Burning Fire ✔️

Chapter twenty two

Rose’s p.o.v

“My rose, where would you like to go?” His brown eyes stared at my green ones. I loved the color of his eyes: how they would darken whenever he was high on emotions.

“How about we go to that new burger place across the street?” I asked with hope that he would agree.

“Wherever you want, love!” I still hadn’t gotten used to him calling me ‘love’. It made me feel some type of way, that I was yet to figure out what it meant.

“Hello! We would like some burgers and fries!” He ordered our food. “But no cheese for the lady, she’s allergic.”

“Touché!” The owner said. “I have the best cheese in the world.”

“I’m sure!” I said. “I would have loved to try it if I weren’t allergic!”

“That’s alright! You didn’t choose such terrible fate!” The way he spoke made me smile.

“Can we sit down, please? I’m not too keen on eating my food while standing up.” My grumpy boyfriend complained.

“Stop being so grumpy. In fact, eating while standing reduces reflux and heartburn.” I remembered my last lesson with Professor Jones.

“Relax doctor and come sit here!” He patted the seat next to him.

"Fine, but you must take a picture with me!" It was frustrating not having photos with your favourite people.

"Alright!" He agreed and signalled the owner to come over. "Could you please take a picture of us?"

"Of course! You look lovely together!" He praised and I smiled.

“Your wounds have been healing more with this medicine!” Doctor Nate, my colleague, informed me. “Perhaps I should prescribe you some more, Dc. Carson!”

“Nate, my name is Rose!” I had never been a fan of formalities between coworkers. “And yes, the medicine has been helping me with the burns on my skin.”

But there is no medicine that can heal the burning in my heart…

“It is the best I could find for your skin type! Imported from England straight here!” Nate praised.

England!

How many memories could a simple word unlock? How many times could something hurt, before it killed you? How long could I swim before my arms would give up on me?

“Rose, are you alright?” Nate wondered.

“Yes, I’m fine!” The biggest lie that could ever exist.

“We are done then! If you have any sign of complication, you know where to find me!” He smiled at me.

“Goodbye Nate!” I said and closed the hospital’s door.

The hospital’s smell hit my nostrils as I stepped in the hallway. Even though I was a heart surgeon, I still hadn’t gotten used to its terrible smell. This was probably one of the reasons why people hated the hospital. This place was like a purgatory: when someone was born, it had the ability to send you to heaven, but when someone was dead, it turned into hell.

The white would replace itself with the black, the light with the darkness, the good with the evil until you could no longer tell that it had been heaven in the first place. It was funny how such things worked. You never knew when will you be replaced or by what. Perhaps you never really knew what you were…

I felt my phone buzz in my purse. Curious to see what the fuss was about, I grabbed it.

‘Want to have lunch?’  Annie had texted me.

‘Sure!’  I replied checking the time.

‘What do you want me to order you?’ 

‘Anything without cheese.’

‘Very helpful mom!’ She complained and I laughed.

‘Humus Quesadillas would be great.’ 

‘See you, then!’ I read her message and put my phone in my purse, but not before checking at one last thing.

A picture from my past.

A happy moment.

A moment that perhaps could never return again.

Was there any hope? Was there any happiness for the wicked? For the ones who left behind their heart in order to protect their body? Was there any light left for the ones who had been living in the dark for so long?

One could only hope! One could only pray that purgatory was real, that you could have one last chance to make things right. But did you deserve that chance?

Were you worthy of redemption when you broke hearts into billion pieces for them to never be the same? Were you worthy of peace when you have brought hell to the ones you love?

Were you worthy of heaven when the flames of hell had touched the wings of an angel? Did you deserve dreams when your life had turned into a nightmare?