Lying in my bed I knew it was the end. I knew that tonight would be the last time I fell asleep and that this time I wasn’t going to wake up. But I wasn’t scared.
No, I was content with my life.
Yeah, I may regret a few things but then doesn’t everyone.
I had lived a full life.
I had lived, loved and lost.
I had been a nurse in world war 2. I met my beloved husband Jeffrey there, and I would meet him again after tonight.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
“Em, Em, Emily, WAKE UP!” Said my friend Tabitha, urgently shaking me awake.
“What is it Tab’s, 5 more minutes” I Said groggily hugging my pillow.
“we have casualties by the dozen, its getting sticky out there Em I need your help” she said desperately. That woke me up, all of a sudden my mind was sharp and awake. Before I knew it I had tied my apron around my waist poised to do the task at hand.
“Alright let’s go and see the damage” I said already racing out of the nurses break room.
Racing out of the bunker I could hear the gunfire and bombshells going off over head. I had never truly realized how soundproof the bunker was. I didn’t chase that thought though and as we approached the makeshift hospital my mind went into work mode as I watched soldier upon soldier being hauled through the swinging doors. Immediately my eyes separated the soldiers into 2 groups. The soldiers that could be saved, and the ones that could only be made as comfortable as possible. I sighed at the numbers.
“You there, no the bartender, of course you” i snapped at one of the nurses doing nothing but standing around being unhelpful. “Get some help and put that injured soldier into room 2B and take these ones with you” I said pointing individually to each injured soldier that I knew without a doubt wouldn’t last the night and could only be made as comfortable as possible.
Once all the soldiers I’d pointed to were gone, the difference was astronomical. I understood perfectly well that those soldiers were people. People with families, and that those families wouldn’t be receiving their son, husband, brother, or nephew home alive ever again. It was sad. Very sad in fact, but I had no time to cry. “Hey Tabitha, grab some of the other nurses and get the rest of the injured prepped and ready for surgery, while I go and fetch the doctors” I said to my friend behind me. “Ok Em, will do. Carol, Janice, Nicole, come with me” I heard Tab’s say in the distance as I ran to find the doctors.
Entering the doctors break room, I find the doctors that weren’t on duty sitting down having tea. Gasping I rasp “please. Help. New soldiers. Immediate. Surgical. Attention”. Of course after hearing this they all spurred into action, cups of tea long forgotten on the tables. As the last of the doctors piled out through the door one of them stops, and he winks at me. Cheeky thing. Smiling he asks me seriously “whats your name nurse?”. Surprised I reply “Emily McCaelin”, “well Emily McCaelin, I’m Jeff Morgan. Lacing his fingers together he stretched them in front of himself and said “it’s time“.
At that point my vision faded away into a pitch black void.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
all of a sudden 5 white boxes appear in the black void. The first had been opened but the next three were unopened and tied with a crimson ribbon, but the last was a very beautiful white box with a pearly sheen and tied with a bright sapphire ribbon. I really wanted to open the last box, but something to open the boxes in order. from the open box to the pearly box, left to right, 1 to 5. I went with my instincts and opened the crimson ribboned box next to the already opened one
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
“Hey Emily, are you okay” said Jeff waving his hand in front of my face. Jerking out of my daze i realized that i had been staring at my coffee for the past 5 minutes.
“sorry, I was just thinking” I replied.
“about what?”.
“well our lives have just started to settle down, the war is over and i don’t patch soldiers up anymore. I feel relieved and yet worried….I still have those god awful nightmares” i added absentmindedly whilst stirring my coffee. ” all of those poor families, I couldn’t save them all, no matter how hard I tried” I whispered scared that if I spoke any louder that I’d start to cry.
Jeff quickly snatched my other hand, the one that wasn’t stirring the coffee and looked me in the eye, and holding my gaze the said softly but in complete seriousness “you did your job, you did everything that you could do, the rest was up to their own abilities” his eyes softened as he stood up still holding my hand.
Changing to a better topic I stood up, walked past him and said “come on, I seem to remember that you promised a movie after the coffee”. Smiling he place my hand in the crook of his arm and led me to the theater like a gentleman. As he opened the door of the cinema for me, he gave me his most mischievous, Cheshire cat grin and announced charmingly “it’s time”
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Back at the boxes. Only 3 to go. I stared at the center box for a minute or two and then stretched my hand out to grasp the crimson ribbon, but when I latched on there wasn’t any ribbon there and instead of a box I was faced with a mirror image of myself.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
“Oh, you look so beautiful in that dress” said my friend Tabitha from behind me. Tabitha had been one of the other nurses during world war 2, she had been my best friend and the only one able to keep me sane. Even after 3 years we had still kept in touch and when Jeff had asked me to marry him she was the first person i had called to tell and then i asked her to be my maid of honour.
“I hope I don’t fall on my face, this dress is so long” I said preying to god that I didn’t embarrass myself, “what if he is disappointed when he sees me and backs out” I added already getting cold feet. “don’t worry I’ve seen this again and again. Jeff wont be able to look away, he will be so dazzled, and you my dear will barely be able to hold back tears as he says the words ‘I do’ “. she always was the dramatic one.
In the background I heard the church bells announcing for my wedding to start and Tabitha handed me my bouquet as I walked to the only doors separating me from the rest of the church guests and Jeff and you know what? Tabitha was right…. well almost, I did cry when he said ‘I do’ but then so did he when I reciprocated those feelings.
Taking my hand as we exited the church Jeff kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear “its time”
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Almost there 2 to go. One crimson, one sapphire. Without hesitation I tenderly wrapped my hand around the last crimson ribbon and gently pulled.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Once a nurse now a patient I lay on the hospital bed gasping in pain, dear god how did I let him talk me into having a baby I thought.“Alright I’m going to have to ask you to lie perfectly still” my nurse said evenly. She was a young thing, 19 years at most. “Emily I’m going to have to ask you not to push just yet, I know you want to right now, but we need to re-position the babies head because at the moment your baby is sitting sideways, so I’m just going to push on one side and then the other after that I will tell you when it’s ok to push, do you understand” she looked at me seriously as if to say that if I didn’t do precisely what she said that I could very likely loose my baby, so I nodded weakly at her. After what seemed like hours she finally said “Ok, on the count of three. One. Two. THREE! PUSH!” I screamed and pushed with what energy I had left and an hour later I heard the sounds of a babies cries coming from the arms of the nurse.
” It’s a healthy baby boy” the nurse said bringing my child to me and placing him in my arms “shall I bring in your husband now Emily”. I nodded distractedly, just openly staring in wonder at our creation.
“Emily” Jeff said standing beside me “I love you, I love our baby, and the only other thing I can say before I become speechless is, what are we going to name him?”. Without hesitation I replied “James Robert Morgan” and all my wonderful husband said back was……”perfect”.
Looking up from James to Jeff I sighed with contentment and said……”it’s time”. Almost everything faded out. Everything except my husband and out baby, behind Jeff the dazzling pearl white box with the sapphire ribbon appeared. Its then that Jeff held his hand
out to me. Without needing to think I take his hand and say ” I love you”
The ribbon fell away and the box crumbled to nothing leaving behind a bright blinding light that filled and destroyed the black void. It was then that I was home in the arms of my love walking thought heavens gates.
Never looking back.
THE END
