Pretty Girl - Steven Conklin

13

Delilah's heart was pounding as she rushed through the hospital corridor, her mind unable to keep up with the rapid pace of her body. Her feet pounded against the hard linoleum floor, echoing in the empty hallways as she searched for Jackson. The phone call still rang in her ears, the nurse's words blurring together as the reality of the situation set in.

Minor injuries... He's fine... Just come...

But deep down, she knew it wasn't fine. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach, the anxiety twisting and gnawing at her insides. There was something more—something worse.

The bright, sterile lights of the hospital only made her feel more disoriented as she sprinted toward the nurse's station. A nurse was standing behind the counter, flipping through a chart, and Delilah could barely get the words out as she approached, breathless and frantic.

"Are you Delilah?" the nurse asked, her voice calm but concerned.

Delilah nodded urgently, barely registering the nurse's face as she gripped the edge of the counter. "Yes, where is he? Where's Jackson?"

"He's in room 10-20," the nurse said, her voice soft with empathy. "I'm so sorry—"

But Delilah didn't wait to hear the rest. She turned on her heel, her heart hammering as she ran in the direction of the room. Her breath was ragged, her mind spiraling as she raced down the hall, the hospital's antiseptic smell overwhelming her. She could barely focus, only knowing she had to get to him.

When she reached the door to room 10-20, she threw it open without hesitation. But what she saw inside made her heart stop cold.

A team of doctors surrounded Jackson's bed, their faces grim as they worked quickly, a harsh contrast to the steady beeping of the machines. They didn't even notice her at first as she stood frozen in the doorway, unable to make sense of what she was seeing.

Then, she heard one of the doctors speak in a quiet, almost reverent tone.

"Time of death: 7:32 p.m."

The words hit her like a punch to the gut, and before she even realized it, she was running to his side. She could hear her own frantic breaths, the thundering of her heart drowning out everything else in the room. She reached Jackson's bed just as they stepped back, the doctors moving out of her way, their faces filled with sympathy.

"No," Delilah whispered, her voice breaking as she took his cold hand in hers. "No, no, no..."

She looked at him, at the boy she loved, the boy who'd made her laugh and held her close through everything. His eyes were closed now, and he looked so still—so... gone.

Her hands trembled as she brushed his hair away from his forehead, her fingertips lightly grazing his skin. She was shaking. Her heart felt as though it were being ripped out of her chest, and no matter how many times she whispered his name, it didn't change the fact that he was no longer with her.

"Please, JJ. Please don't go," she sobbed, her voice raw. She kissed his forehead, her tears mixing with the ones that had already stained his pale skin. "I need you. Please don't leave me... not like this."

Her body felt weak, as if the room was spinning around her, and before she could stop it, her legs gave way. She collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. The weight of the loss was suffocating. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. It was too much.

She heard someone call her name—Jere's voice—before she felt strong arms wrap around her. He pulled her close, holding her as she sobbed into his chest, her body shaking with grief.

"I'm so sorry, Dee," Jere whispered softly, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm so sorry."

Delilah barely registered the sounds around her—the hushed murmurs of the doctors, the quiet sobs of her brother—but when she finally looked up, her eyes met Steven's. He was standing in the doorway, his face pale and his eyes wide with shock, his body frozen in place.

The sight of him hit her like a punch to the chest. She hadn't even noticed he'd followed her in, hadn't even realized he was here until she saw him standing there, his hand gripping the doorframe like he was holding himself up.

She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what she was feeling anymore. But in that moment, everything in the room seemed to blur together. All that mattered was Jackson. JJ. And the fact that he was gone.

Jere stayed by her side, keeping her close as she leaned into him, her sobs muffled against his shirt. He stroked her hair, whispering quiet words of comfort, but nothing could take away the pain. It was all too much.

Steven took a tentative step forward, his gaze flicking between Delilah and Jackson's lifeless body. "I... I'm sorry," he muttered, his voice thick with emotion. "I didn't... I didn't know."

Delilah shook her head, her tears still flowing. She didn't know how to respond. She didn't know if she could.

The door opened again, and Susannah and Conrad stepped into the room, their eyes scanning the scene in shock. They both froze when they saw Jackson's body, the weight of the reality sinking in.

"I'm so sorry," Susannah whispered, her voice breaking as she stepped toward them, but she too was at a loss for words.

It was too much for all of them. The grief, the shock—it was too much. No one knew what to say, how to make sense of any of it.

Delilah could feel her brother's hand on her shoulder, steadying her as she buried her face in her hands, trying to breathe through the suffocating weight of it all. She wasn't ready for this. She didn't know how to be strong for everyone else when she could barely hold herself together.

"How did this happen?" Conrad asked, his voice barely a whisper. The question was rhetorical, but it hung in the air, unanswered.

Delilah wanted to scream. She wanted to shout at the universe for taking him, for taking the person she loved. But all that came out were more sobs.

The tears still streaming down her face. She didn't have the strength to say anything, to do anything other than exist in this painful moment. She needed to stay with him—because without Jackson, she didn't know where else she could go. 

Delilah looked at everyone, her face numb.

"Get out." 

"Dee we can't just leave you here-" Steven stammered.

"Get out!" this time she yelled her voice full of sorrow. "All of you get out!"

She pushed them all out the door and slammed it in their faces.

She looked at her boyfriend who laid motionless in his bed. She stepped over to him and got in the bed with him. Tears streaming down her face.

"You really did it this time Jack." She glided her hand down the side of his face. The tears ran faster and harder, she buried her face in his chest.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." Over and over again she said it, because she didn't know which one she said would be the last.