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Gone

Mary-Catherine's POV

I sat at the table in the empty house, hitting the empty pill bottle between my hands. Today was the day. All the pills were gone, I had to leave. The normally quiet tapping of the plastic from the pill bottle seemed to echo now. It had already been two days since Luke had left, I hadn't heard anything from him. The image of him returning home, his clothes and hair a mess, stuck in my mind. I checked my phone again, nothing. I stood up, causing my already aching head to buzz with pain.

I walked over to the front door to where my suitcases sat ready to go. I ran my fingertips over the coarse material sending goose-bumps along my arm. I sat down on the ground and just stared at the door. I didn't know what to do anymore. I felt so alone and empty. What was the point anymore? I was going to die anyways, why should I even try anymore. All I knew is that I had to tell Luke. I don't know why, but a piece of me knew he needed to know. Not so he would come back to me, not to forget what happened. But so I could leave this house without leaving a part of me behind.

I picked up my phone that laid next to where I sat. I paused, what is going to happen if I tell him? What if he doesn't answer? I unlocked my phone and dialed the number for Luke's personal phone. No answer. I panicked. I then tried his work phone, pausing before hitting the call button. I sat and thought about this house. I thought about how excited we were to move in together. The first night sleeping in the same bed, the way he held me so tight. I thought about how I could wake up at two o'clock in the morning and he would stay up with me, turning on the t.v. and running his fingers through my hair until I fell asleep. I thought about the way he looked in the morning. The way the sun seemed to make his skin glow, the way his hair seemed to always fall perfectly around his face. The way his eyes looked when the sun hit them, making them crystal blue. I thought about when he would run through the door when he came home, picking me up and spinning me around in his arms. I thought about the way he kissed me, and how he would smile afterwards. I thought about the way he made me feel. How I always thought he could protect me from everything, how he wouldn't let anything ever hurt me.

I thought about the way I missed him. But more importantly I thought about the way I still loved him.

The phone was already ringing when I put it up to my ear. Three, four, five, rings. He's not going to answer. Six, seven, eight rings. He had to answer, I needed him to. Nine, ten, he picked up.

"H-hello? Mary-Catherine?" he croaked out. I let out a sigh of relief into the microphone of the phone. "Luke." I squeaked back. How was I going to tell him?

"Luke, there's something I have to tell you." He breathed in, I could tell he was scared. "O-okay, what is it?" he whispered out. This was it. "Luke-" I paused and took a deep breath. I could do this. "I lied, I haven't been sick because of allergies. Luke, I have brain cancer." He was silent. Did he hang up? I took the phone away from my ear and checked, he was still there. "Luke?" I squeaked into the phone.

"You have... Brain cancer? Please don't joke Mary-Catherine. Please don't tell me this." I could hear the tears falling onto his phone and could hear his muffled sniffling. "Baby, don't do this. Please don't tell me it's that. Anything but that." He broke off, I could hear the phone drop the the floor. I could hear each choking sob.

"Luke, I'm dying. I'm so sorry. I know I should have told you sooner, but I've been so scared." I started to cry. You're not suppose to tell the person you love more than anything that you're dying. You just don't do it. He yelled out, I could hear the strain in it. The sorrow in his voice. The phone was now wet with my tears, but I couldn't stop. My heart ached, I couldn't do this without him. I was sitting on my knees and I just leaned down till my forehead touched the cool ground. My muscles ached from being so emotionally drained. He finally broke the silence.

"Mary-Catherine, don't you dare leave the house. I'm coming." He said with a sort of determination in his voice. "I'm borrowing Michael's car. Please baby, don't move. I'm coming, I'll be there soon. Don't leave me. Just stay on the phone with me." I could now start to hear the panic in his voice, his voice was shaking now and I could hear the rustling of him trying to get out of the house and into car quickly. "Luke, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." I sobbed out. I started to realize how scared I was. How alone I really felt. "Baby, I'm coming, don't worry." He spoke out calmly.

I sat up, put the phone on speaker, and just buried my face into my hands. The tears seeping through my fingers. My head ached even more now, but I couldn't stop the raging emotions within me. My chest shook with each deep breath I took. I finally wiped my eyes and grabbed the phone again, taking it off speaker. I didn't know what else to say.

I finally mustered out, "Luke, I love you so so much." I heard him sort of chuckle into the phone followed with what seemed like a sigh of relief, as if he had been holding his breath waiting for me to say it. "Cat, I love yo-"

There was a crash sound and then the phone went silent. "Luke? LUKE!" I screamed into the phone. "No, Luke please answer me. Don't do this." I cried out. Nothing. "ANSWER LUKE! Please say something..." I screamed so desperately into the phone. My voice was nothing but panic and desperation. "You said you would always be here for me!! Where are you now?!" I screamed into the microphone, my voice sounding almost primal.

I was shaking all over now, my eyes overflowing with tears. I put my free hand in my hair, grabbing it. He had to answer, what was happening?

I finally took the phone away from my ear, my hand shaking, and looked at it.

Call ended.