Love Hurts

#28

And then death embraced him and left me screaming for help in that dark alleyway, cradling his head. I put my hand over the stab wound and looked up through tears to see the mugger turning a corner. Blood covered his shirt and trickled down my arm as I lifted my hand to see the blood. I had to make sure it was real. I had to make sure I wasn't just in the middle of a horrible dream. "I love you, I love you, I love you." I chanted over and over as if I said those words enough he would wake up. Just like in the movies. "I love you, I love you, I love you," Rocking back and forth, I was a broken phonograph, a loop playing over and over. I did love him. But no matter how much I said it nothing could change the fact that he was gone. "I love you, I..." The words got caught in my throat and I sobbed. At first it was just a little whimper, and then I howled and screamed. "Why, God, did you have to die? Why, baby?" Tears surged from my eyes. I didn't even hear the sirens when they pulled up and I didn't hear the questions they asked me. I was on autopilot, my brain answering for me, my heart... Well. Did I even have a heart anymore? Was it still functioning? Without him, I wasn't sure it could.