Love is Blind.

Chapter three: In a better place

Richard and his mother Alyssa sat in the waiting room holding each other's hand, sobbing and crying.

"Mommy dot let daddy die, please don't let him die!"

Alyssa looked at her son with great sadness and said; "Richard, it is not up to me whether or not he lives. All I can do is pray that he pulls through." A male nurse came to Alyssa with a face that showed what had happened.

"How is he doing?" she asked.

The nurse hesitated to answer.

"I'm very sorry ma'am. You husband had been shot at an angle, going from his left kidney straight to his heart. It's a miracle that he made it to where he did. On top of that the tip of the bullet has a toxic chemical called mercury, which expands when in contact with heat or pressure. Because it hit his kidney and heart, plus other organs even if he had survived, he would be in intensive care for life. We have done everything we could to save him. I'm very sorry about your loss."

"No, NO! He can't be dead! He can't die. I need him!"

"I'm sorry Ms. Myersky, he is dead. I know this won't make things any better but, would you like to see him before they take him to the artist to prepare him for the funeral."

"No, I can't I don't want my son to see him dead more than he has to."

"Ma'am, I can stay here with the child and you can go see him, your son will be safe with me."

Alyssa sat and thought about it for a minute and asked; "He won't move from this spot!"

"No Ms. Myersky. He will stay in his seat."

"Ok but if he moves from this-."

"Ms. Myersky I assure you he will be ok."

Alyssa looked at the nurse and turned around to go see her husband one last time. The nurse sat down next to young Richard, the boys eyes filled with tears, his face bright red from all his crying. When he sat down next to him he buried his head in his lap to hide his face full of tears.

        The nurse seeing how the boy felt. And knowing what he is going through put his arm around the boy and tried to tell him that everything is going to be ok. That everybody dies and it is just a fact of life.

        The nurse's words seemed to work. And the boy seemed to cry less and less. But the boy continued to cry when he heard the nurse say that his father was in a better place. And that he would see him again someday.

        The nurse kept trying to make the child feel better up until his mother came back.

        Arrangements had been made to transport them back to their vehicle. And when they arrived, haunting flashbacks of just hours before now came back into their mind. The stress and lonely feeling was too much for Alyssa. She sat down against the bumper of her car and cried again.

        Richard came up to his mother and said to her;

"Mommy don't worry, the nurse said he is in a better place and that we will get to see him again someday if we are good."

She looked up at her five year old son. Wiped away her tears and said; "Do you believe that?"

Richard replied; "Yes mommy, the doctor told me he is in a better place. Doctors know a lot about people when they get hurt, Right mommy?"

"That's right Richie, they do. Papa is in a better place."

        The ride home was silent and peaceful. Neither of them said a word. Alyssa drove slowly and carefully because she couldn't get her mind off of what had just happened and on the road. When they arrived home neither of them ate. Richard slept in his bed with ease knowing that his father was happy and in a better place. But Alyssa couldn't sleep at all. She was alone in her bed. She had no one to cuddle with when she was cold no one to give her that feeling of safety and peace. She tossed and turned and was sleepless for many nights. Life wasn't the same without Tom. She felt like the only real reason she had to be alive was to make sure Richard was alive.