He Followed Me Home

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Janice was still sitting beside Francine's bed and staring at her best friend wondering what in the world she was going to do without her, when the door to the room opened and closed behind her. She turned to see Wyatt standing there with blood on his shirt.

"Oh my God! Did you kill her?" she demanded as she jumped to her feet and Wyatt shook his head. "Then where is that blood from?"

Wyatt held up his hand and showed her his busted up knuckles from punching the stone wall at Madam Zinga's, "I lost my temper."

"Yeah well I still don't want you here," Janice said as she turned on her heels and crossed her arms over her chest.

Wyatt shrugged, "Too bad. She's my wife."

"Her parents are on the way. They should be here within the next hour or so," Janice whispered.

Wyatt walked around her and dropped to his knees beside the bed. He ran his hand over Francine's cheek and smiled faintly, "I love you, Franny." He buried his face in her chest and his shirt rode up revealing the handle of the silver knife he had stuck into the waistband of his pants. Janice's eyes widened. Wyatt looked up at her, "Please tell her that I love her, okay? I told you I was going to fix this and I did but I won't be around to tell her that so tell her." Wyatt pulled out the knife and handed it to Janice, "And give her this. You guys keep this safe."

"What are you talking about?" Janice demanded. Wyatt just swallowed hard and pressed a feather light kiss to Francine's motionless mouth. He stood and walked on shaking legs over to the life support machine. He stared at the machine for several long moments and listened to the whooshing and clanking and then he reached for the plug on the wall.

"Stop!" Janice exclaimed as she lunged for him. She grabbed him by the arm and tried to pull him away but it was like trying to uproot a one hundred year old oak tree.

"Trust me, Janice. I told you that I fixed it and I did. She's going to be fine."

"But her parents...."

"Will get to see her alive and well when they get here."

"And you?"

"Will be dead. Just the way it should have been."

Janice's eyes filled with tears as she shook her head, "No! No, you can't die! Francine loves you!"

"And I love her more than life itself. So to make sure she gets to live a long life I'm gonna pull this plug and trade my life for hers. Tell her... Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't give her those children she wanted and that I said to find somebody new but no more jerks."

"Wyatt..." Janice said helplessly and he smiled and laid his hand on her cheek before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"It'll be okay, little sister," Wyatt reached behind him and pulled the plug from the outlet. The machine immediately silenced and Janice watched with anticipation to see if Francine's chest would continue to rise and fall. She was eerily still for a moment and then suddenly she took a breath and in the instant she took that breath, Wyatt collapsed on the ground in a motionless heap.

Janice ran to the door and threw it open, screaming for a nurse or a doctor.

***

Madam Zinga knew the instant that Francine's heart began beating on it's own and Wyatt's stopped. She felt a moment of satisfaction but there was a small nagging feeling in the back of her mind. It was her conscience again. Something she couldn't turn off no matter how hard she had tried the last few thousand years.