,” he muttered to himself. The kids in the neighbourhood loved throwing snowballs on people’s windows in the winter, so it was not the first time it had happened. Jack checked the living room. But no. all the windows were whole. The windows in the kitchen were whole, too. He also stuck his nose up the stairs, but since it felt warmer up there, the cold had to come from downstairs. When he went past his mother’s bedroom though, a gust of icy wind met his face. He shivered, and stared at the door. It was not quite closed, and made slamming noises as it hit the door frame. He opened it, and was greeted with a freezing blast of air.
“Honestly, who leaves the windows open in the middle of the winter?” Jack muttered to himself, as he went over to the first window. He had to struggle with it to get it closed, since the wind was getting stronger. But finally, he managed to close it. He turned towards the window nearest the bed. His mother wasn’t sleeping in it, though the bedcovers were jumbled up. Maybe she was on the toilet or something? She hadn’t said anything about going out herself, at least.
Jack went to close the window – but stumbled over something halfway there. He looked down, and froze in pure shock while goose bumps made the hairs on his back rise. Jack grabbed the edge of the bed frame to support himself, feeling like he was about to throw up.
There, right in front of him - glassy eyes staring up at nothing - was his mother.
He was unable to take his eyes away from her.
This couldn’t be true. His mother. Dead.
“Jack, was that you?” Kate said. Jack could hear her footsteps in the stairs.
“Yes,” was all he managed to say, his voice not working correctly. He slid down on the floor, unable to hold himself up any longer without fainting.
Kate showed up in the doorway. “Why is it so cold here?” she shivered, and looked down at Jack.
“Why are you sitting there, Jack? And…” She gaped with shock when she saw Maggie.
"What's happened?" she said, and bent down to Jack, putting her arm around him.
"I-I don't know. I found her like this. I-I think she is..." he swallowed. He just didn't manage to say the word 'dead'.
“I-I’ll go call an ambulance,” Kate said, standing up and disappearing out of the room again.
Kate coming in made Jack's head work again, and the state of shock that had gripped him before lessened. He looked around in the room. His mother wouldn’t have left the windows open. There had to be another reason for them to be open. A thief? No. He would’ve broken the windows. Then, Jack spotted a glass of sleeping pills standing on the night table. He grabbed it. He hadn’t even known his mother was using pills like that.
‘Maximum dose is 1-2 pills every 24 hour’ he read on the doctor’s note behind it. The glass was empty. Had she taken an overdose? No, she wouldn’t have done that. Or… would she?
He studied her face. For some strange reason, she looked happy. A smile was spread all over her face, and she looked peaceful. A person trying to kill themselves don't smile. They just don't!
No. She couldn’t have done it. Wouldn’t have done it. She was going to be a grandmother, for crying out loud! She had been looking forward to it ever since Kate had announced she was pregnant.
No, there had to be another reason.
Jack knew his mother had had a lot of pains since the car crash, and that she had had troubles sleeping afterwards. He remembered that day as clearly as like it had been only yesterday.
It had been a rainy Monday afternoon, three years ago, when the doorbell had called.
Jack had opened the door thinking it had to be Kate coming back from the grocery store, forgetting her keys for what seemed like the billionth time.
But it was not.
“I’m police officer Wayne Gordon. Are you Jack Hayden?” said a stern voice belonging to a police officer.
“Yes, I am. Is there something wrong?” Jack said, afraid to hear the answer.
“I’m sorry to say that your mother and father have been in a car accident. They’ve been taken to the city hospital. I can take you down there in my car if you want.”
The next hours had went away in a haze for Jack. The police officer had left him in the waiting room, and couldn’t say anything more about the situation. Apparently, both his parents were badly hurt, and their condition was critical for both of them. Jack's head had felt like it was full of fog. He remembered Kate running towards him and hugging him. Trying to comfort him. Telling him that everything would be OK.
Three hours later, a doctor had come out.
“I’m very sorry to say this, but I’m afraid we couldn’t save your father’s life. His injuries were too large, and nothing could be done. We’re still working on your mother. She’s stabile right now, but she has gotten a back injury that will probably give her a lot of pains in the future. She’s in the ICU. I can take you there now if you want.”
Maggie’s entire upper body had been fastened in a device that hindered movement, and both her legs had been plastered. She had had wires and tubes going in and out of her body, and Jack could remember the sounds of beeping machines that were overseeing the functions of Maggie's inner organs and her brain. A machine had been helping her breathe, since both her lungs had collapsed in the accident. Seeing his mother like that had been one of Jack’s worst nightmares.
It had taken almost two years for his mother to be able to walk again - mostly because of the deep sorrow she had felt for loosing Sam. She had just laid there in the bed, feeling sorry for herself. The first few months all she had wanted to do, was to die. To be with Sam again.
Maggie had looked so beautiful before, when Sam was alive. Jack had always though that his mother had been the most beautiful woman on earth. But after hearing her husband had died, she had slowly turned into just a mere ghost of that woman. Hollow eyes, matte hair - and the flame of life in her eyes seemed to have dimmed to a meer spark. Just recently - around when Kate announced the pregnancy - Maggie had seemed to come alive again. But only just.
Jack knew his mother had loved Sam more than anything else. He had seen it in his mother’s eyes every time she had talked about him. Jack knew about the strong love that had been between them. Sam had been missing from Maggie's life, and couldn’t be brought back - just like her happiness couldn’t have been brought back entirely either.
But now... now they were finally back together.
When Kate came back, she motioned for Jack to get up from the floor. She threw a short look at Maggie, and shivered. She led Jack into the living room, and sat him down in a chair, putting her arms around him.
Not long after they heard sirens outside. Kate opened the door, and followed the paramedics into Maggie’s bedroom. Jack lurked in the background – still unable to think clearly, and still feeling nauseous. In the end, he slumped down on the floor, head in his hands and started crying.
“Jack found her like that when he came home,” Kate said to the peramedics, indicating Maggie. She sat down beside Jack and took her arm around him, trying to comfort him - just like she had done the time before.
“She’s very cold,” one of the paramedics said, touching Maggie’s forehead.
“Both... both the windows were open when I found her,” Jack said, trying to hold back the tears long enough to speak. “I-I think they had been open for awhile.”
“I can’t say for sure, but by the looks of it, she’s been dead for hours,” the paramedic said. “There’s nothing we can do except taking her body to the hospital. I'm sorry.”
Jack nodded. He hadn’t really thought there was any hope for Maggie. Not now, when she had finally met Sam again.
“It looks like your mother died of a heart attack, right after taking the sleeping pills. They probably made her dozy, so that she didn’t realise what was happening. And sleeping pills as strong as these can also often make the person hallucinate.” The doctor put his hand on Jack’s shoulder. It was the same doctor that had told Jack that he had lost his father.
“I’m really sorry. It seems that every time we meet, I only have bad news.”
“It almost feels that way, too,” Jack said, unsure of anything else to say as he dried away a tear from the corner of his eye.
They held the funeral about a week later. It was a beautiful ceremony. Jack said a few words about both Maggie and Sam, because talking about his mother without mentioning his father felt wrong. They were meant to be together, and now were finally joined in each others arms – at least he hoped so.
Two months later, a beautiful girl - that they gave the name Megan – was born. She had blonde hair like her grandmother, and she had stunningly blue eyes - just like her grandfather had had.
~~ As one life goes away, another springs into being ~~
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hope you liked it
I may continue the story further in the story area. I've got a few things planned for little Megan..... won't say more
)
