IMPORTANT Author's note: this is an alternative chapter to the end of chapter 5. I thought I'd do them and this is going to be a test. Tell me in the comments what you think of the idea because when I read stories in which situations like this happen I always wonder what could have happened. But it's also horrible when stories end badly, so this is an alternative chapter in which Harriet didn't forget her purse. Sorry in advance but I can't be the only one who loves to cry reading.
V*
HARRIET
When we left the restaurant, Adrian was driving me home when he noticed there was a lot of traffic and decided to take an alternative route. I didn't argue, five minutes more minus five minutes wasn't the point, as long as he got me out of that dinner that wasn't even a dinner it was fine.
I leaned my head against the window for a second, just for a second to recap everything that had happened over the last few months and closed my eyes. Just for a second...
...
"Open your eyes, love, just for a second, come on." I hear Adrian's annoying voice, only at this moment it's not annoying but frightened.
So I open my eyes, I'm looking up at the sky, it was a beautiful night in fact, on top of that being far from the city the stars were like nothing I've ever seen, I could stare at the sky forever.
And I should have, because when I looked down just enough to look at Adrian in front of me, I saw him bloodied, burnt, he had glass stuck in his arms, in his face, but he wasn't worrying about any of that, he was looking at me and I was looking at him.
"What happened to you?" I ask confused and he looks at me with the same confusion.
"There was a bomb" He says softly "There was a bomb in the car Harriet"
"How can that be? You look awful...and...and I'm fine Adrian. Was I in the car?" I ask confused.
"Harriet...you're not fine..." He says and I don't understand what he means, it doesn't hurt at all.
"Give me your cell phone and I'll call someone to come and check on you" I say as if I'm making total sense and hold out my hand to him.
When I stretch my hand out enough to look at it, I see that it's completely burnt, the skin peeling off the muscle and the smell of burning flesh.
"There's no signal, love..." he tells me. "I can try to see if I can find someone, but I don't want to leave you alone."
"Why wouldn't you? I'm fine... I mean my hand feels a bit weird but it doesn't hurt, let's both go" I say calmly
"No Harriet, you can't go..." He tells me and I look at him without understanding what he means. "You hit your head too hard against the window love...you can't go"
I stare at him for a while, both of us silently looking at each other. Everything that happened next was a blur, a man Adrian apparently knew appeared, he called an ambulance and we were taken to the nearest hospital. I didn't understand why everyone was rushing, I was fine.
...
KATE
The last few days have been awful, I've only been hanging on because of Milena, Hennie's parents are too down to look after her so, as I'm her godmother, I have to be here for her.
Since she became stable, Lena and I have been in hospital every day. She's had so many surgeries I've lost count. And she still hasn't woken up. The doctors said that she had a very large cerebral bleed and that it was a possibility that she wouldn't wake up, but that we weren't there yet.
So when they called to tell us that she'd finally woken up, we rushed there, and there she was, awake, apparently fine. Milena ran into her mother's arms and I was about to do the same, but her doctor stopped me for a second and looked at me with pity.
"She's fine, there's no pain but... we don't think it's definite... it's possible that it's the surge... it's a moment that happens when patients miraculously get well, before they die. I'm so sorry..." He said and I looked at Harriet who was smiling at the friendship bracelets Milena had made.
I wanted to cry, to sit on the floor and cry like a child, but I couldn't, so I went into the bedroom and enjoyed the last moments with my best friend.
...
We talked for hours, we laughed, we cried, and it was late when Milena fell asleep in bed.
"Kate" she calls me and I look at her "go home, rest, I don't want you both here when it happens"
She says and I understand... she knew.
"Harriet..." I say with tears in my eyes.
"Come on, no crying, I know you'll look after Milena as best you can and I won't say any more because I don't want to start crying either" She says laughing softly with tears in her eyes.
I just nodded and gave her one last hug and said goodbye for good, just as she said goodbye to Milena who was asleep in my arms.
HARRIET
After they left it took me a while to process everything but I dragged myself out of bed into a wheelchair and dragged myself into the next room where Adrian and the man who met us were.
"Ah, just the woman I wanted to see, Harriet by the way, this is Chris, Chris this is Harriet but I think you already know her" He says
"Actually I already know her, I'll leave you two" He says leaving the room.
"How long have you been awake?" I ask
"A few days now, but I've visited you every day if that's what you're asking" He says and I laugh softly.
"Are you definitely well now?" I ask
"Almost, in a while I'll have the last surgery but they say it's low risk so I should be fine" He says "And you?"
"I'll be fine too." I say getting close enough to get into his bed, in my defense he didn't need a whole bed to himself and my wheelchair is uncomfortable.
"I promise, when we get out of here, I'll take you on a real date, okay? No exploding cars or anything," he says and I laugh.
"Next time we'll take my mini, no one would put a bomb in that car" I say and it's his turn to laugh.
A doctor comes to prepare him for surgery but doesn't say anything about me being there.
"See you later Harriet"
"Later Adrian" I say with a soft smile.
...
Harriet Wagner went brain-dead that same day after suffering a massive stroke, the machines were turned off after thirty days as she had expressed she wanted, Milena's guardianship was passed on to her godmother Kate.
Adrian Moreua died later that day in the operating table after complications from the surgery, and left all his money to Harriet as he had in his will.
With Harriet's death the money passed to her daughter, who was controlled by Kate, and with that money she managed to hire a good lawyer and win custody of Milena in court against her biological father.
Chris was always there for Kate because he felt he needed to help them in any way he could.
Years later, Chris and Kate got married and had two children besides Milena, whom they treat as their own.
author's note: I know, and I'm sorry, but I loved it and I think I'm going to keep doing it. By the way, in the next chapter go back to where we left off at the end of chapter 5. I hope you enjoyed it and please do comment on whether you think I should keep doing this or not.
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