FIRST- Chapter 30
I'm FINALLY back! Thank you guys for being so extremely patient with me over the past YEAR! I can't believe how far we've come since that first day. (no pun intended) I wanted to post this final chapter on May 9th, First's first birthday, but because of the immense turmoil I've gone through lately it's been impossible to even write a few good sentences. Those of you that follow me on Twitter (@HazelleCarange) know that recently, I lost my mom to cancer. Thankfully, her fight was rapid and brief and because of the aggressiveness of the disease, she did not suffer for very long. I thank God every day for my family and loving husband who have been there to support me every step of the way. I know that without them, Gianni especially, I would not have been able to handle losing her. They have strengthened me enough to resume writing as soon as humanly possible. Gena's fight was very similar to that of the angel I lost, and because of that it made it so much more difficult to produce the content that you guys deserve. I dedicate this finale chapter to Key, who I know is watching over me with her beautiful brown eyes from above. Thank you all for being so incredibly patient with me. The first chapter of Embrace will be posted on Monday, July 27th!
The songs for the last chapter are:
Photograph- Ed Sheeran
Crazier- Taylor Swift
Smile- Uncle Kracker
Last Kiss- Pearl Jam
Blackbird- Glee (fight me)
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Sidney's POV
I didn't want to sound cynical, so I kept my mouth shut. But when the doctors told her that she'd never walk again, I knew that the end was near. She underwent an emergency surgery two days later in an attempt to remove some of the cancerous cells, but she only became weaker. After the death of her father, she had lost all motivation to keep going. By the time she had finally cried over it, she couldn't talk until after she came from home from the hospital. Her stomach promptly refused everything, even water, so she was placed on yet another IV drip.
She was getting weaker and weaker every day, and the window of opportunity was quickly closing on me. Even if it meant eloping, I wanted to meet her at the end of the aisle. Gena sleeps silently in the other room, completely unaware of my plans. I glance over at the clock and notice that it's only three in the afternoon. Sliding out of bed, I change out of my lazy clothes and into something I can wear outside. I place a light kiss on top of her head as I pass by her room. It still feels so unfamiliar to not feel the mass of flaxen hair beneath my lips anymore. Careful not to wake up Gena, I silently exist the house.
It physically hurts to express my love for her through words, since I know that it's impossible. I knew that I would have trouble getting her to say yes, no matter how much she was in love with me. We both knew by now that her days were numbered. There was no way in hell that she could beat this cancer. She was just simply too weak. But still, I waited for a miracle. I kept telling myself, "As long as she's alive there is still a chance in hell."
When her father died, she gave up. No amount of pep talking and convincing and telling her how much she has to live for would work anymore. Gena was practically bedridden and had no choice but to quit her job. Her skin was sucked around her bones in a devastatingly sickening way. I felt that at this point, she was embarrassed of herself, even around me. She was now shyer around me than she was when we first started dating and never wanted to take her shirt off because of the way her frame stuck out. Even when her eyes were nearly grey with lust, she would constantly be pulling a blanket or one of our shirts over herself. She was ashamed of her body. When I figured out her pattern of covering up, I purposely kicked the clothing out of reach to prevent her from hiding herself from me. It wasn't because I wanted to see or grope her. I knew she was only doing it because she was afraid of herself, not of me. Once I was able to get her past her self issues, it finally felt like I was making love to Gena and not just body. But it was the same battle every time. She'd practically rip the threads from my body, but no longer even felt comfortable wearing her hair up, even when she was alone.
